WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.759 Amen. So, again, with the rest of the church around the world, we're following this journey 00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:16.320 ! And for this Sunday and next, we're going to see that Jesus is put on trial, as it were, by the world. 00:00:16.320 --> 00:00:22.480 So, this week we'll focus on the Jewish religious authorities and their trial, and next week we'll 00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:28.000 think about the trial in front of Pilate, who represents the Roman Empire. And this week and 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:33.520 next, we'll think about questions of the identity of Jesus. What does it mean that Jesus is a king, 00:00:33.520 --> 00:00:38.719 and what kind of kingdom does he have? We'll think about the truth claims of Jesus. 00:00:40.480 --> 00:00:45.280 One of the fascinating things that we'll see as well is that there is in both of these trials 00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:53.200 something of a turn. You know, this is a courtroom scene. Maybe many of us, we enjoy courtroom dramas. 00:00:53.200 --> 00:01:00.960 Well, here is a moment when Jesus is in the dock, but he will, in effect, put the world on trial. 00:01:02.160 --> 00:01:06.640 Maybe something similar happens. I was thinking about, you know, a figure like Nelson Mandela, 00:01:06.640 --> 00:01:14.320 or you can maybe think about other political prisoners. When they are put on trial by whatever 00:01:15.200 --> 00:01:22.879 regime is over them, they will often use that trial as a moment to speak of their innocence and to speak 00:01:22.879 --> 00:01:31.199 against the system so that the system itself goes on trial. And I think we can see something similar 00:01:31.759 --> 00:01:37.599 in what Jesus does. And I think we'll see both this week and next, but especially this week, 00:01:37.599 --> 00:01:46.879 there is a challenge in Jesus' words, the challenge to consider what Jesus says, His truth, and then to 00:01:46.879 --> 00:01:54.000 live in light of it. But we're also going to see as we think about the trial of Peter, that there is 00:01:54.000 --> 00:02:03.919 comfort from Jesus when we mess up, when we fail. This is a message that I need, and I imagine for many 00:02:03.919 --> 00:02:12.400 of us that we need this message that there is because of Jesus and His passing, His trial, hope beyond 00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:20.159 failure, because Jesus truly is the Son of God and the Savior. So, let's get into our text, and let's 00:02:20.159 --> 00:02:28.080 recognize the fact here that Jesus is put on trial. In verse 12 and verse 13, we see it. This is an 00:02:28.080 --> 00:02:33.599 informal trial. It happens at nighttime. It's in front of the high priest, and that's significant. So, 00:02:33.599 --> 00:02:39.120 Annas is the high priest that year, and the high priest is the very head of the religious system. 00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:45.759 So, here is the one man who absolutely should know his Bible, and he should be following the signs, 00:02:45.759 --> 00:02:52.640 and he should be leading the people in worship of Jesus. But instead, what do we see? We see hostility. 00:02:53.680 --> 00:03:01.840 Jesus represents threat, this man thinks, and so he wants to get rid of him. Verse 19 is a key verse, 00:03:02.719 --> 00:03:07.759 because it gives a focus for the trial. It tells us what's the basis for the charges that are brought. 00:03:07.759 --> 00:03:23.439 And we might think, why is Jesus being questioned about His disciples? Well, so much of the confusion 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:30.879 around Jesus is what kind of king does he claim to be? Is he claiming to be this great political figure? 00:03:30.879 --> 00:03:40.799 Is Jesus a revolutionary leader? And if he is, will his followers create an uprising now he's been 00:03:40.799 --> 00:03:47.680 arrested and put on trial? So, think about what's happening in Turkey at the moment. An opposition 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:55.759 leader is arrested, and the followers of the opposition take to the streets. So, they have this fear. 00:03:55.759 --> 00:04:03.599 Annas has this fear. He is desperate to keep hold of power and standing. Jesus has always been challenging that. 00:04:05.519 --> 00:04:12.319 And so, in the end, what we see is that this man, Annas, is going to hand Jesus over to be executed. 