“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.’” [1]
“Are you asking [whether I am King of the Jews] on your own, or have others told you about Me?” That was the question Jesus asked Pilate when He was arraigned on a trumped-up charge of sedition. Whether one’s question concerning the Master is asked out of idle curiosity or whether they are seeking affirmation will determine their eternal destiny. Pilate was seemingly aggravated, uninterested in receiving an answer. Jesus’ response to Pilate’s bored query was actually quite gracious. In effect, the Master provided opportunity for the Roman legate to pursue the answer. However, Pilate positioned himself as one who was far from the Kingdom of God.
Christmas Day, the day set aside to commemorate the truth that God did send His Son into the world to provide an infinite sacrifice for fallen mankind, will be here soon. On that day, families will gather to feast and to fête. For many Canadians, it will be a holiday with scant meaning, a day to give and to receive gifts, a day to eat to excess and to drink oneself into oblivion, a day for merriment and riotous pursuit of personal pleasure. To be certain, some people will be deeply saddened on this day, separated from family and lonely despite the bright lights and brilliant decorations. Far too few of our fellow citizens will pause to remember that the origins of this day lie in the dark mysteries of the love of God, for we remember that all the world is sunk down in dark sin even now. However, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” [JOHN 3:16].
Reading the account of a Canadian soldier serving in Afghanistan, I was amused to read his description that upon returning to the forward operating base on one occasion they were met by a warrant officer dressed up as Santa Claus who was handing out water. It was comic relief providing a break from the monotony of war. However, the meaning was lost on the Afghan soldiers who accompanied the Canadians on this mission. Later, an Afghan lieutenant called his troops to attention while a Canadian warrant officer explained “Christmas” to the Afghanis.
The Canadian captain was approached later that evening by two Afghan soldiers accompanied by the interpreter. They asked, “Captain Rob, [the men] would like to know why would Christians celebrate the return of a red demon once a year that comes down stovepipes to steal cookies and milk from small children?” [2] Apparently, something was lost in translation.
Assuredly, something has been lost in translation when we turn our attention to the message of Christ’s first advent and the modern understanding of that momentous event. Our contemporaries seem clueless as to the purpose of Christ coming into our world. Overwhelmingly, people see Christmas as an opportunity to party, never realising the significance of what transpired during that brief moment in history. Through modern selfishness, Christmas has been reduced to a parody of a celebration of the love of God. Christ is shoved out of the modern consciousness as our own desire for momentary pleasure fills our imaginations. Tragically, even the professed people of God are tripped up by what passes as commemoration of the birth of the Son of God.
THE PRETENDER AND THE KING — “Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus.” Two men are at the centre of our study. Ostentatious, wearing the robes of office as a cloak for his conceit, one man dons nobility like a cheap suit. He wears his dignity as he wears his robes—dignity is otherwise absent from his life. The man seated on the throne is important in the world system, and he knows it. He will compel everyone to recognise how very important he is, forcing them, if necessary, to show him the deference he imagines to be his due.
Though the man seated on the dais is not the emperor, he wields the power of the Empire in this small land occupied by Roman legionnaires. Appointed to serve as the representative of the emperor in Judea, the word of this man, seated as he is in the position of authority, carries considerable power. With a word, he can condemn an individual to death; or with a word, he can set at liberty one who has been compelled to stand before him. This man can bring to bear the full weight of the empire with his word. Consequently, his demeanour exudes authority recognised throughout this ancient world. He will impose his will on all who come before him, forcing them to acknowledge his greatness. Nevertheless, he is a pretender; he has no power, and even the illusion of power that marks his life is destined to die with him. Any hope of this man being remembered is tied up with the man compelled to stand before him for judgement.
The other man, standing as a prisoner, has the bearing of greatness without any sign of arrogance; there is no pretence in His demeanour. His dress speaks of humble origins. This humble man stands arraigned as a prisoner. He has been seized on trumped-up charges of sedition and religious malfeasance, allegations that were levelled by religious leaders. Nevertheless, this man gives no evidence of fear concerning His fate. He exhibits no hesitation in answering when challenged by the powerful legate before whom He stands; He will speak once and then refuse to answer the same question a second time—once is enough. He is not cowed by the pretentious mien of the man on the throne, recognising the pompous show for the vainglory it actually is. However, His bearing demands respect even from those who hate Him.
No man will sit in judgement of the Lord—He judges us. It is likely that Pilate was at best only vaguely aware of the teaching of this Galilean prophet. It is likely a safe assumption that Pilate had never heard Jesus’ words when the Son of God testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment” [JOHN 5:19-29].
