Good deal.
Good evening, brothers and sisters.
We come to you tonight in weakness. I am sure you have heard some of our brother Godwin’s physical trials and tribulations over the last several months.
Evidently, I came down here visiting you in wonderful Texas with some kind of cold or something that is now invading my body. We human beings are just frail vessels.
But I also believe in the importance of the burden of the Lord. Even through weakness, I desire to share on this matter of the testimony of Jesus.
I do thank you for your prayers for me.
We want to turn to the book of Revelation and look at the verses where the testimony of Jesus is mentioned. This is a very interesting phrase, and we want to see, if we can, what it means tonight.
We begin at the beginning of Revelation, in chapter 1.
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place;
and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John,
who testified to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.— Revelation 1:1-2
In verse 2, you notice this phrase: the testimony of Jesus.
The testimony had an impact on John’s life because he was exiled on the Isle of Patmos for it. We read Revelation 1:9:
I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
— Revelation 1:9
As the book of Revelation unfolds and we see the end of time, we see the conflict with Satan.
Notice Revelation 12:17, where this phrase comes up again:
So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
— Revelation 12:17
Then, toward the end of the book, there is a great celebration because of the bride. In Revelation 19:10, the statement is made again:
Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
— Revelation 19:10
Tonight, I want to bring before you again the two questions I asked last night:
Last night we looked at the story of David bringing the ark up to Jerusalem. David had a burden that the ark of the testimony be at home in God’s city, in Zion.
But we learned last night that only the Levites were chosen to bear the ark of the testimony up to its resting place.
The Levites are a testimony of the remnant—those who have given God their entire life.
At the end of last night, I mentioned the tragedy that was evident in Jesus’ time. When Jesus came to the temple, it was beautifully appointed with gold and all kinds of ornamentation.
But despite its beauty and the activities of the temple, there was no ark in the holy of holies. The Levites had not been faithful.
Jesus came as the testimony of God, and the glory of God was shining.
Now I want us to go another sixty years, to the end of the first century. There we see the church in the book of Revelation: seven local churches.
Despite the fact that the church was made up of Christians who were witnessing and serving, the testimony of Jesus was an issue. The lampstand of testimony was flickering among the churches.
By that time, most of the apostles had been martyred for their witness.
If I could put it this way, the church found itself between being a testimony lampstand and being Shiloh. The church is always standing in that place.
You remember the church of Laodicea. They thought they were rich and had need of nothing, but they were missing the very testimony of Jesus in their midst.
And so it is with many churches today.
The Lord knew that this would be an issue. So He raised up a special servant of God, even the apostle John, to recover this testimony of Jesus.
It is John who uses this special term, and he uses it as a revelation of something very important to God.
John was in exile because of the testimony of Jesus, and he had been faithful. As a matter of fact, when you see in his Gospel and in his letters, he testified to the testimony of Jesus.
Look at the end of the Gospel of John, chapter 21, verse 24. I do not know if you realize this, but in the Gospel of John, the word testimony is used more than forty-five times. It is a Gospel of testimony.
This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true.
— John 21:24
Notice also John 19:35, as the story is told of the spear that went into Jesus’ side and the water and blood came out:
And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.
— John 19:35
Then, if you turn to 1 John, the first letter of John, chapter 1, you see that our dear brother, even in his letter, is testifying regarding this testimony of Jesus.
What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life—
and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us.— 1 John 1:1-2
As far as we know, by the end of the first century John was the only remaining one of the twelve apostles. He bore the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
This was something so significant that he was exiled on the island by the Romans.
So we must ask this question: What is the testimony of Jesus?
There are two parts to the answer. The first part is apparent, and most people understand this.
The apparent meaning of the testimony of Jesus is our witness concerning Jesus.
You remember that at the beginning of the book of Acts, our Lord Jesus said:
But ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
— Acts 1:8
Since that day, there have been those who have gone out witnessing the things regarding Jesus: His birth, His life, His crucifixion, and His resurrection. Especially, the apostles were given the testimony of Jesus’ resurrection.