00:04:12.879 --> 00:04:18.159 Shortly after this, Jesus will be taken to Pilate, and Pilate will say to the Jews, listen, take him 00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:25.760 and judge him by your own law, and they will say, in verse 31, we have no right to execute anyone. 00:04:26.320 --> 00:04:30.960 So, they want this innocent man to be executed all the while trying to keep themselves pure and 00:04:30.960 --> 00:04:38.560 ritually clean. But their great hope is that if they can get rid of Jesus, then they can end 00:04:38.560 --> 00:04:44.879 this Jesus movement, and they can go on living their lives being in control. And what we see, 00:04:44.879 --> 00:04:51.759 of course, as the story unfolds, is that they are very, very wrong. But the second thing that Jesus 00:04:51.759 --> 00:04:59.920 is put on trial for is not just his disciples, but verse 19, he's also questioned about his teaching. 00:05:00.560 --> 00:05:05.279 And this is hugely significant. This is a key factor that John's gospel brings out, 00:05:06.480 --> 00:05:12.719 because this brings us towards the truth claims that Jesus makes. This very much relates to 00:05:12.720 --> 00:05:21.280 his identity, and it also speaks to us of his mission. So, John's gospel records from really 00:05:21.280 --> 00:05:29.200 early on, actually as early on as chapter 2, that there is hostility towards Jesus that just continues 00:05:29.200 --> 00:05:38.080 to grow. There are those within the religious system who are desperate to execute, to kill Jesus. 00:05:38.079 --> 00:05:48.240 And so, on our screen, we're going to find four of them. The first is from John chapter 5, verse 17 and 18. 00:05:50.639 --> 00:05:54.639 This is in the midst of Jesus talking to the religious authorities, and he says to them, 00:05:54.639 --> 00:06:01.199 "'My Father is always at work to this very day, and I too am working.' For this reason they tried all the 00:06:01.199 --> 00:06:07.279 more to kill him." Not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he's even calling God his own Father, 00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:12.879 making himself equal with God. So, they hate Jesus and want to kill Jesus, because they understand 00:06:12.879 --> 00:06:19.359 he is saying, "'I am equal with God. I have a unique relationship with my Father.'" It goes on in John 8, 00:06:19.919 --> 00:06:28.959 "'Very truly I tell you,' Jesus answered, before Abraham was born, "'I am.'" At this, they picked up stones to stone him, 00:06:28.959 --> 00:06:33.599 but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. Remember, 00:06:33.600 --> 00:06:39.840 "'I am.'" I am is the great Old Testament name of God. Jesus says, "'I am the eternal Son of God.'" And so, 00:06:39.840 --> 00:06:46.960 they pick up great stones to try and stone him. John chapter 10, we read it. We see it again there. 00:06:46.960 --> 00:06:55.920 Jesus says, "'I and the Father are one.'" And that again leads his opponents to want to stone him. And 00:06:55.920 --> 00:07:01.360 significant there is that Jesus has just called himself the Good Shepherd. And that was a great title in 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:08.080 the Old Testament of the true leader of God's people. In fact, God said, "'I am the shepherd, 00:07:09.120 --> 00:07:15.680 and I will send the King I choose, and he will be your shepherd.'" And Jesus says, "'I am God and God's King, 00:07:15.680 --> 00:07:20.639 the Good Shepherd, the true leader,' and they want to kill him." And then in John chapter 11, 00:07:20.639 --> 00:07:30.159 this is after Jesus raises his friend Lazarus, just after he says, "'I am the resurrection and the life. 00:07:30.159 --> 00:07:39.039 Whoever believes in me, even though they die, they'll live," we discover this plot to kill Jesus, 00:07:39.039 --> 00:07:47.279 the one who gives life, the one who is life. They would get rid of him. And so, he is put on trial 00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:54.479 because of these remarkable claims that he makes that John records for us. So, for Annas, as he acts 00:07:54.479 --> 00:08:04.639 as judge over Jesus, he thinks Jesus is guilty as charged. So, he'll happily in verse 24 bind Jesus 00:08:04.639 --> 00:08:12.159 and send him away. In verse 30, he'll call him a criminal. In verse 32, he'll ask for him to be 00:08:12.160 --> 00:08:20.800 executed. Because Jesus claims to be equal with the Father, to have a unique relationship to the Father, 00:08:20.800 --> 00:08:26.400 and to be God's King sent into the world to be the promised Savior. And Annas says, no. 00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:38.000 Of course, part of every courtroom drama hinges on which of the arguments will win the day. 00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:46.639 You think of any book that you've read, any TV series, or even if you've been to court, 00:08:47.279 --> 00:08:54.960 there are so many arguments, and the jury has to decide, well, which is true? Which opinion holds 00:08:54.960 --> 00:09:02.639 sway? For you and me today, it's a very simple question. Who is telling the truth about Jesus? 