Will grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us take this opportunity to prepare our hearts for worship. You can't tell me. you. Aim of the Lord Jesus Christ to Dayspring Fellowship. We're glad to have you with us. this morning and I want to especially welcome visitors and encourage you to sign our guest register on the hall table and to take the booklets out there. Ultimate questions are there for you as a free gift and I want to direct your attention to inside your bulletin. You'll see inside the bulletin that we have continued on in our Sunday school hour, 945 on Sunday mornings in the book of Samuel. This morning, we were looking at God's faithfulness to a man on the run. And if you were providentially hindered, you can get that online this week and listen to it. You'll also see across the page there that the free monthly online resource I'm recommending for the month of October is this book by a Puritan pastor named William Bridge, A Wounded Conscience Cured. You can use the link there to get this book in all sorts of formats. And I encourage you to be reading this. It was written during a time of political turmoil and religious turbulence in England that speaks to our own day and age of division and helping you think through issues of conscience and government. Also, you'll see that the Dayspring Ladies are compiling a cookbook for the church, and so they are seeking your recipes. If you have a recipe that you'd like to share, please email that to Suzy Phillips to be included. The church politics and conference audio is now available online. The link is in the bulletin there for you to listen to. And then, as I announced last week, What we're going to do on Wednesday evenings in 2025 is to gather on the second Wednesday evening, have a brown bag supper at 545, followed by the testimony of a Dayspringer. And so I am seeking Dayspringers who want to share their testimony of how the Lord saved them and what He has been doing in their life since their salvation. We will enjoy listening to those. I have three. out of the 12 that we need already. So be praying and thinking about whether you want to share your testimony. I know it'll be a blessing to the church to hear that. Last Wednesday's message was on part two of knowing God's will for your life, and that is available online. We'll have two more lectures to end out that lecture series this year. And then notice that the day spring retreat is in the air. It is this weekend. So October the 25th through the 27th. If you haven't already grabbed one of these yellow flyers on the hall table and you're signed up for the retreat, you'll need one of these. It gives you all the information on how to get out there, what you need to pack and bring and so forth. So I encourage you to grab one if you haven't already. And then notice that this year the Inn is requesting that we check out of our rooms by 11 a.m. on Sunday. That is their checkout deadline and this year they have made it clear that they're going to hold us to it. And so that means we're going to have to do things a little bit differently for our lunch. We won't be able to take the utensils that belong to the rooms, because we'll be checked out of the rooms. So you'll want to bring extra utensils for anything that you want to heat up in terms of leftovers for the lunch on Sunday. And we'll just see how it goes. Also, there remains, I checked this morning, several opportunities to sign up for online, including one thing that has to be done today. So you might want to look online, see what's left to sign up for service opportunities. Of course, this is the last day that the chapel will be opened until we get back from the retreat, so we're taking items from the church out today. and some of you need to sign up to do that. And then there are other opportunities like hosting us at the Saturday night dinner, reheating the barbecue Sunday morning and that type of stuff that we need volunteers to sign up for. So be sure to take a look at that today. And then final announcement is that the daylight saving time ends on the Sunday that we get back from the retreat, which is Sunday, November the 3rd. That's the next time that this chapel will be unlocked and open, and so you'll just want to remember to set your non-smart clocks, I guess your your dumb clocks. Set them back an hour the night before. I don't mean to insult your clocks. As we begin worship this morning, please grab your blue hymnal. We'll be mostly in the blue this morning. Grab your blue hymnal and turn with me to hymn number 489. 489 in the blue. Hold your place there and please stand together for our call to worship. Our call to worship this morning comes from the great 113th Psalm. Praise the Lord. Praise, O servants of the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore, from the rising of the sun to its setting. The name of the Lord is to be praised. The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Let us sing together. Pass me not, O gentle Savior. Hear my humble cry. While on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by. Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry. While on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by. Let me at the throne of mercy find a sweet relief. Kneeling there in deep contrition, help my unbelief. Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry. While on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by. Trusting only in Thy merit would I seek Thy face. Heal my wounded, broken spirit. Save me by Thy grace. Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry. While on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by. Thou dost bring upon my comfort more than life to me. Whom my heaven earth beside thee, whom in heaven built thee. Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry. While on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by. Let us pray together. Almighty God and Heavenly Father, we come before you this morning to bring our praises to you and to worship you as our Lord and King who reigns over all. We thank you for the gospel by which we have been redeemed and saved. We thank you for breaking the power of sin by the blood of Jesus for all who have graciously been chosen by you before the foundation of the world to be your possession forever. We pray that you would meet with us now in this place, that you would minister to your people today. And so we ask, Lord God, that through the singing, through the prayers, through communion, and through your word, that you would be present here to speak to your people, to meet with them, and not to pass them by, but to comfort them and to conform them to the image of your dear son. We thank you for him, it is in his name that we draw near now into your majestic presence, into your throne room in heaven to worship you. We thank you, Lord God, for all who are here today, and we particularly thank you for the fellowship that we have in the gospel, and we pray that we would build one another up with our spiritual gifts today in that gospel, and so bring honor and glory to you alone. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. You may be seated for the reading of God's Word. Good morning. Luke chapter 13, verse 17 through 21. As he said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him. He said, therefore, what is the kingdom of God like? And so what should I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree. And the birds of the air may nest to its branches, And again, he said, to what should I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until it was all leavened. Amen. We celebrate the kingdom that our King accomplished and brought into the world when he was coronated and crowned with the crown of thorns upon the cross every Lord's Day when we celebrate the supper together. and see represented before us the body that was given and the blood that was shed for our sins. And we encourage all to partake of the Lord's Supper who belong to the Lord. And so we ask three things of you. We ask, first and most importantly, that you are trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ alone as your Lord and Savior. So you're not looking to any merit on your part, righteousness that you offer to God. You're looking to the righteousness outside of yourself that belonged to another, your Lord Jesus, that was lived in your place in obedience to the Father. And you're looking to his sacrificial death, which took upon himself all of the wrath of God that burned against your sin so that you are one who has been saved and forgiven by God's grace alone through faith alone. and the Lord Jesus alone, to his glory alone. And then secondly, we ask that you be a baptized believer, but we do leave the details of your Christian baptism up to your own individual conscience. And then finally, we ask that you not be under church discipline from your local congregation so that we might respect the work of our Lord as he builds his church here in this world. As we prepare to receive the Lord's Supper, let's sing of our Redeemer by turning in the blue hymnal to hymn number 309. 309. In the blue. I will sing of my Redeemer. Let us sing of our Redeemer together. Sing of my Redeemer And His wondrous love to me On the cruel cross He suffered From the curse to set me free Sing, oh sing of my Redeemer With His blood He purchased me On the cross He sealed my pardon Paid the debt and made me free I will tell the wondrous story of my lost estate to save. In His boundless love and mercy He the ransom freely gave. Sing, O sing of my Redeemer, With His blood He purchased me. On the cross He sealed my pardon, paid the debt, and made me free. I will pray the dear Redeemer, His triumphant power I too How the victory he giveth Over sin and death and hell! Sing, O sing of my Redeemer With His blood He purchased me On the cross He sealed my pardon, paid the debt, and made me free. I will sing of my Redeemer and His heavenly love for me. He from death to life hath brought me, Son of God, with Him to be. Sing, O sing of my Redeemer, with His blood He purchased me. On the cross He sealed my pardon, paid the debt, and made me free. Good morning. This time of year is very difficult for our family as we remember the death of our grant three years ago. We each struggle in different ways, but we're comforted by the peace that comes from our Lord Jesus. Our love and support for each other and that of dear friends in our church family. For me, I'm always reminded of this particular story. And the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil? Then Satan answered the Lord and said, Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face. And the Lord said to Satan, Behold, All that he has is in your hand. Only do not stretch out your hand against him." Job lost his property. He lost his children. And later he lost his health. To compound his suffering, Job had a wife who advised him to curse God and die. His friends came to comfort him. and ended up telling him that his suffering was his own fault. What did Job respond? Well, to his wife, shall we accept good from our God and not evil? To his friends, though he slay me, yet will I praise him. Job was passing the test. But it didn't end at that point. And I've found that quite often the test doesn't end when we think it ends. Beloved, many of us have learned that the period of testing often begins with a shocking jolt. A death, a diagnosis, a broken relationship, a lost job, We struggle to endure these traumatic times and we call out to the Lord for help. But the true test takes place over time. Do you cling to Him? Do you trust Him? Do you rely on Him? Do you say, Your will, O Lord, not mine. Our will wants it over and done. And we want it easy again. The selfish me wants my son back. But that's not what he wants for me. He wants us to remember that he's in control. And he has promised never to leave us or forsake us. Sometimes I don't hear voices. Sometimes I think of a conversation between myself and Jesus. I say, Lord, I just want this over. It's hard. It hurts. I want to see my family free of this pain. And then I imagine Him looking at me with a gentle smile and saying, remember the heavy burden that I took on for you. Remember how deeply I love you. Remember that I have already won the victory for you. Will you not trust me and bear this lesser burden in faith? I will not let anything snatch you away, and I will wipe away every tear. Stand firm and trust me." Look at the elements on this table. Remember what they represent. The awful penalty for our sin, not His, Yet He willingly took the full weight of the Father's justice on our behalf, and He will bring us through. