Thank you, Adam. I am so thankful to be able to sing those words with some understanding. I've titled the message this morning, True Freedom. What we just sang, what does it really mean in our lives? What does the Bible say about being free?

Free. We're told to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made you free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. If you'll open your Bibles with me to John chapter 8 again, John chapter 8, we looked at the verse 31, the first hour, Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, which confessed that they believed what they said, what he said, if you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed. And if you continue in my word, and if you are my disciples indeed, then you shall know the truth. and the truth shall make you free.

Free. I looked up that word freedom in the dictionary, and here's a couple of the definitions given of freedom. Exemption from external control, interference, or regulation. Exemption from any external control, any interference, or any regulations placed on me. The power to determine my own actions without restraint.

Truth is that there are no chains of bondage stronger than the ones that we shackle ourselves with when given the freedom to do whatever we want. There are no chains of bondage stronger than the ones we shackle ourselves with when given the freedom to not have any regulations, to not have any external controls, to not have any interference, to have the power to determine our own actions without restraint. And yet, that's what men think when they think of freedom. Anything I want or desire, I don't have to answer to anyone.

What does the Bible say about that kind of freedom? A man who trusts his own heart is a fool. That's what the Proverbs tells us. That's what God says. Scripture tells us that we have a sinful nature, a man of flesh, and that that man of flesh lusteth against the Spirit. And if that man of flesh is given the freedom to do whatever he wants, then he will certainly lead us into the bondage of sin.

Scripture speaks about Well, here, right here in our text, let's read on, verse 33. And they answered him, and they said, we be Abraham's seed. These are the same people that said, we believe. And now the Lord said, well, if you really believe, you'll continue in my word. And then he said, and you'll know the truth. And the truth will make you free. What are you talking about being free?

Now, these Jews were under the control of Rome. Before that, they were under the control of the Greeks. Before that, they were under control of the Babylonians. Before that, they were under the control of the Assyrians. For a brief period of time, they had freedom under David and Solomon's reign, but other than that, Before that, they were under the control of the Egyptians. They were always in bondage to somebody. And yet, they had the nerve to say, we be Abraham's seed. We've been in bondage to no man. What liars?

And yet, that's what people say when they say they're free. And in their freedom, they just do what they want. And they say, well, we're free. We're not under the bondage of anyone. We don't answer to anybody. We do what we want. We were never in bondage to any man. How sayest thou you shall make us free? And Jesus answered them, verily, verily, I say unto you, whosoever commit a sin is a servant of sin.

They didn't believe him. They were in bondage to their sin. They were not free from the tyranny of man, neither were they free from the tyranny of sin. They were in bondage, and yet they boast that they were free. Verse 35, the servant abideth not in the house forever, But the son abideth forever. The servant there is a slave. He just told them that they were slave to sin. They were in bondage to sin. Those slaves do not have freedom in the house. But a son, a son has freedom in the house.

In verse 36, if the son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. No, freedom is not answering to no one. Freedom is not living your life without control. We are currently having a movement in our country mixing political freedom with the gospel. I'm thankful for the freedoms that we do enjoy in this country, but I wonder sometimes if the freedoms that we enjoy politically have not lessened the appreciation of spiritual freedom that we have.

The Lord Jesus is speaking to men that will never know political freedom. They will spend their lives being hunted, being persecuted, being martyred, being imprisoned. They will meet for worship in secret. These believers knew nothing of political freedom, and yet the Lord assures them that if he makes them free, they are free, indeed, truly free. As I said, I'm thankful for the freedoms that we have. We can meet without the fear of arrest, imprisonment, free to pray, free to read our Bibles, free to worship, free to fellowship. But looking back historically, there seems to be times when the church, not having those freedoms, appreciated more truly what the Lord Jesus is talking about when he speaks of being free indeed. Free indeed. The Lord said, my kingdom is not of this world. My kingdom is not of this world. So when the Lord said, you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. The truth shall make you free. He didn't say knowing what is true will make you free. He said, knowing the truth. And then he said, if the sun shall make you free, then you are free indeed. And another place, the Lord Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man can come to the father but by me.

No, freedom is not being unshackled of responsibilities. Freedom is not something political. Freedom is a work of grace in the heart. It's a It's a liberty that God gives to the soul of his children when they're able to rest in Christ. Left to ourselves, if the Lord doesn't make us free, we will not be able to believe the gospel. Colossians chapter one, turn with me there. Colossians chapter one. Look at verse 13. Well, verse 12, giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet. He made us able to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of his dear son.

