 Our sermon title this morning is Liars Judge the Lord of Truth. Liars Judge the Lord of Truth. We find that in John chapter 18 verses 28 through 38. As we began our study of John chapter 18, we first looked at the betrayal and the arrest of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane in verses 1 through 12. We next unpacked Peter's tragic denials and the Jewish or the ecclesiastical mockery of justice that they call a trial in verses 13 through 27. So now today as we come to John chapter 18 verses 28 through 38, we have the blessed opportunity from the Lord to look more closely at what is often called the civil or the Roman trial of the Lord Jesus Christ. So here in the final hours of his life, Jesus will appear briefly before Pilate. And we know from the Gospel of Luke that he'll also be sent briefly to a hearing before Herod, who is also in Jerusalem here at this time. And finally, after all is said and done, the Lord Jesus Christ is delivered to be scourged and then nailed to a Roman cross. All of this we know is according to the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God. It's important to remind ourselves of this fact. And we remember the words of Isaiah the prophet. He was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before its shears is silent. So he opened not his mouth. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities and the chastisement for our peace was upon him and by his stripes we are healed. Now in the narrative of John 18, we are meant to see by John, we're meant to see several primary themes through this section, this text of Scripture. One of those themes is the sovereign redemptive purposes and plans of Almighty God marching unwaveringly toward fulfillment. But also we're to see the Lord Jesus Christ fully God, fully man voluntarily laying down his life for his friends, having all authority and yet in perfect submission to the will of the Father, having all power and yet the perfect picture of humility. He's worthy of all praise. He's worthy of all honor. He's worthy of all glory and yet the Lord Jesus Christ subjects himself to such vile treatment at the hands of sinners is the captain of our salvation made perfect through suffering and thirdly in all this we're to see the infinite grace, the infinite mercy of our God. That grace, that mercy, the glory of God shining against the black backdrop of a disgusting and deplorable display of man's depravity. And specifically here in John chapter 18 verses 28 to 38, John records the account of Jesus before Pilate and in this narrative he emphasizes a contrast. It's the Lord of truth, the Lord of truth standing before and presumably judged by liars. The Lord of truth standing before, presumably judged by liars. Turn with me to John chapter 8, John chapter 8. Jesus had confronted these very scribes, these Pharisees in their lies in John chapter 8 beginning at verse 42. And in this confrontation with the scribes and Pharisees in John chapter 8 verse 42, Jesus said to them, if God were your father you would love me for I proceeded forth and I came from God nor have I come of myself but he sent me. Why do you not understand my speech because you are not able to listen to my word? Does that mean that they just simply weren't able to hear him? No, they wouldn't hear him. They weren't listening to him. They wouldn't acknowledge him. They wouldn't affirm his words. They wouldn't obey his words. They didn't have a love of his truth in their hearts. Why do you not understand my speech because you're not able to listen to my word? Verse 44, just a staggering indictment, right? You are of your father, the devil and the devil of the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning and he does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him and here they are of their father, the devil, seeking to murder the Lord of glory. He goes on when he speaks alive, verse 44, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it and all liars are of their lying father, the devil and all liars Jesus would later say shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone. Then he says something very interesting in verse 45. Listen, Jesus says, but because I tell the truth you do not believe me. Now notice that he did not say I tell you the truth and you don't believe me. He didn't say that, right? Notice the word order here. Very important. He said, but because I tell you the truth you do not believe me. Paul says of the unrighteous of sinners of ungodly men in Romans 1, that unrighteous men suppress the truth of God in their unrighteousness. You get that? Unrighteous men, ungodly men, sinners, those outside of Christ suppress the truth in their unrighteousness. And the sinner's unbelief is not ultimately because they're not smart enough to understand. It's not ultimately because they can't hear well. It's not ultimately because they simply don't agree with the facts about Christianity. The sinner's unbelief is ultimately because when they hear the truth, they willfully, selfishly, and stubbornly shut their ears to it. When sinners hear the truth, they'd rather have their way, their will, their sin, and so they stop their ears to the truth. They suppress the truth in their unrighteousness. Jesus says, because I tell the truth, you stop your ears and you don't believe me. Now Jesus clarifies this further in verse 46. He asks them, which of you convicts me of sin? Now that's a rhetorical question. They expect a no answer. No one convicts him of sin. He is sinless. They've been trying to