How to Give Your Christian Testimony - Part 2
Acts 26:4-20
Sermon by Rick Crandall
McClendon Baptist Church - April 16, 2008
*Tonight I want you to think about 5 minutes that can change forever. That’s what your Christian testimony can do. A few minutes and a few sentences from you can change someone’s eternal destiny. So we must learn how to give our Christian testimony. In these verses Paul stands before King Agrippa and the new Roman governor Festus. Paul was on trial for his life, but he gladly used this crisis as an opportunity to share his Christian testimony. And he shows us what to do.
1. First: Explain your life before you met the Lord. Tell a little of your life story before you got saved.
*Paul began to share his life story in vs. 4&5, where he said:
4. My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know.
5. They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.
*Then in vs. 9-11, Paul admitted how messed-up and misguided he had been. Listen to his words:
9. I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10. This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.
11. And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
*God reminds us here that it is important for us to admit we are sinners. We don’t have to go into all the gory details. But we don’t want to give off a holier-than-thou attitude, or make people think that we somehow deserved our salvation.
*Of course, we all have different stories, but it’s a lot better to get saved at 7 than 27. If you got saved as a kid in Vacation Bible School, hopefully you avoided a lot of the junk some of us stumbled into. But all of us are sinners. We were all born with a sinful nature because of Adam and Eve’s fall in the Garden.
*Professor Carlyle Marney told a story that gives us great insight about our sin nature. One day a student asked, “Dr. Marney, where was the Garden of Eden?”
-The wise old professor put down his pen, turned to the college freshman and replied, “I can tell you exactly -- in Tennessee -- 215 South Elm St. in Knoxville, Tennessee.”
-Ah, c’mon, you’re kidding me,” said the student. “It’s supposed to be somewhere in the Middle East, isn’t it?”
“Well, you couldn’t prove it by me,” Marney replied. “For it was there on Elm Street, when I was a boy, that I stole a quarter out of Mama’s purse. I ran to the store and bought a bag of peanuts clusters and ate it as fast as I could. Afterward, I was so ashamed that I came back home to 215 Elm St. and hid in the closet. Mama found me and asked, “Why are you hiding? What have you done?”
*Preacher Wesley Tracy later said, “Need any help locating your own Eden? It’s the place where you first betrayed the noble, the good and God. Your Eden was that situation in which you discovered that you suffered from a curvature of the soul: Sin, original sin. (1)
*We all have a story about our sin. You may have been raised up in the most spiritual home in town, but we are all sinners who needed to be saved by the amazing grace of God. So when you give your testimony, explain your life before you met the Lord.
2. And address how God got your attention.
*The Lord certainly got Paul’s attention in an amazing way. We see this in vs. 12-14, where Paul said:
12. While thus occupied (while I was going to persecute and punish Christians), as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,
13. At midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me.
14. And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
*I used to wish something like that would have happened to me. Maybe you have wished that too. But I have changed my mind on that. The truth is that there are a lot of less traumatic and painful ways for the Lord to get our attention. I hope I don’t have to get knocked to the ground and struck blind for the Lord to get my attention! There are some easier ways: How about through an inspirational song I hear at church? -- Or by seeing someone else’s life turned around by the Lord? Maybe the Lord could get your attention by bringing a special blessing into your life: a new mate or a new baby.
*Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a train wreck for the Lord to get our attention. I would never say this to my brother in the middle of his terrible battle with cancer, -- but the Lord really did use that to get his attention. And Jon’s life has been changed forever.
*How did God get your attention? That’s an important part of your testimony.
3. You need to tell it. But also share what the Lord has to say.
*In vs. 14-16, Paul passed on what the Lord said to him, and the Lord wants to speak to us today through His Word. One of the main reasons Jesus speaks is to bring us under conviction. We can see this in vs. 14&15, where Paul said:
14. When we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, `Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads (or pricks in the KJV).’
15. So (Paul) said, `Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, `I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
*The Lord was speaking to bring Paul under conviction for his sins. Jesus was trying to help Paul see that he wasn’t just hurting those poor, persecuted Christians, Paul was also hurting the Lord. Paul was mainly hurting the Lord. “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Jesus asked.
*Paul was mainly hurting the Lord, but he was also hurting himself, so Jesus then said, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads or pricks.” That word was used for a sting, like that of a bee or a scorpion. But it was also used for a sharp cattle prod. How foolish and hurtful it would be to kick against those pointed sticks. But that’s what Paul was doing when he stubbornly resisted the Lord.
