Seeking for the help of the Lord,
I direct your prayerful attention to the Gospel according to John
chapter 18 and reading for our text verse 37. Pilate therefore said unto him,
Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that
I am a king. To this end was I 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. John 18 verse 37. and it is specifically
the words to this end and for this cause. Our Lord here, before Pilate,
is declaring to him a truth that runs right through the Word of
God, that all that God does, He has an end in view. He has a plan, He has a purpose,
and all that He's done is towards that purpose. Sometimes it is
very hard for us to discern and to see that something is for
that end. Other times we are able to see
what the Lord does for His ultimate end. And in that can be a very
sweet token that we are indeed one of his people. Now, the Lord
testifies here that he is bearing witness of the truth, and this
was the end for which he came into the world. And then he joins
together the people of God, that everyone that is of the truth
heareth my voice." So not only is he telling us the end and
telling Pilate the end for which he came, but he's also testifying
that those that are his people, those that are of the truth,
they will hear the voice of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Pilate
here begins by asking him whether he is a king, because our Lord
had said to him in the previous verse, my kingdom is not of this
world. If my kingdom were of this world,
then would my servants find that I should not be delivered to
the Jews, but now is my kingdom not from hence. And so Pilate
rightly assumes that if he has a kingdom, then he is a king
and our lord's answer reinforces this he truly was a king of course
later on pilot he writes on the cross jesus of nazareth the king
of the jews but our lord is very clear that this kingdom that
he has is not of this world he did not come to take the kingdom
away from Herod, from Caesar, from any other nation. He was not of this world, not
like all of the kings that had gone before him. His kingdom
was an eternal kingdom. It was a spiritual kingdom. When we say spiritual, we don't
mean then that it does not have substance, because it does. Those that are part of that kingdom
at last that shall be in heaven and in the new heavens and new
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness, are not just spirit, but they
have resurrected bodies, and it is a kingdom that is more
real, we might say, than even what we have upon the earth here. If we have things here that are
all stained with sin, And these are but the types and shadows
of what is to come. We mustn't have small thoughts
of the kingdom, what our Lord Jesus Christ shall rule and reign
in. It shall be most glorious and
substantial. And as we see one another, for
we're told clearly that then we shall know even as we are
known. We are in the midst at the moment
of angels that minister to them, that are heirs of salvation. We cannot see those angels. We
have adversaries. We wrestle against principalities
and powers, spiritual wickedness in high places, but we cannot
see these. We have a world around us, but
we are not aware of it. And yet, there shall come that
day. that we shall see that kingdom
if we are the people of God. So our Lord then has this word
to say to Pilate and to say to us, to this end was I born and
for this cause came I into the world that I should be a witness
unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth
heareth my voice." On to then, with the Lord's help, our three
points. Firstly, to an end and for a
cause. I want to look at some of those
places through the Word of God that show very clearly the link
where things are done for a specific end in view and a cause. And
then secondly, to this end and cause, that which the Lord Jesus
Christ came into this world, and the truths that he has borne
witness to, that are reinforced through what he did upon this
earth. There are truths there, really,
that are sealed by what the Lord Jesus Christ did. And then lastly,
the identity of everyone that is of the truth. They hear Christ's
voice, they hear his word. The Lord says in John 10, my
sheep, they hear my voice, they follow me. It is good for us
to notice these places in the word of God where the Lord identifies
his people by different ways we might not see our identity
one way and yet we might see it in another way and so this
morning we have one of the ways that God's people are known and
may the spirit bear witness that we are one of his people. But firstly to an end and to
a cause. Our Lord in the Gospel according
to Luke, he told a parable and of course all of the parables
that our Lord told, they were to illustrate and to teach a
very specific thing. This one though begins with the
words and he spake a parable unto them to this end. So we
are told very clearly, this is a parable, an earthly story with
a heavenly meaning, and this is the end, that men ought always
to pray and not to faint. That is the end in view. The
parable was, there was in a city a judge which feared not God,
neither regarded man, And there was a widow in that city, and
she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he
would not for a while, but afterward he said within himself, Though
I fear not God, nor regard man, yet because this widow troubleth
me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary
me. And the Lord said, Hear what
the unjust judge saith, And shall not God avenge his own elect,
which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with
them? I tell you that he will avenge
them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of
Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? What an encouragement! Encouragement to pray. Encouragement
as well that We are told here this is a mark of God's elect. They cry, they pray unto Him
continually. He bears long with them. And
