True Freedom

Sermon delivered on July 6th, 2014

By: Pastor Greg Hocson

 

Text: John 8:30 - 36

30: As he spake these words, many believed on him. 31: Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 33: They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34: Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35: And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 36: If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

 

238 years ago (July 4, 1776), America claimed Independence from British domain and the rest is history.

Abraham Lincoln said ...

"... that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

 

I thank God we live in a country that is free. We have tremendous freedom that we enjoy in this country. We enjoy freedom of press, freedom of petition, freedom of worship, freedom of speech and freedom to peaceful assemble. Thank God for the political, social and religious freedoms we have in this country.

 

I - The Blessing of Freedom

I am quite sure that everyone in this room wants to be free. Nobody wants to be a slave or to be in bondage or to be under the dominion of another person or another country. Nobody wants to live in a country where you are treated like a slave and where you are not allowed to think and act for yourselves.

 

Let us be thankful for our earthly liberty

Let us not take for granted the liberty we enjoy in this country. But I am afraid though most everyone enjoys freedom, not everyone knows and appreciates the blessing and the value of being free. For those of us who were born and who grew up in the midst of peace and freedom, I am afraid we do not value our liberty as we ought to.

 

"It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you." - Dick Cheney

 

But ask those who were born and who grew up in the midst of war, like our Lolo's and Lola's, grandpa's and grandma's; ask those who live in country ruled by cruel military tyrants and dictators, they do know the value of being free. They are willing to sacrifice their lives to have the freedom that we now have and enjoy.

 

"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I do not know what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" - Patrick Henry

 

II - The Greatest Freedom of All

Freedom in Christ

But there is another freedom that we should not take for granted. Let us be thankful and let us value our earthly liberty, but do not forget that there is another liberty that we must have. I am talking about the freedom that Christ offers.

36: If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Christ offers true freedom, spiritual freedom, freedom in the soul. This is the freedom of freedoms. This is the greatest of all freedoms. This is the freedom which surpasses all other freedoms. This is the freedom without which all other freedom will mean nothing.

 

No one is born spiritually free

32: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 33: They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34: Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

 

The Jews boasted that they were politically free and were not in bondage to any foreign power. They are either in denial or ignorant of their history - at that time they were under the Roman government and if they knew their history they would know they were at one point were in bondage in Egypt and in Babylon.

Many of us may be able to say we were born free (earthly freedom) but none of us could say we were born free spiritually. We are born slaves and servants of sin.

34: Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth (practices, habitual pattern) sin is the servant of sin.

We are by nature slaves of sin. Slaves obey their masters because they belong to him. Slaves have no will of their own. They are literally in bondage to their masters. When sin is our master, we are unable to resist it.

 

Free and yet a slave

What good is it to live in a free country, if you are still a slave of sin?

What good is it to live in a free land like the US, with freedom of press, freedom of petition, freedom of religion (worship), freedom of speech and freedom to assemble peacefully, but still a slave to sin, and a captive to the devil?

 

34: Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth (practices, habitual pattern) sin is the servant of sin.

There are millions in this country who are slave of sin and captive to the devil and are not aware of it. They are those who are slave to lust, to pleasures, to entertainment, to sports, to career and to ambition, to fashions, to money and things, to career and education. Whether men like to hear it or not, the gambler and the drunkard, the greedy and the passionate, and the drug and alcohol addict, are not free, but slaves. They are chained hand and foot by the devil. Everyone who sins is a slave of sin.

 

Are you free? You and I may live in a country known as the land of the free and the home of the brave. But the all important question is - Are we really free? I am not talking about earthly freedom or political freedom; I am talking about the freedom that our Lord Jesus Christ offers which is true freedom, freedom in your soul

36: If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

 

May God use this message to lead those who are still the servant of sin to freedom.

 

But for those of us who are free, may God use this message to cause us to have a greater appreciation of the freedom we have and enjoy.

 

II - The Freedom that Christ Gives?

What it is not

It is not free from sorrow and pain, nor free from tribulation. If we have the freedom that Christ offers, we will enjoy freedom from sorrow and pain and tribulation not in this life but in the life to come.

 

It is not free from the law, nor free to do what we want. That's anarchy.

 

What it is

Those set free by Christ are free indeed!

1. The freedom that Christ gives is freedom from the guilt of sin

Many today are depressed and even sickly because of guilty conscience and unforgiven sin. But those who have been set free by Christ no longer carry the heavy burden of unforgiven sin and a guilty conscience. Christ's blood has cleansed it all away. They know they have been pardoned, reconciled, justified, and accepted in God's sight.

Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

 

Psalm 32:1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2: Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

 

2. The freedom that Christ gives is freedom from the penalty of sin

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

 

Romans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32: 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? 33: Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34: 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.

No longer condemned now and forever.

