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In John chapter 18, we're going 
to consider Jesus Christ before Pontius Pilate. specifically 
verses 33 to 40, but I do want to read the larger context, so 
I'll begin reading in chapter 18 of John's Gospel at verse 
28, just to sort of set the stage to let you know what is going 
on in this particular instance. The Lord Jesus had two trials. 
He stood first before the Jews and then before the Romans. The 
Jewish trial began with an informal examination by Annas, probably 
in front of the members of the Sanhedrin, or the religious council. The Sanhedrin then made a formal 
decision concerning Jesus' guilt and sent him to Pilate in the 
morning. And that's what we see in this 
section. Now John does not record, but Luke does, that between chapters 
18 and 19, Pilate sends Jesus over to see Herod. And then, 
of course, Herod sends Jesus back to Pilate. And that takes 
up chapter 19. So that's sort of the context. 
And what we're looking at, as I said, is the king before the 
governor in verses 33 to 38, beginning in verse 28. And they 
led Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium, and it was early 
morning. But they themselves did not go into the praetorium, 
lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. 
Pilate then went out to them and said, what accusation do 
you bring against this man? They answered and said to him, 
if he were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered him 
up to you. And Pilate said to them, you take him and judge 
him according to your law. Therefore the Jews said to him, 
it is not lawful for us to put anyone to death, that the saying 
of Jesus might be fulfilled which he spoke, signifying by what 
death he would die. Then Pilate entered the praetorium 
again, called Jesus, and said to him, Are you the king of the 
Jews? Jesus answered him, Are you speaking 
for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning 
me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief 
priests have delivered you to me. What have you done? Jesus 
answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were 
of this world, my servants would fight so that I should not be 
delivered to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from 
here. Pilate therefore said to him, Are you a king then? Jesus 
answered, You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I 
was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that 
I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the 
truth hears my voice. Pilate said to him, what is truth? And when he had said this, he 
went out again to the Jews and said to them, I find no fault 
in him at all. But you have a custom that I 
should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore 
want me to release to you the king of the Jews? And they all 
cried again, saying, not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas 
was a robber. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father, we thank you for the written word of the living God. 
We thank you for our Lord Jesus Christ, this one prophesied in 
2 Samuel 7, the man to reign from the line of David, to be 
the King of kings and Lord of lords. We thank you for his life 
and his death and his resurrection on behalf of sinners. We thank 
you that you've included us in his gracious kingdom. We ask 
God that more and more people today would be moved upon by 
the Holy Spirit and brought under conviction of sin and would be 
able to see the glory and the sufficiency of Jesus Christ to 
save to the uttermost all who draw nigh unto God through him. 
We pray that for our meeting here this morning. We pray that 
the truth of the gospel would be attended powerfully by the 
Holy Spirit of God. that you would bring salvation 
to bear upon men and women and boys and girls in this place 
this morning. We pray for the saints that you 
would strengthen and encourage us, cause us to reflect upon 
the glory of our king, cause us to reflect upon this one who 
loved us and who gave himself for us. Even now we pray for 
the ministry of your spirit. We pray for the forgiveness of 
our sins. We pray for cleansing through 
the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's in his name that we 
pray. Amen. As I said, our focus is verses 
33 to 38, but just a couple of preliminary observations in the 
first section, the Jews before Pilate in verses 28 to 32. You need to notice something 
about these particular persons. They are not concerned with truth. They are not concerned with biblical 
accuracy. They are not concerned with the 
law of the living God. Notice their hypocrisy in verse 
28. It says, then they led Jesus 
from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But 
they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should 
be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. On the one 
hand, they want to maintain ceremonial or ritual cleanliness. On the 
other hand, they're offering up the Lord of Glory for crucifixion. It is absolutely inconsistent. On the one hand, we don't want 
to defile ourselves with reference to the Praetorium. But on the 
other hand, away with Jesus, crucify Him, crucify Him. Notice as well, as they present 
before Pilate, Pilate asks the very specific question, what 
accusation do you bring against this man? Verse 29, notice in 
verse 30, they answered and said to him, if he were not an evildoer, 
we would not have delivered him up to you. Friends, that is called 
begging the question. They present no evidence. They 
give no facts whatsoever. They simply assert he's guilty 
because we say he's guilty. This is a mock trial. These men 
are not concerned at all with the truth of Scripture, with 
the truth of their own holy law. It is according to the will of 
God that his son be delivered up to die for the sins of his 
people. and to rise again on that third 
day." Now notice, as we look at Jesus before Pilate, we'll 
look at four things here. First, the issue concerning kingship. Secondly, the clarification concerning 
the question. Third, the response given by 
Christ. And fourth, the question of truth. Notice this issue is concerning 
kingship. Verse 33, Then Pilate entered 
the praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to him, Are you 
the king of the Jews? Now you need to understand that 
Jesus' beef or Jesus' dispute or Jesus' confrontation with 
the Jewish religious leaders was theological in nature. He 
claimed to be the king according to Old Testament prophecy. In 
other words, he claimed to be David's son. He made himself 
equal with God. He claimed to be the divine Messiah. We certainly know that that was 
an accurate claim. But the Jews couldn't turn Jesus 
over on a theological matter. Pilate and the Romans would never 
crucify a man or execute a man for an intramural debate concerning 
theology. So the Jews had to present Jesus 
as a contender for the Roman crown. In other words, he asserts, 
he has said, he has demonstrated that he is a king. The idea being 
that he then presents himself as a challenge to the existing 
political order in Rome. So you see the Jews are actually 
diabolically wise in all of this. They deliver Jesus up, they say 
to Pilate he claims to be a king, Pilate has a responsibility before 
his king to make sure that any usurper or any attempted usurper 
to the throne is crushed and is smashed. So that's the nature 
of the debate in this particular instance. or in this particular 
place. Now notice, specifically, Pilate 
has asked him, are you the king of the Jews? Secondly, Jesus 
clarifies this question. Are you speaking for yourself 
about this or did others tell you this concerning me? It's 
very intriguing because earlier in John's gospel, specifically 
in John 6, the Jews tried to take Jesus by force and make 
him a king. That's the context where Jesus 
is feeding the multitudes with bread. Where the Lord Jesus is 
taking care of the economic needs. Where Jesus is satisfying the 
physical requirement for food. When that is in play, the people 
say, we want to take him and make him a king. Now that he's 
a threat to their theological order, they want to deliver him 
up so that he would be crucified at the hands of a godless state. 
