The Truth Will Set You Free

Introduction:

In the gospel of John and we exploring Jesus and some of the claims he makes

Fully God/Bread of Life --- Sets people free - offers true freedom

Freedom - probably the greatest value in our culture - freedom of speech/religion/talk about free to be and do anything we want/land of the free

Startling news - Jesus says we aren’t free, but he can set us free. If you come to him and put your faith in him you will experience the freedom he offers

This week - we all want freedom - only Jesus can provide true freed (if you don’t have Jesus - you aren’t free!!!)

Simple version (5 yr olds, 43 yr olds) -Jesus will set you free. He is able and willing; he has authority to set you free. If you come to him and put your faith in him you will experience the freedom he offers

Unpack and explore in more detail this concept of freedom that Jesus offers and why our cultural understanding of freedom isn’t truly freeing.

Definitions in order to understand Jesus and what he is saying in

True Disciples (v. 31)

Jesus is talking to a group of Jews who believe in him. He begins by defining who are true disciples of his (implies that maybe these aren’t!)

Abide in my words - hold to Jesus’ teaching - embrace, commitment to Jesus and his teaching; want to understand it, obey it, it is important to you (true faith; true disciple)

Best way to understand this then is that these people have a false faith/cheap faith - it offers lip service to Jesus but their heart is far away

English Standard Version Chapter 7

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 7:21 ESV

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 7:21 ESV

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ()

I Never Knew You

True disciples count the cost of following to Jesus - true faith leads to commitment and they embrace that cost

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Many of these people, as Jesus teaches, take offense at his word and don’t embrace it - they prove not to be true disciples

True disciples abide in Jesus’ word - they are committed.

Truth will set you free (v. 32)/The Son will set you free (v. 36)

Truth will set you free = The Son will set you free

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

Truth will set you free (v. 32)/The Son will set you free (v. 36)

Truth will set you free = The Son will set you free

Both of these terms are synomymous

- Jesus is the truth; - he is full of grace and truth; - he speaks the truth

If you come to Jesus, embrace him - who he is; his teaching, you will know the truth - you will know him! ....and... the truth will set you free (v. 32)

If you come to Jesus, embrace him and his word, you will know the truth - you will know him! and the truth will set you free (v. 32)

These Jews are insulted by Jesus (v. 33) - Jesus is saying they are slaves; they need freedom

The son will set you free (v. 36)

Truth will set you free = The Son will set you free

It would be like Jesus telling us Americans - you aren’t free! you are slaves! This isn’t the land of the free! I can set you free! (What? Insult!)

These Jews are thinking the same thing = we are children of Abraham - not slaves of anyone

What’s odd - in the Bible they have always been enslaved by others (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome now) - who haven’t they been in subjection to politically

What they seem to mean then - they are referring to spiritual freedom; we may have had political masters, but we have asserted ourselves, maintained our Jewish identity and worshipped the one, true God. We have not compromised. We are sons of the King; sons of God. We are free!

Jesus then tells them the type of slavery and freedom he is talking about is not political, it’s spiritual (v. 34)

If you sin, you are a slave of sin - sin is a master that rules you! You obey your master, your master is sin. (their jaws drop!)

You aren’t sons, you are slaves. You aren’t okay, you are in need of rescue. You are a slave to sin because you sin.

Verses 35-36 seems cryptic but it’s a cultural illustration - household, slaves, and then legitmitiage children who are the heris.

As children of Abraham they thought they were legitimate children of God and God’s house; his kingdom

As legitimate children they would be able to remain in God’s kingdom forever.

As children of Abraham they thought they were legitimate children of God and as legitimate children they would be able to remain in God’s kingdom forever.

But Jesus is saying they are nothing more than slaves. Slaves may be used and dismissed. They aren’t heirs. They are slaves

The son however remains forever and Jesus is the son, The Son of God and as son he has authority from the Father to set slaves free (v. 36)

Household; estate - slaves. May

Jesus can set slaves free!!!

What is Freedom? (v. 32, 36)

I want to understand freedom biblically - it’s more than just saying Jesus sets you free from sin; yes but there is more

I also want us to understand the difference between biblical freedom and the way our culture defines freedom. We probably think of freedom the way our culture does; not the way the Bible does

My goal in that is to demonstrate that freedom in our culture is actually not freedom; at least not the freedom we all crave and want. The freedom we crave and want is found only in Jesus. and he is the only one who can give this freedom. (supreme court; politicians; laws can’t)

Freedom according to the Bible: being rescued, through faith in Jesus, from the coercive power of sin in order to be able to live in loving obedience to God. (adapted from The IVP Pocket Reference Series: Pocket Dictionary of Ethics, 44.)

