In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of confessing Jesus as Lord. He highlights that Jesus is the testimony of God and that it is crucial for believers to bear witness to Him. The preacher also discusses the role of Paul in proclaiming the testimony of Jesus, emphasizing that Paul did not rely on persuasive words of wisdom but on the demonstration of the Spirit and power. The sermon also touches on the significance of the Old Testament and how it points to the suffering and glorification of the Messiah, Jesus.

Will you please turn to 1 Corinthians? 請我們翻開哥明多前書 1 Corinthians chapter 2 哥明多前書第二章 The first five verses 從第一到第五節 And I, when I came to you, the brethren, came not in excellency of word or wisdom, announcing to you the testimony of God. 弟兄們, 從前我到你們那裡去 並沒有用高言大字對你們宣傳神的奧秘 For I did not judge it well to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 因為我曾定了主意 在你們中間不知道別的 只知道耶穌基督 並他釘十字架 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. 我在你們那裡 又軟弱 又懼怕 又甚戰驚 And my word and my preaching not in persuasive words of wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. 我說的話講的道 不是用智慧維遠的言語 乃是用聖靈和大能的明證 That your faith might not stand in man's wisdom but in God's power. 叫你們的信不在乎人的智慧 只在乎神的大能 The book of Revelation 啟示錄 Revelation Chapter 1 啟示錄第一章 Verse 9 第九節 I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and patience in Jesus was in the island of Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus. 我約翰就是你們的弟兄 和你們在 耶穌的患難 國度 忍難裡一同有份 為神的道 並為給耶穌做的見證 曾在那 帕摩的海島上 Still Chapter 1 Verse 17 and Verse 18 還是第一章十七十八兩節 And when I saw him I fell at his feet as dead and he laid his right hand upon me saying fear not I'm the first and the last and the living one and I became dead and behold I'm living to the ages of ages and have the keys of death and of Hades 我一看見就 撲倒在他腳前 像死了一樣 他用右手按著我說不要懼怕 我是首先的 我是末後的 又是那存活的 我曾死過 現在又活了 只活到永永遠遠 並且拿著死亡和陰間的鑰匙 Revelation Chapter 12 啟示錄第十二章 Verses 10 and 11 第十十一兩節 And I heard a great voice in the heavens saying now is come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ for the accuser of our brethren has been cast out who accused them before our God day and night and they have overcome him by reason of the blood of the Lamb and by reason of the word of their testimony and have not loved their lives even unto death 我聽見在天上有大聲音說 我神的救恩 能力 國度 並他基督的權柄 現在都來到 因為那在我們神面前 晝夜控告我們弟兄的 已經被摔下去了 弟兄勝過他 是因羔羊的血 和自己所見證的道 他們隨之於死 也不愛惜性命 Let's have a word of prayer. 我們再有一點的禱告 Dear Lord, our hearts bow low in worship. 親愛的主, 我們的心 俯伏敬拜 Who in this universe loves us as you did? 在這宇宙的裡面 有誰愛我們像你這樣? We thank thee that even though we are the most unworthy people, 我們謝謝您 我們雖然是最不配的人 and yet Thou are willing to die for us. 但是您這樣願意為我們死 Lord, our hearts are melted by Thy love. 主啊,我們的心被祢的愛來融化了 We cannot keep back ourselves from giving over to Thee. 我們實在不能夠不把我們自己給祢 Thou has redeemed us 祢救贖了我們 for a reason, for a purpose. 為了那一個旨意 And Lord, we do desire that Thy purpose will be fulfilled in each one of us. 我們實在願意 祢的旨意 能夠在我們每個人身上成就 It is not for ourselves, Lord. 主啊,不是為了我們 It is for Thee. 是為了祢 So may Thy name be glorified among Thy people. 願祢的名在祢兒女當中被告知 May Thy purpose be fulfilled in all Thy people. 願祢的旨意 在祢所有的兒女們身上得到成全 That glory may fill the universe. 願榮耀就充滿了宇宙 And glory to Thee. 榮耀都歸給祢 We ask in Thy precious name. 我們禱告奉祢寶貝的名 Amen. Dear brothers and sisters, 親愛的弟兄姊妹們 We do thank the Lord for being so faithful to us. 我們實在感謝主 他是那樣的信誓向著我們 In the last few days 在過去幾天的當中 He gathered us together before Him. 他把我們聚在他的跟前 That is His love. 這是祂的愛 He does not want us to meet Him with shame. 他不願意我們見他面的時候帶著羞愧 He is coming soon. 他很快就再來 He wants us to meet Him with joy and glory. 祂願意我們 帶著榮耀跟喜樂的去見他 And that's the reason why He gave us this opportunity. 這是為什麼 祂再給我們這樣的機會 Our prayer is that what He has said to us 我們禱告乃是 祂向我們已經說過的話 will become reality in our lives. 實在能夠成為我們生活裡面的實際 There is nothing more important than the eternal purpose of God. 沒有比神永遠的旨意更重要的是 We thank God that it pleases Him to reveal that purpose to us. 