TRUE FREEDOM
John 8:31-36
S: Freedom
Th: Truth
Pr: WE CAN EXPERIENCE TRUE FREEDOM.
?: How?
KW: Concepts
TS: We will find in our study of John 8:31-36 three concepts that will show us how we can experience true freedom.
The _____ concept is…
I. DISCIPLESHIP (31-32)
II. DECEPTION (33-34)
III. DELIVERANCE (35-36)
Version: ESV
RMBC 18 May 03 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Notebook: Rejection (re: rejected rejection)
Marc Taylor is writing a letter…
Dear Ms. Ezell:
Thank you for your letter of July 17. After careful consideration I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me employment with your firm. This year I have been particularly fortunate in receiving an unusually large number of rejection letters. With such a varied and promising field of corporate candidates it is impossible for me to accept all refusals for employment.
Despite your company’s outstanding qualifications and previous experience in rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet with my needs at this time. Therefore, I will initiate employment with your firm immediately following graduation. I look forward to seeing you then.
Best of luck in rejecting future candidates.
Sincerely,
Marc Taylor
Have you ever had trouble with the truth?
Or have you ever had trouble facing the truth?
Well, this will be a theme in our study today.
TRANSITION:
First, let us remember our previous studies.
A few weeks ago, we considered the story known as the “woman caught in adultery.”
It is during this story that…
1. Jesus has been confronted with religious leaders who wanted to trap Him.
It has been their desire to pit Jesus against the Law of Moses.
So they set Jesus up with a woman that is caught in the act of adultery (and where the guy is we have no idea).
If Jesus chooses to let her go, they will charge Him with going against the Law.
If He goes along with them, then they can get Him in trouble with Rome.
But their trap was flawed, for they were the ones that ended up being caught.
Instead, they were confronted about who they were.
They were all guilty.
Jesus had made sure that they all walked away, convicted of their own guilt.
It is then that…
2. Jesus confronts them with the truth about Himself.
And this was a truth that they certainly had difficulty facing.
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.”
And when He said this, he insinuated that they were lost.
They were in darkness.
Therefore, they needed Jesus.
Not only that, and even more importantly, they were confronted with His very exclusive claim of deity.
But, it was truth they did not want to hear.
In today’s study…
3. Jesus makes a connection between truth and freedom.
Jesus is interested in people understanding the relationship between the two.
For as He explains, it is not until we have the truth that we truly experience freedom.
But what is truth?
Well, truth is seeing through all the illusions, the dreams and the wishful thinking.
Truth is getting past the facades and the images.
And it is getting down to the heart of the matter, the essentials, that which serve as the basis of reality.
We are confronted with illusion every day.
All one has to do is watch a commercial to find out.
It is there we are told that we deserve much more than we are getting.
We are not getting all that we have coming to us.
And…
We can do anything we want.
And these are all lies!
We must be careful.
For following the illusion doesn’t free us.
It binds us.
But…
4. WE CAN EXPERIENCE TRUE FREEDOM.
And today we will discover how.
So…
5. We will find in our study of John 8:31-36 three concepts that will show us how we can experience true freedom.
[31] So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, [32] and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” [33] They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never 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 a slave to sin. [35] The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. [36] So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
OUR STUDY:
I. The first concept is DISCIPLESHIP (31-32).
ILL Notebook: Perseverance (are you giving up?)
A little boy watched, fascinated, as his mother gently rubbed cold cream on her face.
"Why are you rubbing that cream on you face, mommy?" he asked.
"To make myself beautiful," said his mother.
A few minutes later, she began removing the cream with a tissue.
"What’s the matter?" he asked. "Are you giving up?"
Jesus doesn’t want us giving up.
Instead, He gives a picture of what a true disciple is all about.
And it is this…
1. True believers stick with it.
At the end of our last study (two weeks ago), we discovered that some had examined the evidence of Jesus when He said “I am the light of the world,” and believed.
So now, He is, in part, speaking to them.
And He is sharing what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
Because, you see, there is no such thing as minimal followers.
