The Key Questions Part 2

Pastor Mike will be speaking on The Key Questions Part 2. He will be in John 18:28-38

Truth is not in education, truth is not in drugs, truth is not in the world, truth is not in philosophy, truth is not making money, truth is in Christ and Christ alone. Welcome to Hope Worth Having, radio program this week.

We are delighted that you’re with us. We’re looking forward to a wonderful time as we study the Word of God together. We’re continuing our study, The Key Questions. We’re in the Gospel of John chapter 18.

We’re looking at verse 28 through 38, they’re key questions that we need to ask ourselves as we are evaluating our spiritual life. And so we are thankful for this opportunity to be able to open the Bible and learn the Word of God together.

We invite you to get your Bible and maybe a cup of coffee and get your notebooks out, take some notes, follow along as we begin to study The Key Questions. But Jesus Christ came into a suffering, sinful, flawed world and He came to bring redemption, forgiveness and grace and mercy to all who would believe in Jesus Christ.

But as we contemplate this great question, what is the accusation against Jesus? It is the question you must ask yourself. What is Jesus guilty of that hinders you from believing in Christ? What is it that Jesus is guilty of that undercuts His claims as being God Himself?

What is it that Jesus is guilty of that you would not put your trust and your faith in Jesus Christ? For as we examine the life of Christ through the Gospels and even historians… We know that no one was less worthy of death than Jesus Christ, for He was not guilty.

And we stand with the Apostle Peter who said in 1 Peter 2, 22, that Christ committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth. And I present it to you according to the Scriptures and the testimony of our Savior’s life, that He is a man who is sinless, holy and righteous.

And there is no accusation that can legitimately be tagged to Him. The second question I would like for you to consider in our text this morning is, are you the King of the Jews? We come down to verse 33, and again, Pilate is still interrogating Jesus.

And the Bible says that Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and he called Jesus and said unto him, Art thou the king of the Jews? Jesus answered, Sayest thou this thing of thyself? Or did others tell it thee or of me?

Meaning did you come to this conclusion? Or did other people tell you that I am the king of the Jews? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me. What has thou done?

Verse 36, Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. My kingdom were of this world. Then would my servants fight that I should not be delivered to the Jews. But now is my kingdom not from hence.

You see, Pilate understood that Jesus was no threat to the Roman Empire. He understood that and that would be the one thing that Pilate could consider to try to bring this man to death. Is that somehow he was leading a mutiny against the Roman Empire and that somehow he was trying to overthrow the king Caesar or that he was somehow going to overthrow Pilate himself.

And Jesus Christ turned the question that Pilate had asked, Are you the king of the Jews? He took that question and he flipped it on Pilate and causing Pilate to reflect upon his own life. Do you believe this Pilate?

Do you believe that I am the king? the Jews. Do you believe I’m the prophesied one? And of course Pilate’s immediate response is, I’m not a Jew. I don’t have any part of this. This does not matter to me.

I am not a Jew. Your people brought you to me with these accusations. Jesus reminds Pilate that his kingdom is not of this world. His kingdom is not of this world. This is why we’re not a political church.

This is why people get upset at Pastor Mike because he won’t let you register to vote in the lobby. This is why people get mad at Pastor Mike because he won’t let you plant a yard sign in the church saying who to vote for.

This is why people get mad at Pastor Mike because they think. that God’s kingdom is of this world. But I must be honest with you this morning, there’s no guarantee that America will survive forever. We understand the scriptures.

We are knowledgeable of the Bible. We are not ignorant to His truths, as we understand that in the rapture of the church, in the church being ushered out of this world, that this will bring about the tribulation period, which will bring about a one -world government and a one -world religious system and a one -world economic system.

We know that our world is headed to this. I ask people all the time, do you have a dollar? Do you have a dollar? Like I was trying to get some air in my tire yesterday and they wanted a dollar 75, and I said, I don’t have a dollar 75.

Do you take a credit card, amen? Do you take a debit card? Who carries change in their pocket anymore? I mean, if anything drives me nuts is when I end up downtown and I gotta put a quarter in the parking spot, right?

Who has a quarter? Now don’t all of you send me a quarter, okay? I’m good. I’ll get a quarter, I’ll make it after all. But my point is this, is that you and I see the tea leaves of the tribulation, the signs of the tribulation, right?

