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Saved My Soul
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Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Christ is Risen

Sermon

Witnesses to Christ  |  John 15:26-27  |  Josh Valdez

I. The Spirit’s Witness (26)
II. The Apostle’s Witness (27)

Big Idea

In the midst of teaching about the world’s hatred, rejection and persecution of Christians, Jesus offers us peace: we will not be alone. The Holy Spirit will be with us. Christians join the Holy Spirit and the Apostles in our witness to Christ.

Quotes

The Spirit is often discussed in regard to the support and empowerment he gives to the Christian. This is right and good and should continue to be taught. But this pericope reminds us that the Spirit is not merely to be thought of in a utilitarian manner, for he is an independent witness to the Son (5:37-38), so the Spirit is an independent witness to the Son (v. 26). The theological implications of this are important to note. Such language strongly suggests that ultimately God is the primary and first-order witness to himself. This truth gives some explanation to the authority of the Gospel itself and to all of Scripture. ~ Edward W. Klink III

This is a promise of the Spirit’s aid in evangelism. His way of convincing and convicting is through Christian persuading as the church relays the apostolic message; his witness is a matter of his opening the inward ear and applying to the individual conscience the truths that witnessing Christians set before the mind. ~ J.I. Packer

There can be no Christian witness apart from the Spirit; it is His ministry to convict the world of sin (John 16:8) and present Jesus Christ to it (John 15:26). No one can be saved without confessing Jesus as Lord (Rom. 10:9-10) and no one can do that without the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3). ~ John MacArthur

Despite the clear biblical emphasis on being witnesses of Jesus Christ, much of today’s evangelistic methodology focuses on meeting people’s felt needs. It also downplays the essential Biblical emphasis on the glory of the person and work of the Savior and the crucial importance of confronting unbelievers with their sin and its consequences unless they are rescued by faith in the atoning accomplishment of Jesus Christ. Any inadequate prevention of Christ and HIs death for sin can leave the sinner in his love of iniquity and ignorance of the truth of justification by faith and produce a false and temporary confession. ~ John MacArthur

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