Outside Looking In | John 8:31–38

Opening Remarks:

Turn To Passage

Christmas Program Tonight

Back in John this morning

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The Pharisees were sure they were never in bondage. They thought they were free.

Come to find out they were bound in sin and they didn’t even know it.

The Title this morning is this:

Outside Looking In

The Pharisees thought they were inside the spiritual inner circle looking out at everyone else. But they were actually on the outside looking in.

PRAY

Introduction:

We live in a country that values freedom

We passionately celebrate our Independence every July 4th

Our Declaration of Independence states “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Our great nation was founded on the idea of an individual’s right to be free. To live freely, make their own choices, and strive for a fulfilling life.

Freedom is our foundation.

I know there are problems that come along with that philosophy.

Many will use their freedom as an opportunity to be immoral.

Some will use it to infringe on the rights of others through crime.

But I’m still grateful to live in a country that values freedom.

Can you imagine being somewhere that you couldn’t choose how you lived your life?

Some countries don’t allow people to choose where they work, or what they do with money, or whether or not they can worship freely.

I know our country isn’t perfect, but the foundational idea of freedom is something we should not take for granted. I just want to say I’m thankful for God-given freedom.

One man wrote, “You know you’re free when you have the desire, ability and opportunity to do what you will and have no regrets.”

Think about that statement:

If you have the desire and the ability to do something, but you don’t have the opportunity, you’re not free.

If you have the ability and opportunity to do something, but you don’t have the desire, you’re also not fully free.

If you have opportunity and desire to do something, but you don’t have the ability, you’re not fully free.

Let’s say you set the objective to climb Mt. Everest.

Maybe you have the desire, but you don’t have the ability because you haven’t trained. If you’re not able to do it, you’re not free to do it.

If you have the ability but no desire to do it, that’s not freedom either.

Or if you have the desire and ability, but you don’t get the permit from the Nepali government to do it (opportunity), you don’t have the freedom.

But remember the definition “You know you’re free when you have the desire, ability and opportunity to do what you will and have no regrets.”

Let’s say the desire, ability and opportunity come together, but on the day you’re headed up Everest a massive snowstorm comes and no one on the mountain survives.

That’s also not freedom, because the choice to climb Everest took your life. It was a destructive decision that you would regret.

And that’s the part about freedom that most people miss.

Because they have desire. And in our country they have opportunity. And most people have the ability to do what they will. But if what they choose to do ends in destruction, that’s not freedom.

And the problem is, many people in that position, pursuing what they want with all their heart and at every opportunity, don’t even know that they are on a path of destruction.

They think they’re free because of desire, and ability, and opportunity, but they couldn’t be further from freedom because genuine freedom means you are also free from regret.

In our country, a person is essentially free to live how they desire. If they have the ability and opportunity, they can follow their desires.

But living in a way that is contrary to God is not genuine freedom because it leads to spiritual regret.

No matter how free we appear, it is possible to be bound in a way that others can’t see and you don’t even know it.

Jesus is talking to a group of people that were pursuing the lives they wanted, yet they were not free.

So Jesus comes declaring truth. Last week we saw how He said, “I am the Light of the world.”

They had been walking in darkness and they didn’t even know it.

They couldn’t see Jesus for who He was.

They couldn’t see themselves for who they were.

And they were going to miss their opportunity to choose Christ while they still had time.

It appears that some believed, based on vs. 30.

But as we read the conversation, clearly many still did not believe.

In fact, vs. 31 makes it seem like some of the Jews that believed on Jesus didn’t genuinely place their faith in Him. They were compelled by His miracles and His words, but based on what he says, some that claimed belief didn’t have genuine faith.

Vs. 31 - “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.”

What He’s saying, “You can claim in this moment to believe, but the truth will come out. If you continue in my word, it’s real.”

The word continue means to dwell, like someone that lives in a house.

There’s a difference between staying somewhere a few nights and having it be your permanent residence.

Jamarice “I stay over here” or “I stay in Washington”

The word Jesus uses is “continue” which is the same word as the word “abide” down in vs. 35.

Jesus is pointing out that there were those jumping on the “Jesus bandwagon” and claiming to have genuine faith, but it wasn’t real. So He says, “The ones who stay, the ones who remain, those are my disciples. The ones who say they are and are gone after a time, those aren’t my disciples.”

And then He makes the statement that we’re building on today,

Vs. 32 - “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

What He says is, “Only my genuine disciples will continue in my word. Learning and obeying it. And only those who continue in my word will be genuinely free.”

So there’s two conditional “IF, THEN” thoughts here.

“If you’re a genuine disciple, then you will continue in truth.”

“If you continue in truth, then you will be free from the bondage of sin.”

What a promise, except these self-righteous Pharisees don’t like the implication.

