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Pastor: Dr. Lester Hutson

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So far we have discussed the definition of testimony (what others know and say about your reputation, your actions, your appearance and your words), that as a Christian it should bring glory to God and that it should promote faith and trust in God and His Word. Now I'd like us to consider that our testimony should be Christ-like.

As you may have noticed we are concentrating on the positives in this series: what we should do rather than what we should not do. So many times I've heard well-meaning preachers and parents emphasize the 'do nots' instead of the 'dos': don't smoke, drink, lie, cheat, steal, commit adultery, etc., etc. These should all be attributes of a follower of Christ but must we continually remind ourselves of them? And more importantly, what are we communicating to the lost world with our continual harping on living a sin free life?

I believe that if a Christian will fall in love with the Lord and follow the teachings from His Word he/she will not need to continually be reminded of what not to do. Their life will be a positive testimony for Christ from a natural outpouring of what is happening in the heart. Christ said that 'where your treasure is, there will your heart be also' (Matthew 6:21) and that 'out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh' such that 'a good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things' (Matthew 12:34-35). Thus I believe that if a person treasures their relationship and fellowship with the Lord it will produce a positive, Christ-like testimony.

So as we continue focusing on the positive aspects of our testimony let us now consider that as disciples of Christ our lives should reflect His philosophy, His teachings and His character. We've always heard that to be a Christian is to be Christ-like and I believe that this is absolutely crucial to reaching the lost world for Him. We have the God-given directive to reach the world with the life saving good news of the gospel: the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Mark 16:15; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). As we shall soon see Christ's testimony drew people to Him allowing Him to impart His message of life to them. How does your testimony stack up to His? Does it draw people to you thereby giving you the opportunity to tell them about Christ's death on the cross on their behalf?

What exactly does the lost world we are trying to reach see in us? What did the lost world of 2000 years ago see in Christ? Did they see in Him a fire and brimstone 'thou shalt not sin' type preacher? Did they see someone who considered himself morally superior to those around him? Did they hear condemnation of their lifestyle from Him? Did they see a separatist? A bigot? According to the Scriptures the answer to all those questions is a firm 'NO.' Let's look at what the lost world saw in Christ and as we do so let us compare what our peers see in us with what Christ's peers saw in Him.  

I believe the first thing the people of His day would have noticed about Christ was His reputation. They would have heard of the miracles and healings He performed. The crowds that sought out Jesus attest to this fact. His reputation attracted many people. Some would seek Him out for what He could do for them. Others would want to see first hand what He was going to do next. And the religious leaders of His day sought Him out to find fault with Him. But whatever their motives they were attracted to Him by His reputation.

Does your reputation attract others to you? Does what others say you have done or the type of person you are draw people to you? Of course there are those today who hate the very mention of Christ or the Bible: God's Word. Most likely nothing you do or say will have any positive affect on these people. However there are many others who can be reached with the Word of God and its message of salvation. Does your reputation give you the opportunity Christ's reputation gave Him to teach God's Word to the lost?

After they came to see Jesus I believe the first thing people physically saw in Him was that He was no different than they were. He did not have any unusual physical attributes that made Him stand out. There was no aura surrounding His person or a halo over His head. He did not dress any differently than they did. He did not wear special robes and carry a scepter. He did not shave His head and seclude Himself on a mountain top. He did not have an entourage of servants waiting on Him hand and foot. They saw a man who looked and dressed just as they did.

Today there are some Bible based religions which promote a dress code for its leaders that sets them above the common man. They dress in fancy robes, wear special hats and carry a scepter or a staff of some sort. Hopefully you and I are not a part of such a self-aggrandizing group. But our personal appearance is equally important. Christ's appearance did not set Him apart from the man on the street. Does yours? People were not led to think He was unapproachable because of His attire. What about yours? Do people see themselves in your appearance or do they see someone they may think unapproachable or someone they might not care to get close to?

I believe the next thing they would notice about Jesus was that He communed with the common man. Here was someone they had sought out because they had heard He performed things no other man had ever done. They had probably also heard about some of what He was saying. They were familiar with the religious leaders of their time and could spot them on the street because of their attire. Yet here was this man who performed miracles and spoke of the things of God yet looked like they did and walked and talked with the man on the street just as if He were one of them.

When the leaders of today's organized religions come to town we can spot them right off can't we. They dress differently than we do. They are surrounded by their own people who keep us from them. They are unapproachable. They don't commune with the man on the street unless for a media moment. And what about those groups that separate themselves to enclaves of hatred and bigotry?

What about you? Do you avoid rubbing shoulders with the common man? The lost sinner? Do you surround yourself with others of like faith and thereby hide from the unclean sinner? Do you avoid certain types of sinners? Do you exclude people from your circle of acquaintances based on their race, sex or religion?

