Yesterday, all across this country,
people celebrated the 4th of July. They were commemorating that
time that in 1776, 13 colonies declared their independence from
England. And they set that forth in what
was known as the Declaration of Independence. And that's worth
celebrating, isn't it? I thank God for this country
and the measure of freedom we yet have. That's worth celebrating. But I want to speak to you about
another kind of liberty from a much, much greater virtue. Look, if you will, at verse 34.
Our Lord speaks of it here. Verse 34 of John 8, the Lord
Jesus says, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Verily, truly, this
is so, this is so. And those to whom he spoke didn't
believe it. They didn't recognize it. As
a matter of fact, they denied it. We're not in bondage. But
our Lord says, nonetheless, verily I say unto you, whosoever commits
sin is the servant of sin, and the servant abideth not in the
house forever. The servant abideth not in the
house forever. Why? Because God won't allow
it. The Father won't allow any to
enter His house, His presence, experience His grace and mercy.
Unless they've been brought there, as our Lord says, by the Son. The Son Himself. Look again at
verse 35. But the Son abideth ever. Ever. The Son, verse 29, says,
I do always those things that please Him. That please that
God. I satisfied God, Christ said. in my life lived in perfect conformity
to God's holy law. I do always those things that
please Him. Therefore, therefore, if the
Son brings you into the Father's house, if He does it, then you're
free Indeed, truly free. Free in this sense. Look at verse
10 here in the same chapter. We didn't read it previously.
Very familiar incident in the life of our Lord. This woman
who was taken in adultery. You know the story, but look
at verse 10. When Jesus had left it himself
left it up himself and saw none but the woman. He said unto her,
Woman, where are those thine accusers? Where are they? Had no man condemned thee? Well,
they had previous to this, but the Lord had put them all to
silence. She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Oh,
here is the freedom that the Son makes men to experience.
Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more. That's to be free indeed. Is it not really free? Set free from the bondage not
of literal bars. Oh no, to be set free from the
bondage of sin. The dominion of sin. The curse
of sin. This is the bondage that our
Lord speaks of here. To be set free from that. One hymn writer expressed it
like this. Against the God who rules the
sky, I fought with hand up left at high. despised the mention
of his grace. I was too proud to seek a hiding
place. Enwrapped in thick Egyptian night
and fond of darkness more than light, our Lord said, I come
a light into the world. But men love darkness more than
light. Therefore, they'll not come to
the light. Men by nature abide in darkness. And they love it. They don't
even know they're in darkness, just like these our Lord was
speaking to at this time. But by nature, the hymn writer
describes our condition well. Enwrapped in thick Egyptian night
and fond of darkness more than light, madly I ran the simple
race, secure without a hiding place. Remember that. Child of
God, do you remember that? Let me read you a passage from
Lamentations, just a few verses there. This is the memory that
everyone who has experienced God's grace has. Oh God, make
it vivid to our minds this hour. May we remember where we were
and what we were and what he has done for us. I am the man
that has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. He has led
me and brought me into darkness, but not into light. Surely against
me is he turned. This is speaking of God. He turneth
his hand against me all the day. My flesh and my skin hath he
made old. He hath broken my bones. He hath
builded against me and compassed me with gall and travail. He
has sent me in dark places as they that be dead of old. He
has hedged me about that I cannot get out. He had made my chain
heavy. And thou has removed my soul
far off from peace. I forgot prosperity, and I said
my strength and my hope is perished from the Lord. Remembering mine
affliction and my misery, their warm wood and the gall, my soul
have them still in remembrance and is humbled in me." Ever experienced
that? Is that what old Newton was talking
about in his most famous hymn when he said, it was grace that
taught my heart to fear? Is that what he was talking about?