trap him in his words, trying to convict him of sin, and no one convicts him of sin because he's sinless. So with that thought in their minds, he is sinless. He cannot be convicted of sin. He asks in verse 46, so then, if I tell you the truth, why do you not believe me? Verse 47, because he who is of God, the one who is born again, the one who is genuinely converted, he was of God hears God's words. Therefore you do not hear because you are not of God. Do you see? Now back in John chapter 18, we have the Lord here, the Lord here before Pilate, the Lord before these Jewish leaders. We see they will not hear his voice. They will not hear the truth. They will not acknowledge the truth, affirm the truth, agree with the truth. They will not follow the truth. They're too interested in following their own whims, right? So back in John 18, Jesus will tell Pilate down in verse 37, everyone, everyone who is of the truth hears, affirms, trusts, obeys, loves. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. Now the contrast we see between these liars and the Lord of truth in John 18 is the very same contrast that we see throughout history and certainly in our day between liars and the Lord of truth. This world, right? This world gagging on its own lying tongue presumes, presumes to stand in judgment of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. And this wicked world presumes day in and day out to stand in judgment on the truth. You know, the foolish, wicked, so-called wisdom of this world is destroying the family, right? We can see it all around us. Absolutely devastating the family. And yet they will judge you. They will judge you a threat to the family if you take a stand for biblical truth in yours. The scribes and Pharisees of our day in the scientific community, right? Won't allow even a thought, even a thought of biblical support in the public square, and they will judge you an idiot and challenge you a fool if you presume to challenge their foolishness, the foolishness of their unscientific theories, their unscientific presuppositions. This world, this world is destroying marriage, divorce, cohabitation, fatherless homes, sexual immorality, abortion, just skyrocketing out of control. But you're judged a narrow-minded bigot if you stand on the side of truth and declare it that it's unrighteous for two men to marry. If you think about it, the pervasiveness of this world lies, right? You cannot turn on the radio. You can't turn on the TV without having it poured into your heart and mind, right? Words, right? Words of songs that can only be appropriately sung of the Lord Jesus Christ, sung about somebody's live-in girlfriend, right? Right? The wicked deception, brainwashing that flows from movies today, from songwriters to screenwriters, from politicians to public schools, to most a vast majority of pulpits in our country today, this world is absolutely hell-bent on suppressing any truth in every single area of life. They call evil good. They call good evil. And if you stand on the side of truth and you're a threat to them, they will stop their ears to those who proclaim the truth. They will judge you an insurrectionist and they will pick up a stone. And Paul affirms in Romans chapter 3 verse 4 that God is true and every man is a liar. Now this is the world, this is the world in which every genuine believer is called upon to be a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. You are called upon, you are charged by the Lord to fight the good fight, to wage the good warfare. We must stand for the truth and proclaim Christ. Praise God, praise God, right? That his kingdom is not of this world and we look for a heavenly country. We look forward to that kingdom. Jesus tells Pilate in John 18 that his kingdom is not of this world, that he's come into this world. His purpose of coming into this world is to bear witness to the truth. And everyone who is of the truth hears his voice. So in John 18, neither the Pharisees, the scribes, nor Pilate, any of them, none of them are interested in hearing his voice. So as we look at John 18 then, as we come to this Roman trial, this section of Scripture, we see the godless world, this godless world that presumes to judge the Lord Jesus Christ. But thinking that they're the judge all the while, they're the ones being judged. We'll see point one on your notes, liars on trial in verses 28 through 32, the liars on trial. The Jewish authorities, the Roman authorities believe that they have Jesus Christ on trial, but through the pen of John, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we're to see those worldly authorities on trial as we work through our text. We're to see the wicked backdrop of this trial behind the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. But secondly, in contrast, set against that black, exceedingly sinful backdrop, we'll see point two on your notes, the Lord of Truth in verses 32 through 38. So first, liars on trial, it's the liars on trial, verses 28 to 32, read there with me. Verse 28, then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning, but they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. A pilot then went out to them and said, what accusation do you bring against this man? They answered and said to him, well, if he were not an evil doer, we would not have delivered him up to you. Then Pilate said to them, you take him and judge him according to your law. Therefore the Jews said to him, it is not lawful for us to put anyone to death, that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spoke, signifying