What did the Lord say to Pilate when he asked him, when the Lord Jesus told to Pilate, for this cause was I born and for this reason came I into the world to bear witness unto the truth. And they that are of the truth, they hear my voice and they follow me. Pilate said, truth, what is truth? What is truth? You know, there's no such thing as truth. Truth was standing before him. And the Lord Jesus, in that conversation, said to Pilate, my kingdom is not of this world.

When the Bible speaks of freedom, it's not. Many of God's people have never known political freedom like we know. And yet, the Lord promises freedom, freedom to be delivered from the power of darkness. We come into this world blind. We come into this world spiritually dead. We come into this world unable to believe. We come into this world deaf. We can't hear the word of God. If the sun shall make you free, then you shall be free indeed. The Lord Jesus has to unstop our ears. He has to, he has to open our eyes. He has to enable us to see ourselves for what we are in light of who he is. We come to believe that He is God and that we're sinners in need of a Savior. And we're brought to bow to Him and to believe on Him. Such freedom in that.

Turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 4. 2 Corinthians chapter 4. I wasn't free. Tricia and I were talking about this in the car driving here this morning, about our lives in religion before we heard the gospel and friends that we had in religion that were able to find comfort and they were able to find rest and freedom in a freewill works religion. They were able to look back at a decision they made, a prayer they prayed. They were able to look at the way they were living their lives and compare their lives to other men. And they could sit and feel free and feel blessed and feel comfortable in their experience.

But grace before grace. will not allow one of God's elect to get comfortable in that place. God's elect will never be able to be satisfied with a free will works religion. They'll always be looking for something more. They'll always be saying there's got to be more. They'll never be able to be free and comfortable with any decision they've made or with any work that they've performed because the Lord won't let them. We weren't free in religion. Oh, we pretended to be free. We even promoted a false gospel as a means to freedom. But in our hearts, the Lord would never allow us He would never allow us to rest in a decision that we made not knowing that if we were sincere when we made it. We never allowed us to rest in a work that we performed not knowing if we really did enough or did it right.

And then the Lord Jesus reveals himself in the preaching of the gospel. And he delivers us from the bondage of evil and darkness and gives us faith to believe on him and to rest in who he is and what he's done. And never since that day, never since that day have we looked for anything else. We've come back to the same well. That's what the Lord Jesus is saying to the woman at the well in John chapter four. If you knew who it is that saith unto thee, give me to drink, you would ask of him and he would give you living water. And this living water never dries up. You never have to come back to this well again or any other well. Your thirst is always quenched at the river of life.

Now, I'm not saying that we, in our unbelief, don't try to find comfort and happiness somewhere outside of Christ. A hundred times a day, we take our eyes off of Him. This matter of freedom, I want to close with this point, but I'll mention it now. This matter of freedom is a fleeting experience for the child of God. It is not something that you experience one time and then you, no, because of the presence of our sinful flesh, we are, but my point is that we always come back to the same well. We don't look somewhere, we're not looking for a different experience or a new doctrine. or a new religion, or a new denomination, or a new teacher. We've been taught of God, and we know where the truth is. We know who the truth is. That's what the Lord's saying. If you abide in my word, then you are my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. Free. And if the Son make you free, you're free indeed. You're free indeed.

Second Corinthians chapter four, verse three. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid for them that are lost, in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. The God of this world has blinded their hearts. That's where all men are by nature. We're blinded. Lest the glorious gospel of Christ shine in our hearts. If the Lord make you free, you're free. Oh Lord, that light shined. It showed me the only place where I can have any hope of salvation. The only hope that I have to be able to believe. I was not free to believe. I was in bondage. I was in bondage to the devil. I wasn't free to believe on Christ until you shine the light of the gospel in my heart and showed me who he was. And if the Son shall make you free, now you're free indeed. You don't have to pretend to be free. You don't have to indulge yourself in fleshly pleasures in order to think you're free. You don't have to rely upon political freedoms to be free.

I mentioned earlier that there's a movement in our country of mixing political freedom with religion. I think I mentioned this a few weeks ago, but I heard an interview where Charlie Kirk's pastor was being interviewed. He brought out the fact that Charlie Kirk was a political activist. And then he got involved in church and his pastor told him, you should try to promote the gospel in your rallies. And Charlie Kirk said, Well, my real passion and my real purpose is political activism, not religious. And here's what his pastor said. His pastor said, yeah, but the gospel can be an on-ramp to politics. The gospel can be an on-ramp to politics. And from that day forward, Charlie Kirk promoted what he believed to be the gospel along with politics. That's not freedom. The gospel is not an on-ramp to politics. The gospel is the only road to heaven that there is, and it's a narrow road, and it has nothing to do with politics.

Thank the Lord for freedoms that we enjoy, but that's not, here's, The God of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not. When we were in unbelief, it's because we were in bondage and in blindness to the God of this world. The ability to believe is the result of the new birth. The new birth is not the result of us believing. You don't believe in order to be saved. You believe because you are saved. Faith is not the cause of life, it's the proof of life. It's the proof of life. What a distinction.