But bless God, that's not all, is it? If God strips a sinner,
if God does that necessary work, if he convinces a man that that
man is lost, that's a work of grace. That's a work of grace. Exactly. Because until he realizes
he's lost, he'll never be found. until God strips him and shows
him what he really is, he'll stand as these did and say, we
have Abraham for our father, we don't need anything else,
we have a religious pedigree and it's enough. What do you
mean in bondage? We've never been in bondage,
totally oblivious, totally blind to their condition and so is
every sinner until until God in sovereign mercy and grace
brings him down and strips him, gets him lost. Does that sound
like strange language? Gets him lost? Gets him lost? Well, Larry, we're all lost. Ask somebody. Louie, when's the
last time you talked to a lost man? I often ask that question. But think about it. When's the
last time you talked to a lost man? When's the last time you
talked to any sinner who says, I have need of God's mercy and
grace? When's the last time you met
a publican, like our Lord described in Luke 18, standing afar off,
not even able to lift up his eyes toward heaven, feeling so
unworthy, having been stripped, having been taught by God's grace
to fear and saying, I'm the sinner. Oh, no, no. They're very rare,
becoming more rare all the time. No, we're more likely to encounter
people like the Pharisee. Lord, I thank you that I'm not
like other men are. I do this, that, and the other.
I've never been in bondage. I don't need you. Therefore,
it is mandatory, mandatory, if we ever experience God's mercy,
the freedom that only the Son of God can give, then he must
make our heart the fear. And thank God he does. The old hymn goes on to say,
But thus the eternal counsel ran, O mighty love, arrest that
man. The great shepherd of the sheep
says, I will not allow that man to remain in his blindness. I will not allow that man, for
whom I have shed my own precious blood, I will not allow him not
to return to me. The great shepherd says, I'm
going to go out and find him. I'm going to strip him. Like
Jeremiah cried in Lamentations 3 that we read a moment ago.
I'm going to bring him down. I'm going to show him his need. I'm going to get him lost. Aren't
you glad God did that to you, Don? If he hadn't, you'd never
been saved. If you've never been lost, you've never been saved.
If you've never been stripped, If you'd never been brought down
in the dust before the throne of a holy God, then you'd never
been clothed. You still abide in darkness. But thus the eternal counsel
ran, O mighty love, arrest that man, arrest that man, O God,
arrest that man. By your sovereign mercy, do for
him what he can't do for himself. Do for him what his parents can't
do, what his companion can't do. Bring him down. And oh, God does that. I felt
the arrows of distress and found I had no hiding place. No hiding place. Ere long a heavenly voice I heard,
and mercy's angel form appeared, who led me on with gentle place
to Jesus Christ, my hiding place. On Him, almighty vengeance fell,
that must have sunk a world to hell. He bore it for a chosen
race, and thus became their hiding place. Should storms of sevenfold
vengeance roll, and shake this earth from pole to pole, no flaming
bolt shall daunt my face, for Jesus is my hiding place." Oh
yes, if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. When a sinner is made to experience
that, he will not only celebrate himself, there will be a celebration
in heaven. That's right. There'll be a celebration
in heaven. Turn, if you will, to Luke chapter
15. What in the world could ever take place in this world that
would merit a celebration in heaven? When Christ, the great shepherd,
goes out and with the arm of his omnipotent power and mercy
and grace, reaches down and lifts up his soul, lifts up a sinner
in glorious majesty and puts him up on his shoulders and says,
rejoice with me. I found my sheep that was lost.
This is what we read here in Luke 15 verse 4. What man of
you, having a hundred sheep, If he lose one of them, doth
not leave the ninety and nine, he's talking to the Pharisees
who said, this man receiveth sinners and eats with them. They
accused him of that. And our Lord said, you're right.
You're right. I sure do. Not only do I eat
with publicans and sinners, I go out in search of them. I go out
in search of them. I'll leave you ninety and nine.
you self-righteous that don't need me and I'll go search for
that one until I find it. Verse 5, And when he had found
it, O when he had found it, thank
you, Son of God, thank you, Son of God, that you sought for this
sinner until you found him. You would not take no for an
answer. Although I turned my back on
you and said I want nothing to do with you, I love darkness
rather than light, you would not hear. You searched until
you found me and you layeth it on his shoulders rejoicing. Imagine
that. The Son of God rejoicing over
finding a sinner. And when he cometh home, he calleth
together his friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for
I have found my sheep which was lost. Verse 10, Likewise I say
unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God
over one sinner that repenteth. Again, verse 20, the prodigal
son. And he arose and came to his
father, But when he was yet a great way
off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran, ran. Someone said, the only time you
find God in a hurry. Here, he runs to show mercy. Had compassion and fell on his
neck and kissed him. And the son said, father, I've
sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy
to be called thy son. But the eternal counsel ran,
O mighty love, arrest that man. But the father said to his servants,
bring forth the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring
on his hand, reconciliation, and shoes on his feet, and bring
hither the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and be merry.
