Our text is in John 17, verse 12 to verse 27. It is the night in April, AD 30, in which the Lord Jesus was betrayed, almost exactly 1,992 years ago. We saw previously how the Lord had brought his disciples into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. When he had done praying, he came to the edge of the garden where he met Judas Iscariot. Judas had led a mob from the elders and chief priests of the Jews to arrest the Lord. They were probably hiding out of sight when Judas met the Lord. But as soon as he greeted the Lord with a kiss, the multitude emerged. But before they could apprehend him, the Lord asked them, Whom seek ye? They answered, Jesus of Nazareth. And he said, I am. Hearing that, they were greatly surprised and confused. For a split second, a glorious echo of heaven sounded in their ears. I am. That is the name of God. And the Lord had said it with such heavenly authority that only the Son of God could. They fell backwards to the ground. But eventually, with the Lord permitting them, the mob managed to arrest him. And here's where our text for this morning picks up. They took him, tied him up, and led him to the palace of the high priest, verse 12 to verse 13. That year, the high priest was Caiaphas. He had taken over from Annas, his father-in-law, who was apparently still dwelling in the same precinct with him. For some reason, they led the Lord first to Annas. After interrogating him, Annas would send him to Caiaphas for further questioning before they sent him over to Pilate for execution. Now take note that the interrogation recorded in verses 19 to 23 was conducted not by Annas, but by Caiaphas, together with some of the elders and chief priests that made up the Sanhedrin. We know this because verse 24 says, Annas had sent Jesus bound unto Caiaphas, the high priest. Notice the perfect tense. But that was not all that was happening that night. For as that was happening, another story was unfolding in parallel. Notice how John weaves the two threads together by switching between what was happening in the hall where the Lord was being questioned and what was happening in the courtyard of the palace. You see, two of the Lord's disciples actually followed the Lord to the palace. The apostle John was known to Caiaphas, and therefore he was able to follow the crowd who had arrested the Lord without raising any question. But Peter, who also followed them, was unknown. So when he reached the gate of the courtyard of the palace, he could not enter in. John had to come out to speak to the maidservant who kept the door to let him in. We read that in verse 16. But as she did so, she asked Peter, are you also one of this man's disciples? Without thinking, Peter replied, no, I'm not. I'm not, he says. Verse 17. The Lord Jesus was brought into the hall to be questioned by Annas. And Peter could not go in. So he stood in a courtyard with his servants and officers who were warming themselves over a charcoal fire, coal. It's actually those days with charcoal, verse 18. No doubt, Peter pretended to be warming himself with them even as he stole anxious glances into the hall where the Lord Jesus was being interrogated. But suddenly, the people who were standing around the fire noticed him and asked him, are you not also one of his disciples? Verse 25. Matthew tells us that it was another maid who noticed him. Whatever the case, Peter again denied. I'm not, he insisted. But a little while more, and a relative of Malchus, whose ear Peter had cut off, recognized him and said, did not I see thee in the garden with him? Peter again denied. And then the cock crew. Just as the Lord had predicted in John 13, the cock shall not crow till thou hast denied me thrice. Now, this is briefly what happened that night. But what can we learn from this account? What would the Spirit have us learn that we may take away from this passage? Well, the Lord helping us, we want to consider four different attitudes toward the Lord Jesus which were manifested that night. What is your attitude toward the Lord Jesus? Who is the Lord Jesus to you? First, Are you like Annas and Caiaphas? We don't know much about Annas, but the fact that he actively supported the evil scheme of Caiaphas to have the Lord arrested puts him in the same boat as Caiaphas. We are told specifically, verse 14, Caiaphas was he which gave counsel to the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. In John 11, we are told that he said that prophetically, for he was the high priest. But it is clear that he did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. He saw him only as a scapegoat. He was more concerned for the troubles that Jesus could bring to the nation. Remember how someone in the Sanhedrin had said, if we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him, and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. That's in John 11, 48. Caiaphas was more interested to solve the potential problem. It does not really matter whether Jesus was guilty or not. He had made up his mind. Jesus must be disposed of. Yes, he did ask the Lord about his disciples and his doctrine. But it is clear that it was for show, isn't it? Indeed, it is clear that he had no case against the Lord. For if he had, he wouldn't be asking the Lord to provide him material to accuse him with. It's like a magistrate, after arresting someone, asking him, tell me, what did you do? Please enlighten me. Should he even arrest him if he had no idea what he did? Is it even legal to arrest him? This is why the Lord Jesus replied, verse 20, I speak openly to the world. I ever taught in a synagogue and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort. And in secret have I said nothing. Why askest thou me? Ask them which heard me. What I have said unto them, behold, they know what I said. But if the magistrate wants to know what someone he arrested did, he should ask the witnesses first, not the accused himself. Our Lord had many