If you turn to 1 Corinthians, chapter 1, you see that when Paul the apostle went to preach the gospel, it was to establish this testimony.
I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus,
that in everything ye were enriched in Him, in all utterance and all knowledge,
even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you.— 1 Corinthians 1:4-6
So we know the testimony of Jesus has very much to do with our witnessing the truth about who Jesus is to the world.
But this term also has a deeper meaning. When we read Revelation 19:10, we sense something deeper and spiritual in the statement:
For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
— Revelation 19:10
There is something deeper there—something spiritual there.
By the end of the first century, there were many Christians witnessing of Jesus, but the testimony of Jesus needed recovery.
This testimony has a deeper meaning to it. You remember Jesus speaking to the church of Ephesus. He says, “Unless you repent, I will take away your lampstand of testimony.”
So we see that it is possible to go on meeting as the church of Ephesus and yet be missing this vital part, this lampstand called the testimony of Jesus.
What is this deeper meaning? It is something that man cannot control. It is something only God can give, entrust, and take away.
The testimony of Jesus is not just our testimony of Jesus. It is the testimony that the risen Christ bears of Himself in the midst of His people.
This testimony has been entrusted to the church. But there is a mystery there: it is not our testimony specifically; it is His testimony among us.
This is something very precious.
When you read the book of Acts and the history of the early church, you can see the testimony of Jesus shining brightly in the midst.
There was a transcendent dimension to the life of the church because of His presence among them. The church was larger than it was because of this testimony of Jesus.
How can we describe this? It is similar to the story we find in the book of Ezekiel.
There was the temple of God in Jerusalem, and where the temple of God is, God says, “There will My presence be.”
The Shekinah glory was over the temple of God. But God prophesied and said that the glory departed stage by stage from His temple.
Because of the unfaithfulness of the people of God, God would not allow His glory to remain over the temple.
The same thing is true for the church. We cannot keep the testimony over us. Only God can place that glory there.
When that glory is there, the church is truly the body of Christ.
I will use an example. On Paul’s first missionary journey, he ended up at a little place called Derbe. He preached the gospel, people were saved, and they began to meet.
Most likely, Derbe was a small gathering of God’s people. But when you visited the church in Derbe, there was something transcendent about that church.
They were larger than they were.
When the word of God was simply spoken, it seemed to have a profound effect upon those who heard.
Even though it was a small gathering, when you went there, you were exposed to the truth.
Even though it was a small gathering, because it was connected with the whole church, there was something larger and universal about this small gathering.
It is hard to define this aspect that is called the testimony of Jesus, but you can tell when it is there in an assembly.
It is not just the people gathered together. There is a glory there.
I would list five things that indicate that the testimony of Jesus is in an assembly.
First of all, God is seen through and beyond the testimony given in that place.
It is like Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14. When an unbeliever comes into the midst, he is exposed, his heart is opened, and he says, “Of a truth, God is in this place.”
The testimony of the saints could be very simple. You might think of a small assembly way out in the country of China, in a rural area.
There are no educated scholars and no trained preacher. But when you touch that assembly, you can sense the life of God in the midst.
A second aspect you can see is a throne over that assembly.
God is directing the people. He is sending out the people. He is binding things on this earth.
It is as if these simple people are receiving instructions from a throne and carrying them out.
Sometimes that testimony even overrules the saints in the assembly. When we see Jesus sharing His testimony in the midst of the seven churches, we see Jesus overruling the present life in the assembly.
The third thing you sense is that the body of Christ functions with a unity and coordination beyond the capability of man’s organization.
A need arises in body life and, strangely, a supply arises at the same time.
There are members of the body doing things without somebody having to tell them to do it—except Someone from above.
There is a tremendous sense of unity in the members of the body that makes all of them say, “God must have arranged this.”
How precious is the testimony of Jesus? It is the most precious aspect of the church.
A fourth thing that you notice in the midst of such an assembly is this: when the ministry of the word is given, there is the light of truth that shines beyond that ministry.
