For tonight, I would like to read one passage—perhaps as an explanation to some. Actually, I do not think we need an explanation, but perhaps for the sake of a few who may wonder what we have just done.
Let me read one passage for you: Acts 2, beginning with verse 42.
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers.
And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
and they sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all, according as any man had need.
And day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart,
praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to them day by day those that were saved.
The breaking of bread—breaking bread in the house. Some translations say, “from house to house,” and every day.
I cannot forget: about 150 years ago, a group of believers in Europe were translating the Bible. As they were translating the Bible, as you know, it took a lot of mental exercise. They had to search many manuscripts. They had to try to find the best word, the counterpart of the Greek or Hebrew. You have to search your brain to the limit.
As this group of believers were doing this work of translating the Bible, they were afraid lest they would be so fully occupied with the letters, all the words, that somehow their hearts might grow cold towards the Lord.
It is not only true that when we are occupied with so-called earthly things, we may find ourselves being led away, as it were, from the Lord. Even in so-called spiritual work, this can happen.
Because of that, this group of believers decided they would break bread every day, just to remember the Lord, to remember what He had done for them, and thank God. This kept them from doing the Lord’s work and allowing their hearts to be drawn away from the Lord.
So, brothers and sisters, as we are gathered here at this time, we have the same fear: lest other things, even spiritual things, somehow steal our hearts from the Lord Himself. We want to centre upon Him, not upon anything else, however precious or however correct those things may be.
We do not want to make it a fixed thing, but we hope that every evening when we come together, the Lord’s table will be prepared. If brothers and sisters feel in their hearts that we should remember the Lord, we will do it together.
Our only desire is that we want to centre ourselves upon the Lord. There is nothing—nothing—more precious than the Lord. So, let us pray.
Lord, Thou art the centre of everything. Thou art the centre of our gathering here together. We do not want anything to take away Thy place in us and among us.
We pray that Thou wilt examine us, Thou wilt protect us, and Thou wilt draw us, that we may run after Thee.
O Lord, not even the ministry of Thy word should take Thee away from us. But, Lord, we pray that whatever we do, Thou mayest be added to us, and we may be added to Thee.
O Lord, how we praise and thank Thee. Thou hast begun Thy good work in us. Thou hast redeemed us. Thou hast drawn us. We are here tonight by Thine appointment, because Thou hast drawn us. Lord, Thou art the only reason for us to be here. O, how we praise and thank Thee.
Now, Lord, anoint every one of us. Make Thy word living and operative in our lives. Do not allow Thy word to fall on the wayside, but, Lord, may Thy word fall upon good ground that will patiently bear fruit unto Thy glory.
O Lord, we just wait upon Thee together. Speak, Lord, speak. Thy servants wait upon Thee. In Thy precious name, amen.
Let us read from Hebrews 1, verses 1 and 2.
God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners,
hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in His Son,
Whom He appointed heir of all things, through Whom also He made the worlds.
Revelation 1, verses 1 through 3.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show unto His servants, even the things which must shortly come to pass: and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John;
who bare witness of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, even of all things that he saw.
Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written therein: for the time is at hand.
Revelation 19:10, the last sentence:
For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Dear brothers and sisters, we are living at the close of the ending.
In the Bible, you find terms such as the last hour, the end of these days, the last days, and the end time. They actually all refer to one thing. As a matter of fact, the last day, the end time, and the end of the days refer to the days of Messiah.
To the Old Testament saints, they were looking forward to the coming of the Messiah, and to them that was the end day.
Of course, they did not know that there would be two comings of Christ. In His first coming, He came as a Lamb; in His second coming, He will come as a Lion.
The Old Testament prophets did not have such an understanding, because between the two comings of Christ is the time of the church, which is a mystery hidden in God. So the Old Testament prophets had no way to know the two comings of Christ. They only knew Christ shall come, and that is the end day.
So, when you read the Bible, you have to see that the end days do not refer merely to our days. Actually, the end days began when Christ came to this world for the first time, about 2,000 years ago.
Now, if about 2,000 years ago it was the end day, then how much closer are we to the end?
If the believers in the first century were waiting for the return of Christ, and they were right in waiting for His return, then how much more should we be expecting the coming of the Lord in our lifetime?
