Your Greatest Freedom
-Truth Will Set You Free
John 8:31-36
As we celebrate the 4th of July this week we need to praise God that for now we are still “A Nation under God.” We live in a country founded upon the principles of freedom. For the past 230 years America has been led for the most part by men and women of moral principles.
Benjamin Franklin, William Penn, Noah Webster, and Abraham Lincoln were all men who had faith in God.
Benjamin Franklin inaugurated a time of prayer before the meetings of congress.
William Penn became a devout Quaker and insisted on fair treatment of the Indians.
Noah Webster gave 36 years of his life in the development of the American Dictionary. At the age of 40 Webster started taking his Christian faith seriously. He became a devout student of the Bible. Before he died at age 85 he quoted to a close friend the words of the apostle Paul, “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” 2 Timothy 1:12
Abraham Lincoln had a firm faith in God and regularly read the Bible. His speeches flowed with quotations from the Bible. Schuyler Colfax, who became Vice-President of the United States, said Lincoln would often get up at 4 a.m. so he would have time to read the Bible before visitors came to the White House.
At the very center of the Christian Faith is the belief that God’s Word contains the Truth and the Truth sets us free.
John 8:31-36 Jesus told the people that they were his disciples if they obeyed his teaching. “And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” The people argued that they were the descendants of Abraham and had never been slave to anyone. They asked, “What do you mean ‘set free’?”
The fact is the descendents of Abraham had been in bondage, four centuries in Egypt under Pharaoh and in Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar. They currently were under the rule and bondage of Rome.
Jesus made it clear that anyone who sins becomes a slave to sin. Being a Jew, a descendent of Abraham did not make them free from sin. The Jews argued that they were descendents of Abraham and blessed of God so they were free and no longer under bondage and slaves.
Jesus told the Jews there were trying to kill him and because they were trying to put him to death their very actions proved they were still in bondage. If they truly loved God they would love Jesus because Jesus said He came from God. Since they were not listening to God if proved they were not children of God.
True disciples of God obey the teachings of Jesus. All who obey will know the truth and the truth will set them free.
I. What is truth?
A fundamental questions asked by Pilate when Jesus was on trial is a question that Jesus answered in different ways time and time again, “What is truth?”
Pilate asked Jesus if he was the King of the Jews. Jesus answered, “I am not an earthly king. If I were, my followers would have fought when I was arrested by the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.” John 18:36
“Pilate replied, “You are a king them?” “You say that I am a king, and you are right,” Jesus answered. “I was born for that purpose. And I came to bring truth to the world. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” What is truth? Pilate asked.” John 18:37-38a)
In John chapter 14:6 Jesus had given the definition of truth. Ultimate truth is only found in a person, the person Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
The dictionary defines “Truth” as a fixed or established principle or law.”
Is Jesus a truth or the truth? Is Jesus one truth among many or the truths? All religions present their principles and truths like Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism or Christianity. The primary difference: you can take the spiritual leaders out of all religions except Christianity and still have a religion. If you take Jesus out of Christianity you have no religion. Christianity is not a religion it is a person.
The American religion of the 21st century is relativism. There are no absolutes. Everyone can find their god just by looking within themselves. The New Age religious fad of today believes that everyone can become their own god by looking within. You don’t need God’s will you only need your self will. Motivational speaker Tony Robbins is an advocate of that philosophy. He teaches people “How to awaken the giant within: How to take immediate control of your mental, emotional, physical and financial destiny and discover the unlimited power to success.” Those who believe that are buying into an illusion.
The religion of the 21st century believes that God is dead. The God is dead moment of the 1960’s has taken on a new name, “Tolerance.” There is no such thing as absolute truth, “Tolerance is god.” Diversity must rule at all costs. For you, truth can be one thing and for me truth can be another. You have your truth and I can have mine.” The majority of Americans believe you can make up your own rules for living.
People without moral absolutes can only look forward to despair and chaos.
Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, teaches business leaders in his seminars that “There is truth, absolute truth.”
Covey knows that many businessmen and women who come to his seminars believe that truth is relative and subjective. To challenge their views Covey asks his lecture groups to put their heads down, close their eyes, and then raise their hands in the direction of true north. Everyone points in different directions. Then he tells them to open their eyes and they seek hands going in every direction. He asks them whether or not there is one true north. Is north where the people pointed, or is north where north is?
Truth is an absolute. Truth is what conforms to reality.
C.S. Lewis, former professor at Cambridge University and author of Mere Christianity and the Chronicles of Narnia was an agnostic before he carefully studied the Bible. In “Mere Christianity,” he writes: “It is foolish for people to say, “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God. That is one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said that sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the son of God or else a mad man or something worse.” (Page 41)
As Christ followers we take God at His Word. Jesus is our absolute truth.
II. Truth Sets Your Free John 8:32
Jesus offers you truth and when you accept Jesus you are set free. Jesus sets us free from the bondage of sin and death. The death Jesus sets us free from is spiritual death.
