Set Free

Sermon Style Sheet

Write that down in your formation Journal

Illustration

Sermon Text

Sermon Text: Scripture

Call to Worship

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Psalm 96:2–5 CSB

2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; proclaim his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his wondrous works among all peoples. 4 For the Lord is great and is highly praised; he is feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens.

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Passage:

Formation Journal Page Number: 2:35-3:20 4:16-5:02

John 8:31–47 CSB

31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you continue in my word, you really are my disciples. 32 You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 “We are descendants of Abraham,” they answered him, “and we have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus responded, “Truly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 A slave does not remain in the household forever, but a son does remain forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free. 37 I know you are descendants of Abraham, but you are trying to kill me because my word has no place among you. 38 I speak what I have seen in the presence of the Father; so then, you do what you have heard from your father.” 39 “Our father is Abraham,” they replied. “If you were Abraham’s children,” Jesus told them, “you would do what Abraham did. 40 But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41 You’re doing what your father does.” “We weren’t born of sexual immorality,” they said. “We have one Father—God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, because I came from God and I am here. For I didn’t come on my own, but he sent me. 43 Why don’t you understand what I say? Because you cannot listen to my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to carry out 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 tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Who among you can convict me of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 The one who is from God listens to God’s words. This is why you don’t listen, because you are not from God.”

Opening Illustration:

{Tony Photo}

[Do you look like your FATHER?]

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Getting into the Sermon

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John 1-5 healed a man

John 6 more miracles

John 7- festival of booths -if anyone thirsts rivers of living water

John 8 woman caught in adultery and light of the world

John 8:30–31 CSB

30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him. 31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you continue in my word, you really are my disciples.

There are two types of believers here, Some were true believers and others where intellectual believers.

[True believers are TRANSFORMED believers]

John 8:32 CSB

32 You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

You will be free. Sin has such a hold on us that we are slaves.

He sets up this idea that we are slaves.

How does that hit you? Does that offend you a bit the idea that you might need to be set free?

John 8:33 CSB

33 “We are descendants of Abraham,” they answered him, “and we have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will become free’?”

What are you talking about?

The joke of course is that as soon as they walked out of the temple, a roman soldier could ask them to carry their equipment for a mile, and they would have to do that.

[Sometimes we don’t REALIZE we are slaves]

John 8:34–36 CSB

34 Jesus responded, “Truly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 A slave does not remain in the household forever, but a son does remain forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.

[Visible Church is everyone who attends church.]

[Invisible church is everyone who is truly saved.]

How does Jesus set us free?

He frees us in his death and he frees us in his resurrection

slaves to sin to children of God

Everyone who commits sin is slave to sin - have you committed sin?

Think about it. Just pause. One of the 10 commandments is coveting. Desiring something that doesn’t belong to you. Have you ever done that?

The yellow victorian house - but then it becomes someone’s car. Of course we have.

Is that a small thing or a big thing. Here’s what Jesus is saying - it is saying that you are a slave to sin.

James 1:15 CSB

15 Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.

Death. That’s pretty heavy stuff. We need to remind ourselves of that. We are enslaved to something that is killing us.

But God…

Ransom vs subsitituion.

[Jesus’ death paid the PRICE for our freedom]

But it’s more than that

[Jesus’ resurrection secured the POWER for our freedom]

[Jesus ADOPTS us into the FAMILY]

Jesus was giving them an option but they didn’t take it.

John 8:39–41 CSB

39 “Our father is Abraham,” they replied. “If you were Abraham’s children,” Jesus told them, “you would do what Abraham did. 40 But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41 You’re doing what your father does.” “We weren’t born of sexual immorality,” they said. “We have one Father—God.”

I wonder how many of these pharisees are now in hell thinking - I had the chance to turn to God but I mocked him instead.

Look how Jesus breaks it down

John 8:42–47 CSB

42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, because I came from God and I am here. For I didn’t come on my own, but he sent me. 43 Why don’t you understand what I say? Because you cannot listen to my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to carry out 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 tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Who among you can convict me of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 The one who is from God listens to God’s words. This is why you don’t listen, because you are not from God.”

Jesus isn’t pulling any punches. He tells them off.

You do look like your father.

That may be bad news but it’s good information.

Because I want you to look, examine the evidence of your life.

Romans 10:9 CSB

9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

{Abc’s of repentance}

Let’s just pause a moment

it’s also a wakeup call for those of us who are believers, because we can get lazy. We can get fooled.

When you murder - you are following your father the devil

[Christians can be transformed and also BE LAZY]

When you lie - you are following your father the devil. Everyone has lied.

We need to exam our life.

Remember, Jesus doesn’t love us because we are good, he frees us so that we can be good.

Action Step:

So does your life look like your fathers?

How are you using your time?

How are you using your treasure? 10% of their income to support the worship and ministry (similar to the church) and give above that to help the poor.

How are you using your testimony?

Get people in your life so that you can help encourage you in your faith to make sure that we are looking like our Father, together.

Lord’s Supper:

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy

Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontus Pilate, was

crucified dead and buried;

He descended into hell. The third day He rose

again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right

hand of God the Father Almighty.

From there He will come to judge the

living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic

(universal) church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 

Benediction:

The LORD bless you and keep you;

the LORD makes his face shine upon you and be gracious to you:

The LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.