Unpack this - Freedom is found through faith alone in Jesus alone - he alone can rescue; we can’t rescue ourselves; unable - slaves; spiritually dead - our only hope is outside of ourselves - we need the Son to set us free (v. 36)

Freedom involves being rescued from the power of sin - sin enslaves; it is coercive; it’s a power that exploits you - if you sin you are enslaved to sin (v. 34)

This rescue is for a purpose - in order to be able to live in loving obedience to God.

Change in masters - sin vs God…set free to serve..God…others…in love (obedience to God’s commands is all about love)

But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. ()

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ()

Set free from sin to serve; to obey; to love (freedom to do whatever you want, but to do what you ought to do)

Freedom according to culture: free to define our own existence; to determine right and wrong for me.

Frozen, Let it Go (It's time to see what I can do; To test the limits and break through; No right, no wrong, no rules for me; I'm free!)

No rules, no constraints - nothing to prevent, restrict, or dictate what I can or can’t do. I’m Free!!!

That sounds like what you/I want…but…it’s not the type of freedom you want/crave/desire

Because...in this type of freedom there are no constrains, and if you have no constraints, you can’t have love

There is no love, no good marriages, no gospel, nothing but emptiness with this concept of freedom.

This sort of freedom is a lonely, self-absorbed and is more like slavery. This concept of freedom is actually what is wrong with our world. It’s why we have exploitation, the MeToo movement, abuse, all that is bad and hurtful in this world.

Because our world has defined freedom as the ability to do whatever you want and there are no constraints.

Big idea - Love and loving relationships require constraints; rules; boundaries - without them you can’t have loving relationships

It’s a lonely, self-absorbed freedom that is more like slavery. That concept of freedom is actually what is wrong with our world. This sort of concept of freedom is why we have exploitation, MeToo movement, abuse, all that is bad and hurtful in this world

Marriage - for a marriage to work, flourish, good - what kind of rules/constraints do you need?

I need my freedom; I need to be able to come and go as I please; see who i want to see - work?

I need my freedom; I need to be able to come and go as I please; see who i want to see

Open marriage - sex with other people - work?

I have to get my way all the time, you serve me, bend to my every request - work?

Constraints - devoted to each other; no adultery; serve the other person - the type of ground rules God laid down for us

Friendship - don’t gossip about them; don’t lie to each other; don’t break promises; you forgive and not hold gudges

Love requires constraints.

If you throw off all constraints, live for yourself - you may call it freedom but there can be no love, no relationship. And that is a lonely prison

If you throw off all constraints, not only do you not have love, but you end up with abuse and exploitation

April 4, 2019 article in the Atlantic (The Happiness Recession)

In 2018, happiness among young adults in America fell to a record low. The share of adults ages 18 to 34 reporting that they were“very happy” in life fell to 25 percent—the lowest level that the General Social Survey, a key barometer of American social life, has ever recorded for that population. Happiness fell most among young men—with only 22 percent of young men (and 28 percent of young women) reporting that they were “very happy” in 2018.

Why? Human beings find meaning, direction, and purpose in and through our social relationships with others. We’re happiest when our ties with others are deep and strong. And the research tells us that the ebb and flow of happiness in America is clearly linked to the quality and character of our social ties—including our friendships, community ties, and marriage. (Happiness is down - relationships are down…)

Marriage - down

Church attendance - down

Only thing up - is friendship. “It may be that rising social time spent with friends in recent years could be buffering young adults from the declines in institutions such as marriage or religion, as friends stand in place of other relationships or forms of community.”

Article turns to sex - down too (not because more and more 18-34 year olds are discovering God’s standards for sex - in the article this a concern; we aren’t happy; maybe its because we aren’t having sex - more sex would make us happy - empty and we are looking for something to satisfy).

Biblically first - God put constraints on sex - man/woman in marriage; it’s a very intimate way of loving the other person in marriage. It is the self-giving of yourself sexually for the benefit of you spouse (). Culture has thrown off all restraints - free! sexual freedom! Sex has become a selfish pleasure, much like a fix from a drug that must be satisfied.

Sex is down - one of the big reasons is things like the MeToo movement. “The #MeToo era has taught us, there has been too much unwanted or nonconsensual sex out there, which is obviously bad for the (more often female) target of such advances.”

