The Work of the Son: "He Came to Bear Witness to the Truth"

Text: John 18:33-40

Theme: He came into this world to "bear witness unto the truth."

On previous Sunday evenings we have seen two examples of the work of the Son in the world. 1st, He Cam to rescue a lover. 2nd, He came to destroy an enemy. In tonight’s text, we see that He Came to Proclaim the Truth. Christ came to bear witness—the Greek word for witness here is martyr—he came to bear witness of the truth. We might say that Jesus came to become a martyr for truth. Everything about him—his birth, his life, his ministry, his teaching, his death, and his resurrection—all bear witness to "the truth” ... God is at work in the world. John Piper says of this phrase, "It is ‘THE TRUTH’, not ‘a truth’ for me and [a] different truth for you, but THE TRUTH for all of us. Unchanging, absolute."

Every generation of Christians has had to defend the faith against attack. That attack often came in different ways at different points. Throughout the ages the church has had to defend certain doctrines of the faith, while at other times guard against adding to the faith. Very early in the life of the church the doctrine of the resurrection had to be defended. AT other times Jesus’ humanity has had to be defended. Beginning in the 19th century, the bible had to be defended against the Modernist who denied the supernatural, especially the miraculous. Throughout all of church history there has been the never-ending battle to protect the simplicity of the gospel ... our dependence on God’s grace, his unmerited favor, for salvation.

The primary battle the church has been waging over the last sixty years is the fight for objective truth, or, more subtly, the ability of human beings to know objective truth, and hence to be held responsible for knowing it and accountable to God for what they do about it. As far back as the 1960's an Evangelical pastor and theologian name Francis Schaeffer saw the coming peril for the church. He wrote in his 1968 book The God Who is There, that “The present chasm between the generations has been brought about almost entirely by a change in the concept of truth….This change in the concept of the way we come to knowledge about truth is the most crucial problem, as I understand it, facing Christianity today.” So important did Schaeffer consider this shift in humanity’s way of knowing truth, that he coined the awkward phrase “true truth.” In other words, if something is true then it is really true and if really true then the opposite is false.

Unfortunately, this is no longer true. We live in a relativistic culture where truth is what you make it to be, and multiply propositions can be true even if they are controdictary. While most arguments throughout history have focused on rival claims to truth, our culture right now rejects the very notion of truth as fixed, universal, objective, or absolute. This is why in 21st century America a man can insist that he’s a woman, and the culture says, “That’s her truth, and you’ve got to support her delusion. And if you don’t support her/his truth-claim, we’re going to shame you into oblivion.” ILLUS. Some of you may know the name Martina Navratilova. Between 1975 to 1995 she was considered the top woman’s tennis player in the world, and one of the best player of all time. She is a Lesbian, married to another Lesbian, an outspoken feminist and LGBTQ supporter. (In other words, Martina is no social conservative). But last year she ran afoul of the “T” in that sexual alphabet when she had the temerity to say that transcended women should not be allowed to compete against cis-genderd women. She was immediately labeled as transphobic, and a hater.

The Christian tradition understands truth as established by God, and revealed through the self-revelation of God in Scripture. Truth is eternal, fixed, and universal. Our responsibility is to order our minds in accordance with God’s revealed truth, and to, like Jesus, bear witness to this truth. So tonight, let’s take a few moments and talk about ‘truth’.

I. THE TRUTH IS NOT ALWAYS AS IT SEEMS

1. Jesus has been arrested (v.12), bound (v.12), beaten (v.22), and taken to the judgment hall

2. Pilate, the Roman Governor, looks at Jesus and says incredulously, "Are you a King?" (v.33)

a. Pilate had a hard time believing the leaders of Israel could feel threatened by the man standing before him

"Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” (John 18:35, NASB95)

1) Pilate looks at Jesus and sees a peasant—a country-bumpkin with a rural accent

b. he does not see God incarnate

1) but that is exactly who Jesus is!

3. there are times when men do not recognize truth—even when it is staring them in the face

a. the truth is not always as it seems and God delights in this

"For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (1 Corinthians 1:18-25, NASB95)

II. THE TRUTH IS NOT ALWAYS WHAT OTHERS SAY

ILLUS. I remember watching a variety show called Laugh-In when I was growing up. One of my favorite bits was Lilly Tomlin’s rendition of “Edith Ann.” Edith Ann was a little girl sitting in an over-sized rocking chair. She would tell stories—most of them quite outlandish—at the conclusion of which she would always end by saying, “And that’s the truth.” Of course there was not always a lot of truth in what Edith Ann said.

1. when Pilate first asked Christ, "Art thou the King of the Jews" (v.33), Jesus answered

"Is that your own idea, or did others talk to you about me?" (v.34 NIV)

2. the Jews were lying to Pilate

a. they were alleging Christ wanted an earthly Kingship

b. Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world" (v.36)

3. the truth is not found in the words of men, but it is found in the words of Christ

a. believers need to look at every situation and ask two fundamental questions:

1) What does Christ have to say about this?

2) What does He think of my situation?

III. THE TRUTH IS NOT ALWAYS WHAT YOU FEEL

ILLUS. We live in a culture that talks a lot about ‘intuitive truth’ based on feelings. How many times have you heard someone say, “I feel that this is true.”? It’s the postmodern proposition that ‘Our emotions never lie to us.’

