Wednesday, January 7, 2009
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:1-3).
IDEA: Witnesses have so often paid with their lives that the Greek word witness has come to mean martyr.
PURPOSE: To help listeners appreciate that being a witness to Christ may cost them dearly.
Do words and their development intrigue you?
1 Thessalonians 4:15 in the KJV said, “We who are still alive at the coming of the Lord will certainly not 'prevent' those who have fallen asleep.” All modern translations render that word “precede.” How do you imagine that prevent was used for precede?
“Lust” in 1 John 2: 15-17 merely means “strong desire,” but now it has an almost totally evil connotation. Why do you imagine that happened?
I. The Greek word for witness (martyr) changed its meaning.
It originally meant “witness” as we would use it:
1 Timothy 6:12 – "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."
Matthew 18:16 – "If he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses."
Hebrews 10: 28—"Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses."
Martyr came to mean those who of their own choice choose to die for the sake of their faith rather than save their lives by renouncing the faith.
Acts 22:20: Paul in prayer speaks about “the blood of Stephen, thy witness.” This marks the beginning of the shift.
Revelation 2: 13: The glorified Christ mentions, “Antipas my witness, my faithful one who was killed among you.”
Hebrews 11 ends with men and women who paid with their lives for their witness.
II. Why do you think that witnesses became martyrs?
Do you think it is possible to be a martyr and not be a witness?
Do you think there is any relation between being a witness and a martyr today?