there will come a time that He will help them. He will appear
for them. And this is the mark of faith
that keeps praying, that keeps looking. to the Lord, that is
trusting in what the Lord has set before us here. And we pray
to this end, that the Lord will appear, answer our prayers, and
that he will get glory in those answers. So we have throughout
the word of God, the end that is in view, In Deuteronomy, in
the law, there was warnings that were given to the kings of Israel. And it was lest they should do
things with a wrong end in view, like multiplying horses and getting
people together to the end, that they would return to Egypt. And we are reminded then that
Man also, he does things with an end in view as well. And the
Lord knows what the heart is, knows what his secret end is
in view. And there's the kings, he warned
them that they should not do that. And he gives things that
they should do, their kingdom, that it should continue and prosper. So we need to be mindful that
the Lord who also does things with an end in view, looks at
his creatures that are doing things with an end in view, warns
them when that end is not right, but what an encouragement when
he views his people doing things with a right end, with a desire
for eternal life, a desire for spiritual food, a desire to do
what is right in the sight of the Lord. He sees this end that
they have in view. You think of the Apostle Paul
in Romans 7, the good that I would, I do not, the evil that I would
not, that I do, a wretched man that I am. And what the Lord
would do? He looks at what the end in view
wants. There was a desire to do good.
There was a desire not to do evil. But because of sin that
dwelleth within him and within us, he wasn't able to fulfill
that. But the Lord saw the end. If
I do, says Paul, that which I would not is no more I that do it,
but sin that dwelleth in me. The Lord sees what then. end was, that desire was. We read in Psalm 30 of the Lord
turning mourning into dancing and then in verse 12 of that
psalm we read that it was done to the end that my glory may
sing praise to thee and not be silent, O Lord my God, I will
give thanks unto thee forever. And of course, remember what
the Lord said, these people have I formed for myself, they shall
show forth my praise. That was the end. In Ecclesiastes,
we read this word, that in the day of prosperity be joyful,
but in the day of adversity consider, God also has said the one over
against the other to the end, that man should find nothing
after him." The Lord has the end in view in what he does in
providence and in our lives. When the children of Israel were
walking in idolatrous and sinful ways, Ezekiel had to bring the
words of the Lord to them, And it reveals the things that the
Lord does. They might seem to be estranged
things, but it has a right end. In Ezekiel 20, verse 26, we read
this, And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they
caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that
I might make them desolate to the end. that they might know
that I am the Lord. Remember, this again was how
the Lord dealt with Pharaoh. For this cause have I raised
thee up, to show forth my power and might in thee. And the Lord
reveals the end in view, or the cause that he was doing these
things. We think of some of the ends
in view, were very hidden. We think of Jacob sending Joseph
to his brothers to see how they did. Seemed a very innocent,
very isolated thing that had nothing linked to it. And yet
it was a vital link. Joseph was able to say, years
later, It was not you that sent me hither, but God. And so God
had that end in view when Jacob asked his son to go to his brothers. And we have the same situation
with Jesse saying to David to take food gifts to his brothers
that were fighting with the Philistines in the time of Goliath. And we
see what resulted from that. God had an end in view, but Jesse
did not know, Jacob did not know, but God did know. And it was
one of those things that it wasn't until afterwards that he could
look back. David actually does say, when
his brothers were really chiding him for coming and reproving
him for coming to see the battle, and he said, is there not a cause? David perceived there was a cause,
there was a reason why he was brought to that battle and to
that place at that time. Sometimes we are able to discern
that, but what we are sure is God doesn't waste time. He doesn't
waste things. He's not like a builder that
is building a house. And the builder has the end in
view, but he does things along the way that are not towards
that end at all. They're wasting time, wasting
money. No, God is not like that. Builders
are not like that either, not a good builder. They don't do
work and then undo it. Everything is done to that end. And at first, of course, is a
taking down, taking down what was there before, digging down
into foundations. laying the foundation, then perhaps
nothing happens for weeks. While those foundations, they
settle, and the concrete cures, people looking by would think,
well, what's going on? Nothing's happening now. But
there is, and it's being left for an end and a purpose. You
might be like that in your own life. Why is the Lord doing nothing? Why is the Lord silent? What
end does he have in view? The Lord knows what he is doing
even with silence and when nothing seems to be done. We think of Jonah. Jonah, he
ran away from the Lord. He didn't obey the Lord. Why
did he do it? Well, we're told in the fourth
chapter that it was because he knew that the Lord was merciful
and gracious and long-suffering. If he sent a minister to warn,
if he gave 40 days, he gave a space of time, the Lord meant to give
repentance. He meant to give life and to
reverse that sentence, and the Lord did. But Jonah, he couldn't
bear the thought that God would show mercy to the Assyrians who
were a very cruel enemy against Israel. and not bless Israel. And so that's why he ran away.
