Will you please turn to 2 Thessalonians, Chapter 1? We will read the whole chapter.
Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ;
Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, even as it is meet, for that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the love of each one of you all toward one another aboundeth;
So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which ye endure;
Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God; to the end that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:
If so be that it is a righteous thing with God to recompense affliction to them that afflict you,
And to you that are afflicted rest with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of His power
In flaming fire, rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus;
Who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of His might,
When He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be marvelled at in all them that believed (because our testimony unto you was believed) in that day.
To which end we also pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfil every desire of goodness and every work of faith, with power;
That the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and ye in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us have a word of prayer.
Dear Lord, as we gather together unto Thy name, we know that Thou art in our midst. We deeply feel that we are all standing on holy ground. We want to remove our shoes and bow before Thee.
What dost Thou want to say to us? We are here listening. We pray that Thou wilt open our inner eyes, open our inner ears, and open our understanding, that we may understand what Thou wantest to say to us.
Not only do we want to understand, but also to respond. We want Thee to have Thy way with us this morning. Do not allow this time to pass by without Thy working in us.
Lord, Thou knowest that we are hungry and thirsty, and Thou hast promised us that Thou wilt fill us. We commit this time into Thy hands, trusting Thee to do Thy work. All the glory be to Thee.
We pray in the name of our precious Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
In this chapter of 2 Thessalonians, in verse 10, we find a clause in parentheses: “our testimony unto you was believed.” Here we find this term, our testimony.
Now, we know that when we gather together before the Lord, our theme is the testimony of God, the testimony of Jesus Christ, and our testimony. The responsibility of our dear brother Christian is the testimony of God. The responsibility of our dear brother José is the testimony of Jesus Christ. It falls upon me to fellowship with you, dear brothers and sisters, concerning our testimony.
Here we find this term, our testimony. The word our is important. Immediately, it refers to Paul, Timothy, and also Silas. Here you find three persons, and yet they share the same testimony, because the testimony here is in the singular number.
Our testimony is a collective thing. The three of them had the same testimony. It was not that Paul had his testimony, Silas had his own, and Timothy had another one. We find that all of them shared the same testimony.
Of course, in principle, it refers to all of us. Even though we are many here, and we are all different in a sense, yet we have the same testimony. We are here bearing the same testimony. Therefore, it is very important for us to know what our testimony really is.
This clause is in parentheses. Now, in the Bible, whenever you find something in parentheses, it does not mean that it is unimportant. On the contrary, it means that it is something that should draw our attention.
Why is it put in parentheses? Because that which is in parentheses is there to explain what goes before it and what follows it. It is very important.
We know from Acts 17 that the apostle Paul and his companions, after they were almost driven out of Philippi, went to Thessalonica. When they arrived there, it was Paul’s custom, on the Sabbath day, to go into the synagogue and reason with the people according to the Scriptures.
He declared to them that Christ must suffer according to the Scriptures, and that after this He would be raised from the dead. This Christ, the Messiah, is none other than Jesus. Paul reasoned with them for three successive Sabbaths.
A number of people believed in the Lord, especially Greeks who worshiped in the synagogue. Many of them turned to the Lord, and some of the noble women also believed.
Because of what had happened, the Jews became jealous. They gathered a mob and tried to accuse Paul and his companions. They accused them of proclaiming another king, which was not allowed in the Roman Empire.
When they could not find Paul and his companions, they took their host Jason and some others and brought them before the officials. The officials took security from Jason and let them go.
Immediately the brethren in Thessalonica sent Paul away toward the seacoast, and he went to Athens. Paul requested that Silas and Timothy join him. Afterward, they went on to Corinth.
But Paul truly remembered these newly born brothers and sisters in Thessalonica. So he wrote a letter to them, which is 1 Thessalonians.
Even though this was a new church, it was born, as it were, in tribulation. Yet we find that their spiritual condition was very good. Paul was afraid that, because they were new, they might not be able to stand the persecution. Yet he found that they really endured.
They had the labor of love. They loved one another, and they loved all the brethren. They had the work of faith and the patience of hope.
It proved that the testimony Paul and his companions bore was effective. It produced good fruit. Paul was very glad about it, and he encouraged them to go on.
Very soon he wrote another letter, 2 Thessalonians. He found that their love really abounded, their faith really increased, and they continued to endure all these afflictions. They became an example to others.
Paul explained that their condition proved that his testimony had been received. This is where the phrase our testimony comes from. Their testimony to the Thessalonians was received.
Now, what is testimony? Testimony is truth. Testimony is fact. Testimony is reality. That is the very nature of testimony.