Brothers and sisters, we are not here waiting for death. We are here waiting for rapture.
Because we are living at the close of the end days, I think we are living in a very, very important day. We cannot afford to be careless.
Things are coming to an end. By an end, certainly I mean much more than the end of this world. It should mean the realization, the fulfilment, of God’s purpose through the ages.
What is God’s purpose? What is it that God really wants? And what is it that really answers His heart?
Now, we know that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His purpose yesterday is His purpose today and will be His purpose tomorrow. He never changes. His purpose is one and the same.
To put it another way, His burden for yesterday is His burden for today and will be His burden for tomorrow. It is the same.
The only difference is that the time is approaching the end. How much more urgent, and how much fuller, God’s burden will be revealed and fulfilled. It will also be challenged much more than ever before.
What is the burden of the Lord for today? It is no different from the burden of the Lord yesterday. Yet the intensity is different.
I think there is an urgency today among God’s people to know what God’s burden really is. What is His mind? What is His purpose? What is it that He really wants to have for Himself?
Thank God, in recent years there has been a great revival of interest in prophecy. We should be interested in prophecy. But, dear brothers and sisters, what is prophecy?
Probably we think of prophecy more in terms of foretelling the future. It is true: prophecy includes the foretelling of the future—what will happen to this world, what events are being predicted beforehand.
But prophecy in the sense of foretelling the future is only a small part of prophecy. The greater part of prophecy is not foretelling; the greater part of prophecy is forth-telling the mind, the will, the purpose, and the burden of the Lord.
Even in the Old Testament, we often think of the prophets as those who foretold the future. They did. But even the Old Testament prophets were forth-telling the purpose and mind of God. In forth-telling God’s mind, they foretold something.
The basic meaning of prophecy is to forth-tell the mind of the Lord. What is the mind of the Lord?
People today are very interested in prophecy. Therefore, they are very interested in the book of Revelation. I think 50 years ago, many Christians who read the Bible skipped the book of Revelation. But now I think Christians are beginning to read the book of Revelation.
As you find at the very beginning of the book, “Blessed is he who reads.” Even in the reading of it, there is blessing. But you have to do more than read it: “Blessed are they that hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things written in it.”
People are interested in Revelation because they think Revelation is a book of prophecy that tells us what will happen in the future, and everybody is interested in the future.
But, dear brothers and sisters, if you read the book of Revelation only with that in mind, you will misread the book of Revelation. You touch the letter of the book of Revelation, but you miss the spirit of prophecy. Why? Because the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus.
It is true that you have prophecies concerning many things: prophecies touching the future of the world, the future of the Jews and the Jewish nation, and even the future of the church. That is true. But these are letters. These are all that you see.
The spirit of prophecy is deeper than these things. Thank God for the letters, because without the letters, how can you come to the spirit? A spirit without the letter is very dangerous. But the letter kills; the Spirit gives life.
What is the spirit of prophecy? The spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus.
Dear brothers and sisters, God is interested in only one thing. God’s burden for yesterday, for today, and for tomorrow is only one. The purpose of God is only one, and that is the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Brothers and sisters, do we know the testimony of Jesus Christ? Is our life linked with the testimony of Jesus Christ? How much are we related to the testimony of Jesus Christ? That will decide how much our lives are related to the people of God.
So, God willing, we will fellowship together on this one thing: the testimony of Jesus Christ.
What is a testimony? If you look in the dictionary, you will find that a testimony is a declaration or affirmation of a fact or truth, such as is given in court.
A testimony is evidence that supports a fact. A testimony is a living expression of that fact. A testimony is a declaration; it is a public declaration.
But how can you make that declaration unless it is based upon certain facts or certain truth that you have seen, heard, or witnessed? As you make the declaration, you are testifying to a fact, to a truth. That is the meaning of the word testimony.
The word testimony is used more often in the Old Testament than in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, you find two areas where the words testimony and testimonies are used most. One place is Psalm 119, and the other is in the five books of Moses, especially the book of Exodus.
If we want to know the meaning of testimony, probably we have to go to these places. So we will do a little study tonight. Tonight we will just lay a foundation. I hope you will not get weary, because a foundation is needed before we can go on.
