Spiritual Freedom

John 8:30-59

INTRO: Good morning church. To introduce our lesson this morning I want to read from the gospel of John chapter 8. We will begin reading at verse 30 and read through the end of the chapter.

30. As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. 31. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32. "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.'' 33. They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, `You will be made free'?'' 34. Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35. "And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36. "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. 37. "I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38. "I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.'' 39. They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father.'' Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. 40. "But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41. "You do the deeds of your father.'' Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father God.'' 42. Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43. "Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. 44. "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. 45. "But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. 46. "Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47. "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.'' 48. Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?'' 49. Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50. "And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. 51. "Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.'' 52. Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, `If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.' 53. "Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?'' 54. Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. 55. "Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, `I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. 56. "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.'' 57. Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?'' 58. Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.'' 59. Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. [NKJV]

Scripture teaches us that we need to learn the Lord’s statutes and judgments. Indeed we have to learn them before we can obey them. The Bible also teaches us that to please the Lord we must comply with His will. We need to learn the Lord’s statutes and judgments and then we are to put them into practice.

Today we are going to look at the Lord’s statutes and judgments that relate to a specific subject, spiritual freedom.

We cherish our freedom as Americans. We hope that it’s never taken away from us.
I have some concerns along those lines and I’m sure that you do too. Nevertheless, we do appreciate the great freedoms that the Lord has blessed us with in this country. Many people in the world do not enjoy the freedoms that we have.

There is a type of freedom that is more special than even the kind of freedom that we enjoy in this country—that’s spiritual freedom. As special as civil freedom is, spiritual freedom is much more special. In our lesson, we want to make four observations about spiritual freedom from those verses we read just a moment ago.

In John chapter 8, Jesus had been teaching in the temple. He revealed some very important information concerning His identity. He called upon people to believe on Him. Many did believe on Him according to verse 30. Jesus went on to say some important things to people who believed on Him that related to their spiritual freedom.

As we examine what happened to Him on that occasion, we’re able to learn several statutes and judgments from the Bible that relate to spiritual freedom. I know that we’re aware of these things, but they are so important that we should remind ourselves of them from time to time. Also, we have the responsibility to share these things with others. These are very important principles.

I. First – THE CAUSE. Let’s first look at verse 34. In this verse, Jesus revealed the cause of spiritual bondage. If we’re going to talk about spiritual freedom, we need to be aware of spiritual bondage.

A. Jesus revealed the cause of spiritual bondage, it is sin. Let’s read it again. John 8:34 “Jesus answered them, Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.” When we talk about someone being a servant or slave we are talking about bondage. Jesus was talking about being in bondage to sin. Whoever is the servant of sin is the one who practices sin. Sin causes spiritual bondage.

1. What is sin? The Bible reveals to us exactly what sin is. In 1st John 3:4, we find, “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” God has revealed His law to us. When we disobey or transgress God’s law that is sin.
2. You don’t go very far into the Bible until you see that being illustrated. God revealed His law to Adam and Eve. They were allowed to eat the fruit of any tree in the garden except for one. They were informed that when they ate that fruit they would die. (Genesis 2:17)
3. I’d like to make this observation. It certainly appears that God made Adam and Eve with the ability to live forever. He also gave them a law. They were required to keep that law. When they transgressed that law (that’s what sin is.) there would be a strong penalty for their disobedience.
4. You know the story. The serpent came to Eve and tempted her. She ate the fruit and gave some to Adam. He ate it as well. At that point, sin entered the world and so did death. Think about all the things that have to be suffered because of what happened way back then.

a. Thinking about the Garden of Eden, I can imagine the joy that Adam and Eve had as a result of living in that beautiful place.
b. Then they lost it. Sin caused them to be expelled from the garden, and they lost access to the Tree of Life. It’s sin that caused this loss.

B. Sin is serious business. Some people want to wink at it or act like it’s not very important or very serious. Sin is very serious. We know what it is. It is a transgression of God’s law, and it results in spiritual bondage.

1. We learn from the Bible that sin is a widespread problem. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
2. We learn from Romans 6:23 that there’s a harsh penalty for sin. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.”
3. We know what sin is. We know that it causes bondage. It’s the transgression of God’s law. It’s a widespread problem and there’s a harsh penalty for sin.

II. Second – THE SOURCE. That brings us to verse 36. This is the second observation that we need to make. This one is a lot more pleasant. In verse 36 Jesus identified Himself as the source of spiritual freedom.

A. I think it’s interesting that when Adam and Eve transgressed the will of God, God punished everyone involved. This is in Genesis 3. He began by punishing the serpent, then He punished Eve, and then He punished Adam.