Testimony itself is not something imagined. It is not something that you speculate. Testimony is something very real. It is something that has happened. It is an accomplished fact.
It has nothing to do with imagination. It is not a hallucination. It is something solid. It is true, real, and certain. That is what testimony is.
But added to this, testimony is something that you experience. You have seen, and you have heard. When something happens, you are there, and you are an eyewitness. That means it is a testimony.
Testimony has an objective side. The testimony itself must be real and certain. Then there is the subjective side: he who bears witness to it must have personal, firsthand experience.
For a testimony to be effective, it must not only be something real; the one who bears witness to it must have experienced it. Because he has experienced what he testifies, that testimony has become a part of his being.
Because he has seen and heard, it transforms him. In a sense, it absorbs him into the testimony. He is no longer merely a spectator, merely an observer. In observing, he becomes involved in it.
This is what testimony-bearing is. If something is not real, if it is merely supposed to be or imagined, that is no testimony. Even if something is real, if you are not a firsthand observer and not a witness to it, that testimony still has no effect.
But if this testimony is a glorious testimony, you become part of the testimony. You and the testimony become one. This is what testimony really is.
What is our testimony? Our testimony is not something that we bear witness to concerning ourselves.
You remember in John 5:31, and also in John 8:13, there is this saying: if a person bears witness of himself, his witness is not true.
Anyone who tries to bear witness of himself, telling people how good he is and how perfect he is, has a testimony that is not true. Why? Because we do not know our own heart.
Our heart is wicked above all things. Who knows it? Only God tries our heart. That is the reason why, if we bear witness of ourselves, our testimony is not accepted.
So here, our testimony does not mean that we bear testimony of ourselves or tell people how good we are.
You remember in Luke 18 the Pharisee who went into the temple. He stood straight, lifted up his head, and began to pray. How did he pray? He said, “God, I thank Thee that I am not like the rest of men.”
He looked around and saw a publican standing far away. He said, “God, I am not like that publican, because I fast twice a week, and I give tithes of all that I receive.”
Here you find that this Pharisee was testifying before God concerning himself, and his testimony was not accepted, because he went home without being justified.
Brothers and sisters, if we are trying to bear testimony of ourselves, our testimony will not be accepted.
The apostle Paul, before he met the Lord on the road to Damascus, was very sure of himself. When he spoke of his past, he boasted of his past because, humanly speaking, he had an excellent pedigree.
He boasted that he was circumcised on the eighth day. This was very important to the Jews because, according to God’s covenant with Abraham, circumcision was the sign of the covenant.
Abraham was already ninety-nine years old when he received this from God, and Ishmael was thirteen years old. But Paul could say, “I was circumcised on the eighth day.” To him, this was very crucial.
He also said, “I am of the nation of Israel.” In other words, he was of Jacob, not of Esau. Though Esau was also the son of Isaac, it was Jacob who had the birthright.
Paul also said, “I am of the tribe of Benjamin.” Why was this important? Of the twelve sons of Jacob, only Benjamin was born in the promised land. The first king of Israel, Saul, was a Benjaminite. When the kingdom was divided into two nations, Benjamin remained with Judah.
This was his pedigree. Later, he boasted of his education. He was a Hebrew of Hebrews. Though he was born in Tarsus, a Gentile city, his family spoke Hebrew. They were truly Hebrews.
When he was young, he was educated according to the strictness of the law of the fathers. He sat at the feet of Gamaliel, one of the greatest teachers in Judaism.
He was a Pharisee of Pharisees. That is to say, he was a real Pharisee. He not only studied the law, but he tried to keep every letter of the law. So far as the letter of the law was concerned, he was righteous.
He was very zealous and persecuted the church because he was zealous for the traditions of the fathers. They considered Jesus an impostor, and they thought this movement should be wiped out. So he tried his best to wipe it out.
But he was in darkness. He was blind. He thought he was serving God, and yet he did God a great disservice.
Brothers and sisters, no one can testify of himself. Even if we try, our testimony is not true and cannot be accepted.
But after this man met the Lord on the road to Damascus, there was such a transformation in his life.
He saw the Righteous One, and he heard His voice: “Why persecutest thou Me? It is hard for thee to kick against the goads.”
Saul said, “Lord, who art Thou?” And the voice said, “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.” Then he asked the second question: “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?”
In other words, he not only believed in Jesus as Lord; he truly accepted Him as the Lord of his life.
He became a witness. God called him to be a witness, to tell people what he had seen and heard, to be a witness to the nations and to the Jews.