So Jesus says, are you speaking for yourself about this or did 
others tell you this concerning me? He wants to ferret this out. He wants to discover. He wants 
to put the onus upon Pilate in this instance. Are you simply 
a puppet governor working for this sort of proprietary people 
that live under your realm? And it is the case that he is 
working as a puppet governor for these people. Pink says, 
he was sent to be the governor of these Jews. They nevertheless 
compelled him to be their slave, the executioner of their wrath. Pilot responds, notice in verse 
35, am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief 
priests have delivered you to me. What have you done? Am I 
a Jew? Am I part of this theological 
debate? Is this something that concerns 
me? I simply need to know the political ramifications here. 
If you assert that you are, in fact, a king, then I, as Pilate, 
need to deal with you. But if it's just a matter of 
theology between you and the Jews, well then hopefully we 
can just let you all work it out. You see what's pressing 
upon Pilate here. You see what's moving him. He 
is a wimp. He is a coward. He is a populist. He simply wants to serve these 
people in this particular instance. As I said, the Jews aren't concerned 
about the truth. Pilate isn't concerned about 
the truth. There is one in this section 
that is concerned about the truth, and he says that his kingdom 
is defined accordingly to truth. Now notice the response given 
by Christ. Verses 36 and 37. It's both negative 
and positive. He will answer Pilate's question, 
but it is important that we understand how he answers Pilate's question. As I said, it's negative in verse 
36, and then a positive statement in verse 37. And what Jesus is 
doing is stressing to Pilate that his kingdom is not an immediate 
political threat to Rome. I say immediate because Daniel's 
prophecy tells us that the stone strikes the image and it's crushed. It's not an immediate threat 
to Pilate, it's not an immediate threat to Caesar, but that doesn't 
mean the Roman Empire will be around forever. It's not the 
fact that Jesus and his servants are going to launch an armed 
revolt against the Roman Empire. That's what he stresses here 
in order to present himself before this particular man. Notice, 
we learn two things in this section. Something concerning the character 
of his kingdom, and secondly, the character of the king. The 
first place, the existence of his kingdom. Notice in verse 
36, my kingdom is not of this world. What does he answer Pilate? Yes, Pilate, I am a king. Yes, Pilate, I am a king. Now 
imagine Pilate here for a moment. What do you think he's thinking? 
If you were a king, you'd have a big crown. If you were a king, 
you would be wielding a royal scepter. If you were a king, 
you would be sitting on a royal throne. Pilate witnessed firsthand 
what Isaiah prophesied. There is no form, there is no 
majesty, there is no comeliness that when we see Him, we desire 
Him. presents himself as an ordinary, 
normal sort of a man. And nevertheless he claims entitlement 
to and the rights of kingship. My kingdom is not of this world. Notice that. The second place, 
the kingdom's origin. Now his kingdom is not of the 
world, but the kingdom certainly includes the world. Sometimes 
we miss that. We read this passage and we say, 
well, Jesus' kingdom is not of the world, so therefore Jesus 
doesn't have reign and rule over the world. That is not a logical 
conclusion. It doesn't derive from. It isn't 
according to. In other words, Jesus wasn't 
voted into office. There was no political process 
that established Jesus upon the throne. What process established 
Jesus upon the throne was a covenant God who gave him as the head 
to his people in the function of mediator as prophet, priest, 
and king. But my kingdom is not of this 
world. It is not owing to this world. It is not derived from the world. 
Ryle defines it belonging to, dependent upon, springing from, 
or connected with. And now Jesus affirms this or 
proves this by an appeal to his servants. Note the logic. Verse 
35, my kingdom is not of this world. How do we know that? If 
my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight so that 
I should not be delivered to the Jews, but now my kingdom 
is not from here. What's proof positive that his 
kingdom is not from the world? If his kingdom was from the world, 
Pilate and his minions would be dead. The Jews would never 
get their bloodthirsty hands upon the Lord Jesus Christ. It 
would never be the case that this would be occurring as it 
is presently. In other words, Jesus' negative 
response affirms to Pilate that no immediate political overthrow 
is in view at this particular time. It's as if Jesus is saying, 
you need to just relax. You're not going to be overthrown. 
You're not going to be overwhelmed. You're not going to be violently 
opposed. If my kingdom were of this world, 
my servants would fight. And what's the implication? And 
they would win. He's Jesus. His servants win. He's the Lord Christ Almighty. 