00:09:02.639 --> 00:09:10.399 We've got these Jewish leaders who are saying, Jesus is a liar, and he is dangerous, he is a threat. 00:09:12.319 --> 00:09:20.399 Or we have Jesus and his personal testimony about himself. I am God, I am a good shepherd, 00:09:21.120 --> 00:09:25.919 I give life, I am equal with the Father, I am sent on a mission to save. 00:09:25.919 --> 00:09:35.360 And as we think about who is telling the truth, that leads us to our second point, and pushes us 00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:42.479 towards following our verdict to where it naturally leads. But here's our second point, that Jesus, 00:09:42.479 --> 00:09:49.679 having been put on trial, Jesus then puts the world on trial. It's one of the striking things, 00:09:49.679 --> 00:09:55.439 that in both of these trials, both before the Jewish religious authorities and next week we'll see 00:09:55.439 --> 00:10:02.159 in front of Pilate and Rome, Jesus turns the tables. As Jesus takes to the stand, 00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:12.239 he will put his accusers on trial. We hear him and see him act with great courage and with great conviction 00:10:12.240 --> 00:10:20.639 and clarity. And particularly as he speaks to Annas and the religious leaders, he focuses attention 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:32.879 on truth, his truth and their response to the truth. Look with me at verse 20. As Jesus is on trial, he says, 00:10:32.879 --> 00:10:41.279 I have spoken openly to the world. I always taught where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in 00:10:41.279 --> 00:10:48.879 secret. What's his point? He says, my truth is public, it's open. And then he goes on to say, 00:10:50.720 --> 00:10:59.679 why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said. So, there are witnesses 00:10:59.679 --> 00:11:06.000 who heard the truth and who can bear witness to the truth. And then in verse 23, after he's been slapped 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:14.399 in the face, he said, if I said something wrong, testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, 00:11:14.399 --> 00:11:19.840 why did you strike me? So, again, the focus is on the truth. If I'm telling the truth, why are you 00:11:19.840 --> 00:11:25.679 accusing me of doing wrong? If I'm telling the truth, why are you mistreating me and are you ready to reject 00:11:25.679 --> 00:11:34.719 me? So, here is Jesus putting the world on trial in this way. He says to you and to me, are we ready 00:11:35.359 --> 00:11:45.599 both to hear the truth of Jesus and to respond to the truth of Jesus? And it becomes really clear, 00:11:46.799 --> 00:11:54.479 according to Jesus' own words, and according to the testimony of the Bible, that the Jesus we encounter in 00:11:54.480 --> 00:12:00.639 the Gospels, in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and John, he's either true and real and changes everything, 00:12:00.639 --> 00:12:09.920 or he is nothing and is of no value. There's really no middle way based on what Jesus says about himself. 00:12:12.080 --> 00:12:16.320 I think this is really relevant to us. Here's one way I think it's relevant. So, 00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:22.720 maybe you saw in February down in London, there was this huge gathering. It was a convention called 00:12:22.720 --> 00:12:28.000 the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship. And so, it meets, I don't know if it meets every year, 00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:33.360 but certainly it met this year. So, there was over 4,000 delegates gathered from lots of big 00:12:34.160 --> 00:12:40.800 foundations like the Davos Foundation, many keynote speakers, and there was lots of good things going on. 00:12:41.600 --> 00:12:47.279 One thing that is now being recognized by many people is that, you know, the Christian heritage that 00:12:47.279 --> 00:12:52.480 our country was built on, that's generally been good for society. And so, there were lots of speakers 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:58.559 saying, we need to recover this. We need to recognize that what Christianity teaches is and always has 00:12:58.559 --> 00:13:07.600 been good for society in so many ways. But there was a problem in that for the vast majority of people 00:13:07.600 --> 00:13:15.600 that spoke, their understanding of Christianity was limited to, it is good and it is useful. 