Peter Restored by John

Peter Restored
John 21:1-19

1. Simon Peter has certainly been the most prominent disciple in the minds of many people since early times.
(1) Fox’s Book of the Martyrs has an appealing story about Peter’s death. He was condemned to be crucified. He did not try to get out of it, but requested That he be crucified upsidedown so that no one would confuse him with Jesus.
(2) The Catholic Church declared him to be the first Pope. That insured them that no other denomination could claim a direct lineage from the apostles.
(3) Catholic theologians also declared Peter to be the keeper of the keys of the kingdom of heaven. I believe they misinterpreted Mt. 16:17-19. which says, “Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’” In v 16, Peter had said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
2. Peter’s future held great promise. God chose him to lead the way in the evangelization of the world!

I. God chose Peter to lead, but Peter failed.

1. His personality fit what we think of as a hero. He was bold, quick-acting, a real man’s man, and he seemed to be fearless.
2. In reality, he had some great weaknesses like we all do.
(1) On the plus side, Peter was willing to die with Jesus.
(2) On the negative side, it had to be on his own terms.
3. He was willing to go out in a blaze of glory fighting for his belief in Jesus, but he was not willing to die as a common criminal on a cross.
4. As far as I can see, Simon Peter did not understand that God’s plan was to bring triumph out of tragedy.
5. His lack of vision caused him to deny the Lord three times. You know the story.
6. Each time he denied Jesus, he did it more vehemently, and by the way, you will discover, if you haven’t already, that we all do the same thing. Each time we deny the Lord, we get worse. Our denials become louder, stronger and more harsh.
7. Jesus had already told Simon Peter that Satan desired him, but that he had prayed for him. He prays for us, too. You can count on that brethren. Hebrews 7:24, “Because Jesus lives forever he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”
8. All of us hate to fail, don’t we? I’m sure the thought never entered Peter’s mind.
9. Well, what happens when a Christian fails to accomplish what God has called him to do? (In a regular job, you would be fired, right?)
(1) Well, two things are for sure! God does not punish him, and He does not throw him aside! Romans 11:29 says, “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.”
(2) That means our failures become stepping stones on the way to victory in Jesus!
(3) Peter became victorious, and God will make us victorious, too!
(4) God never fails, and He never fails with us!

II. It was not an easy road, but Peter fulfilled God’s plan for his life!

1. At the time of our text, Jesus had already arisen from the dead, and He had appeared twice to the disciples.
2. I think Simon Peter was probably on pins and needles, don’t you.
3. I’m sure he had no idea where he stood with the Lord.
4. Can you imagine how he must have felt?
5, God had already given him an inkling about how He treated His children.
(1) Thomas refused to believe Jesus was alive.
(2) Peter saw how tenderly and how lovingly the Lord treated Thomas.
(3) In his heart, I’m sure he hoped the Lord would be just as kind to him as He was to Thomas!..
6. The apostles were at loose ends, without direction. They had orders from headquarters in Mt. 18:18-20, but I doubt they even realized at that moment what God planned for them to do.
7. Peter, God’s chosen leader took over.
(1) Simon told the other apostles that he was going fishing..
a. He didn’t suggest that anyone go with him even though it was definitely not a one man job.
b. I’m sure he hoped someone would come along.
(2) He had not fished, as far as we know, in three years!
(3) But he obviously planned to return to his old life.
8. The sons of Zebedee were fishermen, too, and they and others went along with Peter. It didn’t seem like it to them, but Peter led them astray!
9. That happens when we stop looking to Jesus and start looking to men!
10. What happens to us when we go astray?
(1) Well, the apostles fished all night without catching a thing!
(2) That’s frustrating, tiring, and it usually means you have deprived yourself of food and water. That makes it harder. You feel defeated!
(3) I’ve done that, and nothing is much more tiring than fishing all night without anything to eat, and probably cold, even in that country!
(4) Daybreak came, and someone yelled at them from shore, “Have you caught any fish?” It was Jesus!
(5) Then He told them to cast their net on the “right side of the boat, and you will find some.” They did and suddenly the net was filled with great fish! (Usually the fish in that lake were about hand size, so these were much, much bigger.)
(6) It was John who told Peter, “It’s the Lord!”
11. I think Peter forgot all of his troubles and fears in that moment. He put on his outer clothing, leaped into the water and swam to Jesus.
(1) That’s just the opposite of what a person does who is going to take a swim. Why did he do that?
(2) He was ashamed!
(3) But he did the right thing! He went to Jesus!
12. When he got to the shore, he discovered a fire of coals. (Now I don’t know how much you know about fires built out in the open like that, but it takes quite a while to get a fire of damp driftwood going, and then a lot longer to get it reduced to red hot coals.)
13. Jesus must have waited and watched all night for his disciples to find out they would not catch fish without the Lord’s blessing!
14. Jesus told them to bring some of the fish.
(1) He knew they were hungry, and He knew they needed to be fed.
(2) Their bodies needed nourishment so that they could take in the spiritual food He was about to give them.

