The Truth That Sets Us Free

This morning we're going to be serving and partaking of the Lord's table.

And as we come to the table, we want to take a few moments to think about what this table means.

Many of us know what it means. We've done this before.

But our hearts easily forget what this table is all about.

And so that's why we do this.

We need to be reminded in here of the love of God for us and what he has done because of that love.

So we're going to reflect a little bit on what Jesus said that points to this table,

right from in John's Gospel where we have been studying up until now.

Last Sunday was all about what it means to be a true disciple, a true follower of Jesus.

And this morning we're going to focus on something else Jesus said in that same section.

Let me read it for you from John 8, verse 31.

John 8:31

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said,

If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.

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

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?

Jesus replied,

Very truly I tell you,

Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.

Now a slave has no permanent place in the family,

But a son belongs to it forever.

So if the son sets you free,

You will be free indeed.

So Jesus told the people who were gathered there that day

That they needed to remain in his word.

That they needed to continue to hold to his teaching.

And if they did, he said,

They would come to know the truth.

And that truth, he said, would set them free.

Would liberate them.

And the people responded with surprise,

And perhaps some confusion.

What do you mean the truth will liberate us?

We're Abraham's descendants.

We are his offspring.

We've never been slaves to anyone.

What do you mean liberate us, set us free?

We're not in bondage.

Now I don't think that they meant that the Israelites

Had never been slaves in history.

Of course they were.

They were slaves in Egypt.

They were slaves in Babylon.

Right now in the story,

They're not really in slavery or in servitude per se.

The Romans are ruling over them.

But it's not like it was in the days of Pharaoh.

Or Nebuchadnezzar.

Probably they are thinking about

A different kind of being slaves.

More than just being slaves in a social status sense.

They try to remind Jesus

That they are no ordinary people.

We are Abraham's descendants.

We are free men.

Free women.

By birth.

By right.

By blood.

We are a people of spiritual privilege

Because of our ancestry.

Who we come from

Is Abraham.

The man who God chose

And made a special covenant with.

The one that God promised

To make into a great nation

And the father of nations.

We are his offspring.

We're nobility by birth.

And by blood.

And therefore we do not ever belong

To anyone

But God.

So how can you say

That we need to be liberated

Or set free?

Jesus looks them in the eye

And he says this

Very truly

I tell you

Everyone who sins

Is a slave

To sin

In other words

Jesus says

I'm not talking about

The ordinary kind of

Slavery

I'm talking about

A different kind of slavery

Spiritual slavery

It's kind of

A surprising statement

That Jesus makes

Isn't it?

Everyone who sins

Is a slave

To sin

But this is what he said

Now normally

When people are slaves

They are slaves

To other people

Either they have been

Enslaved by other people

Or they have sold themselves

Into slavery

To other people

But Jesus talks about

A kind of slavery

That's not to another person

But to sin

Itself

Well what is sin?

And how can people

Be slaves

To sin?

Sin is a pretty loaded word

I did a quick little search

On my computer

And it

Over 800 times

It's mentioned

From cover to cover

In the Bible

And it's talked about

In a variety of different ways

Often it means

Simply to do wrong

Either against God

Or other people

But especially

Against God

It's often described

With the language

Of breaking the law

Or disobeying God's commands

But sin is also used

To describe

More than just

The act of sinning

Or doing wrong things

It's also used

To describe

The spiritual condition

Of people

Sinful

Or the spiritual state

Of people

Guilty

And then in some places

Like this one

Sin is even personified

It's talked about

Almost as if it was

This personal force

Within us

A restless evil

Within us

That tempts us

That

Desires what is wrong

That tries to deceive us

And lead us astray

And damages

And destroys us

But here

It enslaves us

It is

The slave master

That we are a slave to

In the language

That Jesus uses

It's a pretty serious

Thing to say

I want you to

Imagine yourself

In the crowd there

That day

And Jesus saying

This to you

We might feel free

Just like the Jews did

Who were speaking

To Jesus that day

But Jesus basically

Tells them

You're not free

You are in bondage

You are trapped

You are a slave

You are owned

And controlled

By sin

It has power over you

Like a slave master

Over a slave

Now what does Jesus

Mean by this?