 

3. The freedom that Christ gives is freedom from the power of sin

Romans 6:17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18: Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

The apostle does not thank God that they were sinners; but that, although they were such, but now they are free from sin. They are no longer under the dominion of sin. They are no longer under the power of sin.

 

Sin no longer rules and reigns in their hearts. The flesh may fight, but it does not conquer them. The devil may tempt and harass, but does not overcome them. They are no longer the slave of lusts and passion, and obsession, and moods. In all these things they are more than conquerors through Him who loved them.

 

4. The freedom that Christ gives is freedom from the fear of death

Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15: And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Christ sets free those who all their lives were held in slavery because of fear of death.

 

Because their sins have been forgiven, they are no longer under God's just and righteous condemnation and they are no longer under sin's dominion and they are no longer afraid of death.

 

Having set free by Christ we can look at death and say ...

1 Corinthians 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56: The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57: But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

5. The freedom that Christ gives is eternal freedom

The earthly freedom we enjoy today is not guaranteed. A nation much stronger than us may rise and conquer us. But the freedom that Christ gives will never be taken away. The freedom that Christ gives is an eternal freedom.

Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36: As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37: Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39: Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Once they are set free they are free for eternity.

 

III - Freedom Isn't Free

How is Christ able to give this freedom? How did He obtain this freedom?

 

Freedom isn't free! The freedom we now enjoy in this country isn't free. There has been a price paid in blood by our armed forces over all these years so that we can enjoy the freedom that we enjoy. By our service people, our fire fighters, police, medical people, they put their lives in the line every single day for us. There is a price and a personal sacrifice.

 

The freedom Christ gives, like all other freedoms, was obtained at a great price and by costly sacrifice. It doesn't come free. There is a price and it is personal.

 

Our bondage was so great that a great price and sacrifice must be paid to liberate us, to set us free.

 

Not only that, the devil who held us captive is strong and powerful that only a strong and powerful Saviour can liberate us out of his hands.

 

Thank God, we have a great and mighty Saviour who gave the great sacrifice to set us free.

1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

 

Galatians 1:3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, 4: Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

 

Christ provided everything that was required to set sinners free. He paid the price. It is a price paid in blood as Jesus Christ sacrificed His own blood for our salvation. He redeemed us. The price that Christ paid to set sinners free was His own person. He became our Substitute. He took our place. He shed His own blood. He suffered, bled and died on the cross for our sins.

Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

 

2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

He who knew no sin, was made sin for us. He who had no sin and never sinned was made sin for us. He who was sinless was treated as if He was the sinner and we who are sinful were treated as if we are the righteous.

 

Christ satisfied all the righteous requirement and just demand of the law that we have violated and cannot keep. He did that by living a perfect life and offering the perfect sacrifice.

 

Jesus paid it all,

All to Him I owe;

Sin had left a crimson stain,

He washed it white as snow.

 

IV - The Way to Freedom

How do men and women obtain the freedom that Christ offers? Who are those that Christ truly sets free?

 

It is not by baptism

No amount of baptism can set us free from the guilt, the power, the penalty of sin.

 

It is not by mere church membership

Don't get me wrong. I am not minimizing the importance of baptism or Church-membership but what I am saying is that baptism or church membership is not the way that we are set free. The way to acquire freedom in Christ is simply by trusting and believing.

 

John 8:30 As he spake these words, many believed on him. 31: Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

 

36: If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

 

It is by simple faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer. It is taking the claims of Christ seriously and whole heartedly. By simply acknowledging and seeing that you are a slave to sin and a captive of Satan and that you need to be delivered. And that none other but Jesus is able to deliver you.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

 

Are you free? Has the Son set you free? Can you confidently say that you have been forgiven of your sins? Free from guilt, free from its power, from its penalty and free from the fear of death?

The first step to ones freedom is for the person to realize his condition. Those who have been set free are those who have seen and acknowledge that they are not free; not like the Jews who denied that they are in bondage. Then simply call upon the One who is able deliver you from sin, its guilt, consequence and power.

 

Call upon Christ. Repent and believe the Gospel and be free. Don't rest until you know in your heart that you are free!

 

But to those who already know in their heart that they are free, what is my exhortation to you?

 

Rejoice and be thankful

Our Master will come back again. The dead saints will be raised. The living saints will be changed. Then, and not till then will we be completely free. The liberty which we enjoyed by faith will be changed into the liberty of sight, and the freedom of hope into the freedom of certainty. Our King is not far off: our full redemption draws near. Our full salvation is nearer then when we first believed.

 

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature's night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

 

Reach out and make others free

It is a shame that the politicians are more zealous to promote earthly freedom than the children of God to promote spiritual freedom. Let us repent if we have been selfish and lazy in this matter. For the rest of our days let us use every effort to promote spiritual freedom. If we have tasted the blessings of freedom, let us spare no pains to make others free.

 

As He died to make men holy.

Let us live to make men free.