Greetings

Good morning, brothers and sisters, I’m very glad to be opening God’s word with you this morning.

But before we do, let us pray.

Heavenly Father,

please help us this morning to see that there is no greater truth than Jesus coming into the world to save sinners. May you speak to our hearts by your word, and encourage us to grow in our trust and love of you.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Introduction: Does truth matter?

As we begin this morning, I want us to consider the question, Does truth matter?

Many years ago, my cousins and I were enjoying our holiday at a beach in Brisbane.

The tide had just receded, and there was this shell that caught our eyes.

There was this squid-like thing in it, and when we poked it with our fingers, it would give off a dim flash of blue.

And so we kept poking it.

A while later, we decided to put it in a bottle with a bit of water, hoping it would give us a more dramatic performance and to see more clearly what that thing is.

Suddenly, it revealed itself to us as a small octopus. We thought it was really cool until a big Aussie man saw it and said, that’s a blue ring octopus, kids, you shouldn’t be playing with it, it’ll kill you.

Now, not all truth matters, but this is a truth that matters because it is of life or death.

There is no antivenom for the blue ring octopus, and that tiny animal contains enough venom to kill 27 full-grown adults.

But what about the truth that concerns the life or death of our soul? Who can take away the venom of sin that enslaves us and corrupts us from within?

If you’ve never considered where your soul is going, I want you to consider this today.

Because this is the truth that can only be found in Jesus, the Son of God, who is full of grace and truth.

God sent his own son into the world, so that your soul may be saved.

This is what the Bible says in the beginning of John, in John 1:14,

14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

And then a few verses later in John 1:17,

17 for the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

From the beginning, John tells us that Jesus is full of grace and truth.

He is full of grace and truth because He not only reveals the one and true God to us, but in him we have the gift of forgiveness.

And as we look at the last few days before Jesus’ crucifixion, both of these themes come to the fore.

But not so much how great or good God’s grace and truth are, but rather how desperately we need them.

Because we are all sinners, we have no hope outside of Jesus. Sin is our greatest enemy and it divides us and God, and all of us stand powerless and guilty under its lies.

Yet Jesus is the truth that shows us who God is, and in him we receive the gracious gift of forgiveness, and through him we have access to God.

This is the only truth that matters, and he is the one we need to listen to; he is the only truth that saves.

So this morning, as we look at John 18, we will see three reasons why Jesus is the only truth that saves, and why we must place our trust in him.

1)    Jesus is our true high priest, who is always faithful (v.15-27)

2)    Jesus is our true sacrifice, who is our Passover lamb (v.28-32)

3)    Jesus is our true king, who rules with grace and truth (v.33-37)

I hope that by the end, you will be encouraged and reassured about the life you have in Him.

And if you haven’t already, I hope you may be moved to receive the true life that is only found in Jesus.

Jesus, our true high priest, who is always faithful (v.15-27)

So now, let’s begin with our first point, Jesus, our true high priest, who is always faithful.

Let’s turn to our Bibles and briefly look at verses 12-14.

In these verses, we are told that Jesus was arrested and taken to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the current high priest. And Annas was the previous high priest.

And here begins our passage today. Come with me and look at verse 15.

15 Simon Peter was following Jesus, as was another disciple. That disciple was an acquaintance of the high priest; so he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard. 16 But Peter remained standing outside by the door. So the other disciple, the one known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the girl who was the doorkeeper and brought Peter in.

Peter was following Jesus, but only from a distance. It was only when this unnamed disciple invited him did he got closer.

Peter was indeed concerned for Jesus, but he must also be worried for himself. If the high priest took Jesus in, they might start persecuting his disciples next.

And when we turn to verse 17, his denial of Jesus confirms this. When the servant girl asks Peter if he is a disciple of Jesus, he quickly denies any connection to Jesus.

While Jesus is outnumbered and surrounded by the high priests, Pharisees, and Sadducees, as if he were in a lion’s den. Peter is enjoying his cozy fire pit, courtesy of those very people who are now putting Jesus on trial.

Not only did Peter reject knowing Jesus, but he also took comfort amongst God’s enemies.

Later in verse 25, Peter was still there warming himself, and again he was being recognised as Jesus’s disciple and again he denied Jesus.

And finally, in verse 26, one of the high priest’s servants who was a relative to the other servant whose ear Peter had cut off, ask “didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” From his question, we can most certainly say that he was there when Jesus was arrested.

Yet in verse 27, Peter, once again, without hesitation, denied Jesus.

The one who promised to lay down his life for Jesus, now decidedly denies Jesus three times to save himself.

And then immediately a rooster crowed.

Earlier in John 13:38, Jesus doubted Peter:

38 … “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly I tell you, a rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times.

Surely, at that moment, no one, including Peter himself, believed that he would deny Christ. And certainly not three times in the next couple of hours.

And what a contrast it is, that while Peter is denying Jesus out of fear. Inside, Jesus stands firm and denies nothing.

Even though Jesus knew that Peter would deny him, Jesus remained faithful to Peter.

In verse 19, when Jesus was brought before Annas, Jesus was being questioned on two things.

