John chapter 8. Quite often. I wake up on a Sunday morning. And I can't wait to get to Sunday
night. That happens to me a lot. I'm definitely in the moment
for each message. I most definitely am in the moment.
When it's time to preach the Bible study or time to preach
Sunday morning, whenever it is. But sometimes I'm so excited
and passionate about the evening message, I can't wait to get
to it. So you say, well, why don't you just preach that one
Sunday morning? Well, it doesn't work that way.
It honestly doesn't work that way. You know in your heart where
a message is supposed to be placed. Our Lord gives a message for
a particular hour. I believe that. with all of my
heart. We look for the message of the
hour. And you just know, this is the
Bible study, this one's Sunday morning, this one's Sunday night.
I don't always prepare them in that way. It could be the first
one and I just know that's Sunday night. This message is for Sunday night. This message is for right now. With that being said, this is
a message that I would love to preach every Sunday morning for
the rest of my life. I honestly would. This is so
true, this is so critical, and this is so comforting. And I
want to encourage us, I ran a little long this morning, and I'm gonna
try to be brief tonight. Normally when I say that, I'm
not. I'll warn you. But that's my
goal. But I just really want to encourage
us to ask the Lord to help us dial in to this. I pray he'll
focus our minds and focus our hearts because. This is so good. This is so good and it's so needful
this for this moment right here. OK, John 8 verse 32. Our Lord
said. You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you
free. Lord, let that sink into our
hearts. Teach us what that means. Teach
us what that means. You shall know the truth. You shall know the truth. And the truth shall make you
free. Free. In Christ, we have been
made free. We've been made free. What that
ought to tell us is, outside of Christ, we are in bondage. Our Lord is speaking to the Pharisees
right here. Our brother read these verses
and it told us that he was speaking to the Pharisees. They were the
devout church-going people. You've got people in Kingsport
who are devout church-going people and then you have people in Kingsport
who are not devout church-going people. Well, our Lord was talking
to the devout, the devoted church going people, the all their lifetime
religious God, considering 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. That really
offended them. They recognized the fact that
in him saying that, he was saying they were in bondage. Church-going people in bondage. Verse 33, 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. Men and women don't know they
are in bondage. They don't know that. And every
time, that is the response that men and women have until God
reveals the bondage. Verse 34, Jesus answered them,
verily, verily, of a truth of a truth, I say unto you, Whosoever
committeth sin is the servant of sin. He said, you are bound
to sin. They didn't know that. They didn't
think they were. They might as well have said,
what do you mean bound to sin? He said, you are bound to sin. In our flesh, that's the truth. That's the truth. Just try to
get away from it. Okay, honestly, try to get away
from it. See if you can get away from
it. See if it's physically possible to get away from sin and to leave
sin behind and see if it's possible to actually turn from your sin
and quit your sinning. Just see if that's possible. You know what you'll find if
you try that? Sin is mixed with all that we do. Sin is mixed
with the moment we accomplish it and say, well, there it is,
I'm not sinning. Sin. That's calling God a liar. That's deceiving ourselves. Sin. Verse 35, he said, and the servant
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 labor
of the law. Does that describe anybody we
know? Your whole religious existence
is bound to the service and the labor of the law. You're going to be here, you're
going to have to do this, and you're going to have to do this,
and you're going to have to do this. And if you don't fulfill your
duty, you have no right to be here, and you're not going to
be here. That's the servant bound by the
law. He said, it's not that way for
the children of the house. Hold your place right here and
look over at Matthew 17. Matthew 17 verse 24. When they were come to Capernaum,
they that received tribute money came to Peter and said, doth
not your master pay tribute? He sayeth, yes. And when he was
come into the house, Jesus prevented him. That means our Lord spoke
before Peter had an opportunity to speak. Jesus 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? Peter saith unto him, of strangers.
Jesus saith unto him, then are the children free? The children
are 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 take and give it
unto them for me and thee. He said, Peter, this is not your
home. You're just passing through here.
So you're bound as a stranger to pay your tax. Go pay it. But
he said, in God's house, it's not going to be so. The children
are free. Our Lord illustrated that through
a man named Lazarus. Go back to John, this time chapter
11. John 11 verse 34, Lazarus here
had died, and the Lord said, where have you laid him? They
said unto him, Lord, come and see. 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, saith 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 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. And that's the condition of every
soul on this earth by nature. We are bound to death. We are bound to error. The dead works of false religion,
they're called spiritual grave clothes. Our faces, our heads,
our eyes, our ears, our mouths, our thoughts, bound. We're 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 with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, lose him
and let him go. Set him free. What a beautiful moment. What
a precious moment. This is how it happened for all
of us. This is how it happened for all of God's people. We heard
the gospel of truth, but we didn't hear the gospel of truth. We
heard it with the ear, but we didn't hear it with the heart.
