Christ The King

John 18:28-38

Transcript

Well, peace be with you. Let's pray. Father. May your will be done, Jesus. May your word be proclaimed in spirit.
May your work be accomplished in us. We pray. Amen. There's four blind men in the room. And as these blind men are escorted, each one is given a certain portions that they are to touch and feel and to declare what it is.
The first one walks into this room and they feel something long and, and slimy. And this one says, this is like a snake. The other one goes and takes hold of what he believes to be a tree trunk. The other one comes in. The third comes in and touches what he is meant to touch.
And he says it's more like a boulder. And the fourth and final one comes in and reaches what is presented to his hands and says, no, they are like wings. Each four of those men present a different perspective of what it is. An elephant. There is a person who is outside the room who knows what it is.
And it's this person outside the room that informs these four blind men what they are feeling. But each one of them is given a different perspective. This is how the Gospels work with one another. You have four gospels. Three of them have similar perspectives, but yet nuanced and different.
And then there is one that is completely different than the other, and that is the Gospel of John. Today is Christ the King Sunday. And so we find ourselves in the lectionary, reading, reading in this moment that John paints for us about Jesus coronation to become king. And what you're going to find is a very sad coronation. You're actually going to find a mockery of a coronation to make Jesus king in the world.
And what I want to highlight for you this morning is the portrait that John paints in his gospel about King Jesus. John, throughout his whole gospel, is using his paintbrush to paint the various colors of what will come into view to be King Jesus. So this morning I want to walk you through John's portrait of King Jesus. And we're going to have to borrow and grab his paintbrush that comes throughout his gospel in order to see clearly what this gospel lesson that we've come to this morning that John is communicating about King Jesus. What we come to in the gospel lesson this morning is when Jesus has already been arrested, he has already stood trial among the chief priests, and they have escorted him now to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.
And we enter into that scene. And in this scene isn't just historical fact, but like I hope to show you, it's a portrait of King Jesus. I hope that you by the end of today will see King Jesus the brave. I hope that by the end of the day you'll see King Jesus the innocent. I hope by the end of this sermon this morning you will see Jesus not just as a lamb but as a lion.
I hope this morning that you'll see King Jesus the honest, and I hope you will also and lastly see King Jesus the divine. For these are what our gospel lesson lifts before us as the portrait of King Jesus. So the first of these King Jesus the Brave. King Jesus the brave goes where no one else dares to go. If you remember, the Jewish leaders in verse 28 of chapter 18 says that they led Jesus from Caiaphas the high priest into the praetorium and it was early and they themselves did not enter into the praetorium so that they would not defy be defiled and that they might eat the Passover.
See, it's the time of the Passover and the Jews cannot enter into a Gentiles chambers or a Gentile area or they would become defiled themselves and they could not partake in the Passover because you have to be cleansed and you have to be clean undefiled to partake of the Passover. But Jesus goes in. Jesus goes in where they're not willing to go. And it's ironic because they are trying to keep themselves from being defiled, yet they are turning over the very ones who can keep them from being defiled. But Jesus goes where they're not willing to go.
But this isn't the only time in John's gospel that he communicates this. John records Jesus saying to Peter, John chapter 13. Simon Peter says to him, lord, where are you going? And Jesus answered, where I go, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow later. Peter said to him, lord, why can I not follow you right now?
I would lay down my life for you. Jesus answered, will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny me three times. You see, both his disciples and the Jews will not follow Jesus. That only Jesus can go into these places as king and not absolutely be defiled.
2nd Corinthians 5:21 says this. He made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God to him. Jesus took on sin, and yet in his innocence remained innocent, but bore our sin, took on our sin and did with it what we could not do. See, we are defiled, we are all sinful, and we all try to not Continue that tradition of sin in our lives. We don't want to be defiled, so we might refrain from going into certain places.
But Jesus says, in order for you to fully overcome sin, I have to go to places you can't go, to do the things that you can't do. I have to live your life of sin. I have to take on your sin so that you can take on my life of righteousness and to live without sin. Jesus lives our life so that we could be transformed to live a life like his. But not only does he take on our sin, but he takes on the cross as King Jesus.
