John 18:36-40 -The King and His Kingdom

I don't know about you guys that was a beautiful song that was that was I'm sure that was difficult for any of us to sing since it was something new but that was that was that was beautiful that was absolutely right on especially with the text that we're going through today and thank you brother great for reading

Daniel chapter 2 verse 44 that was awesome as well we're gonna be in John chapter 18 today so if you have your

Bibles with you or a device or some means to be able to turn to that I would encourage you to turn there and follow verses 36 through 40 today and before we begin and as you're turning there let's let's open up with a word of prayer and then we'll read over this text so let's pray

Lord God we just like as we just sung Lord we want to be abhorring all our sin

Lord when we do this we want to be focusing on you so Lord help us be sanctified means let us run away from that which takes us away let us run only leave only to your cross and Lord just be glorified in all these things that we do and Lord once again we just pray in the sanctification of ourselves or that you would be glorified that we might grow in loving you and knowing you and this spiritual growth that we seek

Lord we also just pray for the numerical growth of this church or we want people to know the gospel we want people to know who you are and so Lord we we just pray for these things so Lord we know that you are the only sovereign and that it's going to be according to your will and so we let these things up in your name

Jesus Christ so we are like I said in John chapter 18 we're gonna be in verses 36 through 40 to the end of this chapter in John 18 and church once again we as a context goes this is right before the cross this is this is literally hours before and being crucified hours before and being pierced in the side and being pierced in his arms and his feet and so on and so forth this is this is hours away from that so this this text

I hope as we read it and look into it I hope it brings a heaviness to our hearts that we can see in this text that what the the weight of what's going on here and so let us read

John 18 verses 36 through 40 it says in here let me actually read verse 35 as last week when we went through this we just looked at verses 36 and 37 and we just were focusing on ways that we can prepare ourselves for doing evangelism but now we're focusing really into what this text is saying so let's start in verse 35 and go to 40 here it says

Pilate answered I am NOT a Jew am I your own nation and the chief priests delivered you up to me what have you done

Jesus answered my kingdom is not of this world if my kingdom were of this world and my servants would be fighting that I might not be delivered up to Jews but as it is my kingdom is not of this realm

Pilate therefore said to him so you are a king and 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 bear witness to the truth everyone who is of the truth hears my voice

Pilate said 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 should release someone for you at the

Passover do you wish then that I release for you the king of the

Jews therefore they cried out again saying not this man but Barabbas now

Barabbas was a robber let us pray Lord God we we are so thankful to be a part of your kingdom

God we're thankful to be servants of you Lord God I would pray that we might have the heart in us that we would be a servant that would be willing to fight for our kingdom

Lord and we would be willing to go after advancing your kingdom and glorifying you and worshiping you and serving you

Lord God this this text is one that is it's saddening to see but Lord let us remind remember our own sin in our sin we would be no different than those that would call out for Barabbas to be released we'd be no difference than those that would call out for you to be crucified so Lord once again

God let your kingdom be advanced today and let you be glorified and you just say these things in the

Almighty Name Jesus Christ amen so let us start in verse 35 as we break out apart what

Jesus says here to Pilate and what's going on in the context just as a reminder this is

Jesus before Pilate he's in the praetorium the Jews are refusing to go into there and so Pilate serving as this middleman going back and forth between Jesus and the

Jews to to find out what reason that the Jews have brought him here

Jesus has been gathered and captured by the Roman cohort mostly likely 600 men plus that have captured come to capture

Jesus while in the garden of Gethsemane and they brought him out of Pilate and and this is now

Jesus being on essentially a trial before Pilate and we see that the rules reverse here in this text a little bit but let us let us look here in verse 35 and see it says

Pilate answered I am NOT a Jew am I your own nation and the chief priests delivered you to up to me what have you done and let's remember what a chief priest was that was supposed to be the one that was representing

Yahweh that was the one that was serving God supposedly and that was the one that that should have been rejoicing at the coming of Christ and and Pilate saying look your chief priests are the ones that are sending you to me the ones that that should have recognized

Christ at his incarnation the ones that should be bowing before him right now are the ones that are delivering them up to Pilate and so Pilate asks this question what you done

I think this is a wonderful question to ask I would ask us that same question day what has

