Truth That Will Set You Free – John’s Gospel chapter 8, verses 31 to 47
Catchcries- Truth and Freedom!
But Truth with a capital “T” has become just any old truth – “You have your truth and I have mine!”
- Freedom!
- No rules! No restrictions!
- “Your rules take away from me!”.
But it doesn’t deliver. We still feel restricted, searching for more truth.
The truth will set you free.
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.’
John 8:31-32
Will they stick with Jesus or turn back? And what about us?
“Then you will know the truth..” An outrageous claim today. Later he says “I am the Truth”. And this truth will set you free. Not the “the freedom to be me”, which got me in this mess. Freedom from sin and death. Freedom to love and serve others.
Objection Number 1: “Abraham is our Father”
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. … 39 ‘Abraham is our father,’ they answered. ‘If you were Abraham’s children,’ said Jesus, ‘then you would do what Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the works of your own father.’…
Never slaves! Don’t need to to be made free. We have credit with God! We have privilege.
His response: “everything who sins is a slave to sin”. If the Son sets you free you will be free indeed. Free to be what you were meant to be. But they wanted to kill him, which is not what Abraham was like.
Objection Number 2: “God is our Father”
41 You are doing the works of your own father.’ ‘We are not illegitimate children,’ they protested. ‘The only Father we have is God himself.’
42 Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. … 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! …
But they were not behaving like God’s sons. They refused to hear what He is saying. Their desires match the devil’s, a murderer from the beginning. They could not handle the truth.
Truth and Freedom
We must begin by accepting we are slaves without the truth. Here the journey of faith must begin, and with it the call to “Keep going!”