‌‌Who can you trust with the truth?

Introduction

Pilate’s Question: “What Is Truth?”

We have a story told by John 18 where Jesus stands before Pilate. Pilate is trying to understand who Jesus really is. Jesus makes it clear that He is a King, but His kingdom is not like the kingdoms of this world. His mission is to bear witness to the truth, and He says that everyone who belongs to the truth listens to His voice. Pilate then responds with a question that still echoes today.

John 18:37–38 (KJV)

37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.

That moment is one of the most tragic in all of Scripture. Pilate was face-to-face with the Son of God, who said, “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.” (John 18:37).

And yet Pilate, representing the world’s power and intellect, dismissed Him with a cynical shrug.

That scene could be replayed in our generation. We live in an age overflowing with opinions but starving for truth. Everyone claims to “speak their truth.” The question Pilate asked still echoes.

Who can you trust with the truth?

John gives us the answer in this passage: You can trust the Lord who warned you, the Spirit who teaches you, and the Word that keeps you.

This letter is written for our day too, because deception has not disappeared—it has diversified and is multiplied.. We live in a world filled with voices, platforms, and screens, all preaching something. The danger of our age is not that we lack information, but that we are drowning in tailor-made illusions. Algorithms feed us what we want; God’s Word confronts us with what we need.

So John invites us to remember what is certain.

1. You Can Trust the Lord Who Warned You (v.18-19)

A. He told us deception would come.

1 John 2:18 “18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.”

We are living in the last time.

The “last time” is the entire period between Christ’s first coming and His second coming; the final era in God’s plan of redemption.

Think of it like this: if the Bible were a play, we’re in the last act. Jesus has already stepped onto the stage. The curtain hasn’t fallen yet, but the story is wrapping up.

Jesus told us what would happen.

Matthew 24:24 “24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”

Jesus was not trying to shock us. He was preparing us, so we wouldn’t be surprised when the lies show up.

God’s care is seen even in His cautions.

The fact that He told us deception would come shows His fatherly protection.

Every warning in Scripture is evidence that God loves His people enough to prepare them for the battle.

B. He told us who the deceivers are.

1 John 2:18 “18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.”

The prefix “anti” means both against and instead of.

Every false teacher either opposes Christ or replaces Him with a counterfeit.

In John’s day, false teachers—often called Gnostics—claimed Jesus only appeared to be human, denying His incarnation.

Every era has its own “antichrists.”

They wear different clothes, but they share the same purpose—to distort the truth about Jesus Christ.

The spirit of antichrist is not just theological—it’s cultural.

It whispers, “Jesus is good, but not God.

You need love, not repentance. You need affirmation, not transformation.

This spirit saturates modern thinking. It’s not limited to pulpits—it flows through movies, music, and even algorithms that promise “your truth” on demand.

This is something I love about church and sermons. You can’t swipe up and make me disappear. It may be the only content you receive this week not curated by an algorithm designed to keep you comfortable, entertained, and endlessly scrolling. Algorithms feed us what we want; God’s Word confronts us with what we need. One leads to captivity of the mind, the other to freedom in Christ.

C. He told us how to tell who’s real.

1 John 2:19 “19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.”

Leaving reveals belonging.

When someone walks away from Jesus, it does not mean they lost something real. It shows they never had it.

Real faith is rooted in Christ Himself, not in cultural Christianity or temporary emotion.

Perseverance proves, it does not purchase.

Continuing in Christ is evidence of salvation, not the cause of it John 8:31 “31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;”

Struggles and doubts are part of the journey, but true faith cannot permanently abandon the truth it has known.

False faith eventually manifests or exposes itself.

Apostasy does not destroy genuine faith. It unmasks counterfeit faith.

Many who say they are “deconstructing” were never built on the rock of Christ. If Jesus was never the foundation, it is only rearranging furniture in a house that will not stand.

D. He told us to abide so we have confidence at His appearing.

1 John 2:28 “28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.”

Staying close is what abiding means. It’s simply living every day in connection with Jesus—trusting Him, obeying Him, depending on Him.

Living in the light of Christ’s promised return gives us perspective. In a world that mocks or opposes Christian faith, remembering the reality of His appearing keeps us faithful. in joy.

His return fuels faithfulness. The thought of Jesus coming back shouldn’t scare us—it should inspire us to stay faithful and focused today.

Transition: The Lord has warned us, not to alarm us, but to anchor us. He told us deception was coming so we wouldn’t be surprised by it—and He told us how to stand firm until He returns.

2. You Can Trust the Spirit Who Teaches You

A. The Spirit gives us discernment.

1 John 2:20–21 “20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. 21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.”

The word “unction” means anointing—a mark of ownership and empowerment from the Holy Spirit.

Every believer has this anointing. It’s not a special privilege for a few; it’s the promise of Jesus to all who belong to Him.

The Spirit enables you to know when something doesn’t sound like the Shepherd’s voice.

B. The Spirit exposes the lie.

1 John 2:22 “22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.”

Every lie eventually centers on a false view of Jesus.

Some deny His deity.

Some deny His humanity.

Some deny His exclusivity.

Some deny His authority.

Any teaching that diminishes Christ’s person or replaces His work is antichrist in spirit.