Will you turn to Psalm 119? I do not know whether you have ever read that psalm. Probably you have read the rest of the psalms, but skipped Psalm 119 because it was too long.
We will not be able to read the whole psalm tonight. I would like to help you read the whole psalm if you have never read it. But I hope we will go through all the places where the word testimony or testimonies is mentioned in Psalm 119, and I hope that will arouse in you a kind of curiosity to go and read the whole psalm.
Psalm 119:2:
Blessed are they that observe His testimonies,
that seek Him with the whole heart.
Testimony is something that you can observe, and testimonies are found only by those who seek the Lord with their whole heart.
Psalm 119:14:
I have rejoiced in the way of Thy testimonies,
as much as in all riches.
Testimonies have a way. It is not just a word, but there is a way—the way of testimony. The psalmist says, “I have rejoiced in the way of Thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.”
Now, you know how to rejoice in wealth, but do you know how to rejoice in the way of the testimonies of God?
Psalm 119:22:
Take away from me reproach and contempt;
for I have kept Thy testimonies.
If we observe God’s testimonies, He will take away our reproach and contempt.
Psalm 119:31:
I have stuck unto Thy testimonies:
O Lord, put me not to shame.
Psalm 119:36:
Incline my heart unto Thy testimonies,
and not to covetousness.
The psalmist asked God to incline his heart to the testimonies of God and not to gain.
Psalm 119:46:
I will also speak of Thy testimonies before kings,
and will not be put to shame.
God’s testimonies are to be spoken before kings, and we should not be ashamed of them.
Psalm 119:59:
I thought on my ways,
and turned my feet unto Thy testimonies.
We should walk in the testimonies of God.
Psalm 119:79:
Let those that fear Thee turn unto me,
and they that know Thy testimonies.
Testimonies are something to be known. They characterize a certain kind of people.
Psalm 119:88:
Quicken me after Thy lovingkindness;
so shall I observe the testimony of Thy mouth.
It is something spoken by God.
Psalm 119:95:
The wicked have waited for me to destroy me;
but I will consider Thy testimonies.
The testimonies of God are our protection.
Psalm 119:99:
I have more understanding than all my teachers;
for Thy testimonies are my meditation.
If you meditate on the testimonies of God, then you will have more understanding than your teachers.
Psalm 119:111:
Thy testimonies have I taken as a heritage forever;
for they are the rejoicing of my heart.
They are a heritage, a possession.
Psalm 119:119:
Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross:
therefore I love Thy testimonies.
God acts according to His testimonies.
Psalm 119:125:
I am Thy servant, give me understanding;
that I may know Thy testimonies.
As God’s servants, we need to know His testimonies.
Psalm 119:129:
Thy testimonies are wonderful;
therefore doth my soul keep them.
Wonderful are the testimonies of God.
Psalm 119:138:
Thou hast commanded Thy testimonies in righteousness
and exceeding faithfulness.
These are the qualities that go with the testimonies of God: righteousness and faithfulness.
Psalm 119:146:
I have called upon Thee; save me,
and I will observe Thy testimonies.
The psalmist calls unto the Lord to save him because he wants to keep the testimonies of God.
Psalm 119:152:
Of old have I known from Thy testimonies,
that Thou hast founded them forever.
The testimonies of God were founded long ago and will continue forever.
Psalm 119:167–168:
My soul hath observed Thy testimonies;
and I love them exceedingly.
I have observed Thy precepts and Thy testimonies;
for all my ways are before Thee.
These are the places in Psalm 119 where the words testimony or testimonies are used. If you count them, they come to about 22 times.
The psalmist uses the word testimony or testimonies in conjunction with other words: Thy statutes, Thy ordinances, Thy judgments, Thy word. In Psalm 119, you find various words being used, and they are used in such a way that, as a whole, they refer to the same thing, even though there are different emphases.
The way the psalmist uses the word testimony is more or less in conjunction with God’s word, God’s law, God’s statutes, God’s ordinances, and God’s judgments. Why? Because God’s word is something spoken by God. God declares something about Himself.
God’s law and God’s statutes do the same work: they declare God in certain ways. That is testimony. Testimony is God declaring Himself.
Now, if you go to the five books of Moses, especially the book of Exodus, you will find the word testimony used many times there too.