From that day onward, he began to bear testimony. But he was no longer testifying of himself. In the past he testified of what a great man he was, how pious he was, and how zealous he was. But no longer.
From that day onward, he did not testify of himself anymore. His testimony was Jesus Christ.
In 2 Corinthians 4, he said, “We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord.” In 1 Corinthians 2, he said, “I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”
After Paul had seen the Lord and heard the Lord, he had met reality. After he had truly experienced it, it transformed his life. This testimony became part of his life. His whole being was involved in this testimony.
That became the very meaning of his life and the very meaning of his ministry. He said, “I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision.”
Even when Paul was given the opportunity to defend himself, he did not defend himself; he defended the Lord Jesus. Festus cried out, “Paul, thou art mad.” He had been given an opportunity, but he did not use it to defend or save himself. All the time, he was defending Jesus Christ.
Why? Because this was his very life. He became a true and faithful witness of the Lord Jesus.
This is what testimony really is. It is something that is so real, and you have experienced it firsthand. It begins to transform your life. It becomes your very life, something that you live for and serve God with. That is testimony.
Now think of the apostle John. The same thing happened to John.
Before he met the Lord Jesus, he was a disciple of John the Baptist. He must have been very close to John the Baptist. If you read John 1, you find that two of John’s disciples were standing with him. John had many disciples, but these two seemed to be close to him.
When they were with him, John the Baptist saw Jesus passing by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
When the two disciples heard this, they left their master and began to follow Jesus. While they were doing this, the Lord turned and said, “What seek ye? Why do you follow Me?”
They said, “Rabbi, where abidest Thou?” This is a very strange question. It is as if they did not answer Him, but asked another question.
But the real meaning was this: they wanted to be with Jesus. They wanted to know the Lord Jesus. So the Lord said, “Come, and ye shall see.” They stayed with Him that afternoon, and they were transformed.
We know that Andrew went to find his brother Simon and said, “We have found the Messiah.” The other disciple was John. From that day onward, John followed the Lord.
The more he followed the Lord Jesus, the more he knew the Lord. He was the first one to follow Jesus, and among the original apostles he was the last one still living.
What did he say? If you read 1 John 1, he said:
That which was from the beginning,
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.
The apostle John always goes back to the beginning. This beginning is even before the beginning in Genesis.
Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” That is the beginning of creation, but it is not the beginning of God.
When you read John 1, you find the real beginning. It is how everything begins. That beginning is none other than God.
This One who was in the beginning, they had heard of Him through the prophets and through the Old Testament. They had heard that the Messiah would come. But now they had seen Him. They had truly met Him.
As they contemplated Him, they realized that this man Jesus is the Son of God.
When He was resurrected, our Lord said to Thomas, “Reach hither thy finger, and see My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and put it into My side.”
Brothers and sisters, to the apostle John, the Lord Jesus was so real. He was a fact. He was true. John had personally experienced this truth. He had firsthand knowledge.
Because of this touch with the Lord Jesus, John’s life was changed. He was absorbed into the testimony, and he became a faithful witness. Whatever John wrote was true because he was an eyewitness.
Now think of Peter. Peter had the same experience, especially when you turn to 2 Peter 1.
When Peter shared with the brothers and sisters concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus and His power, he said that he did not follow cunningly devised fables. It was something he had personally witnessed.
On the mountain of transfiguration, he heard the voice from heaven:
This is My beloved Son,
In Whom I am well pleased;
Hear ye Him.
Peter had personally seen the glory of the Lord Jesus. Before his martyrdom, he bore testimony, and his testimony was true.
Dear brothers and sisters, this ought to be our testimony.
What is our testimony? We have said that our testimony is not testifying of ourselves—how great we are or how learned we are. Such testimony will not be true, and it will not be accepted by anybody.
What exactly is our testimony? Our testimony is the testimony of God. Our testimony is the testimony of Jesus. In other words, our testimony is one with the testimony of God and the testimony of Jesus.
Our brother last night already explained to us what the testimony of God is. If we bear testimony of ourselves, our testimony is not true and will not be accepted. But with God, it is different.
God has to testify of Himself, because if He does not testify of Himself, nobody will know Him. How can we bear witness of Him if He does not testify of Himself? He is the beginning. He is the truth.
The testimony of God is what God testifies concerning Himself. God reveals Himself to us. If God does not tell us who He is and what He is, nobody will ever know Him. He would remain an unknown God.
Brothers and sisters, the testimony of God is what God testifies concerning Himself, and His testimony is true. His testimony is something that we must receive.
Our brother mentioned last night how God gave the children of Israel the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are God’s testimony.