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds. For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness, and let that steadfastness have its full effect. that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. And so I speak as to sensible people. Judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. Whoever therefore eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. Let's take a moment to examine ourselves. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you that you loved us enough to send your Son to bear the price that we could not pay, to work in us through your Spirit, to open our eyes to our need for a Savior that you had already provided. Lord, we thank you that Though the trials be difficult, you are with us, that you grant us the strength to make it through each day. How quickly we learn that the only easy day was yesterday. Strengthen us, keep us faithful, keep us pursuing your kingdom and holding to you in faith for your glory alone. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread. And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, this is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." The same way also He took the cup after supper saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. This is the body of the Lord, which is given for you. This cup is the new covenant in Christ's blood, shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sin. Having seen and handled and tasted a visual representation of the gospel, let those of us who believe in that gospel sing what we know to be true, that Jesus saves. Let's turn to 438 in the blue, 438 in the blue, and let us proclaim together in song that Jesus, indeed, and Jesus alone saves. Spread the tidings all around, Jesus saves, Jesus saves. Jesus saves, Jesus saves. Tell to sinners far and wide, Jesus saves, Jesus saves. Singing o'er islands of the sea, echo back you ocean waves. Earth shall keep her jubilee. ♪ Jesus saves, Jesus saves ♪ Sing above the battle's strife ♪ Jesus saves, Jesus saves ♪ By his death and endless life ♪ Jesus saves, Jesus saves ♪ Sing it softly through the gloom ♪ When the heart for mercy craves ♪ Sing and triumph over the doom Jesus saves, Jesus saves, give the winds a mighty voice. Jesus saves, Jesus saves, let the nations now rejoice. Jesus saves, Jesus saves, shout salvation full and free. Highest hills and deepest caves, this our song of victory. Jesus saves, Jesus saves. Matthew Wood, as you put your blue hymnal away, take your red hymnal and turn with me in the back of your red hymnal to page 791. 791 in the back of your red hymnal. We're going to read together responsibly Psalm 24. Please stand together. The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. For he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or somewhere he will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God, his Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob. Lift up your heads, O you gates. Be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory, the Lord strong and mighty, Lift up your heads, O you gates. Lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty. He is the King of glory. Let us pray together. Our God and our Father, our trust is indeed in you and in your Son, Jesus, the King of glory. And so we come before you to be equipped for the furtherance of his glorious kingdom throughout this world. We pray, Heavenly Father, then, that you would strengthen us by the Holy Spirit as we fight the fight of faith here in this passing age. We lift up to you those who are unable to be with us today. For those who are sick or suffering in any way, we pray, Lord, that you would be with all who travel this week out to the retreat that you would provide safety on the roads and a restful, worshipful time with your people. We pray that you would be glorified in your church throughout the world. We pray that you would add to your church daily as many as are being saved. We thank you, Lord God, for the work that you're accomplishing through the missionaries that we support and through all whom you have sent out to the nations. We pray for those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. amid suffering and even martyrdom, that the darkness of the pagan world would be filled with the light of your gospel, the good news of your day spring from on high, which gives light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. Lord, we thank you for that light that guides our feet into the way of peace, and we ask that you would bring this gospel of peace into the conflict in Israel and Palestine and into the conflict in Ukraine and Russia and into all the hatreds and divisions of this present age through the faithful and bold witness of your peacemakers, the church. Lord, may your church be a non-anxious presence in the midst of this anxious world. We pray for our leaders, Lord, for President Biden, for Governor Abbott. We pray that you would guide them in wisdom We pray, Lord God, that all Israel might be saved, that the good news would so go forth throughout the world, that