“What Does It Mean to Have Freedom?”
Introduction:
Martin Luther King, Jr. in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech said some beautiful words that he quoted from an old Negro spiritual, “free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty we’re free at last…”
Patrick Henry famously said in a speech to the Virginia legislature, “Give me liberty or give me death.”
The founding fathers of this nation ensured that we would have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Freedom has always been one of the major emphasizes of America as a nation.
Freedom is one of the most treasured things that we have. We thank God often for our freedom. We as Americans treasure our freedom. Many people have willingly risked and lost their lives in order to gain or preserve freedom.
Israel as a people spent many years in bondage and they did not like it very much. They spent time in slavery while in Egypt and they spent time in captivity in Babylon, and nothing compared to their freedom as a people.
The Jews even had a holiday dedicate to the concept of liberty. They called it the year of jubilee. On that particular year which occurred every fifty years debts were cancelled, slaved were free, and land returned to the original landowners. Can you imagine how everyone looked forward to that day, especially the slaves? For them it meant their freedom. We too have a year of jubilee, but that comes not through waiting for a certain year to arrive, but through Christ we receive our debts cancelled and we receive our freedom.
Often times when we talk about the blessings we have in Christ we forget about the freedom that we have in Christ. We are free in Christ, but what exactly does that mean? We as individuals have a free will; we have the freedom to choose to do what we want to do. We though who are Christians do not have the right to simply do as we choose, but because of the freedom we have in Christ we have the opportunity to do what is right. There is such depth behind the meaning of being free.
As I have already stated, many have fought and died in order to guarantee a freedom from tyranny, oppression and persecution in this life. People have devoted their lives to the cause of freedom. We love to sing patriotic songs proclaiming our freedom as Americans, but how much greater and with how much more fervor should we seek freedom from the oppression of sin and the Devil? How much more should we long for and be willing to sacrifice for freedom in Christ?
This freedom that we have in Christ is one of the greatest blessing to our lives and when we understand what that freedom really means we are truly freed to do more for the Kingdom. However, there are many misconceptions about what it means to be free in Christ, and I believe those misconception limit the beauty of the concept of what it truly means to be free.
Text: John 8:31-36
I. What Freedom in Christ Does Not Mean
A. We can continue in sin
Galatians 5:13
We are called to demonstrate virtue and not justify vice. That freedom that we have should not be used to indulge in sin. This is an abuse of the grace of God.
Many people see their freedom as a license to sin. Yes, we are free in Christ, but are we freed to do anything we want to do whenever we want to do it? No! We have this thing called submission and we submit to Christ. It is a sad thing to see many that have not really submitted themselves to Christ.
The problem is that our culture is in love with the concept of freedom. People talk about our freedom of speech and our freedom of religion. We have many that if we told them that we as Christians are subject to Christ and t certain commands they would wonder where the freedom was in that. Many people see Christianity as slavery and oppression. They see it as not being able to live freely, but that is wrong. Often time’s sin gives people the illusion of freedom. In the end though people begin to seek from God rather than freedom in God. We though often spend more time dwelling on what God forbids rather than on the many things that He allows. We prefer to think of what he tells us we cannot do rather than thinking about how good He has been to us.
B. We can’t cause the weak to stumble
There are certain rights, privileges and freedoms that we have in Christ. Many people look at those freedoms and think of how great that is. While we do have those freedoms we still must be careful with how we exercise our freedoms. If our use of our freedom causes someone to stumble then it becomes a sin for us.
I Corinthians 8:9-13
The example here is with the food sacrificed to idols. There was nothing in and of itself wrong with eating food that had been used in the Temple for idol worship, but some people had a problem with it. Some people saw it as wrong to do that and for some it may have bothered their consciences. Perhaps some that came out of the worship of idols were disturbed when they learned that Christian people were participating in and buying food sacrificed to idols. Paul tell us that there was nothing sinful about it, but it becomes sin when people use that freedom and it becomes a stumbling block to others.
