Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church, located at 2709 Rock Springs Road in Kingsport, Tennessee, would like to invite you to listen to a message of sovereign grace of their pastor, Gabe Stonica. For information and service times, visit www.ksgc.church.

And now, Gabe Stoniker.

I will be speaking to you from John chapter 8. John chapter 8. And I have a message today that I love declaring every time I get the opportunity to declare it. It is so true. It is so critical and it's so comforting. I pray this will be a true comfort to you.

John chapter eight, verse 32, our Lord Jesus Christ said, and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. I pray the Lord will really let that sink into our hearts and I pray he will teach us what that means. You shall know the truth and the truth will make you free, make you free.

In Christ, we have been made free. Our Lord Jesus Christ said, I am the truth, I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life. Christ is the truth. And in Christ, we have been made free.

Now what that ought to tell us is outside of Christ, we are in bondage. Being made free is only in Christ. There's only one place to be free. Only one way to be made free. And that's in Christ. Outside of Christ is bondage. We're in bondage.

Our Lord is speaking to the Pharisees right here. The Pharisees, the devout church-going people. the all-of-their-lifetime religious people. That's who he's talking to. You know, the God-acknowledging, church-going people. That's who he's talking to. And when he said to them, you need to be made free, that offended them. They were offended. They recognized the fact that in him saying that, he was saying they were in bondage. The church-going people. in bondage.

Verse 33 right here, they answered him, we be Abraham's seed and we're never in bondage to any man. How sayest thou you shall be made free? They said, what do you mean we need to be made free? That's the response of every bound sinner until God reveals the bondage to him or her. You tell this to men and women and they say, what are you talking about? Every sinner is bound, and not one sinner on this earth realizes he or she is bound until God reveals that to him or her.

Verse 34 right here, Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. They said, what do you mean we need to be made free? He said, whoever commits sin is the servant the servant of sin. He said, you are bound to sin. You're a bond slave, a bound slave, a bound servant to sin. And in our flesh, that's the truth.

What our Lord is saying, this is so. Just try to get away from it. Try to get away from sin. See if it's physically possible to get away from sin and to leave sin behind, to turn from sin, to quit your sinning, because that's what Pharisees are standing in pulpits telling men and women right now, all over this world. Now you need to quit your sinning. You need to turn from your sin. That's what you need to do. Try it. See how it goes. Try it and see what happens. Not just indeed in mind. in feeling of the heart. You know what you'll find? Sin is mixed with everything you do. Sin is mixed with everything that I do. If I do something that I believe is a good deed, I'm so proud of myself for that. That's sin. I can't control the thoughts of my mind. I can't control the feelings of my heart. Sin is mixed with everything we do.

Verse 35, our Lord said, and the servant, speaking of the bound one, abideth not in the house forever, but the son abideth forever. He said, you're bound to the service and the labor of the law. He said your whole existence, your whole religious existence is built on the service and the labor of the law. Thinking, you know, if you're gonna be in God's house, if you're gonna stay in God's house, you're gonna have to do this, and you're gonna have to do this, and you have to do this. And if you don't do these things, if you don't fulfill your duty, you have no right to be in God's house, you're not gonna be able to live in God's house. Well, that's a servant. That's the mindset of a servant. Bound to a law, bound to commandments giving, bound given, bound to rules given.

But he said, it's not that way for the children of the house. It's not that way. If you're following with me here in the scripture, turn over to Matthew 17 with me. Matthew chapter 17. Verse 24, when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money, those that took the taxes, came to Peter and said, doth not your master pay tribute? Does he not pay tax, pay his taxes? Peter saith, yes. And when he, Peter, was come into the house, Jesus prevented him. The Lord spoke before Peter spoke. He prevented him saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? Of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? Of their own children or of strangers? Who do they take taxes from, of their children or of strangers? Peter said unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea and cast and hook and take up the fish that first cometh up. And when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money that taken given to them for me and they."

Our Lord provides everything. He said, you go fishing, the first fish you catch will have the exact amount we owe for taxes and you go pay it. And what he was saying is, Peter, this is not your home. This is not your home. You're just a stranger passing through. So you're bound as a stranger to pay tax. Go pay it. But he said in God's house, that's not going to be so. That's how it is here, but that's not going to be the case in God's house. The children are free. They're free.