by what death he would die. Now what you see immediately as we get to this text is a convergence of authorities. First, you see the Jewish leaders representing religious authority under Caiaphas, the high priest. Secondly, you see the Roman governor, Pilate, representing this world's authority, and lastly, you see the Lord Jesus Christ, the true and ultimate authority. Verse 28 says, and then they, the they there is the Jewish leaders, the Jewish leaders led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium. So after the illegal hearings before Annas that we studied last week, right, the illegal hearing before Caiaphas to the Sanhedrin, after the mock and illegal trial before the Sanhedrin, where Jesus was ultimately judged guilty of blasphemy and sentenced to death, the Jewish leaders then take Jesus to the Praetorium to see Pilate. Now the Jewish leaders here, we know, have their own agenda. They're willing to lie, willing to deceive, willing to bribe, extort, manipulate, all to see it through to its murderous end. They know what they want, they're out to get it, and they're going to sin to get it. They know though, in this, that they're going to need Pilate's help to get it done. Roman law at the time, according to Roman law, the Jews weren't allowed to put anyone to death without Roman approval. So that proves a couple of things. One, if the Jews weren't allowed to put anyone to death without Roman approval, then that proves that the stoning of Stephen in Acts chapter seven was nothing more than mob violence. More these Jewish leaders acting in accord with their own wicked hearts, right? And they stoned Stephen. The Jews were corrupt here, they were opportunistic. And so if it served their purpose, they would do what they wanted, and Rome would turn a blind eye, Rome would often wink to these stonings, these murders. But secondly, this Roman law, the Roman law, partly explains why the Jews didn't just take the Lord Jesus Christ and do that to him, didn't just take him out and stone him. Now additionally, we know from scripture, the Jews feared the people. So they wanted to go about this at least for appearance's sake, somewhat judicially. They feared the people, but most importantly, most importantly, we see this in verse 32. It was prophesied that Jesus Christ would die on a cross. So behind all of this, we see the sovereign, omnipotent hand of Almighty God at work. It just simply wasn't going to work out any other way, but then exactly how God had decreed that it would work out. And so these wicked Jewish leaders now jump through the proverbial Roman hoops, and they take Jesus then to Pilate. Now Pilate was the Roman governor or the prefect of Judea, Herod incidentally, right? We'll see Jesus here also by Luke's account. Jesus will take a brief appearance before Herod as well. Herod was the governor or the prefect over Galilee. Both Herod and Pilate were both in Jerusalem at this time because of Passover. Now they weren't there to observe Passover. They were there to observe the Jews or to keep a watch over them. And both of them there to quell any uprising or to squash any kind of disturbance that came about with all of those people flocked into Jerusalem at one time. Now the Praetorium mentioned in verse 28 was Pilate's official residence or his official headquarters while he was in Jerusalem. He held his permanent headquarters, his regular residence in Caesarea, but while he was in Jerusalem, he stayed at the Praetorium. Now Pilate, Pilate in a similar way, just like the Jews, just like the Jews, Pilate has his own agenda, right? He's another authority here vying for power. And Pilate, we know, has extreme contempt for the Jews. Ultimately, Pilate couldn't care less about what Jesus has to say. Couldn't care less about quote-unquote the truth. Pilate's looking out for his own interests. And before the morning is through, Pilate proves willing to hand over an innocent man to death in order to protect his own hide. So in this text so far now, we see two worldly authorities, and they're going to fight for power here that ultimately belongs to neither one of them. Because we'll see in the text also, then you have the true and ultimate authority, the Lord Jesus Christ. Sinless, sent by the Father, bearing witness to the truth. And because he bears witness to the truth, this world's authorities want him dead. Now further in verse 28, John records that it was early in the morning, likely around daybreak, right? The rooster is crowed. This gives us a time marker for the events in our text. The Lord says in verse 37, look in verse 37, the Lord says, for this cause I was born. And for this cause I have come into the world that I should bear witness to the truth. And everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. Now it's clear from our text, right? The Jewish leaders have not heard him. He came to his own, his own did not receive him, right? Pilate isn't interested in hearing him out. He responds with a sarcastic question in verse 38, what is truth, right? In response to the Lord's statement, what is truth? Now listen, maybe you've failed to hear him up to this point. John writes the Gospel of John, for the purpose that you might believe that he is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you would have life in his name. Have you heard the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ? Unbelievers suppress the truth in their sin. Lost people suppress the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ in their