First Peter 2:24 says this. And he himself bore our sin in his body on the cross so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. For it is by his wounds we are healed. See, King Jesus the brave goes into the thing that we don't follow. We can't follow that even if we tried nothing, the outcome would not be victorious.
Only King Jesus can go and enter into a world that is completely riddled with sin and transform it because of his innocence and his righteousness. And he's brave to do so. He endures the cross on behalf of you. That's King Jesus the brave. But not only are we given this glimpse of King Jesus the Brave that John is promoting.
Not only is it that he tells us Jesus goes into where the Jews aren't willing to follow, he also presents a portrait of King Jesus that is the innocent. Throughout this whole narrative of the Gospel lessons, you are offered the innocence of Jesus. Nobody can find fault with him, and yet they are declaring him to be murdered and killed, to die, to suffer. John 18:20, verses 28 or 29 and 30 says this. Therefore Pilate went out to them and said, what accusation do you bring against this man?
And they answered and said to him, if this man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered him to you. There is no accusation there. They're just saying, you need to trust us. This guy is evil. There's not something specific that they're offering.
King Jesus the innocent is innocent. He has never sinned. He has never led anybody wrongly. He is righteous. And we're even told as much from the own omission of pilate.
In verse 38, Pilate said to him, what is truth? And when he said this, he went out to the Jews and said to them, I find no guilt in him. What's interesting in this Gospel lesson is that over and over and over again, John paints the portrait of King Jesus being innocent. You can't leave reading saying, well, there might have been some kind of thing that Jesus offended or did wrong. You're left believing this guy is absolutely innocent.
This guy is absolutely right. This guy is absolutely telling the truth. And for whatever reason, the people, the Jews and Pontius Pilate can't figure this out. And they're all trying to figure out what to do with this person. The innocence of Jesus is maintained despite all the evil intentions of the Jews.
And by their own omission, by Pilate's own omission, they can't find fault with them. Which means and sets up the drama of the fact that what's about to happen to Jesus is absolute murder. It's unwarranted, but nevertheless, he's brave to endure it. But the next portrait, and it's one of my most favorite portraits that John gives us a glimpse of, I love it because it portrays King Jesus as not just this tender lamb, but a lion. You see in these four Gospels, they all have the same narrative.
They all have this passion of Jesus going to the cross. They all share similar stories of what transpired and took place in the last moments of Jesus life. Jesus is, in every four of them, presented to Pontius Pilate and put on trial and arrested and is beaten and then led to the cross to die and suffer. All of them have that, but they all have different perspectives. Matthew, Mark and Luke don't give us much on the interactions between all these trials that Jesus has happened to him.
When he's before the high priest, he doesn't speak very much. That's what Matthew, Mark and Luke want you to see. Matthew, Mark and Luke want you to understand what Isaiah 53 fully means, which is this. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth like a lamb that has led to a slaughter. And like a sheep that is silent before it shears, he did not open his mouth.
And that's exactly what happens. He's silent as a lamb in Luke, Matthew and mark. In Luke 23:9, at the same scene that we are reading about today before Pontius Pilate, Luke 23:9 says, and he questioned him at length. But Jesus answered him nothing. Matthew 27:12.
And while he was being accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer Matthew 27:14, and he did not answer him with regard to even a single charge. So the governor was quite amazed. Mark chapter 15, verse 5. But Jesus made no further answer. So Pilate was amazed.
King Jesus is a lamb, and he doesn't have to provide answers to people who question him. But he's just not a lamb. He's also ferocious lion. And this is what the Gospel of John portrays Jesus to be. The Gospel of John gives you the most interaction of Jesus speaking in these last moments.
What is it that King Jesus would say? How does he speak? What does he do? What is he communicating? He communicates that he's a lion.
All the way back in John 18, when Jesus is before the high priest, this is what happens. The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. And Jesus answered him. I have spoken openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple where all the Jews come together.
And I spoke nothing in secret. Why do you question me? Question those who have heard what I've spoken to them. They know what I said. Then when he had said this, one of the officers standing by nearby struck Jesus, saying, is this the way you answer the high priest?
