"A Faithful Witness"
Revelation 1:4b-8
Sunday, November 26, 2006

Introduction: There is a new show on Fox television called “Justice.” Justice is a legal drama that revolves around the world of high-profile celebrity attorneys in a Los Angeles law firm, who will go to any lengths to free their rich and powerful clients. In every trial, they have the same expert witness who gives testimony that supports their position. Because this witness is deemed an “expert” witness, the jury usually gives more weight to what he has to say. His testimony is able to help them to win/ swaying the jury over to believe the truth they are setting forth.

This morning is Christ the King Sunday. It is a day to remember who Christ is, and what He has done for us. It is a day to remember how we are called by Christ to be witnesses for Him. So let us take some time to talk about what it means to be a witness, and how we can faithful witnesses for Christ, by seeing how Christ is a faithful witness.

I. Christ as a faithful witness- (Revelation 1:5; Isaiah 9:6)

a. Christ’s qualifications- One of the first important things about a

witness is their qualification. That is why an expert witness will bring more credibility and weight to their testimony than your average witness. So, if we can understand who Jesus is, and what He brings to the witness stand, then it will help to give us confirmation that He is a trustworthy and reliable witness.

In Revelation, chapter 1, verse 5, the disciple John, who is the author of this book, gives us some insight into who Jesus is. He is the firstborn of the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Now this isn’t Jesus’ only titles; to see more of His titles you can search the Bible. He has many other titles such as: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, which are seen in Isaiah 9:6. Also in the New Testament we know Him as the Son of Man, and the Messiah. But here in Revelation 1:5 John simply uses “firstborn of the dead, and ruler of the kings.”

1. Firstborn of the dead. The Greek word used here is prototokos./

As first born, Jesus is the first to be raised from the dead and be resurrected to heaven. Of course it refers to Jesus’ resurrection. Through resurrection Jesus gained victory over death, which all who believe in Him may share. But also, being the first born entitles one to the inheritance of the Father’s honor and power. This also is shared with us who believe, by Jesus. So as the firstborn, all glory and honor and power are given to Christ and belong to Christ.

2. Ruler of the kings. But Christ is said to also be the “ruler of the

kings.” It was always understood by the Jewish scholars that this title was a description of the coming Messiah. And so this title on Jesus is referring to Him as the Messiah. The Messiah, being “the One who saves His people from their sins.” This John also points out at the end of Revelation, chapter 1, verse 5.

So Jesus is the one who is over all and able to save all. This is quite the qualification to have as a witness. And this is what Jesus brings to the witness stand.

b. How He witnesses- We know now that Jesus is a reliable and

trustworthy witness. Let us next look at how Jesus witnesses. And what Jesus witnesses to is the TRUTH OF GOD. Jesus came to this earth to help us see the truth. That is why Jesus said in John 14:6- “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Now I know that in our world today, people have trouble with this way of thinking; that there is only one way to heaven, and that it is through Jesus. But I think that it is because people don’t want to give their lives over to Jesus. So they try to argue away this truth. But Jesus doesn’t let us argue it away. Jesus stands firm in His witness, all the way to the cross where He dies to secure this truth.

Jesus was a very clear witness. His message was not complex. It was a message that eternal life and abundant life are found through Him. In John 10:9 he said: “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved…”/ Jesus used this language as He was teaching about Himself being the Good Shepherd. This is a profound statement, because of how a shepherd protected his sheep. In the winter time, the shepherd would have to take his sheep some distance to find grass for his sheep. Often times they had to spend the night before they could return home. So he would put his sheep in a cave, and the shepherd would sleep in front of the cave, literally being the gate. No one could enter unless the shepherd allowed them to.

Jesus was a faithful witness not just with His words, but with His life and actions!

II. Our call to be a faithful witness- (Revelation 1:6)

Have a demonstration; three witnesses to describe what they see in the Far Side comic strip (see comic strip at top of sermon). Give them a pencil and paper and have them answer 4 questions.
Question 1- What is the comic strip about? (Man lost on a small island); Question 2- How many people were there? (2); Question 3- What kind of shoes was the man wearing? (high heels); Question 4- Which hand was the wand in? (left)

Thank volunteers.

