Believe and be free

Our theme for 2022 is “Begin Again”

This series is called, “Believe Again”

You may have already believed the gospel, but it is time to believe again.

We began with “Believe in Jesus”

Then we talked about believing in spiritual reality.

We talked about how an encounter with Jesus leads to transformation, living in both realities.

We talked about life - remember the great circle of life - God’s life in us and flowing through us?

Last week we talked about light and how light displaces darkness and exposes what is hidden.

Now we are going to talk about truth and freedom.

John 8:32 ESV

32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

What can we know that will set us free?

John 8:31–32 ESV

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

This is not about knowing information - this as about knowing Jesus!

Knowing Jesus sets us free!

We are free to speak the truth.

We are free to live for a higher and greater purpose than ourselves.

And most of all, we are free from the bombardment of condemnation that comes from a world that is envious of our freedom.

Free to speak the truth

What is truth?

According to today’s postmodern society, truth can be whatever you want it to be.

I can have my truth and you can have your truth, as long as it works for you.

It is true that in the past, people have become very rigid about truth.

Yes, there are nuances to truth.

Yes, it is helpful and beneficial to look at the truth from different perspectives.

We have four gospels and they are not the same in every detail, but they are all true.

Truth is not all black and white - but it is not all grey either!

There are some things that are black and white and there are some things that are grey.

But most of life is best seen in vivid color that comes when you walk in the light of God’s truth.

Black and white thinking is a defense mechanism which is is typical of traumatized people who have a need to control the world around them by viewing everything in absolute terms.

John 8:33–40 ESV

33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” 39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.

Know where you come from.

So first of all, the statement that the Jews have never been slaves to anyone is obviously not true.

Hello! They are at the feast of tabernacles. Why did they live in tents in the wilderness?

What do you call the years of bondage in Egypt?

Was the exile in Babylon voluntary servitude?

How about the Roman occupation? Are you just paying the Roman soldiers for their services?

There was a teaching at the time of Jesus which claimed that the Jews could never be slaves because they are God’s people.

Deuteronomy 14:2 ESV

2 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

It became like one of those “power of positive thinking” mantras.

Just keep telling yourself what you want to believe until you believe it.

It’s scripture, it must be true - just keep on confessing it!

I have no doubt that sometimes it even works - you can change your circumstances just bey being positive.

But sometimes it doesn’t work.

Sometimes we are just in denial, digging ourselves deeper into a hole.

Sometimes we are in a fantasy world, just making it up as we go.

God’s truth never denies past realities.

Most of you know that I spent years counseling people who were victims of trauma and the most horrible kinds of abuse.

Part of healing is coming to the place where the person is able to face the memory of what happened. Sometimes we use visualization techniques like imagining Jesus coming to them or asking Jesus what happened.

As a matter of principle, we never try to change what happened or to ask them to visualize something that is not objectively true. That would be deceptive. We can visualize Jesus as present because we know that God is omnipresent.

Part of healing is being able too hold seeming contradictions in tension.

Yes, what happened to you is terrible, but God is still good.

Yes, life is hard and some people are cruel, but there is also goodness and beauty in life.

Yes, I was a slave to sin, and could still be if I chose to go back, but I now have the freedom and the power to make good choices.

Yes, your past is painful and difficult, but your future can be different.

Know what you are becoming.

John 8:41–43 ESV

41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.

So they realize that their past does not dictate their future.

They even claim to be children of God.

That’s good, right?!

John 1:12 AMP

12 But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name—

They have the right idea, but they are missing the way to get there.

Sometimes people get hold of a truth and they think that by knowing it, or just saying it over and over again, they can make it their reality.

Just because you have the right answer doesn’t mean that you understand the question.

“Right answer!” Jesus would say.

“But you still get it wrong, because the answer is standing in front of you and you don’t recognize me.”

Discovering the truth - and living into the truth - is a process.

Part of our process here at SCF is “restore”

Restore is being remade in God’s image.

It is taking the time to strip away layer after layer of false beliefs (lies) ways of thinking and relating which may have served us for a while, but are not consistent with who we are in Christ.

You only learn to know Jesus by following Jesus.

Don’t think it can all happen at once, just keep moving in the right direction.

Know which way you are going.

