Family Discussions:

Transcription:

00:14          Well burnt orange has never been my favorite color. And truly it's out of jealousy because this was the team that used to smoke, my little Dallas football team every single year. But you know what? Whether you like them or not, they're good. But when you ever, you wear a baseball cap of a school or you ever wear a tee shirt of a school, you're actually witnessing for that school. You're representing that school either good or bad. And so it is as a Christian. I wish I could say I like that hat. So it is as a Christian. Whether we're wearing a cross around our neck or not. Whether we're carrying a Bible or not. We are his witnesses and we're either witnessing for him for good or we're witnessing for Christ for bad. Today's passage in chapter 11 of Revelation is an interlude between the judgements.

 

01:00          And at this point in the book of Revelation in the seven year period of the judgments of God, there's a tribute to two witnesses. And that's where we are today. God's tribute and the and the work of the two witnesses. Revelation 11:3-4 says this, "And I will grant authority to my two witnesses and they will prophesy for 1,260 days clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees. And the two lamp stands that stand before the Lord of the earth." You know, uh, for 1,260 days, these witnesses prophesied and then these witnesses are killed. But after they are killed and they lay dead for three and a half days, the book says God will say, come up here and they will come and they will stand and they will be glorified before Christ. But I think about in practical application, the witness of you and the witness of me, and I think about the people that I admire the most, and I think about people that are witnessing for Christ, like these two witnesses in the midst of sometimes incredible persecution, they never stopped witnessing for Jesus.

 

02:11          I think about Cassie Burnall and the awful shooting of Columbine. This girl's witness was so strong that one of these boys that terrorize the school, I'm sure couldn't wait to find her and to point his gun at her head, and he said, Cassie, do you believe in God? And she said, yes, I believe in God. And the next thing she saw was the face of Christ as I'm sure he welcomed her home. As these two witnesses are welcomed home after they are killed in this passage. I think about Tony Cimarusti, one of my heroes, a hedge fund manager in Detroit. In the midst of a very chaotic life in the dog eat dog cutthroat business world that he lives in. He witness for Jesus every single day. He makes money to give money to take to Christian causes. He lives his life to lead people to Christ, leading Bible Studies, leading people to Christ, discipling people at raising his four boys and loving his wife as Christ loved the church.

 

03:10          You know, Christian witnesses, to me without a doubt, are the most attractive people on Earth. 2 Timothy 4:1 says, be ready in season and out of season because you're witnessing whether you think you're witnessing or not every day of your life. You're not just wearing the colors of your school, but you're wearing the colors of Christ. And so my question for you today is this, what's your witness looking like? And knowing that you'll be wearing his colors. You'll be wearing his baseball cap, whether wearing his colors on your head or not. People are going to be seeing Christ. What's the picture that you want them to see of Jesus when they look at you? And may you be encouraged to be that witness every day of your life.