The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
When the word of God and the life of the people are expressed, it is prophetic. It has a timeliness to it. You sense the nowness of it, the rightness of it, the purpose of it, and the will of it.
When people come into the midst, they can hear God speaking.
Again, we are not talking about anybody necessarily speaking profound messages. But the church is the foundation and pillar of the truth, and when people come in, they sense the truth.
The fifth characteristic, which is universal, is that an assembly that has the testimony of Jesus will be persecuted.
John was on the Isle of Patmos for the testimony of Jesus. Jesus spoke in John 7:7:
The world cannot hate you; but Me it hateth, because I testify of it, that its works are evil.
— John 7:7
Jesus Himself was the testimony of God, and the world had to crucify Him.
There is nothing that causes the world to become more fearful and insecure than for the truth to be acknowledged and a lie to be exposed.
As we try to define the testimony of Jesus, we must look at the testimony Jesus bore Himself.
The testimony has that transcendent aspect to it that is larger than just the words spoken.
Have you ever read a book in the Bible as transcendent and large as the Gospel of John?
John was just a fisherman, but he bore the testimony of Jesus. Every story he told and everything he said had a transcendence about it that makes that book larger and universal in its application.
When we read the Gospel of John, we see Jesus bearing a twofold testimony: the testimony of Jesus is a testimony of God and a testimony of man.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us—and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father—full of grace and truth.
— John 1:14
John said, “As I beheld Jesus, I saw more than just a man.” He was a man, but He transcended man. He had a testimony both of God and of man.
Every time Jesus did something, it revealed God, the great I AM.
Is not the Gospel of John amazing because of those revelations of “I am”? Everywhere Jesus went, people sensed the great I AM.
Jesus said:
Every time He said, “I am,” there was a sense of something larger that suddenly invaded that space.
It is John who tells us the story of Jesus when He was taken captive in the Garden of Gethsemane. He said, “Whom do you seek?” They said, “Jesus.”
Jesus said, “I am,” and the men fell over backward.
Jesus bore the testimony of who God was. All these world religions have a caricature of God, not the true God.
But Jesus said:
He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.
— John 14:9
Perhaps His most wonderful revelation of the truth of God is that He is our Father. Whenever Jesus would pray and say, “Our Father,” there was something so large about His prayer.
Jesus bore the testimony of God. That means wherever He went, you touched God.
But Jesus also bore the testimony of man. He revealed what man truly was—in all of his destiny, all of his wisdom, and all of his compassion.
When you watched Jesus walk, you saw the way a man walks before God.
When sinners came into His presence, they immediately realized, “The way I am living is not the way a man should live. That is the way a man should live.”
Why do you think sinners so readily repented? Why do you think harlots changed their whole lives? They saw in Jesus what man was supposed to be.
Not someone who walks in darkness and lies, but somebody who lives in light and holiness and life and love.
Jesus was hated because He exposed the lie.
Regarding man, there is one lie above all others. That lie has infected all mankind, including us.
It is a lie that Satan brought to man in the Garden of Eden. Satan said these words to man:
Ye shall be as God.
— Genesis 3:5
Man believed that lie then, and he still believes that lie now. This is the lie of self.
Here is the lie: you, as a man, are independent. You can live apart from the life of God. That is a lie.
Man was meant to be a vessel containing the life of God. Man was supposed to eat from the tree of life, be indwelt by the life of God, and walk in fellowship with God in the cool of the day.
Man was just made of mud. But then God breathed into him, and he became something.
The truth is, man is just a vessel to contain the life of God. That is the only way a man becomes a man.
In the Gospel of John, we see Jesus’ great secret. Jesus walked on this earth as a man with a great secret.
When I tell you the secret, you will not believe it, because this is not just the secret of Jesus; it should be the secret of our lives.
But because we still believe the lie—that we are independent of God or Satan—and if we believe the lie, we can do whatever we want, then we cannot understand the secret of being a man.
I will try to show you this as many times as I can in the Gospel of John. We will begin with John 5:19.
Jesus was being rebuked for healing a man on the Sabbath. In John 5:19, Jesus answered:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father doing: for what things soever He doeth, these the Son also doeth in like manner.