But you see, Jonah had an end in view that he knew the Lord
had, and he could join together the fact that a minister was
being sent, warnings were given, and time was given, and he joined
those things together that the Lord was merciful. May we be
able to do that as well. Has the Lord sent us a minister? Has He given us life? Has He
given us time? May we discern that as well. The Lord is merciful, the Lord
is gracious. He says, I know the thoughts
that I think toward you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to
give you an expected end. Jonah discerned that. Even in
what the Lord had sent him, to give a message that really had
no a clear, plain gospel message in it at all. In 40 days, the
city was to be destroyed. How much more when we have the
clear message of the gospel? Then we think of Esther, Queen
Esther. It was not evident when she was
brought to be queen for what end the Lord had done that at
all. But when Haman had devised his device and the sentence against
the Jews was made, then Mordecai can say to Queen Esther, who
knoweth that thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as
this? That this was the end that God
had in view. This was God's purpose. And so that is a reminder, same
as with Joseph and David, that many things happen before we
can know what end the Lord has in view. We may be going through
things now and have no idea what the Lord is doing. The Lord said
to his disciples when he was to wash their feet, what I do
thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter. And the
Lord doesn't. The Lord did not tell Jacob for
22 years that his son Joseph was alive. And yet the Lord was
working all the time. Sometimes we are told very clearly. Noah was. Noah was told to build
an ark because the Lord was to bring a flood of waters upon
the earth and destroy all flesh. So Noah, he trusted what the
Lord had said, but the Lord hadn't just said, build an ark and not
told him why or what he was going to do. He did tell him why. We think of the preaching of
the word to an end and to a cause. Do we just decide that we are
going to have preaching in our services, that we're just going
to gather together, it's only our design and our thought? No, the Lord has said that he
has ordained preaching and hath pleased God through the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. Go ye into all the world,
preach the gospel to every creature. Why? What end does the Lord have
in view? He that believeth and is baptised
shall be saved, he that believeth not shall be damned. The Lord
has an end in view in all that he has ordained, the preaching
of the word, the ordinances of his house, the baptism and Lord's
Supper. You do show forth the Lord's
death till he come. It is for the strengthening of
the people of God. The preaching of the word, we
think of Peter, feed my sheep, feed my lambs, when they are
converted, strengthen thy brethren. This is the end God has in view
when the word is preached, when the people of God gather together,
as iron sharpeneth iron, so the countenance of a man, a friend,
the communion of saints, the gathering of his people, So to
an end and for a cause, may we, as we read through the Word of
God and in our own lives, especially in looking back, be able to discern
God's purposes, seeing that His purposes ripen fast, unfolding
every hour. The bud may have a bitter taste,
but sweet will be the flower. The Lord does have an end, a
purpose in view. Job, in the midst of his afflictions,
he says that he doeth that which is appointed for me, an appointed
way. And the Lord knew what he would
do. The end of Job would be better
than his beginning. He would bless him in the end.