We see it coming together. I was just talking to somebody the other day and we were talking about technology and how God is gonna use technology to fulfill prophecy and I was giving them an example about how our forefathers could not comprehend.

Although they knew it to be true, they could not comprehend how the scripture says during the tribulation that the two witnesses will lie dead in the streets of Jerusalem and all of the world will see it.

20, 30 years ago, we could not comprehend how that could happen. But today, we know how that can happen, right? Everybody has a cell phone. Everybody does. And what my point is that God is using all this fast technology, and He’s doing things that are so amazingly unbelievable and hard for us to even keep up with in our mind.

And the young generation is growing up, and they can use this technology, and they can whip through it. And just the other day, my grandson, he just got a hold of my phone, and he knew where the games were, and he knew how to download them, and he knew how to use my credit card to pay for it.

Now, how does that happen? I mean, I can’t even figure out how to pay for something on Amazon half the time. And he’s already got access to all of grandpa’s credit cards. So that’s coming, it’s here, and I want you to know that America is not mentioned in the tribulation period.

Is it possible that America could go the way of other nations and become not a superpower, but just a neutral country? Is it possible that America could come into a coalition of countries? Is it possible that somehow America will not be the great nation that she is and has been, and that it’ll be a nation that will be sucked up into a one world government that will be overseen by the anti -Christ?

That is possible. That is possible. Today, you and I are patriotic, but there may come a time that we will be unable to be patriotic because we could not stand for the values of a one world government, and a government that would be against Christianity and against salvation and against the Bible and against our Lord and Savior.

We could not support something like that, could we? No. So that’s why I want you to understand. That this movement of Christ is not of this world. That Jesus says His kingdom is not of this world. Your loyalty first and foremost is to Jesus Christ.

And we are thankful, but any time that our citizenship is in conflict with the Bible and what our King and Lord and Savior says, we must choose Jesus over the world. Are you with me, church? I know you’re swallowing a hard pill right now.

OK? But whether you like it or not, America has changed. Even among Christians, America has changed. And that’s the way we live. But Jesus dealt with this question, are you the king of the Jews? And that is a question you must answer this morning.

Do you believe that Jesus was the prophesied king? Do you believe that He truly was the king? Because a king is someone who rules. And do you believe that you are part of the kingdom of Jesus Christ?

That you are a citizen of His kingdom. For a king has a perpetual ruling. that the Bible repeatedly refers to Christ in royal terms and Calls him a king. He is first recognized as the king of Jews in Matthew 2 verse 2 the Bible says that the wise men in looking for Jesus said Where is he who has been born?

King of the Jews for we have seen his star in the east and we have come to worship him You’ve heard it, but let me say it wise men still seek Jesus. Amen Wise people still seek him and if God has put it in your heart to seek him then I encourage you to follow that Unction follow that direction as the Spirit of God is wooing you and calling you to find and know The Lord Jesus Christ as the king of kings and the Lord of lords We learn in the Bible that we are taught that he is the king of Israel as a matter of fact We don’t have to go far to understand that just if you want to you can come with me to John chapter 1 in John chapter 1 I know that sometimes our people get a little irritated that I’m always in different verses but see I like for you to turn to Bible and I like you to search the scriptures and see if these things are so and I like to be able to stand up before you and make statements and back it up with the Bible Rather than you just be motivated by some winsome speech that has no scripture John chapter 1 verse 49 the Bible says Nathaniel answered and said unto him rabbi thou art the Son of God Thou art the king of Israel then we jump over to John chapter 12 John chapter 12 and verse 13 John chapter 12 and verse 13 Jesus is entering in to Jerusalem.

The Bible says they took branches of palm trees and as they went forth to meet him and they cried, Hosanna, blessed is the king of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. And the question is, do you believe he is the king?

Do you believe that Jesus is the promised king from the line of David? For the Bible teaches us and prophesies to us that one day a king is coming and he will come out of the lineage of David. You say why in the gospels, why does the Bible take so much time to show the connection to King David?

