True Freedom

True Freedom - John 8:31-47

We are going to play a quiz type game, don’t worry I will try and keep it simple, as I know it is early morning on a Sunday. You just need to answer if each slide is either a picture of freedom or enslavement. Are we ready?

Slide 1

Slide 2

Slide 3

Slide 4

Well as you can see, I set you up a bit. Especially the one of a fellow believer imprisoned, we could argue that he might be the freeiest of all the pictures. Now that last slide people have been deluded to think that it brings freedom. Or maybe, just maybe they are living out the desires of their true father the father of lives the satan himself.

Three Points

Divine Experience - vv. 31-41

Divine Response - vv. 42-49

Divine Application - What is this saying to CCC

Divine Experience vs Divine Delusion - vv. 31-41

I remember my first experience with Jesus, I was in religious education class for one day. Because when my mum found out she hit the roof and took me out of class, I was the only one so I had to sit outside where the teacher could see me through the window. Fast forward to when Jesus had the last laugh with my mum and saved me from sin and death.

That is not the experience of Jesus I want to chat to you about. It is the encounter I had a few years ago. You see when I was not having the best of time as a Christian and faced some unhealthy practices by othes, I started to not enjoy my walk. Couple that with some things that I hadn’t stopped to sort out with God and it was a recipe for disaster.

Long story short my wife to said to me “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” If I am honest I had been wrestling with that verse in my mind, but having someone speak it to me was the clincher. I sorted some much needed counsel, and shared the bitterness and hurt that had built up inside, and confessed my sin of habouring some resentment. to say that the weight lifted off of my shoulders and the overwhelming love, grace and mercy that poured over me was so refreshing.

Even though we will find that Jesus speaks these words to non-believers the truth remains the same for his disciples.

John 8:31 “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.”

V 8:31)

this verse is referring to the ‘many’ who ‘put their faith in him’ in the preceding verse, who actually turned out to be, in Jesus’ view, slaves to sin (v. 34), indifferent to Jesus’ word (v. 37), children of the devil (v. 44), liars (v. 55), and guilty of mob tactics, including attempted murder of the one in whom they have professed to believe (v. 59).

There is a fickle faith that was introduced;

John 2:23-25 “Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.”

the many people who believed in his name when they saw the miraculous signs Jesus was doing turn out to have untrustworthy faith (2:24–25). You see they wanted the vending machine Jesus, sadly there are many like that today too.

the same theme of fickle faith recurs in 6:60, where many of Jesus’ disciples turn away from him after a discourse of which they disapprove, not after a sign.

John 6:60 “On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?””

A similar situation develops here. Some believe in Jesus: whether or not their faith is genuine cannot be determined by surface level observation, Jesus is digging a bit deeper to see the genuiness of this faith and may he do that with us to.

Jesus now lays down exactly what it is that separates fickle faith from true faith, fickle disciples from genuine disciples: If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. The verb rendered ‘hold’ is menō, to abide, to remain. Here are some verses to help lock it into our minds and hearts

2 Jn. 9 “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”

Heb. 3:14 “We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.”

Rev. 2:26 “To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—”

Again, we mourn those who were amongst us but not of us. I have come across these folks and it is hard to see where they went wrong. I have discovered this now though, many want Jesus to be their Saviour only, where the few want Jesus to be their Lord and Saviour. Jesus here in this verse is talking about his authority.

A summary statement for this verse and probably this whole passage is;

True Morality and truth is experiencing Jesus through relationship, which is made up by following him, and putting into practice his teachings

John 8:32 “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.””

In Verse 32. Holding to Jesus’ teaching (v. 31) not only establishes the genuineness of faith, it also has its own authenticating power.

On ‘truth’, here it is close to the meaning of ‘gospel’, the truth that has been revealed in and by Jesus. Because of truth’s intimate connection with Jesus, true disciples ‘must not only hear his words: they must in some sort be united with him who is the truth’

Dodd says. Judaism taught that study of the law makes a man free...the Fourth Gospel insists that the law points to Jesus himself the truth (14:6) and the one who is full of grace and truth .

John 8:33-36 “They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Verses 33-36 state If Jesus is offering freedom, the assumption is that the Jews are currently slaves. This they emphatically deny: how can they be considered slaves to anyone or anything when they are Abraham’s descendants.

