Video Transcript: Vocal Witness are Provided For

Well, here we are, back again. I'm glad you came back. And I'm glad to be with you. We had talked about the Commission to be his vocal witness and then, we talked about how he protects for us as vocal witnesses. And today, we're going to talk a lot and learn about how he provides for us when we obey him and are his vocal witnesses. Let's pray about it and, then, move on.

Oh, Jesus, you're such a part of these times together. I think your heart must be thumping because you're so excited that we're taking your Commission for truth and that we're going to live that way. We open our hearts to you now. Thank you for providing for us. We love you. Amen. 

I was in the army for two years. It was my privilege to serve our country. I love the freedom we have and everything else. When I was there, they had a uniform for me, they had a weapon for me, they provided me with food, with transportation, with a place to stay. It's not like I had to save money and then, go into the army. They took care of me. They provided for me. 

Well, we're in another army. It's the Lord's army. It's an army of witnesses that spreads around the globe. Do you know what? The Lord provides for his army of witnesses. We're going to look at some verses that talk about that. The first, Matthew 10:19. "Do not worry about what to say or how to say it." 

Mark 13:11 says, "Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking but the Holy Spirit."

And one more, Luke 21:15 says, "For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict." 

And what we want to do is make a list of what Jesus promises his witnesses in these verses. Look what he says here. "Do not worry about what to say or how to say it." When I started in the ministry over 50 years ago, I worried about what to say and how to say it. I had gone to university. I had gone to seminary. All week long, I would pray and I would study and I would work. And I'd see what the text said. I'd write out sermons. I'd be ready. But I worried. And every Saturday night for years and years-- I still get up every once in a while, now-- I had the same nightmare. Always that I wasn't ready. I just couldn't trust that Jesus would provide for me. And that's the same here. You and I, as ordinary, everyday people, who have an experience of believing in Jesus Christ and the power of his Holy Spirit in us, when it comes time to say, "Now, I'm going to begin. That person at work, the young person at school, the neighbor, the person in the grocery store, I'm going to begin to give my testimony. But I'm scared. I won't know what to say." It's interesting, because we love Jesus. We have accepted him. That's the story. 

Remember, I talked about that ad in the newspaper, that it said, "We need help to teach other people to read. And if you can read this, you're qualified." Do you know what? If you've been a sinner and you've come to God through Jesus for forgiveness, and you love him and you're living for him, you are qualified. Jesus said, "Don't worry about what to say or how to say it. It's already there."

There's a neat title of a book - In Order to Walk on Water, You Have to Get Out of the Boat. And in order to see whether or not you're going to be able to do this, you've got to do it. Now's the time. This is our sixth session in talking about these things. What have you done with it? Are you beginning to trust? Are you saying, "Do you know what? I'm an ordinary, everyday person. But I've met Jesus, and I can't help but speak about the things I've seen and heard from him." That's confidence that he gives us.

The second thing that he gives us is the content of what we're going to say. "Just say whatever is given you at the time for it is not you speaking but the Holy Spirit." 

Here's an interesting experience that I had in trusting Jesus. In those 50 years and more that I've been a pastor, I've done a lot of counseling. And many times, as I sat in the room with a person or with a couple or with a family, I wouldn't know what to say. I did a lot of listening. And then, I'd get a thought. I should say this. I should ask that. But it seemed like, "Should I really? Is this the time for it? Is it really God speaking through me?" So, I wouldn't say it. But slowly, I began to trust that because I believe in Jesus and his Holy Spirit lives in me, he's going to provide for me. And what I'm thinking at that point comes from him. So, I would say, "Let me ask you this." Or, "I want to say this." It really wasn't from me. And I would find out later, that was just the question that had to be asked, just the thing that had to be said. Do you know why? Because when we become followers of Jesus Christ, by accepting him, we become the home of his Holy Spirit. And his Holy Spirit guides us. Where God guides, he provides. And his Holy Spirit provides for us. I just encourage you to believe that - that God will give you the content. 

There's a great story in the Book of Acts, of course - Acts 8 - where a new believer by the name of Philip is walking along the road and a chariot stops and he gets in for a ride, and the man riding in the chariot is an important official in another country. And guess what? He happens to be reading the Bible. And he says, "I don't understand this." 

"Oh," Philip says, "But I do." And it says there, beginning at that point where the man was reading, he went through the whole Scripture and explained to him about Jesus. Do you know what the message of the Bible is? It's about Jesus. From the beginning until the end, the Bible talks about Jesus.

All through the Old Testament-- when you read about Moses, that's a picture of Jesus. When you read about Joshua, when you read about David, all of those, that's a picture of Jesus. It says there in Acts 8 that beginning there and going through the whole Old Testament, he talked to him about Jesus. That's the way God provides. It's not your words. It's God's word. So, he gives us a confidence. He says, "Don't worry about what to say." Could you do that?  

Could you just quit worrying and say, "Do you know what? I know he protects me, so I'm going to go out. I'm going to talk about that person I've identified and bit by bit, I'm going to begin to talk about Jesus with that person. But what will I say? I'm not going to worry, because at that time, Jesus said, 'The Holy Spirit will speak through you.'"

And here's an amazing thing that I found out. I love the Bible. I love to memorize verses, and I memorize a lot of them. And when I'm testifying to someone, I have found it started right away - years and years ago when I started witnessing vocally about Jesus - I'd be talking and a verse would come in my mind I never remembered memorizing. Or an example would come to my mind that I had never thought of before. Later on in our course, we're going to talk about using illustrations. And all at once an illustration would come and the person would say, "I understand that!" That's because at that time, the Holy Spirit is speaking through you. So, if you don't worry and you believe and you say what the Holy Spirit is giving you at that time, you're well on the way and you're being provided for. 