我們感謝神 祂樂意將祂的旨意向我們顯現出來 And we thank God that He has always also show us the way to that purpose. 我們也感謝神 祂把這條道路也指給我們 Our dear brother Lance mentioned the cross and Christ. 我們親愛的藍帝兄講到 十字架與基督 In that eternal purpose of God 在神那永遠的旨意裡面 God's Son is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 神的兒子是在創世的時候就被殺 He came in this world to die. 他來到這個世上為了被殺 Not for himself. 不是為了他自己 He has no need to die. 他不需要死 And God never dies. 神是永遠不死的 But He died for you and for me. 但是祂為你跟我受死 On Calvary's cross the one who knows no sin died for us sinners. 不知罪的為我們死成為罪 That we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 叫我們在湯裡面成為神的義 What amazing love is this! 這是多麼奇妙的愛 Our Lord went to the cross for our sake. 我們的主為了我們的緣故上了十字架 On the cross He accomplished the work that God has sent Him. 在十字架上 他完成了神差他來做的功 And He also calls us to follow Him. 祂也呼召我們來跟從祂 To follow Him in the way of the cross. 跟從祂在這條十字架的道路上 Because that is the way that will lead us to the eternal purpose of God. 因為這條路是引我們到神永遠的旨意的道路 The scripture said, by the eternal spirit He offered Himself spotless to God. 詩經告訴我們 祂用那永遠的名把自己無瑕疵的現象 Purifying us 潔淨我們 Purifying our conscience from that work. 潔淨我們的良心 That we may worship the living God. 叫我們能夠敬拜那位永生的神 So our dear brother Christian tells us 我們親愛的陳弟兄告訴我們 It is the spirit, the Holy Spirit that leads to the cross. 是聖靈把我們帶到十字架那裡 And the cross will again lead us to the spirit. 十字架又把我們帶到聖靈的跟前 This is a principle that is universal. 這是宇宙裡面都行得通的一個原則 The cross is the only way to the eternal purpose of God. 十字架乃是那唯一的道路 達到神永遠的旨意 Out of the cross of our Lord Jesus comes the church. 從我們主耶穌基督的十字架那裡 就產生了教會 The church is His own body. 教會是祂自己的身體 And when that body is fully grown 當那個身體長大的時候 Then He will come back and take her as His bride. 主就回來來接祂的新婦 The body of Christ the church is born out of the cross of our Lord Jesus. 基督的身體是從主耶穌的十字架那裡誕生的 And it is built, matured, completed also through the cross. 也是藉著十字架在那裡被建造 能夠長大,能夠成熟 And that's the reason why our Lord Jesus call us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. 這是為什麼我們的主呼召我們 要捨棄背起我們的十字架來跟從祂 If we try to avoid our cross 如果我們要避開這個十字架 Then we find that we are not growing into Christ. 我們就發現我們就沒有辦法長進基督 So we find how necessary the cross must work in our lives. 我們實在覺得這是必須的 讓十字架在我們生命裡面工作 It will purify us. 會潔淨我們 It will sanctify us. 教我們成為聖潔 And it will transform us. 教我們被改變 So dear brothers and sisters 親愛的弟兄姊妹們 If we love the Lord Jesus 如果我們愛我們的主耶穌 We love the cross. 我們就愛十字架 We know that the cross Originally Is a sign Of sin Of shame Of death Of curse 我們知道十字架本來是罪 是羞恥 是死的一個表記 But our Lord Jesus has transformed it Into a symbol Of love Of peace Of life Of victory 我們的主就把它改變成為一個 愛生命得勝的一個記號 And that is the reason why today We glory in the cross Of our Lord Jesus. 也就是今天我們 因著我們耶穌基督的十字架 而得榮耀 Now in this concluding message 在這個結束的一次信息裡面 We would like to fellowship on the cross And the testimony of the church. 我們要交通到十字架跟教會的見證 The cross and the testimony of the church. 十字架與教會的見證 We know that the church is the body of Christ. 我們知道教會是基督的身體 It is the fullness of him Who fills all and in all. 是他的豐滿充滿在萬有的裡面 All the riches of the head Dwell in that body. 同一切的豐滿都住在身體的裡面 And that body is the means to manifest The glory of the head. 這個身體就是能夠 彰顯侯榮耀的那一個 But the church is also an instrument In the hand of God. 教會也是在神手裡的一個器皿 It is an instrument for his testimony. 是為了他見證的器皿 And that's the reason why we find The church is sometimes described As a golden lampstand. 這也為什麼我們看到教會 是被形容是金燈台 We find that in Revelation chapter 1 我們在其實目第一章的裡面 The apostle John was exiled to the island of Patmos. 使徒約翰被放逐在巴摩的海島 For the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus. 為了耶穌的見證為了神自己的道 And there on the Lord's day 在主日 He heard a loud voice behind him. 他聽到後面有大聲音 When he turned around 當他轉過頭來 He saw a vision. 他看到了一個意象 He saw there were seven golden lampstands. 他看到有七個金燈台 And in the midst of the lampstands One like the Son of Man. 燈台中間有一位好像是人子 We know that before John was exiled 我們知道在約翰被放逐以前 He was laboring for the Lord. In Asia that is Asia Minor. 