His servants carry out His will perfectly and effectively and 
efficiently. So Pilate doesn't have anything 
to worry about with reference to the Lord Jesus. So Christ 
is answering the charge in a very wise and calculated manner so 
that everything will transpire according to plan. Now notice 
positively the character of the king. He positively affirms. Notice in verse 37, Pilate therefore 
said to him, are you a king then? Not the brightest bulb in the 
chandelier, is he? I mean, Jesus just said he is 
a king. Are you a king then? He just 
didn't have the categories to process this information. Because 
kings in this realm simply try and kill other kings and competitors 
so that kings in this realm can take their territory. Pilate's 
not trafficking in the kingdom of God. Neither are the Jews, 
but Pilate is certainly missing the point, and so he asks candidly 
and clearly to the Lord Jesus, are you a king then? Now note, 
Jesus affirms this, and then he highlights something concerning 
his glorious person. He says, you say rightly that 
I am a king, for this cause I was born, and for this cause I have 
come into the world. Isn't that a beautiful statement? 
This is the only reference in John's Gospel to the birth of 
our Lord Jesus Christ. And it's an intriguing reference, 
isn't it? Now, I'm not suggesting the Incarnation 
is not mentioned. You remember John 1.14? I suspect, 
I believe Pastor Kim, did he preach on that last Sunday night? 
Yes, he's nodding back there. John 1.14. The Incarnation. Well, picking up in John 1. 1, 
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and 
the Word was God. Who is this Word? Verse 14, And 
the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, 
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace 
and truth. It's a reference to the Incarnation. The second person of the Trinity 
comes into this world. He takes on the likeness of sinful 
flesh, accepting sin to be sure. He assumes humanity, assumes 
our nature. He becomes identified with us. He is like us in all points, 
yet without sin. Incarnation is that blessed, 
beautiful doctrine that the Son comes into this world in order 
to save His people from their sins. The Son of God becomes 
the Son of Man in order that the sons of men can become the 
sons of God. Augustine said that. It's been 
repeated throughout church history and it certainly affirms the 
doctrine or the idea of the Incarnation. But notice in John 18, for this 
cause I was born. Not so you could have a warm, 
fuzzy time each year. Not so you could glut yourself 
on eggnog and, you know, gift-giving. I'm not here to condemn anybody. 
I'm not here to rain on anybody's parade. But why was Jesus born? To be a king! It's an amazing 
reality. At this time of year, persons 
like Jesus in the manger I think this is where sinners always 
want Jesus. In a manger! He's controlled. He's confined. He's tame. He's 
little. We're not afraid of something 
we can pick up, are we? And in the minds of many, Christ 
is in that position at this time of the year. He's this little 
swaddled baby cooing while the animals low and moo and do whatever 
they do. That was one time. Christ comes 
as a man. Christ lives in obedience to 
the Father's law. Christ dies as a substitute and 
sacrifice at Calvary. Christ rises on the third day. Christ ascends on high. Christ 
is currently enthroned at the right hand of the Majesty on 
high, where Christ has promised to come again in glory to judge 
the living and the dead. He will not come tame. He will 
not come small. He will not come manageably. He will not come in a way that 
is pleasing to us. The Apostle to us outside of 
him. For those inside, in Christ, 
they will look at that day and marvel. Paul tells us that he 
will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. Now, 
if you're a sinner, who do you prefer? this little baby in the 
manger that you can pick up and set somewhere else, or the King 
of kings and the Lord of lords who wages war and opposes his 
enemies through his truth. You see, Jesus says, for this 
cause I was born. Now, there are other causes. 
He was born in order to teach the truth. He was born in order 
to live in obedience to the law. He was born in order to die. He was born in order to die and 
be raised the third day. But with reference to Pilate 
and this question of kingship, when Pilate says, are you then 
a king? Jesus says, you say rightly, 
I am a king. For this cause, I was born. That's the whole purpose. That's 
the function. That's the view. Christ as mediator. Prophet, priest, and king. To 
fulfill all that the Father gave Him in the salvation of His elect. The Lord Christ came with mission. He came with purpose. He was 
defined. He was focused. He didn't just 
sort of bounce around and let the winds take Him where it wished. Everything is according to plan. 
I said, after this section, Jesus is sent to Herod. He comes back 
from Herod and he stands before Pilate. And later on, Pilate 
asks, Are you not speaking to me? Do you not know that I have 
power to crucify you and power to release you? Don't you love 
Jesus' response in 1911? You could have no power at all 
against me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore, 
the one who delivered me to you has the greater sin. Christ knew 
every step of the way what was happening. Christ was. The Son 
of God. And when he says, I was born 
to be king, he's referring to the mediatorial office. Christ 
is the second person of the Trinity as God. Christ is second person 
of the Divine Trinity, He is Creator, He is Lord, He is Governor, 
He is King. He's talking about the messianic 
kingship. He's talking about the mediatorial 
reign. He is talking about what He will alert us to in Matthew 
28. Remember I said His kingdom does not originate from the world, 
but it certainly includes the world because Jesus will say 
to His disciples, all authority in heaven and on earth has been 
given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples 
of what? Of all the nations, those nations 
given to me by my Father, Allah, Psalm 2, those nations that I 
have absolute authority over as King of Kings and Lord of 
Lords. Go and make disciples of them, baptizing them in the 
name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching 
them to observe all that I have commanded, and lo, I am with 
you always, even to the end of the age." The point, brethren, 
of this particular section is that Christ is King. Christ is 
King. By way of an aside, doesn't that 
encourage you? Doesn't that make you happy? 
A couple of fellows in the church and myself talk about politics. That can be discouraging, can't 
it? Come on, if you talk about politics, 
you follow it at all, it can be discouraging. I mean, people 
lie, people cheat, people deceive, and people say things that are 
just the opposite of what you believe. How dare them, right? It is very discouraging. Or to 
use a Renahanism, it's discouraging. What do we always come back to? 
