John 18 “He Is The Truth”

Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.” (vv.37-38)

In our text Jesus' answer to this question, "Are You a king then?" interested Pilate. He didn’t mind religious leaders among the Jews, even crazy ones, as long as they kept the peace and did not challenge the rule of Rome. A rival king though might change the status quo, and Pilate wanted to investigate this. 

In His response Jesus did not deny that He was a king. In fact He insisted that He was born a king, and to be a different kind of King. He came to be a King of Truth, that He should bear witness to the truth. 

Pilate’s cynical response, "What is truth?" showed he thought Jesus’ claim to be a King of Truth was foolish, and that there was no truth in the kind of spiritual kingdom Jesus represented. For Pilate, soldiers and armies were truth, Rome was truth, Caesar was truth, and political power was truth. So in Pilate’s reasoning, there was no room for spiritual truth, let alone a spiritual kingdom.

This exchange with Jesus was the closest Pilate would come to life’s greatest discovery. The Roman politician had asked the right question of the right Person, and his answer was standing before him. But instead of falling to his knees in repentance, confession, and faith, he could only pass off the answer by concluding, “I find no fault in Him.”

Sooner or later, all of us find ourselves in Pilate’s position, where we must decide what to do with the Man who claims what no other can claim—that He is the truth. Millions of people down through the centuries have found Jesus’ life, His words, and His resurrection to be convincing evidence of His credibility. And they have concluded that knowing the truth must begin with a personal relationship with Christ.

Have you found the answer to life’s most important question? If not, consider Jesus’ statement in John 14:6.

The Truth: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

John 17 “A Prayer of Unity”

“I pray for these men. But I am also praying for all people that will believe in me because of the teaching of these men. Father, I pray that all people that believe in me can be one.” (v.20-21)

Here Jesus is not only praying for His disciples but, also for all those who would come to believe in Him through them. That includes you and me. He looked beyond this first generation of believers and saw those whom the gospel would reach around the world. His prayer for them and for us, is that we would be unified as one. That we would believe God sent Jesus to be the Savior of mankind. Not just to the Jews, but the gentiles as well.

Therefore brothers and sisters we are one in Christ and should be united together in our service to Him in whatever He has called us to do. Charlie Kirk was one who did just that. A true believer in unity, he saw beyond the educational dogma of those who wish to indoctrinate the young and offered them another view through open discussion. He presented to all those who were searching for truth, an answer. 

Though his life was taken in hate, his legacy of love lives in the hearts of those he touched. His life was spent loving others and seeking to bring unity to a greatly divided culture. RIP Charlie, and thank you for your enduring example of Christian love. 

The Truth: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)

John 16 "He Has Overcome The World"

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (v.33)

Here, hours before His crucifixion, Jesus has been reminding His disciples of all His previous assurances; His promises of peace, of courage, and victory over all the evil power of this world. Why? that they may find peace. He also reminds them that in this world (controlled by satin) they will have trials and tribulations and will be hated for His sake - persecuted, afflicted and tormented. But, He adds, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Jesus did not promise peace; He offered it. He said, “that you may have peace.” People may follow Jesus yet deny themselves this peace. We gain the peace Jesus offered by finding it in Him. We won’t find real peace anywhere else other than in Jesus. He made the way to peace with God - "Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:1)

Jesus also said, "In the world you shall have tribulation." Peace is offered to us, but tribulation is promised. When we become Christians we may bring fewer problems upon ourselves, but we definitely still have them. Understanding this removes a false hope. Struggling Christians often hope for the day when they will laugh at temptation and there will be one effortless victory after another. We are promised struggle as long as we are in this world; yet there is peace in Jesus.

In His statement, Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world: Jesus proclaimed the truth of His victory. This was an amazing statement from a man about to be arrested, forsaken, rejected, mocked, tortured and executed. Why? Because neither Judas, the religious authorities, Pilate, the crowd, the soldiers or even death and the grave could not overcome Him. Instead, Jesus could truly say, “I have overcome the world.” If it was true then, it’s even truer now. Therefore, be of good cheer!

The Truth: “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” (Revelation 12:10-11) 

John 15 “I Am The Vine”

“I am the vine, you are the branches: He that stays in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing.” (v.5)

Simply put Jesus is saying as long as we stay connected to Him (the vine), we (the branches) will remain spiritually nourished and bear fruit. But, break that connection and we will begin to spiritually wither and die, and like a broken branch, we will not blossom - bear fruit.