the whole earth would be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. In Jesus' name we pray, and for his sake, amen. Well, you may be seated, and our children may go out to Children's Church at this time. And as they go, let me invite you to grab your copy of God's Living and Active Word, if you've got one, and turn to John chapter 18, which we're going to be finishing up this morning, John chapter 18. Last time we saw that when the Pharisees arrived with Jesus under arrest at the praetorium at Pilate's headquarters, they got a little shock when Pilate opened the proceedings, not just by saying, yeah, okay, here's the death warrant, now hand them over to the soldiers for crucifixion. He didn't do that. Instead, he opened up the proceedings by asking, what charge do you bring against this man? Which set the Pharisees back on their heels. When Pilate decides to have a trial, it really puts them in a pickle. They didn't expect to have a trial. They weren't prepared to have a trial. They didn't expect Pilate to go all, you know, noble Roman on them like he did. And besides the crime that they'd actually convinced or convicted Jesus of, which was blasphemy, right, calling himself the son of God, making himself equal with God, that was a crime that the Jews were, as monotheists, they were very much interested in that. But Pilate, as a polytheist, he wouldn't be remotely interested in what he would see as just a Jewish religious dispute. He would have dismissed the whole thing as not worthy of his time. So now that Pilate has said to them, what charges do you bring against him, they're in a pickle. They've got to do something. And what they come up with right on the spot, basically, was to accuse Jesus of something that Pilate would very much care about. They accused him of sedition against the majesty of Rome and the majesty of Emperor Tiberius Caesar in Rome itself. They said, this man, he's claiming to be a king, which is in direct opposition and sets him in direct conflict with the Emperor Tiberius Caesar. That's something Pilate would care very much about, and that's where we pick up the story today in chapter 18 and beginning in verse 33. So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, are you the king of the Jews? Jesus answered. Do you say this of your own accord or did others say it to you about me? Pilate answered, am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over 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 have been fighting that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. but my kingdom is not from the world. Then Pilate said to him, so 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. Pilate said to him, what is truth? After he'd said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews? They cried out again, not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber. And I have a footnote in my ESV Bible, you might as well, that says insurrectionist. Insurrectionist is the correct translation of that Greek word. It's the same word that's used for the two insurrectionists that were crucified on either side. of Jesus. In fact, many have assumed that all three insurrectionists, Barabbas and his two cohorts, were to be crucified on this day, but Jesus is put in the middle where Barabbas would have been. Now without a doubt, this is just a fascinating exchange here between Jesus and this Roman governor Pontius Pilate. It's so fascinating because you can feel the tension and the weight of the decision that Pilate faces here. And it's on a couple of different levels, which lends even more weight and fascination to the whole thing. On one level, at the most surface level, just as a judge, Pilate has to decide whether this man that is standing before him is going to live or die. And that's his job as the emperor's representative, the Roman procurator. So as Pilate the judge, he's got a decision to make in which a man's life hangs in the balance. But there's another level to this as well, because Pilate's not just facing Jesus right now as Pilate the judge. He's facing Jesus more importantly and more deeply as Pilate the man. And by the end of the whole exchange, the question that's hanging over the whole thing is not, will Jesus live or die, but it's, will Pilate live or die in an eternal sense? Because the challenge that Jesus leaves for him is, Pilate, will you believe in me? Will you accept me for who I am and be saved? And ultimately, that's the question that lingers under all the legal procedures of this story. And what's fascinating about it is that John shows us, more than any of the other Gospels, John shows us what is happening in Pilate's mind as he wrestles with the claims and the challenges of Jesus. So here's the main idea. The main idea of our passage, the main idea of the sermon is this, that you may have some questions about Jesus, and that's fine, but once those questions are answered, and they can be answered, once those questions are answered, there's only one question left, and it's not to Jesus, it's to you. Will you trust in him or not? Once all the questions are answered, and they can be, there's only one question left, and it's to you. Will you believe in Him or not? Now this scene, it develops in kind of two different acts. So in verses 33 to 36, you've got Pilate's initial question about whether Jesus is a king, and then Jesus answers that. And then in 37 to 40, He presses the matter again to be sure in his own judge's mind about the whole thing. And then after Jesus answers him, he tries to just evade responsibility for the verdict that he's reached. He tries to get away from Jesus. So two points to the sermon. Number one, a moment of decision, a moment of decision. And then number two, an attempt at evasion, an attempt at evasion. So let's look at it beginning with number one, a moment of decision that faces Pilate here. Verse 33 starts with Pilate. He's been talking