John 8:44–47 ESV

44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

Is Jesus being too harsh here? - “Your father is the devil!”

The devil fell because he wanted to be God.

He wanted to create His own reality.

“God decides what is real and true, why can’t I do that?”

“Uh, because God is God and you’re not!”

God is ultimately good and you’re just a reflection.

Turn away from the source of good and you become evil.

Making your own truth is creating a lie.

And truth is not truth if it is not entirely true.

What do you call a statement that is mostly true? - a lie.

Anything that is not light is darkness.

Anything that does not have life is dead.

There are only two possible directions.

If you are not pursing truth, you are living a lie.

If you are not walking into the light, you are living in darkness.

If you are not becoming more alive, you are slowly dying.

If you are not growing in relationship with Father God through Jesus Christ … then who is your daddy?

Free to live for something greater.

This chapter is beginning to sound like the television these days with the nasty smear campaign adds.

Who is spreading false rumors and who is actually telling the truth?

Jesus has some pretty harsh things to say, but he’s telling the truth and bringing their hypocrisy into the light.

The Jewish leaders fired back with some half-baked accusations.

John 8:48–50 ESV

48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge.

Jesus has a following in Samaria, that must make him a Samaritan.

Some Samaritans were know to dabble in the magic arts, that must mean that Jesus’ miracles were demonic.

What do you do when the the truth and the lies all start to sound the same? How do you sort it out?

Live above labels.

What you do is not necessarily who you are.

When Jesus told them that they are lying and following the devil, he was pointing out that their behavior (not recognizing the Messiah whom God has sent) is inconsistent with their claim to be children of God.

But when they made similar accusations back at Jesus, they cannot support their statements.

John 8:46 NLT

46 Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me?

Labeling is lazy person’s way of trying to identify and categorize a person as good or bad without doing the hard work of getting to know them.

That’s why candidates are throwing words around like “dangerous” and “extremist.”

The only way to know with any certainly how a person will lead is to look at their record - the whole record.

That takes more research than a few sound bytes and a slow-mo video.

But what about your labels?

Are you living under the stigma of past failures?

Do you feel that you have been judged unfairly?

Or maybe you are hardest on yourself?

John 8:50 TPT

50 I never have a need to seek my own glory, for the Father will do that for me, and he will judge those who do not.

It is fair to call out inconsistent behavior, but only God gets to tell you who you are.

Who does your heavenly father say that you are?

Remember that … and forget the labels.

Live beyond this life.

John 8:51–53 ESV

51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?”

Here is another example of distortion.

The Jews are outraged because, as they understand it, Jesus is claiming that His followers will never die.

That’s not exactly what Jesus said, but it is partly true.

I’m glad that the ESV uses different verbs in verse 51 and 52 because they are different Greek verbs.

Jesus says that his followers will not “see” death.

The Jews say they will not “taste” death.

The first one means to contemplate or consider.

The second means to feel or experience.

Jesus is not saying that his followers will not feel or experience death, but that they do not see, contemplate, or consider death as the end, final or even as terrible.

Death is not something to be feared for those who are in Christ!

Hebrews 2:9 ESV

9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Jesus felt and experienced death so that we would see and consider death differently.

He rose from the dead - death does not have the last word.

Yes, with a few notable exceptions, everybody dies.

But in Christ, death is just a passage to a fuller expression of life with God.

Freedom is knowing that our lives have meaning and purpose beyond life itself.

If you know that truth - you can’t loose - even if you die trying!

Live for an eternal purpose.

John 8:54–59 ESV

54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

When Jesus was here on earth, I wonder how much he remembered about heaven?

He remembered Abraham.

He knew things about time and history that would blow our minds.

Jesus had an eternal perspective on that moment in time.

If Jesus had not had an eternal perspective:

He would have thought that he was loosing the argument.

He would have been afraid of their threats.

He would have thought that the Jewish leaders must surely know what they are talking about, because they were “the experts.”

He would have been intimidated by their questions and accusations.

But what do we see Jesus doing?

Trying to explain who He is and His purpose for being there in the clearest possible terms.

Just as he did to the disciples when he walked on the water, He uses another “I am” statement.

John 8:58 NLT

58 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!”

Jesus is revealing his God’s eternal purpose.

God’s eternal purpose is to redeem and to restore humanity.