He would bring him safely through. And the Lord does have that. And I know the thoughts that
I think toward you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to
give you an expected end, an end in view." Well, on to look
then, secondly, at that which is specifically said by our Lord
to this end and cause. If we read the text again. Pilate therefore said unto him,
Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that
I am a king. To this end was I 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. His birth is coming into the
world to bear witness of the truth. He was to redeem his people,
those that were lost and ruined in the fall, those that were
spiritually dead, He was to redeem them, give them life, and bring
them to glory, and all that He did was to that end. Pilate, he says, what is truth? And we may ask ourselves, what
is truth? Unlike what the world would say,
that truth is not absolute, it is absolute. The Word of God
is truth. Every Word of God is pure. It
is the Word of Truth. But what truth is, is reality
as perceived by God. And that then is revealed to
us in the Word of God, and by faith we trust that, rather than
what we perceive and see ourselves. We can easily be deceived, we
can look out to sea, if we're on the seashore, and we can see
on the horizon two ships, and they're coming towards each other,
and they look like they're going to hit each other. But as we
continue looking, they pass, they go on their way. If we were
to look from above, then we would see there's probably several
miles between those ships. But from our vantage point, it
looks very different. And so we need to remember that. When we think of the truth of
God, we're not to look at it from Earth, from our point of
view as a sinner, from our limited knowledge and understanding.
but to look at it from the word of God. This is what is revealed
from God's perspective, how he views this. So, what are those
truths, and especially that which is related to our Lord coming
upon the earth? And Paul writes to the Romans,
In Romans 14, we have this, that no man, in verse 7, no man liveth
to himself and no man dieth to himself. Whether we live, we
live unto the Lord, or whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Whether we live, therefore, or
die, we are the Lord's. Then he says this, for to this
end Christ both died and rose and revived. that He might be
Lord both of the dead and living. And it is the Lord that is then
bringing together the people of God. His aim, His end in view,
is at last an innumerable multitude in heaven, the blood-bought children
of God. So the truths that are reinforced
here The Lord says, to this end was I born. Without the Lord
Jesus Christ, without God manifest in the flesh and coming into
this world, there could be no redemption. That is, no man,
woman or child, none upon this earth could ever redeem his own
soul, only by God himself intervening and coming. that he was to be
born, and he born of a virgin, shows again it could not be from
the line, the bloodline of Adam. It must be the miraculous overshadowing
of the Holy Ghost, that that holy thing which shall be born
of Mary was to be the Son of God. So the truth of the need
of a perfect, offering of a perfect Redeemer was shown forth in the
Lord's birth, in Him taking bone of our bone and flesh of our
flesh, or as in Hebrews, of the seed of Abraham, showed very
clearly for whom the Lord has come. He has come to save His
people. He has come not for animals,
not for spirits, those that are of the flesh and spirit, having
soul of Abraham. It's vital that he be a near
kinsman, that he be one that has a right to redeem. And that is a precious truth
in the Word of God, that God has made a provision that one
person can die for another. Substitution is allowed. It is possible with one that
under condemnation, that another pay his debt, another satisfy
the law on his behalf. And to bear witness to this truth,
the Lord comes. And the Lord shows very clearly
in his perfect life and obedience that he is fitted to be this
substitute. That's why the Spirit drove him
out into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. It was
to prove that he, unlike the first Adam, was able to stand
the temptations of Satan and not fall, not sin. He was to
be a nail in a sure place. And his perfect life, that was
to be a righteousness, imputed or put on the account of his
people. So then we have the law that
stated that without the shedding of blood there is no remission
and right through the scriptures there was the shedding of blood.
Right in the Garden of Eden when the Lord made coats and clothed
Adam and Eve. Right when the Lord had respect
to Abel's sacrifice later on, but not to Cain's, because Abel's
was a blood sacrifice, Cain was not. And so this truth, without
the shedding of blood there is no remission, the Lord bears
witness to this truth, to this end was he born, that he was
to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, that there is no
other way, It is only through this way, and it is through a
substitutionary sacrifice. It was also sealed by the resurrection,
the Lord proving that He had overcome death, that sin had
no hold upon Him, that He was sinless, and for those for whom
He died, that their sins were put away and blotted out. And
that is why the Church of God is always to remember the Lord's
Supper that the Lord has shed his blood. His body was broken
and it is only through that way that the people of God are brought
to heaven. They are a blood-bought family
above. They are those that came out
of much tribulation and washed their robes and made them white
in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they stand before God
day and night. All that the Lord did, he bears
witness to these truths. The witness to the truth that
there is none other name given among men whereby we must be
saved. There's none other that rose
from the dead, that had power over death, that left the tomb
empty. And that is what we as poor sinners,
sinners that are dead spiritually, sinners that must die literally,
sinners that must eternally perish, except that we be given eternal
life from another, that we be cleansed from our sin, and that
our debt be paid and settled. The Lord was manifested for this
cause, for this purpose. I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. The Lord refers to his birth
here, his name shall be called Jesus, for he shall save his
people from their sins. And so right from our Lord's
birth, wished ye not, said he when he was 12, that I must be
about my father's business. Anna, she testified, pointed
him to all that look for redemption. in Israel, in Jerusalem, and
the purposes of God. Our Lord was the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world, and in the fullness of time,
according to the promises given in the Garden of Eden, He came.