Vs. 33 - They take offense that Jesus would imply that they weren’t free.

Remember, they had the desire, the ability, and the opportunity to do what they wanted as good religious Jews.

They desired to be extra religious. They had the ability in their own self-righteousness to accomplish that. And they had the opportunity in Israel to do that.

In their minds, “We are as free as can be!”

It’s interesting that they imply “We’ve never been in bondage,” when Israel had, countless times, been under the rule of others. And ironically, as they spoke these words, Rome had control of Israel.

What this conversation proves is they were embarrassingly unaware of some basic life truths:

I. Everyone is born a servant to sin (vs. 34)

Jesus was pointing out that every person that has ever been born has been a slave to sin.

When Adam and Eve first disobeyed God in the garden of Eden, they lost their innocence and became slaves to sin.

And that sin nature was passed down to Cain and Abel. That became apparent when Cain took his own brother’s life out of anger.

The sin nature that Adam had has passed down to all of us.

Romans 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”

Every child has certain inherited traits.

I was talking to Andrew and Cassie recently about their daughter and we concluded that she is a perfect combination of the two of them.

Some things look like Andrew, but by the grace of God, she got the best parts of her perfect little face from Cassie.

In the same way, sin is hereditary. Being born a human means we were born sinners.

Psalm 51:5 “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me.”

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

Romans 5:19 “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners…”

We’re all born servants to sin.

Sin is personal. In that it’s not just our parents’ problem. It’s our problem.

Sin enslaves us. It owns us. Without intervention we are bound.

And that’s what Jesus is trying to get them to see - these self-righteous, religious people who thought they were free, were actually slaves to sin.

And they didn’t see it. Here’s the second truth they didn’t see…

II. Sin will keep a person separated from God’s (vs. 35)

Jesus notes a difference between a servant and Son.

A servant did not have a permanent place in the home.

In that culture a servant could work for six years, then have a chance to be free the seventh year.

Or a servant might be traded or sold to another master.

Either way, servants weren’t permanent parts of the household.

But a son, a son was there to stay. A son inherited the house or the family business. A son had full rights as an heir.

There was a difference between a servant and a son.

Jesus says, “A son’s relationship with the Father is permanent. A servant’s is not.”

These Jews thought they were sons because they were religious.

They thought they were guaranteed members of the family because of their heritage.

They viewed themselves as sons of the Father, but Jesus tells them they were servants of sin. And servants and sons weren’t the same.

They missed it. But that’s not all they missed:

I. Everyone is born a servant to sin

II. Sin will keep us from being part of God’s family

And third…

III. Those enslaved by sin usually don’t know it (vs. 33)

Their pride in their heritage was huge.

But just because they’re confident doesn’t mean they’re right. They don’t even know they’re bound.

Jesus tries to help them see it.

Vs. 34 - Your works say you serve sin

Vs. 37-38 - Your works prove who you serve

And when Jesus says, “Your father,” it’s not a compliment.

Vs. 39-41 - Who is He referring to when He says “your father?”

Vs. 44 - He holds nothing back. He says, “Your works don’t point to God the Father. They point to a different father. Your father must be the devil because the deeds you do are more like his than God’s.”

Whoa! They obviously get offended in vs. 41, as if to say, "What do you mean? We have one Father, Abraham. For you to imply that we have some other father is saying we were born illegitimately, and we are pure bloods."

They were so proud of their Jewish heritage through Abraham, that they missed the part that they were sinners through Adam. For that matter, Abraham was a sinner too, so their perfect heritage was flawed.

They were on the outside looking in, and they didn't know it.

Imagine you move to a place near a river where there is regular flooding.

And the city you move to has built a massive levee that has proven to be flood proof. It has withstood countless floods and kept the town safe for years. It’s proven.

So the first time a spring storm comes through and the flood warnings sound, you pack up your stuff and go behind the levee, right in the middle where you think you’ll be the safest.

But as you wait, you notice no one else is coming. You think:

Did I misunderstand the warning?

Do they just not care about their lives?

Where is everyone?

And then you hear a noise and look behind you, and see a huge wall of water coming toward you.

All because you went to the wrong side of the levee.

You were on the outside looking in and you didn’t know it.

Religiously speaking, that was the Pharisees. Outside looking in. Didn’t even know it.

Here’s the truth today:

You will never experience the relief of freedom until you recognize the reality of your bondage.

Until someone realizes they're on the outside looking in, they can't get inside.

Jesus is trying to get them to see the truth so that they can be free.

But they have to admit who they are before they can be free.

So He points to their spirit.

He points out their desire to kill Him.

He points to their deeds and actions.

And He says, “Based on your deeds, you are servants of sin, not sons of the Father.”