*Listen to this testimony from Pastor Jeff Simms:
-The first sermon I ever preached was in Yerington, Nevada in 1988. It stands as the worse sermon in recorded history. There were about 20 people present in that little desert church to hear me. I said everything I intended say in about 5 minutes. Then, I said it again and looked back down at my watch and only 5 more minutes had gone by. I went on for another minute or two and then went back to my seat and sat down feeling completely worn out tired. I felt like I had been wrestling with the devil himself.
*I remember the pastor coming up to me afterwards and saying, "You said ‘uhh’ 57 times." I thought he was going to be mad at me for such a bad sermon. I remember I didn’t even use my own material that morning. Then he told me about two teenage girls that were touched by the Holy Spirit and had left the room crying they were under so much conviction. I had thought they were crying bec my sermon was so bad. God had worked despite me. They were in foster care and were going back to their natural parents the next day. They had been lied to by the devil and God’s Word spoke to their need directly. (2)
*There on the road to Damascus, Jesus spoke to bring Paul under conviction. But the Lord also spoke to bring inspiration. So in vs. 16, Jesus said, “Rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.”
*The Lord doesn’t speak to us to beat us down. He wants to lift us up. His goal is never to hurt us, but to help us! Jesus wants to inspire us. And if Jesus is your Savior, then yes, He has brought you under conviction, but surely He has also given you His inspiration. Share what the Lord has said to you.
4. And bring up the basics of the Gospel.
*Now Paul doesn’t mention the cross in this testimony. Of course the Holy Spirit may not have recorded everything Paul said that day. But one reason why he didn’t specifically mention the cross could be what Paul said at the beginning of the chapter. In vs. 2&3 Paul said:
2. I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews,
3. especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews.
*Agrippa probably had heard the story of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, so we don’t see Paul go into detail about the cross. But he certainly did testify that Jesus is the Risen Lord. And we do see Paul talk about many of the basics of the good new about Jesus.
*In vs. 17&18, Paul quoted Jesus saying:
17. “I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you,
18. to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’
*Then in vs. 20 Paul also talked about how people “should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.”
*When we share our testimony, we must find a way to include the basics of the Good News about Jesus: Who He is, what He has done on the cross, what He has done in our life, and what He calls us to do.
*We see these things in the wonderful old story of a man who got saved when he was 104 years old -- 104! It happened during a revival in Ireland in 1853. This 104 year old man walked ten miles to make his public profession of his faith. And he said, “I lived 103 years and six months in total darkness, knowing nothing of the way to heaven, blind, and ignorant.”
*Someone asked, “And now, what is your hope?” The old man said, “My hope, sir, is in the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Oh, to think that I have gone on 103 years and six months, caring not for my soul, and then that this blessed truth should have burst upon me! How can I praise Him enough for His wondrous love towards such a poor, old sinner!” (3)
5. When you share your testimony, bring up the basics of the Gospel, and talk about your walk with the Lord.
*Our testimony is not just about what the Lord did in our lives 5 years ago, or 50 years ago. It’s a testimony of our ongoing experience with the Lord. It’s a testimony of spiritual growth, learning to walk with the Lord, learning to follow Jesus, learning to trust and obey. What is Jesus doing in your life today?
*The Lord anticipated this part of our testimony in vs. 16, when He told Paul, “Rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.”
*Then Paul talked about his walk in vs. 19&20, where he said:
19. “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,
20. but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.”
*Paul talked about his walk. What is the Lord doing in your life today?
*Pastor Bill Bouknight gave this report:
-A few months ago one of you shared with me a wonderful declaration of faith written by a friend. This person was diagnosed with cancer several Years ago and sank into dark depression. In desperation she turned to God and was transformed. The cancer has not vanished, but is under control. Now she is in Christ and no long thinks in terms of "I" but "We."
*Listen to the affirmation of faith she wrote:
-"There are things ahead which I truly fear, but we don’t.
-There are Obstacles that I cannot face, but we can.
-There are loads that are too heavy for me, but not for us.
-There are sorrows that I cannot bear, but we can.
-There are times I simply grow tired of the fight, but we don’t.
-There are barriers that I have no strength to climb over, but we do.
-I can’t walk the Christian life, but we can.
-I am so grateful that I’m no longer an I. I am a WE!" (4)
*God gave that woman an inspirational testimony. And believer, He is writing the same kind of testimony in your life. Think about it, pray about it, and then be sure to let it out.
1. Found at homileticsonline.com - 03/27/94 - originally from Dynamic Preaching
2. SermonCentral illustration submitted by Jeff Simms
3. KERUX ILLUSTRATION COLLECTION - ID Number: 15311 - SOURCE: Fredericksburg Bible Illustrator Supplements - TITLE: Saved At Age 103
4. ChristianGlobe.com sermon “The Master at Prayer” by Bill Bouknight - Luke 22:39-46 - 2002