1. As He punished the serpent though, God made a promise concerning the seed of the woman that would come at a later time. There would be a great conflict between the serpent and the seed of the woman. In that conflict the seed of the woman would have his heel bruised—that is he would suffer a temporary wound—but he would crush the head of the serpent. That’s a clear reference to the conflict between Jesus and the devil.
2. Jesus suffered a temporary wound. He was killed. He died on the cross and shed His precious blood so we could have the forgiveness of sins. When Jesus arose from the grave He overcame the power of the devil—death. (Hebrews 2:14). Jesus identified Himself as the source of spiritual freedom. Way back in the Garden of Eden God made that promise that Jesus would come at a later time and make it possible for man to live forever.
3. Will that eternal life be here on the earth? No. It’s going to be in a much better place. Let’s notice something that Jesus said earlier though in John 8:12 as He was teaching. “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.''” Jesus identified Himself as the light of the world. I want you to notice what He gives to His followers. He gives the light of life to His followers.

B. Jesus identified Himself as the source of spiritual freedom. There aren’t many sources. There’s only one. “No man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” John 14:6. Jesus identified Himself as the only way to the Father.

1. We observed first in John 8 that the cause of spiritual bondage is sin. Then on a more positive note, Jesus is the source of spiritual freedom.
2. Let’s make another observation as we look carefully at these verses from John 8. We see that Jesus revealed His conditions for receiving the freedom that He provides.

III. Third – THE CONDITIONS. Look at verses 31 and 32 again. “31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” To have the Lord make us free from the bondage of sin, we have some responsibilities to fulfill.

A. Jesus said we must continue or abide in His word. We can’t go to any other source and receive spiritual freedom. Jesus, as we read, identified Himself as the source of spiritual freedom.

1. How do we know about what that means? We have to go to His word.
2. Jesus said we must abide in His word to know the truth. Why is it so important to know the truth? Jesus said it is the truth that will make you free, free from the bondage of sin.
3. Jesus says, to receive the freedom that He provides, we must continue or abide in His word.

B. Let’s look at some additional passages that go along with complying with the conditions that relate to receiving spiritual freedom.

1. Let’s look at Romans 6:17-18. This was written to the church in Rome, people who had been in bondage to sin, but now had become Christians. Notice what was required of these people to continue or abide in the Lord’s words so that they could be made spiritually free. “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”

a. At one time they had been in bondage to sin, but something had occurred. They had been set free.
b. What were they required to do to receive the freedom that the Lord provides? They had obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine, that form of doctrine that was delivered to them.
c. What was the doctrine that had been delivered to these people in Rome?

2. Let’s look earlier in Romans 6:3-7 “3. Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4. Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 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.”
3. Verses 17 and 18 make the point that we are made free from sin when we obey from the heart the form of doctrine or teaching delivered unto us.
4. That doctrine is a reference to the gospel of Christ. What are the primary facts of the gospel?

a. According to 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 the primary facts of the gospel are that Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures, He was buried and arose on the third day according to the scriptures. Those are the primary facts of the gospel—the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Christ.
b. That was the doctrine that was delivered to the people in Rome. How did they obey from the heart that form of doctrine that was delivered to them? They were baptized into the Lord’s death, and they were raised with the Lord to walk in the newness of life.

5. We read in the gospel accounts about the Lord’s resurrection. Matthew 28:1 tells us “Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.”

a. Remember, the Jewish people had completely different burial customs than we have today. They did not practice embalming. The body was usually buried on the day that death occurred. The Jews would then go through a period of mourning.
b. Jesus died on the cross. He was buried in a tomb nearby. Joseph of Arimathea was the one who asked Pilot to be able to care for the body of Christ. He was joined by a man named Nicodemus.
c. Jesus was crucified on Friday. The Sabbath was fast approaching and the Passover was about to be observed. That was a very special day for the Jewish people.
d. A tomb owned by Joseph was nearby and he buried the Lord’s body in his tomb.

6. Jesus died. All four gospel writers tell us Jesus gave up the ghost. That is He physically died. Then the Lord was buried. He rested in the tomb over the Sabbath day. Isn’t that appropriate? The Sabbath was a day of rest for the Jewish people. Jesus kept the law even while He was in the tomb.

a. Then on the first day of the week, He arose from the grave. Mary went to provide care for the Lord’s body. When she got there the tomb was empty.
b. She went to tell the disciples. Peter and John took off running to the tomb. Peter went in and saw that the tomb was empty, but the grave clothes were there. They went back and told the other disciples what they had found.
c. In the meantime, the Lord appeared to Mary. She did not recognize Him at first, but when He spoke to her and called her by name she said, “Master”. Then she went and told the others that the Lord had been raised from the grave.

C. The Lord gives us requirements for receiving the freedom that He provides. He said that we must continue in His word. We read about some people in Romans 6:17-18 who continued in His word. They complied with the form of doctrine that was delivered to them—the gospel. They were baptized into the Lord, and they were raised with Him. It was then they were able to walk in the newness of life. The Bible says (spiritually speaking), “he that is dead is free from sin”. We have to die from sin to be able to live for Christ.

IV. Fourth – THOSE WHO REJECT. Let’s make a fourth observation from these verses in John 8. Those who reject the Lord’s conditions will remain in bondage.

A. The Lord talked to these people, and John says that they believe on Him. Jesus told them they needed to comply with His will… and abide in His word.

