Real Freedom
John 8:31-36
* Our nation was built on the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
* Lyrics, This Little Child, Scott Wesley Brown:
Many years have come and gone - Yet this world remains the same - Empires have been built and fallen Only time has made a change - Nation against nation - Brother against brother - Men so filled with hatred - Killing one another - And over half the world is starving - While our banner of decency is torn - Debating over disarmament - Killing children before they’re born - And fools who march to win the right - To justify their sin - Oh ev’ry nation that has fallen - Has fallen from within
* What is freedom? Freedom to run away from God or freedom to come boldly before the throne of grace?
* Many try to define freedom. They believe it is freedom to run from God, sin in any way they want.
* Some want freedom to get drunk and use alcohol or drugs, only to destroy their lives and the lives of their loved ones.
* Some want freedom to view pornography and destroy their morals, their family life, and their ability to commit to faithfulness in marriage.
* Some want freedom to kill unborn babies, shaking a fist in God’s face, proclaiming themselves to be the givers and takers of life.
* Yet others want freedom to destroy the sanctity of marriage, destroying family and defying God.
* Every earthly effort towards moral freedom brings captivity and bondage to something else.
I. The Description of Freedom (31)
A. Freedom is not found in belief.
* Jesus instructed those who believed that they needed to go further.
* He was not espousing works-based salvation.
* He was saying, if you had true faith, you would have a change in your life.
* You can believe something without letting it change you, but that is not faith.
* You cannot have true trust and faith in Jesus Christ without Him changing your heart and life.
* Many try. “Lord, I want to believe in you, but I want to remain unchanged.”
* True freedom is found in, first, belief, and then complete surrender to Jesus.
B. Freedom is not found in living by the Law.
* Let me show you something. Romans 7:7-12
7What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. 9 I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. 10 And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. 11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. 12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.
* What is that saying?
Illus. Galveston Hotels, built right on the water, put up signs that said, “Do not fish out the windows”. This became a serious problem until management took down the signs. The fishing out the windows stopped. People do not check into an expensive hotel with the mind to fish out the windows. (Hadden Robinson)
* Freedom is found in the truth, but it requires knowing it and following it.
* Yet, we find this impossible. Only one has lived by the Law; Jesus Christ.
C. Freedom is not found in heritage.
* The Jews made an untrue statement, but Jesus didn’t get side tracked.
* “We have never been in bondage to anyone.”
* Had they forgotten Egypt? Babylon? Persia, Syria, Greece and Rome?
* These were saying (and perhaps believing) that because they were Jews, they possessed the promise of freedom with no captivity.
* Few in bondage of sin recognize it until it is too late.
* We see other people’s problems, but are blind to our own.
* Yet, Jesus kept on track.
* Jesus said, “You are not physically free, nor are you spiritually free. He who commits sin is a slave to sin.”
II. The Definition of Freedom.
* Sin enslaves us. Jesus offers hope. (35-36)
* Jesus uses an illustration, Ishmael, the son of the slave girl. Ishmael was sent packing.
* Isaac, however, represents a different relationship with God. He dwelled in the house forever.
* As the true Son of the Father, Jesus offers true freedom.
A. Free as sanctified. Forgiven.
Colossians 1:14 - in whom (That is Jesus Christ) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
* Whereas the Law condemned us, Redemption through Jesus Christ forgives us.
* God doesn’t forgive us because we were somehow justified in our sins.
* It took Jesus Christ to justify us. II Cor. 5:21.
* In Forgiveness, we have the freedom from guilt.
* Many people live in guilt. If there is one thing in your life you feel guilt about, what is it?
* In Christ Jesus, you can be guilt free because you are forgiven.
B. Free as selected. Adopted
Romans 8:15 - For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
* Let’s not miss what this means:
1. We are now brought near to a Holy God we could not approach.
Ephesians 2:13 - But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
* We can now call the Creator of the Universe, the Holy One, Abba, being translated, Daddy.
2. We can boldly approach the throne of Grace.
Hebrews 4:16 - Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
* God is approachable, and without fear, when we have been forgiven and cleaned.
C. Free as secure.
* In Mosaic Law, if you had a son that displeased you, you could disown him and turn your back on him.
* However, if you adopted a son, you could not disown him.
Romans 8:35, 38-39 - For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
D. Free as Saved.
* Salvation gives you freedom from sin, freedom from death, freedom from damnation, all because we have been redeemed.
Romans 8:5-11 - 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
III. The Declaration of Freedom.
* Let me give you a short course on Christianity.
* We are saved by grace through faith. (describe)
* After saved, we are free, but need to make changes. It is a life-long process.
* Mary Crowley, ?God loved me so much, He accepted me just as I was, but loved me too much to leave me that way.?
* Romans 12:1-2 - I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
* If you have only believed, and not surrendered to Jesus Christ, you want Christ as an accessory to your life.
* You want to live your life your way, no change.
* This is the problem of the Jews in the story today.
* They were offered freedom, but they had to surrender to the Son to receive it.
* They believed His lessons, even were OK with being called His follower, as long as they didn’t have to change.
* That is not salvation. That is simple, shallow belief.
Illustration: On January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln’s Proclamation of Emancipation was made official and came into law. It proclaimed all slaves in the United States free men. However, not all slaves were living free on January 2nd.
In the North and Midwest, Irish slaves were set free soon after this date. Chinese slaves were released in the Midwest. But in the South, General Lee did not surrender until April.
On June 19th of 1865, Major Gordon Granger sailed into Galveston Bay and proclaimed all the slaves in Texas. That was a year and a half after they were legally set free by documents.
For 18 plus months, free men lived as slaves for one reason: They didn’t know.
The sad reality of Christianity is this: Many believers are still living in bondage to sin because they do not know. They have not renewed their minds and therefore are not spiritually living as free men, adopted sons and forgiven souls.
Today can be your spiritual declaration of freedom. God did not grant you the freedom to sin and live in sin, but has, for the first time, given you the freedom to live in your created purpose; free from the guilt, power and curse of sin.