By the Ten Commandments, God revealed to the children of Israel what kind of God He is. If God had not given the Ten Commandments, the children of Israel would never have known what kind of God He is.
God had delivered them out of Egypt. He had brought them to Himself. He wanted to make them His people, and He wanted to be their God. But how could they be His people if they did not know Him?
God had to bear witness of Himself and tell them what kind of God He is.
Our brother mentioned that the first tablet probably contained four commandments, and the second tablet six. Why? Because in the first four commandments, God reveals Himself as the God of holiness.
He is holy. Holy means that He is different. Nothing can be compared with Him. He is altogether different. He is all alone, separated from everything else. He is unique. That is holiness.
The first four commandments tell us how holy God is. You cannot have any other god because He is the only God. You cannot make an image of any kind and worship it, because He is Spirit, and we must worship Him in spirit and truth.
You can worship Him alone. He is the only One worthy to be worshiped. You cannot take His name in vain because His name is holy.
You have to keep the Sabbath because He is the only One who can do the work. You cannot do God’s work. He is the only One who finishes the work. We can only rest in His finished work.
Whenever we try to help God with our own effort, we violate the holiness of God. The first four commandments tell us that God is holy.
The next six commandments tell us that God is righteous. Because God is righteous, we must be righteous toward one another. We cannot act unrighteously toward one another.
So far as God is concerned, the Ten Commandments are God’s testimony. But when He delivers the Ten Commandments to man, they become the law.
Because this is what God is, we ought to be like Him. That is law. On God’s side, it is testimony; on the side of the children of Israel, it is law. God gave His testimony, and the children of Israel ought to keep the law.
The testimony of God is not only the Ten Commandments. The testimony of God is also the Word of God, because God’s Word is true. Whatever Thou sayest is true.
Because His Word is true, it represents the God of truth. Therefore, His Word is testimony.
You can find this especially in Psalm 119. In that psalm, the Word and the testimony come together. We will read one verse, Psalm 119:88:
Quicken me after Thy lovingkindness;
So shall I observe the testimony of Thy mouth.
In the original, it is singular: the testimony of Thy mouth. Here you find that the Word of God is the testimony of God.
Therefore, the prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 8:20, “To the law and to the testimony!” Everything is to be settled by the law and the testimony. Whether something is true or false depends upon what the law says and what the testimony says, because it is the testimony of God.
What is God’s testimony? His testimony is the testimony concerning His beloved Son. He wants to testify concerning His Son.
God not only testifies of Himself; He delights to testify of His Son. That is God’s testimony. How He says, “Behold My Son.”
In the New Testament, you find that three times the heavens opened, and God spoke:
This is My beloved Son,
In Whom I am well pleased.
Brothers and sisters, nothing delights the heart of God the Father more than to testify concerning His Son.
I believe those who are parents or grandparents know the meaning of this. They delight to talk about their children or grandchildren. You do not need to ask; they will speak voluntarily.
This is the heart of God. God delights to testify of His Son. This is the testimony of God.
Our testimony is none other than the testimony of God. We testify to what God has testified concerning Himself. When we testify, it must be according to the Scriptures.
Whatever we say that is not according to the Scriptures is false, no matter how profound or philosophical it may sound. It is only when we speak according to the Scriptures that our testimony is one with the testimony of God.
Whenever we testify only of Jesus Christ, our testimony is one with God’s testimony. Brothers and sisters, our testimony is one with the testimony of God.
Likewise, our testimony is none other than the testimony of Jesus.
When our Lord Jesus was on earth, in John 8, He said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
The Pharisees began to accuse Him, saying, “Thou bearest witness of Thyself; Thy witness is not true.”
But our Lord Jesus said, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true; for I know whence I came, and whither I go. But ye know not whence I come, or whither I go.”
Brothers and sisters, this is the difference between Christ and ourselves. Because He is God, He could say, “I am the truth.” Whatever He says is true. All the promises of God are yea and amen in Him.
Our Lord Jesus has the right to testify concerning Himself, and even when He bears witness of Himself, His witness is true.
Furthermore, He said, “In your law, the witness of two men is true. I am He that beareth witness of Myself, and the Father that sent Me beareth witness of Me.” Here you find two witnesses; therefore, it is certain.
What is the testimony of Jesus? The testimony of Jesus is what the Father has testified concerning Him. The whole Bible is the Father testifying concerning His Son.
If you read the book of Revelation, you find “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him.” It is God witnessing concerning His Son. The whole book of Revelation reveals the Son.
