SNT 0206 Witnesses
Acts 2 – Witnesses
January 1, 1967
Tells that we are witnesses for God, whether good or bad, every second and how we can be best.
SNT – 206
Format: audio
Publication Date: 01-01-1967
Victor Paul Wierwille was a Bible scholar and teacher for over four decades.
By means of Dr. Wierwille's dynamic teaching of the accuracy and integrity of God's Word, foundational class and advanced class graduates of Power for Abundant Living have learned that the one great requirement for every student of the Bible is to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Thus, his presentation of the Word of God was designed for students who desire the in-depth-accuracy of God’s Word.
In his many years of research, Dr. Wierwille studied with such men as Karl Barth, E. Stanley Jones, Glenn Clark, Bishop K.C. Pillai, and George M. Lamsa. His formal training included Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Theology degrees from Mission House (Lakeland) College and Seminary. He studied at the University of Chicago and at Princeton Theological Seminary from which he received a Master of Theology degree in Practical Theology. Later he completed his work for the Doctor of Theology degree.
Dr. Wierwille taught the first class on Power for Abundant Living in 1953.
Books by Dr. Wierwille include: Are the Dead Alive Now? published in 1971; Receiving the Holy Spirit Today published in 1972; five volumes of Studies in Abundant Living— The Bible Tells Me So (1971), The New, Dynamic Church (1971), The Word's Way (1971), God's Magnified Word (1977), Order My Steps in Thy Word (1985); Jesus Christ Is Not God (1975); Jesus Christ Our Passover (1980); and Jesus Christ Our Promised Seed (1982).
Dr. Wierwille researched God's Word, taught, wrote, and traveled worldwide, holding forth the accuracy of God's "wonderful, matchless" Word.
Act 1:8; 2:32; 3:15; 5:32
Act 13:31; Luk 24:47, 48; Rev 1:5; 1Jo 1:2; Rom 3:22, 12:3; Gal 2:16, 20; Isa 53:6
Isa 53:6; Gal 2:20; 3:22-26; Eph 2:8-10; 1:2-4
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DRAFT
snt-0206 Witnesses Acts 2(vpw)
Take your Bibles tonight and turn to the book of Acts. Thank you, Dorothy and thank you, Rhoda. It certainly is a wonderful thrill to be the part of a wonderful positive Sunday evening like this again here at the headquarters tonight to be with men and women, who are sincerely concerned about the accuracy of God's word to be with young people, children, adults, who are willing to walk and who are walking and who are concerned about the positive accuracy of God's wonderful naturalist work. I know that your heart must be just as happy as mine, night after night on Sunday nights as you're here, and are a part of this wonderful fellowship. I sat back there during the youth advance. Listen to Reverend Greenwood teach, I listened to Dave Anderson, teach, and others who spoke and made remarks. And my heart just thrilled every time the word of God was unfolded, and it became a little more alive and vital. Certainly, if this will do this to me, after all these years, it'll do the same to for all of us in the auditorium, day after day, week, after week, and month after month. You know, we as Christians, or if they were non Christians wouldn't make any difference. But everybody is always witnessing does something like people say, talk about faith in Iran, yes, like many times, but they say, Well, I do not have faith in the Bible. Where by that they mean they do not believe the Bible? Well, every person believes in something, whether they believe the Bible, or they don't believe it, they believe in the banker. They believe in the groceries they buy. They believe in the Davenports they sit on, or they believe in the TV they look at, we're always believing something right. And we're always witnessing to something by hour day by day living. We can be witnessing negatively. But when we're witnessing negatively, we're still witnessing, that's what I want you to see. And if we're, if we're speaking positively, where's witnessing positively, all of us as young people, children and adults, we're always manifesting something, we're evidencing something. And this is why on this closing Sunday night of the tremendous youth outreach in their advance, I want to speak and get into the Word of God with you regarding the word to witness. If we're going to be witnessing for something, we have to double check ourselves to see that we're witnessing accurately and rightly, not just for something in a secondary way, but that we will use our strength, our conviction, our determination, giving our utmost for his highest light, settle for anything less. And to be a witness is as natural as breathing because everybody witnesses, it's just as natural as a tale of following a dog. That boom and dog is up there, the tail comes along because it's always at the back end. And it's just a natural thing for the tail to be there. Likewise with the witnessing, both for young people and adults, we're going to be witnessing for something. It's just the natural way of life. In Acts chapter one, I want you to note a particular verse of scripture that will certainly bless your heart where it says in verse eight,