III. He Gave Peter a Significant Lesson.

1. After they had eaten, Jesus turned to Simon and motioned for him to follow.
2. Jesus led the way, and He asked Simon, “Simon, son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”
(1) “These?” Who or what were the “these” that Jesus referred to?
a. Did He wave His hand toward the other disciples?
b. Did He point at the 150 fish? (I figure they probably ate three!)
c. Did He wave at the boat and the nets?
(2) We don’t know. Maybe Peter thought He loved Jesus more than John and the other apostles, at least, until he proved unwilling to die with Jesus.
(3) Maybe He referred to the business of catching fish for a living. There seems to be a lot of us who think we have to devote all our time and energy to making money!
(4) Perhaps He referred to the tools, the boat, the nets, the oars, things that Peter could hold in his hands like he held the sword when he cut Malchus’ ear off. We all do love our houses, our automobiles, our hand tools, all of these things of life, don’t we?
3. Oh by the way, Jesus used the Greek word “a-ga-pey.” That’s the highest form of love. It’s the kind of love God bestowed on us when He sent Jesus to die for us!
4. I think Peter’s head dropped to his chest as he said, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Peter used the Greek word “phil-eh-o” which means the kind of love we have for our brothers and sisters.
5. I think by this time, Peter was aware that Jesus knew exactly what was in his heart! That’s a good revelation for him to have! We ought to have that revelation, too.
6. Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” (For understanding let me say it this way, “Peter since you love me like a brother provide for my little, helpless, pet lambs!”
7. Jesus asked Peter a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you truly love me?”
8. Peter answered Him as before, “Lord, you know that I love you.” (They both used the same words as before.)
9. Jesus said, “Take care of, or shepherd, my sheep.” (Now lambs are “arn-i-on” in Greek, and old, mature sheep are called “pro-bot-ah.” Jesus definitely added another facet to Peter’s work!.
10. The third time Jesus questioned Peter, he used Peter’s own word for “love.”
11. Before Jesus asked for the highest, and now He lowered His sights to the lower (1) level where Peter was, and Peter was devastated!
(2) He longed to reach the highest mark for Jesus, but in his restored honesty, he had to admit his love was not the highest! (I remember the story about a young man declaring his love for the girl of his choice just before he went home. He said, “I love you so much, I’d climb the highest mountain just to get to you! I’d swim the deepest ocean just to get to your side! I’d fight off an army just to be with you!” As he left he turned and called out, “I’ll be over about seven this evening...if it doesn’t rain!” Simon Peter loved Jesus like that. Do we love Him more than that?
12. Jesus said, “Boske ta probata mou.” That means “Feed my sheep.”
13. Some students see a progression in the words of Jesus in these three commands, but I do not think so. He simply told Peter what every person called of God is to do. We are to feed the little ones the Word of God. We are to shepherd the whole flock of God, and we are to be constantly feeding the adults God’s Word!
14. What Jesus said to Peter, He actually said to all the disciples! We are His disciples, too, and they are commands to us!

Conclusion:

1. Peter’s life held great promise - so does yours!
1. Peter failed Jesus, not because he was cowardly, but because he couldn’t do it his way!
2. I’m sure he expected to be cast out of the family, but he learned that Jesus never stops working with us. Failures just become stepping stones in our walk with the Lord.
3. Our task given to us by Jesus is:
(1) to feed His little children, and they are all His!
(2) shepherd His whole flock, and that means to provide their spiritual needs for growth in the Lord through His Word.
(3) and to feed His adult sheep constantly and continually.
4. Do we love Jesus enough to do it His way? Or are we going to try our own way?
5. Will we be like Peter was when he was a fisherman of fish, or like Peter was when he became a fisher of men?
6. Talk to the Lord about it right now. Once He starts to work in your life, He never stops until the victory is completely won!

Emmanuel Community Church 11/27/2005

Thanksgiving 2005, by John.

Ephesians 5:15a,20.