There are many freedoms that we think that we have in Christ. I have heard people spend countless hours studying and attempting to argue for what we are allowed to do. The reason they do that is not because they want to know the Word, but because they want to gratify their sinful desires and justify them with God’s Word. Perhaps though some things that you see as your right and your freedom become sin for you when you know it bothers other people and becomes a stumbling block to them.
There are absolutes; God does have standards of right and wrong that transcend time, culture, race, nationality, ethnicity, and economic status. There are some things, which are always sin. However, there are some things we come to a conviction about and often times we make one of two errors with those convictions. One of those is that we sometimes impose our own conviction upon other people as the authoritative Word from God. Now, some things God does speak plainly about, but some things I come to conclusions and conviction on. Those convictions we come to we need to stay true to them, because if you have a conviction about something and violate that it becomes sin for you.
Romans 14:2-6; 22
So, the first error is we runt he danger of expecting others to live by all of our standards and convictions. The second error is for those that do not have as strong of convictions to think that they can do what they want. The problem is the use of their freedom may cause others to stumble and that shows a great immaturity in Christ. We must be careful with what we see as our freedom and not use it to cause others to stumble.
C. We can’t abuse grace
In Romans chapter 5 we learn that wherever sin increases God grace increases all the more to cover over that sin.
Romans 6:1
So should we continue to sin because we can be forgiven? Should we continue to sin because Christ has set us free? Absolutely not!
II. What Freedom in Christ Does Mean?
Before we can really begin to understand and appreciate what it means to be free in Christ we have to understand the problem. The problem is that outside of Christ we are not really free. Now, sin gives people an illusion of freedom, and many people that are held captive do not even realize their captivity. We must understand that outside of Christ we are not free, but rather are in captivity. Knowing that, we can appreciate the fact that Christ has set us free. We are all slaves to something, but the important thing for us to determine is what we are slaves to.
II Peter 2:19
You know what you are a slave to by what has mastered you? What is it that has mastered you? Is it some habitual sin in your life? Is it the hope of gaining more material things? Or is it Jesus Christ?
The prophet Isaiah years before Jesus came to the Earth made a prediction and gave a description of what the ministry of the coming Messiah would look like. The ministry of Jesus would consist of releasing those in captivity and slavery to the things in this world.
Isaiah 61:1-3
It is absolutely clear that Jesus came into the world to set us free. In fact that was one of the things he emphasized throughout His ministry, was the freedom that he was bringing to those that we in a spiritual bondage.
John 8:32-36
A. We are freed from the law
One of the greatest concepts behind the New Testament idea of freedom is that we are freed from the burden of having to obey the Old Covenant Law. The Law was difficult to keep; in fact, all it did was show those under the law the reality that they could not keep it. We also learn that if someone was guilty of breaking one law they were guilty of breaking the whole law. Aren’t you glad we are freed from that Law that couldn’t really save? We though freed from the Law still have a law that we have to uphold and obey. We still have a law we will be judged by.
James 2:12
B. We are freed from sin’s penalty
Romans 6:23; 8:1
There is a penalty for sin. We see from early on that there are consequences for sin, and sin leads to death, not just a physical, but also a spiritual. However, because of the freedom we have in Christ we are freed from the penalty, which we deserve. The reality is we need to be thankful on a daily basis that we do not get what we deserve, because the wages of our sin is death. There could not be anything more binding than the consequences that we deserve because of sin. Christ through His death on the cross has freed us from the penalty of sin. He took upon himself our sin and encountered and intercepted the wrath of God that was due us so that we could be truly free from the penalty of sin. There is nothing greater than having a debt cancelled. That is why the Jews longed for the year of Jubilee. The reality is we owed a debt that we could not pay, and Christ paid a debt that He did not owe. We have real freedom because we are no longer bound to the penalty of sin any longer, but we are freed to have life to the full.
Real freedom comes not by having more things or fewer boundaries. It comes not by avoiding pain or having a longer existence. But real freedom comes from the assurance that not even death can rob us of life. We are freed from sin’s penalty. Praise God!