unrighteousness. They suppress it for their sin because of their sin. They want their sin rather than Christ. They want their sin rather than truth. They care about their sin. They don't care about the truth. And ultimately, ultimately, those who are on their way to hell refuse to hear him weaken and weak out. The more that the truth is presented to you, you reject it. As Paul has said, they've not received the love of the truth, right? That they might be saved. Now why is that? You need the gift of a new heart. You need to be born of God. Those who are of God hear his voice. Those who are born of God. Those who are given a new heart in Christ. Those who have their natures changed, transformed, they hear the truth that they might be saved. You need the gift of a new heart, a renewed mind that loves the truth of God as it is in Christ. So today, listen, today, if you can sit here this morning and you know that you're lost, you've not been obeying his word. You've not been affirming his word. You've not loved the truth, yet just weaken and weak out. You continue to reject the truth for your own sin. Listen, you will perish. You'll get what you want. You'll have your sin in this life and you'll have hell in the next. Today, listen, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your heart. Hear him. Believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. The first thing I want you to notice is that this spiritual deafness often comes through religious hypocrisy. Look at verse 28. Spiritual deadness, spiritual blindness, spiritual deafness often comes through religious hypocrisy. John says of the religious leaders at the end of verse 28, but they themselves did not go into the praetorium unless they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. Now make the connection with me, right? These Jews, the Jewish leaders, wanted to continue their observance of Passover. It's Passover week in Jerusalem. They're all there for the festival, and they want to observe the Passover, but according to their own law, if they went into a Gentile's house, they would have become ceremonially unclean. They would have become ceremonially defiled. That would have required that they go away and wash for seven days to be deemed ceremonially clean again, and they would miss the end of Passover week. So it was important to them to avoid going into the praetorium so that they could continue to observe Passover. Now do you see the outrageous absurdity of this in our context, right? They can lie. They can deceive. They can cheat. They can manipulate. They can murder, but heaven forbid they walk into a Gentile's house during Passover, right? Matthew chapter 23, verse 25, Jesus had warned them. He said, whoa to you scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. He said, you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, deaf Pharisee, dead Pharisee. First, Jesus says, cleanse the inside of the cup. Cleanse the inside of the dish that the outside of them may be clean also. Whoa to you scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You're like white washed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside you're full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so, you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Everything they're doing here is for show. It's for appearances sake. Outwardly, they want to appear righteous. Inside they are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. These Jewish leaders, these Jewish leaders so concerned with external acts of ritualistic religion that they refused to hear the Lord's voice, refused to acknowledge that God is one who looks on the heart, not on outward appearance. Their religion, their religion was an empty sham. Their religion was a fake. It was an empty husk. That kind of heartless, godless, ritualistic religion, that kind of religion knows all the right things to do, knows all the right places to go, knows all the right words to say, all the right prayers to pray, right? It will show up at the right time, it'll show up at the right place, it'll stand at the right time, kneel at the right time, walk an aisle when they're called. They'll go on a short-term mission trip, right? They'll show up at the abortion mill. They'll go through the external motions of all these various religious obedience's, all while their heart is completely devoid of any genuine love and affection for the Lord Jesus Christ. They are dead inside, hopeless, just as content with their religious activity if Jesus were dead and gone. No real sensitivity to sin, no real hatred for sin, no conviction, no mourning over sin. They can sit and listen to the Word of God preached and just be cold and indifferent on the inside, right? Angry all the while, if anything, because of what's being preached. They'll argue with the truth of God or they'll be indifferent to the truth of God. What they won't do is they won't hear the truth of God. Weak in and weak out, they're just empty dead shells. They're on their way to hell, no hunger, no thirst for righteousness, no love for His law, no real desire for heart holiness, just death to the Lord of truth, dead to the Lord of glory. Weak in and weak out with a cold, dead heart. Listen, if that's you, you will go to hell when you die and you will burn for all eternity. God cries out to you, turn from the wickedness of your way. Turn to Him and live. Why will you persist in your deadness? Turn from your sin. Can't you see? Can't you see, right? That those are temporary and fleeting pleasures. They're in one