John 8:12-59 | Freedom Isn't Free
Notes
Transcript
We are continuing in our series through the book of John today.
Now we should moving into the beginning of John 8 today, however we covered the beginning of John 8 in depth a few weeks back.
So today we are moving the end of John 8, which starts out very similar to the common message that Jesus continues to share.
Jesus is in this continual pattern of preaching truth, then receiving either no response or criticism.
And he would once again face the same issue here in John 8.
You see we could narrow down the struggle that Jesus is facing into one simple phrase.
Freedom isn’t free
You have maybe heard this phrase in reference to the freedom we experience in our nation.
We have freedom
Freedom in representation
Freedom from foreign control
Freedom of speech
Freedom of due process
Freedom in market
We have freedom but a cost was required to earn all of these freedoms
Brave men took a stance against a tyranical British government to achieve the freedom of representation in the government, and today we enjoy that freedom
Every day for centuries men and women have stood against foreign powers that would desire to destroy or negatively affect the freedoms we enjoy
Every day men and women stand and exercise the right of free speech at the cost of criticism and sometimes unfair judgement
We must exercise the right continually to elect judges, and sheriffs and lawmakers to ensure the freedom of due process
There is cost to the freedom of free enterprise and participating in a free market. We aren’t a communist or socialists nation, and because of that we must face the costs of running a new business freely, or facing the ever changing economics that come from free enterprise.
There is a cost to freedom, and this is what Jesus was insisting that the Jews understand.
When the multitudes followed him, they enjoyed the message of freedom, and blessing that Jesus offered, but they left when something was required of them.
And you may wonder - well why can’t freedom just be free
Why couldn’t Jesus just hand out free salvation cards to the multitudes. Like if he really loved them he would just do that right.
Like if you or I were in a crowd of people, and we know that all of those people were on their way to an eternity in the fires of hell, would any of us look out at them with a pocket full of free salvation cards and say, NO YOU GOTTA DO SOMETHING TO EARN IT!
IF YOU SAY A PRAYER I’LL GIVE YOU ONE
IF YOU DO WHAT I SAY I’LL GIVE YOU ONE
No we would say here everybody take one, IT’S FREE RIGHT!
So why didn’t Jesus do that?
Why doesn he continue to require obedience from these people, when he could just give them salvation?
Well let’s see what Jesus has to say about this.
He has just had this interaction with the adulterous women, where he wrote in the ground before the Jews.
Now he says this...
12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, “You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.”
14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. 17 It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.”
Jesus has called himself the bread of life, the fountain of living water, now he uses another picture, he calls himself the light of the world.
And notice what he says, John 8:12
I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD - CONGRATS NOW YOU ARE IN LIGHT (RIGHT?)
No he says I am the light of the world, he who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of light of life
The Pharisees once again ask the same question Jesus has faced over and over again, WHY SHOULD WE BELIEVE YOU? And Jesus once again talks about his witness
That his proof comes in the witness of the father
But I want you to notice this contrast here
Jesus has just given a condition to receiving the light that he offers
What is it? = they must follow him
But then Jesus says (John 8:15-16) that He judges no one, but if he does judge then his judgement is true because he is with the father
But we also already read earlier in John 5:22 where he said… John 5:22 “22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son,”
Sounds a little contradictory
At one point Jesus is the judge, then he doesn’t judge, then he offers freedom, but then he is judging the method by which that freedom is obtained (which doesn’t really make it freedom) THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF INCONSISTENCIES IN THE MESSAGE HERE
AND UNDERSTAND THIS PROBLEM IS STILL SO PREVALENT TODAY
There is a major issue in the church today, of sharing the gospel in ways that are unclear and deceptive
You christians will read verses like these, sometimes out of context, sometimes with just bad exegesis, and they will formulate the jumbled up mess of what they think salvation is, and then they try to share the gospel from the mess.
They may say to one person...
If you just pray and ask God to come into your heart, you will be saved.
Then to another person they may say...
If you give your life to Jesus and follow him you will be saved.
BUT THE PROBLEM IS EACH OF THESE TEACH COMPLETE OPPOSITE OUTLOOKS ON WHAT SALVATION IS
One bypasses Jesus completely and just skips to our ability to say a prayer
Another says that salvation is found in what we can do to earn our way to Jesus.
And unfortunately most expressions of the gospel are some sort of version of these.
And much of the issue comes down to a misunderstand of four aspects of the gospel
Understanding.....
The Judge
The judgement
The Sentence
And the Debtor
And Jesus makes it really clear for them, and for us too...
19 Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?”
Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.”
20 These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.
21 Then Jesus said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.”
22 So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?” 23 And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
Jesus starts with the Judge section here
He said earlier that he doesn’t judge anyone, but now there is a judgement of death for their sin
But the key to understanding what Jesus is saying is found in context, and directly in vs. 24
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
So Jesus has not come to judge, but yet he clearly is the judge.