Jesus done and we could sit and say really quickly yes he died on the cross for me yes he lived for me yes he was buried and rose again yes that's what he's done for me that is what

Jesus Christ has done and there's no doubt these things are true 100 % true but he is on trial right now this is not asking about the good that he has done for us this is asking what bad thing

Christ has done and what's the answer of that nothing nothing

Luke 23 verse we won't turn there and read about Luke 23 verses 40 through 42 it describes the thief on the cross that is next to Christ being crucified and he says to the other one rebuking him the other thief he says in there he says do you not even fear

God for you under the same condemnation recognizing Jesus as God he says this man has done nothing amiss it's

John the Baptist that looks to Jesus as he's coming down the banks and he says behold the perfect lamb that takes away the sins of the world

Jesus Christ has done nothing amiss he's done nothing wrong he's done no sin he's not broken one law the only thing that the

Jews are trying to to to accuse him of this is being blasphemous and taking the name of God for himself which he had the right to do so we're going to talk a little bit more about this but Jesus Christ has done nothing wrong nothing absolutely nothing it makes you think because we're going to talk about the

Passover here in a little bit too in verse 39 but the Passover lamb that they would slaughter and rub the blood on on the doorpost what had the lamb done that wasn't anything wrong to the people nothing it was nothing wrong nothing amiss that that man had done that's what

Christ is doing for us again here in this text it goes on to say in verse 36 Jesus answered and this is this is the words of our

Almighty King he says in Jesus answered my kingdom is not of this world we talked last week and we need a big mention of it again who's the one that is in control and authority over this kingdom

I want you to pay attention to the pronoun it says in here it says my kingdom this is not the world's kingdom this is not our president's kingdom this is not any other being other than God's kingdom alone and he says it's my kingdom he takes ownership of this and what's miraculous in this is that that we have the three persons in the

Trinity that all talk about the ownership and authority and and being introduced into the kingdom we have this all throughout the

Bible I just want to make mention of them in Matthew 26 verse 29 it says in there that Jesus says to his disciples it says

I will drink this anew with you when you come into my father's kingdom okay so Jesus's father has authority over the kingdom and then it goes on to say in Romans chapter 14

I'll read this one Romans chapter 14 verses 9 or 17 through 19 excuse me

Romans 14 verse 17 through 19 it says in here for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking but righteousness and peace and joy in the

Holy Spirit so Christ's kingdom is a kingdom that has people that are having peace joy and happiness in what the

Holy Spirit and it says in John chapter well let's keep on reading this verse 18 goes on to say for he who is in this way serves

Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men so then let us so then let us pursue things which make for peace and the building up so we see that part of us enjoying and having peace and the

Holy Spirit is building each other up building up to God's kingdom building up to God's kingdom and there's so many different ways that we see throughout the entire

Word of God I'm sure there's different ways that you can think of today about how you today can build up God's kingdom you're doing it right now by coming to church and and by looking at what the text is saying and learning about what it's doing and learning more about Christ and glorifying him you are building up God's kingdom currently if you're doing those things if you're glorifying in those manners if you are going out and doing evangelism and telling somebody that doesn't know who

Jesus Christ is and you're telling them about who he is you're building up God's kingdom you're building them up you're building up them if you're discipling another person or rebuking their sin or or meeting with them or whatever it is that you are doing you're seeking this discipleship that is building up God's kingdom last week when we we asked the question what is

God's kingdom what is this some type of stone that we have here in the world that we can put these stones on top of one another and that makes

God's kingdom no we see in Revelation chapter 1 verse 6 that it says that he has made us to be a kingdom and to bring priests working for God he's made us to be the kingdom this is a kingdom that is not built out of dead stones this is one that's made out of living stones you and I that is the kingdom that's the kingdom that we see in this text and we see that the father has authority over it the son has authority over it and we see in the text that in John chapter 3 it says that no one can enter into the kingdom of God unless he be born again unless he is born from the

Spirit so in order to be a part of this kingdom you have to have the Holy Spirit you see all three persons of the

Trinity reside within this kingdom language that we see in this text all three of them this is this is beautiful three persons one being me and God this is another way that we can talk about the