but he shall he was speaking to the apostles at the time of the ascension, or just before He ascended at the time of when he was gathered with them at Bethany. And at that particular time, he said to them, Ye shall, and ye shall puts it into the absolute tense. If it said, ye well, it would maybe mean perhaps. But when it says, Ye shall, being in the poorer, it puts it into the absolute, he said, Ye shall absolutely receive or long bond old manifest power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye want, shall. It doesn't say you will be, it says, And ye shall be witnesses, you shall absolutely be witnesses. You see, it's just as natural to be a witness has a tale of follow a doubt. Because when you're born again of God's Spirit, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, God, through Jesus Christ said to the apostles, you will learn battle this power. It is like Mr. Anderson said tonight, the dedication on the heart to the young people is to carry the word out. What good is it for us to receive it? If we do not hold it first? We first have to receive it, we receive the Word of God with meekness. And because it's a faithful word, we hold it fast. And because it's the word of life, the word of God says, We hold it let born. Hold it first. And that's why it said Ye shall on Bano, the power manifest the power after the Holy Spirit is come upon you. And you shall be what? Witnesses witnesses, you shall be future tense. Absolutely right. Witnesses has come. It doesn't say at this particular verse, You are witnesses. Because the new birth, the day of Pentecost had not yet come. They were not born again of God's Spirit. They had not received the fullness of the Holy Spirit, because it was not available. Right? It became available on the day of Pentecost. And this is the day of the ascension. Jesus was speaking to them. But look at the remarkable truth he set before them. He said you shall in the future tense, absolutely future time absolutely be witnesses on three enacts. Chapter Two, you have the record of the new birth, the coming of the Holy Spirit, and inverse 32. Remember, now that this occurred after the day of Pentecost, in verse 32, it says this, Jesus has God raised up where we are, what are our witnesses? Before the day of Pentecost, on the day of the ascension, he said, Ye shall be future tense lot, witnesses, and in Acts chapter two, giving the historic record of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Immediately afterwards, when these men were manifesting the greatness of the power God. He said, You are what? When you are witnesses, we are witnesses. You see, we don't pray to God and say, oh, Lord, make me a witness. You are a witness. We don't go to the Father, and say, well, prepare me to be a witness for you. You are a witness for Him. It's no longer a question of being a witness, you are a witness. So the question is only what are you witnessing to, you're going to either be witnessing to the greatness of the power of God, or we're going to be witnessing to less than that great power. We are automatically witnesses when we're born again, of God's Spirit. The word witness is also translated in the Bible testimony.
testimony, I guess, like you have, in a court allow, people called in to give testimony, and those people that are called in to give testimony are called witnesses. The word from which this word witness comes from all through the New Testament is the same word. That's translated testimony in it is the word Mark tutorials, transliterated martyr, martyr, that's the meaning of the word witness, M A R. T, why are a martyr. Martyr is the word translated into English witness. That's the word that used all the way through every place where I'm going to share it with you tonight and all through the New Testament. A witness then is one who is a martyr. Because every time you witness, you give out something added to that and you're giving your life you're being martyred. That's apparently why God allowed the Holy Spirit to use this word, Mark, curios, Mark For the word witness, or testimony and the word of God, well, now people are martyring themselves for a relatively insignificant causes, are they not? Good, not you and I be witnesses and martyrs for the most significant thing God has ever read. The new birth the power of the Holy Spirit. Sure we can and we are. This is why if you're not answering Chapter Three of the book of Acts, verse 15, is talking to the Pharisees and he's talking about the kill the prince of life whom God has raised from the dead. Where are we are witnesses doesn't say you Xiaomi it says we are, right. Those of us born again a god spirit to the power of the Holy Spirit, having seen the manifestations and operation we are witnesses, we are witnesses. In Acts, chapter five, these same truth I just give you a few of the scriptures, they same truths are uniformly true, all through the word of God. Acts Five, Verse 32. And we are witnesses. We are witnesses of these things. And so is also the Holy Ghost whom God has given to them that obey. We are witnesses, we are not we shall be it was shall before the day of Pentecost, but since the day of Pentecost, it is our present tense. We are witnesses in Acts chapter 12.