to the Jews outside in the courtyard who won't come inside because they're too holy and they don't want to defile themselves as they try to assassinate the Lord and King of glory, and in verse 33, Pilate, he heads back inside where Jesus is to begin the trial. John doesn't tell us exactly what the Pharisees charged Jesus with. John just sort of skips that part. And the reason he skips it and just moves right into Pilate's questioning is probably because he knows all about the other three Gospels. And he also knows that you as the reader are familiar with the other three Gospels as well. And so what he's doing really throughout his whole book is sort of filling in gaps. That's probably what he does here, he just sort of skips the charge, runs right to Pilate's questioning, but it's going to be useful to look at how Luke, for example, records the charge that the Jews finally made against Jesus. You can tell they're kind of scrambling for it because this trial It's been sprung on them, and not what they expected, and what they say is that we found this man misleading our nation, and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ a king. That's in Luke chapter 23. Now if you look at that carefully, you see three things that they've sort of just come up with on the fly that sounded remotely political just to see what might stick as they threw these three things against the wall. So number one, they say, we found this man misleading our nation. That's kind of their first attempt. They avoid the word blasphemy and just say he's misleading our nation. Well, that doesn't work. Pilate's not interested in that. So they also say, second, he's forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, which means he's forbidding us from paying our taxes. Well, of course, that's just flat false, right? That's utterly false. In fact, Jesus, he straight up said, you should render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar. So Pilate doesn't question Jesus about that one either. But then there's the third one. We found this man claiming that he himself is the anointed one, Christ, a king. And it's this third one. that catches Pilate's attention, because in claiming to be a king and claiming to be the anointed one, what the Pharisees were saying about Jesus is that he is a potential threat to Caesar's authority. So that's the charge that Pilate zeroes in on, and he asks in point blank there in verse 33, are you the king of the Jews? Now, all four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, they record Pilate asking that question. And all four of the Gospels record that at the end of the conversation, Pilate walks out of his judgment hall, out to the courtyard, and he renders the verdict before the Jews that Jesus is not, in fact, guilty of sedition, guilty of treason. What's fascinating about John's gospel, though, is that that silence between the question and the verdict that exists in the other three gospels, it gets filled in by John. You get to see the conversation that convinced Pilate that Jesus was no threat to Caesar. So let's look at it together. Look at verse 34. So Jesus, he responds to that question, are you king of the Jews, with a question of his own. Jesus answered, do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me? Now, at first glance, if you're reading this with a certain sort of attitude, it can kind of look like Jesus is sort of being imprudent here, just like getting back up into Pilate's face and saying, do you really have an interest at all in that question, or are you just parroting the words that the Jews have stuffed into your mouth? You can look at Jesus like he was doing that, but that's not it at all. That's not just a rhetorical question here. It's not just a thunderous clap back to Pilate. That's not what's going on. He's asking Pilate in all sincerity Do you really have an interest in that question? Do you have an interest in it in the way that it matters? And he knows that Pilate has an interest in the question, right? It's Pilate's job to be interested in the question of anybody thinking they're a king. What Jesus wants to know, though, is are you interested in that question in any deeper sense? Because if there's just a chance, if there's a remote chance, Pilate, that you're asking not just are you a king, but are you the promised Messiah, then we have a different conversation. So before he answers, Jesus wants to know where he's coming from. And in verse 35, Pilate shows where he's coming from and gives his answer there. Pilate answered, am I a Jew? In other words, Jesus, I'm not a Jew. I don't care about your Jewish religious disputes. I'm not interested in your thousand-year-old scriptures. I'm not interested in your prophecies. What I want to know, and it's my job to know it, is what have you done that presses on and challenges the authority of Rome? So by verse 36, Jesus knows exactly where Pilate's coming from. Pilate, he's decided to just play his role, his role as governor. There's nothing deeper to it than that. He's really nothing but his job here. He has no interest in Jesus beyond the agenda that's being set for him by the emperor and by Rome. All he really wants to know is whether Jesus is planning to launch an insurrection against Rome, another one from the Jews. These would come against Rome from time to time, and the Roman soldiers would come in and quash them and cut off the heads or crucify the leaders. So Jesus makes it clear that he's not. He's not a threat to Rome. Look at verse 36. What have you done, Pilate asked, what have you done to set yourself in opposition to Caesar, to threaten Caesar's power? Verse 36, Jesus answered, my kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting that I might not be delivered over to the Jews, but my kingdom is not from the world. Okay, now, at the strictly legal level, this is Jesus' defense against the charge of treason. And it's a