Church - requires a God who is over you

If you throw off all sexual restraints - sex becomes the gratification of selfish pleasure - you take sex, you get sex anyway, anytime you want. End up with abuse, exploitation - result of sexual liberation; throwing off all constraints

Constraints are not only required for love, but anything that is beautiful and enjoyable - there are constraints; rules; boundaries

Anything that is beautiful and enjoyable - there are rules

#MeToo era has taught us, there has been too much unwanted or nonconsensual sex out there, which is obviously bad for the (more often female) target of such advances. From this perspective, the so-called sex recession might just amount to a sexual recalibration, with a lot of bad sex being eliminated from our social lives—and this would be a good thing.

Anything that is beautiful and enjoyable - there are rules (art - painting; music; dance - best art, the most free art is the art that plays by the rules)

Art - painting; music; dance - best art, the most free art is the art that plays by the rules

Artistic power thrives on the tension between freedom and constraint. Artists constantly balance the dynamics of these seemingly contradictory states. A recent performance of Variations on a Theme by Haydn by Johannes Brahms was a reminder of how artists use constraints—such as the melody of the St. Anthony Theme—to create something altogether new. Jazz musicians do this all of the time with improvised solos around a pre-defined harmonic structure. (http://artsawareness.com/artistic-expression/constraints-enable-freedom/)

Techniques, structures, and rules of the art form—within that is the freedom of creative expression.

Gymnastics - floor routine; music; dancing; skill - it all makes sense because there are boundaries; the movement is in sync with the music - choreography; time limits. There is freedom marked by boundaries. Without the boundaries it wouldn’t make sense.

Freedom requires the right constraints; boundaries…and God has given us those boundaries (marriage, family, life, sexuality, gender, money) - within those boundaries we have great freedom (freedom in Christ)

If you think freedom is about throwing off all boundaries and constraints like our society does and is doing, you won’t be free and you won’t experience love and loving relationships.

That is what is unique about Christianity - we worship a God who has forgiven us through Jesus; we have experienced his love and now we submit him and follow his rules - we have a family - the family of God where there is love; God himself indwells us and producing fruit in our live - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness - everything conducive for a family where there is love and unity.

We flourish, we are the most happy and content people because we have died and our lives are found in Christ.

True freedom is, then, the exact opposite of what many people think. It is not freedom from all responsibility to God and others, in order to live for myself. That is bondage to my own self-centeredness. Instead, true freedom is freedom from my silly little self, in order to live responsibly in love for God and others. (John Stott, The Contemporary Christian)

The world is throwing off the constraints thinking they will gain freedom - they are unhappy and empty

Freedom according to the Bible: being rescued, through faith in Jesus, from the coercive power of sin in order to be able to live in loving obedience to God.

Sometimes we forget who we are - new creations in Christ and we begin to live again like Elsa in Frozen - No right, no wrong, no rules for me; I'm free!

The world is throwing off the constraints thinking they will gain freedom - they are unhappy and empty

You end up miserable, empty; other’s around you suffer - this might be the reminder you need. Freedom is found in Christ and embracing him; being constrained by him

True love places constraints on the lover, for love is essentially self-giving. And this brings us to a startling Christian paradox. True freedom is freedom to be my true self, as God made me and meant me to be. And God made me for loving. But loving is giving, self-giving. Therefore, in order to be myself, I have to deny myself and give myself. In order to be free, I have to serve. In order to live, I have to die to my own self-centeredness. In order to find myself, I have to lose myself in loving. True freedom is, then, the exact opposite of what many people think. It is not freedom from all responsibility to God and others, in order to live for myself. That is bondage to my own self-centeredness. Instead, true freedom is freedom from my silly little self, in order to live responsibly in love for God and others. (John Stott, The Contemporary Christian)

Tie all of this in with the storyline of the Bible and it makes sense

Here is what I mean

. in order to be able to live in loving obedience to God. (adapted from The IVP Pocket Reference Series: Pocket Dictionary of Ethics, 44.)

Freedom is found through faith alone in Jesus alone - he alone can rescue; we can’t rescue ourselves; unable (v. 36)

Freedom is found through faith alone in Jesus alone - he alone can rescue; we can’t rescue ourselves; unable

Freedom involves being rescued from the power of sin - sin enslaves; it is coercive; it’s a power that exploits you - if you are in your sin you are enslaved to sin (v. 34)

Free from the power of sin - it enslaves; it is coercive - if you are in your sin you are enslaved to sin

This rescue is for a purpose - in order to be able to live in loving obedience to God.

But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. ()

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Gal. 5:13-14)

Set free from sin to serve; to obey; to love (freedom to do whatever you want, but to do what you ought to do)

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

Set free from sin to serve; to obey; to love

Simplistic - right to live anyway I want; i’m free to do what I want to do

Freedom Explored

freedom is understood as the state of being rescued from the coercive power of sin in order to be able to live in obedience to God. In this sense, freedom is connected to the idea of the ability to live in accordance with one’s nature or telos (goal or purpose) as given by God. (Stanley J. Grenz and Jay T. Smith, Pocket Dictionary of Ethics, The IVP Pocket Reference Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 44.)