Our Lord illustrated that to us through a man named Lazarus. If you turn back to John, this time chapter 11, John 11, Lazarus died here in John 11. And our Lord said in verse 34, he asked the question, where have you laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Verse 35 says, Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, behold how he loved him. And some of them said, could not this man which opened the eyes of the blind have caused that even this man should not have died?

Jesus therefore again, groaning in himself, cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, said unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh, for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid, and Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always, but because of the people which stand by, I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he had thus spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth bound hand and foot with grave clothes and his face was bound about with a napkin.

And that's the condition of every soul on this earth by nature. We are bound by death. We are bound to error. We're bound to the works, the dead works of false religion. They are called spiritual grape clothes. Sometimes that's what we refer to them. Spiritual grape clothes, our faces, that means our heads, our eyes, our ears, our mouths, our thoughts are bound. They are bound, we are bound until this happens.

Verse 43, when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, loose him and let him go. Loose him and let him go. Set him free. That's what the Lord said. Set him free. That's what the Lord does. He sets his people free.

Now, how does he do that? How were his people set free? How were God's people set free? Well, over in Matthew 27, Matthew 27, this is so amazing. It's so wonderful. Verse one says, when the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. And when they had bound him, when they had bound him, They led him away and delivered him to Pontius Pilate, the governor.

Thanks be to God, how amazing this is. Our Lord allowed himself to be bound so his people could be set free. In John 18, our Lord said, if you seek me, they came to take him and bind him. and bring him to Pilate. And he said, if you seek me, let them go, set them free.

Over in Hebrews chapter 2, it says in Hebrews 2 verse 14, for as much then as the children, and that's speaking of God's people, as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, That means sinful, fallen flesh and blood. That's what we are. That's what the children are partakers of. For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part in the same. This is the amazing declaration of the gospel. He took part in the same. He took upon himself the nature of his people. the likeness of sinful flesh.

Verse 14 says that through death, he did this, that through death, that means by his cross, through his death, this is what he did for his people to set them free. Verse 14 says that through his death, he might destroy him that had the power of death. that is the devil, and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of his people. For in that he himself had suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them or comfort them that are tempted.

" That's how Christ delivered his people from bondage. That's how He set His people free. And where we started back in our text there in John chapter 8, the next verse said, if the Son, if the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Savior, the Redeemer, the Deliverer of His people, it said, if the Son therefore shall make you free, YOU SHALL BE FREE INDEED. IF THE SUN MAKES YOU FREE, YOU SHALL BE FREE INDEED. THAT'S WHAT I WANT US TO GET A HOLD OF THIS MORNING. FREE INDEED. IN CHRIST, WE ARE FREE INDEED. that in Christ, God's people have been set free from, completely made free from.

The first one is in Romans 6. In Romans 6, verse 20 says, for when you were the servants of sin, servants, bond slaves, bound, when you were the servants of sin, you were free FROM RIGHTEOUSNESS. WHEN YOU WERE BOUND TO SIN, YOU WERE NOT BOUND TO RIGHTEOUSNESS. YOU COULD NOT DO RIGHTEOUSNESS. YOU HAD NO CONNECTION TO RIGHTEOUSNESS. RIGHTEOUSNESS HAD NO HOLD ON YOU. VERSE 21 SAYS, WHAT FRUIT HAD YOU THEN IN THOSE THINGS WHEREOF YOU ARE NOW ASHAMED? For the end of those things is death.

But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, bound to God, you have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life. He said in verse 22, but now being made free from sin. Free from sin, how? In Christ. And again, this is the key to it all. This is the key to it all. You shall know the truth himself and the truth shall make you free. And in the accomplishment of Christ, in Christ, he said, now you're made free from sin, being bound to God.

In Christ, we've been set free from sin. And you hear me say that and you say, well, I sin all the time. I still, what do you mean free from sin? I still sin all the time. I know. That's because we're sinners. I understand that. That's because we're sinners. But in Christ, we have been made free from it. You say, well, Gabe, it sounds like you're giving everybody a license to sin. No one needs a license to sin. Everybody does it all the time, like it or not. That's all we do is sin. We sin because we are sinners in the flesh. Sin is not just what we do, it's what we are.