The first mention in the Bible of the word testimony is in Exodus 16:33–34. Let us read it.
And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer-full of manna therein, and lay it up before the Lord, to be kept throughout your generations.
As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.
Here you find Moses saying to Aaron, “Put an omer of manna in a golden pot and lay it up before the Lord.” What did Aaron do? He put an omer of manna in a golden pot and laid it up before the Testimony.
So here you find that to lay it up before the Lord is to lay it up before the Testimony. That is the reason why, perhaps in your Bible, you find the word Testimony with a capital letter.
Of course, the Testimony there, as we understand now, probably refers to the ark of the testimony. Yet the ark was not built at that time, and still there was the Testimony already, because the Lord was in the midst of His people.
How very important is testimony. In Psalm 119, it seems to be equivalent to the word or law of God. But now you find that testimony seems to refer to the Lord Himself.
In the ark of the testimony, you find two tables of the law deposited. Not only the two tables of the law, but also the golden pot of manna and Aaron’s rod that budded. All these three things were deposited before the testimony—that is, they were all placed in the ark of the testimony.
The two tables of stone are called the two tables of the testimony. Why? Because the law declares and expresses to us who God is and what He is like, at least to a certain degree. That is what testimony is: God declaring Himself to His people.
For this reason, the two tables of the law are called the tables of the testimony.
I remember our dear brother Watchman Nee put it this way: “When it is in God, it is testimony. When it comes to us, it is law. In God’s hand, it is testimony. In our hand, it is law.”
In God’s hand, He declares who He is and what He is. In our hand, it tells us what our responsibility and duty are. That becomes law.
Brothers and sisters, because of that, testimony is a tremendous matter. The two tables of law are called the tables of testimony. Not only the Ten Commandments, but all the statutes and precepts—the whole Mosaic law—is called the testimony.
Why is the ark called the ark of the testimony? Not only because the law was deposited in the ark, but because the ark itself was a manifestation of the glory of the Lord.
The tabernacle is called the tabernacle of the testimony because it houses the testimony. Not only does it house it, but it is supposed to manifest and magnify the testimony.
In Old Testament times, the children of Israel could be called a people of the testimony. In Psalm 122, you find such an expression: the tribes of Israel are a testimony of God to the world.
God had spoken to them. God had deposited Himself, as it were, in the midst of the children of Israel. They were the guardians, the vessels, and the instruments of the testimony of God.
To bear the testimony of God was the highest privilege of all the children of Israel. But because the testimony of God was in their midst, it was not an easy life.
When their lives were not in line with the testimony of God, you know what happened. When they sinned against the testimony of God, the discipline at the hand of the Lord was heavy upon the people.
It was not just a mechanical thing, even in the Old Testament. It was something spiritual and of tremendous consequence.
Now, what is a testimony? A testimony has at least three factors.
First, a testimony is a fact, a truth, or, to put it more exactly, a reality. That is the first factor of a testimony. If there is no fact there, if it is not real, if there is no truth in it, then you have no testimony. If you try to testify, you bear false witness. It is not true.
A testimony must be based upon a fact, a truth, a reality.
Second, this fact or truth must be revealed. That is, it must be seen and heard. Suppose there is a fact, but you have not seen it, nor have you heard it. Can you testify to that fact? You cannot.
Even though the fact is there, it has nothing to do with you. You are foreign to it. In order to be related to that fact, you have to see it, hear it, and witness it. So the second factor of testimony is that the fact must be revealed, seen, and heard.
Third, for it to be your testimony, you have to report it. You have to report the fact that you have seen and heard.
Today people are afraid to be witnesses. They do not want to be involved. Suppose a car accident happens, and you are there and see the whole thing. You know the truth, and then you slip away. Why? You do not want to get involved.
If you take that kind of attitude, it will not constitute a testimony. So, third, you have to report the truth as you see it. With these three factors, you come into the meaning of the word testimony.
Brothers and sisters, as we come to the New Testament, you find that the testimony has come to us in a richer way. This is expressed in the term, the testimony of Jesus Christ.
What is the reality? What is the truth? What is the fact—the ultimate, the supreme, the eternal? Jesus Christ.
Christ is the reality. He said, “I am the truth.”