What made them good witnesses? They were able to remember clearly what they saw. They were able to confidently and clearly answer the questions.

Jesus gives us this call, as He says to the disciples, and us, in Acts 1:8- “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…”

To be a witness for Jesus we need to understand that we have this call, and we can have the confidence to know that the Holy Spirit is upon us and within us helping us to remember and say what we need to say.

III. To what are we a witness?- (Revelation 1:7-8)

But lastly, if we understand that Jesus was a witness, and that we are given the call to be witnesses, then to what are we a witness?

a. Witness to Christ as Savior and Lord- First we are witness to the

truth that Jesus is “Savior” and “Lord.” And yet, you might wonder how can we be witnesses to this, if we haven’t seen it with our eyes? That is a good question. Usually, a witness is someone who has seen something. You then can testify to what you have seen. So if we didn’t live when Jesus lived, and didn’t see Jesus alive, then how can we witness to anything about Jesus?

The truth is, that we can be a witness to what we have read and what we have experienced. Let me first start with what we have read. We have the Bible./ It has been shown in many ways that the Bible is true and authentic. There are far more copies of the original writings of the Bible than many other well known writings to which the authenticity is not doubted. And the Bible fits together amazingly well, not contradicting itself in any way, even though it has over 40 different authors, from 3 different continents, over 1500 years, and written in 3 different languages.

We have read the Bible, and if we know the Bible well, then we know the claims that Jesus has made, and that have been made about Him. It is clear that Jesus indirectly claimed that He was God in the flesh (He said things like: “My Father and I are one,” and “if you have seen Me, then you have seen My Father.”) Also, Jesus never denied that He was the Christ when others stated that truth. And even more, there is much proof that Jesus was not only killed on the cross, but that He was not in the tomb after 3 days, even though the Roman soldiers were pro-tecting the tomb. So we see that there is much important information of which we are to be witnesses.

b. Witness to the change in our lives- And yet, the most profound way

that we can be witnesses, is to be a witness in regards to how Jesus has changed our lives. It is difficult for people to argue against what we ourselves have experienced.

EXAMPLE- When I was in elementary school, my parents took the family to church. In fact, I remember starting catechism classes. But for some reason, I’m not exactly sure why, we stopped going to church. I didn’t go to church again until I was in high school. And before I went to church, I had fallen into some unhealthy practices. Because of who I was hanging around, my language got bad and I started to party. Then I went out one day with an old friend, and he invited me to church. Through that invitation, and my going to church every week, and his praying for me, I eventually gave my life over to Christ. Without Christ, I am convinced that I would have fallen into trouble, and would not be where I am today. I know that because of Christ, my life is so much better. I am a better husband, father, and overall person. I know that because of Christ, I actually make a difference with my life!!

Now some of you may not have had any dramatic changes, but you still are a witness. I have talked to many of you, and I know your stories. Without Christ I know that you would be living a different kind of life. Many of you, because of Christ are more loving, or more giving, or more kind hearted. Many of you have helped others in ways you never would have, because Christ is in your heart. Many of you are truly making a positive difference with your life because of Christ. These are the stories that we are to share; these are the stories that we are to be witnesses to.

Conclusion: Why did only one cleansed leper return to thank Jesus? The following are nine suggested reasons why the nine did not return: One waited to see if the cure was real./ One waited to see if it would last./ One said he would see Jesus later. One decided that he had never had leprosy. One said he would have gotten well anyway.One gave the glory to the priests. One said, "O, well, Jesus didn't really do anything."/ One said, "Any rabbi could have done it."/ One said, "I was already much improved."

(Charles L. Brown, Content The Newsletter, June, 1990, p. 3.) The leper who acknowledged Jesus’ healing, and went on to live for Jesus, he was a faithful witness. I pray that you and I would recognize those opportunities to be a faithful witness, and share Jesus with others, especially this Christmas season where people try to take Jesus out of Christmas. Seek to be a faithful witness. Now and forever. Amen.