Truthfully

There are a number

Of different places

And passages

In the Bible

That talk about

How sin

Enslaves us

And we're not going to

Go into all of them

This morning

But the worst way

Of all

Is how sin

Has power

And control

And ownership

Over our final destiny

This is how it works

By sinning

We become guilty

And I don't mean

Just that we feel guilty

I mean that we

Actually become guilty

In the ledger of heaven

Of doing what is wrong

And God

As the righteous judge

Must do something

About our guilt

He can't

Just let us off the hook

And pretend that all

The wrong things

That we've done

Never happened

That wouldn't be just

It wouldn't be right

For him to do that

He has revealed

Many times

And in many ways

Throughout the pages

Of his word

That the consequence

The penalty

For sin

Is death

And then to stand

Before him

In judgment

He's revealed

That all who are guilty

Must receive

What they deserve

For every sin

That they have committed

And he has revealed

That the punishment

That fits the crime

Of sin

Is no less

Than hell

And so because

Of our sins

Our status before God

Is guilty

And we are destined

To face

God's punishment

And so it really does

Have power

And authority

And control

Over us

And over what will

Happen to us

We are not free

We are trapped

We are stuck

And in bondage

It doesn't matter

If you're physically

Descended from Abraham

By itself

That is not enough

To change your status

Before God

Do you hear what Jesus

Is saying to them

Picture yourself there

In the temple courts

As he says this

To you

Sin has you

It owns you

It holds sway

Over you

The wrong things

That you've done

In your life

Have made you guilty

Before God

And so you've forfeited

Your freedom

Your life

And you are a slave

There is good news

Coming

But before we get to it

Let's look at what

Jesus says next

Verse 35

Now a slave

Has no permanent place

In the family

But a son

Belongs to it

Forever

So if the son

Sets you free

You will be free

Indeed

At this point

Jesus begins to talk

For a moment

About a household

A family

And it's kind of

A mini parable

I think

He talks about

The difference

Between a slave

Of the family

Or we might think

Of a household servant

And a son

In the family

He says

The slave

Doesn't have

A permanent place

In the family

But a son

He remains

In the family

Forever

Now there's

Some different ideas

About what Jesus

Means by all this

And how this

Applies to the people

He's talking to

And I'm not

Going to go too far

Beyond what Jesus

Says here

Because I'm not

100% sure

Just how it applies

But there are

At least two things

That seem clear to me

That I think we can

Draw out

First of all

As we've already said

The people who

He is talking to

In this little

Parable analogy

Are the slaves

He says

If the son

Sets you

Free

If the son

Liberates you

In other words

You

Are a slave

To sin

And

We should know

It's not just

The people

Jesus is talking to

Who are slaves

To sin

As we just saw

Jesus said

Everyone who sins

Is a slave

To sin

That includes

The people there

That includes

Me

That includes

All of you

We have sinned

Against God too

And so we

Are slaves

In bondage

But the second

Thing that comes

Out clearly here

Is what Jesus

Says in verse

36

So if the son

Sets you free

You will be

Free indeed

If we are the

Slaves

In Jesus

Illustration

Jesus is the

Son

In the family

And this might

Be a little bit

Hard for us

To relate to

In our culture

Today

But back in

Those days

It was common

For families

To live

And to work

Together

Sons would

Take up the

Family trade

And work

Alongside

Their fathers

And while

The family

Estate and

Business

Belonged to

The father

The son

Would eventually

Come to

Manage it

For his

Father

And then

After his

Father died

He would

Inherit it

The business

And the estate

From his

Father

And so

As part of

This way

Of doing

Family

The son

Had a place

Of special

Privilege

And authority

In the family

He was given

Authority

And the ability

To make

Important decisions

On behalf

Of his father

Including such

Things as

Hiring

And firing

And managing

The servants

Or the slaves

So if the son

Took his

Family signet

Ring and

Pressed it

Into a

Business deal

It was as

If his dad

Had signed

It

If the son

Decided to

Set a slave

Free

Then that

Slave was

Free

Because he

Acts with

The authority

Of his father

That seems

To be the way

Things were

Back in that

Day

And culture

And so

Jesus is

Kind of

Using this

As an

Analogy

A mini

Parable

At the

Same time

As telling

Us that

We are

Slaves

Who need

To be

Liberated

He is

Saying