That vision of Christ in Revelation 1. How does John describe him? Before he looks to these beastly 
kingdoms of men. Before he looks to these anti-Christian 
systems. What does he do in Revelation 
1? He tells us that Jesus is the ruler over the kings of the 
earth. whatever men may do in this world." 
Now, I'm not suggesting we don't pray, we don't encourage, we 
don't try and tell people, you know, that's just a foolish path 
to consider. But in the final analysis, Christ 
is ruler over the kings of the earth. Isn't that afford comfort 
or doesn't that afford comfort to the weary saint? Doesn't that 
encourage you? That as bad as man may be, and 
as wretched and as reckless as he may be, nevertheless God is 
in control. I mentioned that Jesus was not 
a present political threat to the Roman Empire. Not a present 
political threat to the Roman Empire when he stood before Pilate, 
but where's the Roman Empire now? Where are the kingdoms of man 
who oppose the Lord Christ? They end. They cease. They become 
a part of his footstool. This is what Paul tells us in 
1 Corinthians 15. He must reign till he makes all 
of his enemies his footstool. You can rest assured, brothers 
and sisters, that everyone that opposes, everyone that violates, 
everyone that rebels against the kingdom of Christ will ultimately 
be put under his rule. Beautiful, isn't it? It's encouraging, 
isn't it? It's a blessing, isn't it? For this cause I was born. You 
can get out of bed tomorrow because Jesus was born to be king. You 
can carry on in your day because Jesus was born to be king. You 
can carry on on Thursday because Jesus was born to be king. Why 
do we need a king? The Catechism asks. He defends 
us. He protects us. He rules over 
us. And he commands us on how to 
live. We need that king and Christ is that king and he promises 
or he asserts or he declares as much in this instance. You 
say rightly that I am a king for this cause I was born and 
for this cause I have come into the world. Now notice his method 
of conquest. How does he operate his kingdom? 
How does he successfully wage war? How does he engage in the 
activity of kingdom? He tells us. He says, in this 
cause I have come into the world that I should bear witness to 
the truth. It's the primary vehicle for 
the advancement of God's kingdom. Your testimony might be an encouragement 
to others. Your backyard barbecue might 
gather them together. It is the truth of God's holy 
word. It's not encouraging too. in 
this political cycle or in these political cycles or election 
cycles, what do they do the next morning or probably even a minute 
after the debate ends? They fact-check, don't they? 
They fact-check the candidates. They fact-check to make sure 
that what they claimed or said was in fact accurate. Every time 
you fact-check the Lord Jesus Christ, it's accurate. Every 
time you fact-check the Lord of Glory, it's true. Every time 
you fact-check something that comes out of His holy mouth, 
it is on spot. It's on target. He says this 
is the means by which His kingdom advances, that I should bear 
witness to the truth. He bears witness to the truth, 
John 1, 14 to 18. No one has seen God at any time, 
but the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, 
has what? He has declared Him. He has expounded 
Him. Literally, He has exegeted Him. He bears witness to the truth. 
According to Jesus in John 8, 31 to 36, He saves sinners by 
His truth. If you know the truth, the truth 
shall what? It'll set you free. You want 
to be free today? You want to continue in your 
rebellion against God? You want to continue in your 
sin against God? Or do you want freedom? Blessed 
freedom. Blessed liberty. It's not going 
to come through a moral reform. I'm not going to go do those 
bad things anymore. It's not going to come through 
money. I'm going to throw some money in the box and that's going to 
get me out of the predicament that I'm in. It's not going to 
come through an external form of religion. If I just come to 
church tonight, like Pastor Kim said in the confession study, 
well then I'm going to be fine with God. No. You want freedom 
today? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. 
You want freedom from your sin? Liberation? Redemption? Reconciliation 
with God? Do you want those things today? 
If you don't, you should. Because if you are in your sin, 
you are under the wrath of God presently. He who believes the 
Son has everlasting life. But he who does not believe the 
Son shall not see life. But, what happens? The wrath 
of God abides on him. Do you know that right now, if 
you're not a Christian, the wrath of God abides on you? Right now, 
if you are not a Christian, the wrath of God abides on you. You 
think, how can that possibly be? I'm in the church. Because 
God's wrath doesn't respect roofs. Do you want freedom? You know, 
in just a few moments we'll see where Pilate says, what is truth? Commentators wonder, how did 
he say that? Is he in earnest? What is truth? I used to think there was a bit 
more to it. You know, he's kind of wrestling 
with all this because thrice he confesses concerning Jesus, 
I find no fault in him. He knew that Jesus was not guilty 
of the crime for which they presented him. But I'm more inclined to 
follow the reform, follow the commentators that say, it was 
just a shrug. Eh, what is truth? The reason why is he doesn't 
wait for an answer. Is that your attitude this morning? 
Eh, what is truth? Eh, I've heard this before. Eh, 
we get this every Sunday. Eh, we're going to get this into 
the new year. What is truth? Why do I care? What does it matter? If you are 
under the wrath of God Most High, you presently do not understand 
what that means. But if you should breathe your 
last under the wrath of God, you will understand what that 
means. You will understand fury. You 
will understand judgment. You will understand hell. You 
will understand the wrath of the living God. You don't want 
to die that way. You don't want to exit the world 
that way. You don't want to continue that 
way. So look to him who is truth. Look to the one who defines his 
kingdom in this particular manner. He says specifically, and for 
this cause I have come into the world that I should bear witness 
to the truth. Spurgeon says, our Lord in effect 
tells us that truth is the preeminent characteristic of this kingdom 
and that his royal power over men's hearts is through the truth. You see, in the first instance, 
being a Christian does not mean doing the right things. Now, don't take this and go out 
and do the wrong things because Butler said so. In the first 
instance, it's believing the right things. Do you think you 
are going to stand before God on that day and hear, well done, 
good and faithful servant, because of your exemplary performance? 
