The High Cost Of Spiritual Liberty (A Freedom Series).
John 8:31-36NASB
In the last days of the Civil War, the Confederate capital, Richmond, Virginia, fell to the Union army. Abraham Lincoln insisted on visiting the city. Even though no one knew he was coming, slaves recognized him immediately and thronged around him. He had liberated them by the Emancipation Proclamation, and now Lincoln’s army had set them free. According to Admiral David Porter, an eyewitness, Lincoln spoke to the crowd around him: "My poor friends, you are free--free as air. You can cast off the name of slave and trample upon it ... Liberty is your birthright."
However, Lincoln also warned them not to abuse their freedom. "Let the world see that you merit [your freedom]," Lincoln said, "Don’t let your joy carry you into excesses. Learn the laws and obey them."
That is very much like the message Jesus gives to those whom he has liberated by his death and resurrection. Jesus gives us our true birthright—spiritual freedom!
31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet 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 commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.
These Jewish people made a great decision to believe in Jesus Christ; however, their very words following Jesus’ acknowledgement can be the very thing that halts spiritual growth and commitment. “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone…
Jesus replied in verse 34, the person that practices sin is in-fact a slave to their actions.
They walk around with a ball and chain, they become puppets to a tiny substance or drink, abuse to others as well as to themselves, wrong thinking, low self-esteem practicing sin, Etc.
In Jesus’ day, When someone became indebted beyond his or her means of paying, one solution was to exchange a term of slavery for relief from the debt. Sometimes the length of service could be the rest of one’s natural life.
The fact is, “If you continue to be a salve of sin, you’ll die as a salve to sin!”
John 8:31TM Then Jesus turned to the Jews who had claimed to believe in him. “If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure.”
Your belief in the Lord Jesus Christ is not the end of something as though you have arrived; Belief is the beginning, after birth, growth must follow.
That’s why Jesus said in John 15:1-6NASB “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
A fruit tree can’t help but to bear fruit; A truly devoted disciple of Jesus Christ bears fruit. They refuse to live by emotions, He or She continues in prayer, devotions teaching and fellowship.
Jesus said in John 8:32AMP And you will know the truth [regarding salvation], and the truth will set you free [from the penalty of sin].”
So what does Jesus offer? Freedom. Rest, peace, joy and Spiritual release from judgement and the free gift of eternal life.
The Son has come to liberate sin-slaves from their old master, allowing sin-salves to become as Romans 6 calls them, “Salves to God.”
According to scripture, “You’re either a salve to God, or a salve to sin!” P.H.
Again verse 32, And you will know the truth…
This word ‘know’ is the most intimate form of knowledge; Any other knowledge is just that~ knowledge. Gnosticism is experienced when a person doesn't have intimate knowledge of the truth.
A short explanation of gnosticism is taking truth and adding or subtracting from whole truth. Well meaning church goers fall into this, if knowledge isn’t intimate!
Here’s a case in point, to show you where knowledge lost its intimacy. John 8:33TM Surprised, they said, “But we’re descendants of Abraham. We’ve never been slaves to anyone. How can you say, ‘The truth will free you’?”
The pharisees zeroed in on the literal interpretation. They claimed racial, cultural, and moral superiority. Furthermore, they claim to have never been en-salved to anyone; however, I guess they forgot about Egypt. Assyria. Babylon. Persia. Macedonia. Syria. Rome.
(Illustration-Using hands). Maybe the Pharisees jester was toward the sanctuary as if to ask, “What freedom do we need that we don't already have?”
Jesus was saying, “I Am the truth, I Am, the Son of God,I AM the anointed One, I Am, the law fulfiller, and I Am soon to be, the crucified One, and through My crucifixion, I will set you free from anything and everything!”
Therefore, what Jesus really accomplished is what the law, nor Abraham, could do.
Listen to Galatians 3:13-14TM Christ redeemed us from that self-defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself. 14 Do you remember the Scripture that says, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”? That is what happened when Jesus was nailed to the cross: He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse. And now, because of that, the air is cleared and we can see that Abraham’s blessing is present and available for non-Jews, too. We are all able to receive God’s life, his Spirit, in and with us by believing—just the way Abraham received it.
Remember this, Many in Jesus’ day believed if they said, “Im going to trust Abraham,” they thought that was enough.
However what Jesus was actually saying is, “If you’re going to live as Abraham did and live even greater, you have to do what Abraham did, for He believed and trusted against all odds. He gained intimate knowledge of the truth~ He believed the truth!”
Again John 8:34TM Jesus said, “I tell you most solemnly that anyone who chooses a life of sin is trapped in a dead-end life and is, in fact, a slave.
Can a Christian backslide? Yes, sure they can, it occurs when ‘one’ leaves the truth about spiritual freedom. Spiritual freedom cries through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, “I Am Enough!”
When a believer allows other so-called truths or lies to enter in, their true course becomes muddy and distorted!
Any drug addict who has been “clean and sober” for a number of years will say the same: After they came to terms with the truth of their carvings, and the truth about the origins and influences of their cravings, and the truth of their personal responsibilities, they found freedom. In fact, any repentant sinner will affirm the power of the truth to liberate. (Including me)!
John 8:35TM A slave is a transient, who can’t come and go at will. The Son, though, has an established position, the run of the house.
Question: Do you know you’re free? Do you live in the freedom that Jesus Christ offers?
John 8:36TM So if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through.
There are two truths to remember.
As true members of God’s family, we should expect to be persecuted by our half brothers- religious people who claim to be part of God's family but or not.
We must recognize the absolute stupidity of man-made religion, but recognize God's provision.
In closing, C.S Lewis once wrote, “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, Thy will be done, and those to whom God says, in the end, “Thy will be done.”
Benediction.
