Focusing on Christ Sentence
John 18:28-40
Introduction
A. Sporting events are great
B. To be there and to hear the crowed totally get it to it
C. Maybe someone from the home team made a great dunk and the next thing you know you have 30,000 people screaming with Joy
D. Maybe the ref makes a horrible call and 30,000 people begin to boo
E. It is amazing on how many people will follow what other start
F. Some will start yelling here we go Steelers Here we go and next thing that you know 60,000 people are saying it
G. We as humans tend to do whatever everyone else is doing
H. However, that might be the worst mistake we could make
I. We often throw truth right out the window
J. Today we are going to see what happens when we
a. Avoid Truth
b. Reject Truth
c. Forget Truth
I. Truth Avoided (28-32)
A. Explanation
1. After everything had transpired last night, early in the morning the Jews led their mob to Pilate
2. They wake Pilate up, Got Pilate to come to where they were, rather then coming to Pilate’s home
a) This is for a reason. It was during Passover and they did not want to be unclean
b) If you were to step foot in a Gentile house, you were unclean
c) The Passover you were not allowed to have any leaven. Leaven, was a common household item, therefore Pilate probably had some in his house, hence that would make them unclean
3. Keep in mind that the Jews were under Roman control
a) Being under Roman control meant that they could not order someone to death. Therefore they had to have Pilate sentence Christ to death
b) This is very interesting to note, Jewish form of capital punishment was stoning
c) However, the Romans used the crucifixion. Why is that important?
d) Jesus Himself predicated that he would be lifted up. (Read John 12:32)
4. Notice what Pilate says in verse 31. (Read 31) He does not want anything to do with this
5. There is a reason for that. Pilate did not have the greatest track record. He had been given some severe discipline for his stupid actions.
a) Let me give you a for instance. In Jerusalem there was an inadequate water supply. So Pilate decided to do something about it, he was going to build a better aqueduct to carry enough water. Here is the problem though; in order to fund this project he stole the money out of the Jewish Temple. The Jews opposed the aqueduct and would openly demonstrate the discontentment on the open street. Pilate got scared and dressed his soldiers up as citizens and ordered them to kill the Jews as soon as they got out of hand. Well Pilate was reported to the Emperor and the Emperor was not pleased
6. Because of all this Pilate did not want to get involved, However, the Jews basically blackmailed him, telling him that if he didn’t step in this matter that they would report him for one thing or another
B. Application
1. Fascinating story Pastor Dan, but who cared what does that have to do with me
2. Pilate had a chance to do the correct thing
3. This was not a matter of Roman Law, this was Jewish Religion
4. Pilate could have dismissed the charges and it would have been over
5. There are times in our lives were we have the opportunity to stand up for the truth
6. However we do not take it. WE become afraid
7. We worry that we might loose our job, our friend, our respect in the community
8. We need to be willing to stand up for the truth
9. We need to be willing to choose truth over popularity
10. We need to choose Christ over Friends
C. Illustration
1. Some story about someone taking the less popular Choice and Choosing God
II. Truth Rejected (33-37)
A. Explanation
1. Pilate was curious in religion, I would not say that he is a religious person, but fascinated by it
2. So Pilate ask the question “Are you the King of Jews”
3. Seems like an easy enough question, however, Jesus is all knowing he understood the motives behind the question
4. Jesus responds with the “Is that your own idea, or did you let others come up with it”
5. Jesus knowing that Pilate was a wimp and just did what people wanted him to do shocked Pilate with his response
6. So of course Pilate was too proud for his own good, and he responded with the silly Am I a Jew
7. He did this to try and claim that he was too good to know the Jewish customs and culture
8. The only thing that he accomplished though was making himself look like an idiot. He then wanted Jesus to state his side of the story
9. Jesus proves His Divinity with the statement of in verse 36.
10. Pilate realizes that he is completely outmatched, is just over whelmed by this
11. Jesus then makes a great statement, Everyone on the side of truth listens to me
B. Application
1. What can we learn from all of this?
2. The whole Jewish nation was against Christ
3. Christ knew that everyone on the side of truth was on His side
4. What we do when we reject Christ is that we reject truth
5. So many people out there today are looking for truth
6. Every body want to know what truth is
7. Truth is Christ
8. Christ is the truth
9. To reject Christ is to reject truth
10. To accept Christ is to accept Truth
C. Illustration
1. Look at this little Bobble head. Now this particular Bobble head dates back to 1776. Back when the people were writing the Declaration of Independence they used this for is special powers. Today it is worth 3 million Dollars. Do I have any bidders?
2. That is absurd to believe a story like that. You know that it is not true
3. However, that is how silly we look when we do not recognize that Jesus is Truth.
III. Truth Forgotten (38-40)
A. Explanation
1. In Vs. 38 Pilate makes a peculiar statement. What is truth? Now the question is how do you interpret that question
2. If you apply it to the context you will realized a couple of things
a) Pilate had everything going for him, job, and money success…
b) However, Pilate knew that despite all these things there was something missing in his life
c) He had just spend a long time with Jesus, and if you read Romans 1-3 you soon realize that you will always be attracted to Jesus
d) So here is Pilate caught in a dilemma
e) He Knew that Christ was The Way the Truth and the Life, however, he was to chicken to admit it
f) So as far as we know he never accept Christ as his personal savior because he was chicken
3. Pilate then asks the crowed who he should release as it custom during the Passover feast.
4. The crowed tells him to release Barabbas
a) Barabbas is an interesting study. That is his last name, kind of like Jesus of Nazarene. There are many leading scholars who believe that his first name was Jesus. This was a common Greek name, translate Joshua
b) With that in mind imagine the crowed yelling release Jesus Barabbas, crucify Jesus of Nazarene.
c) Now Barabbas was basically a Robin Hood type. He did not like the Romans, and he would rob them. Remember the story of the Good Samaritan. The traveler was beaten and robed. Many feel this is the type of thing that Barabbas did but of course he had Robin Hood status because of who he was robbing
d) Therefore the popular person was Barabbas
5. It is funny when you think about earlier in the week when Christ arrived to a parade how quickly people forgot the truth
B. Application
1. So what, who cares, what does that have to do with me?
2. WE do the same exact thing we start off following the truth
3. WE have every intention to continue to follow the truth
4. But something happens
5. I don’t know, maybe we will get some news that we do not want to hear
6. Maybe we will have people pulling us away
7. Maybe we will see our friends and they seem to be having a better time then we are
8. The slowly we begin to compromise
9. WE begin to fall away from the Truth
C. Illustration
1. This whole Iraq mess weird. A couple of weeks ago everyone in America seems to support that war. Now the support is way down. Does that mean there is anymore or any less reason to go to war? No it has nothing to do with that. It is public opinion
2. WE have to realize that public opinion does not equal truth
3. Christ is the only truth and we must never forget that.
Conclusion
A. One of our favorite things to do as humans is to criticize the Jewish people for their actions
B. “WE would never do such a thing”
C. “That is terrible what they did to Him”
D. Here is the problem, when we disobey God, we call that sin, we are shouting Crucify Him
E. We are rejecting the Truth
F. By disobeying God we are rejecting the Truth
G. They same thing the Jewish people did
H. We need to change that
I. Turn to Psalm 51 Verse 10-12
J. Let that be our Prayer
Create In Me a Clean Heart O God