perfectly legitimate defense, because what he does, essentially, is admit to the reality that, yes, in fact, I am a king, but then he defines the idea of his kingship in such a way that it's clear to everybody that he's no threat to Rome. He's not intending to raise a flag over Jerusalem and install himself as a king and start fighting with the armies of Rome. When you think back to John chapter six, that's what the people wanted him to do, right? After he fed the 5,000. They tried to grab him and take him and make him king by force. And Jesus, what did he do? He ran away from that. I'm not that kind of king. I didn't come to be that kind of king. And he's making the same point here. My kingdom, I am a king, but my kingdom, it is not of this world. You don't need to worry about that, Pilate. So that's the legal thing. It's interesting, too, that legally, he says there, you know, as his proof that his kingdom is not a threat to Rome, he says that if his kingdom were of this world, then his servants would have been fighting so that he might not be delivered over to the Jews. And you remember, Peter tried that, right? He cut the guy's ear off, but Jesus said, put the sword away. That's not what my kingdom is. That's not what I'm about as king. So that's the legal, that's the political aspect of this. But obviously, there's more to it than that, because what Jesus is doing here, beyond just making a legal defense of himself, is actually defining the very nature of his kingdom. and its relationship to all the other kingdoms. of this world. He's defining how they exist together in the present age. And therefore, because he's defining the nature of his kingdom and the way that his kingdom exists in relationship to other kingdoms, he's also defining for us how you and I are to live in relationship with other kingdoms of this age. So there's a few things to say about that here. He's saying that those kingdoms are earthly. They rise from the mud of this earth and they ultimately all fall into the same mud, but not my kingdom. My kingdom, Jesus says, is not earthly. It is not of this world. It doesn't have its origin in this world, and therefore, it will not have its end in this world. And therefore, it has no agenda of competing with the kingdoms of this world on their terms. In other words, My kingdom, Jesus says, my kingdom does not advance like they do by force or by coercion. That's not how it works. The kingdom of God, unlike all the other kingdoms of the whole world, does not advance by force or by coercion. His throne, The king's throne, Jesus' throne, unlike Caesar's, it doesn't sit in the stuff of the earth, and it doesn't need swords to defend it or to advance it. Secondly, Jesus, he doesn't deny in any way that the citizens of his kingdom, that's you and me who believe in him, that the citizens of his kingdom will live our lives in and among and even under the kingdoms of this world. He doesn't deny that at all. We do, in fact, as citizens of heaven, live also in and among and under the kingdoms of this world. That means that as Christians, we here at Dayspring are citizens of heaven and citizens of Canada. and citizens of Angola, and citizens of Guatemala, and citizens of America, which means that we have responsibilities to both. We have responsibilities to work for the good of the one while ultimately remembering that our allegiance lies with the other. Boots on the ground, what that means is that we as Christians want to see our earthly homelands be just societies which promote human flourishing. So for the American citizens here who are eligible, that means that we vote. Early voting begins tomorrow here in Texas. And for those who are eligible, it is your obligation to go vote. Vote for justice. And so we engage the political process. We engage society on its own terms. But at the same time, we also remember that our consciences are bound by King Jesus alone. Our allegiance is ultimately to him, not to some earthly kingdom, even though we may be citizens of it. And one day, really soon, one day, the Bible tells us, the time for the kingdom of God to grow within and under the kingdoms of this world is going to come to an end. And the time will arrive when the King of kings and Lord of lords is going to demand that all the nations of the earth bow down to him. Now, that day isn't here yet. But for now, all the kings of the earth rule and reign, and the kingdom of God, what does it do? It spreads like yeast, right, through and under them, no matter how much they all rage against the Lord and against his anointed. But one day, every single one of those kings, every single prime minister, every single president, every single strongman dictator will bring all of their treasures to the one who sits upon the throne, and every tongue will confess, and every knee will bow, and we will all say that Jesus Christ is Lord. And here's the point. Being a Christian is not and cannot just be a religious matter. It's a reality, it's a real allegiance, and therefore it creates real tensions and real pressures and real challenges in this very real broken world. And we've got to remember that More deeply, more fundamentally than we are citizens of our countries of birth, we are citizens of a kingdom whose values and goals and aspirations are hotly at odds with those of the world. But unlike the kingdoms of this world, we as Christians, we have no desire and no warrant to advance our values, our goals, our aspirations at the end of a sword. There's absolutely nothing Christian, for example, about forcing schools to display the Ten Commandments at the end of a sword. No, the spread of the kingdom of God, it happens like yeast through dough. It happens by persuasion. It happens by the Holy Spirit changing hearts. It happens by lights shining and salt not losing its saltiness, and knees bowing to Jesus as they realize they're sinners and they're desperately in need of Jesus