The Gospel of John: Jesus before Pilate (1) part 2

First Baptist Church Leominster

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They're really deriding him Pilate seemed to dismiss their charge is not worthy of his time and effort

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That they could handle the matter themselves according to their religious law verse 31 Pilate said to them you take him judge him according to your law.

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You know, I don't want to be troubled by you handle it But then their true intention is made manifest in their response to Pilate in verse 32

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Therefore the Jew said to him is not lawful for us to put anyone to death Now The power to execute a lawbreaker had been taken from the

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Jewish people Some decades before had been entrusted only to Roman authorities with two exceptions if someone defiled the temple or if somebody blaspheme the

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Jews could Execute him. But of course that would have been by stoning and that's what they did

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Of course with Stephen as recorded in Acts chapter 7 However, the

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Jew said to Pilate it's not lawful for us to put anyone to death Now I've always read this and Considered what they were saying it

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Rome doesn't permit us to put him to death. That's why we're bringing them before you and Then I read this

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Maybe they were refuting to their own law Jewish law wouldn't permit us to put him to death

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For this crime in this way, so you have to do it for us you follow and So they might not have been referring to Roman law, but rather to their own

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Jewish law in other words, they were not Acknowledging that Roman law would not permit them to put him to death

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But that their own Jewish law would have not regarded it as legitimate action to be taken to this man at this time for his claims

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And here the commentator Edward Klink, I forgot to put a footnote here

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Edward Klink wrote this But the issue may have less to do with Roman Authority and more to do with the regulations described by their own law

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Perhaps especially in the light of their Passover. In other words, they weren't permitted to execute anybody during the

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Passover This latter sense fits well with the gospel itself Where the Jews not only freely speak of killing

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Jesus with no regard to Roman permission In other words if they had to get Roman permission, why did they talk about?

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Killing him so readily early on but are even the ones to whom Pilate hands Jesus over to be crucified

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If they didn't have authority, why do you hand him over? willing to hand him over The expression it's not lawful is almost always used in the

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Gospels to refer to what is either permitted or forbidden to the Jews by their own law Moses Which makes it difficult to interpret the statement as a reference to Roman law alone

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Even the immediate context of the statement is helpful for it would be odd To suggest the

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Jews needed to remind Pilate of what Roman law did or did not permit Law doesn't permit us to do it

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Just as it would be odd to suggest that the Jews would defer to Pilate's Roman Authority Sounds after he just recorded them to act on their own authority such a statement then serves as an ironic word of self -condemnation a

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Confession that they were not allowed by their own law to do the very thing they were about to do. I think that's true

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Even their own law did not permit this they had to resort to Pilate to get it done

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This shows their corruption their injustice their cruelty But this exchange between Jews and Pilate is then declared by John to have been a realization of the sovereign purpose of God Fulfilling what

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Jesus himself had foretold verse 32b. It reads this way Pilate said

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This was said to Pilate by the Jews that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which he spoke

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Signified by what death he would die we read back in John 12 John's interpretation of Jesus's words

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If I if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all peoples to myself Then John wrote this he said signifying by what death he would die another by crucifixion

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And of course only the Romans could crucify someone Had the Jews determined to kill

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Jesus apart from Rome They would have had to resort to stoning, but it was in God's purpose for Jesus to die by crucifixion

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Which therefore required Roman involvement in his prosecution and execution? It was

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God that would bring in this all to pass to evil men well now we get to the examination of Jesus by Pilate in verses 33 through 40

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We read Pilate and Jesus conversing What appears to be the first question posed to Jesus involved his claim to be a king

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Verse 33 then Pilate entered the praetorium again called Jesus said to him. Are you the king of the Jews?

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Now He may have not just been asking this question with a true inquisitive

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Desire to know but rather it may have been a derogatory and sarcastic manner

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Simply inquiring in order to obtain a definite answer of his claim It would not seem to be out of the question of Pilate would just by displaying a patronizing spirit toward Jesus Pilate again was a cruel man who had little or no regard for the people and So his attitude in this question made so do you really make the claim that you're one of the you're the king of the

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Jews? is that what you're standing here claiming to be might have been his attitude pilots attitude in all this and Jesus's response is somewhat elusive and I think kind of fits that attitude coming from Pilate We read in verse 34

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Jesus answered him Are you speaking for yourself about this or did others tell you this concerning me?

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And so this would seem to reveal the nature and tenor of Pilate's question as being disrespectful

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The Lord pressed upon Pilate to voice his own evaluation of the assertion that he was the king of the

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Jews What do you say Pilate? And By the way It also seems to suggest that Jesus was challenging

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Pilate subtly so as to whether or not the Jewish leaders were in reality manipulating

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Pilate to their own ends What Jesus is doing by this question is he's taking charge

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Pilate is is of course Judging Jesus and Jesus is turning it about and Putting it to Pilate Similar to the

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Jewish trial that would have been before Annas and the others and the other synoptics

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Jesus again has reversed roles so that the interrogator received the interrogation and the accuser becomes the accused

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Pilate becomes the accused the very foundation of Pilate's rule is being challenged by the probing counter question of Jesus and So again this overarching theme

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Jesus is in control of all that's happening is coming to the forefront here in John's account You know, you don't have

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Jesus Praying and weeping lamenting in the garden, although that certainly happened, but you have

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Jesus triumphantly leading the course of events here to his cross and So here we see that although Jesus is interrogated by Pilate.

