31 John 18:28-40 Rulers, Truth and Justice

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Sermon outlinE

1. Justice depends upon Rulers and rulers depend upon Truth
   1. There are two sets of rulers listed in our passage today
      1. The Jewish Authorities
      2. Pilate, the Roman Governor
2. The Jewish Authorities
   1. Charged with leading the people in righteousness and ritual purity
   2. First – we are told that it was early morning when they led Jesus away to Pilate (Jn 18:28)
   3. Second – we are told they are worried about ritual purity and eating the Passover (Jn 18:28, Mt 23:24)
   4. Third – their charges are “doing evil” (Jn 18:30, Mt 27;23, Lk 23:22, Mk 15:3)
   5. Fourth, we see the authorities demanding that a robber be released instead of an innocent man (Jn 18:40, Lev 5:17, Prov 17:26)
3.  Pilate
   1. He goes outside to the Jewish Authorities instead of requiring them to enter his court and residence (Jn 18:29)
   2. But he does seem concerned about the charge
   3. Cross Examining and Probing (Jn 18:33-35)
   4. He seeks a way to freedom for an innocent man (Jn 18:39)
   5. But he asks one question that undoes it all (Jn 18:38)
      1. Truth is the foundation of the Kingdom of God (Jn 18:37)
      2. Without truth, we are left with a world where injustice and whim and passion guide and steer and destroy the very righteousness of God
         1. Relative Truth vs. Jesus’ truth (Jn 14:6, 1:49)
4. Truth is seeking us
   1. Truth changes our way of living
      1. Sexually
      2. Materially (Mt 5:38, Act 20:35)
      3. Relationally (Mt 5:39, Eph 4:32, Col 3:13, Mt 18:22)
   2. People of God if we want to live in a world of justice, we need
      1. The truth of a reconciled relationship with God
      2. To know that the world and its systems will never be able to give us the justice we long for.