他在小雅西亞為主在那裡勞苦 But after he was exiled to that island 當他被放逐到那海島上 He was not able to serve the brothers and sisters Whom he loved so much. 他就不能夠去服侍他所親愛的那些弟兄姊妹們 So there is no wonder that on the Lord's Day 所以在主日的那一天 He might be sitting on a rock And facing over the aging sea. 他就坐在那個向著愛琴海的大石上 Because there he could see faintly the outline of Asia. 他可以隱隱地看到 雅西亞的沿岸 He must be thinking about these churches that he served. 他實在在這裡想著他所服侍的那些教會 But there was nothing he could do. 但他不能夠為他們做什麼 And he was under that kind of circumstance 在這種的情況底下 That he heard a loud voice behind him. 他在後面聽到一個大的響聲 So he turned back. 所以他就轉過身來 And then he saw that vision. 他就看見了那個意象 And the Lord himself explained to us 我們的主他自己向我們解釋 That the Seven Lamb stands on the seven churches in Asia. 那七個金燈臺就是雅西亞的七個教會 So we find that before God The church is a lamb stand. 所以我們知道在神的跟前 教會乃是那燈臺 Now what is a lamb stand? 燈臺是什麼? A lamb stand is an instrument That holds the light And lifts up the light. 燈臺乃是一個器皿 燈放在旗上 而且它把燈高舉起來 The lamb stand is not an end in itself. 這個燈臺本身不是那個目的 The lamb stand is a means to an end. 這個燈臺只不過是其中所使用的一個中間的物 The meaning of a lamb stand is for the light. 燈臺的意義是為了燈 Now even today sometimes people use lamb stand as an ornament. 今天很多人用燈臺作為一個裝飾品 But that lamb stand will cry out and say I have lost my purpose. 那個燈臺它會說 哎呀我失去了我的意義 The church does not speak of herself. 教會不是說出它自己 Her testimony is the testimony of Jesus. 她的見證是耶穌基督 Brothers and sisters 弟兄姊妹們 Our Lord Jesus is always at the front. 我們的主耶穌一定在前面 And the background is the lamb stand. 燈臺只是背景 In the Old Testament time 在舊約的時代 We remember how God delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt. 我們知道神如何地拯救以色列人出埃及 And he brought them to himself at Mount Sinai. 他把他們帶到他跟前到西乃山的腳下 He told them if they keep his commandment 他對他們說如果他們守神的律法 Then they will be his people and he will be their God. 他們要做神的子民 神要做他們的神 And to differentiate them from all the nations 就把他們從萬國裡面分別出來 As a possession of his own 是神自己擁有的 He gave them the law, the ten commandments 他把十條誡命律法給了他們 Now the ten commandments in the word of God Is also the testimony of God 在聖經裡面 十誡律法也是神的見證 So far as God is concerned 從神這邊來說 The ten commandments that he gave is his testimony 這十誡乃是他的見證 No one knows God 沒有人認識神 God is the greatest mystery in the universe 神是宇宙當中最大的奧秘 We know him only because he reveals himself 我們認識他是因為他向我們顯現 And there you find how God revealed himself In giving the ten commandments 神為了向我們顯現他自己 他就把十誡給了我們 The ten commandments speak to us of God 十誡向我們說出了神 What a God he is 他是怎麼樣的神 Because in the ten commandments You have two tables 因為在十誡上面有兩塊石板 And on one table of stone Inscribe four commandments 一塊石板上刻著四條的誡命 And on the other one six commandments 另一塊石板上有六條的誡命 On the first table of stone 在頭塊的石板上面 There are four commandments 在那裡有四條的誡命 And these four commandments Show us that God is holy 那四條的誡命就告訴我們說神是聖的 Aside from him there is no other God 除他以外沒有別的神 Now that is holy 那是聖的 Holy means separated 聖節聖的但是說是分別出來 It means unique Altogether different 那是說出他是獨特的與其他不同的 God is the only true God 神是那唯一的真神 There is no other God 沒有別的神 No one is like him 沒有任何像他的 That is his holiness 這是講到他的神聖 And because he is so holy 因為他是那麼的神聖 Therefore he cannot be represented by any image 所以就不能夠用任何的形象來代表他 He is spirit 因為他是個靈 And we must worship him in spirit and in truth 我們要在靈跟真實的裡面敬拜他 Because he is holy 因為他是神聖的 Therefore his name should be respected 所以他的名要被尊崇 We cannot idly use his name 我們不能夠隨便來妄稱他的名 And we must keep Sabbath That is rest in his work 我們要守安息日 我們要安息在他的工作裡面 And rest in his finished work 安息在他所完成的工作裡面 So in the first table of stone He shows us that he is most holy 所以在頭一塊的石板上 他告訴我們他是最神聖的那一位 That is the reason why you find in the Old Testament time 所以在舊約的時代 Even when it goes into the New Testament 就算進入新約的時代 When there is a vision of the glory of God 那裡有神榮耀的意象 You find the cherubim, the living creatures Will cry out holy, holy, holy 那你看到那個活物那個基督伯 在那裡喊出聖哉聖哉聖哉 He is all by himself 他是那獨一的真神 Above everything 超越一切 Cannot be compared 