Do you think on that day you're going to be welcomed into heaven 
and be promised the cessation of your labors and the beatitudes 
given to you because you're a great guy or a great girl? Because of what Christ has done. 
Because of who Christ is. Because of His life, His death, 
His resurrection. What is the means by which we 
appropriate those blessings? Faith. We believe the truth as 
it is in Jesus. by the grace of God. Certainly 
there is repentance, certainly there is reformation in terms 
of morality, certainly if we were cracked, smoking, prostitute, 
visiting wretches before, we will not do that as Christ's 
disciples. Or if we were self-righteous, 
empty formalists, we will not do that anymore when we are Christ's 
disciples. But in the first place, what 
makes us to differ from the unconverted? It is the Christ in whom we believe. Truth is absolutely crucial and 
this is what our Lord highlights. Watt says he rules the world 
with what? With truth and grace and makes 
the nations prove the glories of his righteousness. Jesus says 
the primary instrument of the vehicle by which his kingdom 
advances is the truth. It is not political, immediate 
political revolution with reference to Pilate and that world's empire, 
but it is the truth as it is in Jesus. Now notice he describes 
his loyal subjects. The end of verse 37, that I should 
bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth 
hears my voice. Isn't that beautiful? We hear 
his voice. So they say this in John 10, 
I know my sheep and my sheep know me. They know their shepherd's 
voice. Do you know the voice of Christ 
this morning? Do you know the voice of the 
Redeemer this morning? Do you know the truth of Jesus 
this morning? Because Jesus says, everyone 
who is of the truth hears my voice. They follow him. As Cam read in Revelation 14, 
how does it describe the conduct of the followers of the Lamb? 
They follow Him on Sunday. Yeah. They follow Him just on 
Sunday morning. It doesn't say that. It says they follow Him wherever 
He goes. When Christ gives the command 
to the disciples with reference to the Great Commission in Matthew 
28, teaching them to observe some of the things that I have 
commanded you, Teaching to observe those things that are pleasant 
to you? Teaching to observe those things that you approve of? No, 
teaching to observe all that I have commanded you. You see, 
the loyal subject of Jesus Christ is one who is of the truth. The 
loyal subject of Jesus Christ is one who is conquered by truth. And the loyal subject of Jesus 
Christ hears his voice and does what he says and doesn't whine 
or grumble or complain or snivel. How does this self-same John 
describe commandment keeping in his first epistle? The commandments 
are not burdensome. The commandments aren't grievous. 
Boy, John, come and preach to our churches today. Because people 
whine and grumble and complain when you preach basic commandment 
keeping. Oh no, we're not under law, we're 
under grace. Whatever that means, it doesn't mean go ahead and 
sin. We're not under law, we're under 
grace. So I can fornicate with whoever I want. I can put into 
my body whatever I want. I can always play in Christian 
liberty. No, you can't. That may be the 
spawn of some modern theologians, but it's not what our Lord Christ 
says. He says very clearly, everyone who is of the truth, here's my 
voice. Now, the implication isn't just, 
hey, that's Jesus, but hey, we do what Jesus says. We follow 
the Lamb wherever He goes. We don't pick and choose. We 
don't say, thus far and no further. Does this define your Christianity? Does this define the way that 
you live before a holy God? As Pastor Porter said, we're 
not saved by law keeping, no one would ever be saved. Paul 
underscores that in Romans 3.20, therefore, by the deeds of the 
law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. Why? For by the 
law is or comes the knowledge of sin. But we know as well, 
when Christ saves us by his grace, through faith, he points us to 
the law as that standard, as that rule of life, as that pattern 
for good works. Do you know what a good work 
is? The law specifies. When the Bible tells you, you 
need to be zealous for good works. Do you think God wants you to 
go out and be innovative? Or God wants you to be obedient 
to what he's already said? Like it or not, brethren, God's 
not looking for innovation or creativity. He is looking for 
obedience. We are not smarter than God. 
We are not better than God. We have not arrived more than 
God. We don't know our culture better 
than God. God knows all things always. 
It's always present beforehand. And God has commanded and God 
has stipulated and God has said, do it this way. Jesus' kingdom 
is about truth. Notice. Pilate's question, we 
already touched on this, what is truth? And when he had said 
this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, I find 
no fault in him at all. Which, by the way, he says three 
times. Verse four, chapter 19, I find no fault in him. Verse six, I find no fault in 
him. What does this indicate concerning 
Pilate? He's a wimp. He is a coward. He is afraid because if he has 
found no fault in Jesus, that should be it. But in typical 
political correctness manner, he lets the mob dictate what 
he's going to do. He is paradigmatic or archetypal 
of the sorts of political jelly fishery we see and witness today. What happened to men that took 
a stand Men that said, no, you're only out because you are wretched. You only want him to be dead 
because you're wretched. Just put the onus where it belongs 
in this particular instance. Notice his compromise. Verses 
39 and 40. Do you have a custom that I should 
release someone to you at the Passover? Do you therefore want 
me to release to you the King of the Jews? It's almost like 
he's going over, but just, you know, come on, let's not keep 
doing this. Remember, Pilate's wife had a 
pretty disturbing dream as well, and she says to him, have no 
dealings with this just man. Pilate, a hundred yards is probably 
not too little to be away from this just man. You have a custom 
at the Passover. Do you want me to release to 
you Jesus the King of the Jews?" Notice what they say. They all 
cried again saying, not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas 
was a robber. Chrysostom says, oh cursed decision. They demanded those like-mannered 
with themselves and let the guilty go, but bid him punish the innocent." 