1. Pilate says, "What is truth?" and walks out (v.38)

a. he then followed his feelings, not truth

2. Pilate would have fit in well in our modern world as he is himself a relativist

a. the Jewish leaders have their truth

b. Jesus is claiming his truth

c. Pilate has another truth altogether

3. Pilate’s truth is that real truth doesn’t matter ... only my truth at this moment matters

IV. THE TRUTH IS ALWAYS SEEN IN THE SAVIOR

1. Jesus told Pilate, "Everyone that is of the truth hears my voice" (v.37)

a. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh . . . therefore "He is the truth"

1) when Jesus Christ bears witness of the truth He is bearing witness to God Himself

b. the Psalmist declared, "Thy words are a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105)

2. the bottom line for the Christian is this: Whose words are you going to believe?

a. truth is always found in the person of Christ

VI. LESSONS FROM JOHN 18:33-40

A. TRUTH SANCTIFIES US

1. a knowledge of truth is what sets us apart from people who do not follow God

2. Jesus prayed that God would sanctify us by the truth

a. in our Lord’s Prayer just hours before His arrest he prayed ...

John 17:17 "Sanctify them [your people] by the truth; your word is truth." NIV

1) it is not intellectual truth that sanctifies us

2) it is not philosophical truth that sanctifies us

3) it is not religious truth that sanctifies us

4) and it is certainly not scientific truth that sanctifies us

b. it is God’s truth that blesses and consecrates us

1) that truth is revealed to us through the pages of the Scriptures

2) that truth is absolute

c. truth is a compass for our lives – only when we hear the truth, and trust the truth can we know how to live in the truth

1) the Bible is the standard by which all other truth-claims must be judged

2) if they conflict with the Word of God they must be rejected as falsehood

4. truth sanctifies us

B. TRUTH GUIDES US

1. the Holy Spirit uses truth to guide us in whatever circumstances we’re in

John 16:13 "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." NIV

a. just as communications are crucial on the physical battlefield, so is the Holy Spirit’s guidance via truth on the spiritual battlefield

b. Satan, his demons, and men under the domination their evil influence are liars and deceivers

1) God, however, speaks only truth – Heb. 6:18 saying “... God cannot lie ... “

2. when we gird up our loins with truth, we are protected from one of Satan’s most effective weapons: discouragement through lies

a. Satan will lie to you about God

b. Satan will lie to you about you

c. Satan will lie to you about the consequences of sin

d. Satan will lie to you about the rewards of righteousness

3. Satan attempts to deceive us, confuse us, blind us, and keep us in a state of ignorance

4. Satan will persuade us to trust experience and emotion or common sense or human philosophy, or logical reasoning instead of God’s Word

5. Christians need to learn to become sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit in their life

a. it is the Spirit of God who will guide us into all truth

C. TRUTH ILLUMINATES US

1. in any military engagement, intelligence gathering and its interpretation are crucial to winning the battle

a. in our battle with the world, the flesh, and the devil the more we know about our enemies and how they work, the more prepared we will be for the battle

b. the Bible has a word for this spiritual intelligence gathering – it’s called discernment

1) truth – God’s truth – sheds light on the enemy’s tactics and strategies and illuminates them for what they are – snares and traps

Romans 8:5-7 "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so." NIV

2. God’s word reveals truth that helps us decisively recognize the devil’s lies and strategies in spiritual conflicts

Romans 12:2 "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." NIV

3. truth illuminates us

D. TRUTH READIES US

1. we must be constantly prepared for spiritual battle since we never know for sure from where the enemy will strike

a. some times the enemy mounts a full-scale frontal assault across the broad spectrum of our lives

b. but more often than not, the enemy uses subtle guerilla tactics, relentlessly picking at our weak spots

1) the Bible tells us that the devil is like a lion patiently stalking his prey

2) what do lions do? – they look for the hurt, the crippled, the unwary and the animal that strays too far from the herd

3) those are the animals that lions attack

c. Satan does the same in praying on Christians – he looks for the emotionally hurt, the spiritually crippled, the intellectually unwary, or the believer who have strayed away from the fellowship of the church

1) these are the believers whom he makes lunch of

2) this is why Paul tells the Ephesian believers: Finally, “ ... be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might,” (Eph. 6:10)

2. truth must be embedded in two places – our heart, and our mind

a. we must have truth within our hearts

2 Corinthians 1:12 "Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God’s grace." NIV

1) when the New Testament refers to your heart it is not referring to the muscle in your chest that pumps blood throughout your circulatory system

2) when the New Testament refers to your heart it is referring to your attitudes, your emotions, and your will – what we commonly call personality

3) in other words, does God’s truth permeate your entire personalty?

4) truth in our hearts makes us sincere and teachable before God

b. we must have truth within our minds

1 Peter 1:13-15 "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;" NIV

1) Satan’s chief aim is to substitute God’s truth with his lies

ILLUS. Consider Eve in the Garden. When approached by the serpent, Eve had the choice to believe God’s Word or Satan’s lie. Notice her thought process expressed in Genesis 3:6: “the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom.” She conformed to evil desires because in her mind, she reasoned that Satan’s lie was more truthful than God’s true Truth! God’s word was not firmly planted in her mind.

4. truth in Christ can never be set aside

a. Satan fights with lies and sometimes his lies sound like truth

b. but believers have God’s truth, which defeat Satan’s lies

We do not believe that the Christian gospel is a socially constructed truth, but the Truth which sets sinners free from sin. I is objectively, universally, historically true. This truth is deep offensive to the relativistic modern mind. It’s one thing for us to say, “Well, Christianity is my truth.” But to dare say that Christianity is “The truth” will make the world go nuts in a hurry. As Francis Schaeffer tells us, the Christian Church must forever contend for true truth.