The King Who Frees Us

Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Regeneration

Many unregenerate men consider themselves to be God’s children, or “sons of God.” But being a product of God’s handiwork does not qualify one for a sonship relationship.

A cabinetmaker constructs a cabinet. But this does not make the cabinet a “child” of the cabinetmaker. A birth process would be necessary for this. The unregenerate man who claims sonship with God “because he made me” is basing his claim merely on the fact that he is a product of God’s handiwork. Like the cabinet, he lacks the new birth necessary for a sonship relationship.

Blessed Lord, You have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning. Grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and take them to heart that, by the patience and comfort of Your holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life. … through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

English Standard Version Chapter 8

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

Given the experience that we all have of being sinned against, you would think that no one would challenge the notion that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (). It’s really no different from the Jewish response to Jesus words that are recorded on today’s Gospel text. All around, they saw the evidence that they are servants of Rome’. They saw the occupying soldiers and Fortress Antonia, overlooking the Temple. They saw the Roman Governor’s residence and Herod’s palace. Still, they could claim that they were politically free. Moreover, that was just the tip of the iceberg. Jesus had bigger fish to fry, and they were just trying to get by on broken bread and sardine fragments. Not only were the Jews enslaved to Rome, they were slaves of sin, a far worse tyrant.

Gary IN is a city that is going through an epic crisis. It is a crisis of identity, a crisis of governance, a crisis of confidence, a crisis of finance, but ultimately, a crisis of faith. This is so in spite of the fact that there are probably more churches in Gary (by one count, between 600 and 1000) than in any other community in the State of Indiana. It’s true that most of those churches are small, housed in old structures that were handed over from congregation to congregation, and the remainder, with a few exceptions, are in tiny storefronts. There are probably only a couple that have more than 100 members.

According to information developed by Mission Insite, there are about 65,000-70,000 residents in Gary, but about 40,000 have declared themselves to have no church affiliation at all. That means that there are more people who go to no church than there are people who have a regular place of worship....

What does it mean to a community when most of its people spend little of their time hearing the Word of God in their ears or speaking it with their lips? I know that the Bible says that “faith comes by hearing , and hearing from the Word of Christ,” but what impact can the Word of Christ have when there are few who hear it?

Without the strong proclamation of the Law, how will they become convicted of their sins?

John 8:34 ESV

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.

Jeremiah 17:9 ESV

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

If God did not reveal it, we would not know just how bad we are! We think that we have things under control, in our politics, our economy, our families, our own lives. We think, when we do “what is right in our own eyes, that we do pretty good. For an example of how that generally works out, you might like to read , where that phrase occurs twice in describing the activities of Israel before they got a king.

There really are just two ways to live - without authority or under authority. One of them is false, the other true. Since the Garden of Eden, Satan has tried to lead us into thinking that God was trying to “hold out” on us by commanding that we not do those things that He defines as sin. He has worked at convincing us that we could walk independently of God and discover that which is good . In , we see the devil at work:

Genesis 3:4–5 ESV

4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Since that sad day, we have sought to do what was right in our own eyes, and we have suffered, as individuals, as families, and as communities. The travails being experienced by Gary’s residents is as much a result of the fall as is any individual’s pain and sorrow. And in like manner, people who are ignorant of the initial transgression often suffer as a consequence. Neither Cain nor Abel were even born when Adam fell, yet death passed on to them, and they both suffered for Adam’s sin by becoming slaves of sin themselves.

Romans 5:12–14 ESV

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

Death in Adam, Life in Christ

Death in Adam, Life in Christ

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

The only escape from this sentence of death, was, is, and always will be, the redemption that is in Jesus Christ our Lord. As the Apostle Peter preached, (ESV)

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

The message of salvation has come to all parts of Indiana; as I preach here today, so I preach in Gary and Northwest Indiana, the pure Gospel of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. God’s living and active Word brings life and freedom to all who receive it. It is unaffected by age, race, ethnicity, gender, mental capacity or economic status. It reaches to the highest mountain, and it flows to the lowest valley. Jesus’ Word reaches every man, woman, and child, wherever faithful preachers of the Gospel place their feet, as it is written in , “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Good News.”

That task brought me along with my wife and children to Gary, Indiana. The faithful prayers and generous support of people and congregations like this one enable us to stay and continue to do this work. Without you, we won’t succeed, for we are partners together in the work of ministry, in fulfilling the Mission of God to Gary.

John 8:34–36 ESV

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Wherever the Lord has placed us to preach the pure Gospel, from coast to coast and around the world, even in Northwest Indiana, “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (). Therefore, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, I am confident that God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all we ask or think. As God works through means to convey to us the forgiveness of sins, so He works through the means of His people to provide for those who labor in Word and Teaching. As it is written,

Romans 8:28 ESV

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

That’s why we pray for the work in the Indiana District.

That’s why we preach, in season and out of season.

That’s why we know those who labor among us.

That’s why I’m here today, rejoicing in yet another year in which God is working in His church, both to will and to do according to His good pleasure, to bring the Gospel of the Kingdom to those who have not known the peace of God in their lives. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

And let the peace of God, that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds, through Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.