1. Thanksgiving.
(1) Is it just another day?
(2) Who needs it? We all do!
2. We need to be reminded what God has
done for us!
(1) It is easy to compare ourselves with less
blest nations of the world, but that’s probably
wrong.
(2) We just need to rejoice God has spared
and chosen us for His blessings.
(3) A day of thanks is a time to remember.
3. It is easy to forget how Thanksgiving came
to us, isn’t it?
4. It has lost a lot of its significance in our
world today.

I. THANKSGIVING HAS A RICH HISTORY.

1. There are always some who seek to destroy
every public observance of the so-called Christ-
ian holy-days, Thanksgiving included.
(1) They remind us that the ancient Persians,
Greeks, Romans, Germans, and English all
celebrated the end of harvest, and they try to
persuade us our holiday is really pagan.
(2) It is true many ancient people had a time
of feasting and revelry in honor of their own
particular gods and goddesses.
(3) But our critics have drawn wrong conclusions.
a. They claim our celebration is based on these
pagan feasts.
b. It would not matter if it was, but it is not.
2. In the winter of 1620, the Plymouth colony
was almost wiped out by disease and starvation.
3. 1621 brought a bountiful harvest.
(1) They invited their Indian friends to join
them in celebrating their survival and God’s
good blessing.
(2) Four wild turkeys were on the menu that
day. That’s how the turkey became central in
our traditional feast. (It was also one of the
easiest meals to come by).
4. The pilgrims rejoiced in the presence of
God.
(1) They were not seeking to replace a pagan
holiday with a Christian holiday.
(2) They were not seeking to establish a new
holiday for all coming generations.
(3) They were not comparing themselves with other nations less blest.
(3) They just rejoiced and thanked God for His
goodness to them!
a. They had survived a terrible winter.
b. The next one would be better because God
had given them such a bountiful harvest!
c. Being alive held promise to them again!
5. In 1789, George Washington called for a
national day of Thanks and set it for Nov. 26, the
last Thursday.
(1) Many celebrated this Presidential mandate.
(2) Some continued to celebrate in the years
that followed, but national thanksgiving did not
take hold.
6. Abraham Lincoln was elected President in
1860 and took the oath of office March 4,1861.
(1) April 12, 1861, P.G.T. Beauregard ordered
the Confederates to fire on Fort Sumter, SC.
Those were the first shots fired in the civil war.
(2) By the end of 1862, the Union had little to be
happy about.
a. Their armies were losing.
b. Abolitionists were criticizing the President.
c. Lincoln’s cabinet was torn apart by petty
strife, greed and jealousy.
(3) Early in 1863, the tide of the war went
against the South, and the Union began to see a
light at the end of a long dark tunnel.
(4) Lincoln revived Thanksgiving in 1863. He
felt God was vindicating his stand against
slavery and for the union. He was thankful.
a. After his assassination in 1865, the nation
continued to celebrate Thanksgiving, but on
different days sometimes.
b. The North celebrated on the fourth Thurs-
day of November, and the South on the last
Thursday.
c. Most years it fell on the same day, but not
always. (In 1864, November had 5 Thursdays.)
d. In 1941 a joint action of congress established
the fourth Thursday of November as
our National Holiday. (Many Southerners re-
jected that “Yankee Thanksgiving.”)
7. What a rich heritage we have in this cel-
ebration!

II. WE ALL CELEBRATE THANKSGIVING, BUT
REASONS DIFFER

1. For some it is just another, ho-hum, oppor-
tunity to be out of school, or off the job for a
free day.
2. The whole world ought to be thankful,
Christian or not. God made us, sustains us and
gifts us whether we acknowledge Him, or not.
(1) Are we, like our forefathers, thankful we have
survived? Individually? As a family? Nation?
(2) We should give God credit for our blessings.
Do we?
3. Of all people Christians should be thankful to
God.
(1) When He sent Moses back to Egypt to bring
His children out, He promised Him six things.
a. His presence.
b. A prophecy to be fulfilled.
c. A land of their own.
d. Plenty for life
e. Preach-ability.
f. A pal, Aaron.
(2) God has given us Christians all of those
things and more!
a. We have Christ!
b. We have the Holy Spirit!
c. We have eternal life!
d. We have the power of God in our witnessing.
4. Our forefathers in this land went through
terrible hardship before a day of thanksgiving
was declared.
5. I wonder if we must have terrible hardship
before we can truly be thankful to God? I
certainly hope not!