To deny Jesus is to deny the Father. To confess Jesus rightly is to know the Father fully.

Truth is not simply an idea—it is bound up in the identity of the Son of God.

C. The Spirit confirms our fellowship.

1 John 2:23 “23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”

You cannot know the Father while rejecting His Son.

To believe in Jesus is to enter fellowship with God Himself.

The Spirit affirms this relationship within the believer’s heart (Romans 8:16).

D. The Spirit guards us from deception.

[Slide] Every day we’re scrolling past an endless flood of content—videos, posts, articles, clips—that look real but aren’t. Artificial intelligence can generate convincing headlines, fake interviews, even realistic images of people who never existed. The online world is packed with things designed to look authentic but built to mislead.

1 John 2:26–27 “26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. 27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.”

1. How seduction works.

It rarely begins with outright denial—it begins with distraction.

It takes a partial truth and twists it just enough to sound appealing.

It mixes revelation with rebellion and calls it enlightenment.

The same tactic that deceived Eve—“Did God really say?”—is still in use today.

False teaching no longer comes only through pulpits—it comes through platforms.

We post our sermons on websites like SermonAudio, but the truth is this: Netflix contains more sermons than any website on earth.

We must not only ask, “What on Netflix ?” but “What does Netflix swant me to believe?” Every story carries a worldview. Every script preaches a sermon about identity, morality, and truth.

2. How the Bible exposes it.

1 John 2:24 “24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.”

The confession test: What do they say about Jesus? Anything that lowers His name or alters His nature is false.

The continuance test: Do they stay faithful to Bible truth? Genuine teachers remain rooted in the same gospel “heard from the beginning.”

The community test: Do they love God’s people? Truth produces love; lies produce division.

Every false message—whether from a pulpit, a podcast, or a screen—will fail one of those three tests.

3. How the Spirit shields you.

1 John 2:27 “27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.”

The Holy Spirit raises an inner alarm when something contradicts God’s Word (John 16:13).

He aligns your thinking with the truth of Scripture (2 Peter 1:21).

He anchors your heart in Christ so that you are not tossed about by trends and teachers.

When the world preaches its version of truth, the Spirit quietly whispers, “That’s not My voice.”

Transition: So, who can you trust with the truth? You can trust the Spirit who dwells within you—the Spirit who teaches, exposes, confirms, and protects.

3. You Can Trust the Word That Keeps You

A. The Word doesn’t change—it abides forever.

1 John 2:24 “24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.”

Truth doesn’t evolve—it endures. John points us back to the message we heard from the beginning. The gospel never needs an update.

The same gospel that saved you sustains you. What brought you into life with Christ is what keeps you in life with Christ.

In a world of constant updates, God’s Word never needs a revision. You don’t need a new version of the gospel—you need the original truth to keep running your life.

B. The Word carries God’s promise.

1 John 2:25 “25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.”

Abiding in the Word connects you to an unbreakable promise. God anchors us in the assurance of eternal life.

Eternal life is not just about duration—it is about relationship. Jesus defined it in John 17:3: “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

The Word is the channel of assurance. When you remain in the Word, the promise of life remains in you.

Eternal life begins now. Staying in the Word means you don’t just know the promise of eternal life—you live in the presence of eternal life today.

C. The Word and the Spirit work together.

1 John 2:27 “27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.”

The Spirit and Scripture never contradict.

The Spirit does not give new revelation; He gives new understanding of the revelation already given.

The same Spirit who inspired the Word illuminates it for believers today.

The Spirit teaches us not only what to know but how to live.

When you cling to the Word and listen to the Spirit, you will not be carried away by the lies of the age.

Closing and Review

Pilate’s question still echoes today: What is truth? In a world drowning in voices and platforms, John reminds us where truth is found.

You can trust the Lord who warned you. He told us deception would come, He told us who the deceivers are, and He told us how to tell who’s real. His warnings are not meant to create anxiety or fuel debate us but to prepare us.

You can trust the Spirit who teaches you. He gives discernment, exposes the lie, confirms your fellowship with the Father, and guards your heart from seduction.

You can trust the Word that keeps you. It never changes, it carries God’s promise of eternal life, and it works together with the Spirit to keep you anchored in Christ.

In a world full of lies, you can trust the Lord who warned you, the Spirit who teaches you, and the Word that keeps you.

Prayer

Call to repent

Don’t leave today shrugging at truth like Pilate. Receive the Truth. Believe on Christ. Eternal life begins the moment you trust Him.

Would you turn to Jesus today? Right where you are, call out to Him in faith: “Lord Jesus, I believe You are the truth. I turn from my sin and trust You as my Savior.”

Next Steps for Believers

1. Stay Rooted in the Word.

Fill your heart with Scripture so that counterfeits are obvious.

Let the Word of Christ dwell richly in you and in your home.

2. Stay Dependent on the Spirit.

Begin each day praying, “guide my mind and guard my heart.”

When you sense conviction, respond.

Trust His voice over the noise of the culture.

3. Stay Vigilant Against False Christs.

Test every message, every influence, every “new idea” by the Word of God.

Guard your family from entertainment that subtly erodes reverence for Christ.

Expect deception, but remember that deception never defeats the truth.