And then, that other verse we wanted to look at is, "For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict." That's the ability that he gives us. He gives us the confidence, and he gives us the content of what we are to speak, and he gives us the ability. Look what he says. "I will give you words and wisdom." He actually gives us the words. He actually pours the wisdom into us "that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict."

Do you know what? I'm a very slow student. They talk about politicians releasing their grades from university. You wouldn't be impressed by mine. I'm a slow reader. I have to work very hard at what I do. And sometimes, I have a hard time keeping my attention focused. And all through my ministry, I met people who are a lot smarter than I am and people who have read a lot more books, people who have traveled a lot more than I ever traveled. And God has never let me be beaten down. I don't come on strong like Superman. And I don't mean that I win every argument. But every time I go home, I'm just amazed, and I say, "Jesus, where did that come from? I never knew that before.  And when he said this, I thought to say that. And when he brought this forth, I thought of this."

I'm talking to a person now, spending time with them that a lot of other people won't spend time with. He calls himself a Christian leader. And he's teaching a false gospel. And I'm so concerned for his soul. And I'm concerned for the souls of the people who listen to him. He's way smarter than I am. He reads so much. He's got a quick mind. Mine isn't that way. I meet with him. We get coffee. I listen and here comes an idea. There comes a thought. There comes a verse in the Bible. He said to me once, "Do you know the whole Bible?"

I said, "No. I wish I did." But I know what he was saying. Because verses come to me I don't ever remember being there before. God provides for that. He gives us that ability, the confidence. Just trust him. Go out and do it. Would you? Would you trust him for that and not worry? And then, the content to know that you are ready, know enough. How much more do you have to know? Plus, when you're in it, he's giving you more. I've seen that. And then, finally, he gives you that ability. I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist.

And you know, that gentleman I was talking about, he's not home yet. I pray that he will be. I don't think he's come any closer. But I know that it's God's word and it will not go back empty to God. Every time I'm with him, he doesn't mop the floor with me. I don't win everything. I don't come across like a big philosopher. Somehow, I just have the ability to say, "What about this? Have you thought about that?"

Sometimes at night, after that, I lie in bed and I say, "God, you took care of me today. I want to serve you." So, would you do this? Make a list of what Jesus promises his witnesses in these three verses. Take paper and pen and say, "Okay, here's what he says." Would you do that? And then, pray over it - this, this, this.

And then, draw a line and make another list. What else do you need before you speak to a misbeliever about Jesus? Is there something lacking? Do you need something else? And I want to ask you, if you do, do you think Jesus will give it to you? Do you?

We've got several high schools in the city where I live. And one October, one of the high schools beat the other high school pretty good. And in the paper the next day, the coach said, "They didn't beat us on the field last night. They beat us in the weight room, the fitness room last February." And what he meant was that, that team that beat them, back there in January, February, March, April, they were in the fitness room getting strong. They were practicing. They were building up. That's when they were ready to beat them in October.

I love that idea about the equipment room. What has God given us here? He's given us the confidence. He's given us the content. And he gives us the ability. That's our equipment room. We'll talk more about that equipment room later on. But that's our equipment room right now. And as you make those lists, you look at that, and you say, "Okay. It's February. I'm going to be on the field in October. This is how I'm going to win the game, by spending time in the fitness room. God gives me the content and he's given me the ability." 

And then, there's a great thing I want to talk to you about. In the Book of Acts, there's a story about a man by the name of Stephen. He was a beautiful guy. He loved Jesus. He testified about Jesus. They told him to shut up. He said, "I can't do that. I can’t be quiet about what I've seen and heard." And do you know what? When he was talking about Jesus, it said his face started to light up. That's a man who knows Jesus. And he spoke so powerfully here. Look what it says. "They could not resist Stephen's wisdom nor the Spirit by whom he spoke." Do you know what they did? They actually put their fingers in their ears. That was the only way they could resist him. Imagine that kind of power.  

Do you know why? The same reason his face was shining, because Jesus was on the inside. And that's why we began talking - that it has to be authentic. You have to know him, not know about him. Because when he's inside of you, he shines out of you. 

And so, Stephen was speaking with such power and such wisdom that, finally, they blocked their ears and they took him and killed him. That was the only way that they could silence him. Here's this ordinary, everyday guy with no seminary, no philosophy major, no great experience as a world missionary. But he knew Jesus. And what does it say? "They could not resist Stephen's wisdom nor the Spirit by whom he spoke." 

Compare that last promise Jesus made. Do you remember this? I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. Notice, it's in Luke's Gospel, because Luke is the one who wrote the book of Acts. And he says, "Do you know what? Jesus promises truth." They could not resist his wisdom nor the Spirit by whom he spoke. 

I want to ask you a question. What would keep you from trusting that promise? What really is? Here's proof Jesus makes the promise to provide. He provides. Luke wanted us to know that. First, he said, "This is what Jesus said." Then, he said, "It's true."

I'm asking you right now-- we're going to go on with some more material. What keeps you from trusting that promise? Why do you look at Jesus, the one who saved you and who put his Holy Spirit in you, why do you say, "Can't do it. I'm scared."? We're going to talk about fear too. But he provides for you. He gives you the confidence. He gives you the content of what to say. And then, he gives you the skill to say it. Is it true? Someday when you see Stephen in Heaven, you say, "Hey, Stephen. Are Jesus' promises true?"

Stephen will say, "Oh, yeah. I was his vocal witness."