And we recognized things that made sense to us, and that all
sounded good and right. But one day, God Almighty said,
set him free. Loose him and let him go. And our eyes were opened, our ears
were opened, and we were set free. How does he set his people
free? How did he set his people free? Go with me to Matthew 27. Matthew 27 verse 1, it 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, They led him away and delivered
him to Pontius Pilate, the governor. Thanks be to God. Oh, the wonder
of this. Honestly, our Lord allowed himself
to be bound so his people could be set free. In John 18, our Lord said, if
you seek me, let them go. Set them free. Turn to Hebrews 2. Hebrews chapter 2. Verse 14 says, For as much then as the children
are partakers of flesh and blood, sinful, fallen flesh and blood,
that's what God's people were partakers of. For as much then
as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same. He took upon himself the nature
of his people. It goes on to say that through
death, by His cross, through His death, this is what He did
for His people to set them free, that through 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.
He did not choose to redeem the fallen angels, but he did choose
to redeem the fallen sons of Adam. 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 the people. For in
that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to
succor them that are tempted." That's how he delivered his people
from bondage. That's how he set his people
free. And don't turn back, but the next verse in our text there
in John 8 said, if the Son therefore, the Son of God, Jesus Christ,
the Savior, the Redeemer, the Deliverer of His people, if the
Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. And that's what I've titled this
message, and that's what I want us to really get a hold of before
we walk out of this building tonight. That's what I want us
to really get a hold of. This is the moment, okay? That
moment that we're asking the Lord, help me to see this. Help me to get a hold of this.
This is the moment. Free indeed. Free indeed. All right, let me show you three
things that in Christ we have been set free from. Turn with
me to Romans 6. Romans 6 verse 20, it says, for
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 do no righteousness.
You had no connection to righteousness. Righteousness had no hold on
you at all. Verse 21, what fruit had you
then in those things whereof you're now ashamed, for the end
of those things is death? Verse 22 says, but now being
made free from sin. Free from sin. Free from sin, how? In Christ. Verse 22 says, 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.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. You shall know the truth
and the truth himself. shall make you free. In Christ,
we've been made free from sin. In Christ, we've been set free
from sin. This is what you say. I know
you. I have conversations with you.
This is what you say. But I sin all the time. I know
that. That's because we're sinners.
I sin all the time. That's because we're sinners.
But in Christ, we've been made free from it. Well, Gabe, it
sounds like you're giving everybody a license to sin. Nobody needs
a license to sin. They do it all the time anyway.
That's all they do anyway. Nobody needs an excuse to sin. We sin because we are sinners
in the flesh, but in Christ, we're not in the flesh, we're
in Christ. And in Christ, we're free. That's good news to me. I hate the sin that I commit. I do not condone the sin that
I commit. I acknowledge before God the
sin that I commit. It grieves me to think about
what my Savior had to endure because of the sin that I commit. But because he endured it, I
am free from the sin that I commit. Free. Well, Gabe, how on this
earth could you believe something like that? It's because my God
said so. Verse 22, he said, being made
free from sin. Our Lord said, if I ever reveal
the truth of what I've done for you concerning this matter, you'll
be made free from it. You'll be set free from it. There's
no need to work for anything. You've already been made free
from it. Here's the second thing. Romans 6 right here, verse 14
says, for sin shall not have dominion over you, for you're
not under the law, but under grace. In Christ, we've been
made free from the law. Gabe, are you saying that in
Christ, that the people who have been placed in Christ, they are
lawless? Isn't that called antinomian?
Isn't that that big word that people use? Just lawless? You
just, whatever you want to do, you're just lawless? God forbid.
Absolutely not. I'm saying in Christ the law
has been fulfilled. It is perfectly kept. It is satisfied. It is finished. Look at Romans 7 verse 1. It
says, 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 so long as he liveth. But if
the husband be dead, 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 more adulteress, though
she be married to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, you also
are become dead to the law 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. By the death of the Lord Jesus
Christ, the contract is fulfilled. The law is satisfied and you're
free. You're free. 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, once
for all the rest of the time. If the Son has made you free,
you're free indeed. Free from sin, free from the
law, and one more, Romans 8 verse 1. 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. Verse 32 right here 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 justifies. 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's done. We're free. We are
free. We're free to live forever as
children of the Father. We're free. Verse 15 right here
says, For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to
fear. but you have 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,
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've been set free
from sin, We've been set free from the law. Like I really want
to, like I am, I'm done. I'm about out of words. Let me
just really handle this. We're free from the law. Wait
a minute, wait, but wait a minute. Now doesn't the Bible say this?
We're free from the law. Oh man, you're not going to believe
what I did last night. In Christ, it all hinges on Christ. Clinging to Christ, looking to
Christ, pleading Christ alone. In Christ we're free from sin.
But I'm just as wretched as I was 10 years ago, 40 years ago. I'm no better. We're free from sin. But yeah, the Bible says it.
We're free from the law. It's a happy condition. You see
the Lord Jesus bled and there's remission. Yeah, we were cursed
by the law. That says I'm a, yeah, that's
right, you are in yourself, but not in Christ. In Christ we're
free. We're free from sin, we're free
from the law, and that means we're totally free from condemnation. Completely, totally free. So let me close the message with
this word of exhortation. Here with me to Galatians 5. Galatians 5 verse 1 says, stand
fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us
free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." Christ
set us free. Let's stand right there. Let's
not put ourselves back under bondage, and let's not let any
other man put us back under bondage. Christ set us free. Let's stand
right there. By His grace, we'll stand right
there. Amen.