Can I Get a Witness?
Will You Be a Witness?
A few weeks ago I was home and my wife was traveling in Alabama. We’ve got family and friends in different parts of the Alabama and she was there in July visiting with our girls.
She had just finished up lunch with a friend and was on the road back to her brother’s house when she called me. We were talking and checking in with each other when all of a sudden, the conversation changed.
I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew it wasn’t good.
Finally she calmed down and I asked her, “Are you ok?” She was, but she had just witnessed a wreck right in front of her!
She was in a little bit of a shock and she asked me, “What do I do?” I said, “Hang up with me. Call 911!” So she did. She was able to help the First Responders know where she was, where the wreck happened, and give other important details.
And then the 911 dispatcher asked her to stay on the scene until the police arrived. Why? Because she was the only witness to what had just happened.
Who Will Be a Witness?
We live in a world that has run out of witnesses.
Even when we’ve seen things, even when we’ve heard things that can be helpful, our tendency is to stay back.
I’d rather not get involved in that.
I don’t want to get in the middle of their situation.
I don’t need to stick my nose into their business.
For some of you, you wish the people in your life, or you wish one particular person in your life, would be that way! Maybe you feel like they’re always up in the middle of your business! Or maybe that describes you! 🙂
Even though we sometimes get in the middle of things we shouldn’t, the truth is there are very few people willing to be a witness for what matters most.
I have a friend who, whenever we get together, he always asks me… “What are you learning from Jesus right now?”
What is he asking? What are you seeing, what are you hearing from God right now? What is God doing in your life?
What Are You Witnessing?
I think what the world really needs right now is someone who will be a witness for Jesus.
People like you and me who will tell their stories of what God is doing in their lives.
If you think about it, this is how the story of God came to us. This is how we know what we know about Jesus.
Before there was a Bible there were the stories of what people had seen and heard. Before we had the New Testament, we had men and women who couldn’t stop talking about what they had seen and heard.
I was there the day Jesus fed the 5,000!
I was there when he raised Lazarus from the dead!
I’ll never forget when Jesus asked Bartimaeus, “What do you want?” And blind Bartimaeus said, “I want to see!” And then, Jesus opened his eyes!
These stories were passed from person to person, from town to town, people who were eye witnesses of what Jesus had done couldn’t stop talking about Him!
Many of those stories were written down and today, we have these stories, these eye witness accounts, at our finger tips.
The Friday before Sunday
One of those stories is found in the gospel of Luke, chapter 24. This is the last chapter of Luke’s story.
Luke wrote his gospel so that those who read it could be certain that everything they had heard about Jesus was true. (Luke 1.4).
Luke wasn’t one of the original disciples of Jesus. He wasn’t with Matthew, Peter, and John when Jesus walked on water or made the lame walk. So Luke, who was a doctor, talked to every eye witness he could find, including Mary, the mother of Jesus, and wrote down their eye witness accounts of the life of Christ so that we could believe.
Luke 24 begins with the resurrection of Jesus. It’s Sunday morning and women are on the way to the tomb with spices to finish the burial process.
They ran out of time on Friday. As soon as the sun set on Friday, Sabbath had begun. They were able to take Jesus down from the cross, wrap him in a linen cloth, and bury him in a borrowed tomb before sunset, but that’s all they could do.
Joseph of Arimethea, the one who had asked Pilate for permission to take Jesus down from the cross and give him a proper burial, placed Him in the tomb and rolled a stone in front of the entrance.
The Romans had sealed the tomb and placed guards in front of the tomb where he had been buried because they were afraid someone might come and steal his body. They even thought his own disciples might come and take his body. After all, Jesus had spoken of his resurrection.
Even though none of them even remotely believed that was possible, they did think his disciples might move his body to make people think he had been raised. So they put a seal around the large stone in front of the tomb that could not be easily removed!
Sunday after Friday!
But when the women got to the tomb, there were no Roman guards and the stone had been rolled away! They entered the tomb but didn’t find Jesus, instead they found two angels who told them that Jesus had risen, just as He promised He would.