III. HOW SHOULD WE GIVE THANKS?

1. I wouldn’t exclude any godly thing any of
us are doing, but I have some basic sugges-
tions.
2. If we are truly thankful, let us worship God!
(1) Rev. 5:9-14 (Read) Worship is worth-ship
(2) Are you aware our word “enthusiasm”
is made up of two Greek words which mean
“filled with God?”
(3) One of the most enthusiastic songs we
sing seems to be reserved for Christmas,
“Adeste Fidelis,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,”
and it says, “O come let us adore Him!”
(4) I don’t think we ought to try to pump our-
selves up into a frenzy so that we look enthu-
siastic, but we ought not hamper enthusiasm
when it comes!
(5) According to Webster’s Collegiate Dictio-
nary adoration is “a worshiping, or paying
homage, as to a divinity,” or “great love, de-
votion, and respect.”
3. Adoration and worship are great, but we
must add something else to it.
(1) If God is worthy, we must be
obedient. Luke 6:46 says, “Why do you call
me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”
(2) And our obedience must be constant.
(3) When it is, God promises to indwell us so
that we know we are “Spirit-filled!” John
14:21, “Whoever has my commands and
obeys them, he is the one who loves me, He
who loves me will be loved by my Father, and
I too will love him and show myself to him.”
4. I would like to tell you that in 41 years of
preaching I’ve always adored the Lord and
been obedient to Him. I’d like to tell you 100%
of my church members were always present
and always enthusiastic at every worship
service! But I can’t! If I did, you’d know I was
lying, wouldn’t you?
5. That brings us to one other thing about giving
thanks to the Lord.
(1) We must confess our sins, our failures, to
Him..
(2) When we do, He forgives us, and restores
us, and then we can be filled with His Spirit,
rejoice and praise His Name!

conclusion:

1. Thanksgiving. Who needs it? All of us.
2. We Christians have so much to be thankful for.
3. Let’s give God thanks and make our thanks
practical by worshiping and adoring the Lord,
and consistently and constantly serving Him
everyday.
4. Let’s remember, without God there would
be no nation called the United States of
America on this continent.
5. And let’s remember, our forefathers gave
thanks to God, but we can’t stand on their
laurels.
(1) We have to respond to God’s goodness
ourselves.
(2) We should adore Him, do we?
(3) We should obey Him, do we?
(4) We should be consistently dedicated to
Him. Are We?
6. Let’s pause in silent prayer now. There’s
no better time than now to confess our fail-
ings and be restored to fellowship with our
Father!
7. Start by meditating on this for a moment.
Where would you be right now without God’s
great blessing?


11/20/2005 ECC.

People, There is Worship, and then there is Worship, by John

John 4:19-24

1. Jesus made The statement we just read in answer to the woman at the well question. It was just one of the significant things Jesus told her, but it is the only one I want us to consider today.
2. From denomination to denomination, and from church to church worship services vary.
3. Many consist of a number of exact rituals, some with incense, or other physical aids.
4. One group may think the other group does not know how to worship, and vice-versa.
5. Let’s think about worship, and what we can find in the Bible about it.
6. One thing is certain. Nowhere does God tell us to worship Him, and that leads us to the first point of this message...

I. Why do we worship if it is not commanded?

1. I think it is interesting to note, that all people do worship.
2. Some individuals may think they don’t worship, but a close inspection will show they do.
3. In the darkest, most uneducated colonies of people, the people worship.
(1) They probably do not worship God as we do because no one has acquainted them with our God.
(2) They may worship some part of creation, or all of it that they can experience.
i.e. The Sun, The Moon, various stars, The seasons, The earth, fire, water, and the list goes on and on.
(3) Others, aware of an empty place in their lives seem determined to fill it with something created by their own hands. Jeremiah 10:1-5, “Hear what the Lord says to you, O house of Israel. This is what the Lord says: ‘Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them. For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.’”
4. In the most educated circles, people worship even when they say they don’t.
(1) Some worship education.
(2) Some worship power.
(3) Some worship beauty.
(4) Almost all who do not worship God, worship self gratification.
5. Among the religious people, some have way-out ideas of God.
(1) I include deists, and I think many so-called Christians, fit into this category.
(2) We need to remember that we know Christians and lost people how? By their fruits Jesus said in Matthew 7:20.
6. We have said all of this to gain your agreement when we say, God created worshipers when He created mankind! It is in our nature to worship whether we are saved or lost!
7. Did you notice what the woman asked Jesus?