And Jesus answered him, if I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if rightly, then why do you strike me? King Jesus the lion continues on. In John 18, 33 and 34, therefore, Pilate entered into the praetorium and summoned Jesus to him and said, are you king of the Jews? And Jesus answered, are you saying this on your own initiative, or do others tell you about me?
See, Jesus is the one that's going to be asking the questions. Pilate has no authority over King Jesus. Pilate can ask all the questions he wants, but Jesus is going to dictate the conversation. Jesus responds by questioning Pilate. This is just a personal pet peeve of mine.
If I ask a question and somebody responds by another question, I'm like, wait, I ask the question first. Answer my question. Then you can answer your questions. You can ask my wife. I always point out every time I say something like, hey, how come this isn't happening?
She's like, well, why are you doing this? I'm like, wait, time out. Let's get to me first. Let's answer my question. But Jesus exercises his authority over rulers of the world by saying, I ask the questions, and we're gonna see that.
Jesus doesn't even dignify responses that Pilate is looking for. Look at verses 35 and 36. 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. That doesn't answer Pilate's question.
Instead, Jesus controls the narrative because ultimately Jesus is the one who is the king and in control. Jesus the lion doesn't have to answer to man, but man is accountable to him. Later on, a little bit after this episode in John 19, verses 10 through 11, Pilate said to him, do you not speak to me? Do you not know that I have the authority to release you? And I have the authority to crucify you?
And Jesus answered him, you would have no authority over me unless it had been given to you from above. For this reason, he who delivered me to you has the greater sin. See, nobody has authority over Jesus. Those who assume authority over Jesus, Jesus has given it to them to do. And nobody is going to take Jesus life.
This isn't just an afterthought of Jesus. This isn't something that John is just making up on the spot and writing this like Jesus is assuming authority. He's going to show us that Jesus has always assumed his authority. All the way back in the middle of John's Gospel, in chapter 10, verses 17 and 18, Jesus says this. For this reason, the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again.
No one has taken it away from me, but I laid down my life on my. On my own initiative. I have authority to lay it down and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I've received from my father, King Jesus the lion executes his authority. And those that might have an appearance authority over him, he's given it to them.
Jesus is in full control. This is a king that you can follow into battle. Because regardless of the outcome, regardless of what other forces are at play, King Jesus is in full control and everything is happening according to his will. He is offering up his life. It might look, according to the drama that unfolds, that everybody is beating Jesus and taking from him and mocking him, taking from him his very own life.
But that's not what's happening. Jesus says, I am giving up my life. You cannot take it. And John paints this portrait of a fierce lion that is King Jesus. But not only do we have King Jesus the lamb and lion, not only do we have King Jesus the brave, but we also have King Jesus the honest.
What's interesting here is that as the question is becoming, are you a king? Because if you're a king, that means you're trying to oppose Caesar. And I'm going to Put you to death. That's what Pontius Pilate's looking for. He's looking for a conviction, argue a king.
Jesus never really answers that question.
He answers something differently. He changes the conversation to something else. John 18:37,38 as we continue, therefore, Pilate 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 testify to the truth.
Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. Pilate said to him, what is truth? See, what Jesus says is, yes, Pilate, if my actions, my words. If you see me through the lens of the world and what you believe that I'm doing is kingly, and you're calling me a king, you have said so. Every gospel account says that you have declared me to be king.
But Jesus then does something more. He goes, but that's not really why I've come. I've come to testify to the truth. See, I am king, but I'm more than a king. This portrait that John is trying to paint is the fact that Jesus is the truth.
The truth is something that is more than kingly. The truth is something that Jesus ministry and life is testifying to from its conception. From the time that Jesus comes onto the scene, he is all about truth. He's not trying to exonerate himself just as key. He is trying to demonstrate and bring truth into the world because they are in desperate need of truth.
And it's this ministry that is how is going to transform those who believe in truth. John strokes his his paintbrush in painting this portrait of King Jesus the honest by dealing with truth over and over and over again throughout his gospel. In John 8:32, he says, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. It is truth that Jesus comes to bring that really sets the captives free. And that's his ministry.
We see John reveals to us the opposition with truth, and he paints the contrast between what is true and what are lies. In John chapter eight, we have this scene, but as it is, you are seeking to kill me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God. This Abraham did not do. You are doing the deeds of your father. They said to him.
