True Freedom

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.