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Book: John
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John 8:36 Free Indeed
I. "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."
A. When Jesus appeared on the world scene, the age of philosophy
was almost dead.
1. For years the greatest minds of men were searching for
truth.
2. The names Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Diogenes, are
familiar to all of us. By the time Jesus arrived, they
were all dead as was the quest for truth.
3. When Pilate was questioning Jesus in the 18th chapter
and he asked Jesus, "Are you then a king?" Jesus
responded, "To this end was I born, and for this cause
I came into the world, that I might bear witness unto
the truth. Everyone that is of the truth heareth My
voice." Pilate sarcastically responded, "What is
truth?"
4. Philosophy had despaired of finding truth. This is true
of philosophy today, the philosophers have concluded
that there is no universal truth, everything is
relative.
5. If it is true to you then it is true to you, but not
necessarily true to someone else. It is all subjective
and relative.
6. Modern art reflects the philosophy.
a. Modern art must be interpreted by the
individual viewing it. What do you see in that
mixture of paint?
b. The critics acclaim it as a masterpiece and it
is sold for a high price, but nobody really is
sure of what they are looking at.
c. When you lose your base, you become very
isolated and alone, for you are never sure
that anyone else sees what you see, or believes
as you believe.
d. Even the modern music has become a reflection
of the philosophy. It is not harmonious, or
melodic, but harsh and discordant. It reflects
the world we live in.
B. Jesus is telling them that the truth will set them free.
1. Men today are in because of the lies of Satan.
2. The whole society is suffering today because of the
promise of freedom, which in reality brought the
greatest .
3. There was much talk about . The legislature
even passed consenting adult laws, that basically said
that anything goes as long as there is mutual consent.
4. Has that brought freedom to man? No, the greatest
that you can imagine. As Doctor Lorraine Day
observed in her book on Aids, the s are so
addicted to their ed sex practices, that their
desire for sex becomes greater than their desire for
life. That's .
5. True freedom is not the freedom to do, but the freedom
not to do those things that destroy a person.
6. The A.C.L.U. is probably the greatest misnomer going.
They speak of insuring civil liberties for man, but
they have brought more people into than almost
any other group. I meet so many who are now in
to pornography. Bound in to the flesh, because
of
their ability to get the courts to liberalize the
interpretations of the laws.
II. The answer of the Jews to Jesus. "We are Abraham's seed, and we have
never been in to any man. What do you mean, we will be made
free?"
A. What a apt picture they are of man today. In and don't
even realize it.
1. At the time they were talking to Jesus, the Roman
soldiers were walking the streets throughout Judea,
and Galilee. They were forced to pay taxes to Rome. At
any time a Roman soldier could compel them to carry his
luggage for a mile. Yet they were saying, "We have
never been in to any man.
2. The world thinks they are free, and gaining more
freedom every day. In reality they are in great
.
B. Jesus then explained to them what He meant, when He said,
"The truth shall make you free."
III. Real is the of sin. "Whosoever commits a sin is a
servant of sin."
A. Paul said,
ROM 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to
obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto
death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
B. If Jesus is not the Master of your life, then you life is being
mastered by sin. No man can serve two masters. You cannot serve
God and mammon.
C. Peter described it quite well,
2PE 2:19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the
servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the
same is he brought in .
1. Sin gets a very stronghold on a person, and that person
finds himself in it's grip with no ability to extricate
himself.
2. This is true of any sin, but more obvious in drug
addiction, or alcoholism.
D. While the liberals talk so much about liberty which has become
one of their key buzz words they themselves are in merciless
.
1. They take the words pro choice and rally behind it and
make it a great cause, they declare that every woman
should have the right to choose between the life or
death of her unborn child.
2. Men like Dr. Kavorkian are saying that the pro choice
also should include the elderly or terminally ill, they
should have the right to choose whether they live or
die.
3. I suppose that in a technical way you could say that
God is pro choice, for He is the One who created us
with the capacity to choose, and every day He allows
man to choose between life and death. He who chooses
to believe on the Son, has everlasting life, and he
that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the
wrath of God abideth on him.
4. It is as though God says, "Yes, you can choose but know
that your choices bring serious consequences."
5. Your freedom to choose can bring you into slavery, and
death, or freedom and life.
IV. True freedom, "If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed."
A. Only through Jesus Christ can you ever become free from the
powerful grip sin has on your life.
B. The freedom that I have in Jesus Christ is true freedom.
C. Homer in his classic work Oddessy describes how Ulysses was
able to pass by the island of the Sirens, those sea nymphs who
had by their beautiful singing lured so many sailors to their
deaths on the shoals.
1. Ulysses was a clever daring fellow who was always ready
for a challenge, and though no sailor had ever heard
the beautiful music of the Sirens and lived, he was
determined to do so.
2. He had his sailors bind him to the mast of the ship,
and then he had them all put wax in their ears. As the
ship sailed by the Island, as he heard the music, he
was so enchanted, that he tried hard to break the ropes
and he shouted for the sailors to cut him free, but
alas with the wax in their ears they were not able to
hear his shouts. So he heard and lived.
3. Their was another hero of the Greek mythology named
Orpheus whose music could charm even the demons of the
underworld. As his ship was sailing past the Island of
the Sirens, and the sailors began to turn the ship
toward the shoals, seeing the danger, he began to play
on his flute such beautiful music that even surpassed
that of the Sirens, and the sailors turned back on
course, and were thus spared the shipwreck and death.
4. There are some like Ulysses who have a great desire for
evil but feel bound by ropes of morality that restrain
them from doing that evil.
5. There are others who have the desire for sin, but have
heard the more beautiful music of heaven, and are no
longer lured by the music of the world. That is true
freedom.
D. If the Son makes you free, you are free indeed. The love for
the world has been replaced by the greater love for Jesus
Christ.
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