to save them from their sins and from His coming judgment. That's what the kingdom of God is. And that's what Pilate did not understand. Here's point number two, though, second act of this passage. Once Pilate understands it, an attempt at evasion. An attempt at evasion. So in verse 37, it becomes very clear that Pilate's heart really is thinking purely as a Roman governor. He isn't interested in Jesus any further than that. So out of all that Jesus has said about my kingdom not being of this world, about me not defending it with the sword, not in the least bit advancing it at the tip of a spear, all of that that he has said, Pilate just zeros in on one single little phrase. And that's simply the moment when Jesus said, my kingdom That's it, my kingdom. That's all that Pilate zeroes in on. He's not interested in anything Jesus actually said about his kingdom not being a threat to Rome. All he hears is my kingdom and he hones in on it like a missile. Aha, so you are a king. Now Jesus' response to this pressing from Pilate in verse 37, so you are a king, It's been misunderstood by a whole lot of people throughout the centuries, because they think that Jesus is now being evasive himself here, because he uses this Greek idiom, you say so. It sounds as if Jesus is evading, like he's saying, technically, Pilate, it was you who said that I'm a king. That's your word, king, not mine. But that's not what Jesus is saying here. at all. This form of Greek idiom gets used all over classical literature, and it always, always means the same thing. What it means, what Jesus says there, is actually a straight-up, unqualified, yes, I am a king. He says, that's right, you said it, I'm a king. That's what he means. To use an English idiom, Pilate, you've hit the nail on the head. You're right, I am, in fact, a king. And then he goes on again and explains just what his kingship entails. I've come into this world, I was born for this purpose, to bear witness to the truth, not to lead a rebellion against Rome, not to fight with swords or enforce a religion at the tip of a spear, but to bear witness to the truth. That's why I'm here. Now, what does he mean by that? I've come to bear witness to the truth. Well again, that's not just some religious mumbo-jumbo. What Jesus means when he says, I bear witness to the truth, it's the same thing that he meant back in chapter 14 when he said, I am the truth. and the way and the life. He means that when he's bearing witness to the truth, when he's saying to the world around him what is true, he's saying everything that he's been revealing and proclaiming and pressing on people's hearts throughout this whole book. He means, I bear witness to the truth that I am the Son of God. I bear witness to the truth that I am the new temple where God and man meet. I bear witness to the truth that I am the bread of life and the water of life and the light of the world. I bear witness to the truth that I am the great I am and I am the resurrection and the life. And then look at what he says there at the end of verse 37. Everyone, everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice. Now you see what that last line is there. It is an invitation. It is an offer to Pilate. Will you listen to me or not? And that same question has come to you this morning. Everyone who is of the truth, everyone who is of the age to come, everyone who is one of the good shepherd's sheep listens to his voice, hears his voice, listens to Jesus. Heeds the voice of Jesus. What about you? Will you listen to him? Will you hear him and heed him? When he says that you're a sinner in need of a savior. When he says there's no way you're gonna be able to work yourself out of your guilt. When he says you're not gonna be able to win the favor of God by doing good stuff or by avoiding bad stuff. When he says, there's no way to avoid the coming judgment. And then when he says, but I can save you from it, when it comes. When he says, everyone who believes in me, trusts in me, has faith in me, throws him or herself on me and says, Jesus, I can't save myself, I need you to save me. Will not perish, but have everlasting life. Will you hear Him? Will you listen to Him when He says that? And will you believe? Will you heed? Will you trust? Will you put your faith in Him and declare that He is your King? Sadly, Pilate's response to that question is just to evade it. He just evades it. He's right there on the precipice of eternity. And what does he do? He makes a joke to bat it away. You see, that's the first thing he does. First evasion is just bat it away with this cynical question. What is truth? Some people have said, wow, you know, Pilate is so postmodern. He's like 2,000 years ahead of his time. He's so philosophical, so thoughtful. He must have read all the philosophers. He's not thoughtful. He's not interested in an answer at all to that question. If he was really interested in an answer to that question, he would stick around and let Jesus answer it. I mean, he's been talking to Jesus long enough to know that this man probably had some thoughts on that question. What is truth? He doesn't want an answer. He doesn't wait for Jesus to answer, he just bats it away and he goes back outside to the Jews and he declares his verdict. Pilate tells them, I find no guilt in him. So basically at the end of the trial, end of any Roman trial, the very last thing was for the procurator, the representative of the emperor, to declare the verdict. He officially declares Jesus not guilty. And then the very next thing that is supposed to happen is that he should let Jesus go. He should have let him go. He should have told his soldiers at this very moment to unbind his hands and let him go free. That's what he should have done. But of course he doesn't. I mean, you look at the end of verse 38 on into verse 39. It's amazing. I find no guilt in him, but but nothing. You found no guilt in him. You