SPEAKER_01 0:00

As we shared prayer requests today, uh one thing that we've been praying for slipped my mind. Miss Arlee's sister has gone on to be with the Lord. They buried her on Friday. And uh I gave Arlie a big hug this morning, and I said, Arlie, I'm praying for you. And she said she is in a better place. Uh when I spoke with Arle and Benny uh a couple weeks ago in their living room, uh they said she's ready to go. And so today uh we continue to pray, but just differently, and we ask that God continue to bless Arlie and strengthen her and the rest of their family as they mourn the loss of her sister, but certainly give thanks to God for her life and for the hope that she had in Jesus Christ and the truth that she is now experiencing the fullness of all those promises that she spent her life trusting in. Amen. If you've got your Bibles with you, turn to the Gospel of John. We'll continue our walk through the Gospel of John, chapter eight, we'll begin in verse thirty one. John chapter eight, beginning in verse thirty one. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, If you abide in my word, and you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. They answered him, We are offspring of Abraham, and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say you will become free? Jesus answered them, Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever, the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham, yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your Father. Let's pray together this morning. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for your Holy Spirit who helps us understand your word. Lord, we thank you that we can have full confidence that you are present with us here today. And Lord, we pray that you would mold and shape our hearts and minds to align with yours. Let your word transform us by the power of your spirit. May we understand it and may we strive by your grace to live it out. Lord, we pray that all this would be done for the glory of Christ. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Amen. Well, today, as I've said, we continue our walk through the Gospel of John. And one of the verses that we're looking at today is one of the most quoted verses in all of the Bible. But it's also one of the most misunderstood verses in all of the Bible. People love to quote verse 32. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. You've probably heard that quoted in movies, TV shows, seen painted on walls of colleges and universities. You've heard people use that phrase a lot, but most of the time, when it's quoted, it's completely divorced from the context in which Jesus said it. Jesus here is not talking about intellectual enlightenment. He's not talking about an intellectual assent to something. He's not talking about discovering facts. He's not talking about education or information. Here, when Jesus says these words, he's talking about freedom from something, and that freedom is freedom from sin. He's talking about freedom from sin, and the only people who get that freedom are his disciples, the true disciples of Christ. And so today the question before us is a really simple question, and it's this what does a free person actually look like? How do we know if we're free? Well, Jesus answers that in this particular passage. The first thing that we see that's true about free people is that true disciples of Christ abide in his word. True disciples abide in Christ's Word. John tells us something important in verse 31. He says, So Jesus said to the Jews who believed him, back up to verse 30. And look at what we ended with last week. I know because of sickness and travel, many of you weren't here. But Jesus is wrapping up this conversation with the Jews and the temple courts. We've been in the temple courts for a long time. And in verse 30, John tells us as he was saying these things, in other words, what he's been telling them, many believed in him. There were many standing there that made some kind of ascent to belief. They heard the words that he was saying, and they made sense to them. And so, in some form or fashion, those people that were standing there had some kind or some type of belief in Jesus. And so here Jesus is speaking directly to those who believed in him. You say, well, how in the world did Jesus know whether they believed in him or not? Did he give an invitation? Was there a hymn of response where people could walk down the aisle of the temple courts and believe in Christ? No, not at all. Jesus knew what was in the heart of a man, didn't he? And no external act is going to fool him. Jesus knew that there were many there who liked what they heard. They heard Jesus speaking, and there was at least some type of assent to what it was that Jesus was saying. Now that's interesting. Because we've seen that in this crowd there are many who were open enemies of Jesus. Many who wanted to kill him, many who hated him because of the things that he was saying. And here John says there were some who believed in him. But as we continue through this conversation, we're going to see something unfold. Was there belief abiding? Was there belief willing to open their arms and receive everything that Jesus is saying? Was there belief one that would lead to true discipleship? Or was there belief one that was shallow and fleeting? It's the kind of belief that likes Jesus until Jesus' message becomes hard. Now, have we seen that already in the Gospel of John? Yes, we have. We saw that really clearly in John 6, didn't we? In John 6, we saw crowds of people who would have said, Oh yeah, we love Jesus. We're crazy about him. You should have tried them fish and loaves, buddy. I tell you what, if Doug and Cody did a fish fry every Sunday, we may have some more people come to church. Because that's some of the best fish you'll ever put in your mouth. I'm telling. So they may say, oh, Mount Hebron Baptist Church. Now, listen, them boys down there, they not only do they slay crappie every single week, there's an unlimited supply. But my goodness, they know how to cook crappie. But then when they got to hear the word, then when the word begins to confront them, they may decide, you know what, as good as that crappie is, it ain't worth hearing this. It ain't worth looking at that old ugly preacher stand up and tell us about how bad we are. And just like in John 6, when Jesus began to share the truth about his message, when Jesus began to go deep with them and began to say things that offended them and confronted