43 John 18

Jesus on Trial:

EOS-That we would leave here with a passion to make Jesus Lord in every area of our life.

Is Jesus the King of your life?

Are you seeking to make him Lord of every area of your life.

Has anyone here ever been a juror on a trial.

One of the most famous trials I can remember growing up as a kid was the OJ Simpson trial.

When it was going on I did not really understand what was going on I just knew it was a big deal.

Most adults had a take on the OJ trial.

But there were 12 who determined his innocence .

Jesus was on trial 2000 years ago. What the people did not realize is the incorrect verdict was the very verdict he needed to do what he came to do.

Think about this for a second: Jesus repeatedly said my hour has not yet come.

He came for this hour to die for sinful men.

The divine was going to die for the non divine so that we could have life.

John 2:4 NASB95

And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.”

They could not seize why because his hour had not come. They literally came to seize him and destroy him and kill him and they could not. Why because his hour had not yet come.

John 7:30 NASB95

So they were seeking to seize Him; and no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.

But now it was time to do what he came to do:

Jesus came as the king of the world and he was on trial on if he was really who he claimed to be.

Just as Jesus was on trial 2000 years ago, he is still on trial today.

The masses still reject him greatly.

For the first 18 years of my life my verdict of Jesus was he was not relevant to my life. He was not KING FOR Me.

In 1998 all that changed and he became my king. And I strive to walk with him daily like that.

But what I have found out is that even as as believer who claims him as king it is not always easy to live day to day as him being king.

Today I want us to examine the questions asked at Jesus trial. I hope we leave today more confident about how great Jesus is in our own lives and also have confidence to present him to those around us.

But most importantly I want us to live in awe of the King of King.

Because Jesus is still on trial here and now.

Today I want you to pretend you are on the jury.

The first trial question that will determine Jesus’s Kingship in your life is?

1. Who is Jesus (18:29)?

John 18:28–32 NASB95

Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. Therefore Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?” They answered and said to him, “If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you.” So Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law.” The Jews said to him, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death,” to fulfill the word of Jesus which He spoke, signifying by what kind of death He was about to die.

Because of his claim to Divinity:

Hypostatic Union-

the union of Christ's humanity and divinity in one hypostasis, or individual personhood.

Completely Man-

John 1:14 NASB95

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus was completely man. This was not the big problem the Jewish people had with Jesus. But the God man literally claimed to be a man.

Okay cool.

But he also claimed to be.

Completely God-

I am statements:

it culminated in John 8:58

John 8:58 NASB95

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”

Remember the I AM STATEMENTS I have beat them into you. They knew in the very I AM statement that Jesus was claiming divinity.

Here is how the Jews responded to people who claimed to be a prophet and were not.

Deuteronomy 13:1-5 ““If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. “You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. “But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you.”

So how would these Jews respond to Jesus.

John 8:59 NASB95

Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.

Every religion deals with jesus, you have to because the evidence for him is too great. However they all make him less who he said he was.

I love what C.S Lewis says:

You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon, or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.[1]

McDowell, Josh. More Than a Carpenter (p. 33). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Application:

Who is Jesus to you?

Who was Jesus to you this week?

Is he the God man?

The next trial question that will determine Jesus’s Kingship in your life is?

2. Is he the rightful King (18:33)?

John 18:33–37 NASB95

Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible Exposition

18:37 Pilate did not understand the distinctions between Jesus’ kingdom and Caesar’s kingdom that Jesus was making. But He did understand that Jesus was claiming to have a kingdom. Consequently

Other kingdoms you were a part of because what you bring to the table, this kingdom you get to be a part of because of what God brings to the kingdom.

Pilate wanted to avoid Jesus claims through indifference.

I think this is what a lot of people want to do. I don’t have a problem with Jesus.

Notice Jesus was not like any kind of ruler Pilate had ever seen. And Pilate had been around some elite people. Notice Jesus does not feel the need to defend himself. Jesus wasn’t worried about what he said he was more worried about Pilate’s confession.

This is what I did with Jesus before I recieved his gift of salvation in my life. I did not talk bad about him unless I missed a shot on the basketball court. But Jesus had no relevance in my life.

A king and his kingdom

Why is it so hard to make him king, because his kingdom is different.

Jesus tells a story about being great in his kingdom. He says if you want to be great you have to become least of all, if you want to become great you have to become servant of all, if you want to be great you have to become like a little child.

What Kind of King was Jesus-

He served the masses

he healed the blind

he washed his followers feet

He loved even his enemies

And he invited anyone into it who was willing to believe in the only true God

Who in the world would want to be involved in this kind of kingdom.

I think this is why it is so hard for believers to live out our faith because this type of kingdom is so different than anything we have ever encountered. And sometime we are like Peter who literally will cut off someone ear instead of loving someone well.

We want the kind of kingdom that someone has who has hit it big. Think about any of our presidents, they are not serving their workers their workers serve them.

Application:

Because he is our saviour we can allow him to be Lord. I think it is easy to give Jesus the steering wheel and then try to take the wheel from him.

Are you giving him control of your life.

Are you trying to be a queen or a king and building your own kingdom, or are you all in on God’s kingdom.

The next trial question that will determine Jesus’s Kingship in your life is?

Should he be released (18:39)?

Yes and No

John 18:37–40 NASB95

Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify 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 guilt in Him. “But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?” So they cried out again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber.

He should not have died because he is sinless but he had to die because he is our substitute.

Sinless-

Yes Jesus should be released because he is sinless.

2 Corinthians 5:21 NASB95

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Sacrifice-

No he could not be released because this was the very plan of God that not even sinful men could stop.

John 13:1 “Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”

But no Jesus can’t be released because this is the very reason he came to do what he had to do.

Jesus was the passover lamb.

Remember the I AM statement

Well in that same book exodus the passover was instituted.

EXPLAIN PASSOVER

John 18:28 “Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.”

Jesus is the Passover lamb

Hebrews 9:22 “And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

Does anyone remember the point of this book

John 20:30-31 “Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.”

The next trial question that will determine Jesus’s Kingship in your life is?

4. Does he have authority in your life? (19:9

Where is he from (19:9)?

No other king like him!

John 19:1-16 “Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him; and they began to come up to Him and say, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and to give Him slaps in the face. Pilate came out again and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.” Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the Man!” So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.” The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.” Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid; and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to Him, “Y…”

John 19:9 NASB95

and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.

I know many of you would say he is my King.

What area in your life do you need to hand over to him right now?

This month we are focusing on Relationship over Religion.

What friends do you need to pray for, share with serve, invite into your life, who need to hear about this great king.

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