“And I tell
you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge
before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied
before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man
will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not
be forgiven. And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and
the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what
you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you
ought to say” (Lk 12:8-12).
Words are
powerful. The words of the born again disciple of Jesus Christ should spring
from a heart that is overflowing with thanksgiving for His saving grace and
mercy. Words that praise and glorify God are certain evidence of a born again
heart… “My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the
day” (Psalm 71:8). The Spirit warns through the pen of the Apostle
James that confusion and contradiction reign in the hearts of the unrepentant
and their words confirm the lost condition of their hearts… “With it (the
tongue) we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are
made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My
brothers, these things ought not to be so” (James 3:9-10). Today
we see that Jesus prepared His disciples for their future ministry with a
lesson about how words reveal the condition of the heart and with encouragement
to share with the world around us the testimony that confirms us.
Our testimony before men confirms that we
are not of this world. God’s word transforms the heart and mind of the born
again disciple, making us think and speak differently than the world around us…
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of
your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is
good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). When our hearts are
filled with truth from God’s Word then His truth overflows from our lips… “Out
of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34) and our
words identify us as being set apart from the world… “They are not of the
world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is
truth” (John 17:16-17). The testimony of diligent Biblical truth
seekers confirms that we are not of this world.
Our testimony before the Holy Spirit confirms
that we are born again. When we receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord
we are born again as children of God… “But to all who did receive him,
who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were
born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of
God” (John 1:12-13). Because we are His children, God places the Spirit
of His Son in our hearts… “And because you are sons, God has sent the
Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians
4:6). The truly born again child of God cannot blaspheme (Greek:
blasphēmeō – vilify, defame, rail on, revile, speak evil) against the
Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit if that Spirit is consuming their heart… “Therefore
I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says
‘Jesus is accursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy
Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). The testimony of maturing, Spirit-filled
disciples confirms that we are His born again children.
Our testimony before authorities confirms that
we are subjects of the sovereign Lord. As born again disciples we
imitate our Teacher Jesus who was silent when he was brought before the
authorities of His day… “And the high priest stood up in the midst and
asked Jesus, ’Have you no answer to make?’… But he remained silent and made no
answer” (Mark 14:60-61). In our silence the Holy Spirit gives us words
to speak that glorify Christ, our supreme authority… “He will glorify me,
for he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:14). The
testimony of obedient disciples confirms that Jesus is our Lord.
As we grow up into Christ, at every
opportunity with increasing confidence we learn to share…
The Testimony that Confirms Us.
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