It is easy enough to be attracted.
But it is a whole other thing to stick with it.
So, how does one do it?
It is done by remaining in His Word.
It is done by continually being in the Word.
We study it.
We understand it.
And we obey it.
As a result, we open ourselves to the truth.
And when we do this, the truth will free you!
How?
2. When the word takes root, we can discern between the truth and the lie.
You see, there is a connection with being a follower and knowing the truth.
When we truly follow Jesus, we gain true understanding.
We understand what is right and what is wrong.
We understand what is true and what is false.
And, we discover the truth about own nature.
We learn about the nature of God.
And, we find the way of salvation.
This leads us to…
II. The second concept is DECEPTION (33-34).
1. We need to face the truth about ourselves.
When Jesus started talking about freedom, these Jewish leaders immediately took issue.
As far as they were concerned, since they were children of Abraham, they were free.
As we look through the annals of time, we have to wonder what they were thinking when they said that.
Were they so utterly deceived that they forgot that they were in physical bondage?
Like it or not, they were subject to the Roman rulers.
Somehow, in their thinking, it is their belief that they are free, regardless of governmental issues.
They are God’s chosen.
And in a sense, they were right.
It is the core issue.
And because this is true, in their thinking, they are in a position of privilege over others.
Their claim, however, of being children of Abraham is misused.
Being Jewish was not meant to be a badge of prestige.
It was a privilege that ought to have humbled them.
Yes, they are Abraham’s physical sons, but they were not his spiritual ones.
For they were not only in physical bondage, they were definitely in spiritual bondage as well.
Their own moral failure when the woman was caught in adultery had proved their spiritual slavery.
ILL Notebook: Deceit (last chance for gas)
There was a man traveling in southern Indiana and he was headed for the Kentucky border...when he saw a large sign... "LAST CHANCE FOR $1.25 GAS!!!" He still had more than a quarter of a tank left, but figured he’d better take advantage of this opportunity to fill-up his tank.
As he was getting his change from the attendant, he asked, "How much is gas in Kentucky?"
The attendant replied, "$1.10..."
This is a good illustration of the trap of sin.
It sounds like such a good deal at first, but it is only a trap.
It really is going to cost us more in terms of consequences and unhappiness.
The truth about sin is that…
2. We are gradually gathered in by an invisible net that can’t be broken.
Sin is so tricky that, at first, we are unaware of our own bondage.
We think that we are free.
But, we are not free.
We are slave, with no rights and no security.
Throughout history, there have been those that have been destined for greatness, but don’t make it.
One such man we find in the Old Testament named Samson.
Samson was chosen by God to be a deliverer for the nation of Israel.
However, one thing stood in his way…Delilah.
He was so enamored with Delilah that he did not want to leave her, even though he knew she was dangerous.
She had attempted to trick him over and over again about the secret of his strength, and instead of ending this relationship, he just got deeper and deeper in.
He was under her spell.
It was not until he was put into a Philistine prison that he discovered that he was slave.
He had become numb to the effect of sin, for his sin robbed him of his sensibilities.
And he learned the hard way that his powers were not unconditionally his.
You know, when we are in bondage, we excel at minimizing our enslavement.
We think just a few more adjustments and everything will be all right.
But it is not true.
What is true is that when evil becomes a habit, it becomes a habit that we cannot break.
We can be a slave to hatred, filled with hostility, aggressiveness, and rage, ready to strike any moment.
We can be a slave to pride.
In our arrogance we can indulge in prejudice and bigotry because we think we are better than others.
In our self-importance, we enjoy telling somebody off when they are wrong.
We can be a slave to gossip, indulging ourselves in ruining another’s reputation.
We can be a slave to the misuse of sexuality, thinking that if I look at pornography one more time, it won’t hurt.
The truth is, you will keep looking.
We can be a slave to a relationship that is outside of God’s design—adultery, homosexuality, premarital sex—thinking that we can end at anytime.
But you can’t.
We can be a slave to materialism, always buying one more thing to satisfy our souls.