The Father reveals the Son as the coming King. His Son is the Heir of all things. The whole Bible bears this witness. The Father’s witness to His Son constitutes the testimony of Jesus.
In Revelation 1, the Lord Jesus testifies of Himself:
I am the first and the last,
And the Living One;
And I was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore,
And I have the keys of death and of Hades.
This is the testimony of Jesus. This is what He is. He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. He is the Living One, the source of life, the fountain of life.
Voluntarily He went into death, but death could not hold Him. He accomplished the work of redemption. He was raised from the dead. He overcame death, and He lives forevermore.
He holds in His hand the keys of death and Hades. In other words, He is in control. Brothers and sisters, this is the testimony of Jesus.
This is the testimony that we receive, and this is the testimony to which we bear witness.
The Lord said that when the Holy Spirit comes, He will bear witness of Me, and you also will bear witness of Me, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
Dear brothers and sisters, how faithful the Holy Spirit is in bearing witness of our Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit never testifies concerning Himself. The Holy Spirit testifies only concerning the Lord Jesus.
He glorifies the Lord Jesus in us. He reveals the Lord Jesus to us. He works in us to bring us to the cross, that we may enter into the risen life of our Lord.
The Holy Spirit comes to uplift the Lord Jesus. How faithful He is. The Lord said, “Ye are My witnesses.” May we also be faithful.
Brothers and sisters, this is our testimony. When our two brothers tell us about the testimony of God and the testimony of Jesus, remember that what they share with us is what our testimony really is.
We need to pay special attention to what our two brothers say. This will be our testimony.
Finally, the testimony of God and the testimony of Jesus forever stand. The testimony of God never shakes. The testimony of Jesus Christ never changes.
God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. With Him there is no shadow of turning. He is the same forever. He is the eternal truth. He is the eternal reality.
The testimony of God and the testimony of Jesus forever stand. No matter what happens, no matter how they are challenged, rejected, or opposed, the testimony of God and the testimony of Jesus never shake.
God is God. Jesus is Lord. This never changes, no matter what happens. It is a glorious testimony.
But brothers and sisters, when the testimony comes to us, we have a problem. The problem is not with the testimony; the problem is with us.
We need to understand that no matter how weak we are, no matter how feeble our testimony is, God’s testimony and the testimony of Jesus never change.
When you look at the outward appearance, it may seem that the testimony of God has suffered and the testimony of Jesus has suffered greatly. Yet when you really see the reality, you find that it never changes. It always stands, and it is always glorious.
This is something we need to understand. Otherwise, when we are weak, we think that we can make the testimony of God and the testimony of Jesus weak too. No. It is too strong.
On our side, we are weak. Because of us, the testimony of God and the testimony of Jesus may suffer reproach. But that does not change His testimony. You cannot compromise His testimony, because He never changes.
What needs to be changed is on our side. Sometimes, because of our failures, we allow the testimony of God and the testimony of Jesus to come under reproach. Sometimes, because we yield to our flesh, the testimony of God and the testimony of Jesus are misunderstood.
This is something for which we need to humble ourselves before God. We need to be careful. Our brother mentioned last night that sin against the testimony is very serious because it touches God and it touches our Lord Jesus.
I believe one reason why the Lord gathers us together and gives us a fresh understanding of the testimony is that God wants us to put ourselves before the testimony and let the light of that testimony shine upon us.
We need to see what our condition is in relation to the testimony of God and the testimony of Jesus, that we may repent and return.
Yet, on the other hand, I believe God has brought us together for a positive purpose. Because of many failures, some may feel that the testimony of God is gone and that there is no possibility of maintaining it.
Brothers and sisters, remember: the testimony of God and the testimony of Jesus never change. It is glorious. It is the will of God that we must continue to maintain the testimony.
By the mercy of God, this will happen in this time. Then our gathering will not be in vain.
Let us really be before the Lord. Let us humble ourselves and let His light shine upon us—not only to reveal our situation, but even more to reveal what His testimony is.
On the one hand, we will be stricken to the floor; on the other hand, He will raise us up.
Dear Lord, we want to thank Thee because Thou never changest. Thy testimony always stands. What a glorious testimony!
Lord, we acknowledge how we have failed Thee. Thou hast never failed us. Lord, Thou knowest our situation.
Some of us may be beyond the point of giving up. Thou knowest that within us, some may not even know Thy testimony.
Lord, we are asking that in this time Thou wilt restore that which is failing, and Thou wilt give us a fresh and new revelation—a revelation of Thyself.
May that revelation transform us and make us Thy vessels. Lord, we are before Thee. We ask in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.