moment and they're gone the next and you will suffer. You'll pay the price for those. Later, Lord extends a hand of mercy to you now, extends grace to you now. Turn from your sin. Listen, hear His voice. Don't harden your heart. People like that, right? People in that kind of, that empty, fake, ritualistic, godless, heartless kind of religion. They believe themselves to be truly clean. They think they're right with God because they do all the right things and they say all the right things and they go to all the right places when the only one, the only one who can truly make them clean has absolutely no place in their hearts. They have no place for Him. Acknowledge the truth. Is this you? Is this you? Is your religion empty? Is it vapid? Is it dead? Is it just a shell? Is there nothing of any substance there? Is there any work of grace in your heart? Do you love Christ? Do you love His truth? Do you hate your sin? Will you acknowledge that this morning? Confess the sin of your heart, right? Trust Christ to change you. Repent and turn. Don't harden your heart like these wicked Pharisees. So because they would not enter the Praetorium in verse 28, Pilate concedes, not because he wants to, but he makes a concession and goes out to them in verse 29. And Pilate asks them, right, what accusation do you bring against this man? With that question, the civil trial of the Lord Jesus Christ formally begins. And in the exchange that follows, we see a second cause of spiritual deafness. The first external religion, empty religious ritual. The second cause of spiritual deafness is pride. There's pride. Two parties here clamoring for power at the expense of the other. Two parties unwilling to humble themselves, right? Unwilling to hear and consider the truth. But understand this point. It's important that we understand a little bit more about Pilate and this complex relationship that he has here with the Jews. Pilate despises the Jews. He loathes them. And the Jews loath Pilate in return. They hate him. There's no good relationship going on. There's no collaboration going on here. All right. We know about Pilate historically. The Pilate was arrogant. He was foolish, often morally weak. When foolish decisions landed him in hot water, Pilate often responded with brute force, with severe brutality. A Philo historian wrote in the first century that Pilate was corrupt, that he was cruel. He had the habit of insulting people. And he was just a brutal, severe leader. He's described as continually murdering his own people, trying them and condemning them without justice. Reminds you of the Jews here, doesn't it? So Pilate, so we're not confused here. Pilate's not the champion of justice that some look at the gospel accounts and see him to be. You know, there are those who would proclaim Pilate's goodness here, so to speak, and trying to let Jesus off the hook. Pilate could care less about the Lord Jesus Christ. His every intention here is to antagonize the Jews, whom he hated. So on his entry, to give you an example, on his entry into Jerusalem, he offended the Jews with flags bearing the image of Tiberius Caesar at the time. Because of Jewish custom and this, the law's prohibition against images, this started an uprising among the Jews as Pilate was entering the city. And Pilate quelled the uprising on his entrance. His first entrance into Jerusalem quelled the uprising by killing the protestors, coming in with troops and wiping them out. In another incident, Pilate actually ordered a raid on the temple treasury in order to rob the temple of gifts so that he could build an aqueduct. Now Pilate knew this would result in a riot among the Jews. So anticipating the riot, Pilate sent soldiers dressed as common people into the crowd. And he commanded them that when the uprising began, you know, drop your hoods, pull your swords, your daggers, and kill those who were inciting the uprising. And that's exactly what happened. In Luke 13.1, if you remember that text, there were some who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. Pilate was a brutal man, a thug. A word of all this got back to Caesar. And it was said that Caesar sternly rebuked Pilate for his inept leadership and told him essentially that one more uprising and you're done. One more uprising and you're done. So Pilate's walking on thin ice, so to speak, as we're dealing with the Jews here in John 18. So if you put this in context then Pilate's line of questioning doesn't reflect a desire for justice as much as it reflects his own pride in making the Jewish leaders subject to himself and to acknowledge his authority. So as we consider the question then in verse 29, in verse 29, remember that Pilate would have approved the use of the Roman cohort in the arrest of Jesus in the garden, right? That 600 soldiers, 200 to 600 soldiers. He would have been aware because of that, of the intentions of the Jewish leadership. And so he wanted to make it clear that he was the one in charge here, not them, and he wasn't simply going to rubber stamp their little process to deal with Jesus of Nazareth. So in verse 29, likely mocking their prior trial, the trial that's just taken place before the Sanhedrin, and mocking their verdict as a mere accusation, Pilate went out to them and said, verse 29, what accusation do you bring against this man? Pilate has now placed himself as judge over the Jews, just as he would have it. They're in his court now and Pilate is vying for authority. Now the Jews, they respond in pride also, hard pressed by their own agenda to