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He was in no way intimidated by Pilate Jesus I want you to notice is confident assertive unassuming

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Appears to have been in control of the direction in which this conversation was about to unfold Even though Pilate was the governor of the land

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Jesus would be governing this interview He's in charge There's another description of what transpired in answer to Pilate's question art thou the king of the

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Jews? Jesus asked whether the question proceeds from a spontaneous recognition that he's in the presence of royalty or whether it's an echo of the

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Jewish accusation Pilate disclaims the first and avows the second I got it from the

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Jews Asking Jesus what Jesus had done to justify that accusation. What have you done?

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Jesus then states quite clearly that a kingdom and sovereign authority and power is by right But that the source of his authority is not of this world.

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My kingdom is not of this world He does not say this world is not the spheres of his authority

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But that his authority is not of human origin The other worldly nature of his authority is more

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We're patent from the fact that no military forces operate on his behalf No soldiers are present to prevent the king of the

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Jews from falling into their hands the action of Peters therefore again disavow You know

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Peter cutting off the ear of Malchus and whatnot and John seems to push back against that And yet neither here nor in nineteen nine does

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Jesus openly say He's the Son of God who has come from heaven for the salvation of the world Pilate however concludes that Jesus is a king.

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So then thou art a king Jesus reminds him that he pilot was the first one to introduce this title

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But rightly understood the title is correct the nature of his sovereignty corresponds with the nature of his mission

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He is the king of truth and he manifests his royal power not by force But by the witness he bears to the truth and for this he was born for this

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He entered the world his royal subjects are therefore not those who fight but those who beat of the truth obey their

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King Kingdom of God of entirely different nature than a political kingdom of this world

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This completely repudiates the Crusades it completely repudiates militant Christianity trying to impose down through the centuries the

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Christian faith upon other peoples. That's not Christianity That is not the kingdom of God But it's perceived to be such by Christianity's enemies, right even till today

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Pilot seems to have then answered Jesus in a dismissive fashion verse 35 pilot answered.

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Am I a Jew? Your own nation and chief priests have delivered you to me. What have you done? One wrote pilot responds with an indignant not to say contemptuous exclamation.

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I'm not a Jew. Am I? When pilot asked what have you done? It would appear pilot assumed that there is some reason underlying at all.

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There must be something else Which the Jewish leaders had not been forthcoming regarding surely

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Jesus must have done something that resulted in their hostility Toward him and they're bent on having him crucified

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Then our Lord responded in verse 36 Which is one of the most important and fundamental declarations concerning the nature of the kingdom of God in the entire

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Bible. I Should spend a series on this.

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In fact, I did I think once Jesus answered my kingdom is not of this world

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If my kingdom were of this world My servants would fight so that I should not be delivered to the Jews.

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But now my kingdom is not from here Yes, Jesus is a king. He has a kingdom. Yes But it's unlike any kingdom that pilot had experienced or envisioned.

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It was a spiritual in nature not physical It was in the realm of proclamation and embracing truth

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It was not a kingdom established and broadened to the power of subjugating people to subservience

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Jesus declared that his kingdom was of a nature that would never call for armed resistance or insurrection

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As one wrote the kingship of Jesus is not like an earthly kingship. It does not spring from the earth

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It was not given to him by an earthly power. It is totally different in character Thus, for example, it does not employ earthly means

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Made modern church ministry pundits take that to heart You don't employ earthly means to further the kingdom of God that's how the kingdom gets corrupted

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If Christ kingship had been earthly in origin character He would have had officers underlings just like the

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Sanhedrin for instance which had his police force just like pilot who had his Roman guards and these would have been fighting so that he would not have been handed over to But notice here the commentator says we would have expected handed over to the

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Romans, but that's not what John wrote Handed over to them in other words the

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Jews John's clearly laying the blame At the Jews who had handed

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Jesus over to them Far from trying to lead the Jews in a revolt against the

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Romans Jesus considers these Jews as his opponents and that's what he's declaring to pilot

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Have they not delivered him up to pilot? Well when Jesus Declared that the kingdom of God his kingdom was not of this world

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He was not saying that his kingdom was so detached from the world that there would be no influence or power To affect or change the world.

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Obviously the kingdom of God is transformative Indeed the kingdom of our

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Lord Jesus is over all of the kingdoms of the world But his kingdom would not achieve universal and absolute dominion through violence or force

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This negates a whole idea of a state church, by the way Imposing Christianity upon a general populace

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No, only to those who are converted come into the kingdom of God Only they are citizens who have come to the truth and confess it openly.