It is because it is according to the scriptures. It is as God had prophesied that Jesus Christ would come from the lineage of King David and he would one day sit on the throne of King David, not just spiritually, but he will sit on it.

physically, and one day after the tribulation period, Jesus is coming, and it’s coming very soon, and He will split the eastern skies, and all my friends, He will establish His kingdom on this earth, and the Bible says He will rule with a rod of iron.

That’s why it’s important for you today to recognize that Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lord. Do not wait, my friends, for it may be too late for you to come to Jesus. Come to Him now. The Bible refers to Jesus as the King of Kings.

In Revelation 17, 14, the Bible says they will make war with the Lamb, referring to the tribulation period, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of Lords, King of Kings, and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.

Oh, yes, He is the King of Kings. The Apostle Paul told us that one day every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. And you may be defiant today and say, I refuse, I refuse to call Him the King of my life.

I refuse to call Him Lord, but listen to me, my friends. You will one day, you will do it willingly or unwillingly. It is your choice. And I implore you today to surrender your life to the Lord Jesus Christ and call Him the King of Kings in your heart.

He is also referred to as the King of Righteousness and the King of Peace. He is the King, and the question is, is He the King of your life? Is He the King of your life? Is He the King of your heart?

Is He the King of your life? family is he the boss is he in charge of your life or are you in charge of your life are you living your life and saying I’ll do what I want pastor nobody’s gonna tell me what to do a young man once did that to me in the school he wouldn’t listen to the teacher he wouldn’t listen to the principal I said bring him down to my office and I told him he had to follow the rules he couldn’t stand up in class and yell and scream at the teachers he couldn’t walk out the door and he couldn’t walk off campus that he was not gonna do that and he said to me pastor Mike and nobody will tell me what to do and I said you won’t do it here you won’t do it here you won’t do it here and yet there are many people who have that same attitude about life and you live for self and you do what you want to do.

People say, pastor, I’m tired, I can’t come to church. Pastor, I’m tired, I can’t do this. And then I see them do on all kinds of things, on Facebook and all kinds of things in life, and they can do this and they can get up and they can travel all across the state to take their children to ball games, but they can’t make it to Sunday school.

Are you with me, church? Are you struggling yet? You like the pastor, Mike, who always tells you how loving Jesus is, don’t you? Yeah, but I’m here to tell you that we have a king who’s in charge of our life.

His commands are clear. You don’t have to wonder what he’s asking of you. Open your Bible, and you see, Jesus said, if you love me, you’ll keep my commandments. If we’ll take him as our king, then we will enter into his glorious promised land one day that has been prepared by him for us.

But listen to me, and I must be honest with you. If you reject him as king in your life, you will split hell wide open. And I do not say that gleefully. I do not say that in a way that I am looking down on you.

But I say that to you imploring and pleading for you to surrender your life to the Lord Jesus Christ. The church is a spiritual institution. It is under the authority of Jesus. He is the head. We were here at Grandparents’ Day, and somebody said, are you the head man?

I said, no, Jesus is. I’m just the under shepherd, helping making things move good with the elders and the deacons, trying to keep our ministry moving forward for Christ. Jesus Christ, but Jesus Christ is the king.

He is the head, his word is our authority, and it doesn’t matter who you are, every one of us are accountable to the Bible. We must give an account of our life according to his word, and so church, do not get wrapped up into this world where you’re so absorbed in this world that you get depressed, that you get discouraged, that you get defeated in your life because things don’t go right in the world.

This kingdom that you and I are part of, this spiritual kingdom is not of this world, and our joy, and our happiness, and our mission is to continue to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ, whether there is America, or there isn’t America, whether there is freedom, or there isn’t freedom, we stay on mission for Jesus Christ.

Amen. Thank you. You say, pastor, what are you gonna do if they come in and take our buildings and our lands? We’re gonna find other places to meet, is what we’re gonna do. We’re not gonna stop. Because the church cannot be stopped by any political figure, and the church cannot be stopped by any worldly philosophy or theories.

Because the kingdom of Christ continues to march on, and it will, and we are following a king, and we submit to his absolute authority in our life, the final question that I want us to consider this morning is, what is truth?

For we come to verse 37 in our text. And Pilate therefore said unto him, art thou a king then? Jesus answered, thou sayest that I am a king. To this end I was born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.

Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate said unto him, what is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews and said unto them, I find no fault at all. What is truth?

That’s a good question, isn’t it? What is truth? I want to tell you, church, be discerning, because truth is not determined by the majority. And truth is not determined by a poll. Truth is not determined by a particular coalition organization that wants to push a certain agenda.

But I am here to tell you today that truth is wrapped up in a person named Jesus Christ. Jesus is truth. Jesus is the truth. The Bible. says to us that Jesus declared himself that I am the way the truth and the life and no man cometh unto the Father but by me.

Jesus is the true church. He is the person. He is the personification of truth. He is the eminence of truth. Everything that is truthful emanates from Christ. He is the source of truth. He is the foundation of truth.

He is the center of truth. You can’t get to truth without the Lord Jesus Christ. Truth is not out there. Truth is not in education. Truth is not in drugs. Truth is not in the world. Truth is not in philosophy.

Truth is not in what you think is out there and making money. Truth is in Christ and Christ alone. Jesus said to Pilate for this reason. I was born. Jesus Christ was a missionary that was ordained from His mother’s womb.

He came into this world on mission, on assignment for God, never distracted, never deflecting from what He was called to do. He came to this earth knowing that He would die for our sins. He came with the intent of bringing salvation for each and every one of us.

Christ’s mission was to seek and to save them that are lost. And that is the mission of the church, that we are to be strong in our assignment. We are not to retreat from it, for we know that the only way men, women, boys, and girls can find the truth is for them to find Jesus Christ.

And God has given us an assignment, and that assignment is to go out and tell people about Christ, to invite them to the church, to invite them into a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Anytime that the church or Christianity becomes identified with politics or social movements, then the message of the gospel gets distorted.

And I’m telling you, church, be careful. I know you don’t like it when I say this stuff. I know you fight against it. And I understand all that, but prove me wrong in the Bible that our job is to get somebody elected, because it is not our job to push a political agenda.

It is our job to promote Jesus Christ. He is the truth. Jesus said, to this end, I was born. that I should bear witness unto the truth people say to me Mike why am I here friends Jesus said to the father you sent me and now I send them his mission is your mission his assignment is my assignment why are you here to this end you were born that you would bear witness unto the truth Jesus Christ Pilate didn’t know the truth and it led to a grave mistake Pilate could not find fault in Jesus but he bowed to the political pressure and he surrendered Jesus to be crucified he did not have the conviction to stand for the truth and as long as you and I proclaim the message a truth the world will accept it but the moment you say that he is the truth that he is the only way that no man can get to heaven apart from Christ then my friends you will be mocked you will be shouted down you will be ridiculed you will be labeled as a Bible thumping narrow -minded bigot Christian in our cultural today but I tell you today do not be afraid declare God’s truth without fear or favor from man I conclude reminding us that Jesus said that the truth will set you free and freedom has never been cheap that’s true of political freedom economic freedom spiritual freedom freedom must never be taken lightly the freedoms we enjoy church must never be taken for granted president Franklin D Roosevelt made famous the four spiritual freedoms in one of his speeches he talked about the freedom from want the freedom from fear the freedom of speech and the freedom of worship but there is of course a fifth freedom that is more important than all the freedoms in this world it is the freedom from sin it is the freedom that Jesus gives as you embrace the truth there is no government there is no leader that can bring this freedom to you apart from the Lord Jesus Christ only King Jesus brings freedom to your heart We know that Jesus was not guilty and we know that they kept trying to find fault with our Savior.

Pilate eventually says, I find no fault in this man. When we look at how they made up stories about our Savior to make him look like he was a criminal, we know that Jesus Christ is the sinless Son of God who gave his life for you and I, that we might have eternal life.

And so we rejoice that Christ’s character is spotless and he stands as a bright and shining star, an example to each of us as we strive to live obedient to Christ. I want to encourage all of you make sure that you check out our website, hopeworthhaving .com there’s so much good material there that you have the opportunity to learn and to grow and there are resources available for you so make sure you get to hopeworthhaving .com Make sure you let us know that you are enjoying and learning and you can send us a note through the website and it’ll be a blessing to hear from you.

This is Pastor Mike Sanders reminding you that in Christ there is hope worth having.