them, instead of bowing the knee to Christ, what did they do? It says, Many turned and left. Well, they were willing to travel such a distance to be near him, but they were not willing to receive him for who he is. And that led us down a long conversation that we've been having in the Gospel of John. And you say, Brother Jimmy, you say this every Sunday. I do, and I'm going to keep saying it because it keeps coming up, and it's important. There's a big difference in coming near to Jesus and coming to him. And we see it all through the Gospels. Many people like what they initially see and hear from Jesus. But there are many who are not willing to abide with him. There are many who are not willing to abide in him. Jesus says in verse 31, if you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples. You know, listen, there are all kinds of people in this community that if you were to sit down and have a conversation with them and you ask them, do you believe in Jesus? Do you know what they would say? Oh yeah. Oh, I believe in him. Yeah, I know. I know he's real. I I know, I believe. Listen, I my mama took me to Sunday school. Yeah, I know the man upstairs, boy. Don't that make you cringe when somebody says that? Where do you go to church? Well, I don't go to church. Can't stand the church. Bunch of hypocrites. If you knew I don't know him the way I know him. Listen, there are many people who think very highly of Jesus, but it's such a shallow, such a nominal belief that it makes no impact on their life whatsoever. They'll believe in Jesus all day, but are they willing to submit to him? They'll believe in Jesus all day, but are they willing to really be his disciple? And Jesus draws a line in the sand, doesn't he? He says, if you abide in my words. Jesus says, if. Not everyone who believes something about Jesus actually belongs to Jesus. Real disciples are marked by something. You say, well, what are they marked by? I don't. When I believed, there was no nothing different in my appearance. Nobody branded me. Real disciples of Jesus are marked by abiding in Jesus. That word abide means to remain. It means to stay. It means to dwell. It means the word of Christ is not something you visit occasionally, it's something that you live in. It's something that you live by. True disciples, listen, they do not merely hear the word. You say, oh, I'm abiding in the word of Jesus because I come to church every Sunday. Good for you. I'm glad you do, and I hope you keep coming to church. But coming to church isn't the only requirement to abiding in the Word of Christ. Do unbelievers are unbelievers able to come to church faithfully? Yes or no? Absolutely. And listen, I'm going to tell you, congregations and pews are full of unbelievers every Sunday that would tell you without binding an eye that they believe in Jesus, that they've done all the right things, that they walked the aisle, that they shook the preacher's hand, they prayed a prayer, they went into the baptistry, but their life is not marked by Christ. True disciples do not merely hear the word, they stay under it. They submit to the word. Addison's agreeing with me this morning. Say, Amen, Addison. She looked at me. She went. True disciples submit to the word of Christ. Listen, they are willing to receive it. Not just the parts they like, but all of it. And in receiving it, they are willing to submit to it. Now none of us do that perfectly. None of us. We all fail. But true disciples are willing to submit to Christ. To receive his word, not just the parts they like. They're willing to be offended by Jesus. Well, this is one mark of a true disciple. You hear the words of Jesus, and they offend you. They cut you to your core. And instead of getting mad, instead of getting mad, you get sad. You say, well, that doesn't seem any better than mad. Oh, yes, it is. Blessed are those who mourn. Because what's the promise? They shall be comforted. You hear the words of Jesus, they offend you to your core, and instead of wanting to kill the preacher or firing, you say, Lord, woe is me, for I am undone. Instead of getting mad, you get sad, and then after you get sad, you get glad. Because you're resting in the promises of Christ. You're willing to be offended by Jesus. You're willing to receive his words for your good. You know, like Peter said, where else would you go? Listen, you remember in John 6 when the crowds turned and they left and they didn't want to stay with Jesus? Jesus looked at his disciples, and what did he say? He said, Are y'all ready to leave too? Well, I love. I absolutely love listening to the way that Jesus talks to people. He looked at him, he said, Well, there goes the crowds that were so excited. Y'all ready to go too? What'd Peter say? Peter said, Lord, where would we go? You have the words of life. We're not going to leave. Listen, even when the word offends us to our core, we're going to stay right here. A true disciple says, If your word exposes something in me, listen, then change me. Secondly, truth is known through obedience. Truth is known through obedience. Jesus continues in verse 32, and he says, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Again, this verse is often misused. It's often misquoted. Jesus is not talking about philosophical truth. He's not talking about understanding the fact that the earth isn't flat, it's round. There's all kinds of wonderful things to know, and there's all kinds of wonderful things to understand. God has created such a complex universe. I was listening to a podcast that every now and then I listen to this week. And his name is escaping me, his last name. His first name is Butch. And he was on the uh Starliner spaceship that got stuck in space recently. Do you remember that story? And he was talking about all these things that he got to witness and all these things that he got to see. And he said, but at the end of the day, this is all God's handiwork. It's all God's creation. And it's wonderful to get to know these things and experience these things and learn these things. And at the end of the day, all we're doing is just discovering the things that God has laid out for us to discover. All we're doing is growing in our stewardship of what it is that God has made and what He's put us to. Stewards over. It's an awesome interview. But as wonderful as those things are, that's not what Jesus is talking about here. There's nothing that we could discover scientifically in the universe that would bring more joy and freedom than the freedom that Christ offers.

