The Truth Will Set You Free

John 8:31-36

Pursuing Freedom

Freedom is one of the most cherished words in our culture. We celebrate political freedom, financial freedom, freedom of speech, freedom to choose our careers, where we live, and how we spend our lives. We often define freedom as the ability to do whatever we want.

But what if that definition is wrong? What if a person can do exactly what he wants every day of his life and still be a slave?

That is exactly what Jesus tells the crowd in John 8. They insist, “We have never been enslaved to anyone.” Yet Jesus looks at people who believe themselves to be free and says, “Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.”

His diagnosis is uncomfortable, but it is also full of hope, because the One who exposes our slavery is also the One who declares, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

The surprising thing is that Jesus begins this conversation not by speaking about freedom but about discipleship. ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ Before we can understand freedom, we must understand what it means to abide in Christ.

True Disciples Abide in Christ’s Word

Distinguishing those who are true disciples

It’s not about how you start, but how you endure. A saving faith is one that perseveres, abides in the Word.

How many say they believe but don’t know God’s word?

How many know the word but don’t live according to it?

We deprive ourselves of the freedom meant for us when we say we believe but do not abide. Are we even genuine in our faith? Do we live any different than the rest of the world?

Many believed, followed, but did they abide in Christ.

We are not slaves, we are children of Abraham. This is what the Jewish followers said. They went to the temple, they kept the law, they knew the doctrine.

We are not slaves, we were raised in the church. Christians say today. Some trust in their upbringing, others in their baptism, church membership, doctrinal knowledge, or family history.

But Jesus does not ask, ‘Who were your parents?’ He asks whether you abide in His Word.

Those who Abide in my Word are truly my disciples

To abide is to dwell, to taking up residence in the Word

To abide in Christ’s Word is not merely to consult it occasionally but to hear it, trust it, treasure it, and shape your life around it.

Studying - listening, hearing the Word

Bring every thought captive to the Word of God

Living by the Word, walking in it, obeying

Abiding isn’t just about a habit, but about the transformation of how we see and live in the world

Apart from Christ we are Slaves to Sin

Those who make a practice of sin are slaves to sin

Making a practice of sin… what this means: it is a present-tense - ongoing pattern, a settled way of life

The difference between a slave to sin and a true disciple who sins, is found in abiding in the Word which disciplines, corrects, and restores in righteousness.

The believer still sins, often grievously, but sin no longer sits on the throne. It remains an enemy to be fought, not a master to be obeyed. The unbeliever may resist particular sins, but apart from Christ he remains under sin’s dominion

How are we slaves to sin

Sin Has Power Over Us - Apart from regenerating grace, our wills remain bound by sin so that, while we make voluntary choices, none arise from a heart that truly loves God or seeks His glory.

Sin burdens the conscience with guilt and shame - we know there is wrong, we try to cover it up

Sin produces a Fear of Wrath - deep down we know there is judgment,

Sin leads us Fear of Man - we fear rejection by our peers if we stand out, don’t go along, don’t play the game

What are the sins with which I battle - I can only speak to mine, that you might identify yours…

My pride, temper, self-reliance

When you Abide in the Word, you have the Truth of Christ

Christ is the Truth - the revelation of the truth

About God - that God is our creator, our sovereign, who is perfectly holy and perfectly just, to whom all things are designed to give glory, praise and honor

About man and our desperate need - fallen, sinful, rebellious, under judgment, frustrated, limited, yet created for more

About salvation - That God gave his beloved and only begotten son to redeem his people from sin and death, it is by grace you are saved through faith, that we might shine as lights in the world

About the way of life - there is a way that seems right to man that leads to destruction, and there is a way of righteousness that God has given

Christ Sets you Free Indeed

The phrase “free indeed” is especially striking because Jesus contrasts the slave with the son: “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.”

The point is not merely that Christians receive a different status but that the eternal Son brings slaves into the Father’s household as sons and daughters. We are not simply released from chains; we are adopted into the family. That ties beautifully into themes found elsewhere in the New Testament, such as our adoption and inheritance in Christ.Lies bind, the truth sets free

Recent discussion about my departure from Lennox - entirely untrue, based on assumption - but the falsehood spreads and jeopardizes ministry - setting it to the light of truth stops the rumors, and allows for ministry to thrive - stop living by lies

A lie can spread quickly and hold people captive to fear or suspicion until it is brought into the light. In the same way, the lies we believe about God, ourselves, or salvation keep us in bondage. Christ, who is the truth, exposes those lies and sets us free.

How Does Christ Set You Free

Through His atoning death

By his victorious resurrection - he has broken the power of sin and death

Through His present reign and rule - he sets you free to live for his glory

By pouring out his Spirit, making us sons and daughters

The slave has no lasting place in the household, but the Son belongs there by right. Therefore, if the Son chooses to free the slave and bring him into the family, that freedom is secure. It is not probationary or temporary, it is freedom indeed.

Through His promised return, he frees from futility

Our Freedom in Christ

From what does Christ free you?

Breaks sins power - It no longer dominates

Cleans the Conscience - my sins are washed away

No fear of God’s wrath, it has been satisfied, you are in right standing with God

No fear of man - you are vindicated by the Holy Spirit

For what does Christ free you: we are slaves to righteousness

Free to delight in God.

Free to obey from the heart.

Free to confess sin without despair.

Free to love neighbor without seeking approval.

Free to worship as adopted children rather than fearful slaves.

Freely Abiding in Christ

Many people define freedom as the ability to do whatever they want. Jesus defines freedom differently. The sinner is not free because he cannot stop serving his master. The truly free person is the one whom the Son has liberated to know God, love righteousness, and walk in joyful obedience. The greatest freedom is not freedom from authority but freedom from sin so that we might belong to Christ forever.

The question before us is not simply, ‘Do I profess faith in Christ?’ The question Jesus presses is, ‘Am I abiding in His Word?’ Those who abide show themselves to be His disciples. They come to know the truth as it is revealed in Him. And those whom the Son sets free are free indeed, not because they never struggle with sin again, but because sin is no longer their master, condemnation is no longer their future, and the Father’s house is now their home.

This meal is not for those who merely admire Jesus from a distance or claim a Christian heritage. It is for those who are trusting Him, clinging to Him, and abiding in Him by faith. We come not because we are sinless, but because we know we need the Savior.