Stanley J. Grenz and Jay T. Smith, Pocket Dictionary of Ethics, The IVP Pocket Reference Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 44.

What do I mean by that? And how does this apply to these Jewish people - serious, studied God’s word, keep the 10 commandments; they seem obedient!

The ability to do what we are designed by God to do.

Yet...slaves of sin; not free

Freedom Explored

The definition i am using is way different than what most people think of when they think of freedom.

It's time to see what I can do

To test the limits and break through

No rules, no constraints - nothing to prevent, restrict, or dictate what I can or can’t do. I’m Free!!!

No right, no wrong, no rules for me

That sounds like what you/I want…but…it’s actually not the type of freedom you want/crave/desire

I'm free!

Because...in this type of freedom there is no love; there can be no love here, no relationship…it’s a lonely, self-absorbed freedom that is more like slavery. That concept of freedom is actually what is wrong with our world

Here is what I mean

Not the type of freedom you want/crave/desire

In the beginning - God created everything (crucial starting point - start with God)

God created humanity - male and female - for a purpose - to honor God, trust him, obey him - obedience works itself out in loving him and others

Law summed up in on word - love (); 1st and 2nd Great Commandments (Mt. 22:37-40)

In the beginning we were free and there was loving obedience

in the beginning we were free and there was loving obedience

We were free yet there were boundaries; constraints placed upon us - there had to be.

But what happened? Sin. Adam and Eve rejected Go...and we have too

We through off the restraints. No more God; no more God’s rules; no more submitting - I am now the boss; i determine right and wrong; i’m the master of my fate; i’m the captain of my soul - we thought we were becoming free

But we didn’t realize that by rejecting God and his ways; trusting and obeying ourselves; loving ourselves - we were not becoming free, we were being enslaved

Because of our sin, we become selfish; we turn in on ourselves; we become self-centered

Everything we do is now selfish - in this new world of independence from God we become slaves to our own selfishness - there is no love. there can’t be

If we are selfish - everything is for my benefit; people are for me; the serve me; they bend to me; I want my way; i get my way - even if that means taking from you, hurting you, running over you

If we are selfish - everything is for my benefit; people are for me; the serve me; they bend to me; I want my way; i get my way - even if that means taking from you, hurting you, running ove ryou

In that situation you don’t have a loving relationship between two parties - you have one being used and the other abused; exploitation; power plays; dominance

Even rule keeping - 10 commandments - can be done without love. You can serve in ministry; volunteer - without love (read ); We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (Is. 64:6)

In 2018, happiness among young adults in America fell to a record low. The share of adults ages 18 to 34 reporting that they were“very happy” in life fell to 25 percent—the lowest level that the General Social Survey, a key barometer of American social life, has ever recorded for that population. Happiness fell most among young men—with only 22 percent of young men (and 28 percent of young women) reporting that they were “very happy” in 2018.

E.G. sex (New York er - sex-liberation isn’t all that liberating)

Why? Human beings find meaning, direction, and purpose in and through our social relationships with others. We’re happiest when our ties with others are deep and strong. And the research tells us that the ebb and flow of happiness in America is clearly linked to the quality and character of our social ties—including our friendships, community ties, and marriage.

Marriage - down

In 2018, happiness among young adults in America fell to a record low. The share of adults ages 18 to 34 reporting that they were“very happy” in life fell to 25 percent—the lowest level that the General Social Survey, a key barometer of American social life, has ever recorded for that population. Happiness fell most among young men—with only 22 percent of young men (and 28 percent of young women) reporting that they were “very happy” in 2018.

Church attendance - down

Sex - down

Why? Human beings find meaning, direction, and purpose in and through our social relationships with others. We’re happiest when our ties with others are deep and strong. And the research tells us that the ebb and flow of happiness in America is clearly linked to the quality and character of our social ties—including our friendships, community ties, and marriage.

Marriage - down

Only thing up - is friendship. “It may be that rising social time spent with friends in recent years could be buffering young adults from the declines in institutions such as marriage or religion, as friends stand in place of other relationships or forms of community.”

Church attendance - down

Sex - down

Only thing up - is friendship. “It may be that rising social time spent with friends in recent years could be buffering young adults from the declines in institutions such as marriage or religion, as friends stand in place of other relationships or forms of community.”