But we find out over and over, we never seem to have enough.
All gradually take root and bind us up.
All gradually draw us in and we are caught in the net.
And what is worse is that as we continue in these, they do not give us the same pleasure.
In fact, the more we do them, the more miserable we feel and the more pathetic we become.
ILL Notebook: Freedom (monkey)
There were some Americans stationed on a small island in the South Pacific during WWII. Monkey meat was a real delicacy on this island, and the islanders showed the Americans how they captured monkeys.
1. Put an apple in a wide-mouth jar.
2. Tie a rope around the jar.
3. Tie the other end of the rope around a tree.
4. Wait patiently.
Eventually a monkey will come along, look curiously in the jar, see the apple, reach in and grab it. The monkey’s hand easily compressed to fit into the jar but his fist, holding the apple, was too large to pull out. The monkey, however, would predictably refuse to let go of the apple. The monkey was in effect, tied to the tree by the rope, the jar and the apple. Very soon…monkey stew!
Now think about this for a moment…
Was the monkey too stubborn or too stupid to let go of the apple?
You know what? It really doesn’t matter. It is the same result: one dead monkey.
Now for the real question…
Did the monkey have the apple or did the apple have the monkey?
There are so many things that bind us.
As long as we hold on to them, their power over us continues.
It is only by letting go that we become free.
So, what’s making a monkey out of you?
Now we come to…
III. The third concept is DELIVERANCE (35-36).
You see, there is good news.
We don’t have to remain a monkey or a slave.
For…
1. We can be a permanent fixture in the house of God.
We can be liberated!
We can be true sons.
We can be family, for nothing can take away the pleasures and privileges that being a son and daughter brings.
But what can we do to become true children of God?
It is in being set free by the Son.
It is in continuing in His Word.
It is in the recognition that we are unable to do anything that pleases God.
It is being released from the bondage of our sin by confessing and finding forgiveness.
It comes in learning the truth of Romans 8:1…
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
When Jesus sets us free…
2. We can clearly recognize the truth.
We are free to rise above our sin.
We are free to live a holy life.
We are free to finally choose right.
We are free to choose the best.
We are free to keep growing.
We are free to reach the potential for which God has designed us.
And what is so interesting is that when you are enlightened by God’s Spirit, you so clearly recognize truth, and you find it amazing that others do not see as you see.
APPLICATION:
So let me ask you…
1. Can you discern the difference between truth and the lie?
We live in a world that is a mishmash when it comes to understanding and grasping the truth.
And there are all kinds of excuses for not following the truth about Jesus…
One hears…
“We can’t follow Jesus exclusively because there are good people that believe other things and follow that.”
Or…
“We can’t follow Jesus because that is not what my family believes.”
Or…
“We sincerely believe we are all going to the same place.”
Or…
“We can’t believe because God would not do something I find so objectionable like allowing hell to exist.”
Or…
“If it works for you that is fine, but it doesn’t work for me.”
Or perhaps the most absurd excuse…
“That’s true for you, but it is not true for me.”
That, of course, is a contradiction.
For if truth is subjective, then we are not talking about truth.
If truth is relative (as so many say nowadays), we are not talking about truth.
Because it is the very nature of truth to be true all of the time for all people.
We live in a day and age, though, that man, instead of God, has become the standard.
And as a result, we can no longer get a grip on what truth is.
But we can know the great freedom that comes in knowing the truth.
2. True freedom comes in knowing the One that embodies truth.
Just knowing facts isn’t enough.
What really matters is that you know the One who is the truth.
The good news is that He wants to be known and you can know Him today.
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Experience true freedom…by following Jesus, and no one else; hear His Word, stay in His Word, trust His Word, and obey it.
Experience true freedom…and do not be deceived; it is in our nature to be bound by sin, so we must all understand that none of us are innocent, and thus, we all have the need of the Son who makes us free.
Experience true freedom…be delivered by Jesus who permanently places us in His family, giving us the strength to realize the potential for which He has designed us.
Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
