Following The Word 22

Finding Freedom In Jesus

Text: John 8:30-47

Introduction

There is a message that always shows forth from your actions (inward or outward). I am speaking about what you truly believe. How many times have you said “I believe,” when in time and circumstance you actually find yourself not believing what you said you believed?

For the people group Jesus is addressing, they are definitely those who “believed on Him” in verse 30. The question is, “To what depth were they willing to let their faith go?

Jesus has been labouring the point that He is from the Father. Those mentioned in verse 30 believed on Him to that level. However, Jesus was not satisfied with their depth of faith. He will spend time taking them deeper into the truth of His word so they might see their bondage and believe on Him as Savior.

Many in our world today (even in our churches) treat “believing in Jesus” at a very shallow level. In other words, they believe in Jesus enough to attend church a little bit, give offerings, and even be a greeter at church, but they have yet to believe deep enough to come to terms with their sin, repent, and trust Him as Savior.

The greatest desire of Jesus is each of us to discover, receive, and live in the freedom only He can provide!

If I was going to be sure of anything, it would be that “I know I am free in Jesus Christ.”

Question: Are you free? Are you living free?

1) Freedom Is Found In Jesus

A. Freedom is found in the words of Jesus

The very first thing Jesus shared with these recent believers is the fact they need to “continue (abide)” in His word.

Jesus was letting them know what is an essential proof of faith (i.e. they must continue in His word; truly trust Him)

“Continue (abide) in my word” — This is the test of their former declaration of faith in Jesus. Jesus is saying that a continuing genuine faith in Him will be evident in a genuine belief in His word.

To open up God’s Word is to come face to face with truth.

You will grow in spiritual knowledge.

You will grow in living free from sin.

Learning from God’s Word leads your soul to liberty.

Illustration: President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. The moment it went into effect on January 1, 1863, every slave living in the Confederacy was legally free. But until they knew of their freedom, the legal fact had no impact on their lives. In fact, Union soldiers carried hundreds of thousands of copies of the proclamation and passed them out as they made their way through the South during the war.

Christ has set us free from power of sin. We must recognize that fact and live like it. (Source: The Pulling Down of Strongholds, R.B. Ouellette)

“Shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” — It seems like Jesus is giving further commentary of the depth of their belief. It is like they made a great first step in “believing His previous words about His relationship to the Father,” but they have yet to believe His words about their sin.

John 14:23 “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”

Any genuine believer would illustrate the teachings of Christ as their rule of faith and law of their life.

B. Freedom is promised only by Jesus

a) They were living in self deception (v34)

Jesus spent time emphasizing their bondage.

Their claim that Abraham’s descendants had never been in bondage was certainly a false one that was refuted by the very record in the Old Testament Scriptures. The Jews had been enslaved by seven mighty nations, as recorded in the Book of Judges. The ten Northern tribes had been carried away captive by Assyria, and the two Southern tribes had gone into seventy years of captivity in Babylon. And at that very hour, the Jews were under the iron heel of Rome! How difficult it is for proud religious people to admit their failings and their needs! Wiersbe, Warren W. 1996. The Bible Exposition Commentary. Vol. 1. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

“Committeth sin” = referring to a manner of life lived; life of sin.

Q — How real is the bondage? Even in your life as a believer, you still must fight against the habits formed from your former enslavement.

b) They needed Jesus to remain in the house of spiritual freedom

Contrast between and “servant” and “son”:

A servant — has no guarantees of anything and has no authority to extend guarantees to anyone in the home. The servant may live in the house, but they are not part of the family. They had no say in their fate.

A son — he is heir of his father. He would remain in the house forever.

Example: Isaac and Ishmael

“free indeed” — this is speaking of “reality!”

“My word hath on place in you” — There is no positive progress of Jesus’ word in their soul. (v37)

LISTEN…I am thankful to live in a country where there is freedom to enjoy! However, I am more thankful to live in the promise of spiritual freedom from the Son; Jesus Christ!

C. Freedom comes from God the Father (v42-44)

This truth echoes what Jesus said in John 6: he explained they lived during a time when the Father was giving those who were genuine followers of Him to the Son. The true follower of the Father would believe the word’s of the Son and come to Him.

a) Jesus brought clarity to who their father was

Jesus made a careful distinction between “Abraham’s seed” (physical descendants) and “Abraham’s children” (spiritual descendants because of personal faith. Wiersbe, Warren W. 1996. The Bible Exposition Commentary. Vol. 1. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Jesus said, “Abraham had God’s word in his heart! He never would have been seeking to kill me.”

Galatians 3:6–8 “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.”

Ephesians 2:1–3 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”

2) Fatherhood Can Be Identified By Your Actions

VERSES 44-47

What Jesus is now saying, I believe he did it with sorrow in his heart.

It would be a statement they would never forgive Him for.

Jesus would have saved them, but they would not let him.

A. Your actions reveal your spiritual nature

I want to be careful when making this point.

Not everyone is a child of the Devil. Most unbelievers are described as children of “wrath.”

Satan does sow many of his children around the world.

A person who’s spiritual father is God, they will illustrate that relationship through their actions and life choices.

Illustration: You can only withdraw out of your bank account what is actually there.

A Christian’s life won’t be perfect, but it will be a life in pursuit of the holiness of God.

Illustration: Someone running a race, falls downs, gets back up and finishes.

B. Satan is the father of all things evil

a) “lusts” (evil craving) — Satan had an evil craving prior to the garden and in the garden.

If your nature is not from the father, it is very close to that of the devil.

There is a difference between battling against the lower weak nature of your humanity and just continually satisfying the “evil craving” of your humanity.

b) “murderer from the beginning”

This is someone who deliberately kills.

The Devil was on mission to bring down the spiritual life of humanity.

Satan is a mass murderer.

The responsibility for every graveyard lies at the feet of Satan.

HE HATES YOU!

c) “abode not in the truth”

Jesus knew the devil quit well!

It is amazing to me how an anointed cherub dwelling in the light of God’s presence would entertain rebellion in his heart.

Satan was cast out of heaven!

He retains much of his former brilliance of intellect and power of will, but it is warped and bent and twisted so that he is incapable of speaking the truth. His first words on earth were a lie: “Ye shall not surely die … ye shall be as gods.…” John Phillips, Exploring the Gospel of John: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp., 2009), Jn 8:44b–c.

Jesus was introduced in this gospel as being “full of grace and truth.” Satan is introduced as having no truth in him at all.

C. Jesus proved to come from the Father (v46)

Jesus challenges them to “point the finger” at any one sin He had committed.

He simply said, “Go ahead and take the entire mosaic law in all of its 613 commandments, and all of its principals. Take the prophets and even the entire Old Testament and see if there is any deviation from perfect righteousness. Go over to where I live, interview those I spend my time with, interview my mother and my siblings. Go to Nazareth, Capernaum, and Bethesda. Trace all of my 33 years of foot steps.

NONE of us tonight would dare issue such a challenge!

Conclusion

Believer — Are you living in the freedom you have been given from the Father?

Unbeliever — The Father above invites you to step in to a relation with Him through a trusting faith in His Son Jesus Christ.