Through all of these verses we see that there is a timing to his judgement.
You could phrase it like this
Imagine if someone were to sit behind a judge in a restaurant booth while he is out to eat with his family. What if that person said.… ‘YOU MUST NOT BE A REAL JUDGE OR HAVE ANY AUTHORITY, BECAUSE IF YOU DID YOU WOULD BE JUDGING ALL THESE PEOPLE
He would probably respond with a claim similar to Jesus, I am not here to judge, I am the judge, and I do judge, but thats not what I am doing right now.
So the question is, when does Jesus judge?
Well just as it would be incorrect to say that the Judge ceases to be a judge while he is not in a courtroom, it is also incorrect to say Jesus is not a judge just because he is actively judging
We cannot say at one point Jesus will be the judge
Rather we should say at this point he is not here to judge, though he can and sometimes does even though he is not in the courtroom
But he clarifies exactly what the courtoom looks like, and what the extent of his authority looks like in verse 24
24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
Jesus tells them they will die in their sins if they do not believe that he is He.
The problem is that Jesus hasn’t really referenced anyone or any title
He references the son of man as being the subject but that isn’t really definitive enough for a claim here
So who is he saying that they will see he really is?
Well most believe this is a reference to Isaiah 43:10
10 “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord,
“And My servant whom I have chosen,
That you may know and believe Me,
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
Nor shall there be after Me.
God used this same phrasing to describe the nature of his deity
Because there is no other, there is no comparison
It is almost like if you were in a room and someone says “He is here” without any context, like you just know, because that person is all encompassing to the situation
Jesus uses the exact same phrase, in the exact same way.
Jesus is claiming here to be God.
So now him being the judge has transitioned from him judging individual works, to now he is judging mankind, and specifically in this instance, the sinful nature of mankind that results in death.
You are judged ultimately for your sin, not your sins.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We are not sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners.
When you are judged he does not look at a list of your sins and determine your punishment, he looks at your title of sinner, or free.
Are you saved from your sin, or are you dead in your sin.
Your individual sins are the result of your sinful nature, and there is punishment and judgement for those sins, and that is why they are still present even when we are saved from our sin.
If you were guilty based on the measure of your sins, then you could also be freed by the measure of your good works.
Jesus saves us from our sin, and he judges based on only two convictions
Sinner
Free
So they naturally respond to Jesus in confusion as he has just claimed to be “He” so they say - who are you?
25 Then they said to Him, “Who are You?”
And Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. 26 I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.”
27 They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.
He again says, now isn’t the time, now I am here to share the message given to me of the father, but I have many things to judge you for, just not right now
28 Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”
Once again he uses the same phrasing here - he says When you lift me up (most likely referencing his crucifixion here) YOU WILL KNOW THAT I AM HE
And finally it appears some have believed
Now we do not know how many of these truly believed, how many believed superficially, and how many just outright rejected him, I would imagine it was mixture of all 3 when the word says believe
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
There are two phrases to describe this misunderstanding of salvation that is often used
Easy Believism - Freedom is Free
Works Based Salvation - Freedom isn’t free
Jesus says the truth will make you free, but there is a condition - you must abide in the word to know the truth
And then notice how Jesus clarifies what he has already said clearly
32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.
He says whoever sins is a slave of sin - AGAIN THIS ISN’T ABOUT AN AMOUNT OF SINS, SIN=SLAVERY
But then notice the shift, he says slaves don’t live in the house forever, but sons do
And then he says this phrase that is the ultimate hope of all humanity.
36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
We have got number one, two and three of understanding the gospel.
Who is the Judge - Jesus
What is the judgement - guilty of sin
What is the sentence- death
So seems pretty cut and dry, there is no hope for humanity, we are all sinners, so we are all guilty, and we all will receive death. Spiritual death in hell and separation from God for eternity.
But Jesus said that he can make you free of your sentence.
YOU ARE NOT FREE FROM YOUR JUDGEMENT - YOU ARE GUILTY OF SIN - But he can free you of the sentence of your sin
So what is the issue? If the judge offers freedom, then why isn’t everyone just free?
Why don’t the Jews he is speaking to just instantly become free?
Well notice what he says to them next...
37 “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.”
39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.”
Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41 You do the deeds of your father.”
Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.”
Why don’t they receive the freedom right away, BECAUSE THEY DON’T WANT IT
Jesus says if you believe in my words you will be free, but then he says that his words have no place in them
He says I have been sent by my father and I teach his words, and you follow what your father says too
So they respond… well Abraham is our father, Jesus challenges them, then they say well no actually God is our father
And Jesus responds...
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.
Why are they not free, because they didn’t want to be
They had a different father one who opposed everything Jesus said and there is NO FREEDOM FOUND WHERE FREEDOM ISN’T WANTED
Can you really be free from the bondage of something you love being in bondage to?
