Testimony and Word of God

CategoryBible Study ΩPosted onAuthorJohn Stein

God is highlighting “Testimony” to me. In Revelation, there is a phrase that appears seven times on it. Trying to understand what He is saying.

To me, the cost of being a follower of Chris is your life. They keys are to hold onto what Jesus has done, what He says to do and who He is.

Revelation and Luke 14 stand out.

Revelation

Revelation 1:2

2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

Keyword: encounter

Revelation 1:9

The Patmos Vision

9 I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and [a]perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

Keyword: Exile

Revelation 6:9

The Fifth Seal—Martyrs

9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained;

Keyword: Martyrdom

Revelation 12:11

11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even [a]when faced with death.

Keyword: Overcoming Victory

Revelation 12:17

17 So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her [a]children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

Keyword: No One is Immune

Revelation 19:10

10 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.”

Keyword: Glory

Revelation 20:4

4 Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of [a]their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Keyword: Your Life

Revelation 22:12

12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man [a]according to what he has done.

Testimony

  • who is Jesus
  • what God has done

Testimony of Jesus

  1. Who He is
  2. What He has done
    1. Creates a prophetic atmosphere for more of that to happen again

Word of God

  • what God commands
  • Jesus, Himself

Word of God

  1. Love Him who obey His commandments
  2. Jesus is the Word of God
  3. What has He told you?

Actions

  • encounter
  • exile
  • martyrdom
  • overcome
  • war with everyone
  • glory
  • beheading

Price

  • Your life – everything
    • literally
    • solitude

Reward

Jesus is coming. He is the reward, but He also brings rewards with Him

Luke 14

Discipleship Tested

25 Now [m]large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not [n]hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand?32 Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends [o]a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.

34 “Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? 35 It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, [p]let him hear.”

Three costs:

  1. Your relationships
  2. Your circumstances
  3. Your possession

As He says, “yes, even your own life”.

This can be a hard thing when contrasted to John 10:10 and other scripture on the abundant life. But, I think that this is the predecessor to abundance and without this, you cannot bear the weight of abundance. Character is shaped in the submission and surrendering to God.