Martyrdom is our theme for the date.
The word martyr is from the Greek in which we normally translate as bear witness or to testify what you know to be true.
Jesus says the Holy Spirit is a witness, that He is the Spirit that testifies and bears witness to what, to Who He knows to be the Truth – When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness (martyreisei) about Me.
With the Spirit pointing always to the truth of Jesus, and His life and death and resurrection and ascension and promises and Word, Jesus say that His disciples will also be witness, And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
And with the Spirit and the apostolic Word of Truth bearing witness for you and to you, you are to bear witness, as well.
Dear saints,
For the last several weeks Jesus has been teaching us about the gift of the Holy Spirit. That He shows us our sin and declares us righteous in Christ. That He helps us to pray – for we don’t always know what pray for as we ought.
Today, Jesus has us considering how the Holy Spirit helps us to bear witness to Christ and today we’re going to consider how the Holy Spirit has helped all Christian to testify of Jesus, even when their lives and goods and reputation are on the line.
When you were confirmed in the Christian faith, that practice of Christian confirmation, often for our teenagers, sometimes for our adults, you were asked some profound and beautiful questions
Don’t you love when you hear someone answer those questions? Watching someone else answer those questions as a Christian strengthens me in my own confession and courage.
I’m like jumping up and down inside and saying, “I believe that, too! You believe that? You believe in God the Father, Almighty? I believe that, too! You renounce the devil and his works and his ways? I totally do, too!”
Like when you see someone driving the same car as you, you get excited (maybe that’s just me), this is when you see someone confess the same faith. The same things that you hold the most dear in your soul! It’s exciting!
But among the beautiful questions you were asked is this:
Do you intend to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it? I do, by the grace of God.
These questions of Christians confirmation, and maybe this question in particular, remind us that you that your most important identity that we have in this life is this:
I am a Christian.
We really can be so many other things, children, parents, friends, workers,
We really can have money and stuff and have all sorts of interests in this fascinating life our Lord gives to us,
But when it comes to the identity that we have above all identities,
The identity we should never forsake, the identity that we should continue, though all others can be taken away, this should not be taken away
It is: I am a Christian.
The Scriptures and our Christian Church history is full of men and women who held to this identity, even when their own life and goods and reputation were on the line.
I was reading about one of our brothers in the faith who confessed Christ in a beautiful way a long, long time, but his story is still so beautiful and encouraging.
This man’s Christian nickname was Polycarp. He died in the Christian faith about 155 A.D or so and he lives in Christ forever.
He was an old and respected man. The Roman government finally had enough of his encouraging and preaching Christianity. They thought the teachings of Christianity were dangerous to their own status and order and decided to make an example out of him.
One of the parts of the story and that they showed up to arrest him with large group with weapons and torches, kind of like Jesus was arrested in the Garden.
And they show up to the door of the house he was in, and he invited them in and asked them if they wanted something to eat or drink.
“Come on in, I know what you’re here to do, do you want rest for a bit, have a little a wine or dessert.”
Our Epistle for the day talked about showing hospitality – this is amazing.
He asks if he can pray before they take him, and he prays for two hours straight. Praying for his fellow Christians, those outside the Christian, the very government who was getting ready to kill him.
The story said he prayed all for them by name.
They do eventually take him and he takes the stand before some government leaders.
They’re threatening to throw him to the wild beasts, the lions of the Coliseum, they were threatening to burn him alive.
To avoid this all, all he had to do was say, Caesar is Lord and deny that Jesus is Lord.
Polycarp, this old Christian man said, “86 years I’ve served Christ, and He has never done me any injury. How can I blaspheme my and my Savior now?
We’ll release you. Have respect for your old age. You’ll be free. Just say, Caesar is Lord.
But, he said, how can I pretend not to know who and what I am, hear me declare with boldness, I am a Christian. And if you want to hear more about the teachings of Christianity, appoint me a day and you shall hear them.”
Dear saints,
It is the Holy Spirits work to testify of Christ, to constantly point you to the Word of Truth found in the Scriptures, and for you to constantly be reminded that you cannot pretend not to know who and what you are.
You are a Christian.
That is the identity that flows through all your other identities because it runs deeper than all your identities.
You are a Christian husband or wife.
You are a Christian father or mother.
You are a Christian friend and worker and citizen of North Carolina and the United State.
The Holy Spirit is constantly witnessing to your heart who Christ is and who He has made you to be.
And in that truth, you bear witness to Christ too.
The Scripture picture this beautiful motion of sending and witnessing.
The Father has sent the Son into the world to teach and die and rise of the world and in all that the Son does, He bears witness to the truth of the Father’s love for the world.
The Son after his death and resurrection and ascension sends the Spirit and the Spirit witnesses to the work of the Son and the truth of His love for the world.
Jesus sends His apostles and disciples and gives them the Holy Spirit so that they can bear witness to world of the Lord of life and death and of the Word of Truth in the Scriptures.
And that Word of Truth, written by the apostles and disciples through the Holy Spirit is the reason why you believe and so also are sent out and are to be Christ’s witnesses, so that others are brought into the family of God and strengthened in the family of God.
You honestly do it today.
You came to church, too? How exciting!
You believe in God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Want to hear Him and pray to Him and praise Him and be strengthened because you believe He’s alive and here and good too?
Today, the Spirit is sent to you again,
You hear the most important truth that you can hear, because of Christ’s work, you are His,
You are a Christian.
It’s unlikely that you will be asked to give of your life for the Christian faith, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared for.
To live is Christ and to die is again.
The threat of losing your life for the sake of the Gospel is but one way the devil wants to change your identity of being a Christian.
He can tempt with riches and honor and all sorts of desires.
He can tempt with pride and arrogance.
He can tempt with despair and sadness over your life or over this world
This past week, the catechism kids considered the question, “What things in my life threaten to pull me away from God.”
There could be so much.
But you are a Christian.
By bearing hear again today, you are fueled up so you don’t run low on the courage and confidence this identity carries with it.
Jesus doesn’t run out of that fuel.
He gives the Spirit without measure.
So, fill her up.
Witnessing seems so weak,
But whether you are asked to give of your life,
Or just defend that life begins in the womb, all people are created equal in God’s sight regardless of race or ethnicity, or that marriage is between one man and on woman till death us do part,
Or just constantly asking for help in being a Christian mother, daughter, wife, father, son, husband, friend and worker.
You are Christ’s witness,
Do you intend to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, even being made fun of, even feeling like the world is falling apart, even living a life of witnessing and failing and repenting and being pointed back to Christ and the Word of Truth, rather than fall away from it?
We do by the grace of God.