A King With No Boundaries

So Much More Than A King

John 18:33-38a

I. Introduction

A. Light – Saw a video on light traveling the other day.  The camera took 10 Trillion frames per second and was able to record a light particle moving?  Almost inconceivable – At the same frame rate it would take a bullet 100 years to cross the screen (theoretically).  Light is matter (Photon) and energy at the same time – matter and not matter.  It travels at 186,282 miles per second.  If someone were to tell you the properties of light, we would imagine that it couldn’t exist, but after experiencing it, it is no problem to understand – This is how it is with Jesus.  We cannot fully understand one who is fully God and Fully man who died to save us, but once we experience Him it all makes sense.

II. A King with no boundaries

A. Exegesis

1. Pilate continues to seek the boundaries of His Kingdom – Are you the King of the Jews – That would mean that He is leading an insurrection against Rome to reclaim the territory of Israel

2. His Kingdom is not simply of the Jews, but encompasses all who will follow Him

3. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice

4. John 8:12 - Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life

5. The people of King Jesus know His voice

a) John 10:14–16 (ESV) — 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So, there will be one flock, one shepherd.

6. One of the interesting things is that Pilate stands before Jesus thinking He is the authority

7. It is Jesus who is in fact the authority – He is the King of Kings

8. The conversation is around whether Jesus is a King

a) Pilate is looking for whether Jesus is trying to usurp his throne or lead an insurrection in Jerusalem

b) Pilate asks is Jesus is the King of the Jews

c) Jesus questions if he heard that or came up with it himself, but will not directly answer the question because they have different definitions of Kingship

9. Jesus finally answers that His Kingdom is not of this world

a) It is an admission of kingship and Pilate seems to understand that

b) The problem is that Jesus is a king over a spiritual kingdom

(1) Not spatial or over a particular group of people

(2) He is king over all those who believe in Him

(3) He is not a threat to Pilate or Rome

B. Application

1. How do you define the Kingdom of Jesus before someone who only thinks in political ways about a king?

2. Jesus is so much more than what we think of as a King –

a) A king in our world worries about being overthrown by rivals

b) A king worries about leading people to follow him

c) A king worries about wars and the economy

3. Jesus has none of these concerns because He is king over anyone who can see His authority and power and trust in Him

4. The beautiful thing about the Kingship of Jesus is that He can be a king to all of us: Jew or Gentile

5. He can lead His people to an eternity of peace and salvation, something that no other King can do!

III. A King with no end

A. Exegesis

1. Jesus is using a couplet, but both parts have deep meaning

2. Dual nature of Jesus seen – For this reason I was born and for this reason I have come into the world

a) He was born of a virgin – Fully man

b) He came into this world – Fully God

3. The fact that Jesus says he came into this world shows that He was somewhere else before and then came into the world

4. For Jesus to make such a claim shows a claim to his eternal nature and thus, He is God

B. Application

1. This truth says something huge about Jesus – He transcends the normal birth and death that we experience

2. It points to the fact that Jesus is the incarnation of God in our world who is heading to the cross to save us

3. So many people throughout history and in so many religions have seen their adherents die for their supposed God, but only in Christianity do we see the God be willing to die for His people

4. It truly points to the great amazing love of Jesus and the profundity of his death for His people

IV. A King of truth

A. Exegesis

1. Jesus main purpose for coming into the world was to bear witness to the truth

2. Jesus and truth

a) Being God, He is the genesis of truth – truth emanates from Him, He is the standard of truth

b) John 1:1 – In the beginning was the word.  The Word was with God and the Word was God

c) John 14:6 – I am the Way the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.

d) John 3:19-20 - 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

3. To live for our sin and self is the lie – It never pays off what we think it will – It is never fulfilling

4. To follow Christ means to die to self, but to find true life – That is the truth that is unseen apart from Jesus

B. Application

1. So, why do so many people reject the Truth – Jesus

2. It is easier to deny the truth than to follow Him and trust Him

3. We deny truth or make it in to something subject – my truth versus your truth, but it doesn’t really negate the objective truth of who Jesus is and what He expects

4. Jesus is the truth and in Him is the cure for sin and brokenness if we will trust Him

V. Conclusion

A. Pilate goes back and gives the people the choice of Jesus or Barabbas – They choose Barabbas – A political insurrectionist over the boundless, eternal King who is the embodiment of truth and Savior of the world. 

B. Who would you choose?