However, if you are listening to this message, you have heard the words of the Saviour! You have heard His warning! You must guard against imagining that you can sit in judgement of the Saviour’s words. Little man, little woman, hear what I say—you do not have the capacity, the ability to sit in judgement of God. We will each do well to recall the words of the Apostle, “Who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this’” [ROMANS 9:20]? Indeed, who are you to demand that God submit to your judgement? What qualifies you to question the Creator of all things? Since when do you possess sufficient knowledge to demand of the Living Saviour that He must answer to you?
I understand that almost everyone outside of Christ imagines that he or she is capable of questioning Him, challenging Him concerning His direction over their life. Though few are so bold as to make that statement in such a brash manner, we hear this concept asserted frequently and in many ways. It is popular for people to reject the Faith, giving as their reason the old saw, “I refuse to believe in a God who sends people in hell.” How can we see that statement as anything other than a crass demonstration of a mere mortal exalting himself by attempting to sit in judgement of the Living God? At other times, we quite likely have heard unbelievers complain, “If there is a God, why is there so much evil in the world?” Again, the very question reveals that the questioner believes she sits in judgement of God. Let me say that hard questions do not dethrone God; they merely expose the questioner as being outside the precincts of grace. Jesus warned, “All who came before me are thieves and robbers” [JOHN 10:8a]; and such ignorant statements expose the one raising the question as either a thief or a robber.
Here, in North America, without even thinking about the consequences of what we are saying, we who claim the title of “Christian” often appear to think that we get a vote on how we should relate to the Risen Son of God. Obedience to biblical teaching has become optional for many supposed Christians. Of course, such thinking is folly-wide-the-mark. What we have done is unconsciously to transfer our views of democracy to our relationship to Christ and to His people. In doing this, we have allowed culture to take precedence over Christianity. We have confused Christ with culture; and the impact of our confusion is disastrous.
Christians don’t get a vote on whether they will believe Christ or whether they have a better way than that which He has commanded. Followers of the Christ are not permitted to vote on which of God’s commands they will obey! Our churches are enervated, and we are bereft of spiritual power as result of our foolishness. We must not imagine that we can dictate to God how we will serve or choose which commands we will obey.
I recently read the account of a good man who moved rather deliberately into the realm of cultic religion. I don’t mean that he joined a cult—he formed a cult. He was a very successful, greatly blessed preacher of the Gospel. God had used him mightily to bring many people to faith in Christ the Lord and to encourage the saints. Gradually, he slipped into a realm that can only be described as cultic. He was adulated by those who heard him preach, and he enjoyed the adulation. With time, the praise turned to flattery, and the flattery became addictive for this man. As I read the account of his transition, it seemed to me that the first signs of formation of a cult was when he began to say, “Close your Bibles. Just listen to me.” That is a dangerous thing.
Dear people, do not ever close your Bible regardless of who it is asking you to do so. God blesses His Word; and the words of a preacher are of eternal value only insofar as they align with the written Word of God. If the words of a preacher deviate from what is revealed in Scripture, that individual is a charlatan, a heretic that is a danger to the eternal welfare of those who listen to him. No matter how gifted a preacher may appear to be, that man is not God. That man is mortal and he is assuredly less reliable than the Word which He handles, or mishandles. This Word, which we have received as the Word of God, is authoritative and accurate. The word of a mere mortal can never be authoritative as the Bible is authoritative, and the word of a mere mortal will move toward fallacy at whatever point it deviates from the written Word of God.
In a very real sense, each individual must give an answer to Him who gives us life. Though we may imagine that He must answer to us, in reality, we are answering to Him for the conduct of our life, for the matters to which we give voice. How humbling is the word which Micah wrote so many millennia past:
“[The LORD] has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?”
[MICAH 6:8]
We need not struggle to know the mind of the Living God—He has told us His will for us! The important point to remember is, we don’t sit in judgement of God—He sits in judgement of us.
I recall a story that tells of a woman standing in front of Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa in the Louvre Museum. As she scrutinised the painting, she began to expostulate loudly on what she saw as flaws in the work. A curator of the museum standing nearby curtly reminded her, “Madame, you do not judge this painting—it judges you.” The woman foolishly thought that she elevated herself by attempting to judge this work. However, all she did was expose her ignorance.
In a similar manner, whenever someone attempts to sit in judgement of the Word of God, they only reveal their ignorance. The Son of God warned, “If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me” [JOHN 12:47-50].
It is a source of dismay for me to recognise that many people, perhaps even a majority within western society, imagine that they can sit in judgement of God and the revelation He has provided in the Word. It is the height of folly to question Him, or to challenge His right to call us to account. And yet, we see this all the time as people argue against church discipline, as they claim that God made a mistake when He gave them life, or when they question His grace.