We have come to think of truth as referring to certain teachings. Certainly, there are many false teachings today, teachings not based upon the word of God, made up by man, undependable.
But, brothers and sisters, even teaching that is based upon the word of God can be only the letter and not the Spirit. The letter too often binds.
You remember what the Lord said: “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” But, dear brothers and sisters, if you go back into your own experience, you will find that the more so-called truth you know, the more you can be bound.
When you were first saved, you were very free. You were free to move as the Spirit led you. But gradually you began to know more truth. You thought that you were growing, but actually you were being bound. You find the links being added. The more truth, the more teaching you receive, the more bound you become.
Why do all these so-called truths bind you? Because of the letter. There is nothing wrong with the letters. No, today some people want to get rid of the letters. Brothers and sisters, be careful. If you get rid of the letters, you will get rid of the Spirit.
But if you know the truth, the truth will set you free. One day, what you have learned, what you have been instructed in, what you have held as truth—and perhaps were even willing to fight for, becoming very unchristian—one day the Lord opens it up to you.
When the Lord opens a teaching, a truth based upon the word, suddenly you are free. Now, who frees you? The Son makes you free.
The Spirit of the word—the real word—is Christ Himself. It is not merely truth; it is Himself. It is not merely something about Him, but something about Him has become living, and when that comes to you, it sets you free.
Brothers and sisters, what is a fact? We say that a fact is something already accomplished. That is a fact.
We often say that the finished work of Christ on the cross is a fact. Certainly it is a fact. What can be more factual than the finished work of Christ on the cross? It is done. It is done. You cannot make it more factual.
If you try to make it more factual, it begins to become unfactual, if I may use that word. In your experience, you know that if you try to add something to the finished work of Christ, it becomes unreal. It does not work anymore.
Take it as it is. The finished work of Christ on the cross is the fact. Do you hold on to this fact? Thank God that you do. But how much does it work?
If you were brought up in a Christian home, you may believe in the finished work of Christ as a fact from your childhood. But are you saved? Does the blood of the Lord Jesus wash away your sins? Do you have that peace in your conscience? Does it open up a new and living way for you to approach the throne of grace?
It is a fact, but a fact in history does not help you. The Holy Spirit has to bring that fact to you in such a living way that it is Christ to you. When it is Christ to you, immediately it fulfils itself in your life.
Christ is more than merely a history of the past. He is the same eternally. What is reality? The ultimate reality.
Brothers and sisters, nothing is real if it is not Christ. This world is not real; it passes away. One day it is here, and the next day it disappears. It is not real.
In this universe, there is only one thing that is real, and that is Christ. God is real. Christ is the reality. He is the truth, the fact, the reality.
But He has to be revealed. If He is not revealed, if we do not see and hear Him by the Spirit of God, then even though the truth is there, the fact is there, and the reality is there, brothers and sisters, we have no testimony.
That is the reason why, in the first chapter of Revelation, it says, “The revelation of Jesus Christ,” and then immediately speaks of “the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
The testimony of Jesus Christ is based upon Jesus Christ revealed. Jesus Christ is the truth. Jesus Christ is the fact. Jesus Christ is the reality. But Jesus Christ has to be revealed: the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Do not think that the revelation of Jesus Christ merely means the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls. Yes, you find all these things in the book of Revelation, but these are the letters.
What is the spirit of the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls? The revelation of Jesus Christ. God is revealing His Son to us. Christ is revealing Himself to us by the Spirit.
In the revelation of Jesus Christ, He is so revealed that we see Him, hear Him, and know Him. Brothers and sisters, that constitutes a testimony. Otherwise, no matter how real or eternal the fact and truth may be, in us there is no testimony.
Then, of course, thirdly, if God has revealed His Son in us, is it not our privilege and responsibility to report Him?
That is exactly what John does. Not only in the book of Revelation, but in the First Epistle of John, he says:
That which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes,
that which we beheld, and our hands handled, concerning the Word of life—
that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you also,
that ye also may have fellowship with us:
yea, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
Brothers and sisters, if the Lord has revealed Jesus Christ to you, do not keep it to yourself. Share it. Report it, for the sake of the saints.
This afternoon, we thank God that we had a time of sharing together. What is fellowship? Fellowship is reporting what you have seen and heard.