murder Jesus. The Jews knew that Roman law wouldn't pass a death sentence over a theological issue like blasphemy. But they also didn't want to jump through Pilate's hoops. They wanted to save face and assert their own authority. And they have plans behind the scenes as we'll see to bend Pilate to their will. So essentially in a prideful manipulation, they answer him in verse 30. Well, if he were not an evil doer, we would not have delivered him up to you. In other words, take our word for it, Pilate. We're the religious authorities around here. We've got the authority. If he weren't an evil doer, we would not have delivered him up to you. Interesting, that word delivered him up is the same word used of Judas' betrayal of Jesus, that he was delivered, handed over, given over, betrayed to them. They say take our word for it, Pilate, right? Our trial, our verdict stands. We have the authority. What is that to you? If he were not an evil doer, we would not have delivered him up to you. Now what's revealed here in our text and the synoptic gospels and in the circumstances is two worldly authorities pridefully jockeying for power that ultimately belongs to neither one of them. Now Pilate knows here the position that they're in. And so he says in verse 31, matter of factly, pridefully again, okay then, if you've already judged him, then you deal with him. You're not going to get anywhere with me. So Pilate said to them, verse 31, you take him and judge him according to your law. Therefore the Jews then said to him, it's not lawful for us to put anyone to death. Now while all of this was going on, if you can understand the back and forth here, while these petty worldly authorities plot a vain thing, right? While the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying let us break their bonds and pieces, let us cast away their cords from us, the Lord is on his throne. The Lord Jesus Christ stands by silently during this time. And although now he is silent, he shall hold them in derision. He will soon speak to them in his wrath and distress them in his deep displeasure, right? This is Psalm two, right? I've set my king on my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree the Lord has said to me, you are my son. Today I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel. Now therefore be wise, O kings, be instructed, you judges, you so-called authorities of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son lest he be angry and you perish in the way when his wrath is kindled, but a little blessed are all those who put their trust in him. So the manipulation of the Jewish leaders, their intentions with Pilate becomes more clear from Luke's account. Go with me to Luke chapter 23. Luke chapter 23. We have Luke's helpful account here of these very circumstances beginning in verse one. We'll see what's really going on in the hearts and minds of these Jewish leaders from Luke's account, beginning in verse one. The whole multitude of them arose and led Jesus Christ to Pilate. Now notice how, as we begin here, notice how the charges change before Pilate, right? At this point they begin to throw out charges to Pilate that would lead to a Roman verdict of death. It's not the charge that they leveled against them, which was blasphemy. They knew that wasn't going to stick. So what do they do? They manipulate the circumstances to get a charge that would stick. Look at verse two. So before Pilate now, they begin to accuse him saying, we found this fellow perverting the nation literally means causing civil unrest, turning us off course. We found this fellow turning us off course and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, which is sedition, saying that he himself is Christ a king. In other words, he's a threat to Rome. He's an insurrectionist. Nothing here, right? In verse two, nothing related to blasphemy. Two of these charges are an outright lie. The third charge, he himself is Christ a king. That charge is true, but not in the way that they were presenting that to Pilate. Now think about that wicked charge of forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar. This very same group of scribes and Pharisees were just shamed by him in the temple just a few days earlier in Luke chapter 20. Turn there with me. Keep your finger in Luke 23. Go back a couple of pages to Luke chapter 20 and look at verse 20. Now the truth here absolutely doesn't matter to them. They are a brood of liars. These are wicked people with a wicked agenda. Look at verse 20. So they watched him. They sent spies who pretended to be righteous that they might seize on his word. Now these are obsessively religious people, remember, right? They proclaimed to be followers of the one true and living God of Israel. They sent spies who pretended to be righteous that they might seize on his words in order to deliver him to the power and the authority of the governor as Pilate. Then they asked him saying, teacher, this plan, they're hatching in order to get him to Pilate so they could get a death sentence from Roman law against him. So they asked him saying, teacher, we know that you say and teach rightly and you do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth. What a wicked, duplicitous statement that is, right? In no way shape or form do they believe that statement. That's that empty human flattery that only intends to serve their own purpose, right? So they asked him the question, verse 22, is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not? But Lord Jesus Christ, being omniscient, he