This obviously can’t mean slaves in the physical sense, for the people of God had been conquered and enslaved, in fact in the day that this theological debate was raging between Jesus and the Jews they were under Roman occupation. So it is meaning slaves to sin.

The final sentence of this verse, How can you say that we shall be set free?, has an ugly, challenging tone to it that anticipates v. 53. These ‘believers’ are already demonstrating their unwillingness to hold to Jesus’ teaching (v. 31), for their sense of inherited privilege is so strong they can neither acknowledge their own need nor recognize the divine Word incarnate before them. Their very words demonstrate their slavery in the categories of the next verse. they were trapped by the very law they say has set them free, as they could not keep it.

In Verse 37. The Jews have tied their self-professed freedom to their status as the ‘seed’ of Abraham (v. 33), so Jesus now turns to that question. Even in the Old Testament, physical descent from Abraham was not sufficient to determine the line of the seed, the real heirs of Abraham

Gal. 4:21–31 A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly: and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code.

Jesus explains that slavery and freedom is not defined by being a relative of Abraham, but by coming under the new covenant ushered in by Christ. One where he kept all the laws and was perfect. And through him they could have the same salvation we have. So Christian do not get puffed up by your christianity and status, you like me and them are all sinners.

The slavemaster was not Caesar, but shameful self-centredness, an evil and enslaving devotion to created things at the expense of worship of the Creator. Or to put it another way the self delusion that they could in some way create through a supposed perfect keeping of the law earn some of their salvation, and through their Grandad Abraham have some status of why they should have status in the inner circle. Folks, God has no grandchildren only children. You cannot be saved by your parents, spouse, family member or anyone elses faith.

John 8:36 “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Jesus

The greek word usage here for Son is an authorotative one. Ho Houios To Theon, means the on true son The Christ.

So if the Son sets you free—now not simply the son of a carpenter, but the Son of God, as that title is repeatedly used in this Gospel)—you will be free indeed. Jesus not only enjoys inalienable rights as the unique Son of God, but exercises full authority, vested in him by the Father, to liberate slaves. Those whom Jesus liberates from the tyranny of sin are really (ontōs) free . True freedom is not the liberty to do anything we please, but the liberty to do what we ought; and it is genuine liberty because doing what we ought now pleases us.

John 8:39-41 ““Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the works of your own father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.””

In Verses 39 to 41 Jesus starts to contrast that even if they are claimimg Abraham as their lineage that they don’t even resemble him either. He expresses clearly that unlike Abraham who obeyed God’s voice, followed his commandments and walked closely with him that by their actions they have grown deaf to God and his true ways (loving God with all their being and loving their neighbour), they have no heart for God the Father, they are actually showing heart for their true Father the devil.

Matthew 15:8

“ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”

Question

Are we a slave to our culture, polictical party, or even any other ideology that is not Christ’s? or are we a slave to the biggest slave master self-centredness. As I said last week Selfism the fastest growing religion. Where are our hearts focused today, to our new Father or our old one?

2. Divine Response - vv. 42-49

John 8:42-43 “Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say.”

V 42-43)

Love is the Sign

Love is knowing with absolute certainty that he himself has come from God and has been sent by him . Jesus can only conclude that if the Jews do not enthusiastically embrace him and love him, it must be because they themselves do not know the Father

1 Jn. 5:1 “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.”

John 8:44-45 “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!”

V44-45

Jesus has already alluded who their true father is, but becasue they are hard of hearing and stiffed neck he spells it out for them; vv. 44–45 now make the point explicit. So it makes sense that they want to carry out their desires are the desires of their true father the father of lies. Jesus thens points out those desires, murderious liars, which we would see play out when Jesus was murdered through the testimony of false witness.

1.) Murder speaks to Genesis, Where Satan robbed Adam of his Spiritual life, and death entered into the world through it

2.) In the Garden Satan says “You will not surely die” which was a lie and deception.

The religious elite here will do the work of Satan, by making false alegations about Jesus and plot his murder. A sign that Satan is their Father.

V45)

“because I tell the truth, you do not believe in me’” The children of God will so love the truth that they will believe in Jesus; the children of the devil will be so characterized by lies that they will not be able to accept the truth, precisely because it is the truth.

John 8:46-47 “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.””

