You are my Witnesses

Scriptures: Isaiah 43:10 -13“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen,so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.
 I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior.I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—    I, and not some foreign god among you. 

You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God.  Yes, and from ancient days I am he.
No one can deliver out of my hand.  When I act, who can reverse it?” 

The Book of Isaiah has 66 chapters, the theme is divided into two sections, God’s judgment because of Idolatry and God’s plan of Salvation. 

What is a witness? It is someone who see, hear, or know by personal presence and perception. There are two kinds of witnesses, one who  is a false witness who breathes out lies,(Proverbs 6:19) and a true witness who speaks truth and save lives (Proverbs 14:25)

 And effective witnessing has two requirements first, is that a person has something to say that flows automatically from what he personally witness. The second requirement is the power to say it, meaning that there is more significant and substantial evidence of saying it because it was a personal experience. 

You are my Witnesses, God is telling to Israelites that they were his witnesses, because, first, he had given in them prophecies spoken by His prophets and fulfilled : secondly, by his power of delivering them, He had shown that he was the God able to save and because of His great love, He delivered them from Babylonians captivity.   Neither of these had been done by the idol-gods. 

The idol -worshippers have nothing to say as witnesses because their gods can do nothing. Psalm 115: 4-7 “But their idols are silver and gold,made by human hands They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell.They have hands, but cannot feel,  feet, but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats. 

But the people of God are witnesses of His greatness and power. They have seen it and experienced it. That He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the End (Revelation 1:8)  “Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me”. The Lord Almighty who revealed, saved and proclaimed that He alone is the Savior. 

 The Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. (Isaiah 43:1) 

And you might say to me,  ok that was God speaking to Isaiah and Isaiah told the Israel, but I am not  an  Israelites so why telling us these things. Let’s go back again in the Scriptures it says “my servant whom I have chosen,so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.

Abraham was chosen by God, “believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” So you see that it is men of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham,(Galatians 3:6-8)  saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3) 

Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made, The Seed who is Jesus Christ, The Promised Son who reconciled us back to God, the One Mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5-6) His Name Jesus for He will save his people from sin. ( Matthew 1:21) And It is written “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) . Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. (John 14:6) and trough faith in Him, we all become children of God (John 1:12) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:28-29) God’s chosen people,holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. ( 1 Peter 2:9)-  His Witnesses!

Remember Jesus Himself in Acts 1:8 spoke,” You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Who are the Witnesses? 

Anyone who have come to the saving truth and saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who believes in Him as the Lord and Savior, indwellt, be filled and empowered by the promised Holy Spirit are His witnesses. – that person must have a personal encounter, first-hand experience of Christ, who have received the joy of his salvation. Because people will listen only to what we have personally seen and heard. Hearsay is not acceptable in a court of law, nor in the court of this world’s opinion. 

What makes a  True Witnesses?

1. To be His witnesses of His glory and power, it is not just enough to know Him and all of His loving attributes and goodness  but also to experienced Him and understand His ways and wills. 

To say God is love and yet we don’t how to love and to be loved we are just deceiving ourselves. “ The one who does not love does not know God ( 1John 4:8) the kind of love that is unconditional, does not keep record of wrongdoings, love that forgives, kind and patience, not envious nor proud, does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Love your enemy, bless those who curse you, pray for them that persecutes you. (Matthew 5:43-44) 

1. To be His witnesses is not just to be a passive observer but and active participants. It is not enough just to see it, hear with our eyes but we ourselves should go through it as we obey His words. Remember the Scripture says “My witnesses and My servants” 

This means that there are certain things and circumstances  that we have to go through in this life, trials and testing of faith, challenges and difficulties for us to overcome, suffering to teach us perseverance and endurance that God himself will allow it, not to punished us with our shortcomings and weaknesses but to disciplines us in accordance to His righteousness and mercy.To teach us His ways and revealed His awesome power of deliverance, His unlimited provisions.

 “ The Lord corrects the people he loves and disciplines those he calls his own.”(Hebrews 12:6) knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-4) 

To be His True witnesses, God will lead us through all of those things. Because how can we say that God is our refuge and strength, a tested help in times of trouble.(Psalm 46:1) if we don’t encounter difficulties and problems. He will allow it but He assures us His love, His  presence and His  protection is upon us all. That there is no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord. See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;  your walls are ever before me.(Isaiah 49:16) I have loved you with an everlasting love;   I have drawn you with unfailing kindness (Jeremiah 31:3)  therefore His encouraging words to us “ FEAR NOT”!!!

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;  I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers,  they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire,  you will not be burned;  the flames will not set you ablaze.  For I am the Lord your God,  the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;  Isaiah 43:1-3 

God parted the Red sea, the Isrelites pass through it, none of them lost their lives. The mention of the LORD’s presence and protection in the fire reminds us of the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, they were cast into the Babylonian furnace because they would not bow or bend to worship an idol. They also were preserved in the fire by the presence of God (Daniel 3:19-25), not a single strand of their hair were burn and they don’t even have the smell of smoke in their clothes. 

Daniel when thrown into the lion’s den because of his commitment and obedience to God, God closed the lion’s mouth, not a single scratch on Daniel’s skin. God did not prevent it from happening yet He is with them in the midst of trouble and saved them. 

You have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6-7)  

-Testimony about the Pastoral flat- “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.”

I have witnessed God’s provisions in many ways,  even the blessings God bestowed upon His children who faithfully gives to this ministry. 

• To be His Witnesses means that God empowers and equipped us with spiritual gifts and talents to marks our living testimonies that will bring glory and honor to His Name. 

Remember Jesus Himself in Acts 1:8 spoke,” You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”  

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.             (2 Timothy 1:7) 

– A witness will have confidence in the power of God, as they abide in Him spending time in His presence . He knows that God can break through any defenses, and change any heart. This confidence will not be audacious or arrogant, but humble and sensitive, marked by much prayer. He knows that without God he can do nothing, but that with God all things are possible.( Matthew 19:26) 

Acts 4:13-14 “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.  And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.

An effective witness for Christ is not ashamed of the Gospel, nor of Christ.. We must be a people who are courageous about the gospel. We must share the gospel and be bold. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believe” (Romans 1:16) To preach the Word in season and out of season, correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction. (2 Timothy 2:4) 

– it is not comes naturally, but empowered supernaturally. Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.( Zechariah 4:6) 

• To be His witnesses is to be an Ambassadors for Christ Jesus. 

“For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)  Always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body ( 2 Corinthians 4:10) 

 –to have compassion for the lost souls, Some people cannot be saved by wisdom and instruction; they can only be saved by compassion and tender care. Jude 1:22 “And of some have compassion, making a difference:

“ For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;  I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ (Matthew 25: 35-40) 

God called and makes us to be His Witnesses so that we will testify of His love, goodness and awesome power. 

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)