declared it. He's not guilty. You should have let him go. What's with this? Well, between 38 and 39, the whole thing starts to capsize. Everything that Pilate has been doing to try to be a good Roman, to hold a proper trial, to seek justice, it goes awry. It sinks. He flinches and doesn't let Jesus go like he should have. Why? Why doesn't he just let Jesus go? Well, because he's not just a judge, he's also a politician. He's not just a judge, he's also a politician, and he thinks he sees a better way, a way to let the innocent guy go and keep the Jewish leaders satisfied. I mean, here he is, the guy in charge, he's convinced that Jesus is completely innocent of the charges. He's not a threat to the powers of Rome. But he also doesn't want to humiliate the Pharisees either, after they've gone to all this trouble to put this guy in chains. So he makes them an offer. He says, all right, guys, I'll tell you what. I find him innocent. He's no threat to Rome. But I'll tell you what I'll do for you. I will let you make the decision on your own. As the great, high, and mighty rulers of your people, I will let you make the decision to rescue him from the power of Rome, and you will have the glory. You'll be the ones on the right side of this. Of course, that plan also has the additional benefit that it gets Pilate off the hook of getting pressed by them into condemning a man that he's convinced is totally innocent. So he offers them a choice. He makes them a deal, in other words. So he continues to try to evade the choice that stands before him, to put it off on somebody else so that he doesn't have to take the consequences for it. If you think about it, that is not uncommon response to Jesus Christ. Evasion. I mean, that's the thing about Jesus's claims. When people finally look at Jesus face-to-face, his claims are incredibly and inescapably pointed. You can't just ignore them. You also can't just approach the claims of Jesus as this kind of mystical, intellectual exercise. That's not what Jesus presses on you. Jesus presses you for a verdict. Do you believe in him or not? And so a natural response is to evade, just evade. You know, I gotta get out of here. I got people to see. I got things to do. I'm busy this week. I don't have time for this. There are more pressing things for me to do today than to actually think about Jesus." And that's what Pilate tried to do here. to push it off on the Pharisees. Tried several more ploys that we're gonna look at after we get back from our retreat. He finally puts his hands in a basin of water and tries to wash the decision off of his hands and say, I don't have anything to do with this anymore. But history, history has not let him evade it and God has not let him evade it. Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate. He can't get away from it. He can't get away from it and neither can you. Don't try to evade the claims of Jesus. Look straight at them and make a decision about Jesus. Render a verdict on Jesus. Size the man up and make a decision. Do you believe or not? I know I say this often, but I mean it. And maybe you need to ask some questions. Ask the questions. That's great. There are answers to the questions. I promise you, Christians have been thinking about this stuff for a very, very long time. And even better, this is all true, which is why there are good answers to good faith questions. Ask them. But don't stuff them up on a shelf somewhere and say, I'll get to them later. These are the most important questions that you're ever gonna ask in your entire life. Who really is Jesus Christ? Who is he? And what does he say about me and about what I need to do? Ask your questions, get your answers, and then come to a verdict. Do you trust in him? Do you believe in him? Or do you not? Don't try to evade him. You will not succeed in that any more than Pilate did. Let us pray. Lord Jesus, we as a local church honor you today as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We are your people whom you have bought with your own blood. You laid down your life for us so that we might not have to be crushed under the wrath of God for our sins. Our Father, we pray for anybody who might be here this morning who's not yet a Christian, who hasn't put their faith and trust in you through your Son. And Lord, we ask that they would do that before they leave this place today. Merciful Holy Spirit, we pray that you would soften hearts. We pray that you would break hearts. We pray that you would replace stony hearts with hearts of flesh. We pray that you would regenerate and give new life to people, even today, cause them to come to the verdict on Jesus, that yes, He really is the Son of God, He really is the Savior, He really is the Redeemer, He is my Lord. God, we pray that you would do that this morning, and we ask it in the name of Jesus and always to His glory, amen. Please stand together. Remember, those of you who are not going out to the retreat a week from today, if you show up for church, this chapel will be locked. There'll be a sign on the door reminding you that we're not here. Dayspring Fellowship is not at Dayspring Chapel, but out at the River End Resort and Hunt. The worship service begins out there a week from today at 10 a.m. in the Mill House, which is their main meeting house, and this flyer out on the hall table gives you directions on how to get out there. So even if you're not signed up for the retreat, but you want to join us, join Dayspring for worship next week, Follow this map and get out there by 10 a.m., and we'll look forward to worshiping with you then. If not, we'll see you back here in two weeks, and remember, those of you who signed up to take things out of this chapel, you need to do that today, because we're locking up in a little while, won't be unlocked again for a couple weeks. And now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of His Holy Spirit be with you all, amen.