What Is Truth?

April 2, 2000 John 18-19

¡§What is truth?¡¨

1. It is true that many people are ___________ but do not know _________. (18:28)

1. It is true that _____________ Jesus said would happen ________. (18:32)

1. It is true that people would rather embrace the _________ of their _____ than face a __________ who can ________ their _____. (18:38b-40)

1. It is true that ________ is the ______ of a distant kingdom (18:33-37)

1. It is true that ____________ is _____________ by someone or something. (19:9-15)

1. It is true that _________ was ___________ on a tree for _______. (19:16)

1. It is true that when faced with the _______, each individual must either _________ or ________ the truth and be willing to face the ________________ of their decision. (Matt 27:34-35)

April 2, 2000 John 18-19

¡§What is truth?¡¨

1. It is true that many people are ___________ but do not know _________. (18:28)

1. It is true that _____________ Jesus said would happen ________. (18:32)

1. It is true that people would rather embrace the _________ of their _____ than face a __________ who can ________ their _____. (18:38b-40)

1. It is true that ________ is the ______ of a distant kingdom (18:33-37)

1. It is true that ____________ is _____________ by someone or something. (19:9-15)

1. It is true that _________ was ___________ on a tree for _______. (19:16)

1. It is true that when faced with the _______, each individual must either _________ or ________ the truth and be willing to face the ________________ of their decision. (Matt 27:34-35)

April 2, 2000 John 18-19

¡§What is truth?¡¨

INTRODUCTION

A boy of the age of twelve was an important witness in a lawsuit. One lawyer, who was cross-examining him, said, "Your father has been telling you how to testify, hasn’t he?" "Yes," said the boy. "Now just tell us how your father told you to testify," the lawyer remarked. "Well," replied the boy, "Father told me the lawyers would try to tangle me in my testimony; but if I would just be careful and tell the truth, I could tell the same thing every time."

Of all places in our world, one place where we need the truth to be told is in the courtroom. So much is decided in our courtrooms today. The courtroom decides who is at fault for the death of a loved one. The courtroom decides who will get custody of the kids. The courtroom decides how much will be paid in damages that were incurred. The courtroom decides what will be the penalty for the law that was broken. And all of these decisions are based on the belief that natural-born liars will tell the truth. I suppose that is what makes the job of judges and jurors a next to impossible task. They must decide who is telling the truth and who is lying.

Early in the morning, just hours before His death, Jesus stood in a Roman courtroom before a man named Pilate. The witnesses for the prosecution brought charges against Jesus, and there was no one to speak in His behalf. It was only a short time before that Jesus had washed His disciples feet, that He had told them that He was going away, that He and they had gone to the Garden of Gethsemanea to pray, that He had been betrayed by one of His closest friends, and that all of His other friends had deserted Him. And now, He stood all alone before Pilate who would be His judge ¡V the one who would hear the charges brought against Him and decide the fate of Jesus. Pilate had to decide what was truth, and then Pilate had to decide what he was going to do with the truth.

That is something that you and I must do every day. We have to decide whether or not that e-mail warning us of a computer virus is true, and then we have to decide about forwarding it on to our friends. We have to decide if the offer from McDonald¡¦s for me to win a million dollars is true, and then we have to decide if clogging our arteries with French fries and ground beef is worth the chance to get a million dollars. We have to decide if the warning about speeds being checked by radar is true or not, and then we must decide if we are going to release the pressure on the gas pedal. We have to decide the truthfulness of more important things too. We have to decide if it is really true that our sins are an offense to God. We have to decide if it is true that God really loves us. We have to decide if it is true that everything we do is going to have consequences for the rest of our lives and into eternity.