I am

The son

In the

Family

And so

I have

Come on

Behalf of

My father

To set

You free

And if

I set

You free

Then in

His sight

My father's

Sight

You are

Free

Liberated

So it's

Bad news

That as

Jesus says

We are

Slaves to

Sin

And guilty

Before

God

But Jesus

Has come

To bring

Good news

From God

Do you

Hear it

There is

A way

To be

Set free

He says

If the

Son sets

You free

You will

Be free

Indeed

There is

A way

To be

Liberated

From this

Slavery

To sin

That we

All have

This guilt

Which has

Us destined

For hell

There is

A way

To be

Set free

This is

What Jesus

Has come

To announce

To declare

And he

Is

That way

He is

The one

Who sets

Slaves

Free

This is

Why he

Came

Jesus

Does not

Want you

To stay

A slave

To sin

He doesn't

Want you

To remain

Trapped

He doesn't

Want you

To face

Judgment

Without any

Way to

Escape

What you

Deserve

For your

Sins

That's

That's

Why he

Came

Do you

Hear him

Pleading

Back up

In verse

24

If you

Do not

Believe

That I

Am he

Said

Jesus

You will

Indeed

Die

In your

Sins

There is

A way

To be

Set

Free

To be

Liberated

And here's

What you

Need to

Do

First

And this

Is implied

You will

Have to

Admit

What you

Know to

Be true

You will

Have to

Admit

To god

That yes

I have

Sinned

Against

You

And I

Am a

Slave

To sin

It really

Does have

Control over

Me and

My final

Outcome

You have

To admit

That you

Have to

Confess

That you

Have to

Agree

With jesus

About that

That's

Implied

And then

To be

Set free

To be

Liberated

We must

Simply do

What jesus

Says here

Let's look

Back up to

What he

Said earlier

If you

Hold to

My teaching

If you

Remain

In my

Word

You are

Truly my

Disciples

And then

You will

Know the

Truth

And the

Truth

Will set

You free

So

It's the

Truth

That will

Set you

Free

It's the

Truth that

You will

Come to

Know from

Listening to

What jesus

Says to

Jesus word

That will

Set you

Free

From slavery

To sin

It's the

It's really

Simple

If you

Listen to

The truth

That jesus

Speaks

And you

Sincerely

Grab a

Hold of

What he

Is saying

With all

Your heart

And believe

Believe it

Take it

Seriously

Then his

Truth

His good

News

The very

Words that

He speaks

Through the

Pages of

Your bible

To you

As you

Read them

Will save

You

Will set

You free

Will liberate

You

Many of

You have

Already done

This

Many of

You have

Been set

Free

From slavery

To sin

By faith

In jesus

And we

Praise the

Lord for

That

For us

These words

Of jesus

Are a

Reminder

That we

Have been

Of what

We have

Been

Liberated

From

They're a

Reminder

Of just

How

Hopelessly

In trouble

We were

When sin

Enslaved

Us

But we

Who believe

In jesus

Are here

This morning

To celebrate

And to

Give thanks

For the

Day of

Our

Redemption

And so

Let's turn

Our attention

Finally

To how

Jesus

Is able

To set

Slaves

Like

Many of

Us were

Free

That's what

This table

Is all

About

That's what

It points

To

Jesus

Couldn't

Just simply

Speak a

Word

And forgive

Us

Something

More

Was needed

To satisfy

The laws

Of divine

Justice

Our

Transgressions

Had to

Be punished

And that's

What jesus

Came to

Do

Out of

Love

And compassion

For us

He

Willingly

Came

And chose

To take

The punishment

That we

Deserve

For all

Of our

Sins

Upon

Himself

That's what

He did

Is he

Hung there

And died

On the

Cross

A sacrifice

Of atonement

To god

In order

To set

Us

Free

And so

The bread

And the

Cup

We all

Know

Represent

His

Death

His

Body

His

Blood

Broken

And poured

Out

To set

You

Free

So if

You're

Here

This

Morning

And you

Believe that

With all

Your heart

That jesus

Died on

The cross

To set

You free

Then i

Want to

Invite you

To join

With the

Rest of

Us

Who share

In that

Faith

And partake

With us

Of the

Bread

And the

Cup

In just

A moment

Here we're

Going to

Have a

Couple

Minutes

Of

Quiet

We'll

Put on

Some

Music

And i

Want to

Encourage

You in

These

Moments

To pray

To talk

To god

Talk to

Him about

Sin

About being

A slave

About the

Cross

And what

He did

There

Charles is

Going to

Come around

After a

Couple

Minutes

And pass

Out the

Bread

And the

Cup

And i

Just ask

That you'd

Hold on

To both

Of them

Until

Everybody's

Been

Served

And then

Once we

All have

I'll lead

Us in a

Prayer

And we'll

Partake

Together

Together

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We love you so much.

And we celebrate you.

We thank you that you are alive.

And that someday we shall see you face to face.

Amen.

Let's eat and drink in remembrance of Jesus.

Thank you.