For this my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and
is found, and they began to be Mary. That's what it is to experience
the freedom that our Lord speaks of in our text, John 8 and 36. If the Son therefore shall make
you free, ye shall be free indeed. See that man living in the land
of the free. enjoying a great measure of freedom
in this nation, in his home. But really, as our Lord told
them, he's in bondage. Because he said, whosoever, verse
34, committeth sin is the servant of sin. He can't escape from
what he is. Did you catch that? He can't
escape from what he is. Not what he does, but what he
is. Again, we're bound with stronger
bars than steel. We're bound by the chains of
our fallen nature. And we can't escape that. We
can't escape it. But I see at the same time another
man. He sits in a literal prison of
bars. He's a prisoner of Rome, and
he's been sentenced to death. But that man is being made free. Turn, if you will, to 2 Timothy
chapter 4. Did you guess who I was talking
of? Of course, Paul. He sits in this prison in Rome. He's been accused of being a
traitor, and he'll soon be taken out and most likely beheaded,
but he's a free man. They can lock Paul in. Listen, child of God. Listen. They can lock him in, but they
cannot lock Christ out. I will come to you. I will come
to you. Paul says here in chapter 4 of
2 Timothy, verse 4, or rather verse 6, For I am now ready to
be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I fought
a good fight. Man, Paul sounds like he's sitting
in the easy chair of his living room instead of in a dungeon. I fought a good fight. I finished
my course. I've kept the faith. Henceforth,
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me
only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." That
man, Paul, has been found guilty by the powers of Rome. He's been
sentenced to death, but listen. He has joy and peace. You know
why? Because God himself, the judge
of all the earth, says concerning Saul of Tarsus, Paul, he's not
guilty. He's not guilty. There is therefore
now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. have been made free by the Son
of God, have been brought into the Father's house to be forever. He's been charged with treason.
But God says, not so. Not so. He's innocent. He's innocent. Who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? Man, this sinner can go
home tonight and lay my head upon that pillow of solid, sovereign
comfort, God says who shall lay anything to the charge of God's
elect. I've justified that sinner. I
pronounced him not guilty. No one can lay anything to the
charge of him. Jesus Christ has already paid
his debt. He's paid it all. And now he's
free. That's why Paul can go on to
say here in 2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 18, And the Lord shall
deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his
heavenly kingdom, to whom be glory forever and ever. He was made free from sin's penalty,
from sin's dominion, and Paul says, very soon now, very soon,
he shall deliver me from the very presence of sin. Soon he
will experience that freedom of laying down that old fallen
nature, that sinful nature, and being released forever. Never again will he cry, O wretched
man that I am. That's the cry of that man with
two natures. The nature of Christ, the new
man. Oh, but he yet, he yet, as Paul
says, has that old man like a corpse tied to his back and he can't
get rid of it. He says, the things that I would
do, I do not. And the things that I want to
do, I find not the ability to do. Oh, wretched man that I am! I see in me a sinful nature dragging
me down continually. Who's going to deliver me? Paul
says, the Lord shall deliver me unto his heavenly kingdom. Never again to experience the
flesh lusting against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh.
I remember once taking my grandchildren to a zoo in Louisville, Kentucky.
Looked at the animals. There was a great eagle sitting
on part of a tree. And he just sat there looking
toward the heavens. But he couldn't soar there. He
was chained. He was chained. Listen, child
of God. As Paul said here, one day that
chain's gonna be severed. That old body of my fallen nature
that's strapped to me continually that makes me cry out, oh, I'm
a wretched man. I'm going to be loosed from it.
