Sermon Tone Analysis

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)

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

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.

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.