witnesses. He preached and taught openly in the temple courtyard to everyone in Earshot. He did not say anything in secret. He had nothing to hide. If Caiaphas wanted to know if he had preached any heresy, he could summon anyone who had hurt him. Some of them were probably in the Sanhedrin with him. They should be able to identify any false doctrine he might have taught. But Caiaphas was not really interested in the truth, you see. He had made up his mind that the Lord must die. He cared not for who the Lord was, what he had done, or what he had said. He was only concerned that what the Lord Jesus did might bring the Romans down upon the nation. Indeed, he was probably also concerned that the Lord's teaching might expose his own incompetence and hypocrisy. It's no secret that there are many Annas and Caiaphas in the world today. Are you one of them? They have already made up their minds about Christ, that he is not for them, or even that he never existed, or that only stupid people believe in him. They refuse to read the Bible or listen to him preach because they have already made up their minds about him. They speak against him. They stake their reputation on sticking to their guns and refusing to give an inch to what they regard as Christian jumbo mumbo, or mumbo jumbo, whichever. I wonder if there's anyone in our midst who has been bought by this propaganda. Perhaps because you have not experienced the joy and power of the gospel, you begin to wonder if those who claim to have are actually faking it. So you decide to check it out. You decide to ask the god Google to find out what others have to say about Christianity. And then you find the message resonating with you, because they too have an agenda. So you hear the gospel preach, and instead of being melted like wax, you begin to be hardened like clay. You begin to think that it's not really worth it to be a Christian. Maybe you will walk out once for all. Caiaphas and Annas put to death, the son of God, because of their prejudice and their corrupted thinking. Will you do the same? Well, before you do so, let me assure you that there will be a day of judgment. I think in your heart of hearts, you know that there will be a day of judgment. And that day of judgment, Annas and Caiaphas will not do very well. But now secondly, are you like the servants and officers? What can we say about the servants and officers of the high priests? Well, some of them were slaves. They did what they were instructed to do. Some of them were probably paid like mercenaries. They did what they were employed to do. Did any one of them hear the Lord preaching at any time? Probably. But none of them seemed to be concerned about him. They were just doing their job. Were they affected by the person and ministry of the Lord? Perhaps for a moment. For when the Lord identified himself as the I Am, they fell back. For a moment, they were stunned by the glory and power of the Lord. But they quickly recovered and brushed it aside. None of them apparently followed the thought of who the one they were arresting was. Stopped them from doing what they were employed to do. When they had escorted the Lord to the high priest's palace, what did they do? Those who were not on duty in the hall simply stood around the fire. It appears that they care not for what was going on to the Lord Jesus in the hall. They didn't appear to care whether he was guilty or not. It did not bother them what was happening to the Lord. One of the officers even struck the Lord for the way he replied the high priest, never mind whether he made sense. The Lord replied, if I've spoken evil, bear witness of the evil. But if well, why smitest thou me? The officer gives no reply. He doesn't care. He's just doing his job, which is to serve the high priest. Are there people like that today? Of course. They are all around us. They say that they are not against Christianity, but neither are they for Christianity. They don't really care. They're happy to flow with the tides. If the majority and those in power are Christian, they will act like Christians. If the majority are not Christians, they will not cast in their lots with Christians. Some of them may even identify themselves as Christians, somewhat. Perhaps he grew up in Christian families, but he never met Christ personally. Think of Chris. Chris grew up in a Christian family. His father is an elder in the church, a large Presbyterian church. He works in a reputable tech company with an open office concept. The programmers find a spot wherever they like, and they will plug in their laptops and start working. One day, Chris's teammate, Tom, while trying to debug a piece of complicated code, suddenly yells out the name of Jesus and let loose a string of expletives. Ahmad, a Muslim, was working a few desks away, calls out to him, hey, Tom, please watch your language. Not everyone here appreciates swearing, okay? Tom is undeterred. Again, he swears the name of Christ, and then says something nasty to Ahmad. Chris is seated next to Tom, but he says nothing. Neither does he support Ahmad, nor does he tell Tom to stop using the name of Jesus as a swear word. Was he afraid to offend his friend? Well, actually, he just didn't really care. He knew Jesus, but he didn't really know him. He was just a church goer. Is there anyone of us like that? Are you like that? You may not hate the Lord or be prejudiced against Him like Annas and Caiaphas, but you're indifferent towards Him. Like the servant and officers, you care not for what He has done or what He stands for. You care only for what serves you best in this life. If it is profitable to be Christian, you'll be Christian. After all, in some circumstances, gain is godliness, as Paul puts it. Parents are rich, and they want you to go to church, and you say, well, maybe I'll inherit after the inheritance. Otherwise, the name of Jesus means nothing to you. But if that is the case for you, then