II. Where should you worship?

1. Jeroboam set up golden calves in .Bethel and Dan, and told Israel that was where they were to worship. (That’s what the woman at the well was referring to when she spoke to Jesus.
2. There are people today who think they must worship in a mosque, or an ornate temple.
3. There are others who think they have to worship out in the open air.
4. So, what does the Scripture say? God’s true worshipers must worship Him in Spirit and in truth! John 4:24.
(1) If a person is worshiping God in a mosque, that’s good.
(2) If a person is worshiping God in a temple, that’s good.
(3) If a person is worshiping God in a church building, that’s good!
(4) If a person is worshiping God outdoors, that’s good!
5. What is not good happens when a person does not worship God in Spirit and truth in any of those places! The physical location is not important.
6. So how do you know whether you are worshiping in Spirit and in truth? Can you be sure you are? The answer to both questions is, “YES!”
(1) First, a person must know Jesus in order to worship God in truth. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” John 14:6 says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
(2) Second, when a person comes to Jesus, he is immediately baptized in the Holy Spirit of God. John 1:33,34 says, “I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.”
7. I need to insert a note here. There are denominations that teach a person must have a baptism of the Spirit separate from salvation, or after salvation. John 3:34 says, For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.”
8. Anyone who trusts in Jesus is filled with His Spirit, and when he worships, it is in Spirit and in truth!
9. That leads us to the next point.

III. How, and when, should we worship?

1. Since the beginning the disciples of Christ have worshiped on the first day of the week.
(1) On the Sabbath, Jesus was in the grave.
(2) He arose from the grave on the first day of the week, and that was cause for celebration!
(3) We’ve been worshiping on the first day ever since!
2. It is my personal belief that Christians worship spontaneously. If you doubt that, read Revelation and note how often the inhabitants of heaven break out in song of praise to God!
(1) They don’t wait for the first day to come along.
(2) They don’t neglect Sundays either!
3. How we are to worship is a subject for a whole sermon by itself, but we will try to keep it short.
(1) We can worship in physical acts, bowing, closing our eyes, folding our hands, swinging incense, baptism, answering an altar call, turning our eyes to heaven, praying.
(2) Let me use myself to illustrate the danger involved in any and all of these. I like to kneel when I pray, but it hurts! The pain can, and does, get in the way of my turning completely to the Lord. It’s better for me not to kneel. I love the Lord’s prayer, but if I repeat it too often, it becomes mere words, and that is not worship.
a. If we are truly worshiping in something, that’s good.
b. If it becomes a habit, that’s bad!
4. In worship as a body of Christ, Songs should be sung to the Lord. The Fellowship of the Holy Spirit should join us together. Prayer should connect us directly with our Heavenly Father. We should meet the Lord knowing we are sinners, that we need to change to be like HIm, and we should expect to be changed when we worship!

conclusion:

1. I’ll return to this theme of worship from time to time, but for now, I hope you will remember these things.
2. Worship is a perfectly natural experience for every human being. God built the desire for worship into all of us.
3. We must worship in Spirit and in Truth, or our worship is vain unless we are seeking forgiveness of our sins and salvation.
4. We should be worshiping daily, momentarily as well as at special times in the Body of Christ.
5. Every method of worship is okay when Jesus is being worshiped in the Spirit.
6. The safest thing for us is to be sure we know Jesus as our Lord and Savior!
7. If you don’t, you can ask Him to become your Savior right now.

Emmanuel Community Church 11/`3/2005

What's Happening in the World Today? by John.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE WORLD TODAY?
John 18:38

1. Have you thought about what’s happening in the world
today?
(1) Many popular preachers have fallen into gross sin and
have lost their credibility, many priests, too.
(2) Politicians seem to be so crass that they believe they
can get away with crude and illegal behavior and still be
popular with their constituents.
a. It’s sad, but true. Many of them are right!
b. We know we elect some of the worst part of society to
lead our nation, and John Q. Public (you and me) seem
completely satisfied with them!
c. Some commentator suscinctly said, people get the
leadership they deserve!
2. Where has our society gone astray?
(1) I want us to think about several things. Let’s use the
words of Pilate to stimulate, and give a little direction to
our thinking.
(2) Agnosticism, perversion, and complacency seem to
be our biggest problems today.
3. Let’s start with the words of Pilate.