00:13:18.159 --> 00:13:25.360 Most of them did not think it was true. There was really powerful speeches from guys like Jordan 00:13:25.360 --> 00:13:33.120 Peterson. Christianity is really good and useful, but Jesus, Jesus is a symbol. He's not true. 00:13:33.120 --> 00:13:39.360 He's not true. Maybe that's our idea today. It's certainly the idea of many as we're recognizing, 00:13:39.360 --> 00:13:45.919 do you know what, what Jesus teaches, what the Bible has taught is good for building society, 00:13:45.919 --> 00:13:50.720 but we don't need to necessarily take its truth claims really seriously. Compare that 00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:57.039 with this quote from Oz Guinness, a Christian apologist evangelist, age 83, spoke at this conference. 00:13:57.039 --> 00:14:00.960 Here's what he said. So, here's some of what he said. You can watch it on YouTube, amazing speech. 00:14:00.960 --> 00:14:08.160 Is the God of Sinai, the God of the burning bush, the God of the burning mountain, 00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:14.639 and our Lord Jesus with the call of Galilee, are these things true or not? 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:23.280 The Christian faith will not do anything for civilization if it's viewed as useful. It will do 00:14:23.280 --> 00:14:30.879 nothing for civilization if we turn it into a psychological version of whatever. It will only be true 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:38.879 and effective if it's understood to be true and you have enough people who are citizens who have an 00:14:38.879 --> 00:14:47.120 ultimate loyalty to what they see as ultimate reality. Do we hear what he's saying there? He's saying, 00:14:47.759 --> 00:14:57.840 here's your choices. Jesus is either true and speaks truth, or he is nothing. He is either ultimate 00:14:58.399 --> 00:15:06.160 reality that deserves ultimate loyalty or he is a no person and a no thing, no power, no value. 00:15:07.280 --> 00:15:12.800 There's no middle ground if we take Jesus and the claims of the Bible seriously. 00:15:14.960 --> 00:15:18.080 I think it's really significant. So, maybe we're here today and we're asking the question, 00:15:18.080 --> 00:15:26.240 what's Christianity all about? Fundamentally, Christianity is about Jesus and his truth. 00:15:27.520 --> 00:15:36.720 Here is Jesus and he says, I am the eternal Son of God and I have come into this world in order to live 00:15:36.720 --> 00:15:45.360 and then to die in order to save people from sin and to give the gift of eternal life. And after dying, 00:15:45.360 --> 00:15:51.840 he would then rise again the third day before returning to heaven. Christianity is all about 00:15:51.840 --> 00:15:59.680 the truth of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done. But maybe we're here today and we would identify with 00:15:59.680 --> 00:16:05.680 that idea that we find church to be useful, we find Jesus to be useful. Here is a good moral foundation 00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:14.000 to build on. Here is the way to build a better society, a better neighborhood. Maybe it just gives us a sense 00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:21.839 of peace and well-being to be around, life is crazy busy and it's nice, to have a few moments quiet. 00:16:23.919 --> 00:16:28.319 Well, Jesus wants each one of us to know that we need more than that. 00:16:28.320 --> 00:16:38.080 And fundamental to that is to engage with what Jesus says about himself, to listen to his claims of truth, 00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:47.200 because the claims of truth are huge and life-changing. To think about it, the God who decrees 00:16:47.200 --> 00:16:56.160 everything, plans everything, planned to send his own Son to enter into human history, to truly die 00:16:56.159 --> 00:17:06.639 a self-sacrificial death, in the first instance, to heal our hearts, to deal with the sin that separates us 00:17:06.639 --> 00:17:16.159 from God, to bring us back into loving relationship with God, before then sending his followers out in 00:17:16.159 --> 00:17:25.200 order to bring healing to society. So, we've seen that Jesus is put on trial, but as that happens, 00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:29.840 he puts the world on trial by asking the question, what do you think about my truth? 