— John 5:19
You see the two sides of this coin in all of these verses we look at. The starting point is, “I can do nothing of Myself.” The other side of the coin is, “I do what the Father is doing.”
There was Jesus walking on earth, living by the life of the Father, not His own.
But I see you do not believe me, so let us look at another verse: John 5:30.
I can of Myself do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and My judgment is righteous; because I seek not Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me.
— John 5:30
Let us look at John 7:28:
Then Jesus cried in the temple, teaching and saying, Ye both know Me, and know whence I am; and I am not come of Myself, but He that sent Me is true, whom ye know not.
— John 7:28
And John 8:28:
When ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall ye know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself, but as the Father taught Me, I speak these things.
— John 8:28
John 8:42:
If God were your Father, ye would love Me: for I came forth and am come from God; for neither have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.
— John 8:42
John 12:49:
For I spake not from Myself; but the Father that sent Me, He hath given Me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
— John 12:49
John 14:10:
Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I say unto you I speak not from Myself: but the Father abiding in Me doeth His works.
— John 14:10
This is the great secret of man: man is the dwelling place of God.
Jesus walked in that truth. He lived in that truth. And so He bore the truth of man.
Now we ask the question again: who can bear the testimony of Jesus?
The mention of the testimony of Jesus is in relationship to the church, His corporate body, because the testimony of Jesus, to be borne in fullness, needs to be borne by a group of people filled with His life.
It is God’s purpose that the church be entrusted as a lampstand holding the testimony of Jesus, so that when mankind touches that church, they see God.
But we know in the book of Revelation that the church, in its testimony, was shaking.
When the Lord Jesus looked among His churches, what was He looking for? The testimony—His own life. He had put that life in the believer.
By grace, we have this testimony. We turn to 1 John 5. It is basically a whole chapter regarding the testimony, but let us notice verse 10:
He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in him.
— 1 John 5:10
When we receive Jesus, we receive His life. We now become those who have this life in us, and we are all called to be vessels of testimony—to shine this testimony.
But we see that the church had fallen, and in some cases this lampstand was being taken away.
There he was, an old man. Why did the Romans have to put him in exile? Why did the Jews hate him so much?
It is because when our dear brother spoke, there was something more than just his speaking. When he shared the word of God, it was more than just the word of God. There was light as he shared.
Down in Texas, on the AM dial, you just turn it a quarter of an inch and there is another radio preacher on. All those preachers are on the radio, and not too many of them would be exiled or thrown in jail.
But there are the few, and when they speak, it shakes and exposes.
Christianity is full of words and preaching and “send your money in,” and all of this kind of stuff.
Once in a while, you hear a voice and you say, “There is something more there.”
We all have our “I wish I could have been there” anecdotes.
I wish I could have been there when Brother T. Austin-Sparks would speak. I have heard some of his tapes. He speaks very slowly.
But when our brother speaks, there is something larger that comes in. Even if he takes up a simple matter of a text of Scripture, he brings in something large.
Indeed, he bore the testimony of Jesus, and he was hated by the churches in England because of that.
We find the apostle John, who bore that testimony. There is Brother Sparks. And, well, it is not just two guys. There are many who bear the testimony of Jesus.
When the Lord comes to those seven churches, He says, “I am looking for My life. But I do not see you holding My life. I do not see you living by My life.”
He tells them one by one where they are coming short. You have been entrusted with the testimony. How can you let go of first love?
These are serious matters. It is as if the Lord says, “I am looking for a remnant. I am looking for some Levites—those who hear what the Spirit is speaking to the churches, those who repent when I say, ‘Repent.’”
If I find a remnant of faithful ones in an assembly, I will keep the lampstand there.
But what if I cannot even find any who have a burden for the testimony and are able to bear the testimony? Then that lampstand I will remove.
Man cannot take the testimony in. Man cannot get rid of the testimony. It is something only God can do.
So I ask the question again: Are you bearing the testimony of Jesus?
Is there something larger in your life that can be seen by others? Are you able to bear this testimony of Jesus?