Now, we oftentimes think that Barabbas' crime was that he wandered 
into a Walmart and he took a DVD, or whatever the equivalence of 
that was in their setting. He'd boost a fish from the marketplace, 
or he would boost an apple from wherever he was during his daily 
ritual. He was a murderer. Most likely 
he was what was called a zealot. A terrorist against the Roman 
state. And the two men that were crucified 
on either side of Jesus were most likely his companions. In other words, Barabbas was 
a right wretch. And yet, these people say, give 
us Barabbas. What do I do with the King of 
the Jews? Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Now, you 
have to appreciate the emblem here, don't you? In many respects, 
verse 40 sets before our eyes the entirety of the Gospel. The 
just sent to his death, the unjust released. from his punishment. Now I'm not suggesting Barabbas 
is necessarily saved, but I am suggesting that the emblem is 
strong in this passage. The just one goes to the cross 
and the unjust one is released from his debt. You see, for us, 
that's precisely why Jesus does what he does here. Let's just 
bring it from Barabbas to our own selves. Let's just bring 
it into our own context. We are the unjust one who has 
benefited from the just one going to the cross on our behalf. I 
love the way Gill says it. He says, Barabbas was an emblem 
of God's elect in a state of nature, released and set free 
when Christ was condemned. Isn't that the gospel? Isn't 
that what it's all about? God made him Christ who knew 
no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness 
of God in him. The Lord Jesus goes to the cross 
having done no sin, committing no crime, engaged in no revolution 
against Rome, and Barabbas who engaged in revolution against 
Rome, Barabbas who didn't care about human life, Barabbas who 
was indeed a notorious threat to the empire. I'm sure I've 
told you before, brethren, that the cross, the crucifixion, was 
reserved for the most notorious criminals. Not somebody that 
boosts a candy bar from Walmart, but from an insurrectionist, 
from a political zealot, from somebody that no doubt marched 
against Rome. And yet these Jews say, these 
unbelieving Jews say, give us Barabbas. It's terrible, isn't it? Now, remember, 
I said in Matthew 21, when Jesus comes into Jerusalem and they're 
crying out, Hosanna, Hosanna to the Son of David, it was primarily 
Galileans. The Galileans that came down 
to the Passover, they were the primary spokesman saying, Hosanna, 
Hosanna. So we mustn't say, well, you 
know, at the beginning of the week they're crying, Hosanna, Hosanna, and 
now they're crying, away with him, away with him. It's probably 
not the case. The Galileans cried, Hosanna, 
Hosanna to the Son of David. These religious leaders and the 
people that followed them, under their particular sway, they say, 
not this man, but Barabbas. John wants to remind us that 
Barabbas was a robber. What do we learn from this passage? 
We learn a lot of things, but we'll just confine ourselves 
to a few. In the first place, the instruction 
concerning Christ's kingdom. The Bible elsewhere tells us 
that Christ's kingdom is gracious. You should love Colossians 1.13. 
Go love it. I listened to a sermon 
by Ralph Davis last night and he cited a very interesting thing 
I had never heard. The man who authored hymn number 
270 in our Trinity Hymnal, The Church's One Foundation, was 
a minister by the name of Samuel J. Stone. Samuel J. Stone was one time walking in 
East London and he saw this girl being accosted by three ruffians. Davis' point was, God communicates 
to us, at times, His power. In other instances, He communicates 
to us His mercy. Stone witnesses what's happening 
in this particular instance. Davis muses and says, you know, 
the girl didn't need to hear from Samuel Stone that he was 
a poet. that he was a hymn writer, that 
he was a pastor. All valid information and data 
to be sure, but if she's about to be raped by three ruffians, 
that's information that she probably didn't care a whole lot about. 
Instead, Samuel Stone took the first ruffian and gave him an 
uppercut so hard he knocked him out. See, the ruffians and the 
girl didn't realize that he was in a school that taught boxing, 
and apparently he was just ripped. So he smacks the one. Guy number 
two, he lays into him. Guy number three runs off. Girl's 
free. Girl isn't raped. The girl isn't 
attacked. Dr. Davis says, isn't that glorious? Isn't it? We need to check our 
hearts, brethren. If we don't say yes, praise God, 
he saved that girl. Davis says, it is glorious, I 
believe it is, and you should too. The point is, Colossians 
1.13, he has transferred us from the 
kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the sun of his love. The Kingdom of Christ is gracious. How do we enter? It is by grace 
alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. We are blessed 
immeasurably. We have received everything at 
the hands of this King, by His grace. As well, this Kingdom 
is spiritual, to be sure. It does have physical ramifications, 
though. It is spiritual. Christ saves 
us. But it has physical ramifications. I've told you before, Martin 
Lloyd-Jones says that when a man is converted, the cat in his 
house benefits. Why is that? Because as an unconverted 
man, he'd come stumbling home from the bar and he'd kick the 
cat as if it was a ball. Now that he's converted, he doesn't 
kick the cat. Perhaps he hearkens to Solomon, 
that a righteous man has regard for his beast. A man enters into 
this kingdom, he doesn't abuse his family anymore. A man enters 
into this kingdom, he seeks to be faithful. A man enters into 
this kingdom, he leads his family. A man enters into this kingdom. 