perceived their craftiness and said to them, why do you test me? Show me a Daenerys. Whose image and inscription does it have? They answered and said, Caesar's. And he said to them, great wisdom, verse 25, render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's. But they could not catch him in his words in the presence of the people and they marveled at his answer and kept silent. Now back in Luke 23, then that doesn't matter to them. That just happened. Did he forbid them from paying taxes? No, he encouraged them to pay to render to Caesar what is Caesar's. But that doesn't matter. Wicked people here have a wicked agenda. They make a pretense of these charges to manipulate Pilate. They make a pretense of standing for Roman law all the while their wicked hearts are full of murder and they're plotting to overthrow true justice. Now these false charges intended to provoke Pilate. Look at Luke 23 and look at beginning at verse three. So then Pilate asked him saying, are you the king of the Jews? And he answered him and said, it is as you say. In other words, you said it, right? Verse four. So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, I find no fault in this man. But they were the more fierce saying he stirs up the people teaching throughout all Judea beginning from Galilee to this place. In other words, that's not a theological argument. He is stirring up the people against the Romans. He's being accused here of being an insurrectionist, a revolutionary, a zealot. So then Jesus goes before Herod. Look at verse six. When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the man were a Galilean. Soon as he knew that he belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod who was also in Jerusalem at that time. Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad for he had desired for a long time to see him because he had heard many things about him and he hoped to see some miracle done by him. This word got around, right? This wasn't something done in a dark corner. This is not secret. Everybody knew who the Lord Jesus Christ was. They knew what he'd claim. They knew what he'd taught. They knew what he had done. So the chief priests, verse 10 in the scribe, stood and vehemently accused him. Then Herod, with his men of war, treated him with contempt and mocked him and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe and sent him back to Pilate. That very day, these two wicked guys, Pilate and Herod, became friends with each other for previously they had been at enmity with each other. Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, he said to them, you've brought this man to me as one who misleads the people. And indeed having examined him in your presence, I have found no fault in this man concerning those things of which you accuse him. No, neither did Herod. For I sent you back to him and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by him. I will therefore chastise him and release him. Now again, it's important that we remember who Pilate is and the state of Pilate's mind, the state of Pilate's heart. Pilate is no champion of justice here. Pilate is antagonizing the Jews. But despite the intent of Pilate here to frustrate the Jews to exert his own authority, the die has already been cast, right? The leverage that the Jews needed to topple Pilate's intent was already in place with these false charges. And although Pilate here intends to deny the Jews their request for a death sentence in pride and in self interest, to keep his job, to maintain favor with Rome, Pilate would soon capitulate and give them exactly what they want. He'll deliver a man over to death for his own prideful self interest. Do you see? It's sanctimoniously, right? Sacrilegiously, sanctimoniously washing his hands of the whole ordeal at the end. So back in John chapter 18 then, in verse 32, we hear the truth behind the whole ordeal, the truth behind all that has been said, all that has been done. Verse 32. So that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spoke, signifying by what death he would die. With your finger in John 18, flip back a couple of pages to John chapter 12. And let's look at this saying, the saying of Jesus. This was all done. The saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spoke signifying by what death he would die. You notice that the words of Jesus here put on par obviously with scripture, with prophecy from God himself. Verse 32, all the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spoke. Well, he spoke this statement in a couple of places, John chapter three, John chapter eight. He alluded to those, but here clearly in John chapter 12, look down beginning at verse 27. Jesus says, in John chapter 12, verse 27, now my soul is troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this purpose, I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name. Then a voice came from heaven saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said an angel has spoken to him. So Jesus answered and said in verse 30, this voice did not come because of me, but for your sake, now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to myself. And this he said, verse 33, signifying by what death he would die. The people answered him. We've heard from the law that this Christ remains forever. And how can you say the son of man must be lifted up? Who is this son of man? And Jesus said to them a little while longer, the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, let darkness overtake you. He walks in darkness does not know