V46-47)

Jesus issues a challenge, test me, see if what I am saying is the truth, if it is why is that not allowing you to rethink, and then check your own belief and reject it. Because I am from the true Father and sharing his Word about me. You are deaf to God becasue he is not your Father, the devil is. The conclusion is inevitable: The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God

3. Divine Application

Whilst this passage is aimed at the contrast between disciples and unbelievers, it still applies to us today. Firstly, not everyone who comes to church is a believer. This was apparent when having to deal with people who were part of the church but still unregenerate. They sit through the service, sing the songs, even speak the language. Jesus would say of them “They honour me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” This is not a place where you get promoted becasue you have been going to church the longest. Like these in this passage they are deaf to the truth of the gospel and do not follow Christ nor obedient to his word. They want him as a get out of jail free card, they like the saviour part but not the Lord part.

Secondly, there is a struggle even for believers who war between the ways of the old father and the new Father, thats the now but not yet, but the key here is that they war/fight and grieve their sins and daily repent of them. They war to fight against the old flesh who wants to rebel and pull away from Jesus, and the new life that wants very much to embrace Jesus every day and follow him everywhere. However, why is the true people of God not completely free.

Why do they struggle to have the joy. Could it be becasue they are in some way in enslaved? There does still seem to be a disconnect between true disciples and the freedom that is offered? is it the power itself? If I am in darkness but don’t flick the switch, is it a power source problem or an operator error? You need the truth and the truth will set you free. Part of Jesus’ teaching is to confess, repent, and pick up your cross and follow him daily. Part of it is that we won’t do the work of thinking in the gospel daily, truly meditating and putting into practice the word of God.

Some of you are trapped, becasue you have locked doors of sin in your life. Sure, you have unlocked some of them, the more palitable acceptable to church doors. But the same key that unlocked those doors is the same key to unlock those dark dungeon doors. The doors locking the ones that the enemy has lied to you about, he has told you that no one will talk to you again, God will hate you and so will the rest of the Church, or you are the only one that sins like that and you will be judged by others. And, before you say that all you need to do is confess them to God, why are they still enslaving you.

God is not a liar, he is truth we have just seen that in this passage. Could it be becasue you need to confess it to a brother or a sister? I can speak from experieince the freedom that comes with the truth. We can use the excuse that the church will not understand and I will be ostrichised and gossiped about. Whilst this is an excuse, sadly there is some truth to it.

The church is struggling to be the church to each other, to be that safe place of gospel confession to one another and discipleship. In some ways the church in the west hasn’t even got to the first wrung of the Gospel. Sadly, at large we are still at the milk stage. We think we are at the meat stage, but can’t even properly care for each other in the fundamentals of the faith. How can we meet that level of trust that is neede to open up?

Meet together more than once or twice in the week. Do life together, get into each others lives. Collie Church I am talking about you! We have the Spirit of truth inside of us, lets open that to others, lets flick the switch which is living our faith in action. Let’s live it out and actually do what Jesus says.

Let us also work on the plank in our own eyes so then we can help take the speck out of our brothers eye. If you have been wronged, be the person you wished you had, don’t reward like with like. If you have unforgiveness in your heart, follow what Jesus intructs you to do to have forgiveness. If you have wronged someone, go make it right even paying restitution if need be. Confess your secret sin to each other, that sexual sin you commited, the lies you have been telling, the gossip you have been spreading…what ever it is.

Could you imagine how powerful Collie Church of Christ would be if we actually did this, imagine if we did church like the bible actually tells us to do it and be that safe place. Let us be messy just like the early church, we know that laundry list of sin that Paul rattles off that seperates us from the kingdom of God, Fornicators, Homosexuality, Liars, etc… he finishes with, as were some of you. Meaning that the church did some serious confessing, discipling encouraging each other in Gods love. Lets not worry about the other churches, and that we may be better evenif that is true, we are just best of a bad bunch. I really want this for us.

CONCLUSION

Romans 6:15-16 “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”

One of two words describes us. We are either bound or we are free. Perhaps some of us have not entered into the initial freedom of being delivered from sin. That initial deliverance comes from acknowledging our bondage and the power of Christ to deliver us, and from personally receiving Christ by faith and repentance. Others of us may find that even though we have been liberated, the word bondage seems best to describe where we are. That may be because we have returned to our old ways. We have become desensitized and anesthetized. God’s power is gone from us. What we need to do is repent, turn to God. It is by faith that we are enabled to turn back to God and become people of his Word. Are you abiding in the Word, feeding yourself on it? Are you obeying the Word? Those are questions of liberation. May God establish these truths in our hearts.