But in Christ, the scripture says, we're not in the flesh. We're in Christ. We're in the spirit of Christ. And in Christ, we're made free. In Christ, we're made free. I always want to make this clear. I hate the sin that I commit. I don't condone the sin that I commit. I acknowledge the sin that I commit. It grieves me to think about what my Savior had to endure because of the sin that I commit. Not just committed, but commit. But because He endured it. I'm telling you, this is the only hope that any of us have. because he endured the cross of Calvary for me, for all of his people. He has made us free from the sin that we commit. I understand it's very difficult for the mind to get a hold of this, but by faith, he'll cause us to believe it. He's made us free from the sin that we even still commit.

You say, Gabe, how on this earth could you believe something like that? It's because God said so. Verse 22, he said, being made free from sin, free from sin. Our Lord said, if I ever revealed the truth of what I have done for you concerning this matter, I'm telling you, if he ever reveals the truth of what happened on the cross, EVERYBODY KNOWS CHRIST DIED ON THE CROSS. WHAT HAPPENED IN THAT DEATH? WHAT DID HE ACCOMPLISH IN THAT DEATH? WHAT IS THE RESULT OF THAT DEATH? HERE IT IS. HE MADE HIS PEOPLE FREE FROM SIN. HE SET HIS PEOPLE FREE FROM SIN. HE SAID, IF I EVER REVEAL THE TRUE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE CROSS TO YOU, IT WILL SET YOU FREE. IT'LL SET YOU FREE.

So that's the first thing. He's made us free from sin. Here's the second thing. Right here in Romans 6, verse 14 says, for sin shall not have dominion over you, for you're not under the law. Under means under the bondage of the law. But you are under, you are bound to, Grace. Sin shall not have dominion over you because you're not under the law, but under grace. In Christ, we have been made free from the law. If you've never heard this before, I know this is shocking, but this is, if you get ahold of this, this will be wonderful news to you. In Christ, we have been made free from the law.

Now, wait a minute, Gabe. Are you saying that the people that have been placed in Christ are lawless? Are you saying they're absolutely lawless? Here's the answer. God forbid. Absolutely not. God is saying In Christ, the law has been satisfied. In Christ, the law has been fulfilled. In Christ, the law is finished. In Christ, the law is complete. Everything is satisfied.

I do hope you're reading this with me. Look right here at Romans 7. It says in verse 1, Romans 7 verse 1, know ye not brethren, for I speak to them that know the law. how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth. For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband. She's bound by the law to stay with her husband so long as he liveth. But if the husband be dead, if the husband dies, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress. But if her husband be dead, she is free from that law so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

Verse four says, wherefore, my brethren, you also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ. by the body of Christ that you should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. Do you understand what that's saying right there? By the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, the contract is fulfilled. A man and a woman get married and they make a vow before God till death do us part. And once death takes place in one or the other, that contract is fulfilled. That contract is over. And that's what Christ did in his death on the cross for his people. He fulfilled the contract. He put an end to the contract and he set his people free. They were married to the law and now they're married to Christ. legally, rightfully.

The song says, free from the law, oh happy condition. The Lord Jesus bled and there is remission. Cursed by the law and bruised by the fall, but the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ redeemed us once for all. once for all of his people, all of his elect, once for all of the rest of time. If the Son has made us free, we're free indeed, free from sin, free from the law.

And one more, Romans 8, verse 1 says, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." In Christ, we are free from condemnation. We were condemned. but we were condemned in Him." Our condemnation happened in Christ on the cross of Calvary. And it's over. It's fulfilled. It's finished. And we're free from it.

Verse 32 says, He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all. How shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. In Christ the condemnation is over. It is done. The judgment has already happened. We're free. If we are one of God's elect that he placed in Christ, if we were redeemed in Christ, people talk about the judgment. Judgment's coming. Ours is over. Ours happened on the cross of Calvary. And it's finished. And we are now free. We are now free to live forever as children of the Father. We're free.

Verse 15 right here in Romans 8, it says, You've not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you've received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

In Christ, we're free. Why? Because we're children. We're sons. We're not strangers. We're family. And family is free.

Now I'm going to close with these words. Galatians 5 verse 1 says, Christ set us free. Stand right there. Don't let any man put you back under bondage. Don't put yourself back under bondage. Stand free in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen. You have been listening to a message by Gabe Stoniker, pastor of Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church in Kingsport, Tennessee. If you would like a copy of this message or to hear other messages of Sovereign Grace, you can call or write to the number and address on your screen or visit www.ksgc.church. Tune in at this same time next week for another message of God's free and sovereign grace.