Staying in Jesus means digging into His Word and filling our hearts and minds with His nourishing truth. This strengthens our inner man and prepares us to share with others (as the spirit leads), feeding them from the fruit we have developed by abiding in Christ.

However, break that connection and we will be as useless as a fig tree without figs, or a grape vine without grapes. We can do nothing for Him because our witness, our testimony, our walk, has become lifeless, withered and unfruitful.

The Truth: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” (John 15:4)

John 14 "I Am The Way"

 “Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.” (v.6)

Here Jesus is saying He is the way to heaven and all those who wish to go there, must come through Him. By His sacrifice, He became the way of salvation itself and there is no other name under heaven by which one can enter in.

Jesus is also declaring Himself to be the truth, meaning truth itself. He is the fulfillment of all the prophecies of the savior, the true way to eternal life purchased through His obedience to death, even the death of the cross. Furthermore,  Jesus is life, both the principle source of life, and life in the future world. He is the author and giver of life; natural, spiritual, and eternal.

Finally, He is the only way of access to the Father. There is no coming to God on our own merit or without a mediator. Christ is the only mediator between God and man, and there is no coming to the Father but by Him.

The Truth: "I Am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die." (John 11:25-26) 

John 13 “Love One Another””

“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (v.35)

Jesus spoke of love often during His ministry, encouraging all His followers to; "Love the Lord their God with all their heart, all their soul and all their mind" (Matthew 22:31), to "Love your neighbor as yourselves" (Matthew 22:39); and even to “Love your enemies" (Matthew 5:44).

Now Jesus is giving His disciples a new commandment, to  "love one another." Therefore, in light of Jesus's teachings (which His disciples bore witness to), this seems like a very strange command. Why would He feel the need to say this? The first part of our text gives us the answer, "All will know that you are My disciples, IF you have love for one another."

Love is the ID card of the Christian. It is the outward sign to those around us that we identify with Him. The Apostle Paul describes this kind of brotherly love in first letter to the Corinthians, "Love like this suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

This is the type of love which allows us to have peace in the middle of the storms and trials of life. This kind of love binds us together and draws others to it. May your life be marked with His love for others.

The Truth
"For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another." (1 John 3:11)

John 12 “Lazarus, A Living Testimony”

Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also because, on account of him, many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus." (vv.9-11) 

The chief priests were for the most part Sadducees (Acts 5:11). Their hostile attitude is shown in that, while no charge is brought against Lazarus, they took counsel on how they might kill him, and watched for their opportunity. Why? because his life was a living witness to the divinity of Jesus Christ, and a denial of their own doctrine that there is no resurrection (Acts 23:8). 

During this time many Jews were coming to Bethany, not only because Jesus was there, but to see the risen Lazarus as well. What a testimony he must have had. The truths he must have spoken giving honor and glory to God. As a result, Christ’s followers were increasing while the priests and Pharisees followers were decreasing. Therefore, they consulted to take the life of Lazarus and Jesus as well, to preserve their positions.

Today there are those who are consulting to kill the Gospel, trying to legislate God out of existence. But your changed life, your resurrected soul, can be a living witness to the power of the gospel. And like Lazarus, you can bring many to Christ by sharing your testimony of what God has done for you. 

The Truth: “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.” (2 Peter 1:16)

John 11 "Do You Believe?"

"Jesus said to her (Martha), I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Believe you this?” (v.25-26)

Here Jesus is once again speaking to Martha of the resurrection. But this time He states, “I Am the resurrection." Signifying He is able to raise men from death to life and that He could do it now. Literally telling her not to worry, your brother Lazarus will rise. 

Martha is so grief stricken she does not make the connection. She believes in the resurrection of believers “in the last day”(v.24), but, did not see it as a possibility this day. However, from the moment Jesus heard Lazarus was sick He knew, “It was not unto death, but for the glory of God. That the Son of God might be glorified thereby” (v.4), and men would acknowledge Him for who He is.

Today many are sick unto death, but there is a remedy for all who believe. Just as Lazarus’s was raised from physical death and was resurrected to glorify the Father and the Son, so all who believe in Jesus may be resurrected from spiritual death to glorify the Son and the Father. Fro He has concurred sin, death, hell, and the grave (1 Corinthians 15:55-56). 

Thanks be to God!  

The Truth: Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You.” (John 17:1)