What separates a slave from a servant? - Willingness
If the person desires to be a slave, they aren’t a slave, they are a servant
And this is one of the great misconceptions about salvation - FREEDOM IS NEVER FORCED - BECAUSE IF IT ITS FORCED ITS NO LONGER FREEDOM - ITS BONDAGE
IF JESUS SAYS FOLLOW ME AND YOU WILL BE FREE - AND THEY SAY NO - THEN JESUS SAYS TOO BAD I AM FORCING YOU COME LIVE WITH ME IN ETERNITY NOW - THAT ISN’T FREEDOM ITS SLAVERY
IF SOMEONE FREES A SLAVE FROM THEIR MASTER, ONLY TO TAKE THEM TO THEIR HOUSE AND CONFINE THEM THEIR, THEY AREN’T FREE THEY HAVE JUST TRADED MASTERS UNWILLINGLY
To be free, you must desire freedom
And Jesus says to the Jews you don’t want freedom, you follow your father Satan, and your sin, that is who you want to be in bondage too
So Jesus continues to challenges them and they get more and more defensive
46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”
48 Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly 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 And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. 51 Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”
52 Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’ 53 Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?”
Remember there is one aspect of the gospel we haven’t answered yet.
We have...
The Judge
The Judgement
The Sentence
But we are still missing #4 - the debtor
Jesus says you are judged, and your judgement is sin, but if you keep my word, you will never have to pay your sentence
54 Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. 55 Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”
There are some theories of exactly what verse 56 means. That Abraham saw Jesus’ day.
But most believe he is talking about the series of revelations about the coming savior that Abraham recieved.
Through the promise that God would bless the whole world through him
Through the future prophecies
But there is one picture that I think shows this greater than any other.
Through the picture of Abraham’s son Isaac, lying on an alter and God providing the substitute so sit in his place.
And the Jews say how would you know any of this you are only 30 years old...
57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”
And Jesus responds with the most shocking statement he would ever make....
58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
As if the reference to saying I am He wasn’t clear enough he doubles down again by referencing something that was unmistakable
This claim was so strong they even tried to kill him for it....
59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
In Exodus 3, God speaks to Moses from the burning bush and notice what he calls himself...
14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
I AM is a name, and Jesus just called himself that name
On the way up the mountain Isaac asked Abraham where the sacrifice was, and Abraham said God would provide a lamb
And as Isaac is sitting on the altar, the I AM stops his hand from killing his son, and stuck in a bush of thorns was a ram, a temporary substitute, only until the true lamb would come as Abraham said
So salvation....
Is it easy believism - you say a prayer, just say you believe and you are free
Or is it works based - you do the right things and you can be saved
Well neither - and the reason why many narrow down salvation to these two options is because they don’t categorize number 4
In true salvation....
The Judge is Christ
The Judgement is sin
The Sentence is death
But who is the debtor?
If its us then yeah we have to decide is the freedom just free, or do we have to earn it
BUT THE ISSUE IS BOTH OF THESE ARE WRONG WHEN WE LOOK AT WHO PAYS THE COST
Easy Believism says that we don’t have to do anything to be saved, we just say a prayer and it happens and nothing changes - FREEDOM IS FREE
But works based salvation says - you have to get baptised, you have to show the work of christ in your life, maybe even you have to keep sacraments or laws - AND IN THIS CASE FREEDOM ISN’T FREE
BUT WHO IS THE SUBJECT OF BOTH OF THESE EXAMPLES
US
THE COSTS OF FREEDOM IN SALVATION ISN’T PAID BY US
JESUS DIDN’T SAY WHOEVER SETS THEMSLEVES FREE IS FREE INDEED
JESUS DIDN’T EVEN SAY WHOEVER DESIRES FREEDOM IS FREE INDEED
HE SAID WHO THE SON SETS FREE IS FREE INDEAD.… THE SON..…
WE DO NOT EARN OUR FREEDOM, WE ARE IN CHAINS TO OUR SIN AND NOTHING CHANGES THAT, EXCEPT WHEN WE ARE SET FREE BY THE SON
AND IT IS WHEN WE DECIDE I NO LONGER WANT TO BE A SLAVE TO SIN, I WANT TO BE FREE, BY BELIEVING IN THE WORDS OF JESUS THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL WE ARE MADE FREE INDEED
OUR TITLE IS CHANGED FROM SINNER TO FREE
FROM DEAD TO ALIVE
FROM SLAVE TO SERVANT
AND WE ARE MADE FREE ONLY BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
FREEDOM ISN’T FREE - IT REQUIRES A COST - ANDTHAT COST WAS PAID, BUT NOT BY US
That is the gospel, that is the message Jesus gives to you today, and that is the only way you can be free.
