Sermon Tone Analysis

Jesus was teaching and preaching on the claims of who He was and His eventual departure from this world.

As he was saying these things many "believed in Him."

It is interesting to contrast that many were believing "in Him," but then in verse 31 it says that the Jews "believed Him."

There is a difference between knowing about Jesus and believing that Jesus is God, trusting in Him for your entire life, believing that He removes sin, and makes us righteous before God.

Then Jesus gives this phrase that, even non-believers know.

He said, "if you continue in my words, you really are my disciples.

Those that aren't followers of Jesus, don't listen to HIs instructions.

The flip side of this is essentially what Jesus says a few verses later.

He is saying 'if you do not continue in my words, then you are not my disciple.'

It is a hard pill to swallow, but if we are not continuing to grow in our relationship with Jesus, if we have made a decision at some point, but then failed to follow through and let the grace of God carry us to a place where we are transformed and grow, it stands to reason that the relationship may not be real.

There may be a head knowledge, but not a heart knowledge.

John said it like this in "If we say, we have fellowship with him,

and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth with one another and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin."

Then that famous line "you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

We apply to it to many situations, but here it only has one context.

When Jesus said "if you continue in my word," the word, word there is literally "message, or teaching."

SO, when Jesus says "You will know the truth," the truth is the word, and the word is the message.

If we know the message, the message will set us free."

The Jews responded, in a while that lets us know that they were focused on the thought of being enslaved.

They replied,

Jesus though, as He often does, is not focused on the external.

Rather, Jesus was focused on the heart.

Jesus response was

When we are born into this world, we were born into a world full of sin.

We were born into a world affected by sin and we were born with sinful people around us.

Naturally, when we sin enter into that form of slavery that sin has over us.

You can even argue as the Jews tried to “we have never been enslaved to anyone.”

Yet somehow that forgot that whole time they were enslaved to the Egyptians.

There is a path to freedom.

Jesus said,

What a great line.

A slave or a servant can go work in another house.

They can be traded, they can accept another job.

Yet, a son is always a son.

A son is always connected to the family.

Even if the son runs off as the prodigal did, the son will always be part of the family.

Even if all of the descendants die off, the son still retains the family name.

You will always be part of the house.

We can live a life where we give ourselves over to sin.

Let’s call out what sin is, it is a total rebellion and rejection of God and his instructions.

Sin is rebellion, sin is anger, lust, and violence.

Sin is pornography, addictions to alcohol, lust, cheating, stealing, and adultery.

Sin is crass words, tearing another person apart, sin is the opposite of kindness, graciousness, patience, and mercy.

Sin is vengeful, bitterness, and regret.

Sin is pride, boastfulness

You can hear there arguments and arugmental attitude when they say ‘were Abrahams children, and our father is Abraham.

They were doubling down, making their case.

W aren’t that bad, we aren’t enslaved to anyone, we are free people.

We do the same thing.

We double down.

Yeah, I haven’t lived the life I want to live, but I’m a good person.

Yeah I haven’t been the kind of spouse I should be, but I haven’t hit her, I haven’t hit him.

Yeah I’ve stole some things from work, but I wouldn’t call it stealing, and you should see what other people do.

Yeah I’m this, but at least I ain’t that.

The enemy loves it when we try to compare, because either we get defeated because we don’t measure up, or we get prideful, because we someone worse off than we are.

THey doubled down.

We’re Abrhams children.

He is our father.

They even claimed “we have one father - God.

Jesus can double down too.

John 8

They knew the words in

Even as he testified who He was, they still didn’t believe in Him.

Jesus even goes one step farther.

“You are of your father the devil.”

Its the same thing Paul told the Ephesians, without Jesus we are literally

The enemy has come to kill, steal, and destroy.

Jesus said, “When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, but look at what Jesus does.

He does the exact opposite.

Jesus doesn’t speak a lie, Jesus speaks “the truth.”

If you are searching for advice, thinking about your next decision, or in the middle of situation that you don’t know what to do, being tempted, or being led astray, just know that the Lord will not speak lies, he will only speak truth.

If there is something within you that is trying to justify a sinful decision, a one night stand, and white lie, a cover up, you are not hearing the voice of God.

He only speaks truth and freedom.

There is an old saying, that the grace of God won’t lead you, where the grace of God can’t keep you.

The Lord won’t lead you down a path of destruction.

That is a path and a road marked out by Satan.

Yet, it is Jesus who can redeem and restore.

It is our heavenly Father who can take what the enemy means for evil and make it good.

2 Thess 2:10