I'm going to be freed to soar into the heavens and be forever
with the Lord. That's what happened to our dear
friend and brother. About a week ago, brother-in-law,
he was set free. Free. Free to worship God in
a way he never was able to do here. Free to love Christ. Oh, I picture him right now. When I would quote that hymn
of old McShane's, When I see thee as thou art, And love thee
with an unsinning heart, Oh, what will that be like? Well,
now he knows. Now he knows. That's what Christ
does for sinners. He makes them free. Turn, if
you will, to Isaiah. This is what was prophesied of
him, that is, the Son of God. In Isaiah chapter 61, Isaiah
61 verse 1, The Spirit of the Lord God is
upon me. Because the Lord hath anointed
me. The emphasis is upon me. The speaker. It doesn't say us. It doesn't say two. It doesn't
say three. Only one. Me. Because the Lord hath anointed
me to preach good tidings unto the meek. He hath sent me to
bind up the brokenhearted. to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the present to them that are bound, to proclaim
the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our
God, to comfort all that mourn, to appoint unto them that mourn
in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for
mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness,
that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting
of the Lord, that he might be glorified. You remember when
our Lord came to Nazareth and as his custom was he went into
the synagogue and there was delivered unto him the scroll of the prophet
Isaiah. And he found the place where
that scripture that we just read was written. He found that place
and he began to read it. He read it. And then he closed
the book and handed it back to the minister of the synagogue.
And we read, all eyes in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he said to them, this day
is this scripture that I just read to you This scripture is
fulfilled in your ears. What was he saying? He was telling
them that scripture is talking about me. Me. Today, I've come for that purpose,
he said, to set at liberty those that are bruised, to heal the
brokenhearted, to deliver the captive, to open the prison door,
to go in and bring them out. That's the glorious liberty of
the children of God and only the glorious captain of their
salvation can perform that blessed work. He enters into the prison
of a man's soul. He overcomes Satan and he brings
the prisoner out. He brings them out, oh glory
to his name. One of the meanings of the word
redemption is to buy. Another is to buy out of. And another is to set free. That's what Christ does. Christ
had redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse
for us. He paid the ransom. He obtained
their eternal redemption. and he will bring all of his
redeemed in time to himself. The great shepherd will bring
them to himself in time to experience his grace. This is what our text
said. If the Son of God shall make
you free, sinners must be made free. They can't do it themselves. Only the Son of God can break
the chain of counseled sin. And then he will bring them all
the way to glory. When I was getting ready to come
here this morning, I was listening to a CD, I've mentioned it before,
of Mr. Coleman, Dave Coleman, the Lord
willing he will be with us at our conference the last of September.
I'm going to request that he sing this song. I am so glad that God saves old
sinners. I'm surprised and amazed how
he sets them free. But the biggest surprise in God
saving old sinners is that he would save an old sinner like
me, glory to his name. The great need is to be set free. I'm not in bondage, they said,
and that's exactly what people say today, do they not? They
still think they can save themselves, or at least help God to save
them. They think by the works of their
own hands they can appease the righteous and holy God. We hear
it on every hand. Is it not true? Am I exaggerating? Am I laying a false charge against
them? When you hear, if you'll take
the first step, God will take the rest, then on whom does salvation
depend? If God has done all he can do
and it's up to you, then on whom does the success of salvation
depend? Not upon God, but on the sinner. Not so. Not so. In Adam, we're
told, all die. And as a result of that, there
is none, Paul tells us in Romans 3, there is none righteous, not
one. There is none that understandeth,
not one. There is none that doeth good,
not one. And also this, there is none
that seeketh after God. I hear folks say, usually concerning
a celebrity or something, that they're trying to satisfy themselves
with things of this world Although they attempt to do so without
realizing, that can only be filled by God. They're really searching
for fulfillment in God. No, they're not. I've never met
one. Paul says, there is none that
seeketh after God. If left alone, none will. It's only when God makes a man
thirsty that he seeks after God. It's only when God finds him
that that man begins to seek after God. Like these our Lord
was speaking to, they were religious. We have Abraham were not in bondage,
but their need was life. God asked the prophet Ezekiel,
can these bones live? Can sinners dead in sin live? Behold, it requires a greater
than Abraham. If man's condition is less than
that, spiritual death, then he can be cured with less of a remedy. Can he not? If he's only slightly
wounded, he can be slightly cured. But if he's dead, if he's dead,
then he needs life. He needs the Son of God, the
Great Liberator, to come to where he is. Behold, When the fullness
of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman,
made under the law to redeem them. Not to attempt to redeem,
but to redeem them that were under the law. And the Son responded,
O I come to do thy will, O my God. Joseph, call his name Jesus,
for he shall, he shall, Oh, I love that. I love that, don't you?