Trinity tell me one other person in the entire Bible that says that they have ownership of the kingdom there isn't one it's only those three persons yet that only says that in Daniel chapter 2 what we just read from it says that he has an everlasting kingdom and so on and so forth this is a singular kingdom it's owned by one king and that is our

God and so we see Jesus in John 18 verse 36 he says my kingdom is not of this world now church we can think about dynasties empires governments kings and queens whatever form of government that you remember learning about in history class or anything that you've been studying and recently there's one common factor that they all have with each other they all fall they all eventually go away there's only one kingdom that lasts forever and that's

God's kingdom and it's the kingdom that's not built with dead stones it's not of this world it's one that is one that he purchased with his blood you and I that is the kingdom that lasts forever it's only because we have a king that is everlasting like Jesus himself so this kingdom is one that lasts forever and says it's not of this world if my kingdom were of this world then my servants and he's speaking about the

Jews those that are supposedly representing him those my servants would be fighting that I might not be delivered up to the

Jews they would be fighting over this that I wouldn't be being delivered up this this idea

Jesus was king of the world in the sense that he is supposed to have a reality right in two thousand years ago of his kingdom people would be fighting over the fact of him not to die when we see the complete opposite they're fighting for him to be killed they're fighting they're going after that they're seeking it and now

I want us to think right now because we see in here that it says that they would be fighting that we might then he might not be delivered up to the

Jews and it says that his kingdom is not of this realm so if you were in this kingdom today and you are a servant of the king how are you fighting for Christ today

I don't know if we look at any form of government and we see that there's people that have been put in different positions that serve in the community whatever the example is of the government that we're talking about there's people that have different abilities different purposes different calling so on and so forth in that that setting to be able to participate in their community or whatever that setting is right so if we are a part of the kingdom we see this all throughout the

New Testament that we are a part of the body we are part of the church we all have different gifts what the hand is not the same as the foot more as the ear the same as the eye they all have different purposes but they all serve the one almighty

God and so I see the same language being used here today how are you today serving the king are you going out there and fighting purposely for him and advancing the gospel in such means are you going out and peacefully showing people who

Jesus Christ is are you serving him in your own work today because if you're a part of the kingdom that is what you ought to be doing is serving the king that is what you ought to be doing my kingdom is not of this realm in verse 36 so are you fighting for your king today in verse 37 pilot therefore said to him so you are a king this is not the only time that pilot is and has answered

Jesus in such a way did Jesus not just say he is a king my kingdom is not of this world and pilot says so you are a king he doesn't get what

Jesus is eating out in this text he says so you are a king and Jesus answered him you say correctly that I am a king for this

I have been born and for this I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth everyone who is of the truth hears my voice and so Jesus in this text he says after being questioned about if he is a king

Jesus does not say no I'm not a king he says yeah you say correctly I am a king what kind of king is

Jesus I want us to turn to Revelation chapter 19 verses 11 through 18

John or Revelation chapter 19 says in here in verse 11 through 18 this is the kind of king we have and I saw heaven open and behold a white horse and he who sat upon it called faithful and true and in righteousness he judges and wages war verse 12 and his eyes are flame a flame of fire upon his head are many diadems and he has the name written upon him which no one knows except himself and he is clothed with a robe dipped in blood and his name is called the

Word of God and the armies which are in heaven clothed and fine linen white and clean were following him on a white horse on white horses and from his mouth comes a sharp sword so that with it he may snipe the nations and he will rule them with a rod of iron and he treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God the

Almighty and on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written

King of Kings and Lord of Lords and I saw an angel standing in the

Sun and he cried out with a loud voice saying to all the birds which fly in the midheaven come assembled for the great supper of God in order that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of the mighty men and the flesh of the horses and of those who sit on them in the flesh of all men both free and slaves and the small and great this is speaking of those that are not a part of the kingdom of the

King the King of Kings and it says I saw the beasts and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against him who sat upon the horse and against his armies and we all know how that ends for them you have to be a part of the kingdom in order to call

Christ the King of Kings and Lord of Lords you have to recognize him as this and that is what

Jesus says in here he says you have said correctly that I am King for this

I have been born and for this I come into the world to bear witness to the truth everyone who is of the truth hears my voice now in this text