Acts chapter 12. Verse thought it wasn't very 31 but I don't see 31 verses in this Jack's 12 You. Oh, that's awful. Chapter 13 Is it? Thank you, Mel. Wonderful. That's wonderful. That's it. And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who who are His witnesses, unto the people we are, that's what I want you to say. Where it's not a shower me that's before the day of Pentecost. But once it became available, from that day on, we are His witnesses, and like they were the witnesses to the people at that time. You and I are the witnesses to the people who are living in this day and hour in which you and I are living. In the Gospel of Luke. There is a remarkable, wonderful scripture along this line I'd like for you just to see tonight, Luke chapter 24.
Verse 47, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, and ye are witnesses of these things. We are witnesses, witnesses of the resurrection of Christ, were witnesses of repentance, were witnesses of remission of sins. And this is to be preached among all the nations and we are God's witnesses. Without us giving our lives without dedicating ourselves to the highest purpose, we're going to be witnesses to something a lot less. And the days go by tomorrow, we'll have 24 hours in it. And when the day is over with tomorrow, you and I will never be able to go back and recapture that time. And we're going to be witnessing to something all day long. Tomorrow, tomorrow, and the next day and the next day. Therefore, it has to be a choice on our part as to what are we going to witness to? If we witness to anything less than the highest? We can never go back in tact recapture that minute or that hour and turn it around and witness to something better. This is why you make the decision tonight. What you're going to witness to right. We are witnesses of his remission of his forgiveness of repentance. We are a witness to the people in the book of Revelation Chapter One In Verse five, it says, And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, this is what we are witnesses. For our two, we are witnesses to the faithful witness who is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the faithful witness. And because we have him and he lives within us, therefore we are witnesses to the faith of Jesus Christ. In the Epistle of John, First John chapter one, verse two, for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, bear witness, bear witness unto the life which live the life of Jesus Christ, that they'd see, and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us, this is what we bear witness to their witness showing this eternal life. While eternal life is Spirit, they can't see Spirit but they can see the manifestation, right. So we show for the eternal life, which was manifested to us in the Book of Romans. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John X Romans, in chapter three, remembering now that we're always witnesses, we're always witness you and I want to be the kind of witnesses who will be witnessing our utmost for his highest. And we want to be sure that we're on the bow accurately doing that, witnessing for the faithful one Christ Jesus according to his Word. So I'd like to just show you some of the things that are ours and that we are to witness to, according to Lord, verse 22, of Chapter Three of Romans, even the righteousness of God, which is by faith, our Jesus Christ, I'm to hell. And upon all without any distinction, that do one thing, what, believe four, there is no difference between Jew or Gentile is what he's talking about. There is no difference between the Jew or Gentile, for when they believe when they believe they receive the righteousness of God by the faith of Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, that faith that Jesus Christ makes available, the righteousness of God. So we witness, we witness to the faith of Jesus Christ we have and our righteousness of God, which is in us, in chapter 12, of Romans. Chapter 12, verse three, but I say through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think, more highly than he ought to think. but to think soberly. according as God has dealt to every man without any distinction. Every man born again, I've gotten spirit God hath dealt, who did the dealing? God did. You didn't do the daily, I didn't do the dealing. God has dealt. God dealt to every man. The measure of faith. And the measure of faith is the faith of Jesus Christ. That's the major that's the amount which God has dealt to every man without any distinction when they believe. You, young man, you young women, when you were born again, a God Spirit, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, God dealt to you God dealt with not only the righteousness of God, the faith of Jesus Christ, but God dealt to every man, that nature that abundance that wonderfulness of the faith. This is why people that the church, the church is never told to have faith. The unbeliever has to get the faith of Jesus Christ. But when you are born again at God's Spirit, you belong to the church, right? And the church is never told to have faith in the Word of God. They're only told this in church meetings, not the word. Because when you're born again of God's Spirit, God has depth God has dealt to every man the measure of God, then you have the faith of Jesus Christ. Could you get any more? No. And God starts everybody out equally. If God had given you more faith than he gave to you, or if he'd given Dr. Wierwille, more faith than he gave to you, then God would be a respecter of persons. And the Word of God says, God is no respecter of persons. And therefore he never said to the church have faith. He says to the unbelievers, in the Word of God, you've got to get born again. You've got to get