At the risk of becoming tedious, though I just cited his words a short while ago, consider the Apostle’s challenge to those who attempted to call God to account. “Who indeed are you—a mere human being—to talk back to God? Does what is molded say to the molder, ‘Why have you made me like this? Has the potter no right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special use and another for ordinary use’” [ROMANS 9:20-21 NET BIBLE]?
CHALLENGING THE KING — “Are You the King of the Jews?” Pilate’s demeanour reveals that he was increasingly disquieted by the man standing before him. Religious leaders had distorted Jesus’ words to say something He never so much as intimated. Consequently, the Roman official asked about His claim to be “King of the Jews,” not intending the question as idle curiosity, or even anticipating an answer that would give him concern. Pilate was quite certain that the Jewish leaders had seized Jesus and brought Him to be judged on a trumped-up charge in hope that a sentence of crucifixion would be pronounced. Perhaps at first Pilate thought of Jesus as a harmless eccentric; he may even have seen Him as somewhat daft. What is apparent is that Pilate was not convinced that the prisoner had done anything deserving of death, so he offered to release Him. The governor’s assessment was the Jesus of Nazareth was harmless; He constituted no threat either to his own rule or to the interests of the empire.
In the Gospel account, we read, “At the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. So, when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, ‘Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?’ For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up” [MATTHEW 27:15-18].
It is apparent that Pilate was attempting to manipulate the Jewish leadership into a corner. He offered someone that could possibly be acceptable for release into society. However, the religious and civic leaders were unwilling to yield ground on their demand that Jesus of Nazareth be executed as a common criminal. They maneuvered the crowd into demanding that Jesus be crucified. Pilate was boxed in, his own effort to engineer a different outcome had failed.
Take special note of that eighteenth verse as rendered by one of the more recent translations. “[Pilate] realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed [Jesus] over” [NRSV]. Jealousy had blinded the eyes of the religious leaders until they were willing to embrace calumny, defamation, slander, libel, vituperation and outright lies in order to engineer the death of this One whom they saw as their nemesis. They didn’t have authority to take His life, but they would seek to compel the Roman authorities to take His life, employing governmental murder. Pilate served as the unwitting dupe who stumbled into their trap; he became the hapless power that allowed himself to be manipulated into doing their nefarious work.
If Pilate’s own stunted moral code made him uneasy about surrendering to the mob mentality of the Jewish leaders, one other event heightened his discomfort. Matthew records a strange vignette. “While [Pilate] was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, ‘Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream’” [MATTHEW 27:19]. His own wife, despite not being fully aware of all that was taking place before his judgement seat, sent Pilate a message warning him to avoid making any judgement concerning the man, Jesus! No wonder Pilate questioned in his own mind who the man then standing before could be. No wonder he was increasingly uneasy.
It is apparent that Pilate was experiencing a growing sense of dread because of the man now standing before him. The governor was disquieted by the growing perception that the One standing in his judgement hall was someone of greater significance than he had imagined; now, he wanted to rid himself of the responsibility to decide the fate of this carpenter. Thus, we read, “When Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves’” [MATTHEW 27:24].
A growing frustration, arising out of a palpable sense of dread, led Pilate to attempt to wash his hands of the consequences of his judgement. He rebuked the mob, declaring, “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” surrendering Jesus to the enraged mob braying for His blood. But Pilate couldn’t rid himself of the responsibility to make a decision that easily. We can’t rid ourselves of responsibility that easily! We can’t refuse to decide concerning our response to the Saviour. By refusing to choose, we are in fact choosing—and the choice we make when we refuse to choose is inevitably the wrong choice.
I’ve seen it happen many times throughout the years of my service before the Lord. The message is delivered, and the Spirit of God is working in the life of an individual. Though she resists looking to the Risen Saviour in faith, there is a growing sense of uneasiness in her mind. “What if Jesus is real?” “What if He is truly alive?” “What if I must actually answer to Him?” Though her apprehension makes her anxious, she concludes that she will put off responding. Perhaps the sense of responsibility will pass, and she can go back to living as she has lived to this point in life. Perhaps the anxiety will go away, and she won’t have to make a decision. However, in making no decision, she has decided.
The account is provided of a time when Apostle was giving his testimony before nobility. He was responding to a regal demand to explain before King Agrippa and his wife Bernice who were visiting Porcius Festus, Governor of Judea. He was brought before these royals to explain why he was incarcerated, to explain why the Jewish leadership was so adamant that deserved to die. In explaining how he came to be imprisoned, Paul told how the Risen Lord of Glory had accosted him as he travelled to Damascus with authorisation to seize any who identified as followers of the Christ. He spoke of his own response when confronted by the Living Saviour.