unknown 22:23

Amen.

SPEAKER_01 22:28

Jesus here is talking about saving truth. Jesus gives us an order here. He says, You will abide in my word, then you will know the truth. In other words, truth is not merely discovered by curiosity. It's revealed through submission. Do you understand that point that Jesus makes there? He says, You will abide, which is obedience. It's submission to Christ's word. And in our abiding, in our willingness to receive Jesus for who he is and all that he is and what he said, then we know the truth. You don't stand over the word and evaluate it. We obey it. We're under the word. And as you obey it, you begin to see the reality very clearly. What does sin do to you? Sin blinds you, doesn't it? It distorts you. Sin lies to you, but the word of Christ opens your eyes, and once you see the truth, you experience freedom. Freedom from guilt and condemnation. Not perfection. Jesus didn't say you'll know the truth and then you'll be perfect. But you'll know the truth and then you'll be liberated. Liberated from sin. No longer slaves to sin. Number three, we see religious pride blinds people to their slavery. I want you to look at these response or this response from the Jews that listened to him. Some of them believed. We'll see how long they believe. Listen to what they said in verse 33. They said, Well, we are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. Now, that statement in and of itself is absurd. Because of course they had been enslaved. Of course they had been. Historically, this just isn't the case. Israel had been enslaved by Egypt, hadn't they? They'd also been conquered by Babylon. And now, currently, what's their present situation? Are they independent? No, here they're under Roman rule. So why do they say this? The reason they say this is they're not talking about political slavery, they're talking about spiritual superiority. They're saying we're Abraham's descendants, we're God's people, we don't need to be freed from everything or from anything. And listen, this is the tragedy of religious pride. They were so blind to their own condition that they could not even see what it was that had enslaved them. Religious pride convinces people they're healthy when they're sick. It convinces people that they're righteous when they're lost, and Jesus is about to expose the reality of their need. He responds with one of the most penetrating statements here in verse 34. He says, Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. Now, were these people that were there listening to Jesus, were these Jews, did they practice sin? Oh, absolutely they did. Because from Genesis 3, everyone born after Adam is born into sin. Everyone from all time has been a slave to sin except for the God man Jesus Christ. Jesus said in verse 34, Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. No, this is a universal statement from Jesus, isn't it? He says, everyone. Everyone who practices sin, lives in sin, loves sin, that person is a slave. And here's the thing about slavery: slaves don't control their master, do they? Slaves don't have control over their master. The master controls the slave. And sin is a cruel master. It promises pleasure, but it produces death. We talked about that Sunday night, didn't we? It promises freedom, but it creates chains. It promises satisfaction, but it can't give you any. You know who you sound like? You know who you sound like? You sound like these Jews that Jesus was talking to. Don't tell me I'm a slave to sin, preacher. I've got control over my life. I can quit doing that anytime I want to. Listen, you know who you sound like? You sound just like these Jews. You're fine with the idea of Jesus. You're fine with some good thoughts about Jesus every now and then, especially, oh, hey, Easter's coming up. We won't darken the door any other time, but boy, we'll show up on Easter. And let me tell you something, I hope they do. I hope this place is full and they're gonna hear a word just like I'm preaching to you today. We're gonna soften it up for them. Maybe the only chance we have to deliver them the truth, they're gonna get it on Easter if they come. You're fine with some good thoughts about Jesus every now and then. But the moment his word offends you, preacher, you shut up. I ain't a slave to anything. I want to tell you something. Yes, you are. Yes, you are. You're either a slave to sin or you're a son. Listen to me. You're either a slave to sin or you are a son of the Father through Jesus Christ. Those are the only two options. There is no neutrality. There is no middle ground. There's no backroom deal that you can work out with God. You're either a slave to sin or you've been made free in Christ, and that is it. Jesus says in verse thirty-five, the slave does not remain in the house forever, the son remains forever. You're either a slave or a son. You say, Well, I am a woman, so I'm a daughter. The Bible says you better be a son. You're either a slave or a son. And yes, you're a daughter of God. There's no middle ground. In ancient households, slaves could be removed. At this particular time, slavery was different than chattel slavery that we were familiar with in our nation's history. You could be a slave for a little while to pay off a debt. You might remember in Jesus' parable of the prodigal son, what did the prodigal son say when he was laying in the slig in the uh pig sty, eating carob fruit? What did he say? He said, Boy, the slaves in my father's house have it so much better than I do right now. And so just because you were a slave at one time doesn't mean that you always would be in the father's house. But the son belonged permanently. The son had authority. And then Jesus drops the hammer in verse thirty-six. He says, So if the son set you free, you will be free indeed. Real freedom. Free