faith, which is a faith that Jesus Christ, but he says to the church, you've got it. You've got it. Now be a witness, you are a witness for me, witness to the greatness of the power of the faith of Jesus Christ, which you received, when God doubted to you what are wonderful record in God's word to tell us what we as witnesses either witness about in what we're sharing, when we witness the tremendous truth, we're very suppose that close three he has tried, God has doubt to every man, the measure of faith. Now you understand what the major is, the measure is that amount, and the amount is the faith of Jesus Christ. You can increase it, you can subtract from it, it is a gift to you by God in Galatians, chapter two in verse 16, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but he is justified by the faith of Jesus Christ, then not only do we have the righteousness of God we read about, but we also with witness to the justification, which we received by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of law, the law, for by the works of the lab shall no flesh be worth justified. So we are justified by the faith of Jesus Christ. And if he had justified us, then in God's sight, we stand how justified we stand right just before him. You see, this is what we witness to. This is what we say, this is what we monitor our life for this is what we put some enthusiasm behind our walk and our speech and our whole life. This is how we martyr ourselves. This is how we witness this is how we give our testimony of what we have in Christ Jesus as young people, children and as adults. In the same chapter two of Galatians, in verse 20, is the wonderful record. And the second word is the word was not I am I was, it's the text. I was crucified with Christ. In other words, when Christ was crucified with him, I was what? crucified with Him. Remember the record in Isaiah? Don't look it up. But I think it's Isaiah 53. someplace in that opening part where it says, All we like sheep, remember, have gone astray. Always we like sheep have gone astray. If a sheep's a stray, what's the matter with it? It's last I sheep that to stray as lost, and we like sheep have gone astray. But the Lord has laid on him on Jesus the iniquity of us all. Well, now if this particular book if this book represented Jesus And if this piece of paper represented all of my iniquities my sin. And when Jesus died, God had Jesus to take all my sins. Where are my sins on VP? Where where are they on Jesus? They're on Jesus. And we like sheep have gone astray but the LORD laid on him on Jesus, the iniquity that sin of us. And he borrowed them for us. Just like on the Day of Atonement, in the Old Testament, the goat birthed the sins of the children of Israel into the wilderness.
So Jesus Christ when he died, we died with him. He took our sin. He who knew no sin, the Scripture says, became sin, so that you and I could become the righteousness of God in him. I was crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, right now I still up I live, yet really not all right. But I live because Christ lives where in me and the life, the life which I now live in the census world since I've been born again. The life I now live, I live by the faith of my next door neighbor, my wife, my children know I live by the faith of the Son of God and ladies and gentlemen, who is the Son of God, but Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Savior, right. And we live. We live right now boys and girls, young men, ladies and gentlemen, we live by the face of Jesus Christ. Isn't that a thrilling thing for the soul of a young person and an adult? That we who are alive? We were crucify all our sins are on Jesus, but we live now. We are witnesses living we're witnesses. We're living witnesses living pestles, giving living testimony of the faith of Jesus Christ, the righteousness of God, that justification, the sanctification, everything that he gave us, not wonderful. Who loves me, and who gave himself barmy. In chapter three of Romans. And of course, I love you in the foundational class are fully aware of these tremendous scriptures. Verse 22, of regard liasons chapter three, did I say Romans Galatians chapter three, verse 22, that scripture at concluded are under what? Sin why because we were our sheep that had gone astray. deepblue gone astray, and therefore everybody has gone astray. Everybody's either got to get saved, or they're hell bound. You've got to get born again. And you don't get born again by signing a church register, or going to catechetical instructions or doing anything, we're not saved by works were saved by grace. And except a man be born again of God's Spirit. He has no eternal life abiding within him. That's why the Scripture says, he concluded all under sin, that the promise by the faith of Jesus Christ, that faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that belief. Verse 23, but before faith came, before it came, then there was a time when there was no faith. And that's right. There was a time when there was no faith. And this time when there was no faith was before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is why there is no faith. spiritual faith. In the Old Testament, the word faith is used only twice in the King James version in the Old Testament, locked in a backpack in another place in Deuteronomy. And there the word means faithfulness, steadfastness. Face came with Jesus Christ. Did it come when he was born? No more so than the new birth came with when he was born? Did it come when he died upon the cross? No, Jesus Christ was making it available. It became available to mankind for the first time on the day of Pentecost 1900 Some years ago, on the day of Pentecost, when that occurred, that's when the faith was made available.