And what evidence do I have that I'm free? I believe the gospel. I believe Christ. I believe all that he is and all that he did. I believe that he's the second person of the triune Godhead, that he's the eternal, self-existent, uncreated creator of all things, that he's all-powerful, that he needs no one, that he exists within himself, completely independent of all things and all men. He doesn't need anything from me. That's who he is. He is God. That's what I believe about him. And anyone who believes in a free will works gospel denies that. They deny that Jesus is God. They have concluded that he is in need of something from me in order for him to be able to do what he wants. That is stripping him of his deity.

I believe that Jesus Christ was sent of God into this world to accomplish the salvation of his people. You shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. And saving his people from their sins is exactly what he did. He didn't make an offer to us, he made himself an offering to his heavenly father. And his heavenly father saw the travail of his soul, and his heavenly father said, I'm satisfied. All the sins of all of God's people were put away once and for all by the sacrifice of Christ. Everything that God required for me to be saved, he accomplished. That's what we believe. And if what he did was not finishing the work of redemption, then that's another gospel. If there's anything else that has to be added to what he did, then I'm not a believer. I believe who He is and I believe what He did. The Son shall make you free. Here's the evidence that I'm free. I'm a believer. I believe on Christ. There was a time when I didn't. There was a time when I thought that He needed something from me. There was a time when I thought that I could offer something to Him. Why? because I was in bondage to the devil. I was blinded. If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not. That's so simple, so clear, isn't it?

Freedom to believe. Free. Free from the penalty of the law. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. We no longer go about trying to establish our own righteousness. We're no longer ignorant of the righteousness of God. He has delivered us. from the rigors and the curse of the law. The penalty of the law was satisfied.

I don't understand what all the Lord Jesus went through on Calvary's cross. But I know this, I know this, that if everyone for whom he died if everyone for whom he died spent an eternity in hell, the combination of that suffering would not be sufficient or compared to what the Lord Jesus suffered on Calvary's cross. Mark, you read it from Isaiah 53. who hath believed our report. God hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He fulfilled the requirements of the law by his perfect life, and he's satisfied.

The obedience of Christ is both active and passive. He actively fulfilled everything that the law required by his perfect obedience in thought, in word, and in deed throughout his entire life. He passively satisfied the demands of the law when the justice of God's wrath fell on him at Calvary's cross as our sin bearer. That was the law. wielding the sword of justice against our savior, against our substitute at Calvary's cross. The law had to be fulfilled both actively and passively. And that's what the Lord Jesus did so that we read in Romans chapter eight, verse one, there is now therefore no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.

With spiritual eyes, we're not looking to our fleshly obedience to satisfy God's law. With spiritual eyes, we're looking to the Lord Jesus and what he did both actively and passively to fulfill the law of God. And so we're free. We're free from the curse of the law. We're free from the demands of the law. Now, does that mean that we're lawless people? We're free from the, we're not under the law. We're under grace.

The strength of sin, the Bible says, is the law. You know, I was thinking about Adam in the garden. How many fruit trees were in the garden? How many fruit trees are there in the world today? Thousands of different fruit trees. I wonder how many fruit trees were in the garden that Adam never bothered to taste from. And yet it was the one tree that God said, don't eat of that tree that he was tempted to eat of. A parent learns very quickly to use reverse psychology with their small child. Why? Because of the sin nature. You want that child to do something, tell them not to do it. Isn't that the way we, that's the way we're wired. It's our, it's our sin nature. As soon as you tell someone not to do something, that's exactly what sin wants to do.

The strength of sin is the law. So if the law has been fulfilled, if the law has been satisfied, if all the thou shalt nots of the law have already been have already been fulfilled by Christ. The law no longer hangs over me. The strength of sin has been broken. It's been broken. Let me show you that. Turn with me to Romans chapter six. Verse 14, for sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace. This is what I was just saying. Sin no longer, the power of sin has been broken because the law has been kept. The law has been satisfied.

What then, shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know you not that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey, whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, you were servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered unto you, and being then made free from sin, you become the servants of righteousness. You no longer have to yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness. Free. You're free to serve. We're free to know that my salvation is not determined by my law keeping. My salvation is all by grace.

