Bro. Stephen Powell            July 2, 2023

“True Freedom”

John 8:31-36

 

John 8:31-36

³¹ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 

³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

³³ They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

³⁴ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 

³⁵ Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 

³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

 

The Problem

John is speaking of people who had made an outward profession, but a profession that did not go very deep.

 

When Jesus spoke of being enslaved, they were a bit surprised to hear that because, as they were descendants of Abraham, they thought they had never been enslaved. 

 

We are all slaves.  We are either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness.  Those who are slaves to sin cannot free themselves from it. 

 

The Proposal

Jesus offers to tell us the truth!  “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

 

If we will be Jesus’ disciples, we must abide in His word.  There is no other way.  To be a follower of Jesus – the Word made flesh – is to abide in Him!

 

Knowing the truth, is the result of abiding in the word of Jesus.  We prove ourselves to be His disciples and we know the truth, and God works His freedom in our life through His truth. 

 

The Promise

The good news is that Jesus holds our hope for all sinners.  “If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” – really free.

 

The true freedom that Jesus gives is freedom:

1. From the penalty of sin – there is no more condemnation for those in Him, and no longer are we children of wrath
2. From the power of sin – no longer are we in bondage to sin but now we can do righteousness; without faith it is impossible to please Him, but, with faith, we can please Him; and one day we will be free
3. From the presence of sin – when our eternal life is fulfilled, we will be like Him and without sin

 

Invitation

What Jesus was offering to those Jewish people (and is still offering to us today) was the prospect of the most wonderful possible kind of life – a life of truth and of true freedom. 

 

Why, then, do so many Christians live as though they are still in bondage?

• We often revel against our Master, refusing to obey Him and clinging to our old lives.
• We don’t realize that we have been crucified with Christ and that we have ben reborn as completely new creatures.