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:36.319 But the third thing we need to see is that there is at the same time another trial happening 00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:46.880 just outside of the main courtroom. Peter is put on trial, and what John deliberately does is he 00:17:46.880 --> 00:17:53.039 interweaves these. So, we have a bit of Jesus' trial, then some Peter's trial, then Jesus and Peter, 00:17:53.039 --> 00:18:01.759 and it's in order to show us the striking contrast between the two. There's a striking contrast between 00:18:01.759 --> 00:18:08.319 the opponents in the trial. So, for Jesus, he is facing the great forces of the world, 00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:15.680 the Jewish religious system, and the power of the Roman Empire. For Peter, his opposition takes the 00:18:15.680 --> 00:18:23.039 form of the form of a servant girl whose job is to open and close the door. Some servants gathered 00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:31.120 round a fire to stay warm. But perhaps even more significant, the contrast is between the outcomes 00:18:31.119 --> 00:18:41.199 of the trial. So, we see Jesus, and he stands with courage, and he is faithful, and he passes the trial, 00:18:41.199 --> 00:18:51.359 he passes the test. But we see Peter three times denying being a friend of Jesus. He falls in his test. 00:18:51.359 --> 00:19:00.319 There is fear, and there is unfaithfulness. Here is Jesus, and he has so many times in his ministry said, 00:19:00.319 --> 00:19:12.159 I am the great I am. And did you notice Peter saying, I am not? You aren't one of the man's disciples 00:19:12.160 --> 00:19:21.440 too, are you? Verse 17, he replied, I am not. Verse 25, Peter was standing there warming himself by the 00:19:21.440 --> 00:19:26.160 fire, and they asked him, you aren't one of his disciples too, are you? He denied it saying, I am 00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:33.200 not. He doesn't deny Jesus' identity. He doesn't deny that Jesus is his Lord and his King, but he denies 00:19:33.200 --> 00:19:41.600 his identity as a follower. What made Peter do that in that moment of intense trial for Jesus, 00:19:42.320 --> 00:19:48.960 as he's passing the test? What made Peter fail? What makes us, more importantly, I think, fail our test? 00:19:51.200 --> 00:19:55.600 For those of us who are Christians, can we look back, maybe even we don't have to look back very far, 00:19:55.600 --> 00:20:01.279 and think about missed chances to speak, to say a good word for Jesus? 00:20:03.279 --> 00:20:09.040 Can we look back on times when we've kept our head down in the classroom or in the office when 00:20:09.039 --> 00:20:16.720 when talk of faith and belief came up? Can we think of moments in our lives where we have avoided public 00:20:16.720 --> 00:20:23.440 statements of what we believe, whether with family or friends or with people who we thought were hostile 00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:31.680 to us? I think one of the wonderful things about the Bible having the story of Jesus is it makes us 00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:39.360 realize here is a disciple of Jesus and he gets it. There is honesty. There is a struggle here that I 00:20:39.359 --> 00:20:46.399 think we can probably all relate to. And one of the wonderful things about Peter is that he also reflects 00:20:46.399 --> 00:20:55.279 on his failure and after many years he writes a letter. It's known in the Bible as 1 Peter. 00:20:56.879 --> 00:21:02.159 And in that letter in chapter 3 we find one answer as to why I think he struggled in a moment 00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:08.160 and why we might struggle. And Peter having learned from that experience wants to give encouragement and 00:21:08.160 --> 00:21:16.240 comfort. So in 1 Peter chapter 3 and verse 15, as he writes to people who are beginning to find it 00:21:16.240 --> 00:21:25.759 really hard to be a follower of Jesus, he said, in your hearts revere or fear and honor Christ as Lord. 00:21:25.759 --> 00:21:36.559 Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:45.519 You need the right fear and the right hope. And we fail, I think we have maybe we have many reasons 00:21:45.519 --> 00:21:52.319 why we fail, but one reason certainly why we fail is often we have a wrong fear. The Bible talks a lot 00:21:52.319 --> 00:22:00.559 about the fear of man. So often when we stay quiet or we deny Jesus it's because in that moment we have 00:22:00.559 --> 00:22:09.839 the fear of man rather than the fear of the