Calling out their inconsistent thinking and behavior, not to embarrass them, but to show them the way.

We see that God’s son came not to condemn the world, but to save the world.

John 3:17 ESV

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

If this is God’s eternal purpose, shouldn’t our eternal purpose be something like His?

Free from condemnation.

John chapter 9 is the story of Jesus healing the man who was blind from birth.

Instead of reading the whole chapter, I invite you to skim it while I point out a few highlights.

I would like to present this as a case study of someone who learned to know the truth about Jesus and about himself and that truth set him free, physically, spiritually and in every way.

it’s a story about a blind man seeing and those who claim to see being the ones who are blind.

It is as if to say, if you will just open your eyes and know the truth, the truth will set you free.

John 9:1–3 ESV

1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

Freedom from bondage to the past.

This man was born blind, and someone had to be blamed for it.

Since the man was born that way, it naturally leads to his parents being suspected of having done something terrible to deserve this punishment.

The man is labeled as “a punishment from God”

His parents are shamed because of him.

You can imagine what a burden that must be to bear all your life.

But what does Jesus say about him?

This is not a tragedy, but an opportunity!

God’s eternal purpose is to redeem and restore.

This is a chance for God to do what God does.

Condemnation only thinks about blame and punishment.

When bad things happen, someone has to pay for this!

The hurt and the anger need to be dumped on someone.

Well guess who bore it so you don’t have to?!

God is not into condemnation - He’s into redemption.

John 9:5–7 ESV

5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

Making mud from the ground is what God did when he made man.

Instead of God’s breath, we have God’s saliva.

Part God and part earth - heaven and earth coming together.

And then he is “sent” to the pool named “sent”

Heaven and earth coming together and being sent for the purpose of cleansing - “Hey this is the story of Jesus being re-enacted!”

You will know the truth and the truth will set you free - now he can see!

Freedom from what others think about you.

John 9:8–10 ESV

8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?”

Here you have a man who is healed and restored, but everybody else knows him as a beggar.

In fact, those who see him “not as a beggar” can’t believe he is the same person who used to beg.

Everyone asks the man how this happened, giving him the opportunity to tell the story over and over again.

We don’t get the impression that anyone believed him, because they keep asking around.

The Pharisees ramp up the pressure by intimidating his parents for an answer which they cleverly avoid giving.

Then they call the man himself as a witness.

John 9:24–25 ESV

24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

That is called, “leading the witness.” - They are telling him what they want him to say.

That is an intimidation tactic.

They don’t care what he thinks.

They want him to give them the answer that they want.

What does he say? - the truth.

He can only speak of what he knows.

What he knows is that he was blind and can now see.

If you live you life to please other, saying what you think they want to hear, there is no freedom in that.

There is freedom in speaking the truth and saying what you know.

John 9:30–34 ESV

30 The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.

Freedom from judgement.

The Pharisees condemned this man for speaking the truth.

Why? Because they had to be right.

And that meant that he must also be wrong.

They judged him to avoid judging themselves.

The Bible says that we should judge ourselves so that God doesn’t have to judge us.

1 Corinthians 11:31–32 NLT

31 But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. 32 Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world.

I don’t mean being hard on yourself or condemning yourself.

Judgement is simply recognizing and admitting to the truth.

The truth is that sometimes (or often) we are wrong.

But by admitting this we can also make corrections.

If you admit that you have blind spots, then you will see them.

John 9:39–41 ESV

39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

Why wouldn’t everyone want to know the truth and be free?

Why doesn’t everyone believe and have their eyes opened?

Yes, indeed, why is that?

Probably because, at first, you might not like what you see.

The truth is scary when you are used to thinking in terms of God’s judgement as condemnation.

But when you submit to judgement as redemption, when you let yourself be changed by it - then there is complete freedom!

Questions for reflection:

How free would you say you are today? Are there things of the past weighing you down? Are you a slave to hangups or habits? Do other people decide who you are? What does Jesus have to say about that?

What do you know about Jesus? Is what you know mostly information, or have you spent time with Jesus recently? Knowing what Jesus would say comes from knowing Jesus. How can you know Him more?

What is the truth that God wants you to know today? Is there something that God is saying about Himself, about your circumstances or about you? How is God’s voice different from all of the other voices? Who are you listening to?