Those who continued to follow Jesus would next see a man of great compassion. They would see and hear that He understood their condition and was sympathetic to their situation. Of course because of His divine nature He was also acutely aware of their spiritual need but the lost man would not know this would he? He saw a common looking man; one who performed miracles yet not only walked and talked with the common man but understood and sympathized with his religious, political, financial and emotional condition.

Are you compassionate to the lost world? Do you understand and sympathize with their condition? There are some Christians who ban together and set themselves apart from the sinner. They form their moral majority clubs and thereby tell the entire lost world how much better they think themselves to be than those who do not think or act as they do. The message of Christ's love and forgiveness is hidden behind a curtain of self imposed righteousness which the great prophet Isaiah said was 'filthy rags' in the eyes of God (Isaiah 64:6). Christ did not tolerate or condone sin but He understood that the sinner was going to sin and He was sympathetic to their situation. Which leads us to the next facet of Christ's character that would become obvious to those who continued following Him: His lack of condemnation.

Those who spent any time with Christ would have soon learned that He did not condemn the lost sinner. God's Word tells us that 'God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world' (John 3:17). In chapter 8 of his gospel John records an event that clearly demonstrates this facet of Jesus' personality. He describes a woman caught in adultery being placed before Jesus by the 'scribes and Pharisees' (v. 3), who by the way were always trying to trip Christ up so they could find some fault with Him. These men demanded that Jesus follow the law of Moses and have this adulteress stoned to death (v. 5). He looked at them and simply said, 'he that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her' (v. 7). Verse 9 records that not only did no one throw a stone but that all except the woman left the scene (it's worth noting that the verse specifies that the eldest left first). When Jesus looked up and saw only the woman He asked her, 'woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?' (v.10). Her answer was simply, 'no man, Lord' (v. 11). To which He replied, 'Neither do I condemn thee' (v. 11). Now, lest we mistake lack of condemnation for tolerance let's finish what He told her, 'go, and sin no more.'

I believe this is another area in which Christianity today has failed to follow the Master. Too many times I've heard messages broadcast on the TV or radio that were meant for a born-again audience but which would seem condemning to any lost person watching or listening. I've seen Christians group together and crusade against some type of sin or other. Then there are those groups who outright condemn others based on their race. These have provided the liberal mass media with prime material with which to further ruin the overall Christian testimony.

We must stop condemning the lost world for its sins. Christ has paid for those sins and no human has ever gone to Hell for his/her sins. What sends a person to Hell is their unbelief in Christ as the Son of God (John 3:36). Besides, God's Word tells us that we Christians are still sinners. Did we stop sinning altogether? No. The only difference between us and a lost sinner is that we have believed that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died on the cross on our behalf and we have accepted that act as the payment for our sins. We have been pardoned from the penalty of sin but we as yet have not been freed from the presence of sin. Thankfully we can confess our sins daily to God and receive forgiveness (1 John 1:9). So what right do we saved sinners have to condemn the lost sinner? None! We are called to reach the world for Christ and not to reform it.

Yet another character trait His followers would have seen in Jesus was His love for others. It was obvious in how He spoke and dealt with those around Him. Those closest to Him saw the agony He went through as He looked out over a lost and Hell bound world. It was the driving force behind His every action. I John 4:8 tells us that 'God is love' and with every part of His being the Son of God showed this to be true. His sacrificial act on the cross stands as the most poignant act of love this world has ever or will ever see. As He himself said, 'greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends' (John 15:13).

What about you? Do you have a deep love for the lost sinner? Do your actions towards the lost show that love? Brothers and sisters, how can we possibly reach the lost with Christ's message of love if we do not show love? How can we preach the forgiveness in Christ if we do not forgive? How can we reach the lost if our actions and our words repel them?

Finally, and most importantly, those who continued following Christ heard His message of salvation. They were attracted to Him because of His testimony and in turn He was able to give them the saving truth of God's Word. They were drawn to His presence as Hell-bound sinners but if they listened to and accepted His message they left His presence as Heaven-bound sinners.

SUMMARY:

In every aspect of His life Christ attracted people. His reputation, appearance, words and actions all combined to draw people towards Him. His main purpose was to 'seek and to save that which was lost' (Luke 19:10), and He did just that. People were drawn to Him and the closer they got to Him the closer they wanted to be. As a result of His testimony Christ was able to share His life saving message with all who would hear it.

What about your testimony? Does your reputation, appearance, words and actions draw people to you? Are you the type of person others want to get closer to?

You have the life giving gospel message and the Divine commission to reach the lost with that message (Mark 16:15). I pray you daily endeavor to make your testimony reflect Christ's so that others will be drawn to you as they were to Him giving you the chance to give them His message of salvation. 

NEXT LESSON:

In the next lesson we will discuss how to improve a poor or marginal testimony to what it should be and how to maintain a Christ-like testimony.

"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"