Testifying

Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of Scripture from The book of John.

John 7 ⁶ Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready. ⁷ The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.

Whenever you take a stand for what is morally correct, you are going to run into some type of persecution. Whenever you define the difference between right and wrong, numerous people are not going to like you.  Whenever you testify against evil, it’s going to bring about hatred from those who are living in wickedness.  Jesus is that Holy Spirit of Truth and anyone who is filled up with that same Spirit is going to be persecuted in the same manner. The last thing that the impenitent want to hear, is that they are living in sin. So instead of coming into the light, they run away from it, lest their deeds should be reproved.

John 3 ²⁰ For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. ²¹ But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

I find it amazing how an active sinner will love another sinner, but when somebody speaks out against their immoral lifestyles, they hate them. 

“A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him: neither will he go unto the wise.” Proverbs 15:12

“……he that hateth reproof is brutish.”  Proverbs 12:1

It’s incredible that Jesus died on the cross for sinners, but even though He paid the debt for their sins, many of them refuse to repent of their wickedness. Instead of accepting the truth and turning away from their sins, they persecute God’s messengers instead.

John 15 ¹⁸ If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹ If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. ²⁰ Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. ²¹ But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.

The world that we currently live in is like a giant ocean that is filled up with the darkness of sin and lies, and it will get progressively worse right up till the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The false form of Christianity in the world today is like a monster, rising out of the depths of the sea. Each day it continues to grow in an attempt to swallow up the entire Earth. It’s not the true faith that was given to the original Apostles of Christ, but a fornicating and wicked bride who has abandoned the truth for a lie. They are so far away from the teachings of scripture that they have gone whoring after false religions and joined up with the wicked instead.

2 Peter 2 ¹ But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. ² And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

Persecution is a mark of a Christian. 

“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” Matthew 10:22

The Lord Jesus warned certain religious leaders about the sins that they were involved with, but rather than looking into their hearts and accepting the truth, they hated Him instead. 

Matthew 23 ²⁵ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. ²⁶ Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. ²⁷ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. ²⁸ Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. ²⁹ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, ³⁰ And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. ³¹ Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. ³² Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. ³³ Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

When Steven spoke out against the evil works of the Jews, they were so hard-hearted that rather than receive the correction that could save their souls, they rejected the truth, took him out of the city, and killed him.

Acts 7  ⁵¹ Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. ⁵² Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: ⁵³ Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. ⁵⁴ When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. ⁵⁵ But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, ⁵⁶ And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. ⁵⁷ Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, ⁵⁸ And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.

Those who take a stand for the teachings of Christ are like a soldier on a battlefield. On the one side is the truth of scripture, and on the other side are the lies of the world. Obviously wartime is not a peaceful situation, and neither did Jesus come to bring peace to this world. When you testify against sin you will be hated by those who reject the truth, but we must endure for the truth’s sake.

“Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:”  Luke 12:51

“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” 2 Timothy 2:3

Jesus preached against sin and was hated by this world, so don’t be shocked when it happens to you. After all, darkness hates the light and runs away from it, just as darkness runs away from the Sun each morning when it climbs high into the sky. We too must shine as bright lights and expose the evil works of this world. We must follow the example of Christ Jesus by standing up,……speaking out,……and

…..Testifying

Let’s think about these things for right now.  We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious goups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.❤️

tlkjbc.com