But all the time this one end was in view, this one purpose
of redemption, This one aim of bringing his people from condemnation
to glory. And this end was realized and
sealed. And this before Pilate, he is
testifying of this end and this truth and this cause, why he
came into this world. In one sense, verses like this,
They show to us and bring us to focus just on the Lord Jesus
Christ. The hymn writer says, if ever
my poor soul be saved, tis Christ must be the way. And the vision
that the apostles had on the Mount of Transfiguration, see
no man but Jesus only. For a new believer, for one newly
coming to the faith, for one seeking the way, focus just on
the Lord Jesus Christ, on his work, on his words, on all that
he did upon earth. The whole secret of the plan
and way of salvation is from our Lord's birth, to his ascension
into heaven. Without what was done during
that time, there is no salvation. And the faith of God's people
looks to Christ's work, his finished work. We want to then look lastly
at the identity of everyone that is of the truth. And that is
they hear my voice. The last part of our text, every
one that is of the truth heareth my voice. It's a most solemn
thing when those making profession of being a Christian do not obey,
do not believe, do not hear the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord says, my sheep they
hear my voice, and they follow me. If we are of the truth, if
we are bound up in what the Lord did, then this one mark, our
ear will be opened to listen. It's no wonder, isn't it? After
every parable, the Lord said, he that hath an ear, let him
hear. No wonder that after every letter to the churches in Asia,
in Revelation 2 and 3, we read, He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Don't ever overlook
this great token of where the Word of God becomes precious
and central to us. It is the Word of Truth. And
we hear it, we listen to it, and we seek to obey it. It's
a solemn thing to turn away from the truth and turn away from
hearing the voice of the Lord, because here is the real evidence
of being a child of God. It's not what I think. is not
a way chosen by us. It's an end in view that the
Lord had in view, of which His people are integral part of it. And if they are integral part
of it, and the Lord has come to bear witness to the truth,
they also are bound up in those very same truths. No disharmony. No difference. The Lord says that he and his
people are one. By nature, we've gone all our
own way. We rebel against him. We say,
like Pharaoh, who is the Lord, that I should obey him. But when
the Lord brings us to be at one with him and to walk with him
and to receive his word, That is a sacred truth and blessed
witness for our songs. The identity of everyone, not
just some, but everyone that is of the truth, heareth my voice. Has the Lord opened our ear?
Have we heard his voice? Remember, when Samuel was young,
read this, in 1 Samuel 3, he did not yet know the Lord. The
Lord came and spoke to him, Samuel, Samuel, and he thought it was
Eli. But Eli instructed him, when
he comes again, say, speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth. And
from that time Samuel knew the voice of the Lord. And we read
again that the Lord revealed himself again to Samuel by the
Word of the Lord. That is how the Lord reveals
Himself to you and to I, if we are His people, is by the Word
of the Lord. That is why the Word is so precious
and the Lord Jesus Christ is known as the Word. In the beginning
was the Word and the Word was with God. May we not fight against
the truth. There may be many things in the
Word of God we don't understand, many we can't see the reason
for, but rather than struggle against it, rather than fight
against it, may we know that there will, that there is an
end, and there is a purpose why though in the Word of God though
we do not discern it, and that we just walk in the light that
the Lord has shown us. and to obey that in the word
that he's impressed upon our hearts. The Spirit is the great
revealer of truth. He shall bring all things, says
our Lord, to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you. The word is to come not in word
only, but like it was with the Thessalonians, in power. May we have this witness, this
witness that we are of the truth, that we are bound up in this
end the Lord has to have us with him in glory, that he has caused
us to hear his voice and to walk in his ways. The Lord at his
blessing. Amen.