Because you have seen Him and heard Him, when you report Him to your brothers and sisters, the Holy Spirit touches that and makes them see and makes them hear.
Not that your report will do the work, but as you report, the Holy Spirit can do the work. That is fellowship.
What are we fellowshipping? We fellowship Jesus Christ. That is all. We fellowship the revelation of Jesus Christ.
In fellowship, it enriches the church and gives us joy—full joy. This is the meaning of the testimony of Jesus.
We will not go into it fully tonight, but let us go a little further. What is the testimony of Jesus? I think the testimony of Jesus, as we see in the New Testament, includes three aspects.
First, the testimony of Jesus is that which the Father bears witness concerning His Son. That is the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Do you remember that our Lord Jesus said, “No one knows the Son but the Father; neither doth any know the Father save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal Him”?
Our Lord Jesus is such a reality, such a fact. You would think that because He is so real and factual, everybody ought to know Him, everybody ought to see Him, everybody ought to hear Him. But no. The mystery is here.
Because He is so real and so factual, nobody can see Him or hear Him unless there is revelation. No one knows the Son. Even after He came to this world and presented Himself before people, nobody knew Him.
What the Father testifies concerning the Son constitutes the testimony of Jesus Christ.
The Lord said, “I have another that beareth witness of Me.” When He said that, He was speaking of John the Baptist. John the Baptist bore witness to the Lord, but the Lord said, “I have another One bearing witness of Me,” and His witness is greater. He referred to the Father.
In the Gospels, you find three times that the heavens opened and the Father testified concerning His Son.
When our Lord went to the River Jordan to be baptized by John, to fulfil all righteousness, as He came out of the water, the heavens opened and there was a voice from heaven:
This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.
That is the testimony of Jesus Christ.
When our Lord Jesus was on the mount of transfiguration, He was transfigured. His face shone like the sun, His garments became white, and Moses and Elijah appeared. They were speaking of His departure.
Suddenly Peter spoke up and said, “It is good for us to be here.” A bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from heaven said:
This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.
Then they saw no one but Jesus only. That is the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Once again, our Lord was in Jerusalem for the last time. It seemed as if He was going to take the world. There was such a welcome as He entered the city. Even Greeks, Gentiles, wanted to see Him. They came to Philip and said, “Sir, we would see Jesus.”
What did the Lord say?
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit.
He was speaking of Himself, of His death. He was thinking of the cross. When He was at the height of His fame and popularity, He was thinking of the cross.
He turned His eyes to heaven and prayed, “Father, glorify Thy name.” Then there came a voice out of heaven:
I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
That is the testimony of Jesus Christ. Unless God testifies concerning His Son to you, you will never know Him.
When Peter confessed the Lord Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, the Lord Jesus said, “Peter, you are blessed, because this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father who is in heaven.”
Brothers and sisters, the testimony of Jesus Christ is a tremendous matter. It is something beyond our human ability. It depends only upon the revelation of the Father. Unless the Father reveals the Son to us, we are outside the testimony of Jesus.
But when the Father testifies, and we hear it and see it, brothers and sisters, that becomes the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Peter was tested. One day our Lord Jesus was saying hard words. He said, “Labor not for the food which perisheth. I am the bread that came down from heaven. Seek the food which abides unto eternal life.”
The people said, “Who can hear this? Nobody can understand this.” He spoke of His flesh as food and His blood as drink. He said that he who eats His flesh and drinks His blood shall have eternal life.
Many of His disciples turned away. Then the Lord turned to the twelve and said, “Would ye also go away?”
Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” God had revealed Him to them. Where could they go? There was nowhere else to go.
Brothers and sisters, the testimony of Jesus is something that will hold us to Him. The reason why many people fall away, the reason why people do not persevere, is that they do not have the testimony. They may have the law. They may have the letter. But they do not have the testimony.
When the testimony of Jesus Christ is given, you cannot get away. There is nowhere else to go.
The second aspect of the testimony of Jesus is that which our Lord Jesus Himself testifies concerning Himself. If you read the Gospel according to John in a special way, you find many times that the Lord tells us what He is and who He is.
You can read the whole Gospel of John with that in view. Take Nathanael, for instance.