Galatians 5:1 “So Christ has really set us free.” In Jesus we are given the liberty to become the person God created us to be. Truth sets us free to live an authentic Christian life.
There many paradoxes in the teachings of Jesus. Jesus told the religious leaders that though they thought they were free they in fact were slaves to sin. He told His followers that they were slaves and bond servants to righteousness but free from the bondage of sin.
Charles Colson, former advisor to President Nixon, was indicted along with others in the early 1970’s for the cover-up during the Watergate scandal. He spent three years in prison and eventually came to faith in Jesus and founded a prison ministry called, “Prison Fellowship.” Colson notes in his book, “The Good Life, Seeking purpose, meaning and truth in your life,” several paradoxes from his prison experience.
First he said he discovered the first of life’s great paradoxes: “Out of suffering and defeat often comes victory.”
Second he discovered that “We have to lose our lives to save them.”
Third paradox, “Freedom lies not in conforming to the world’s expectations or even realizing what we take to be our deepest wishes; it lies in following the call on our lives.” Colson found the calling of God on his life in 1976 when he felt called of God to begin a prison ministry that now reaches around the world.
God’s call on your life is to know Jesus and knowing Jesus is to know Truth and to embrace the truth is to be set free.
Set free from the fears in this world. Knowing and living for Jesus takes the fear away from dying. Jesus gives you the assurance of eternal life. “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (I John 5:11-12)
Jesus sets you free to be yourself. You don’t have to compete with others or live to fulfill the expectations of others. You live to please Jesus and serve Him. Listen to what the Apostle Paul says in Galatians 6:4 (CEV) “Do your own work well … don’t compare yourself with others.” You may be tempted to compare yourself to others and conform to expectations of others. Celebrate who you are and don’t lose the joy of life by comparing yourself to others.
Jesus sets you free from despair and meaninglessness. Jesus gives you a life of significance. He promises to never leave you or forsake you. Jesus gives you the assurance that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. In Jesus you have hope for a bright tomorrow.
Jesus sets you free to make choices. To not make a choice is still freedom to choose. You can choose to turn from selfish attitudes and actions to actions of mercy and grace. When someone cuts you off or steals your parking place your can yell and put them in their place or show grace and mercy. Your witness will go much further when you offer grace and mercy to others.
Whenever someone cuts me off or I get frustrated by the actions of others, I pray that God will bless them. They’ve probably had a bad day or facing problems I know nothing about. I’ll be honest, it takes all the grace I can muster to make the choice to show mercy because I have an impulsive, aggressive and competitive attitude. But, for the cause of Christ I do my best to take my freedom to choose the way of strength. The weaker way is to let your words fly.
Jesus said, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
I admire the life and testimony of Charles Colson. He was the youngest company commander in the Maine Corps, he build a law firm starting with 2 people to a team of 30 attorneys, and he was special counsel to President Nixon and was only one of four men who could walk in and out of the Oval office any day of the week.
All during his so called days of success he testified of having an inner emptiness.
One week-end he visited a friend, Tom Phillips, the president of Raytheon Company. Tom at 40 led a company employing 50,000 people. In his discussion with Tom he learned that Tom was involved in religious work. He asked Tom how he got involved in religious work. Without hesitation Tom said, “I accepted Jesus Christ and committed my life to him.”
In talking to Tom, Charles Colson realized Tom was everything the people he worked with in Washington weren’t. Tom gave Chuck Colson a book, “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis and asked him to read it.
That following summer the world around Colson fell apart and he made another appointment with Tom Phillips. One night Tom took Charles Colson to attend a Billy Graham crusade and when the invitation was given he asked Charles if he wanted to go forward and pray. Charles declined to go forward.
Not long after that time with Tom Phillips Chuck Colson began to seriously consider the Christian faith. Like a good lawyer he wrote out his arguments in two columns: “Thee is a God” on one side and “There isn’t a God” on the other. After four days of searching and piles of notes, he came to a decision and prayed to invite Jesus into his heart and life and declared his faith in Christ.
It was with his new found faith that he entered prison. From his prison experience he said he learned to praise God in everything. “So instead of wringing our hands and turning away in despair, pray, ‘Lord Jesus, am I this day living for you? Are you in control of my life? I want you to be.”
Max Lucado in his book, “Cure for the Common Life” writes, “Ever wonder why there were two crosses next to Christ? Or why Jesus was in the center? Those two crosses symbolize one of God’s greatest gifts – the gift of choice. The two criminals have much in common; convicted by the same system, condemned to the same death, surrounded by the same crowd, and equally close to the same Jesus. Only one thief asked for grace and mercy, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:42-43 NIV
This morning you have the truth that Jesus alone is the way, the truth and the life. You have the privilege of making a choice, to accept Jesus and experience all the freedoms He gives or choose to reject the truth and continue in bondage to sin and unrighteousness.
You shall know the truth and what? The truth will set me free.
Let us pray