Christ is a stranger to you. then you will bend and sway according to the wind. You walk as a hypocrite, to please man rather than to please God. What a miserable life that is, when you could instead live as a true servant of the Lord. How will you not repent of your unbelief, your hardness of heart, your indifference, your worldliness, your materialism, your idolatry? Today, if you hear the voice of Christ, will you not confess your sin before Him and seek His forgiveness? He has promised all that the Father has given unto Him will come unto Him, and all who goes unto Him He will in no wise cast out. Will you not come to Him? See, sitting on the fence like the servants and officers, they enjoy the warmth of the charcoal fire. but they cannot for the one who made fire. Not that one day they will experience the hot wrath of God unless they repent. Unless they repent, their destiny is the same as the destiny of the Annas and Caiaphas, even eternal damnation. But now thirdly, are you like Peter? Peter was so sure that he would never leave nor forsake the Lord. I will lay down my life for thy sake, he insisted. In John 13, he even drew a sword to defend the Lord when a mob came to arrest him. But as soon as the Lord was arrested, he became quite timid. Well, to his credit, he did not flee like the other apostles. Like John, he followed the crowd back to the palace of the high priest. But unlike John, he dare not own up to be a follower of the Lord openly. It does look like it was no secret that John was a disciple, doesn't it? What did the maiden guarding the door say to Peter? Are not thou also one of this man's disciples? She probably recognized that John was his disciple. If that is so, then Peter had all the more reason to say, yes, I am. But instead he lied. I'm not, he says. Was it fear? Was it embarrassment? But having lied once, when he was confronted again, he again denied. Indeed, as Matthew tells us, he denied with an oath, even as he insisted, I do not know this man. Then the third time, another maiden identified him. His accent gave him away. He had a Galilean accent. But again, he denied the Lord. According to Matthew, he even cursed and swore to emphasize that he did not know the Lord. How sad. Peter only woke up to the reality of what he had done after the cock crowed the second time. When he heard the cock crow, Peter turned his eyes to look at the Savior. Luke tells us that the Lord turned and looked upon Peter. For a brief moment, their eyes must have met. Then Peter remembered the Lord's prediction which he had made earlier, and he went out and wept bitterly. Oh, beloved brethren and children, are you like Peter? Have you denied the Lord when under pressure? You know, there are many ways to deny the Lord. The worst is when you are confronted with a direct question, like in the case of Peter. Most of us would not be challenged the way that Peter was. But some were, and some may be. On 1st October, 2015, in Rosenburg, or Roseburg, Oregon, United States, a young man walked into a classroom. After subduing the class with gunfire, he started interrogating each student. Are you a Christian, he asked. If you are Christian, stand up. Those who confessed Christ, he shot in the head. Those who did not were shot in the legs. What would you do if you were next? Many of the young people bravely confess their faith, despite knowing that they will be killed in an instant. Would you? But very few of us will be challenged in such a way. How about this? The Basketball Federation is trying to organize a junior team to represent the country. The Chairman has invited all who are interested to apply to come to the National Basketball Court at a set time. Many show up. They must go through a rigorous selection process. One of the first things that the Chairman says to the applicants is, I don't want any Christians. I don't want history to repeat itself when Christians refuse to play when the game is on Sunday. If you're a Christian, please go home. If you're one of those students, what will you do? You are in a philosophy class. The lecturer is making all sorts of snide remarks about Christ and Christians. Your class comprise mostly unbelievers, and they are cheering the lecturer on. You are one of the few Christians in the class. What do you do? By not speaking up, you are denying Christ. By speaking up, you are throwing yourself to the lions and crocodiles. It is Chinese New Year. You're visiting some relatives. A lively discussion is going on about religion. And everyone seems to agree that all religions are the same. Even that uncle of yours who's trained in the Bible college is agreeing with them. Jesus is no different, really, from Buddha or Confucius. What do you say? Brethren, take heed, lest you fall like Peter. resolve today to pray for courage and strength to testify for Christ in whatever situation you may come into. Indeed ask the Lord to grant you a testimony like that of John. Are you like John? Well, John doesn't really say much about himself in the text. He's quite a modest person, so he doesn't name himself. He talk about the other disciple and so on. But it is clear that he's not ashamed of the Lord. Though he could not do anything to stop the Lord's arrest, he followed him into the high priest's palace. I don't think he was a secret disciple of Christ, as some may suppose. It's more likely that they knew he was a disciple of Jesus. Remember how the maidservant asked Peter, are you also one of this man's disciple? I think the also is a reference really to John. Why did they not ask him for information about where Jesus was then? Surely because they knew he would never betray him. They love him. But they tolerated him since he's not rash or obnoxious. despite knowing the truth. He's uncompromising, but he's also patient and meek. Unlike Peter, who has a tendency to speak and act rashly, John is contemplative and purposeful in everything that he does. Some of