Church we see something very remarkable I think he says in here for this I have been born this is the purpose of Christ this is the reason that he came into his incarnation and and this is is this speaking of his birth this this is

Christianity 101 if people don't understand the incarnation of Christ they mess up their entire theology they mess it up completely they like just to give you some examples of how this can be done is if somebody just says that Jesus was only a man and not

God that's not right that's not what we see in the Bible that's not

God becoming flesh how can a man make an everlasting atonement how can a man be a perfect lamb how can a man so on and so forth you just can't and so we see in here that Christ he's talking about his incarnation he says for this reason

I have been born the Christian has to understand some basic level what the incarnation is and that is that the

God man God became flesh and dwelt with us lived a perfect life was placed before Pontius Pilate was judged incorrectly on basis for you and I and died upon a cross and he rose again on the third day to understand the incarnation has serious implications on the rest of your theology if you misrepresent what the incarnation is you are not a part of the kingdom you just can't be but he says here for this

I have been born and for this I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth everyone who is of the truth hears my voice and so what is this that that Christ is saying here

I have written down here in my notes it says Christ was born so that he as king ruler and the supreme authority could save would save those that are a part of him being the truth and that they would glorify him as king those that are a part of the truth will recognize and worship the king they will and so we see in this the great joy that we have in Christ that Christ did this to glorify himself but it is to our benefit it is to our enjoyment through this we have a release of being captive we we have this miraculous thing in our lives and so we ought to praise the king for this and so we see that that truth of that Christ has done this on the benefit of us for his glory so it goes on to say in verse 38 actually before we go there it says in this it says in verse 37 and for this

I've come into the world to bear witness to the truth and this is important Christ says to bear witness to the truth everyone who's of the truth hears my voice

John 14 verse 6 says that Jesus says I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the

Father but through me so once again Christ is the way is the truth and the life you can't be a part of the kingdom without being with him without going through him without being a part of him and in John 18 it says everyone who is of the truth who is the truth according to Christ himself himself he is the truth and so if you are a part of the truth you will hear his voice this is we talked about it last week this is very reminiscent to Jesus in John chapter 10 where he says my sheep hear my voice

I lose not one no one is able to snatch them from my father's hand they hear my voice

I'm their shepherd they are my sheep we see this all throughout John chapter 10 and so he says that if they are a part of the truth if they're in me is essentially what it says in this if they're in me they will hear my voice they will hear my voice

Pilate said to them him what is truth now there are some scholars and people that would read this

I think that Pilate is asking genuine questions here that he's trying to find out more about Christ is seeking him in that way that's

I would highly disagree with that I don't see that in this text whatsoever he is just said in verse 30 35 he says or in verse 37 you are a king and he now he says what is truth he he's going against what

Christ has already revealed to him and he's he's he's going about it in a way where Pilate has a disdain for who

Christ is he has a disdain because he's a sinful man he has not been saved and he hates

Christ before him and so he goes about this saying what is truth and this is interesting because every every false religion

I don't know if you've ever talked with a Buddhist or an atheist or an agnostic or anybody else and that is a common phrase that they will say how do you know what truth is what is truth and they want to change reality and say that it's all subject to your own opinions and feelings and so on and so forth they want to change what it is

Christ is truth his word is truth there is a absolute truth and that is

Christ they might not like it but that's the way it is in verses 36 through 37 we see

Christ in here be saying exclusive terms like he is his kingdom is not of this world that he has a kingdom he is the king and everybody that's a part of him will come to him hear his voice you can see this exclusive language that is being used in here why is it that the world yeah

I know that you've seen this today the world hates Christians we're willing to be coexist and exist with those that that believe in Buddhism and Hinduism and Islam and so on and so forth because it's their personal beliefs that's okay we're more than welcoming to that kind of perspective

I hear this constantly but they're always against Christians always against Christ they're always against that kingdom why because the other ones that they just talked about are all a part of the kingdom of the devil is what

I would argue they're a part of that kingdom they're not part of this kingdom that we see in here and so they pilot says what is truth and before even and getting the answer from Jesus in this text this is why

I would say that that pilots not seeking a sincere answer from Christ right after saying what is truth he leaves he departs from Christ and he goes back to the