Lord. And often when we stay quiet and we fail Jesus it's 00:22:09.839 --> 00:22:18.559 because in that moment we have fixed our attention on the wrong hope. Because we place our hope in 00:22:18.559 --> 00:22:30.240 social acceptance or comfort or avoiding embarrassment over reminding ourselves and others over the real 00:22:30.240 --> 00:22:40.720 eternal hope that we have in Jesus. When we lose sight of Jesus and his truth, typically we will give in to 00:22:40.720 --> 00:22:47.679 fear that people will seem bigger to us than God. And we will give other things 00:22:48.400 --> 00:23:01.039 value and priority rather than Jesus and his good news. Peter felt it. I felt it. I imagine many of us have felt it. 00:23:02.640 --> 00:23:12.240 It's so important for us as Peter says by bitter experience we need to honor Christ as Lord and we need to 00:23:12.240 --> 00:23:22.240 recognize the hope that Jesus gives. I've shared this before. Before being minister here I was working in 00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:27.039 Glasgow as an international student worker for a number of years and that meant every, especially 00:23:27.039 --> 00:23:34.559 September time, September time, sometimes in August as well, walking the streets around the universities 00:23:34.559 --> 00:23:42.639 in Glasgow, walking up to people who were strangers to me to kind of welcome them to the city, to try and 00:23:42.639 --> 00:23:48.960 strike up conversation, to try and talk to them about Jesus and invite them to church and to Bible studies 00:23:48.960 --> 00:23:53.119 and those kind of things. And for those of you who know me you'll know that is not something that would 00:23:53.119 --> 00:23:59.199 come easy to me. That's not my natural happy place. For some people it is. And so for me to do that, 00:23:59.199 --> 00:24:08.559 for me to be able to survive in that kind of reality, I find myself often praying along very similar lines 00:24:08.559 --> 00:24:16.879 to Peter. I'll be walking towards campus reminding myself Jesus is bigger and better than my fear and 00:24:16.879 --> 00:24:26.720 my awkwardness. And that what people need more than anything is to meet Jesus and to hear good news. 00:24:27.839 --> 00:24:32.480 And I can't allow my social awkwardness or sense of embarrassment to come between 00:24:33.279 --> 00:24:37.120 people and the chance to discover their Creator and their Savior. 00:24:40.079 --> 00:24:47.680 We need to learn to revere Christ as Lord and remember the hope that Jesus has offered to us 00:24:48.480 --> 00:24:57.599 and that He offers to others. I think we need the reflection, the prayer of Peter, his focus, 00:24:57.599 --> 00:25:02.480 the hope that Jesus has offered to us. And we know that it's never easy to stand up for Jesus. We're 00:25:02.480 --> 00:25:09.599 always in a minority, a moral minority, a minority in how we think. But we understand that it's so vital 00:25:09.599 --> 00:25:14.559 for our mission and it's so vital for people's ultimate hope and salvation. 00:25:14.559 --> 00:25:23.200 But there's one last thing that we need to think about because we recognize that Peter was put on 00:25:23.200 --> 00:25:30.399 trial and he failed. And I wonder if you're here today and you feel somewhat like Peter. 00:25:32.079 --> 00:25:36.319 You can look back, you think, man, I've blown it so many times. Or even you're here today and you feel 00:25:36.319 --> 00:25:44.399 like such a failure again. Here's the last thing we need to see and it pushes us towards the end of 00:25:44.399 --> 00:25:51.839 the Easter story. And it's this, that Jesus gives hope after the trial. I wonder if you've ever stopped 00:25:51.839 --> 00:25:58.879 to wonder why is it that the Bible and the gospel writers so often tell these very honest stories 00:25:58.880 --> 00:26:06.880 of failures of major figures? Why is it that John records Peter's story for us with brutal honesty? 00:26:08.960 --> 00:26:15.840 Well, one reason at least is so that it might give us hope. And especially as we think about how John 00:26:15.840 --> 00:26:22.560 chooses to end his gospel. So, John in chapter 18 records, here's the spectacular failure of Peter. 