INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• In my view, one of the great deliveries in history is the gift the Founding Father’s gave to us when they defeated the British to give us the United States of America!
• In the USA, we have enjoyed unprecedented freedom since the founding of our nation.
• Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Madison, among others were put it all on the line to allow us to enjoy the freedom we have today.
• We owe a debt of gratitude to all who were a part of giving us our freedom as well as all those up to this day who have protected our freedom from those who would love to take our freedoms!
• In our Great Deliverer’s Series, we have seen both Gideon, and Samson deliver the nation of Israel from bondage. We also saw Moses deliver the nation from slavery and oppression.
• Today, we are going to finish our Great Delivers series by talking about the greatest delivers of them all, Jesus!
• Jesus delivered the greatest freedom that one can enjoy, the freedom from sin and the opportunity to have eternal life in Heaven as a part of God’s family!
• Today we are going to examine an exchange Jesus has with some of the His Jewish audience who according to John 8:30, believed in Him after listening to Him speak.
• However, Jesus is going to try to take these BELIEVERS to a deeper level of understanding as well as a deeper level of commitment.
• One of the things that Christians need to realize is that if we do not heed the words Jesus gives to us in this passage, we will never experience the full freedom that Jesus can deliver to you.
• We can talk about sin and particular sins all day long, but in the end those messages will mean nothing until we allow what Jesus says sink into our hearts.
• Until we allow the Word to penetrate out hearts, until we allow Jesus to rule your heart, what you do does not really matter much.
• The Christian life is not just about sin or not sin, it is about a relationship or no relationship with Jesus.
• Everything we do HAS to spring from our relationship with Jesus.
• Jesus is going to talk about the freedom we can have through Him, let’s begin by turning to our text, John 8. We will begin in verses 30-32.
• SLIDE #2
• John 8:30–32 (CSB) — 30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him. 31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you continue in my word, you really are my disciples. 32 You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
I. The Word delivers powerful results.
• One of the things we gather from this discourse is the fact that being a disciple of Jesus involves more than just believing.
• Verse 30 tells us Jesus is speaking to the many who heard Him and believed in Him.
• According to verse 31, Jesus looks at those folks and addressed them.
• “If you continue in my word, you really are my disciples.
• The Word CONTINUE means to STAY, PERSIST, to CONTINUE TO LIVE.
• For one to be a Disciple, one MUST continue in HIS WORD.
• We cannot just say we believe, our BELIEF has to lead us to live it out, to live the life, to walk the talk.
• This is more than studying the Word, it is more than memorizing the Word.
• John presents Jesus as the living Word of God in John 1:1 and John 1:14.
• To CONTINUE in His word means that we have to develop a living relationship with Him.
• A disciple is one with a relationship with Jesus.
• Yes, we can get excited about hearing messages about sin, what we are not supposed to do and such, especially if we are not struggling with the sin of the day.
• Don’t get me wrong, we need to deal with sin; however, even if you live a fairly clean life, what does that matter if you are not growing your relationship with Jesus?
• There were many in the crowd who believed, Jesus wanted them to know it takes more than just believing.
• How many of us believe, and maybe believed for a LONG time, but have really never developed a relationship with Jesus?
• The WORD, the WORD of Christ delivers powerful results.
• Continuing in His word will make you one of His disciples.
• That stands in contrast to those who are not REALLY His disciples.
• Jesus touched on this in a passage that should scare many of us.
• SLIDE #4
• Matthew 7:21–23 (CSB) — 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ 23 Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’
• We should strive to be a true disciple of Jesus, continuing in His Word can get you there!
• The second thing the Word can offer is found in verse 32!
• You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
• What does this mean? What truth and free from what?
• According to Jewish teaching, the truth was found in their Law, and the study of the Law made a man free. Here the truth referred to is the revelation of God that Jesus brings. The intention once again is to contrast the revelation Jesus brings with the Law of Moses. (USB Handbook: John)
• The truth Jesus speaks of is the Word of God, and by default, the truth is Jesus.
• SLIDE #5
• John 14:6 (CSB) Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
• The TRUTH is neither abstract nor or subjective. It is PERSONAL!
• Our thinking goes off the rails when we think of the TRUTH as a concept rather than God Himself, this is how Jesus used the term, we will see this unfolded in verse 36.
• Jesus is the Truth (1:14; 14:6).
• Knowing him (v. 28) = believing in him (v. 24) = knowing the truth (v. 32). It is more than knowing some important facts about Jesus.