He shall save his people from their sins. Only he could say
this concerning putting away sin, bringing an everlasting
righteousness. Only he could declare it is finished. Jesus Christ, the Son, is the
only one God appointed to set sinners free. There is one mediator
between God and man, the scriptures tell us, and that's the man Christ
Jesus. Not a preacher, not a priest,
not the pope. They were not appointed to this
great work. And God will not recognize them.
God will not accept them. Oh, but his son, everyone that
his son brings into the house, Everyone that his son makes free,
God accepts. God forgives for Christ's sake. Only he can make sinners free. Only he has power on earth to
forgive sin. He said the hour is coming. that
all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of
God, and they that hear shall live. Father, you've given me
power over all flesh, that I should give eternal life to as many. Where does the power reside? Who has the ability, the power,
the prerogative to set sinners free and to give them life? Father,
you've given me power, Christ said, that I should give eternal
life to as many as thou has given me. Yes, only he can set sinners
free. Come to the tomb of Lazarus.
That's a picture of what we are by nature. Lazarus is in a tomb. Why? Because he's dead. He's dead. Sinners, apart from
the grace of God, are dead in sins. They need more than a preacher
can do for them. They need more than a priest
can do for them. They need life. Lazarus is dead. Come, Mr. Pharisee. Stand before
the tomb of Lazarus. Speak. Speak to Lazarus. Recite your laws. Speak louder. He can't hear you. That's exactly
right. He can't hear you because he
needs life. And no earthly priest can speak
life to dead Lazarus except the Son of God. He stands and he
says, 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. He cried with a loud
voice, Lazarus, come forth and he that was dead came forth bound
hand and foot with grave cloths. That's what Jesus Christ does
for sinners because we're dead in trespasses and sins and unless
and until he comes to where we are and says live, that's where
we'll remain. Only he can set the prisoners
free and bless God he does so by His grace. Let's wrap this
up. Turn, if you will, to Acts chapter
15. Acts chapter 15. Paul and Barnabas come to Jerusalem
to settle a question about the believers' relationship to the
law. They preach that we're free from the law, but some legalizers
say, well, not so. Not so. Look at verse 1 of Acts
15. And certain men which came down
from Judea taught their brethren and said, except ye be circumcised
after the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved. Verse 24 tells us that certain
which taught those things have troubled you with words subverting
your souls. Paul said, we gave them no such
commandment that would trouble them, would it not? But the free
grace of God that's in Christ Jesus, that is grace that can
pardon and cleanse within. That is grace that's greater
than all my sin. His grace justifies and His grace
sanctifies. The law doesn't do either. He
sanctifies His people by His grace. God has made Him to be
unto us righteousness, and redemption, sanctification, wisdom, he's
done it all. That's why we sing, Christ has
paid it all. Oh free from the law, oh happy
condition, Jesus has bled and there is remission. Are you still
in Acts chapter 15? Look at verse 30. And when they
were dismissed, they came to Antioch. Paul and Barnabas go
back to where these Judaizers had upset young believers by
telling them they couldn't be saved without keeping the law.
And they go back with this good news from the council at Jerusalem. And when they had gathered the
multitude together, they delivered the epistle. That epistle which
said, by the grace of God we shall be saved even as they. Grace that is greater than all
our sin. Grace that can pardon and cleanse
within. You're not under the law, but
you're under the free grace of God. Verse 31, which when they
read, they rejoiced with, for rather, the consolation. May we, by God's grace, be enabled
to do the same. Rejoice because of the consolation
that the Son of God has given us that has made us free, which
the law can never do. God bless you. Thank you for
your time.