08 - 11 - 19 Freedom (John 8 : 31 - 38)
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Imprisoned for more than 45 years for a murder he didn't commit, Richard Phillips spent more time behind bars than any other wrongfully imprisoned person in America. But after another man admitted to that murder, the Michigan native was exonerated and released from prison last March.
We hear stories like this, and be certain, there are many more like it...
And we FEEL - the bittersweetness of it...
On the one hand - OH MY - 45 YEARS in a cage for something you didn’t do!!
On the other hand - OH MY - you’re FREE!! FREEDOM!!
Bittersweet - dichotomy
We hear stories like this, and we have strong reactions to them because - I BELIEVE...
...we all have experienced being "imprisoned" or "enslaved" in our own ways...
we've all been sick - some of us REALLY sick - and during that time we felt IMPRISONED
we've all had times when we just wanted to BREAK AWAY from life - and during those times we felt IMPRISONED, ENSLAVED to this system of
need property...need funds to pay for property...pay off property...or lose property" - -
hungry, need food...need money for food....WORK for money - get money for food...buy food, eat food
hungry again...repeat!
We've all experienced - being IMPRISONED...ENSLAVED ... in our own way...
And we’re going to see this same dichotomy in our text today...
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’?”
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.
37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.
38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
So - we can see that the main theme in this passage here is - regarding FREEDOM...
Now - this theme is one that CONFUSED the Jews Jesus was speaking to…SHOCKING right?
If you recall from last week - we ended by seeing that AS Christ was SPEAKING TRUTH about being IN SIN…and by contrast - IN HIM...
v30 said - As He was saying these things, many BELIEVED!
Now this week - we start by Jesus confronting those Jews...
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.”
So Jesus makes a statement here that the world likes to borrow...
SLIDE: City College in S.F.
“The truth will set you free”
THIS HERE - is referring to - KNOWLEDGE...
That is NOT what Jesus was referring to...
And so just like it has confused these Universities…it confused the 1st century Jews...
Jesus says - If you abide in my word, you are TRULY my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free!
How did they respond?
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’?”
So we can see from this statement that the Jews were CONFUSED about a specific aspect of what Jesus had said...
What was it?
Freedom - in relation to slavery
They heard Jesus say - You will become FREE - IF...
And they knew He was therefore INFERRING that they were - NOT FREE!
They knew that He was inferring that SOMEHOW they were ENSLAVED to SOMEONE or something!
but they couldn’t figure it out!
And so what they do is - they SUPPLY Jesus with their SECURITY...
What do they say - - “We are offspring of Abraham”...
And so do you see what the WORLD does...
SLIDE: The World in Bondage: Seeks Security in the Physical
The World in Bondage
The World in Bondage
Exercise
Diet
Meditation
Health
Wealth
The LOST world seeks security in these things...
The LOST world - who doesn’t believe in an after-life…they seek THESE things to SUSTAIN them until the grave...
Listen to the wisdom Paul shares in 1 Timothy...
17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.
What is Paul saying here?
He’s saying - Do NOT set your hope on that which is UNCERTAIN...
This world is UNCERTAIN!!
Yet the WORLD sets its HOPE on these things...
THEREFORE - the WORLD (lost world) is in BONDAGE!!
Bondage to SIN
But even the LOST - Religious world
Seeks security in the physical - and THIS is what we see here in our text
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’?”
“We are offspring of Abraham”
These JEWS - confronted with spiritual LOSTNESS...
REACH for what brings security - in their minds...
They believe that BEING descendents of Abraham would EARN them a place with God...
FAST FORWARD to today -
We point to our securities today...
church attendence
tithing
ministry work
We may even point to our water baptism
Even KNOWLEDGE of Jesus Christ
We’ll POINT to these things - and find REST in them...
This is what the LOST world does - it SEEKS security - in the physical...
AND SO WE need to be mindful - examine ourselves in light of this truth...
And so the Jews here - they continue on - and they further demonstrate that what Jesus is saying is going over their heads!!
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’?”
“We have never been enslaved to - anyone”
The JEWS mind - AGAIN - is hung up on the physical...
They can’t comprehend that Christ is talking about being ENSLAVED to SOMETHING else!
v34
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.
Jesus says - Everyone who PRACTICES sin is a slave to sin...
The idea here is that this person LIVES in their sin...
They pursue it, justify it...
they - worship it.
And this is different than how Paul describes his life of sanctification AS a BELIEVER...
living life as a Christian in a fallen world...
19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.
20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
Is Paul here - PRACTICING SIN?
No - and the key to understand he’s not is how he describes his MOTIVES...
v19 said - “I do not do the good [I WANT], but the evil i [DO NOT WANT] is what I keep on doing!”
Do you HEAR the struggle in Paul’s life?
He’s not PRACTICING SIN - He’s WARRING AGAINST it!!
And so when Jesus describes UNBELIEVERS as being - SLAVES TO SIN…in BONDAGE to sin...
He’s describing something like this...
**Imagine the UNIVERSE (trillions of lightyears wide)
**Now imagine the universe is now - ALL water (water FILLS the universe)
SLIDE: WATER
SLIDE: Water with big person
SLIDE: Water with SMALL person
And you’re on the earth - with water from the ground to the ends of the universe
And you LIVED your entire life in that water...