1. Jesus said by doing so they would be made free. What did that imply? He said, “…will make you free.” That implied that in their present state, they were not free.
2. These were people who believed on the Lord but we see there are some additional requirements.

B. How did these people respond to what Jesus said? In John 8:33 “They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, `You will be made free'?''” They denied that they had ever been in bondage to any man! That’s interesting.

1. We know about the history of the Israelites, they had been slaves down in Egypt. They had been under the authority of the people known as the Assyrians. They had been taken captive by the Babylonians. As the Lord was fulfilling His ministry the Romans had control of Palestine.
2. Yet, what did these people say when Jesus gave His requirements for being made free? “We’ve never been in bondage to any man.” It’s hard to believe they would make a statement like that.
3. Though, we do find people who deny things all the time. That seems to be even more popular today. It’s a serious matter when it comes to spiritual matters. Denying bondage doesn’t accomplish anything.
4. We understand that if a person has a difficulty, the first step is admitting it. We say, put your cards out on the table. Admit it, own it, and then take responsibility for it. Then you are on the road to making improvements.

C. When Jesus said you’ve got to continue in my words to be made free, these people responded by saying, “We have never been in bondage to anyone.”

1. What were they doing? They were rejecting the Lord’s requirements for spiritual freedom. The One that could bless them with that very special freedom was right there in their midst.
2. I wonder about the many people who had seen the Lord’s miracles. Jesus wasn’t bashful about the miracles that He performed. They were witnessed by many people. By performing the miracles that He did, He proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that He truly is the Son of God. These people rejected His word. They just denied ever being in bondage.
3. Furthermore, I want you to notice something else they did. They trusted in their relationship with Abraham according to verse 39. “They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father.''”
4. Jesus had already said as He was speaking to them, “I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.'” But he was not speaking of Abraham.
5. Their response was, “We’re Abraham’s descendants.” Did that make them free? No. They had to comply with the Lord’s word. They didn’t want to do that. Abraham complied with God’s word though.

a. I find it interesting that they mentioned their relationship with Abraham before they mention the fact that God was their father in verse 41.
b. There are some very special promises made to Abraham and his descendants, but they overlooked one… through Abraham all nations of the earth would be blessed.

D. As Jesus gave His requirements for receiving spiritual freedom, the people whom He was speaking to denied ever being in bondage. Then they indicated they trusted in their relationship with Abraham to make them free. When the Lord answered their statements, look at what they did.

1. They attacked the Lord. In verse 48: “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” We may not get the full impact of that, but that was an insult, and they intended for it to be. Recall the animosity between the Jewish people and the Samaritans. Here they are referring to Jesus as a Samaritan, and even going so far as to say He had a demon.
2. If that weren’t so serious, it would be humorous. Jesus demonstrated His power over demons on many occasions. By the way, the demons recognize Jesus. They said, “I know who You are the Holy One of God!” as recorded in Mark and Luke. These Jewish people, who were made in the image of God, did not recognize Jesus.
3. Look at verse 51: Jesus says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.” Next verse 52 “Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, `If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'”
4. After Jesus answered them we find in verse 59 “Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.”

E. Why did these people react as they did to the Lord? Jesus revealed their problem in verse 37 where He said, “… My word has no place in you.”

1. Jesus told them that to be spiritually free they would have to continue or abide in His word, and they turned on Him. They argued with Him, and they went so far as to attack Him.
2. People do make mistakes, but they will account for what they did. We need to learn from their mistakes.

CONCLUSION: Jesus said in John 6:63, “…The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” We need to accept it for what it is, and not react as these people did. Rejecting the Lord and His word is a very serious offense. In John 12:48 Jesus said, “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.”

The good news is that Christ provides spiritual freedom to those who submit to His will.
Let’s turn to John 1:12-13 for just a moment and consider the good news that is revealed. In verse 11 it says: “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” I still marvel that God’s people, the chosen people, who should have been the first to know and hail the Lord’s coming, did not welcome Him.

Now at verse 12, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Here John, having recorded the unbelief of the chosen people (in major part, that is), next turned to a consideration of those who had received Him. The good news is that the Lord provides spiritual freedom to those who submit to His will.

We are so thankful for the freedom in our country today, and we pray that we will always have it, but let’s be more mindful of the fact that Jesus provides spiritual freedom. You can’t go to any other source to receive it. This freedom gives us liberty from sin.

When we obey the gospel we’re able to walk in newness of life. Old things are passed away and all things become new. We’re given a clean slate. We don’t have to worry about things from the past anymore. The Lord’s precious blood makes that possible.

The Lord calls upon us to live to a higher standard, to turn from the things of the past, and to leave them in the past, and not to go back to them.

Those who comply with the Lord’s word have something very special to look forward to—an eternal home in heaven.
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We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and be baptized for the remission of our sins… If we follow these steps, the Lord adds us to His church.

Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. If anyone has this need or desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage them to come forward while we stand and sing.

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Reference Sermon by: Raymond Sieg