True Freedom (3)

I know we just celebrated the 4h of July. How many of us like the big celebration? i like the fire works, from a far distance. its always great to see, I love being in this country, we enjoy so many liberties, i’ve been to a third world country and believe me, the grass is not greener on the other side. we are truly blessed to live here and we should be very grateful for this blessing. Lets talk about having True Freedom.

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John 8:31–47 ESV

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 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’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” 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, 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. 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.” 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. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 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. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

Introduction: The American View of Freedom

Brothers and sisters, as Americans, we live in a land that holds up freedom as one of its highest ideals. We hear about it every day—freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. And praise God for those freedoms. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights have granted us a liberty that many across the world long for.

But today, I want us to consider a different kind of freedom , True Freedom!—not a political or social freedom, but a spiritual one. In John 8, Jesus speaks of a freedom that cannot be granted by governments, armies, or legal documents. It's a freedom that comes only from Him. And unless we understand this, we risk being free on paper but DEAD in the spirit. three points, we won’t know why we need freedom if we don’t know what binds us. we don’t know we need freedom, until we know what we are bounded by? and we won’t pursue freedom unless the Son sets us free.

I. Abiding in the Word and Knowing the Truth (vv. 31–32)

“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Jesus is speaking here to Jews who had believed Him—but their belief, as we’ll see, was shallow. He lays down the mark of true discipleship: abiding in His word. That means living in it, remaining in it, continuing in it—not just agreeing with it for a moment, not just picking and choosing the parts we like.

Then He gives a promise: those who remain in His word will know the truth, and that truth will set them free. But free from what?

That brings us to the second part of the passage.

II. The Slavery of Sin (vv. 33–36)

“Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.”

The crowd is offended. “We’re Abraham’s descendants! We’ve never been slaves!” But that isn’t true. They were once slaves in Egypt. In Jesus’ day, they were under Roman rule. And spiritually, Jesus says, they were still enslaved—to sin.

And isn’t that the story of every sinner, no matter what flag they live under? Even in the freest nation on earth, without Christ, every man, woman, and child is born a slave to sin. Romans 6 tells us that we are either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness—there is no middle ground.

Jesus says something remarkable: “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” That is true freedom. Not just freedom to vote, speak, or travel—but freedom from the bondage of sin, freedom from guilt, freedom from the wrath of God, freedom from death, hell and the grave which He defeated on our behalf. That is freedom indeed.

III. The False Security of Religious Heritage, background legalism (vv. 37–40)

“I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me…”

Jesus acknowledges their heritage—but He exposes the hollowness of it. “Being Abraham’s descendants isn’t enough,” He says. “You don’t do the works Abraham did.”

They had the bloodline, the temple, the law. But they lacked the heart of faith. Abraham believed God and welcomed His Word, in Gen 15:6 his faith was counted as rightousness—these men rejected the living Word standing right in front of them.

Brothers and sisters, the same danger exists today. You can grow up in church. You can be baptized. You can hold to the Reformed confessions. But unless you have been born again and set free by the Son, your spiritual heritage cannot save you.

IV. The Real Enemy: The Father of Lies (vv. 41–47)

“You are of your father the devil…”

These are some of the most serious words Jesus ever spoke. The issue wasn’t just ignorance—it was allegiance. Jesus draws a sharp line: either your father is God, or your father is the devil. There is no neutral category.

And how do you know who your father is? Look at what you love. Jesus says, “If God were your Father, you would love me.” The people listening to Jesus rejected His word because they couldn’t bear to hear it. Why? Because Satan blinds the minds of unbelievers (2 Cor. 4:4). He is the father of lies—and his children love lies more than truth.

V. What Is True Freedom?

So then, what is true freedom?

True freedom is not doing whatever you want. That’s just another form of slavery—to your desires, your flesh, and ultimately, to death.

True freedom is being released from sin's power and brought under the Lordship of Christ. As Reformed Baptists, we affirm that the human will is bound by sin until Christ liberates it. Apart from grace, we are dead in sin (Eph. 2:1), not free. But through the regenerating work of the Spirit, God gives us new hearts—hearts that want to obey, love Christ, and walk in truth.

Application: How Should We Respond?

Examine your foundation. Are you trusting in your upbringing, your doctrine, your good works? Or have you truly been set free by the Son?

Abide in the Word. Jesus says, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.” Are you in the Word daily? Are you shaped by it?

Declare the truth boldly. In a culture that talks endlessly about freedom, let us proclaim the only message that offers real freedom—freedom from sin through Jesus Christ.

Thank God for both kinds of freedom. Be grateful for the freedoms we enjoy in America, but never confuse them with spiritual liberty. The Constitution can protect your rights, but only Christ can save your soul.

Conclusion:

“If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Brothers and sisters, true freedom does not come from a document, a flag, or a courtroom. It comes from a cross. It comes from a Savior who laid down His life to break the chains of sin, rise from the grave, and bring His people into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

That is the freedom we need. That is the freedom Christ offers. That is the freedom worth living—and dying—for.

Amen.

In order to know that we need freedom, we need to know that we are bound. we are not free, but we are slaves. slaves to what? well if the Son hasn’t set you free the you a slave, not of Christ but of something terrible. bring up N. Korea At night, the 38th parallel, which roughly divides North and South Korea, appears as a stark contrast in nighttime lighting. Satellite images reveal a brightly lit South Korea, contrasted by the near darkness of North Korea, with the exception of Pyongyang, the capital. This difference in illumination highlights the significant disparity in economic development and energy consumption between the two nation. They don’t know what freedom is, once they find out what freedom is, having light at night, internet, etc, then they want it but because they don’t know they won’t ever think to have freedom. which is what the devil does to us, gives us all these things and thinking that this is what true freedom is, kind of what we are told in America, this is freedom, and America has set their people free.

we need to be set free from sin. as Psalm 51:5 says

English Standard Version Psalm 51

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

now, we are born in original sin, a lot of the Jews didn’t believe in this. one of the reasons why they don’ believe that Jesus could be God, a man being God is beyond blasphemy. which is why what sets us free from sin? Only in the Truth are we set free the only thing that can set us truly free, is Jesus and his finished work on the cross. Jesus tells the jews that they are offsprings according to the flesh, to Abraham, but offsprings in spirit of the devil. read verse 41. 2 different conversations being had here. Abraham is the father of the faithful, his faith was counted as rightousness