Sermon: The King of Truth

A passage I want to focus on here this afternoon is that one there that we just read one of those in John 18, in John 18, verse 37 here this afternoon

before I read it for us. Uh, let me pray for us.

Our Father, we are thankful for the testimony that we have received, that you preserved it through the ages, that each generation has passed it on to the next. And we say with the psalmist, we will not hide these things from our generation or the coming generation Patel of you, our mighty God and the wonderful mighty wonders that you have done. And truly there is no mightier wonder and the sacrifice of your son and our savior upon the cross.

Do you have our minds run there over these next minutes and may we find that we are communing with you by the power of your spirit according to the truth of your word. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. John chapter 18, uh, verse 37,

then Pils said to him, you are a king. Jesus answered. You say that I am a king for this purpose. I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice. The grass withers and the flower faiths word of God is forever. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Pilate, if we back up, he is already asked a question in verse 33, and you heard that read by John and Pastor Nate here this afternoon. Yes, there are you the king of the Jews. And that's a question that echoes still today. That's a question that echoes in this room this afternoon, and it's a question that you have to answer. Who, who is this? Jesus Is he king? And if he is a king, what kind of king is he? First I want us to look at.

His kingdom is not from this world. His kingdom is not from this world. Pilate asks that question back in verse 33, but then it takes till verse 36, before Jesus begins to reply in a way that's pointed by speaking about his kingdom. And it's an answer by reference in that he says that he has a kingdom. He says, my kingdom and thus he must be a king if he has my kingdom. He then states what his kingdom is not. It is He says not of this world.

And he goes on to say in the last clause of verse 36 that it's not only not of this world, it's not from this world that is that Jesus' kingdom is not built upon the foundations of the world as the kingdoms of this world or earthly kingdoms. They rise and they fall by conquest. So you go the Babylonians to the Assyrians, to the Persians, to the Greeks. It's all by conquest, always by the sword. But Jesus says, if my kingdom were of this world,

my servants would be fighting. He's not interested in overthrowing Rome. It's not his focus. His kingdom is not from or of this world.

Now having said that, we have to be careful because by saying that it's not from or of this world, it does not mean that his kingdom is not in this world. No, the son of God came into the world. Jesus. His first words in the gospel of Mark are the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel and his kingdom is to spread across the world. He says, go, therefore make disciples of all the nations.

When his disciples say to him, Lord, teach us to pray, part of the prayer that he gives to them is that thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. His kingdom is advancing in the world and yet it's not of the world. It's not from the world. It doesn't advance by the power or the weapons or the politics of this world. It's not secured on battlefields, but in hearts,

this king, this king is radically different.

If his kingdom isn't from this world, well then what is it marked by? Well, that's our second point. His kingdom is founded on truth. Pilate still doesn't understand, and so he asks him again in verse 37, so, so you're a king, and now Jesus answers in the positive where before he had answered in the negative what his kingdom is not. Now he answers in the positive. You say that I am a king and I think the NASB and the King James gets this better

because they insert a word that isn't actually there in the text, but it's inferred and they put the word in there of rightly. You rightly say that I am a king. That's the inference. In fact, Jesus says, for this purpose, I was born, you say rightly that I am a king for this purpose. I was born. And then he says, to bear witness to the truth. His kingdom is not about earthly land. It's not about armies. It's founded upon truth.

You remember in John 14, Jesus says those famous words of himself. He says, I am the way and the truth and the life. The author of this gospel says in John one, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as the only son of the Father full of grace and truth. What is that truth? It is that God is made known through and in Jesus.

John says it this way in chapter one of this gospel in him, meaning Jesus was life and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. Light illuminance it. It makes things clear. He illumines and with it he brings life. And what is lu, what is made known? Well, John goes on to say in chapter one, this no one has ever seen God, the only God who is at the father's side.

He's speaking of Jesus. No one has ever seen God, the only God who is at the father's side. He has made him known. Jesus reveals truth

as king, so very different. He brings life founded upon truth,

where you look through the kings through history and what do they bring? They bring death.

He brings life, life eternal by bringing truth.

If you think back to the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, they rejected truth and they reached out for control and that that act of pride ushered in a kingdom of darkness.

Jesus humbles himself, yields, suffers, dies, and that humility ushers in the kingdom of life.

Adam and Eve, they reach out and say, take that fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Did they have knowledge of what was good and what was evil? Of course they did. They knew that the take of the fruit of the tree was evil. They knew to abstain from the fruit of the tree. The knowledge of good and evil was good. Then why is it called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?

Because it was by that tree that they wanted to take so that they would be determiners of what is good and evil. They wanted to be God.

It was an act of cosmic rebellion

and that act of pride ushered in a kingdom of death and darkness. Whereas the Son of God,

he becomes flesh and he suffers the pains of this world. He embraces humility. He's humbled to the point of death, even death on a cross. This was not cosmic rebellion. This is cosmic humility

and that life of humility, especially the act of humility of dying upon the cross, it ushers in a kingdom of life and light.

This king is different.

He's wholly different.

Finally, his kingdom is secured by sacrifice. It's secured by sacrifice. You think Jesus could have used the sword? Of course he could have. Peter had it drawn out. He could have used it. He could have swayed crowds with words. If any man had the power to speak and move crowds, surely it was the one who spoke with all authority and people recognized it, but

Instead, he gave himself for his enemies. He conquers, but not as the world conquers. This king is different.

He conquers by dying.

Why? Because his kingdom deals with what? No earthly kingdom can sin the guilt of your sin.

No army, no speech, no flying. A flag can remove your offense against a holy God can take the guilt off of your shoulders.

Can't do it.

There was only one way.

The son of God in humility becoming flesh.

He was king of kings and Lord of lords

willingly suffering and dying so that your sin, your sin might be conquered, your enemy of guilt, your enemy death. Your enemy, hell

would not rule over you.

His kingdom has come.

He triumphed on the cross, and as we will celebrate Sunday, he rose in victory from the grave. And you know where he is now. He sits and enthroned above because he's king

And this king, he invites you to be part of his kingdom today. Not by fighting, but by believing. He says in our text, if you love the truth, you will listen to my voice.

Do you hear it? 'cause he calls.

He calls in this room today. Do you hear it?

A Pilate. He couldn't understand him. Neither could the Jews. Why? Because his kingdom is unlike any other. This king is unlike any other.

You've heard his voice today.

John Stot said it this way. He said, the essence of sin is substituting himself for God. Or the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man. Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be. God sacrifices himself for man and puts himself for only man deserves to be.

Will you receive that king? That's a king that's worth submitting to for all of eternity. And he says that if you receive him, you receive life as you receive his truth and you receive that life to today and eternally. That's the promise of the cross.

Pray for us now, father, we are thankful for so great a savior and so great to King who's triumphed over all his and ores, not as the world would triumph, but in the only way that there could be true victory over sin and death and Satan. Until by you giving your only son and him willingly yielding his life for sinners such as us, how he is worthy of all of our thanksgiving and praise. And we give it this afternoon in Christ's name. Amen.