No matter what you did…you’d be IN WATER
you wake up - in water
you go into your kitchen - make yourself some food - in water
you cut your grass - in water
you drive to work - in water
you fly to Florida - in water
you LIVE YOUR ENTIRE LIFE IN WATER
AND - when you cut yourself - you BLEED water
EXISTENCE itself - is saturated with WATER...
Now - that’s PHYSICAL - let’s take that same analogy - and now apply it to the Spiritual.
WHEN JESUS elevates and HIGHLIGHTS mankind’s BONDAGE to SIN...
being a slave to sin...
He’s giving us a PICTURE where in THIS analogy, the water is SIN...
NO MATTER WHAT we do - we’re IN SIN....in BONDAGE to SIN...
And so APART from Faith in Jesus - EVERYTHING we do - is - SIN
BUT - when we place our FAITH and TRUST in CHRIST!!....
AS JESUS SAYS - we will be SET FREE!!
What does that LOOK LIKE?
SLIDE: Water with LIGHT-person in water
You see?
This person still surrounded by water - SIN...
YET - the INNER MAN - redeemed!
You see this person’s LIMBs - still dark…this is the OUTER FLESH...
We still deal with sin right?
We still do what is EVIL in God’s eyes...
BUT NOW...
Having our INNER PERSON redeemed - we no longer WANT to do those things...
we no longer WANT to sin!
And we read of this in Romans 7...
21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.
22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being,
23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
Do you see - the LAW of SIN that dwells in our members…still in contact with what - the water (SIN)
YET - now with FAITH - now with the LIGHT of Jesus inside - we have NEW DESIRES...
…to OBEY the law of God - and that’s where the WAR plays out...
INNER man redeemed - outer flesh in love with SIN
SLIDE: Water with Big Person
THIS is an UNBELIEVER - in BONDAGE to SIN (everything they do is SIN)
SLIDE: Water with Light-Person
THIS is FREE person - spiritually FREE! (still dealing with SIN - but warring against it
This is the FREEDOM that Jesus was talking about!
This is the FREEDOM that (THE TRUTH) Jesus supplies...
BUT A WORLD IN BONDAGE - wants NO PART of - THE TRUTH
so the WORLD in Bondage not only seeks SECURITY in the Physical...
BUT
it also...
SLIDE: The World in Bondage: Wages War Against the Truth
The World in Bondage
The World in Bondage
Jump down to v37
37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.
38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
Jesus says- I KNOW you are offspring of Abraham....
Your physical lineage comes from Abraham… BUT - that doesn’t BRING - FREEDOM!
You’re all SLAVES to SIN...
Want me to PROVE it Jesus asks!
Jesus says - YOU ACTUALLY prove it...
Your LIFE - PROVES it!!
“Yes you are offspring of Abraham…YET - here’s the proof you’re still a slave and not a son...
…you seek to kill Me (THE TRUTH)...”
You don’t WAR against your sin...
You.DESIRE.TO.KILL.ME
You are in BONDAGE to SIN!
You take orders from SIN...
and you LOVE it!
you can’t SAY WITH PAUL - i do what I DO NOT WANT to do..
NO - you do what you WANT to do!
You are SLAVES to that which will destroy you!
SO WHAT’S THE CALL - of Christ?
BE FREE!
Trust
Surrender!
LOSE your life - and you will FIND it!
Turn to Jesus Christ!
He SUPPLIES the FREEDOM!
He breaks the CHAINS!!
And when that FREEDOM is supplied -
SLIDE: Freedom in Christ: From Slave to Son
Freedom in Christ
Freedom in Christ
we go from a SLAVE to SIN - to a CHILD of GOD...
35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.
Slaves don’t receive an inheritance...
Slaves are not sons...
And listen to how Paul describes this dichotomy...
15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
And we can conclude from this text that FREEDOM in Christ brings with it -
Peace - not fear
Boldness - not fear
Action - not fear
Freedom in Christ means that - regardless of what comes to me in life - i can be assured that - GOD IS FOR ME!!
5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
Think of how FREEING that is!
If I am FREE in Christ… (trusting in Him)
Then that means if Cancer comes - GOD IS STILL FOR ME...
If loss comes - God is still for me
If pain and suffering comes - God is still for me!!
If I SIN - God is still for me - because Christ is my advocate!
Have you been set FREE?
Have you laid down all your attempts at getting to Heaven...
Have you turned to Christ - trusting in Him and all that He is for you?
If not - you’re in Bondage - you need FREEDOM.
Trust Him…He breaks the chains of death...
IF YOU HAVE trusted Him - If you ARE His...
then be encouraged today - that GOD IS FOR YOU!!
What have we seen today?
SLIDE: The World in Bondage: Seeks Security in the Physical
The World in Bondage
The World in Bondage
SLIDE: The World in Bondage: Wages War Against the Truth
The World in Bondage
The World in Bondage
SLIDE: Freedom in Christ: From Slave to Son
Freedom in Christ
Freedom in Christ
And all the blessings that come with it...
Peace with God
Boldness
Action
Let’s Pray