不能夠與任何其他相比 And he is the only one that needs to be worshipped 他是那唯一配得敬拜的 And then you find the six commandments In the second table of stone 你再看到那第二塊石板上的六條誡命 And these six commandments Are concerned with the righteousness of God 這六條的誡命 乃是關於神的公義 God is holy 神是神聖的 And God is righteous 神也是公義的 He is holy in his nature 他是神聖的 這是他的性情 He is righteous in his actions 他是公義的是在他的行為上 And because he is righteous Therefore he wants his people to be righteous 因為他是公義的 所以也叫他要他的百姓也是公義 So the ten commandments So far as God is concerned That is his testimony 這十誡 從神的角度來看 這是他的見證 Now he has to testify of himself 他要為自己做見證 Because there is no one who can testify for him 因為沒有任何的人可以為他做見證 No one knows him 沒有人認識他 So he has to tell us Who he is and what kind of God he is 他要告訴我們他是誰 他是一位怎樣的神 But he gave these ten commandments the law To the redeemed people of Israel 他把這十條的誡命 誡命就是律法給被救贖出來的以色列人 So when that reached the hands of the children of Israel 當這十誡臨到以色列百姓的手中 That becomes law 就成為他們的律法 To God it is testimony 對神來講是他的見證 To the nation of Israel it is law 對以色列國來講這是他們的律法 If they keep the law 如果他們遵守這律法 Then they will be God's people 他們就是神的百姓 If they violated the law 如果他們違背了律法 They will be under God's chastisement 他們就落在神的責罰裡 So we find here the testimony of God And the vessel, the instrument of that testimony 所以我們就看到神的見證 跟在那裡盛裝這個見證的器皿 Now this was most important in the Old Testament time 這是在舊約時代裡面最重要的 Because the whole world did not know God 因為全世界都不認識神 Only the chosen people In the nation of Israel They were supposed to be a nation belonging to God 只有被揀選的族美 以色列這個族美 他們能夠認識神 By keeping the law 因著遵守律法 They will testify to the whole world Who God is 他們就向全世界來見證神是誰 What a testimony that should be 這是何等樣的見證 But unfortunately we find the children of Israel They failed to keep the law 但是很可惜我們看到以色列的百姓 他們失敗了沒有遵循這律法 And because they failed to keep the law 因為他們不能守律法 Not only themselves will be chastised 不單止他們個人要被管教 But we find the nations fail to know the living God 我們也發現萬國也不認識這位永生的神 Now when you come to the New Testament time 當我們來到新約的時代 We find that the testimony of God Is now centered in the testimony of Jesus 我們就看到神的見證 神的見證現在集中在耶穌基督的見證上面 Or we may say the testimony of God Finds its fulfillment in the testimony of Jesus 我們就看到神的見證 在耶穌基督的見證上面得著成就 What is the testimony of Jesus? 什麼是耶穌基督的見證? A testimony is something that you personally experience 見證是你個人可以經歷的 A testimony is something that you personally see or hear 見證乃是你親身看見親耳聽見的 A testimony cannot be second hand 見證不能夠是二手的 It cannot be just handed down 不能夠就是別人給你的 It must be something that you yourself are present 一定是你親歷其身的 If something happened and you are there 有一些事情發生你在那裡 Now such testimony is powerful 這樣的見證是帶著能力的 And such testimony has power in the court 這樣的見證裡面帶著大能 What is the testimony of Jesus? 耶穌基督的見證是什麼? As a matter of fact, the whole Bible is the testimony of Jesus 實際上來說,整轉的聖經乃是耶穌基督的見證 You remember, after the resurrection of our Lord Jesus 你記得我們的主復活之後 Two disciples of his left Jerusalem on the way to Emmaus 兩個門徒離開一路上崗到伊瑪武斯去 And as they were walking towards Emmaus, they were talking 他們向著伊瑪武斯的路上,他們邊走邊談 They talked to each other 他們彼此的來對話 With sadness and sorrow 帶著憂愁,帶著悲傷 And suddenly a man came and joined them 突然有一個人與他們同行 And that man asked these two disciples 這個人問這兩個門徒 你們在講什麼? 為什麼你們這麼憂傷? 他說難道你不知道在耶路撒冷發生什麼事嗎? 哦,人人都應該曉得 耶穌,我們所相信的這位彌賽亞 被釘十字架 他死了 他也被埋葬了 他們所有的盼望都滅亡了 就是他們已經完全絕望了 那個人對他們說 Oh, you foolish 你們 slow in believing 你們這愚拙小心的人 Don't you know that the Messiah must first suffer And then be glorified? 