We were not born of fornication. We have one father, God. Jesus said to them, if God were your Father, you would love me, for I proceed forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on my own initiative. But he sent me. Why do you not understand what I am saying it is because you cannot hear my word.
You are of your father, the devil, and you want to know the desires of your father do. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the Father of lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin if I speak the truth, why do you not believe me?
This is a scene that Jesus has with the Pharisees. And he's calling the Pharisees the sons of their Father, which is a liar, which is Satan. And Jesus sets himself in contrast and says, I'm the one bearing truth. I'm the one without sin. I'm the one that comes from the Father.
But you don't receive the truth, you reject it. You accept the lies that Satan puts in the world. You thrive off of them. You want them and that's why you're rejecting me. You don't believe in me because I represent the truth.
And you don't want anything to do with it because you like the lies. This is compounded when Paul writes this in the first chapter of Romans. He says, they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator who is blessed forever. See, that's ultimately the problem. As this drama of Jesus life unfolds and comes to an end.
Is all we see is true humanity who loves lies. They believe that, well, if I'm going to find joy, I can find it in all these avenues that the world offers. When the only true joy only comes from Jesus, who is the truth. We often look for rest in various different ways when we have time to rest. But we never find true rest in Jesus.
We don't think about that. We listen to the things of the world and find our fulfillment there. Rather than finding our fulfillment in Jesus because He is true, we exchange what is true and we accept the lie. That this might make me feel better, this might bring more rest to me. This, if I get enough counseling, I might be better mentally.
Rather than trusting in Jesus to transform my mind and renew me by his word, we find all the places that the world has to offer and they're not truth, because only truth comes from Jesus. If you don't believe me, Jesus says as much. In John 14:6, Jesus said to him, I am the way, I am the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me. See, Jesus isn't just making, hey, I'm truth.
And there's some other truth out there. All truth is God's truth. Whatever is ultimately true, it comes from Jesus. It is Jesus. And Jesus even talks about how truth, those who believe in it, those who follow after Jesus as truth, are going to be separated from the rest of the world.
This is the word sanctify. What does it mean when we talk about sanctification? It means to be your life being set apart from the rest of the world, which is passing away, which loves lies and follows after Satan. And in their temptations, you follow after Jesus. Your life's about truth.
And this is how you sanctify. John 17:17. Sanctify them in truth. Your word is truth. Jesus has come.
As he reveals here. He comes to testify not that he's king, but that he's truth. So King Jesus is honest. What is he honest about? What is the truth that he bears?
He bears that you are not God. He is. He bears that you are a sin, a sinner. And that's what separates you from relationship with God. And he comes to proclaim that, and he calls you to repent because that's true.
He says, you can't rescue yourself, but I can rescue you if you believe in me. That's true. The ways of this world are passing away. That is true. Because Jesus is in control of it.
He's the one executing that. And he's going to create a new heavens and a new earth. That's true. And either you believe that or you don't. He says, but there is a Creator who created everything, that there's a right way to live and there's a wrong way to live.
That only comes from knowing the word of God and that everybody will be held accountable to the one true and living God. You can't escape it. Just because you don't believe it doesn't make it so. Jesus truth. And he's come to proclaim that truth and to speak truth, to bring light in the midst of darkness, to bring truth, to expose the lies of Satan that we often believe.
That's what King Jesus the honest does for us. Romans 3:4 says this, May it never be. Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar. Proverbs, the wise book. Wisdom.
You want some wisdom? Proverbs 12:19 says, Truthful lips will be established forever, but a lying tongue is only for a moment. Lies bring death, but the truth brings life. In the last portrait I want to reveal to you is King Jesus the divine. In John 18:36 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. Jesus is pointing the picture that I didn't come to be king of this world that is riddled with sin and grossness. I've come to reestablish a new heavens and a new earth, and that's my kingdom. I am a king, but I am a king of kings.
I am beyond. My kingdom is not of this world. And this is exactly what he says in his high priestly prayer when he prays over his disciples and for his disciples in John 17, he says, they are not of this world, as I am not of this world. John 17:18 he says, as you sent me into the world, I have also sent them into the world. And what Jesus is getting to and what John is painting is that King Jesus is divine.