C. We are freed from sin’s bondage
God is very misrepresented in our culture. Let me assure you that God is not sitting up in Heaven devising ways to make our lives more miserable. He is not an eternal killjoy who wants to rob us of a happy and full life. He is not on his throne thinking of ways to shackle us and prevent us from experiencing life. No wonder so many people have no desire to come to Christ. God is not a warden, He is a deliverer. He is so willingly and eager for us to have that freedom that He was willing in the person of Jesus to be crucified so we can be freed from sin’s bondage. Sin is very deceiving. Sin gives us this illusion that we are really free. People all the time say things like, “I can do what I want it is a free country.” People think that doing more things is what freedom is all about. Not only is sin’s penalty awful, but the fact that we are bound to sin apart from Christ is binding too. No longer though are we trapped in sin, but we are freed from the bondage of sin and give the power and ability to overcome and withstand our temptations.
Romans 6:6; 19-22
We are freed from sin’s bondage so that no longer are we slaves to sin, but we are slaves to God. People outside of Christ have no realization of the bondage of sin, they have no idea how trapped, how miserable, how most, and how deep they are. They think their lives are great, but they are really empty because they are slaves to sin. If you have ever had a prodigal time, or a time outside of Christ you can look back and remember how it was to spend years in vanity and pride caring not that your Lord was crucified. When I look back I remember that I was a slave to sin and didn’t even know it. I was in love with my sin, and didn’t even realize the error of my ways. I thought I was really free, but when I came to Christ I learned what it really means to be freed.
Galatians 2:20; 5:24
In order to experience that freedom we must crucify our old self and put on Christ. Praise God we are freed from the bondage of sin. Therefore, as the Hebrew writer says, let us throw off the sin that so easily entangles and let us run the race marked out for us, and not longer be slaves to sin, but live as freed people.
D. We are Freed from the Devil’s Grasp
There are literally millions of people who have no idea of the Devil’s grasp on their lives. There are millions under his power and control. They are in bondage, but Christ offers us freedom from the grasp of the Devil.
II Timothy 2:25-26
E. We are Freed to Serve
I Peter 2:15-16
It is not that we are freed to do more things and to have looser lines as to what is right and what is wrong. However, we are freed to love others, to forgive, to be merciful, to be generous and compassionate to others, to make sacrifices and to really live our lives to the full. We are freed to be what God intended us to be, whereas previously we were slaves to sin and were unable to do those things and be the person God intended us to be.
III. How Do We Gain Freedom?
I don’t know about you, but this idea of freedom sounds great! It sounds like something I want to have and to experience. How do we get that precious freedom? The freedom we have in Christ will not come by us giving up our lives, but it came by one man, Jesus giving up his. It will not come by revolution or a declaration, but it will come through a change of heart. In our text this morning in John 8 we learn that we shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. In that passage Jesus was not talking about truth in reference to honesty. He was speaking of the Truth in reference to himself. He was not saying if you are honest than you will know freedom or you will not get in trouble. He was saying knowing Him, as the Truth will set you spiritually free. We learn pretty plainly here how to gain that freedom that can only be found in Christ. It comes by knowing the Truth. There are two ways we can know the Truth.
A. Knowing Jesus
Jesus is the Truth. You may remember is John fourteen when Jesus said, “I am the way, I am the Truth, and I am the life…” We must know Jesus in order for us to have that freedom. It is important for us to note that knowing as we are referring to it does not refer just to head knowledge about, but leads to obeying and doing what it says. Our freedom is gained by submission to Christ and His Word. I understand you may know some things about Jesus, but do you know Him. If you know the truth than the truth will set you free.
B. Knowing the Word
Secondly, it is in reference to His Word. Jesus assured in His prayer in the Garden that, “thy Word is truth”. True Freedom cannot exist apart from the truth. I believe there are many that have a false since of freedom because they have a false sense of the Truth.