難道你們不知道彌賽亞先要受苦才得榮耀嗎? And on the road, that man opened up The Old Testament to them 在路上那人把舊約向他們打開 From the Law and the Prophets 先知 He explained to them 他向他們解釋 How all these Law and Prophets point to the Messiah 這一切的律法與先知都是指著彌賽亞 And that Messiah must suffer and glorify 那彌賽亞必先受苦才得榮耀 While they were listening to these words 當他們聽這些話的時候 Their hearts were warm 他們的心就火熱 When they arrived at Emmaus 當他們來到一馬五十 That man seemed to be going onward 那個人就向前去 So they forced him to stay back with them 所以他就強留他下來 It was in the evening 那是在最後 So they sat down and broke bread 他們要一起來剝餅 And that man broke the bread 那人剝了餅 And gave to them 給了他們 And suddenly their eyes were opened 突然他們的眼睛明亮 It was Jesus 是耶穌 Then Jesus disappeared 然後耶穌就消失了 And because they have seen him 因著他們見到他 They have the strength to go back to Jerusalem 他們就有力量回到耶路撒冷 It is no longer the end 那不再是絕末 It is the beginning of their lives 那是他們生命的開始 Brothers and sisters 弟兄姊妹們 Every time when we break the bread 每一次當我們剝餅的時候 It is the desire of my heart 這是我心裡面的願望 That my eyes will open 我的眼被開啟 And see it is he 看到是他 And it is he 是他 He is the one who break the bread 他是剝餅的那一位 He is the one who pass on the cup 他是那位把杯遞給我們的那一位 And that should strengthen us 這能夠叫我們得能力 To return to the original purpose of God 叫我們能夠回到那起初神的旨意裡面 Then you remember in Luke chapter 24 我們在看在路加二十四章的裡面 In that night 在那一天的晚上 The two men returned to Jerusalem 當這兩個人回到耶路撒冷 And saw the other disciples 看到其他的門徒們 They were gathered there 他們也在那裡聚會 And they said the Lord has appeared to Peter 他們說主向彼得顯現 And these two men began to tell them what happened 這兩個人就告訴他們 他們的經歷 While they were fellowshiping 當他們在一起交通的時候 Suddenly the Lord himself appeared 主親自的就站在他們當中 And said little children 小子們啊 Peace be with you 願你們平安 They were amazed 他們裡面實在覺得驚嚇 It was too good To be true 是太美好了 他們不敢信 So our Lord said Do you have anything to eat? 主問他們你們有吃的嗎? So gave him a piece of fish And a honeycomb 所以就給他一片的燒魚 And our Lord ate them 我們的主接過來 在他們面前吃了 To show that he is really resurrected 顯明他的確是復活 And then our Lord Jesus 我們的主耶穌 Opened the whole Old Testament to them 把整卷的舊約向他們打開 From the law and the prophet and the Psalms 從律法從先知和詩篇上所記的 Telling them all that must be fulfilled in him 指教著他的話都必須在他裡面應驗 That he must suffer and then be glorified 基督必須先受害然後得榮耀 So brothers and sisters 弟兄姊妹們 What is the testimony of Jesus? 耶穌基督的見證是什麼? According to the Old Testament 根據舊約 The law The prophets And the Psalms 律法 先知與詩篇 They all testify That Christ must suffer And then be in glory 他們都在那裡做見證說 基督要先受害然後得榮耀 Not only that 不單只這樣 But in the beginning of the New Testament 在新約的開始 In the beginning of the dispensation of grace 在這恩典的時代的開始 We find John the Baptist 我們看到施洗約翰 He is the forerunner of Christ 他是基督的先鋒 And while he was preaching 當他在那裡傳道的時候 他說天國盡了你們應當悔改 Then he saw Jesus coming to be baptized 他就看到耶穌在那裡要受禁 And our brother has already mentioned to us 我們的弟兄已經跟我們提到 Somehow John sensed in his spirit 約翰在他的靈裡面感覺到 That this man did not need to be baptized 這個人他不需要受禁 He had nothing to repent of 他沒有需要悔改的 So he said to this man 所以他就對這人說 I need to be baptized by you 我要受你的禁 Why do you come and to be baptized by me? 為什麼你要我給你試禁 You have no need to be baptized 你不需要受禁 我們的主耶穌說 但就要這樣 要禁諸般的義 因為在這一個關口 是神的旨意 我們要悔改受禁 因為天國已經禁了 我們的主耶穌 在那個時候 他背負了我們一切的罪 他成為我們的代替 如果有一個人替別人受禁的 那位就是耶穌 今天如果一個人替別人受禁 那是沒有用的 我們的主耶穌 是為了站在我們的地位上受禁 So, when our Lord Jesus came out from the water Something happened The Spirit of God Like a dove Descending upon him And abiding in him Not only our Lord Jesus saw it John saw it too So he testified This is the Son of God Brothers and sisters John saw it personally So he testified This is the Son of God Then our Lord Jesus was led by the Spirit to be tempted While After he was tempted for forty days He came back in the power of the Holy Spirit And he walked by John the Baptist saw him So he cried out Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world The next day John the Baptist was with two disciples Of his disciples And Jesus was walking by So again, John cried out Behold the Lamb of God And his two disciples led him and followed Jesus So John the Baptist is a witness to Jesus But brothers and sisters There is much more We find even the Heavenly Father He testified of his own Son According to the record of the Bible Three times the Heaven opened And there is a voice coming from the Holy One This is my beloved Son In whom I am well pleased He is my delight Hear him Brothers and sisters What a testimony given to our Lord Jesus And even that Our Lord Jesus once was questioned by the people That