Jews and so that says in here and when he had said this he went out again to the Jews and said to them find no guilt in him so pilot sees that Christ has done nothing that can put him to death pilot once again as context goes as we talked about I believe two weeks ago that that pilot has recently received the right to do capital punishment for the

Jews it's been transferred to the Romans and in this day and so pilot is saying

I I have no reason I can put this guy to death there is nothing I can see he's not a murderer he's not a thief he's not done any of these things that you're bringing him to me to try to crucify him for I can't do it

I find no guilt in him but he gives this alternative to them he says but you have a custom that I should release someone for you at the

Passover if you wish then I release for you the king of the Jews now what is this custom that is spoken of there's

I don't know if you know this but there's kind of a custom in the United States of something very similar to this at the end of every president's turn almost always they they do a huge pardoning of different prisoners this this is a common thing that happens in governments and kingdoms is really what it is and so we see that there was a custom of that day that on the

Passover the Jews could have a prisoner released to them and what was the reasoning for this it foreshadowed something it was because the

Passover was once again back in Egypt when the Jews were captive Christ God and God Yahweh released them from captivity and it was by the means of this

Passover and so we see now how that custom has now influenced pilot in this way see on the

Passover I can release to you one prisoner I can do this because I am pilot I have this authority over you and you brought me in he's now my prisoner

I can release him back to you and it says in here do you wish then that I release for you the king of the

Jews and yes this question is Christ king of the Jews yes yes and yes he is king of the

Jews that's what's inscribed above his head on the cross it says that in the very next chapter in verse 19 and pilot wrote an inscription also to put it upon the cross and it is written

Jesus the Nazarene the king of the Jews and we see that in Romans those that are

Jews are not ones that are circumcision it's those that have been circumcised of the heart those that have been born again those that have faith in God those are the

Jews so is Christ king of the Jews well he's your king and you're part of the kingdom so yes he is king of the

Jews he's king of those that have been born again he is king of those living stones like you and I yes he is king of the

Jews and so he says do you wish then that I release the king of the

Jews for you or for you the king of the Jews this is sickening to see in this text what takes place the one that they don't have a reason for killing

Christ pilot doesn't have a reason for killing Christ and now they could walk away and wipe their hands good they let the captive go the one that has no reason for being killed they have this opportunity of repentance in this sense that this way of a way of getting out of what's going to take place therefore they cried out again saying not this man but Barabbas now

Barabbas was a robber I want I want us to see who this Barabbas man is a little bit more

I want to turn to Luke 23 verses 18 and 19 in there

Luke 23 18 and 19 Luke 23 verse 18 and 19 will also read verse 25

Luke has recorded a little bit more of what's being said in this text here that we're reading

Luke 18 or John 18 but at Luke 23 verse 18 and 19 and verse 25 it says this and they cried out all together saying away with this man and released for us

Barabbas he was one who had been thrown into prison for a certain insurrection and made in the city and for murder verse 25 goes on to say and he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder but he delivered

Jesus to their will I want to go back to John 18 so we see in this a little bit more definition of who this

Barabbas was Barabbas had a reason for being a prisoner we see this in the text he's been a certain insurrection he's called a robber and a murderer he has a reason for being in prison he has every right pilot does have every right having capital punishment as his right of being the governor in that day he has every right to put

Barabbas to death Barabbas deserves such absolutely deserving of such

Jesus not whatsoever Barabbas deserves death and what do the

Jews cry out for they know the man's name Barabbas had to have done something in such a way that the

Jews knew about it the Jews knew

Barabbas by name and they say not this man Jesus Christ their

Messiah King of Kings and Lord of Lords not this man but Barabbas the murder robber give us him instead of Christ why is it that every person that doesn't come to Christ and doesn't have faith in him as king hates him and loves their sin just as the people of the

Jews of this day love Barabbas everybody should have said no you need to you need to do what you need to do to Barabbas he's a bad guy he's done some evil in this town we know of him any sane person would think that that's what would take place but there those

Jews love their sin so much in that day they asked for Barabbas instead of Christ and don't get this mistaken you and I are just as bad as Barabbas you and I are just as deserving as Barabbas in this text just as just as guilty as Barabbas now notice this in here that Pilate releases