First were his disciples, and second were his teachings.

As Jesus defended himself, one of the officials took matters into his own hands and slapped Jesus, but this also revealed the true intent of everyone present.

Even though they might seem to persecute Jesus on theological grounds, their only goal is to get rid of Jesus once and for all. They seek to dissolve this new movement that had begun with Jesus, fearing that the Romans would strip them of their power and control over the Jews.

And note the irony in what this official says when he slaps Jesus. He says, “Is this the way you answer the high priest?”

The irony here is that Jesus is, in fact, the only true high priest in the room and in the world. Not Annas or Caiaphas, but Jesus.

And once again, Jesus is tempted but did not sin.

He remained faithful to the Father and to his disciples.

He is not like Annas or Caiaphas, who are faithful only to themselves.

Jesus is our true high priest who is always faithful to us.

And so when Jesus was being questioned, Jesus stood firm and denied nothing, whereas Peter gave in and denied everything.

Jesus is the true high priest, who is always faithful, and does not sin even when tempted.

And in our weaknesses and as we wrestle with our sins, even if you think you are too dirty and too sinful and too unworthy to come back to Jesus. Even if you think you have effectively denied Christ because of the numerous defeats you’ve endured in the face of sin.

Please remember that this is not the final verdict for the Apostle Peter, and it won’t be the final verdict for you.

Just before Jesus’ denials, Jesus prayed for Peter. In chapter 17, Jesus prayed that his disciples would be protected from the evil one.

Not only that, at the end of John, Jesus did restore Peter, and God loved him and greatly used him.

Jesus is our true high priest who prays for us before we sin and invites us back to God when we do.

And so, let us be assured of the life that we have in Jesus, because Jesus is our true high priest, who is always faithful. Our life is hidden with him.

And he is not just the priest, but he is also the sacrifice.

And so let’s move to our second point: Jesus, our true sacrifice, who is our Passover lamb.

Jesus is our true sacrifice, who is our Passover lamb (v.28-32)

As we begin our second point, let’s turn to our Bibles and look at verse 28:

28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. They did not enter the headquarters themselves; otherwise they would be defiled and unable to eat the Passover.

From our previous section, we know that the Priests and the Pharisee’s goal is to remove Jesus.

And they have something specific in mind; they wanted Jesus to be crucified.

And to achieve that, they need two things.

First, they need to be quick, because the Passover feast is coming and they cannot hold Jesus as a prisoner forever.

Second, they need the Romans to do it.

Even though the Jewish court, or the Sanhedrin, has judicial power over all Jewish affairs. The Sanhedrin had no legal authority to carry out capital punishment under Roman occupation.

And so, we find in verse 28 that Caiaphas has taken over from Annas because Caiaphas is the legitimate high priest, and they have brought Jesus before Pilate early in the morning.

But John, interestingly, provides us with one extra detail, one narrative comment, that no other Gospels provide.

John says here that none of the priests, Pharisees or Jews entered the Governor’s headquarters because if they entered, they would be defiled and could not eat the Passover.

Now, in those days, entering a gentile’s residence may render a person ceremonially unclean, and members of the Sanhedrin must not miss any day of the Passover due to their role and status in the Jewish community. And so, they stood outside instead.

And this again reveals their hypocrisy and the evil that is in their hearts.

These Jews only follow the law on the outside, but not on the inside; they are filled with evil and wickedness. They are careful to avoid ritual uncleanness, yet they are very willing to seek and ensure the death of an innocent man.

And in verse 28, Pilate come out to meet them, yet he refuses to comply with the demands of the Sanhedrin without proper evidence and investigation himself.

Pilate wants to know for sure that Jesus is guilty and deserves death by crucifixion.

In Pilates’ eyes, this is no different from us calling the police because your other family member keeps losing the house keys or always spends too much on food and groceries.

To Pilate, these are Jewish internal affairs, and Pilate is not so easily tricked into doing their dirty work for them.

So in verse 31, Pilate, being unconvinced, tells them to resolve this matter by themselves.

But the Jews insisted, “It is not legal for us to put anyone to death.”

Jesus must be put to death.

And here again, in verse 32, John gives us another narrative comment. He writes:

32 They said this so that Jesus’s words might be fulfilled indicating what kind of death he was going to die.

Because Jesus has already said in John 12, that the Son of Man must be lifted up, and indeed this is being fulfilled.

And so with the narrative comment that John made earlier in verse 28 and this one in verse 32, John connects the passover with Jesus’ death on the cross.

Verse 28 shows us that the law that came from Moses is weak and useless in changing the heart.

And so on one hand, while the Jews, the priests and the religious leaders are keeping the law, but on the other hand, they are willing to use the Roman judicial system to murder the man who alone is the true passover.

Jesus is not only the true high priest, he is also our true sacrifice, our Passover lamb.

While the Passover celebrates God’s amazing rescue of his people, the Israelites, from Egypt’s rule, Jesus’s crucifixion will make him the true Passover lamb whose death will rescue the world from Satan’s rule.

Jesus, being without sin, is the perfect spotless lamb who will take away the sins of the world.