His kingdom is beyond this world, but it's still in this world. It's in this world, transforming it to be a new heavens and a new earth that have the that live under in submission to the rule and reign of Jesus Christ. That's King Jesus the Divine. They belong to a kingdom that is not of this world, and yet they remain in it. Jesus emphasizes that his kingdom, in which he fights and dies is made up of those who listen to the truth that he is sharing.
Those who are no longer born of this world, but are reborn by the Spirit will dwell in his kingdom and not in the world. Although he is not of this world, he is sent into the world to rescue those who believe in him and bring them into his kingdom. And lastly, I said lastly before because I was going to stop here. But there's something else I want you to see that paints the portrait of King Jesus that I think is really hopeful. It's King Jesus the Invincible.
Outside of this Gospel lesson, the next thing that happens is the Jews would rather have a robber than Jesus the innocent. They want a man who's a criminal and give the uncriminal to the Romans. Pilate doesn't want anything to do with this, but to teach the Jews of lesson and this drama that's unfolding that Pilate wants nothing to do with, they begin to mock Jesus. They begin to beat him. They take and scourge him.
His blood goes everywhere. They take a mockery of a robe and they place it on him. They take a mockery of a crown and they put it on his brow and Then they parade him before his people and they even inscribe upon him, king of the Jews. And his own people say, he's no king. He's not our king.
Let's kill him. Let's kill him. Let's crucify. Crucify. And what is beautiful about the Gospel is it's the upside down.
See, that's how the world does with God. They'll still have a coronation, but it's a mockery. They use everything that the world would use to coronate a king, to present a king in its glorious majesty. But with Jesus, they don't. They mock him in everything they do.
All the symbols of a king being coronated are there. You have a throne, which is the cross. You have a statue that declares he's king. You have a crown. He has a robe.
He's anointed with his own blood from the beatings. All of it's a mockery. And yet even mocking him, he still becomes king. And that just proves that King Jesus is invincible. That though evil seeks to mock him, though they seek to thwart his authority, Jesus nevertheless maintains authority and maintains being king of kings.
Still he uses what they would do to him for his glory. And this is why, as we look at this portrait of King Jesus, why he is worthy of our trust, why he is worthy of our need to be bowed to him. Why we should submit ourselves and surrender to his rule and reign over our lives. Because he fights for us in places that we cannot go. He does things for us that we cannot do for ourselves.
He is King Jesus the Brave. He is King Jesus the innocent. So he knows the path of righteousness even when everybody is against him. When all odds where he should be going to the bar and drinking himself silly because everybody's against him. He pushes through and does what is right.
He is King Jesus the innocent. That nobody can claim anything bad against him. Even the evil ones can't claim that he's wrong. He's King Jesus the truth. He's the only one that can guide us and direct us in what is true and what is right.
He could tell us about ourselves and he could tell us about himself. We could come to know what is true because of King Jesus. He is King Jesus the Lion who is fierce and ferocious and yet still good. He's King Jesus the Lamb knowing that even he can be tender towards you. Though he be a ferocious lion, he's tender like a lamb.
He knows when to keep his mouth shut and he won't be provoked by the world or by evil. He knows what he has to do and he lays down his own life. He's King Jesus, the Divine. He's above all things. You ever wondered or just kind of reflected or meditated on why we say King of Kings and Lord of Lords?
It's just not that he's a king among many. So he's the one king in Hebrew. Anytime something's repeated, often or doubly, like King of Kings is just to say he is above all of that office, Lord of Lords, he's above all. If something were to be repeated three times, that's the end of all ends. So when you say holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might, you are speaking something that is beyond.
True, true, true and true. King Jesus is the king. Divine means his kingdom will not have an end. His kingdom will last forever. Do you want to be a part of a kingdom that passes away or a kingdom that can live forever under the rule and reign of a good, loving and kind King Jesus?
What do we do with this portrait that John is trying to paint for you? He's trying to tell you the gloriousness of King Jesus. What do we do? Well, we can learn a few things. If King Jesus is your king, you have to understand that you are not of this world even though you live in it.