Then, Paul made the application of his thinking at the moment he had been confronted by the Risen Saviour. “What could I do, King Agrippa? I couldn’t just walk away from a vision like that! I became an obedient believer on the spot. I started preaching this life-change—this radical turn to God and everything it meant in everyday life—right there in Damascus, went on to Jerusalem and the surrounding countryside, and from there to the whole world.
“It’s because of this ‘whole world’ dimension that the Jews grabbed me in the Temple that day and tried to kill me. They want to keep God for themselves. But God has stood by me, just as he promised, and I’m standing here saying what I’ve been saying to anyone, whether king or child, who will listen. And everything I’m saying is completely in line with what the prophets and Moses said would happen: One, the Messiah must die; two, raised from the dead, he would be the first rays of God’s daylight shining on people far and near, people both godless and God-fearing.” [ACTS 26:19-23 THE MESSAGE].
It was at this point that Porcius Festus interrupted, shouting out, “Paul, you’re crazy! You’ve read too many books, spent too much time staring off into space! Get a grip on yourself, get back in the real world” [ACTS 26:24 THE MESSAGE]!
The Apostle saw this interruption as an opportunity to press Agrippa once again to consider submitting to Christ as Master over life. “With all respect, Festus, Your Honor, I’m not crazy. I’m both accurate and sane in what I’m saying. The king knows what I’m talking about. I’m sure that nothing of what I’ve said sounds crazy to him. He’s known all about it for a long time. You must realize that this wasn’t done behind the scenes. You believe the prophets, don’t you, King Agrippa? Don’t answer that—I know you believe” [ACTS 26:25-27 THE MESSAGE].
One of the saddest occurrences recorded of any individual followed hard on this plea. Agrippa did answer, dismissing the Apostle’s urgent pleas with seemingly amused disdain, “Keep this up much longer and you’ll make a Christian out of me” [ACTS 26:28 THE MESSAGE]!
Nevertheless, the distinct impression cannot help but linger that Agrippa had closely followed the Apostle’s testimony and the plea to believe until the point that Paul pushed for a decision. Faced with the necessity to decide, the king chose to put off making a decision, attempting to mask his discomfort arising from the challenge by blithely brushing aside Paul’s obvious concern for his eternal welfare.
That is not unlike the response of many contemporary Canadians who have heard the message of life and yet chose to put off making a decision for Christ. They refused the appeal of the Word and the pleading of the Spirit of God, hoping that a light-hearted dismissal would suffice to placate God while allowing them to continue without making a decision. But excuses will never suffice to deliver one from judgement. Puerile attempts to dismiss the Spirit of God will never deliver the individual from responsibility to answer the Living God.
Some who listen to the message at this hour may have dismissed the concern of a mother, the pleas of a grandfather, the appeal of a friend who loves you enough to plead for your soul. You didn’t just refuse their entreaty, you were dismissing the plea of the Spirit of God. You briefly considered Jesus as Master over life, only to turn away with a caustic inquiry, “Are you the King of the Jews? And would you be King over my life?” You have deceived only yourself.
An unknown author drafted a serious question to those who delay deciding for Christ. Writing in the Letter we know as the Book of Hebrews, that writer was inspired to challenge us, “If we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” [HEBREWS 10:26-29]?
The preacher is your dearest friend if he warns you of the consequences of refusing the Saviour. However, if you turn from the life that is offered in the Son of God, deliberately rejecting the gracious offer in the words that have been written in the Word of God, the invitation voiced by the preacher will become your greatest sorrow as you are eternally separated from the love of God. He is the King of the Jews, and He would be King of your life.
“FOR THIS PURPOSE I WAS BORN” — Did Jesus come to be Saviour of the world? Absolutely! Did Jesus come to set at liberty those who look to Him in faith? Assuredly! And yet, the Master asserts that He came “to bear witness to the truth.” Jesus came that mankind might know that God is true, to know that His Word is true, to know that we can rest eternally on His promises! Jesus’ very presence on this earth was witness to truth. The Saviour testified on one occasion, “If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority” [JOHN 7:17]. If you wish to know ultimate truth, you need but know the Son of God.
Jesus responded to Pilate’s query with a declaration of the truth. “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” [JOHN 18:36]. This simple declaration elicited the startled response, “So you are a king” [JOHN 18:37a]? Even Pilate, dense as he was concerning the matters of the Spirit, recognised that the One arraigned before him had a claim that could not be properly judged in this world.