You say, "That's cruel! How can Jesus be so direct and blunt and uncaring.”

It may sound cruel, but Jesus is trying to tell them the truth.

He's trying to hold up a spiritual mirror so they can see the reality of their bondage.

This isn't cruelty. This is mercy.

Cruelty is when you don’t tell someone about the danger.

Cruelty is not telling someone the bridge is out.

Cruelty is a doctor not telling a patient they have cancer so they can begin treatment.

Cruelty is allowing a slave to stay in bondage when they don’t even realize they’re not free because they’ve never been free.

Cruelty would be not caring if someone ever tastes freedom.

Cruelty means never saying anything and allowing a person to die in their sin.

But mercy is being honest about someone’s condition so they can fix it before it's too late.

Don't let anyone convince you that God is only a God of judgment, because time and time again in God’s Word, before judgment comes mercy.

God warning His people about their sin.

Telling them they must repent before it’s too late.

Sending prophets to give them time.

He sent Jesus as a demonstration of His love.

There’s no greater sign of God's love for mankind than the fact that He sent His Son Jesus Christ.

Not just to come and point out our sin, but to die for our sin.

God has already extended mercy and offered grace to all mankind.

Those that are servants to sin.

Those that are outside God’s family.

Those that don’t even know they’re on the outside looking in.

God has already extended grace. That’s a truth we’ve got to know.

And here’s one more truth the Pharisees didn’t know but you can know:

IV. Freedom from sin is available through Jesus (32, vs. 36)

Jesus offers them freedom. And He offers you freedom.

If you’re bound to sin, the truth can make you free.

But here’s what you must accept as truth:

1. You must first come to terms with the truth that you are a slave to sin.

“I didn’t know!”

That’s why Jesus came. To point out our sinfulness.

Just like He does with these, He looks into your life this morning and says, “Look at your works. They don’t look like God’s works. They look more like the devil’s works.”

“Your thoughts are wicked. The things you think in your heart don’t please God.”

“Your words are cruel. The things you say to and about people are wrong.”

“Your actions are shameful. Those aren’t God’s kind of works.”

And as much as it hurts, that’s the first truth that makes us free.

We must come to terms with the fact that we are sinners.

2. Second, we must believe the truth that only Jesus offers freedom from our sins.

John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

His own words in vs. 32 are all we need to be assured that He is the way to set us free from the bondage of our sins.

He died on the cross so you don’t have to be bound by sin as your master.

And yet many of us are. Sin rules our lives.

Heave you ever come to terms with these two truths?

“I am a slave to sin” and “Only Jesus can set me free”

Conclusion:

1. Maybe you say, “I’m a slave to nobody.”

If you are convinced of that, you are likely on the outside looking in. You don’t realize the bondage of sin.

Sin is universal. No one escapes it.

Sin is also spiritual, which means you can hide it from others.

But God knows. He knows you’re bound.

You may think that you’re free.

“I am free because I live according to my desires, I have the ability to do what I want, and I have the opportunities to live the way I choose.”

But don’t forget the last part, “Without regret.”

Sin makes you think that you’re free because you live like you want.

But the wages of sin is death.

Meaning, you can live thinking you’re free now, but you’ll have regrets for eternity when you realize that sin always destroys the person who commits it.

If you don’t know Jesus, these are the truths that will make you free:

“I am a servant of sin” and “Only Jesus can set me free”

2. Christian, do you need this truth this morning?

Is there a sin that’s your master?

Lust? Pride? Anger? Speech? Drinking? Lying?

Truth is the only way to be free.

Not free from the presence of sin. We’ll battle sin our whole lives until we get new bodies in Heaven.

I’m talking about being free from the power of sin.

Meaning, once you become a believer, you have the freedom not to sin.

How? Jesus says “Truth makes you free.”

If you want to be free, you must saturate your life with truth.

Christian, one of the reasons we don’t have freedom is we fail to continue in truth.

Without truth, it’s possible for a son of the Savior to operate like a servant of sin.

Some of us are. We live just like a servant of sin.

We must have truth if we want to be free.

Get in the Word. Read it. Study it. Obey it. Hear it preached and taught.

And when Jesus confronts you about your sin, don’t say, “I’m in bondage to nothing.”

Admit your sin, confess it, and continue in truth for victory.

Here’s the question:

Why choose to be bound when submitting to truth can set you free?

If you don’t know Christ, you are a servant of sin. But truth can make you free.

If you do know Christ, but you don’t continue in His Word, you are likely a servant of sin even though you’re a son.

So why choose bondage when Christ can make you free?

Are you on the Outside Looking IN?

You will never experience the relief of freedom until you recognize the reality of your bondage.

If you’re bound by sin, truth can make you free. Right now. This morning.

Get inside and experience the relief of freedom.