Barabbas and he takes Christ and we're gonna read this more next week but Barabbas was released physically because of the pardon of Pilate and the killing of Christ Barabbas was released and had freedom physically because of those things us today as our own

Barabbas our own sinful evil vile men and women that we are we have been released free from the pardon of Christ and him suffering in our place while Barabbas was rewarded a physical judgment we have been rewarded something so much more valuable it's it's a value that is not of this world and it's not of this realm it's to be a part of this kingdom that Christ speaks of in here we have been released and we have been now made righteous because we've been covered by his blood the

Passover now I want to just read and find in our final text here I want to look at Acts chapter 3 verses 11 through 15 in here this is another mentioning of Barabbas and I think it's very important that we look at it and examine it very quickly but Acts chapter 3 verses 11 through 15 and also verse 18 as well but Christ that day took the physical judgment of Barabbas and thus he lived another day don't let us forget this but Christ died and took judgment that day so that we don't ever forget that so we could have salvation he could be our pardon he could be our

Passover acts 11 or acts 3 11 through 15 and says this and while he was clinging to Peter and to John and all the people ran together to them at the so -called portico of Solomon full of amazement this is right after Peter and John has as they've had this this miracle take place in front of them where this man has been healed and so in verse 12

Peter says this but when Peter saw this he replied to the people men of Israel why do you marvel at this or why do you gaze at us as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk the

God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob the God of our fathers Jesus or excuse me the

God of our fathers has glorified his servant Jesus the one who you delivered up and disowned in the presence of Pilate's when he had decided to release him but you disowned the

Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you but put to death the

Prince of life the one whom God raised from the dead a fact which we are witnesses

I want to read verse 18 here too it says but the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets that his cry should suffer he has thus fulfilled in Luke we saw something very interesting we saw that Pilate released

Barabbas according to their will speaking of sinful man but we also see the overarching picture in this text that Christ God has announced through prophets and prophesying and in shadows and types and any events throughout world history and in years before Christ was ever incarnate he's been pointing forward to the fact that Christ was going to be judged he was going to die he was going to be buried he was going to go ahead and be resurrected as well he's been pointing to that over and over and over again and so we see that the will of man is subject to what

God has declared before the foundations of the world and it is still according to their sinful will that they do these things this is the tension that we see in this in these texts that we can't reconcile in our own minds but they did this happily and joyfully they cried out for Barabbas happily and joyfully they cried out for him to be to be released over the

Messiah to be released the ones that they've been reading about all these years the ones that they had memorized

Bible verses and Old Testament verses they cried out Barabbas and thus

Christ went on to die upon a tree was buried and rose again three days later and that is the gospel message is death burial and resurrection so church let us let us leave out in one more prayer and let us let us be praying for God's glory in these things that that he has saved us released us pardoned us of our sins because of what he has done let us pray

Lord God we thank you God that you have stood in our place not only as our

King but as our lamb Lord and that you've been our high priest to make this sacrifice

Lord God you are good and merciful and Lord we can't comprehend what is taking place fully in this text

Lord God we are thankful for what you have done for us and Lord let us let us go out in righteous judgment not an evil judgment like we see the

Jews and Pilate doing in this day and Lord let us take confidence and full assurance

Lord that though there be kings and queens of today governors and presidents and so on and so forth

Lord that we only are subject to you as our king of kings and Lord we we follow those leaders as long as they are following you

Lord and so God we we recognize you as king of kings and Lord of Lords and so God I would just pray for each one of these other kings and president and so on and so forth

Lord I pray that they might be born again they might enter into your kingdom Lord and that they might know who you are

God I would just pray that as us as a nation who's gone far away from you

Lord that we just return back to you because you are the king of kings and the Lord of Lords and you are the the king over this this kingdom that is not of this world that is not of this realm and so Lord we thank you for just this this kingdom that we have access to Lord and so God this kingdom is one that has its doors down and we have peace because of you and so God we we give you glory and we want to know more about you so we can glorify you better and so Lord I would just pray that this week we would just continue to see you as our king.

We say these things in your name. Jesus Christ. Amen. So for this last song we'll go ahead and stand and we'll sing when