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It's a spiritual kingdom Here's the remainder of the interchange as we draw a conclusion verses 37 through 38 a

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Pilot therefore said to him. Are you a king then Jesus answered you say rightly I am a king

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By the way, the Jews aren't here. They're on the outside. They didn't hear this All the time

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Jesus was before Annas and Caiaphas in the Sanhedrin He didn't say anything when they challenged him other than the fact you're gonna see the

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Son of Man at the right hand of God The father is what he was declaring But here he asserts it.

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Yes, you got it. I'm a king for this cause. I was born for this cause I've come into the world that I should bear witness to the truth everyone who is of the truth.

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Here's my voice Pilot response. What is truth? Well, John's gospel has presented.

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What is true Jesus Christ himself is the truth? obviously But then when he said this he went out to the

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Jews and said I find no fault in him at all every time Christianity Either Jesus or an apostle came before Roman authority even

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King Herod The official declaration is not guilty. There is no crime here

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Throughout the book of Acts Rome was always a friend of the early church, even though they were corrupt men in those positions

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They always came down on the side of Christianity. It was the unbelieving Jews that were the great hostile force against early

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Christianity Notice in verse 36. Jesus described his kingdom negatively what his kingdom was

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Not my kingdom is not of this world. My kingdom is not from here But then in verse 37, he described his kingdom positively what it was

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His kingdom was centered upon him bearing witness to the truth Those who hear and understand comes to the truth by hearing and believing the words of Jesus Which he declares to be my voice and then

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I thought that Dr. Carson said it very well here and we'll close with this to be a king was the reason he was born

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The reason he came into the world in the context of the fourth gospel This pair of expressions refers to the incarnation his move from the glory shared with the father in his presence

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To his manifestation this fallen world to manifest something of that glory God's glory only here in this gospel is the birth of Jesus unambiguously mentioned

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This is the only place in John's gospel the birth of Jesus is mentioned for this reason I was born is what

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Jesus declared He came in short to be a king or otherwise put to testify to the truth the parallelism

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Suggests his kingdom is the kingdom of truth or more precisely put the exercise of his saving kingship is virtually

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Indistinguishable from his testified of the truth in this context truth is understood in more than an intellectual sense

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It is nothing less than a self -disclosure of God in his son the incarnation

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Who is the truth? Disclosing the truth of God and salvation of judgment was the principal way of making subjects of exercising his saving kingship

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That's how God makes subjects to the kingdom of God. We preach who Jesus Christ is He's eternal

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God who took upon himself our human nature came into the world revealed God to us and then he died for our sins

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He rose again He's in thrown in heaven as the God man and all those who believe on him as King as Lord submit to him

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Are forgiven of their sins they have eternal life. That's the truth That builds up the kingdom of God It's spiritual in nature and Then verse 38 records the official verdict of the

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Roman Authority Jesus was no threat to Rome. I find no fault in him at all but the

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Jews show themselves as Intractable How can we conclude this whole matter and apply it?

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just a brief application as We conclude our consideration this first portion of Jesus a trial for Pontius Pilate.

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Let's consider the confident demeanor the quiet dignity and the serene calmness that characterized our

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Lord even as he was being tried accused falsely Even while possessing the knowledge of what he would soon face upon his cross

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He dealt with matters with the knowledge that God his father had called him and brought him to this time and place in Which he would suffer and die

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But he knew that regardless of this and even through this very means that he would come into his kingdom

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Which would encompass and rule over all the world. I Would argue and exhort us to consider

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That our understanding of our role and place within the kingdom of God should result in us viewing and Reacting similarly to events that are unfolding in our world

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Today that seemed to be so threatening and detrimental to our well -being There is a general uneasiness and fear on the part of so many people

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Understandably so but that should not characterize you and me as Christians Regardless of what falls out in the kingdom of this world the kingdom of God of which of which we are citizens and the

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Glory, we share as believers in our King Should lead us and cause us to show forth a confident demeanor a quiet dignity and enjoy a serene calmness regardless of what comes down the pike

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There are many that are quite distressed and worried about what has come upon our nation. What may come yet through this election cycle as other events

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Unfold before us. Let us affirm in faith that our Lord will use whatever falls out to bring about the expansion of his kingdom through the conversion of sinners and the sanctification of his people

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The kingdom of Christ will not rise or fall depending on the outcome of an election in November Or some social or political cause that may have earthly implications and ramifications for us

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God is determined He'll use the same kinds of means that he used in the exaltation of his son

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To exalt us in our share in that glory. Is that not right? The degree that we suffer in this life will be to the degree that our glory will be immeasurable and unfathomable

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When we stand before him Let us stand in faith and enjoy the peace and rest that our

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Savior secured for us that he himself Demonstrated for us as he's facing the cross before him and may the

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Lord enable us to endure and face Biblically and as Christians, whatever is thrown at us

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Jesus Christ is Lord and he's executing the decrees of his father in history

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Presently, thank the Lord. Let's pray Thank you father for your word

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Thank you our God for the wonderful detail and the implications that we have before us help us our

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God to be as the Apostle Paul to boast in the cross of Jesus Christ and all that it implies and entails and Has brought to us we go forth from this place trusting and believing in your son as our

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King who is in control of history and Accomplishing your good purposes in Christ not only for your glory our father, but for our good