40 Days of Corporate Prayer and Fasting for National Repentance. Sep 24

Jesus said in: John 5:31 “If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.” Many in this hour come speaking in their own name, attesting their preachings and teachings by their own name, by their denomination’s name, by a ministries name, or by some other minister’s name. And I will confess that twenty years ago I committed these same sins.

If Christ’s bearing witness of himself is not true, and the servant is not greater than the master; then if I bear witness of my ministry, if I bear witness of the words I speak, I am guilty of coming in my own name. If Christ says this witness is not, what then is it? It is false, it is a false witness. This is serious stuff. According to the word this is a very serious offense. Bearing false witness is listed as a reason for not inheriting the kingdom. Bearing false witness is listed as a reason for not entering the promises of God.

This is a warning of God. Jesus is putting on notice the earthly, fleshly teachers and preachers of our day that are bound by the traditions and doctrines of men, those that come and would speak in their own name. If we do such, we shall receive nothing of God, we shall instead receive the praise and honor and rewards of men as the false prophets do.

John 5:33-34 “Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man . . .” Further Christ said he cannot receive the witness of John, because it is the witness from men. In this verse Jesus is at very least here saying that the witness of men, even John the Baptist are suspect, and therefore cannot be used to verify the words that He spoke. If this is so, then how is it that the ministers, ministries, and entire denominations of today feel free to do so?

Do they do so intentionally? Some do. Some “hold the truth in unrighteousness,” but the greatest majority seems to do so in ignorance. Being blind, ignorant, and unlearned in the ways of the Lord, they do so because they were taught of men to do so. They ran out with a vision, a vision that was not their own, or they had run out into ministry without any understanding of the vision they have received.

In order to better understand this text and its far reaching implications we need to get a firm grasp on what Christ meant by witness and what Christ said was a qualified witness

John 5:36-37 “But I have greater witness than that of John. . .”

Jesus had greater witness that that of John because he needed a greater witness than that of John. Jesus lauded the life and witness of John. He said John was the greatest of all prophets – surely in ourselves, when we view this scripture with our blind, dull senses we would say: If only I had the witness of a great prophet like John. If only I had witness from a great minister like Charles Finney, Dwight Moody, John Graham Lake, Smith Wigglesworth, or Kenneth E. Hagin. Then I would really be something. Then I could really do something for God.

If only I had a Bible degree from one of the great schools, if only I were ordained by one of these great men or a some great ministry. If only I would receive the mantle of some great bygone servant of God. – Then I would have a great ministry. Then I could really do something for God.

In this simple verse of scripture Jesus marches past the pretense of all of this. He declares for all time that the witness of men, even the witness of great spiritual men is at very least suspect. The servant is not above the master. You cannot create spiritual short cuts. You cannot do what the Master cannot do.

Understand that when you give witness by your own attestation, by the attestation of a denomination, by the attestation of some other ministry, or by the attestation of some other minister’s name, you according to Christ’s words have given witness that is not true. You have borne false witness. And not only that, but you have borne false witness to the people of God. And further you have planted seeds of deception in your hearers.

If Jesus being the son of God needed greater witness than that of men, if Jesus needed greater witness than that of the greatest of prophets -- John. Then if we are truly his servants, we also need this greater witness.

What then is this witness?

I thought Jesus called us to be witnesses unto him. John the Apostle gives us the key to this layer of truth. “That which our eyes have seen that which our hands have handled concerning the word of life that speak we unto you.” In order to become witnesses, you must first witness His works and acts in your life. It has to be a first hand knowledge. Did it not occur to you that Paul preached Paul. Peter preached Peter. And John preached John. They only spoke that which their eyes had seen that which their hands had a handled concerning the word of life. Peter did not preach John’s experience; John did not preach Paul’s experience and revelations. The Apostle John could not, because the servant is not above the master.

We have fallen so far from the grace of God that was once delivered unto the Church by Jesus and the Apostles. We have so lost our way; we are so far removed from the teaching of Christ and the Apostles that these simple truths have never occurred to us.

We have little or nothing to draw on. We have little or no experience. And so we have carelessly and wantonly cast ourselves out into ministry, and so having little or nothing in ourselves we feel compelled to preach other men’s experiences, and other men’s revelations. And if that were not bad enough we sin all the more, going out in our name, and using the names of other men, even great and notable names to witness the veracity of the words we speak. God help us. God help this evil generation.

Anybody want to make book on the "repentance" part?

Joel 2

12 "Even now," declares the LORD ,
"return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning."

13 Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
14 Who knows? He may turn and have pity
and leave behind a blessing-
grain offerings and drink offerings
for the LORD your God.

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion,
declare a holy fast,
call a sacred assembly.
16 Gather the people,
consecrate the assembly;
bring together the elders,
gather the children,
those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room
and the bride her chamber.
17 Let the priests, who minister before the LORD ,
weep between the temple porch and the altar.
Let them say, "Spare your people, O LORD .
Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
'Where is their God?' "

Subject: The Day of The LORD

1 Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy hill.
Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the LORD is coming.
It is close at hand-

Countdown…

Blow the trumpet in Zion, (Rosh HaShanah)
declare a holy fast, (Yom Kippur)
call a sacred assembly. Gather the people (Succot / Shemeni Atzeret)

Tick tock...

While we're speaking of fasting (Yom Kippur), the classic text on HOW to fast is in Isaiah 58:1-13

Isaiah 58 :: New International Version (NIV)

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Isaiah 58

True Fasting

1 "Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
3 'Why have we fasted,' they say,
'and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?'

"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?

6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness [1] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

From:

http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?passage=ISA+58&language=english&version=NIV&showfn=on&showxref=on

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