“AND BY THE WORD OF
THEIR TESTIMONY”
Rev. 12:11
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: SLEEPING PREFERENCES
1. Three college students -- one from India, one a Jew from Israel and the third a Yankee from New York University -- were having trouble finding a room for the night. After much searching, they finally found an Inn with only two beds left. The innkeeper said the third one of them had to sleep in the barn.
2. They drew straws for the two beds, and the Indian was sent off to the barn for the night. But within five minutes of the Jew and the Yankee turning off the lights and going to bed, there was a KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK on the door. They opened the door and there was the Indian.
3. "I can’t sleep in the barn," said the Indian, "I’m Hindu and there’s a cow in the barn. Cows are sacred to us so I can’t sleep under the same roof as one." The Jew volunteered to go to sleep in the barn.
4. But within five minutes of the Yankee and the Indian turning off the lights and going to bed, there was a KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK on the door. They opened the door and there was the Jew.
5. "I can't sleep in the barn either," said the Jew, "there's a pig in the barn, and if I sleep in hay that a pig has touched, I may get some in my mouth and that wouldn't be kosher."
So the Yankee ventured out to go to sleep in the barn.
6. But within five minutes of the Indian and the Jew turning off the lights and going to bed, there was a KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK on the door. They opened the door and there is the cow and the pig. (Obviously they couldn’t bear to sleep with the Yankee!)
B. WASTING YOUR LIFE
1. “I will tell you what a tragedy is: how to waste your life. Consider a story from the February 1998 edition of Reader’s Digest, which tells about a couple who “took early retirement from their jobs in the Northeast five years ago when he was 59 and she was 51. Now they live in Punta Gorda, Florida, where they cruise on their 30 foot trawler, play softball and collect shells.”
2. At first, when I read it I thought it might be a joke. A spoof on the American Dream. But it wasn’t. Tragically, this was the dream: Come to the end of your life—your one and only precious, God-given life—and let the last great work of your life, before you give an account to your Creator, be this: playing softball and collecting shells.
3. Picture them before Christ at the great day of judgment: ‘Look, Lord. See my shells.’ That is a tragedy. And people today are spending billions of dollars to persuade you to embrace that tragic dream. Over against that, I put my protest: Don’t buy it. Don’t waste your life.” [John Piper]
C. TEXT
7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” NKJV, Rev. 12:7-11.
D. THESIS
1. This morning we’re hearing about how our testimony, spoken to lost people, is the vehicle for how we overcome the devil!
2. Most Christians see little personal benefit to witnessing, but this verse says otherwise.
3. We’re going to look at who these overcomers are, how they conquered, why your testimony is so important, and tips for how to witness.
4. The title of this message is “And by the Word of their Testimony.”
I. THE OVERCOMERS OF REV. 12
A. WHO OVERCAME HIM?
1. Not only does Satan suffer defeat at the hands of the arch-angel Michael, but he’s conquered by faithful believers as well.
2. THEY ALL FOUGHT! If we’re not fighting him, we’re really NOT part of the church of Jesus!
3. THERE SHOULDN’T BE INNER WARFARE! “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
4. Slaves of sin are not children of God. IF SATAN HAS DOMINION OVER YOU, you’re not in Christ Jesus! Where the Ark is, Dagon must fall on his face and be broken!
B. POWER BY WHICH THEY OVERCAME HIM
1. BLOOD OF THE LAMB
a. Brings pardon – sins forgiven.
b. Reconciles us to God.
c. Justified & Adopted.
The accusations are cast out, the indictments quashed, and the accuser turned out of court.
2. WORD OF THEIR TESTIMONY
a. THE BLOOD – unseen, unbelieved, unaccepted – will do no one any good, or avail any to overcome.
b. But when the Blood is seen, believed, accepted, & confessed…by the Word of their testimony, the Good Confession,” then the Father also confesses us!
II. WHY IS OUR TESTIMONY SO IMPORTANT?
A. GIVES THE DEVIL A BLACK EYE!
1. Once, we served him. Now, we ‘serve him notice’ that we’re serving God.
2. David (Ps. 138:1) said, “…before the gods I will sing praise to You!”
3. IT DECLARES OUR ALLEGIANCE. We’re in enemy territory. We need to declare which side we’re on.
4. ILLUS. Grandma in Confederate State who took her broom out to face the advancing Union Army. “Do you think you can whip the Union Army with a broom?” “No. I’m here so you’ll know which side I’m on!”
5. BURNING SHIPS
a. On April 21st, in the year 1519, the Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez sailed into the harbor of Vera Cruz, Mexico. He brought with him only about 600 men, and yet over the next two years his vastly outnumbered forces were able to defeat Montezuma and all the warriors of the Aztec empire, making Cortez the conqueror of all Mexico.
b. How was this incredible feat accomplished, when two prior expeditions had failed even to establish a colony on Mexican soil? Here’s the secret.
c. Cortez knew from the very beginning that he and his men faced incredible odds. He knew that the road before them would be dangerous and difficult. He knew that his men would be tempted to abandon their quest and return to Spain.
d. And so, as soon as Cortez and his men had come ashore and unloaded their provisions, he ordered their entire fleet of eleven ships destroyed. His men stood on the shore and watched as their only possibility of retreat burned and sank.
e. And from that point on, they knew beyond any doubt there was no return, no turning back. Nothing lay behind them but empty ocean. Their only option was to go forward, to conquer or die.
B. ENCOURAGES OTHERS TO FOLLOW CHRIST
1. The religious leaders told the Apostles “STOP SPEAKING.” The devil doesn’t want you to speak either.
2. Why? Because life & death are in the power of the tongue! When you speak the Words of God, you release the Life & Power of God.