was recorded in the Gospel of John Our Lord Jesus said, I am the light of the world And the Pharisees said You are testifying of yourself Therefore your testifying is not true Our Lord Jesus said That is in John 8 And our Lord Jesus said Even if I testify of myself My witness, my testimony is true Why? Because I know where I come from And I know where I am going Now brothers and sisters If we testify of ourselves That is not true Because we do not know ourselves But our Lord Jesus is different He knows where he comes from He comes from above He comes from the Father He is God And he knows where he is going He is going back to his Father By way of the cross Because he knows himself Therefore his testimony is trustworthy And what does he say of himself? In Revelation chapter 1 When John saw that vision On the island of Patmos He was so majestic He was so powerful He fell down as dead Now brothers and sisters John the Apostle Is the one who knows Jesus most intimately Among the apostles He is the first one Who followed the Lord He and Andrew are the first two And he was so close to our Lord Jesus He is the first one He is the one whom Jesus loved And during the last supper He leaned upon the breast of our Lord Jesus He knew the Lord more than anybody else But when he saw the glory of the Lord He fell as one dead You know of all the apostles of our Lord Jesus Only John saw our Lord's death on the cross He was at the foot of the cross And he could see so clearly That he could even see the blood and water coming out with the spear He knew Jesus crucified But on the island of Patmos When he saw the risen Christ When he saw Christ in glory When he saw Christ as the great high priest in heaven There was something he had never seen before And he was full of fear He fell as dead And our Lord laid his hand on him As a fear not Then the Lord gave his own testimony Who am I? I am the first and the last He is the beginning and he is the end He is the Alpha and the Omega Everything comes out of him And everything will return to him He is God He is God's only begotten Son But our Lord said I am the living one He is the source of life He is eternal life And yet, he said, I became dead He came into this world To be crucified To die And buried For our sake But that's not the end Because he is risen Overcoming death Overcoming the one who has the power of death Overcoming everything And he lives forevermore Brothers and sisters And he said I hold the keys of death and Hades That is the testimony of Jesus Brothers and sisters Let us be very clear What is the testimony of Jesus? The testimony of Jesus Is Christ crucified and glorified And this testimony Is entrusted to the church The church is to bear the testimony of Jesus To tell the world that Christ crucified And to tell the world that Christ glorified Thank God In the days of the apostles That's the way they bear the testimony of Jesus We remember when Peter stood up On the day of Pentecost And he gave the first gospel message And if you read carefully You find what he said about the Lord Jesus Christ crucified and glorified Jesus whom you crucified God has raised him up And he is anointed As Christ and Lord That is bearing the testimony of Jesus Brothers and sisters This testimony of Jesus Is entrusted to the church But as we mentioned before To bear testimony Needs personal experience If the church is to bear the testimony of Jesus Not only they should know the fact But that fact must have affected their lives So the testifier and the testimony Will become one If we bear testimony Of something happened And these things did happen These things are very real Very true But if when it happened We were not there We knew about it Because it was told to us And if we go to the court And bear testimony We are a very weak witness The court will not accept it That does not change the fact But that fact cannot be established By that witness So brothers and sisters If we want to bear the