Philip said to Nathanael, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote: Jesus of Nazareth.” Nathanael, being a true Israelite, said, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Nazareth never produced a prophet.
But Philip said, “Come and see.” When Nathanael came into the presence of the Lord, the Lord immediately said, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”
Nathanael said, “Whence knowest Thou me?” The Lord answered, “Before Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.”
Immediately Nathanael said:
Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God; Thou art King of Israel.
Nathanael was a true Israelite. The fig tree is a type of the nation of Israel. Nathanael was meditating under the fig tree, dreaming of the glorious day when the Messiah should come and Israel should become the head of the nations.
When the Lord said, “I saw you under the fig tree,” immediately he knew: “Thou art the Messiah.”
The Lord said, “Because I said unto thee, I saw thee underneath the fig tree, believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than these.”
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
What is this? Revelation—the testimony of Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus is the ladder that Jacob saw, connecting earth with heaven, connecting man with God. The angels are ministering spirits, ministering the grace of God to man, and it is all in Christ. That is the testimony of Jesus.
One day the Lord was talking with Nicodemus about new birth, and he simply could not understand it. The teacher of Israel could not understand it. He asked, “How can these things be?”
The Lord said:
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up;
that whosoever believeth may in Him have eternal life.
What is this? The testimony of Jesus Christ.
The Lord said, “I speak that which I know, and bear witness of that which I have seen.” He is the faithful witness, and He testifies to us as to who He is.
One day He was brought before the high priest. They brought all kinds of false accusations against Him, and the Lord would not answer a word.
I wonder whether the best way to deal with false accusation is to be quiet. I think that is very difficult. But perhaps it is true, because the more you try to explain, the more misunderstanding may be created. I do not know.
But our Lord did not answer. Then the high priest said, “I adjure Thee by the living God, that Thou tell us whether Thou art the Christ, the Son of God.”
Immediately the Lord testified and said, “Thou hast said.” In other words, “You said it. Henceforth ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Because He testified concerning Himself before the high priest, He was condemned to death.
Then He was brought before Pilate. Again there were all kinds of accusations. Finally Pilate asked, “Art Thou the King of the Jews?” The Lord confessed before Pilate and said, “Thou sayest.”
That was the crime for which He was crucified. How foolish our Lord Jesus seemed at that moment! Why should He confess before Pilate that He was a king? I do not really understand it. He tried to explain, “My kingdom is not of this world,” but He was condemned on that account.
Why should the Lord confess before the high priest that He was the Son of God? He would be killed anyway. If He did not say it, perhaps He could escape. But He did not need to get Himself killed.
But, brothers and sisters, when you come to the point of testimony, either you say it or you lose it.
The testimony is a tremendous matter. The testimony of Jesus Christ is a tremendous thing. Brothers and sisters, I do hope that as we go on, we will see how tremendous is this testimony of Jesus Christ—what the Lord testifies concerning Himself.
Then the third aspect is what the Holy Spirit testifies.
You remember in John, the Lord said that when the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, should come, He would bear witness of Him. He would tell us all things concerning Christ, because He would take of what is Christ’s and give it to us.
Brothers and sisters, what the Holy Spirit testifies to you concerning Christ Jesus is the truth that will bring you into the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Only when the Holy Spirit begins to testify do you have it. If the Holy Spirit does not testify, it is merely letter, not reality. But when the Holy Spirit begins to testify, you receive the testimony of Jesus Christ.
So, dear brothers and sisters, what is the burden of the Lord today? What is it that the Lord is looking for among His people today?
In one word: the testimony of Jesus Christ. That is what He is looking for.
But, dear brothers and sisters, do we have it? Do we have it? Is our life related to that testimony?
I think this will be the ultimate judgment.
Let us have some prayers. Just feel free to pray.
Our God, we do pray that You will make the reality of Thy Son known to us, that we may see Him as He is. Our desire is to glorify Him and to have Him lifted up among us.
We pray that we may bear the reproach of Christ, and that, for the sake of Christ, we may be faithful witnesses. We pray in the name of our Lord Jesus.
Lord, we ask that Thou wouldst show us more each day. Work in our lives, that we may hear Him and see Him. Give us the courage to speak of Him and report Him.
May all be Thy revelation. In all the darkness, darkness, may Thy testimony be made known.