Perhaps we could ask the question: why is it that most Christians do not bear the testimony of Jesus?
I am speaking on an individual basis, even though I know it is a corporate matter, because the matter of the remnant is individual.
Why is it that most Christians do not allow that light to shine in their life? You know what? It still comes down to the lie.
What is a carnal Christian? It is a Christian who thinks they can live independent of the life of God.
It could be a Christian who is still trying to live the Christian life out of themselves. They are trying to worship. They are trying to pray. They are trying to do their devotions. They are trying to witness.
But where is that sense of the throne of God over their lives? Where is that life manifested?
It is because Christians still believe the lie.
The Lord has to bring us to the place where we learn by experience, “I can do nothing of myself”—not good things, not bad things. I can do nothing of myself.
To me, there is a tremendous spiritual battle between Romans 6 and Romans 8.
Romans 6 is where the Christian learns they can do nothing of themselves. Then they go through a crisis in Romans 7, where everything is, “I, I, I. I want to do this, but I cannot do that. I do not want to do that, but I do it.”
But it takes us a long time to realize we are not big shots.
We are not independent agents living upon this earth.
It is true, we have a free will. God has given to all men free will.
Your free will can only choose whose slave you want to be. That is your only choice—not, “I am going to be me and do whatever I want.”
That is Satan’s great lie: “You can do whatever you want.” All the time, he is driving you by his lusts and driving you by his will.
I cannot go into this whole thing, but let us turn to Romans 6 for a minute. I just want to show you what I am saying.
We begin in verse 16, where Paul is talking about the importance of presenting yourselves. Your choice is: who will you present your life to as a slave?
Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
But thanks be to God, that, whereas ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered.— Romans 6:16-17
Why do you not read it out loud together?
Well, evidently I am about to lose my voice. But the truth of the matter is, your old man has been crucified. That is the guy who tried to live for himself.
And now you are a new man, and he lives as a slave of God.
If we will bear the testimony of Jesus, this truth has to lay hold of us.
The Holy Spirit, by His life, gives us victory to overcome.
This is a great issue among Christians. If we worry about things, we are still in control.
What can our worrying do? Add one day to our life?
But that is part of the lie: “You are in control.” That is why you worry about your business. You do not believe God gives wealth. You do not take a day off, although you should, because you believe a lie.
The Jews believed the lie too, but God said, “You do not work one day a week.”
Just think of how much of our lives we put in our own hands and control.
Now how can God carry you where He wants you to go, and have you say what He wants you to say?
Paul says:
My little children, of whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you.
— Galatians 4:19
Until that happens, the testimony flickers.
We will just read one more Scripture, and then my voice and I are gone.
In that wonderful passage in Colossians 1, Paul talks about the great mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Beginning in verse 26:
The mystery which hath been hid from all ages and generations: but now hath it been manifested to His saints,
to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ;
whereunto I labor also, striving according to His working, which worketh in me mightily.— Colossians 1:26-29
Do you mind if I just change it? Christ in you: the testimony of Jesus.
Paul was in jail, but he was wrestling a spiritual wrestle that the saints might see Christ in you—the testimony of Jesus.
Oh, in this day, the message of John for the recovery of the testimony must be heard by some who have an ear.
Shiloh has the grace, but it does not have the glory.
There are so many churches that are proud of the presence of God being with them, but they do not have ears to hear the message of repentance from the great lie of self-sufficiency.
Laodicea was self-sufficient. Can you imagine them bearing the testimony of Jesus?
Jesus, who said, “I can do nothing of Myself,” contrasted with those who say, “We can do everything by ourselves.”
How can we live by the Lord’s life as long as we believe the lie?
May your worry and your self-effort go to Calvary, that the testimony of Jesus could be borne through your life.
Tomorrow night, Lord willing, if I have a voice, we want to share on the testimony of Jesus in the corporate matter.
Now I will just ask my brother to pray as we close.
Lord, we can see what You want. It is the most precious thing. Help us to overcome the lie. May Your presence be with us. In the precious name of Jesus.