We're not only free from the penalty of sin, free from its power. Now, like I said, this freedom that we're talking about is a fleeting experience for the believer. It is an absolute in terms of our position before God. It's an absolute in terms of our position before God. But in terms of our experience, It's fleeting, isn't it? It is that old man that drives the new man again and again and again back to Christ. The only time that I'm free, the only time that I'm free from the power of sin is when I'm enabled by God's grace to look to, to rest in, to rejoice in and to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. I have experienced so many times in my own life and I've heard some of you say to me, you know, the one time that I feel most free is when I'm participating in public worship and I'm hearing the gospel. It's the time that I, that I'm able to rest the most in Christ. When I hear who Christ is and what he's done for me. One brother said, You know, I'm just so thankful, I'm so at rest over that message, and I'm so happy and so free, and I figured it'll last about as long as it takes for me to be cut off on the road on my way home today.

Our freedom is fleeting, isn't it? And yet, in that fleeting experience of our freedom, what is it that brings us back? It's to know that positionally, we are eternally free in Christ. We're free to come to the throne of grace. We're free to seek God's mercy. We're free to have forgiveness. We're free to believe on him. We no longer have to try to atone for our sins or to somehow make up for anything. No, we're free to believe. We're free to worship. We're free to love. That's what the Lord Jesus came to do.

Turn with me to Luke chapter 4. When our Lord began his public ministry, he went back to his hometown of Nazareth. The Bible says, as was his custom. And on the Sabbath day, he went into the synagogue.

the rabbi of that synagogue would have given to him, as I'm sure had often happened on the Sabbath in the past, the scroll of scripture to make a public reading. And so the Lord Jesus turns to Isaiah 61, a favorite passage of scripture among the Jews who knew that this was a prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah. And the Lord turns to that portion of scripture and he reads it at verse 18.

The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. Bruised by sin, bruised by fear, bruised by unbelief, bruised by doubts, He sent me to set them at liberty, to give them freedom from their sin, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

And he closed the book and he gave it to the ministers and he sat down and all the eyes of them were fastened in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And boy, he had their attention now.

And they all bear witness to what he just said. And they wandered at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth. They thought, could it be that Jesus, the son of Mary, It's a small village, Nazareth, a very small town. Everybody knew everybody. Could it be that this is the Messiah? He just claimed to be.

And then he interpreted to them what Messiah was, who Messiah was. And he declared unto them his sovereign right to save whomsoever he will to save. And those same people who wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth, hoping that perhaps he was the Messiah, now they wanted to murder him. Because he declared unto them who Messiah was.

The sovereign. The sovereign. The one who possessed all power. I wasn't going to have that. I'm not going to have that man reign over me.

Here's what he came to do, brethren. He came to set at liberty them that are bruised. He came to open the prison house of sin and deliver us. How did he do that? He did that by fulfilling the requirements of the law. We don't have to measure up to one part of God's law in order to be saved. We can't. Can't. You're not under the law, you're under grace. Shall we continue to sin then? God forbid. God forbid. No longer servants to sin like you were. Now you're a servant to Christ. We're free to live in the house as a son.

Go back with me to our text and let's look at one other thing. John chapter eight. Verse 35, and the servant abideth not in the house forever, but the Son abideth forever. And if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. The Son of God abides in heaven. forever. He's seated at the right hand of the majesty on high. He is our advocate with the father. This freedom that we have in him is often challenged. It's often clouded. The position of it has never changed. Never changed. We're free. Free to come. Before the throne of grace and find help in our time of need. Free to discover again and again and again. That all our sin. has already been atoned for. There's no working our way to heaven. God's not requiring us to satisfy any part of his law in order for us to be saved. Christ did that. We're free to worship him. free to love him.

Yes, it is a fleeting thing. Temptations, fears, worries. But when, by God's grace, we are able to look to Christ, we discover again and again that we're free. When tempted by the devil, we're told to resist him in the faith. In the faith. What is it to resist him in the faith? It's to come back again to Christ. It's to believe on Christ. It's to look to what he did in saving us. And then once again, our freedom is enjoyed. When the heart is troubled, by our God-ordained circumstances, we're free again to come and to be reminded it's the Lord. It's the Lord. Whatever he does is right.

When we're burdened with our sin, we're reminded again of those words that he gives us, coming to me, all you that labor and are heavy laden. I'll give you rest. I'll set you free. My yoke is easy. My burden is light. Learn of me. Learn of me."

Oh, what hope the believer has, what freedom we have. We say with David in Psalm 23, Lord, make me to lie down in green pastures. Lord, lead me beside still waters. Lord, set a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Lord, feed me with the bread that's convenient for me.

And if the sun shall make you free, you free indeed, indeed free.

Our Heavenly Father, thank you. Thank you for your precious promises. Thank you for the forgiveness of our sin. Lord, your grace and your mercy and your fulfilling of the law is the very thing that causes us to want to come back to you for freedom.

Or might we be reminded of your words, if the sun shall make you free, you're free indeed. We ask it in Christ's name, amen.

205, let's stand together, 205.