from what? Free from sin. Free from its condemnation. Free from sin's penalty. And one day free from the very presence of sin. And listen, friends, that freedom can only come from one place. That freedom comes from the Son. He's the only one who can set you free. It doesn't come from religion. You say, Oh, I'm good with God. I got baptized when I was whatever years old. I'm good. Listen to me. If you are not abiding in the Word of Christ, then you do not know the truth. If you do not know the truth, then you have not been set free. If you have not been set free, you are a slave and not a son. And the only way you can be free from sin is to be made a son by the power and sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Verse 37. We're going to talk a whole lot more about this next week. Because if you think this conversation is tense now, boy, I'm going to tell you, it's about to get way more tense. In verse 37, Jesus says, I know that you are offspring of Abraham, yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. Listen, physically they descend from Abraham, yes. Physically, they are the children of the twelve tribes. Physically, yes, they descend from Israel, but there's something wrong here because spiritually they don't look like Abraham's offspring. Listen to me. Spiritually, there's a problem. Because Abraham's offspring would have received Jesus with joy. They would have done what Abraham did. What does the Bible say about Abraham? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Did Abraham have any righteousness of his own? No. Oh, listen, I get so mad. You say, surely not, preacher. You always seem so happy. I get so mad when I hear Christians say things like, Well, in the Old Testament, they were saved by the law. Hush up with that nonsense. That's baloney. In the Old Testament, they were saved by grace through faith, just like we're saved by grace through faith today. They were saved by believing God, by trusting in his covenant, by believing what he had revealed to them. They look forward to the cross. We look back. And we trust in the promise that God has fulfilled in Jesus. So listen to me. Yes, they were physically Abraham's children. They were physically Israel, but spiritually, there was a major problem here. Because they did not have the faith of their father Abraham. They were standing in front of God-made flesh. And they were rejecting him. Instead of submitting to him, they stumbled over him. These men are trying to kill the one who speaks God's word. In verse 38, Jesus says, I speak of what I have seen with my father, and you do what you have heard from your father. Listen, I told you, we're not there today, unless y'all brought lunch, and I don't think you did. But next week, hey, if you thought this conversation was tense, boy, it's gonna get kicked up a notch. Jesus is going to reveal something very shocking to those who are listening to him. There are two spiritual families in the world. Listen to me. I've told you until I'm blue in the face. And I'm gonna keep telling you as long as it comes up in the scripture. There is no riding the fence. There is no neutrality. There are two spiritual families in this world. You say, no, no, no, no, Brother Jimmy, there's all kinds of spiritual families in this world. You know, there's Christians, there's Muslims, there's Buddhists, there's those that practice witchcraft. They're very spiritual. No, no, listen, Jesus makes it plain there's two spiritual families in this world. There are those who belong to his father, and there are those who belong to another father. There is only one road that leads to his father. And that is the road through submission to Christ. Every other spiritual group, every other spiritual belief system, every other idea, every other thought, every other faith leads to another father. Those who say all roads lead to the same place, listen, they're almost right. You say, Well, you can't say that, Brother Jimmy. You don't believe that. No, I mean they're almost right. All roads lead to the same place except one. And that is those who trust in Christ. Every other road leads to a devil's hell. When you say they all lead to the same place, you're almost right, except for one. All lead to hell, except those who have trusted in Jesus. And so I ask you today, are you abiding in the Word of Christ? When you hear it, are you offended? Does it cut you to your core? And how do you respond? Do you get mad? Or do you get sad? Are you abiding in the word? Secondly, have you been freed by the Son? Not made more religious? Not have you been made more moral, but have you been set free? You say, Brother Jimmy, I still, what do you mean by that? Listen, have you been set free from the guilt of sin? Have you been set free from the condemnation of sin? Have you been set free from slavery to sin, from the dominion of sin? Jesus says, if the sun set you free, you will be free. Not maybe. Listen, listen to me. This is Christian hope. This is Christian hope here. I get excited when we talk about Christian hope. If the sun sets you free, you will be free. Not maybe, not hope so. Not hopefully one day. If the sun sets you free, Jesus says, you'll be free indeed. You can bank your life and you can bank your eternity on it. And so today, if you've heard the word, do not harden your heart. Receive Christ. Receive him for who he is. Don't try to modify. Don't try to pick and choose what you like and what you don't like. If you've heard the word today, submit to Jesus. Amen. Let's pray together this morning. Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for another opportunity to hear it. Lord, I pray that we would be obedient to it. We pray all this in Jesus' precious name. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 44:36

This didn't seem Bible 368 agreeable.