Bearing Witness For or Against Yourself The text we’ll be reading this morning is John 8: Jesus has just come from the Mount of Olives to the Temple to teach the people. There He thwarted the efforts of the scribes and Pharisees to entrap Him, vv.1-8. But our focus will be on

The basis of accusation: Under Jewish Law (the Pentateuch), a person could not be put to death on the testimony of only one witness, Deut.17:6. {at left, “The Stoning of Achan”}

The basis of accusation: In Deut.19:15ff, the same principle is expanded to cover all crimes and accusations in addition to the capital offences previously given. It is this “point of law” the scribes and Pharisees are attempting to use to indict, and therefore eliminate, Jesus. They are charging Him with giving only singular testimony regarding Himself- that there is no corroborating witness to support His claims of divinity, vv

Their Conclusion They thus proposed that His testimony regarding Himself was: 1.Inadmissible; and 2.Therefore not true. What about ? On the surface, surely anyone can see that even uncorroborated testimony may be true despite being deemed inadmissible, vv.14-15! They reached a conclusion that was not only wrong, it was illogical!

But Jesus set the record straight! Even by the rule of ‘multiple testimony,’ He shows that He is not alone in it for the Father also bears witness of Him, vv.16-18! “OK, they were wrong about Jesus, legally and otherwise, and He was right. So what does all of this have to do with me?” Each of us, like Jesus, ‘bears witness’ either for or against ourselves! cf. Rom.2:14-15

Within these few verses in John 8, Jesus outlines the essential elements in bearing witness for oneself. Note carefully: 1.Jesus said that He was/is “the light of the world” v.12a (also 1:4 and 1John 1:5). Do your words and deeds confirm or deny that you “walk in the light as He Himself is in the light” ? 1John 1:6-7; Matt.5:14 2.What does it take to bear truthful witness regarding these things? What did Jesus say?  “I know where I came from” vv.14a,18,23,42  “I know where I am going” vv.14b,28,21,23

What about it? Does your witness regarding yourself confirm or deny that you are “of God” ? 1.Do you know where you came from? A “Big Bang” explosion through which lifeless compounds became a living cell, then through millennia of genetic mutations, random chance, and natural selection became you? Did you come from matter, or the mind of God? You were formed of matter, but you were not formed by matter! Gen.2:7; Heb.11:3,6

What about it? Does your witness regarding yourself confirm or deny that you are “of God” ? 2. Do you know where you are going? Back to dust? Sure, Gen.3:19; Eccl.12:7a. The body was created from dust and will return to it. But the spirit, which God breathed into you, will return to Him who gave it, Eccl.12b! What witness of yourself will you give God when your spirit returns to Him at death? 2Cor.5:10

Jesus outlines the witness we should bring to God at judgment: 1.That we believed Jesus was/is the “Son of God,” v That we knew the truth, v That we were willing to abide in truth, v That we were made free by the Son through obedience, vv.34-36; 3:3,5.

Now what? You’ve heard the gospel. Do you believe it? Are you willing to repent of sin and confess Jesus as Lord of your life? Then come and let’s baptize you into Christ so that the “witness of your life” can start being what it ought to be!