And so, the mistake that the Jews are making is one that brings eternal consequences, and it is a reminder for all of us, Christians and non-Christians, not to make that mistake.

The truth is, our response to Jesus matters. Our response to the truth of Jesus matters.

Your decision whether to receive Jesus as Lord or to reject him according to your own law has real consequences.

But there is another truth: if God loves you so much that He is willing to give up His own Son as the perfect, spotless Passover Lamb for a sinner like you, then you can have full assurance that when you turn to Christ, you are indeed forgiven.

No matter how godless your life before Christ was, or how much your past life and sins haunt you, know that Jesus is our true sacrifice, our Passover lamb who took our sins away.

Praise God.

And finally, as we move to our third and final point, we will discover that Jesus is not only our true high priest, our true sacrifice, but he is also our true king.

Jesus is our true king, who rules with grace and truth (v.33-37)

So let’s move to our third and final truth about Jesus. Jesus is our true king, who rules with grace and truth

Now, I’m not sure if you know, but a few Chinese emperors back in the day would disguise themselves as commoners and would roam the streets hoping to know the truth about their own kingdom, their people and their needs. Emperor Qianlong, who reigned for 61 years, was one of them.

Now I think there is something similar about what Jesus does when he entered the world. In a sense, you can say Jesus is God in disguise. But that’s where the similarities end.

Instead of seeking the truth about his kingdom, its people, and their needs. Jesus brings the truth of his kingdom, reveals it to the people, and graciously provides what they most need.

Jesus’ kingship is not like the kings of this world. He does not rule with fear and lies, but Jesus rules with grace and truth. This is what Pilate fails to understand and refuses to learn.

In verse 33, Pilate asks Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Pilate wants to know if there is any truth in the people’s claim about Jesus.

But Jesus’ reply in verse 34 shows that he is more concerned about Pilate’s standing before God than his own standing before Pilate. Jesus wants to know where Pilate’s heart is before answering him.

Pilate then quickly drew a line between him and Jesus with his reply in verse 35, “I’m not a Jew, am I?”

For Pilate, whether Jesus is king of the Jews or not, it does not concern him…because Pilate has said it, he’s not a Jew. Therefore, Jesus is not his king.

And his follow-up question, “What have you done?” shows that Pilate believes Jesus must have something more serious, or else why would they ask Jesus to be crucified? He believes Jesus can tell him the truth.

In verse 36, Jesus did tell him the truth, but it wasn’t the truth Pilate was looking for.

Instead, Jesus tells him the truth about his kingdom, and his kingdom is not of this world.

And since Jesus insists he has a kingdom of his own, Pilate then asks in verse 37, “You are a king then?”

And here Jesus tells Pilate the very truth that this world needs: Jesus is the king, he was the eternal word, the Son of God, who became flesh, entered our world, so that the truth and grace of God are revealed to the world and those who believe may have life.

And Jesus tells Pilate that those who believe the truth of Jesus listen to his voice, in other words, Jesus is extending a personal invitation to Pilate because Jesus knows that the one who is truly in chains is not Jesus but Pilate.

And this brings us to verse 38, the million-dollar question, or should I say, the eternal life question that Pilate asks, “what is truth?”

Now, given that Pilate does not live in the post-modern or post-truth world, I don’t want to dismiss him too quickly and say Pilate does not believe objective truth exists.

But Pilate was too quick to dismiss whatever desire he had for the truth, even when the truth was literally right in front of him.

He was in a hurry to get about his day and to resolve this random Jewish religious affair that arrived at his doorstep.

And because of this, he misses the most important truth about Jesus. That Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah, God’s chosen king. And all who believe in him will have life in his name.

Jesus did not come into the world to deliver the Jews from Roman occupation; Jesus came into the world to deliver us from our sins.

And this is the truth that all other truths are ordered unto.

And this is the third reason why Jesus is the only truth that matters: Jesus is our true king, who rules with grace and truth.

We can debate politics, history, philosophy, theology, and much more. But at the end of the day, the most important truth that we need to know is that Jesus is our true king, because salvation cannot be found under another name.

So the question for us is, is Jesus your king, and do you recognise you are a sinner in need of forgiveness?

Jesus says, “Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

So is it his voice that you listen to?

Can you discern the voice of God amidst the constant noise of this world?

Or is God’s voice drowned out by our own thoughts and desires that echoes in our hearts?

Jesus is our true king; let us submit to his rule and let his grace and truth fill our hearts and our ears.

This is why Jesus came into the world, to redeem us from a kingdom of empty works and lies into a kingdom of grace and truth.

Conclusion: What is truth?

As we finish, let us be reminded once again that truth matters, and the most important truth that we all need to know is that we are all sinners under God’s wrath and judgement.

But today we have noted three assuring reasons why Jesus is the truth that saves, because he is our true high priest, our true sacrifice and our true king.

And so if you believe in Jesus, then praise God, you can be certain you are forgiven and today you have eternal life with God.

And if you have yet to place your trust in Jesus, I pray that our sermon today will move you one step closer to the truth and perhaps get you across the line.

Amen.