And this is why it says, before faith came, we were kept under the Lau Shut up or closed up unto the faith, the faith of Jesus Christ, which should be revealed afterwards after the love, the revelation of the faith of Jesus Christ, verse 24. Wherefore the lead was our schoolmaster, until Christ is the text. The latter was a schoolmaster, under Christ, that we might be justified bilat whose faith not mine, but the faith of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, remember, this is the faith, verse 25. But after, after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. We're no longer under the law, or Er, oh, without any distinction, that children of God, by faith in Christ Jesus. This is what we are witnesses to, this is what we have. You're going to be a witness to something all the time. So you've got to find out what you've got. So you can witness accurately and intensely and dynamically. And so we are witnesses, that we are children of God, that we're no longer under the schoolmaster and that we are in Christ Jesus, in the book of Ephesians.
In chapter two and verse eight, the word of God says, By grace, are you saved? Through faith? And that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God? It's the gift of God. If it's a gift I have are from God, then do I have anything to do with it? No. It's a gift from God. It is God's gift. By grace, are you saved through faith through faith, whose face the face of Jesus Christ, and this is the gift of God to you, not of works, lest any man should rot boast. Verse 10, For we are His workmanship, we are His workmanship. In other words, God rot in us that which is well pleasing to him spiritually. So now in my day by day rock, as I witness to his words that he has wrought within me, I have to be accurate in my witnessing, so that I do not degrade him, that I do not belittle him that I do not say, contrary to what the Word says. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, unto good works, which God has to be further ordained, that we should not work in them. This is why he says in the first chapter of Ephesians, Grace be to you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who have past tense, the left does, past tense, with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ are according as he has chosen us, even before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him, in love, in Christ's love. Not wonderful. He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world because of His foreknowledge. Because of God's wisdom. He was able to choose us because he knew that when we would hear the word we would believe, and because he knew this, it is for knowledge, he was able to choose him, even before the foundation of the war. This is why the word of God says that he chose Israel in Jacob, Jacob. Jacob was first and Israel was chosen inject. In other words, the children of Israel were called out of Jacob. And that's only been 22 or 2500 BC. The Word of God says regarding your life and mind that God called us before the foundation of our why? Because he needed the kind of people to be witnesses for this day, an hour in which you and I live. He needed the kind of witnesses that would witness to the justification of God, the righteousness of God, the faith of Jesus Christ, he needed the kind of witnesses who would give a true testimony who weren't laid down their lives, martyrdom, not to be dead, but to be a living witness. laying it down alive to the face of the Lord Jesus Christ, the righteousness of God, that sanctification and justification, all of that which we have in him. He has blessed us with every spiritual bliss. You see why living in 66 ought to be alive and vital for you? Why you ought to effervescent glow and just thrill 67.
Man, oh, man, it was so good and 66 How can it get better and 67? It will maybe, but boy living in 67, we ought to effort best and go and walk with a great enthusiasm as young people as adults, because people will never be able to recapture the minutes we have spent here tonight. After tomorrow's gone, you can't recapture the time. And therefore, we must moment by moment, laugh with that greatness of the power of God and just be loving witnesses for this wonderful greatness of His Word. So remember, you don't want to be a witness. You are one. The only thing you'll work on is to be sure that you're manifesting the greatness of the power of God.