00:26:22.559 --> 00:26:29.119 Here's where he gets things horribly wrong. But by the time we get to John chapter 21, 00:26:29.119 --> 00:26:38.639 here's the wonderful forgiveness of Jesus and here's the restoration of Peter. In John chapter 21, 00:26:38.639 --> 00:26:47.279 we've gone beyond the trial scene. We've gone to the cross where Jesus has died. And we've come to the 00:26:47.279 --> 00:26:55.759 empty tomb. We've seen Jesus appear to his disciples. And then in chapter 21, we have Jesus cooking a 00:26:55.759 --> 00:27:05.920 barbecue for his friends around another fire. And Jesus chooses to speak to Peter three times in that 00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:14.160 chapter asking him, do you love me? For all those times that Peter denied Jesus, he gives him a chance to 00:27:14.160 --> 00:27:20.720 confirm that he can confirm that? Yes, yes, Jesus, I do love you. And three times he's asked then, 00:27:20.720 --> 00:27:28.080 well, if you love me, go and feed my lambs, feed my sheep. Here is Peter being restored to fellowship with 00:27:28.080 --> 00:27:38.880 Jesus and being restored to service by Jesus. Here is Peter. He's been a key figure. But he can testify, 00:27:38.880 --> 00:27:50.160 I failed terribly. But he knows that Jesus didn't fail. And Jesus, the one who didn't fail his test, 00:27:50.160 --> 00:27:55.200 gave Peter fresh hope. And if he did it for Peter, he can certainly do it for us. 00:27:56.560 --> 00:28:03.520 We sometimes sing some songs written by Sovereign Grace, a music ministry. Bob Coughlin is their main 00:28:03.519 --> 00:28:12.240 songwriter. And he tells about a story of a three-year period in his life of anxiety and stress 00:28:12.240 --> 00:28:17.440 that was creating various illnesses in him. And he tried going to various doctors and he couldn't 00:28:17.440 --> 00:28:24.160 find help. And eventually he confessed his sense of hopelessness to a pastor. And the pastor said to him, 00:28:24.160 --> 00:28:29.200 words that surprised him somewhat, he said, do you know what, I don't think you're hopeless enough. 00:28:29.200 --> 00:28:35.519 And he was confused. And he said, what do you mean? And the pastor said to him, if you are completely 00:28:35.519 --> 00:28:42.960 hopeless, you'd stop trusting in what you think you can do to change the situation and start trusting 00:28:42.960 --> 00:28:52.160 what Jesus Christ has already done at the cross. And he said, then the light went on. And for the next, 00:28:52.160 --> 00:28:58.960 I think he said three months afterwards, he found himself so often praying, I am a hopeless person. 00:28:59.600 --> 00:29:09.680 But Jesus Christ died for hopeless people. And you and I, we need to believe that that's true. 00:29:09.680 --> 00:29:17.519 That where Peter failed in his test and where we fail in our test, that Jesus passed the test. He was 00:29:17.519 --> 00:29:25.840 faithful in the trial. He was faithful on the cross. He is perfectly faithful for people like us who are 00:29:25.839 --> 00:29:33.679 unfaithful. And the story of Peter and the story of the cross and the resurrection reminds us there is 00:29:33.679 --> 00:29:41.759 life-giving hope from Jesus beyond our failure. There is the promise that you and I, we can be forgiven. 00:29:41.759 --> 00:29:48.799 We can be restored to fellowship with God. We can be restored to useful service even when we mess up 00:29:48.799 --> 00:30:02.400 spectacularly. Because there is real power in the truth of Jesus. He really is equal with God. He really 00:30:02.400 --> 00:30:09.360 does have a special relationship with God. He really does act with the authority of God. He really is God's King 00:30:09.360 --> 00:30:19.040 who came to save and to rescue. And when we understand that, and when we let that power into our heart and 00:30:19.039 --> 00:30:29.920 our life, do you know, then we have the power to stand, then we have the power to speak, and then we know that 00:30:29.920 --> 00:30:39.440 it's power to forgive us even when we fail. Because Jesus never fails. Let's pray and give thanks to Him. 00:30:39.440 --> 00:30:50.640 Lord Jesus, we thank you for your faithfulness in that trial scene, standing for truth, recognizing your 00:30:50.640 --> 00:31:01.279 great claims to be none other than the eternal Son of God and the promised Saviour King. And we thank you 00:31:01.279 --> 00:31:11.279 that that that truth has the power to change our lives, to bring us forgiveness, to bring us into relationship 00:31:11.279 --> 00:31:23.440 with our God, and to give us hope even when we mess up and fail you. We thank you that when we are unfaithful, 00:31:24.399 --> 00:31:30.720 you are faithful. That you forgive us and you cleanse us, and you restore us, 00:31:30.720 --> 00:31:37.759 and you can send us out to serve you. And so we pray that each one of us, we would know 00:31:37.759 --> 00:31:46.400 that message, that it work its way deep into our hearts, giving us solid and eternal hope beyond 00:31:47.200 --> 00:31:56.960 all our failures, resting all of our hope in Jesus, our faithful Saviour King. We pray in His name. Amen.