They rushed back to the place where the eleven disciples were staying to tell them what they had seen and heard!
What they had witnessed!
Later that same day, two disciples were walking to the village of Emmaus, about 7 miles from Jerusalem. And then this happened…
14 As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. 16 But God kept them from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?”
They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. 18 Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days.”
19 “What things?” Jesus asked.
“The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people. 20 But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. 21 We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago.
22 “Then some women from our group of his followers were at his tomb early this morning, and they came back with an amazing report. 23 They said his body was missing, and they had seen angels who told them Jesus is alive! 24 Some of our men ran out to see, and sure enough, his body was gone, just as the women had said.”
Unconvinced
At this point, these two men are telling Jesus, even though they don’t know they’re talking to Jesus, about everything they have seen and heard. But their witness has no power because it is not rooted in faith. They don’t believe Jesus is alive.
Don’t miss this, you can be a witness to the power of God but not have faith in the presence of God even when He is right next to you!
You can hear the story of what God has done from more than one person and still remain unconvinced of the goodness of God in your own life!
These men hadn’t been to the tomb but they knew the testimony of the women who went to the tomb and of the other disciples, including Peter, who had gone to the tomb, but they still didn’t believe Jesus had risen!
And I wonder how many of us have heard stories of God’s power in other peoples lives, but because we don’t think we’ve seen that same kind of power in our own lives we remain unconvinced.
Becoming an Eye Witness
25 Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. 26 Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” 27 Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
28 By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if he were going on, 29 but they begged him, “Stay the night with us, since it is getting late.” So he went home with them. 30 As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them. 31 Suddenly, their eyes were OPENED, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared!
32 They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” 33 And within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven disciples and the others who had gathered with them, 34 who said, “The Lord has really risen! He appeared to Peter.”
NOW, They are eye witnesses to the resurrected Christ, they’ve seen Jesus! And they were so excited that what they had just seen and heard couldn’t wait until morning… they reversed course and ran the 7 miles back to Jerusalem to tell the eleven disciples what they had seen and heard!
I wonder, how many of us, Jesus is with us, right next to us, we just can’t see him. Maybe we should pray, God, open our eyes. Give us eyes to see you! Ears to hear your voice. A heart tender to your Holy Spirit.
When He does, as He does, we will be just like these two disciples…
35 Then the two from Emmaus told their STORY of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread. 36 And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 37 But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost!
A ghost!?!? Jesus is literally right there with them, and they still couldn’t believe it!
38 “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? 39 Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” 40 As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet.
This is no ghost. Jesus is ALIVE!
41 Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he ate it as they watched.
44 Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ 48 You are WITNESSES of all these things.
What did Jesus call them? WITNESSES!
What do witnesses do? They tell others what they have seen and heard!
Witnesses Worship
Then Jesus makes them a promise…
49 “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”
50 Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. 52 So they worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy. 53 And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God.
After WITNESSING the resurrection of Jesus, they respond in WORSHIP.
And this may be our greatest testimony that we believe what we say we believe.
Witnesses Worship.
People that haven’t witnessed the power of God and the presence of God in their lives don’t tend to gravitate to worship. The only people who worship, really worship, are those who have witnessed the power and presence of God in their lives.
Think back to the most meaningful worship experiences in your life. My guess is that they are directly connected to times in your life when you felt the presence and power of God in your life. And just like these disciples you “praised God.”
What have you seen and heard?
If that’s true, then I have to ask, are you a witness?
What have you seen and heard?
What the world needs right now is someone who will be a witness for Jesus.
Will you be a witness for Jesus? Will you share with someone what God has done or what God is doing in your life?
Will you?
Today?
This week?
Think of a name. Send a text. Invite someone to coffee. Share the story.
What have you seen and heard?
Your job, by the way, isn’t to change anyone, convert anyone, or save anyone. That’s not your job. That’s God’s job.
Your job is to be a faithful witness of what you have seen and heard. To be a witness of what God has done and is doing in your life.
And as we witness what God has done, what God is doing, we have to respond in worship. We have to, there is no other response. So today, may you sing your praise to the Lord our God forevermore!
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