In two days we will celebrate Christmas, ostensibly commemorating the birth of Jesus. For these brief days of Advent, all the world is focused, if only in a transient fashion, on the birth of the Son of God. We acknowledge that He came into the world, but like Pilate, we aren’t particularly eager to accept the reason for His coming. We’ll give gifts to one another, often without knowing why we do so. The most of mankind will be unaware that we are confessing that the wise men came bearing gifts to the Son of God at His birth.
In many cities, and even in multiple homes, there will be crèches, reminding us that the Christ was born in a sheep cote. Though the tableaus are populated with a virtual menagerie of animals witnessing the child lying on fresh, clean hay in a manger as we attempt to soften the reality of the conditions into which He was born, it is nevertheless a reminder of the humility God chose when He brought His Son into the world. God did not send His Son into a palace where He would be laid on silken coverlets. God deliberately chose the most demeaning entrance anyone could imagine.
Our streets are now decorated with coloured lights, meant to twinkle like the stars in the heavens. Hanging from the lampposts of the city are multiple decorations, a star being prominently displayed. In many homes there will be trees, decorated with lights and bright ornaments. On almost all the trees in Canadian homes or in the centre of the town, a star will be situated on the topmost branch; or alternatively, there will be an angel. By this, we tacitly confess that God used a brilliant start to guide the wise men to the place where the child lived. Or it is a tacit admission that angels announced the birth of the Son of God to shepherds, speaking of the joy that would attend the child’s presence.
But how could there be joy when His presence brought such sorrow to many. Herod sought to kill the child, fearing the child would threaten his continued reign over Judea. When the child appeared to be beyond his reach, and the wise men failed to inform the king where the child could be found, the wicked king ordered that “all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men” [MATTHEW 2:16b]. Matthew, inspired by the Spirit of God’s to remind readers of ancient prophecy, wrote, “Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
‘A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.’”
[MATTHEW 2:17-18]
That was assuredly not an auspicious start for One born to be a king. And it surely was not destined to be a victorious conclusion to the life of One born to be a king. He was compelled to stand trial before the Roman governor. In Pilate’s court, this King of the Jews would be beaten, stripped naked, spit upon and mocked before He would be flogged and at last crucified. This is not how we imagine kings are treated in our world.
And though this child was not treated as a king, He was nevertheless a King. He testified to the Roman governor, “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” [JOHN 18:37a]. Then, He appended this statement, “Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice” [JOHN 18:37b]. Jesus is a King, though we do not see Him reigning at this moment. It would only be by offering His life as a sacrifice because of sinful man that He would be able to secure His rightful place.
Thus, we read of this One born as King, “At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to [Christ]. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone” [HEBREWS 2:8-9]. Imagine! He must taste death for everyone! The King of Glory was born to give His life as a sacrifice.
Another of God’s holy Apostles spoke of the purpose in Christ’s coming when he wrote, “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water” [1 PETER 3:18-20].
The purpose of Christ’s coming into the world the first time was that He might build His Kingdom. He accomplished this task through yielding His life as a sacrifice because of the helpless condition in which we live. How very humbling are the words of the Apostle Paul: “While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” [ROMANS 5:6-8].
In giving Himself as a sacrifice, the Son of God provided a covering for our sin and made it possible for us to be accepted by God Who is holy. Redeeming broken people, Jesus is building His Kingdom. And He shall reign over all the earth. We are promised in the Word, “Just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” [HEBREWS 9:27-28]. This Jesus is coming again to receive His people to Himself.
Paul encouraged those who would follow the Master, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” [PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11]. God has exalted His Son to the highest place.
So, Christ Jesus is a King; and He is appointed to reign over all the earth. Now, He reigns over the hearts of those who are twice-born. God invites us with gracious words, saying, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” [ROMANS 10:9-10]. This is made simpler still when Paul quotes the Prophet Joel, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” [ROMANS 10:13].
The Apostle to the Gentiles has testified, “I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me” [2 TIMOTHY 1:12]. I join in that affirmation, testifying, “I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.” Surely, among us today are individuals who join the Apostle in this testimony, “I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.”
Let the redeemed of the Lord rejoice in the knowledge of His salvation. To all who are outside of this holy Faith, our invitation is to believe the message of Christ, receiving Him as Master over your life. Amen; and amen.
+ A PDF version of this message is available at https://newbeginningsbaptist.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/John-18.33-37-For-This-Purpose-I-Was-Born.pdf.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible: English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] Robert Semrau, The Taliban Don’t Wave (HarperCollins e-books 2012) 282