It is spiritual in nature, but it has physical effects. On the 
more comprehensive level, as I said, Daniel 2. Daniel is told 
to interpret Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Nebuchadnezzar has this 
dream of this great big image. It is constructed of various 
materials. It is representative of world 
empires. There is this one small stone, 
however, that is able to fall that great image. What's Daniel's 
interpretation? For in the days of these kings, 
Daniel 2.44, I'll read it to you. So we can see it's spiritual, 
but it has physical, real life application. 2.44, and in the 
days of these kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom 
which shall never be destroyed, and the kingdom shall not be 
left to other people. It shall break in pieces and 
consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. And that brings us to that reality. 
It is eternal. Isn't this what is foretold with 
reference to Jesus' birth in John 1? John 1.31, And behold, 
you will conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shall 
call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be 
called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God will give him 
the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house 
of Jacob forever and of his kingdom. There will be no end. You get 
the privilege of voting out terrible political leaders. No one can 
vote out Christ. Not that he's a terrible political 
leader. There is no end to his monarchy. There is no end to 
his reign. Do you ever read the Old Testament 
and you say, how did the people function? When we get eight years 
with the same president, we start to get very, very weary. And 
NASA reigned for 55 years in Israel. Can you imagine that? Wow. Terrible. The point is, 
55 years is a drop in the bucket compared to what Christ will 
reign. Forever and ever and ever. World without end. Amen. This 
is a most blessed and most wonderful and most comprehensive and eternal 
kingdom. The way of entrance is by grace 
through faith in the Lord Jesus. The second place, we consider 
something concerning the incarnation of our beloved Lord. We just 
sang, veiled in flesh, the Godhead see. Hail the incarnate deity. When he says, for this cause 
I was born, who's the I in that statement? It is the second person 
of the Trinity. From everlasting to everlasting, 
thou art God. The second person of the Trinity, 
instrumental in the creation of this world, instrumental in 
the government of this world, in that intra-trinitarian bliss 
with Father and Spirit. It is this that is the I of this 
statement. For this cause, I was born. For this cause, I left heaven. For this cause, I assumed human 
nature. For this cause, I took on the 
seed of Abraham. For this cause, I did that. Christ was born. Marvel of marvels. Our confession says the Son of 
God, the second person in the Holy Trinity, being very an eternal 
God, the brightness of the Father's glory. I suspect that Pastor 
Kim read this last week. It bears repetition. This is 
Chalcedonian Christology in 17th century form. The Son of God, 
the second person in the Holy Trinity, being very an eternal 
God, the brightness of the Father's glory, of one substance and equal 
with Him who made the world. Do you understand that? The second 
person of the Trinity is often one substance, and equal with 
the Father, who upholds and governs all things he hath made, did 
when the fullness of time was come. Take upon him man's nature, 
with all the essential properties and common infirmities thereof." 
Isn't that marvelous? Jesus crawled. Jesus toddled. Jesus ate. Jesus wept. Jesus drank. According to his 
humanity, Jesus was weary. Jesus was angry. Yet without 
sin, everything that is common to man was common to Christ except, 
of course, sin. You appreciate that reality? 
It's not you or I becoming a servant. It's not you or I taking a lower 
place. It's not you or I humbling ourselves 
to go hang out with the riffraff. It is the second person of the 
triune God. God of God, light of light, true 
light from true light. Goes on to say, yet without sin, 
being conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, 
the Holy Spirit coming down upon her in the power of the Most 
High, overshadowing her. And so was made of woman of the 
tribe of Judah, of the seed of Abraham and David according to 
the Scriptures, so that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures 
were inseparably joined together in one person without conversion, 
composition, or confusion, which person is very God and very man, 
yet one Christ, the only mediator between God and man." That's 
enough to ponder and meditate on for a whole lot of Sundays, 
for a whole lot of time. Love the way the Nicene Creed 
states it. Who for us men and for our salvation 
came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit 
of the Virgin Mary and was made man and was crucified also for 
us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and 
the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures, 
and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the 
Father. And He shall come again with glory to judge the quick 
and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end." So we see something 
concerning instruction of His kingdom, incarnation of the person 
of Christ, Thirdly, the instrumentality of the truth. Don't you just 
love passages that combine the kingly office of Jesus and truth? Those are encouraging things, 
brethren, that we should never get tired of. Truth is what advances 
his kingdom. Truth is what we must desperately 
have to be saved. Truth is what you should be under 
every Lord's day and every day. You're not a believer. The best 
thing for you is to be reading scripture. Your parents' encouragements, 
your pastor's preachments, your friends' prayers are all helpful. But of his own will, he brought 
us forth by the word of truth. I have the great privilege of 
knowing a particular man. Thought he was converted. Till 
he went away and he had some time. And he said, I was going 
to use that time to read my Bible. I read Matthew, I read Mark, 
I read Luke, I got to John in the upper room discourse. And 
this man said, everything made sense. Everything made sense. Salvation, the Trinity, the Lord 
Jesus Christ. It was contact with the truth. 
I know there is the temptation. I know there is the tendency, 
suffered even by pastors, to say, you know, I don't really 
feel like going to church today. But we need to be under the truth. We need to be under the Word. 