Friends - since 2006, contact with friends is up...it may be that rising social time spent with friends in recent years could be buffering young adults from the declines in institutions such as marriage or religion, as friends stand in place of other relationships or forms of community.

Marriage - requires love

Church - requires a God who is over you

#MeToo era has taught us, there has been too much unwanted or nonconsensual sex out there, which is obviously bad for the (more often female) target of such advances. From this perspective, the so-called sex recession might just amount to a sexual recalibration, with a lot of bad sex being eliminated from our social lives—and this would be a good thing.

Marriage - requires love

Church - requires a God who is over you

Unfortunatley culture, who is independent of God and suggest throwing off all sexual mores,

#MeToo era has taught us, there has been too much unwanted or nonconsensual sex out there, which is obviously bad for the (more often female) target of such advances. From this perspective, the so-called sex recession might just amount to a sexual recalibration, with a lot of bad sex being eliminated from our social lives—and this would be a good thing.

They don’t fully understand - sex - for it to be enjoyed; free; good - has to be constraints - one man, one woman in marriage.

Big point -

sex - for it to be enjoyed; free; good - has to be constraints - one man, one woman in marriage.

Anything that is beautiful and enjoyable - there are rules (art - painting; music; dance - best art, the most free art is the art that plays by the rules)

Artistic power thrives on the tension between freedom and constraint. Artists constantly balance the dynamics of these seemingly contradictory states. A recent performance of Variations on a Theme by Haydn by Johannes Brahms was a reminder of how artists use constraints—such as the melody of the St. Anthony Theme—to create something altogether new. Jazz musicians do this all of the time with improvised solos around a pre-defined harmonic structure. All artists balance skill practice—basic techniques, structures, and rules of the art form—with freedom to influence their creative expressions.(http://artsawareness.com/artistic-expression/constraints-enable-freedom/)

Gymnastics - floor routine; music; dancing; skill - it all makes sense because there are boundaries; the movement is in sync with the music - choreography; time limits. There is freedom marked by boundaries. Without the boundaries it wouldn’t make sense.

Freedom, happiness, strength - with the right constraints; boundaries

Our world is turned in on itself - we use, abuse, and exploit other for out benefit

Even rule keeping - 10 commandments - can be done without love. You can serve in ministry; volunteer - without love (read ); We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (Is. 64:6)

and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.

We all fade like a leaf,

and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

That’s what is going on in - they are rule-keepers, but they are enslaved to sin; their rule-keeping isn’t expressed in love for God or neighbor

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

That’s what is going on in - they are rule-keepers, but they are enslaved to sin

Go to church, serve, be moral - be a slave to sin.

You can give an outward profession of faith but it’s false; it’s shallow — you are no different from these people - slaves of sin.

Have you come to the point where you recognize this is true of you? ()

have you come to the point where you recognize this is true of you? ()

We need someone to liberate us; set us free — Jesus claims to be the one who can do that - good news!!!

Jesus claims to be able to set slaves free

I’m free to determine right/wrong; gender; marriage - I’m free - doesn’t lead to freedom; it actually enslavesReason why - for freedom to work, you have to have constraints

How Does Jesus set us free?

First, Jesus enters into this world, fully God and fully human - free! God is free! he is free!

He enters into this world, fully God and fully human - free! God is free! he is free!

Yet he is obedient to his heavenly Father - never sins - constraints!

He is obedient to his heavenly Father - never sins, perfectly free

In love he goes to the cross, offers himself/gives himself out of love for us

In love he dies for our sins and forgives us

He gives us a new heart; a new creation - new desires, new orientation to life and we begin to love like he loves

He offers himself for you - the good news. Through faith in him you can experience his salvation.

Second, There is a cost to this freedom

You have to embrace Jesus.

True faith leads to commitment and embracing Jesus

we have to be able to say along with Paul - I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ()

And then just like last week, you will find that Jesus is the bread of life that satisfies and you’ll find that he sets you free from sin to be and do what God created you to be and do - lovingly obedient.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

And just like last week, you will find that Jesus is the bread of life that satisfies and you’ll find that he sets you free from sin to be and do what God created you to be and do - lovingly obedient.

You have to abide in him! There is a cost to this freedom

You have to embrace Jesus.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

True faith leads to commitment and embracing that cost.

True freedom is, then, the exact opposite of what many people think. It is not freedom from all responsibility to God and others, in order to live for myself. That is bondage to my own self-centeredness. Instead, true freedom is freedom from my silly little self, in order to live responsibly in love for God and others. (John Stott, The Contemporary Christian)

Questions

Does this mean if I am free i will never sin? already-not yet

What if I believe this, but I am enslaved? Maybe you are like the people here - you aren’t really committed to Jesus