Your life belongs to a kingdom that's not of this world. So is your life resembling that of a worldly kingdom or of Christ's kingdom? If Christ is your king, you have to live as a stranger, as a pilgrim, as an alien of this world. Do you know what the truth is that Jesus is proclaiming? Or are you susceptible to the lies in your life?
Do you love kind of those lies that you hope to be true because they're very convenient for you and sometimes that what King Jesus says that is true is really hard to endure. And so you would rather exchange the easy lie for the hard truth. The truth hurts sometimes. The truth isn't always roses and smelling good things. When my sister made fun of me growing up, the one thing I could not stand is she would make fun of my weight.
And I would try to say something back to her and I couldn't think on the spot. But she would say this one thing. The truth hurts, doesn't it? Yeah, it does. The truth does hurt sometimes and we don't like it.
And I wanted to believe the lie that I wasn't fat. I wanted to believe something else that that wasn't the truth. How do you live your life believing in the truth or exchanging that truth for a Lie. God is in control. Yeah, but I want to pretend he's not.
And I'm going to assume control over my life. Are you striving to keep yourself from being undefiled? Are you like the Jews that say, well, I'm not going to go over there because I'm going to try to be righteous on my own account through my own works. I'm not going to trust in King Jesus righteousness to transform my life. I can do it good enough if I just obey the rules.
I'm not going to defile myself. Are you trying to live your life the right way by being wrong about Jesus? Are you going to claim more of yourself? Are you going to accept more of yourself? Or are you, like Jesus, going to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow after Jesus?
Will you trust in King Jesus as the Master even if bad things happen? See, King Jesus the Invincible paints a picture, a hopeful picture that no matter what happens in your life, no matter what evil comes up against your life, he will work it and wield it for good for you. They can mock him and do this mockery coronation of him as a king, and it's going to produce his kingship over the world. Jesus put himself. The one crown that Jesus wants to wear is a crown of thorns.
The one throne that he wants to sit in is the cross that raises him above all people and yet makes them his people because of the shedding of his own blood. Jesus does all that he doesn't need the world to approve him. He will use the evil ways of the world that mock him for his own good purposes. And if he's good enough to do that, he will also do it for you. The bad things that happen to your life, you don't have to dread over.
He will use them and work good in them if you trust and follow after him. Does King Jesus rule and reign over your life? Are there areas where you have not surrendered to King Jesus? The reason why King Jesus and Christ the King. Sunday for me is just a big high day for me is because I had to learn that I was king over my life.
And Jesus did that for me. He brought me an end to myself. And then I had to learn and trust to see myself the way King Jesus sees me as his. That I'm not the sum of all the poor decisions and the bad things that I've done in my life, that Jesus has paid for that. And this is why I tell myself this frequently.
I share this with you and I share with all those gentlemen over at Chainbreakers who are trying to follow King Jesus, even though a society and a culture and a community would rather have them somewhere else. I say we don't get to determine our value and our worth. Our value and our worth is determined by the blood and the shedding of Jesus. Precious blood, which, if you believe in him, covers you. It doesn't matter what other people say about you.
It matters what Jesus says about you. And if it's good enough for King Jesus, it should be good enough for them, but it won't be. But we got King Jesus. And if you follow him and you allow him to rule and reign over your life, then it becomes all about King Jesus more than any other king in this world.
So I hope that this morning we can listen to the Apostle John as he paints this portrait of King Jesus. And that on this Sunday, when we take a moment out of our whole entire year to say, this is Christ the King Sunday, I want to reflect upon his kingship today, that you will have a portrait in your mind of how good of a king that he is. Let's pray.
King Jesus, we thank you. We thank you that you come bearing truth. We thank you that you fight for us and go into places where we cannot follow. We thank you that you remain innocent despite all the mocking that goes on and all the evil doing. We thank you that you are both tender and ferocious.
A lamb and a lion. We thank you that you are divine. And we thank you that you are invisible. Your kingdom has no end. We praise you and we worship you as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
And we give you all the praise and glory for it. May we be your servants and serve you in your kingdom. And it's in your name that we pray. Amen. Amen.