On Testimony-Lent 23, 2015

John 15:26 “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

We often see court cases presented on TV.  Fictional ones and real ones.  The purpose of testimony by witnesses is to make the case, either for the defense or the prosecution.

In this case, it’s both defense and prosecution.  The Holy Spirit is testifying on behalf of Jesus as a prosecuting attorney and we’re all guilty!  But He’s also testifying as the defense, His presence shows our sentence has been commuted.

The Holy Spirit is looking for a guilty judgment: guilty of sin, guilty of rebellion, and guilty of belonging to Christ. 

Huh? How does all that fit together?

Returning to the 22^nd devotional in our Lenten Devotional Series, With Christ in the Upper Room,

John 15:18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’

The Gospel of Jesus Christ–that’s what we are testifying about.  But what good is a Gospel?  Why would it be Good News except that we’ve got a sin problem…and a rebellion problem?  And why would that be Good News if we remained guilty?

There’s only one way to escape eternal judgment and that’s by having sufficient evidence in the Holy Spirit.  His presence proves that we belong to Christ as His Gospel testifies.  His presence is evidence that declared us both guilty of sin and forgiven by Christ.  This is what we proclaim as Jesus’ witnesses.  We are guilty…and…forgiven!  That’s every Christian’s testimony!

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Give it Up for Lent: Feeling like we don’t need a Savior

Put it On for Lent: Willingness to testify

For further thought:

• If you were to win on Wheel of Fortune, wouldn’t you be thrilled to relive that moment over and over in the retelling of the story?  Why not the joy of retelling your being saved by Christ? Isn’t that more valuable than vacations to Aruba?
• Is there enough evidence in your Christian life to convict you of belonging to Christ?
• What types of things hold you back from testifying to what Jesus has done in your life?

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