We need to hear it preached. We need to read it. Take your 
Bible seriously, you young people and children. We're not going 
to just assume that you're Christians because you're brought up in 
a Christian home. We're going to press upon you the necessity 
to find Christ in the Bible, to find Jesus the Savior, to 
find this One who for this reason was born, that He should be King. 
Get into the Scriptures. Resolve. January 1st is coming. Persons say, I want to lose weight. 
I want to stop this. I want to do that. Just read 
the Bible. Do you ever get that? When somebody 
says, oh, the Bible is filled with errors. They think they 
have sufficiently fact-checked Jesus and proved him to be unwanted. 
Just hand them the Bible and say, read it. The persons who 
haven't read the Bible know the most about it. They know the 
inconsistencies. They know the errors. They know 
the inaccuracies. I love it to ask them, have you 
read the Bible? No. I got it off a website. The Christian has no fear of 
handing the scriptures to anyone and everyone and saying, take, 
read. The same is true with you young 
people. Read the scriptures, be in the 
scriptures, survey, search the scriptures. Don't say, well, 
I'm too busy. You're 15, you're eight, you're 
not too busy. Joshua was a military commander 
tasked with going in and executing Canaanites, and yet daily he 
was to be meditating on the law of God. He says at the end of 
his life, ask for me in my house, we will serve Yahweh. The Lord 
Jesus was busy. So what does he do? He gets up 
a long while before daybreak and he goes and he prays. Brethren, 
the I'm busy thing is a terrible excuse. Why do we have all the 
modern appliances? Why do we have all these modern 
conveniences? So that we won't be too busy. Well, now I've got a washing 
machine, I can go and sin. No, that's not the point. Now 
that you have a washing machine, this is a little dated, I'm sorry, 
you can read your Bible. Parents, read to your children. 
Take the religion of Christ more seriously, because it is the 
truth that is the vehicle by which that kingdom expands and 
extends. That's what our beloved Christ 
says. And finally, some commentators 
suggest that in Jesus' words here is even a hint, even an 
illusion, even a bit of an invitation to Pilate himself. See, Jesus is answering Pilate's 
question. Jesus gives him some concrete 
information. Jesus ends with this statement 
in verse 37, everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. 
Jesus, according to the form of a servant, according to his 
humanity, as an evangelist, as a soul winner, perhaps he sets 
that forth so that Pilate will say, what is truth? But not to shrug it off. Are you with Pilate this morning? 
Are you just watching the clock at least in your head? It's almost 
12.30. I get to go. Isn't it amazing that we can 
do things we like for hours at a time and never think twice 
about it? If you're a hockey fan, you can 
spend untold amount of hours watching a game where men are 
pushing a puck on the ice. And you're not thinking, is it 
10? Is it 1014? Is it 1018? Is it 1033? You're 
not thinking that. I would imagine if you are, you'd 
probably say, I'm going to leave the game, because I don't like 
this tedium. And yet in the church, man, to go over by one minute, 
doesn't he realize? And yet, He would be heralded 
as a champion if he scored the point that brought them even, 
and then extended the game further. You see, I think parents can 
oftentimes set the tone with reference to an appreciation 
for the truth to their young people. The parent is wondering 
where the clock is. If the parent is fidgeting, if 
the parent can't stay awake, then why would the child ever 
take these things seriously? Why? Why would they? But if a parent says on a Sunday 
morning, I was glad when they said unto me, let us go to the 
house of the Lord. Kids, get up, eat your Cheerios, 
brush your hair, scrub your fangs, get in the car. We get to go 
to the house of God. We get to worship the God of 
the house. And as they're sitting there, 
you're watching. One eye this way, one eye that 
way. You're saying, pay attention. Listen. Why, daddy? Why, mommy? Because Christ extends His kingdom 
through its truth. And there is nothing more that 
I want in this world than that you are a part of that kingdom. Isn't that it, parents? Isn't 
that what you most want? Yes, you want them to be successful. 
You don't want them to live under a bridge. You don't want them 
to eat cat food or dog food for life. You want them to be saved. Isn't that it? Isn't that their 
goal? Isn't that what parenting as 
a Christian is all about? Yes, try to make them responsible 
humans. Yes, try to make them show up 
on time. All those things to be sure. 
but press them toward the kingdom, press them toward Christ. And 
the means by which we press them is the truth as it is in Jesus. We ought to have a high view 
and a high regard and a cherishing of the truth of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Do not shrug it off today. Do not say with Pilate, meh, 
what is truth? And then wander out of here. 
If you have a question, what is truth? Talk to us. Sit with us. We will explain 
to you the truth as it is in Jesus, the gospel. Not my feelings, 
not my ideas, not my desires. The gospel is none of those things. The gospel is the message concerning 
Jesus. That he lived, that he died, 
that he rose again. The response to that is that 
everyone who looks to him in faith will have everlasting life. Well, let us pray and ask the 
Lord God of truth to seal these things to our hearts. Father, 
we thank you for our Lord Jesus. We thank you for this cause. 
He was born. We thank you for his current 
session at the right hand of God Most High. And we praise 
you that he will come again in glory to judge the living and 
the dead. And our hearts desire and earnest plea is that everybody 
here would be ready for that day. That each of us would be 
found clothed in a righteousness that was imputed to us and received 
by faith alone. That each of us would have received 
the forgiveness of sins, even cleansing through the blood of 
our Lord Jesus. We ask that you would go with 
us now, cause us not to just shrug off the truth, but cause 
us to think about it, to be concerned about it, to read the truth each 
and every day, to come and attend where the truth is preached. 
And may this be for your glory and for our soul's everlasting 
well-being. And we pray through Christ our 
Lord. Amen.