us, like a pastor who's very dear to you and I, are unflappable. Others are more like Peter, impetuous and impatient. But let us learn, beloved brethren, to walk with constancy like John. He did not cut off all ties with the high priest's family despite disagreeing with them on many things. He did not keep his identity with the Lord Jesus a secret. He was like his master, who is meek, holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and yet able to walk as a light in this challenging world. thus is able to declare in his first epistle. If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanses us from all sin. Thus it's possible to walk and minister impurity without being unpleasant and stirring up antagonism against oneself. John no doubt preached openly, as our Savior did. That earned him a stint in the Isle of Patmos. But unlike all the other disciples, he lived to a ripe old age. Of course, we're not saying that the martyrdom of all the other apostles were due to their own failures. Their martyrdom was certainly ordained of the Lord as part of His plan for the advancement of the kingdom. So they went wherever He appointed. But we are saying that perhaps the long ministry that the Lord granted John bears testimony that one need not be very reactionary and vehement to be a true disciple of Christ, especially when confronting the world. One needs rather to be prayerful, consistent, humble, sincere, and meek. Or in other words, one needs to be Christ-like to be an effective witness for the Lord. And if you run at a slow and steady pace, like John, you can go a long way. Just the other day, I was running with our elder along that path, that rail corridor. And we were running at a certain pace, and I was asking our elder, do you run at this pace when you run a marathon? And he says, no. I said, oh, why? We seem to be running quite slowly. He said, well, you've run at this pace. By the time you reach the 30 kilometers, you'll not be able to continue. So it is in the Christian race, isn't it? You think you can run fast, and you want to do things very quickly, want to react to every situation. And after that, you burn out like a shooting star. Burns out very bright, but burns out very quickly. Oh, that the Lord raise up more who are like John in our midst. Oh, that the Lord will grant us the help of His Spirit, that we may follow Him as He followed Christ, that Christ may increase through our witness. Now, beloved brethren, friends, and children, who is Jesus to you? Do you realize how important this question is? We talk about four groups of people and who they think Jesus is. But there is one main character in the account whom we miss out. Who is he? Yes, the Lord Jesus himself. Why do we not talk about him as we did about the other four when he's the most important character in this episode? Because when Cai first asked him to review something about himself, what did he do? He says, why ask me? Ask them, which heard me, what I've said unto them. Behold, they know what I said. Can you see how important it is for you, men, women, and children, who are hearing the word preached, to know who he is, to know what he has done, and to have the right attitude towards him? The Lord Jesus himself is counting on you to testify of him to the world. Jesus is the name that is above every name. Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. One day, at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Is your attitude towards Jesus like that of Annas and Caiaphas? Or will you not repent of your hatred of Christ before it's too late? God will not be mocked. Is your attitude like that of the servants and officers? Or will you not take heed to the words of Elijah or Mount Carmel? How long will you stay neutral, holding between two opinions? How long will you be indifferent? If Christ is God, follow Him and defend His name. If Baal or Mammon is your God, then follow Him. Remember that those who are not for Christ are against Him. He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathers not with me scatters, says the Lord in Luke 11, 23. Those who are indifferent towards Christ will end up in the same lake of fire as Caiaphas and Annas. Or are you a true believer, like Peter or John? Thank God for salvation in him. Remember that the Lord has made us different. Some of us are more action-oriented, like Peter, or some of us are more thoughtful, like John. But sin affects all of us, so we need to be on guard. If you're like John, thank God for the gifts the Lord has given you. Seek to make use of the opportunities open to you to be a blessing. Don't forget to be firm and resolute when you have to. Mike John calls sin, sin. Don't be afraid to point out the obvious, like John did when he declares that those who claim that they have no sin are telling a lie. Don't be afraid to make it clear that you believe that those who walk in sin are still in the bonds of iniquity. See how John did it in his epistle? John was no compromiser, even though he was not given to passions like Peter. But if you are like Peter, you need especially to learn to slow down, to think before acting, to be more contemplative, Don't act according to the flesh and then regret later. But if you fail, don't give up. When you see Christ looking at you after you fall, remember that it's not a look of disdain or judgment or scorn. Remember that he's not saying, I told you so. His look is a look of love and compassion. Peter knew that. That's why he broke down and wept bitterly. John didn't mention it, just like how he did not mention that Peter cursed and swore when he denied the Lord. Perhaps he wanted to spare Peter the embarrassment. But Matthew, Mark, and Luke all mentioned how Peter wept. It is okay to weep when we fail the Lord. You don't have to be a strong man when you know that you have failed the Lord. The Lord understands, and there is forgiveness in Him. That's why He came in the first place. Amen.