I. PILATE SHOULDN’T HAVE NEEDED TO ASK “WHAT
IS TRUTH?”

1. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the
life; no one comes to the Father, except through me.”
(John 14:6)
(1) Meeting Jesus should have solved the problem of
what truth is for Pilate from the very beginning, but he was
agnostic! He just didn’t know! That’s what agnostic
means.
(2) I talk to people every day who think truth is abstract.
They believe it has nothing to do with God!
(3) I’m sure that in their experience truth changes accord
ing to the circumstances of that moment. In that respect,
they are like Pilate.
2. Let me put myself in Satan’s shoes for a bit. If I wanted
to keep people from finding out the truth, what would I
do?
(1) Well, the first thing I’d try to do is destroy the truth!
a. That’s why Satan wanted Jesus to go to the cross.
b. Of course, he failed, so he had to go to plan “B.”
(2) The next thing I’d do is try to throw up a smoke screen
so people wouldn’t be able to get a clear picture of the
truth. That has been happening for 2000 years!
a. Has it occurred to you, that could be the reason why
we have all of these cults and pseudo-churches in the
world?
b. Has it occurred to you, that church in-fighting, and
fighting between denominations accomplishes the same
purpose?
c. I’m not trying to label anyone here, and I’m not trying to
say we are right and everyone else is wrong. I am trying
to say, we all need to be careful! We need to stay so
close to God that people will see the truth in us!
(3) The next thing I’d do, if I was Satan, would be to
discredit the church and its leaders.
a. It’s no accident church leaders are tempted to commit
every kind of sin. Satan sees to that!
b. It’s no accident there is always someone around who
rejoices in showing the world every little thing wrong in a
church. Satan sees to that, too! He seeks to discredit us!
(4) Another thing I would do as Satan is to create a jargon
for church members that lost people wouldn’t understand,
and which would turn them off to Jesus!
a. The world hates words like saved, baptized, and tith-
ing.
b. I can remember when I hated what we called Baptist
alphabet soup! WMU, BYPU, RA’s, GA’s, YWA’s, BTU,
TU, and DT. (That’s almost enough to give us DT’s! isn’t
it?
(5) The next thing I’d do, is change the meaning of words,
and the interpretation of Scripture.
a. Baptism is one of the foremost illustrations.
aa. The original word means to plunge under.
bb. When theologians decided baptism was necessary for salvation, sprinkling or pouring for baptism became a necessity.
cc. If you have any doubt the meaning has been changed just look up the word in a modern dictionary.
b. Church is another good example.
aa. Originally it meant a local body of God’s people.
bb. Once in the N.T. it referred to Israel, and two or three times, it could refer to the whole family of God.
cc. Now it frequently refers to a building!
c. Sin, salvation, righteousness, grace, faith, truth, and
many other words are given new meanings which are
foreign to the Bible.
d. We’ll deal with Scripture in the next division of this
message.
3. Can you see why I started out by saying Pilate should
never have needed to ask what truth is? Neither should
we!

II. PILATE WAS BLIND TO THE TRUTH.

1. His position as governor blinded him.
(1) He commanded the respect of the people. (They
might despise him in private, but not in public).
(2) His power was the authority of Rome.
(3) His position blinded him.
(4) We see people all the time who have the same
problem.
a. They are in a position of respect, and they confuse that
with the ability to know more than anyone else.
b. It’s also easy for them to begin believing the world
exists for them alone!
c. Do you have this kind of problem?
d. If you do, it makes recognizing the truth hard.It may
even prove impossible for you.
e. The end result is the same. The only place to find life is
with Jesus.
2. Pilate’s education blinded him.
(1) Most Roman leaders of this particular time were well
educated by their standards.
(2) They were well versed in philosophy and logic, and
they gave at least lip-service to a whole pantheon of
gods.
(3) There’s no reason to believe Pilate was an exception
to the rule.
(4) His education blinded him to the truth of Jesus.
(5) Does your education raise a stumbling block in the
path of your own faith?
a. We think of our education as dealing only with facts,
but that’s far from true. (I can remember
when a college professor told me to memorize the
periodic table of elements because it would never
change!)
b. Every day new “facts” are replacing the old ones.
c. God is the only one who never changes.
d. Does your education keep you from having faith in
Him?

conclusion:

1. What is truth? Jesus.
2. Other related truths are:
(1) All have sinned.
(2) The penalty for sin is death.
(3) Jesus removes the sin and the penalty when we put
our trust in Him.
(4) He also gives us life everlasting the moment we trust
Him.
3. What keeps you from recognizing the truth?
(1) Pilate was blinded by position, education and religion.
(2) Are you being blinded by one of those?
(3) Those aren’t the only things that blind us to the truth.
Maybe you have some other problem. Would you like to
discuss it? That’s why we give an invitation. We want to
help you know the truth. We want to share Jesus with
you!

ECC 11/06/2005