3. We’ve been given the keys to the Kingdom of God. It’s within our power to open and shut that Kingdom to others.
4. When we vocalize the Word, its force moves into this world. It enters the heart of those who hear it and begins to work. The more you can speak the Word the better!
5. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ” Rom. 10:17. The Word can save and transform any person who hears it. It has power in it to free people.
C. CONFESSION MAKES FAITH PERMANENT
1. 2 Cor. 4:13, “We also believe & therefore speak.”
2. Confession is a vital link to faith. Rom. 10:8-10
3. ILLUSTRATION
a. Donald Grey Barnhouse led the son of a wealthy family to the Lord. He was in the military, but he showed the reality of his conversion by immediately professing Christ before the soldiers of his military company. The war ended.
b. The day came when he was to return his wealthy lifestyle. He told Barnhouse he was afraid that he might slip back into his old habits.
c. Barnhouse told him to tell the first 10 people he met that he’d become a Christian. If he did, he wouldn’t have to give his bad friends up, they’d give him up!
d. He met a girl he knew. He told her, "The greatest thing that could possibly happen to me has happened." "You're engaged to be married," she exclaimed. "No," he told her. "It's even better than that. I've taken the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior." The girls' expression froze. She mumbled a few polite words and went on her way.
e. Soon he met one of his buddies. Again it was a frozen smile and a quick change of conversation. Soon the word got around, and some of his friends stopped seeing him.
f. What had he done? Nothing but confess Christ. The same confession that allied him with Christ separated him from those who didn’t want Jesus. [J.M. Boice, Christ's Call To Discipleship, Moody, 1986, p. 122-23.]
III. HOW TO SHARE YOUR TESTIMONY
A. REASONS WE FAIL TO WITNESS
1. 90% believe they should share their faith. 40% invite someone to church. Only 3% share their faith with an unbeliever.
2. REASON FOR DISCONNECT
a. Fear
b. Lack of Urgency
c. Lack of Knowledge
d. Too Busy
e. Assuming the Best
3. U.S. CHRISTIAN CULTURE: We’ve outsourced evangelism to missionaries and programs. This must change!
4. W.E. Sangster: "How shall I feel at the judgment, if multitudes of missed opportunities pass before me in full review, and all my excuses prove to be disguises of my cowardice and pride?"
B. SHARING THE GOSPEL WITH YOUR STORY
1. Our life’s story is a testimony of the Power & Transformation of Jesus Christ in a human life.
2. Your life is “now” a witness of Jesus’ power.
3. No one can argue against your experience with Jesus or the transformation that’s taken place in you. That’s why your testimony is so powerful!
4. An effective evangelist always uses the content of their story to point the hearer to Jesus, not themselves.
C. EVANGELISM WITH “CLASS”
1. CONVERSE. Start small talk with a stranger – family, work, recreation, church background. Jesus did with the Woman at the Well (Jn. 4:5-26). He asked her for a drink of water.
2. LISTEN. Listen for the direction of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 10, Peter received a vision from God. The vision was followed by a divine appointment to share the gospel with the household of Cornelius. Peter stayed open to speaking to someone he would not normally have spoken to.
3. AFFIRM. In Acts 17, Paul affirmed to the Greeks that their pursuit of religion had a good side to it. No matter how different the person is from you, look for good qualities to affirm. That’s where common ground is found to plant seed.
4. SHARE. This is where you share your story. Share what Jesus did for you through His life, death, and resurrection!
5. SERVE. No matter their response, praying over a person’s life is a great way to serve them on a spiritual level. If there is a physical need, try to help with it.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: Word to the Taxi Driver
1. I was catching a taxi to pick up our car from a body shop. As I got in, I said, "How are you?"
2. The taxi driver said, "I don't want to beep jinx you. I'm beep awful. I've had a beep beep day," replied the driver. I said, "You can't jinx me." "Why not?" he asked.
3. "Because I'm a Christian. So what's happened, that you think your life is jinxed?" He described his father's death, his younger brother's relationship problems and subsequent suicide, the 5 times he'd had to have his bumper fixed in the last two weeks.
4. I thought it really did sound like his life was cursed. All the time I was praying, "Lord, show me how to reach this guy." The only thing that kept coming to me was: “How would you like to break this curse over your life? So I asked him and he said, "How can I do that?"
5. I said, "What do you think is your biggest problem?" He said, "This jinx on my life." I said, "No, your biggest problem is between you and God." "How'd you mean?"
6. "Would you agree with me that you've probably broken all of God's laws?" "Yeah, many times over." "That puts a barrier between you and God." So I explained the Good News about Jesus to him. "So how can I do this?"
7. “If you surrender your life to Jesus, He’ll take your curse and give you His blessings. That’s why He died on the cross. Would you like to do that?” “Yes!”
8. “Then pull over and let’s pray.” He pulled the taxi over and we prayed. He asked Jesus to save him from sin and separation from God & to take his jinx away.
9. When he dropped me off at my destination, his face was beaming. “I don’t feel the curse hanging over me anymore!” It was the best taxi ride I ever had.
B. THE CALL
1. How many of us want God to help us share our testimony with others more faithfully? God give us boldness!
2. Easter is in 2 weeks. Statistics say 40% of Christians will invite someone to church. How many of you will invite 3 people to come to church on Easter?
3. Are you here this morning and you’re not sure, if you were to die today, that you would go to heaven? Do you have a separation between you and God, like the taxi driver? We can get that jinx off your life this morning. How many want to join me in prayer for that? Prayer.