• It is knowing Jesus in an intimate, personal way. Such “knowing the Truth” is a primary characteristic of the Christian.
• What is freedom? This is freedom from sin as we will see in verse 34. This freedom from the bondage of sin also leads us to a freedom from guilt, freedom from the cares and anxieties of the world, as well as a freedom from the fear of death.
• Freedom from sin, Jesus taught, is obtainable only through the truth because through it alone are we enabled to obtain deliverance from the bondage of sin.
• People without Jesus, though they often boast of their freedom to do as they please, are really the sad objects of the most advanced slavery, being bound by their passions, desires and fleshly weaknesses from which they are helpless to escape.
• This freedom means we are released from this slavery!
• Let’s look at verses 33-35
• SLIDE #6
• John 8:33–35 (CSB) — 33 “We are descendants of Abraham,” they answered him, “and we have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus responded, “Truly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 A slave does not remain in the household forever, but a son does remain forever.
• SLIDE #7
II. Deception robs one of their freedom.
• As Jesus is speaking, the crowd jumps in. They tell Jesus that they are descendants of Abraham so therefore they were never slaves.
• What is happening, is the crowd is starting to reject Jesus’ teaching since they have been deceived into thinking they are free and have always been free.
• This is the same deception that is used by the enemy today, to deceive one into thinking they are free, when they are not.
• People outside of Christ live under the illusion they are free, so they reject Jesus.
• Plus, the statement by the crowd is somewhat incredible considering they were under Roman rule and, Egyptian rule, Persian Rule, Assyrian rule, Babylonian rule, etc.…
• Jesus explains that He is speaking from a spiritual realm.
• He goes to the heart of the issue.
• When you commit your first sin, you become a slave to sin.
• SLIDE #8
• Romans 6:16 (CSB) Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey—either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness?
• I want to go a little extreme so we can appreciate what Jesus and Paul says on this subject.
• Is an addict free to do their addiction or are they enslaved to their addiction?
• Each sin draws us in tighter until the sin eventually crushes us.
• When we commit our first sin, we become enslaved to sin. We are not FREE to sin we are following our master.
• A slave is not free, they have to do what their master tells them to do.
• When we are slaves to sin, we have been overcome and overtaken by our master, sin, and we are unable to deliver ourselves from this bondage on our own.
• Much like a slave cannot free themselves, they need a redeemer!
• Since Jesus is offering freedom, the assumption is that the Jews were currently slaves and they needed to be redeemed from that slavery to sin.
• 35 A slave does not remain in the household forever, but a son does remain forever.
• This statement amplifies the difference between a slave and a son. A slave has no permanent standing in the master’s household because he or she can be sold to a different master (in the Roman Empire slaves had no legal status).
• But a son always has a place in the family. The Jews had a false sense of security because they claimed to be Abraham’s children—and thus thought this guaranteed them a permanent place in God’s family and household (heaven).
• But Jesus explained that they, along with all people, were slaves to sin. As such, they had no permanent standing in the Father’s house.
• Look at verse 36.
• SLIDE #9
• John 8:36 (CSB) So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.
• SLIDE #10
III. Jesus delivers true freedom!
• Everything else the world offers us fake, it is not real.
• If you want to be really free it only happens through Jesus!
• The Jews of Jesus’ day thought they were free because they were Jews, people today think they are free because they think they can make up their own way to be free.
• With Jesus, there is TRUE freedom and there is a PLUS!
• If one was emancipated from slavery, they were free; however, the emancipator usually did not adopt the freed slave into their family.
• In Christ, not only are you free, you are adopted into His family!
• Jesus offers real freedom, it is not the faux freedom the world offers.
• For some reason, the world thinks that coming to Jesus costs you your freedom/
• That is the furthest thing from the truth.
• The things people think they are FREE to do, are things that will destroy them.
• As Christians, we have to make sure we love the Christian life enough to live the Christian life and to enjoy the freedom from sin we have!
• I am not sure where folks got the idea that living for Jesus was a bad thing or that we are miserable?
• Maybe it is because Christians are known for what they are against more than what they are for? Just a thought!
CONCLUSION
• Do want to live a life free from the slavery to sin?
• Do you want to live a life free from the pain and consequences of sin?
• Do want to live a life full of joy, free from guilt and shame?
• Are you tired of being concerned about how the world looks at you?
• Do you want to be free, freedom is found in Christ!
• Jesus is the greatest deliverer EVER! Jesus has delivered to you the opportunity to experience real freedom!