testimony of Jesus Something must be done Personally Deeply In us We can even say We are there We experience it The cross of Christ Is something That we have experienced It has worked in our lives The glory of our Lord Is something That we personally experience Because His glory Has touched us And we have been glorified Then our testimony Will be powerful So brothers and sisters The Apostle Paul In 1 Corinthians 2 He said I come to announce The testimony of God He came to Corinth To announce the testimony of God Which is the testimony of Jesus Not in persuasive words Not with human wisdom He was determined To know nothing But Jesus Christ And Him crucified Because this is the very essence Of the testimony of Jesus And then in 2 Corinthians In 2 Corinthians 4 Verse 5 He said For we do not preach ourselves But Christ Jesus Lord And ourselves Your bondmen For Jesus sake Paul did not come to Corinth To preach himself He came to Corinth To preach Jesus Christ And Him crucified And then in 2 Corinthians He said We do not preach ourselves There is nothing To say about ourselves All we preach Is Jesus Christ Lord He is Lord He is glorified Because when He ascended Because when He ascended God has glorified Him God has given Him a name That is above every name And in that name Every knee shall bow Every tongue must confess Jesus is Lord To the glory of God Brothers and sisters This is The testimony of Jesus Christ Crucified And glorified But in order To bear the testimony He said Verse 3 of chapter 2 Of 2 Corinthians Verse 3 And I was with you In weakness And in fear And in trembling Much trembling And my word And my preaching Not in persuasive words of wisdom But in the demonstration Of the Spirit And of power Poor In announcing The testimony of Jesus He said I am in weakness In fear And in much trembling Now some people say Now this is because Of his physical weakness Because of his physical condition Because Paul He traveled in The province Roman province of Galatia And he traveled in places Where malaria Was very Very common And most likely Paul got malaria Now if you had malaria You find it weakened Your constitution And if malaria Should strike You begin to tremble And because of malaria Paul Lost his good eyesight So people say Now that's malaria But brothers and sisters We believe there is Something deeper There is a spiritual Reality there I am in weakness A thorn Is in my body That thorn Is a stick A stick In my body It makes me weak But when I am weak Then I am strong Because his power Is perfected In my weakness He said I am in fear Whom was he afraid of Saul The Pharisees Was a brave person He was not afraid of anything People were afraid of him But he said I am in fear He was not afraid Of Roman Empire He was not afraid Of the scribes and Pharisees He was afraid Of himself He was afraid He himself Might come forth And he trembled At the word of God We know in Isaiah The heavens And the heavens Cannot contain Our God Heaven is his throne The earth is his footstool But he dwells With those Who are of a contrite Heart And tremble At God's word Brothers and sisters Do we tremble At the word of God We are too brave With God's word We need to tremble At his word It shows that The cross Has worked Into his very being The messenger of the cross Knows What cross is And because of this His testimony Is powerful Brothers and sisters The apostle John The same way He was in the island of Patmos For the word of God And for the testimony Of Jesus Thank God We have The testimony Of Jesus And this testimony Has been entrusted To the church But how Much Has the church Fulfilled In that trust You remember Towards the end of the first century That was when John Saw The vision On the island of Patmos And the Lord told John Write To the seven churches In Asia And when you read these Seven letters You find at the beginning Of each letter The Lord will give A description A part of the description Of the vision In the first chapter