where he's going. While you have the light, believe in the light that you may become sons of light. So here in John chapter 12, John acknowledges in John chapter 18, the omnipotent hand of Almighty God in all the proceedings that are recorded here, right? It had been determined, it had been determined that Jesus Christ would be crucified rather than stoned to death. And being determined, this prophecy would be fulfilled. He would be crucified rather than stoned to death. One through the Romans. The Romans had to sanction any capital punishment verdict. And they did that by way of a cross. If they approved of a death penalty, they would do that through Roman crucifixion. But two, the Jews here preferred that also because they wanted Jesus to be seen as a cursed Deuteronomy 21-23. If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, this was centuries before crucifixion, even became a figment of anybody's imagination. You hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day so that you do not defile the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. For he who is hanged is a cursed of God. And the Jews preferred that Jesus Christ be seen as a cursed. He was cursed for our sakes, amen. But three, behind it all, the sovereign decree of God. All the vain wicked plots of wicked men are like water between the hands of the Lord, and he turns them with or so ever he wills, right? Behind all the lies, behind all the deceit, behind all the posturing for power, behind all the pride, right behind all of the vile, deplorable, manipulative, depraved, prideful, and murderous intents of these wicked leaders, all of them acting in full accord with their depraved natures, their depraved deceitful wicked hearts lies the sovereign will of the potter over the clay. And while they labor and toil and strive to accomplish all their own heart's desire, unbeknownst to them, they march to the everlasting, inviolable drum of divine decree. God is sovereign over our circumstances, amen. And if you're in Christ, if you're in Christ, listen, if you are in Christ, then all of those circumstances are worked together by omnipotent, omniscient, omniscient God, omniscient decree. All of them are worked together for your good. But if you're lost, if you're lost, then all of your plans, all of your desires, all of your intents, all of your pursuit for pleasure, right? All of your pursuit for gain, all of your selfish, fleshly indulgence will ultimately come to nothing. You cannot run from omnipotent justice, and you will glorify him in your judgment. He will be glorified. How would you rather have it? If you're in Christ, if you're in Christ, then through repentant faith, which is itself a gift of God, then all of your desires, your heart's longing, right? Your desire to please him in all things, to worship him, right? Unfettered by sin, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, all that hungering and thirsting for righteousness, all the good and righteous desires of your heart giving you by grace is a gift from God. All of those desires come to fulfillment, come to fulfillment. You'll close your eyes in this life and you will open them in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. So in this life, brother, sister, right? Though your circumstances be dire, though your enemies often seem to prevail, though you often think, or it often appears as though the wicked prosper, blessed are those who put their trust in him. Turn from your sin. If you've never bowed the knee, the way of the transgressor is hard, and then you die. This is your best life now, if you're outside of Christ. But for those of you who would look with joy at the reward that is to come, keep your hope fixed on the Lord Jesus Christ, serve him faithfully, follow his example, right? Do all that he has commanded. He has commanded it for our good. Blessed are those who put their trust in him. All glory, all praise, all honor to the one who leads us in truth. Amen. Let's pray. Father in heaven, Lord, blessed be your name forever and ever. Out all glory, praise and honor be to you and to the Lamb who sits on the throne. We praise you and worship you and thank you, Lord, for this glorious salvation. Thank you, Lord, that you've not left us in our dead, deaf, blind state, but by your grace and mercy you have caused us to hear your truth. You've caused us in great grace and mercy to be born again. We praise you and worship you and thank you for this unfathomable gift. I pray, God, that we would not selfishly or wickedly hoard that treasure to ourselves, but that we would proclaim it. That we would preach it, Lord. Even though this world stops its ears to the truth, you have those who are yours, whom you have ordained to be given to the Son from before the foundation of the world. And as surely as you've been gracious to us and we came, or they will, they will hear your voice. I pray, Lord, that we would be used of you to that end to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, that he would receive the full reward of his suffering, that sinners would be saved, and he would be worshiped, both for his glory and for their good. God, I pray that you would do that work that only you can do. Take your word, Lord, these words of truth and buy your spirit, pierce their hearts, drive it deep into their heart, their mind, and blot out their transgressions, justify them, cleanse them, adopt them. And one day, Lord, we pray, glorify them for your worship and praise, for your glory, God. We pray all these things in Jesus' name. Amen.