There in the vision He shows people Who he is And what he is And so in every letter It is headed by a part Of that vision The reason is No one Local assembly Is able to bear That full testimony Of Jesus We need all the churches To join together To bear that testimony So what is it That our Lord Jesus Was looking for In these seven churches These seven churches Are seven land stands Before God They have been entrusted With the testimony Of Jesus How effective Were their testimonies Our Lord Jesus As the high priest To the church And there he was There watching And there he was there Trying to find Himself In them He was not looking For their labor He was not looking For their work He was not looking For their knowledge Nor even their discernment Or their good deeds Even their suffering He was not looking For these things He was looking For himself In these churches Can he find What he has revealed And entrusted to them Nothing can satisfy him Except Himself Because These churches Are entrusted With the testimony Of Jesus But brothers and sisters We find Of the seven churches Most of them Have failed In their testimony And because of this At the end of each letter There is the word He who has ear to hear Let him hear What the Spirit says To the churches He Who overcomes Brothers and sisters So far as the church in general Is concerned Even towards the end Of the first century The church Had failed In the testimony of Jesus But thank God God never fails So out of this General declension The general failure His testimony cannot fail It has to be bared So he is calling For overcomers Overcomers in the church Overcomers are not Super Christians Overcomers are not Normal Christians Those who are faithful To what They are entrusted with To those who entrust more More is required But they are faithful To what the Lord Has revealed to them And those who overcome That is overcome The declension Overcome the failure To the testimony Faithful To what God What our Lord Has shown to them Faithful To Christ crucified And glorified Then they will be rewarded In the kingdom Brothers and sisters How about today We mentioned Again and again When The body of Christ The church Is fully grown Then our Lord Jesus Will come back And claim His bride But as we look At the church today It seems It is Farther And farther Away If That is the case Will our Lord Jesus Delay And delay Forever How can God's Purpose Be fulfilled In the overcomers They overcome The accuser Because of the blood Of the Lamb Not because they are better Than anybody else They have their failures But they Know the blood Of the Lamb They know the cleansing Of the precious blood They overcome Because of the word Of their testimony In other words When they testify It is true When they testify That Christ crucified They know what Cross means Because it has Worked in their life When they say Jesus is Lord They know what it means Because they were Under the lordship Of Christ And their word Is powerful And they love Not their soul life Even unto death They are willing To lay down themselves If they are not Dead martyrs They are living martyrs They follow the Lamb Wheresoever He goes Brothers and sisters When death Is completed God will take it As for the whole church So what a responsibility We are entrusted with We cannot afford To be careless It is time For us to wake up Thank God That he has faith In us That he is willing To entrust The testimony of Jesus To us Can we Fail him May the Lord Have mercy upon us Let us pray Dear Lord Jesus Thou hast entrusted Us thyself Thou hast entrusted The cross And the glory To us We pray That we may know Thy suffering And know Thy glory That we may be faithful Witness To thee Make us a people Who not only wait for thee But hasten Thy return Not only in our prayer But in our lives We are Waiting for thee As we return To our various places May we be faithful Witnesses To thee We ask in thy precious name We ask in thy precious name Amen