Freedom

        

                In the last post, we looked at John 8:31-32.  I indicated that this time we would look at the freedom Jesus promises.

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

When you read that, you may be thinking – “slavery was abolished in my country a long time ago, and I am not a prisoner, so I don’t need to be set free.”  That is what those who were listening thought.  Let’s continue in John 8:33

                They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone.  How can you say that we shall be set free?”

                Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.  Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.  So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.  Do you need to be set free?  Perhaps you are thinking “I’m not much of a sinner; I haven’t murdered anyone, I haven’t cheated on my spouse, I don’t cheat on my taxes.  I don’t have anything to be set free from.”  Well, the Apostle Paul addresses this attitude in the book of Romans.  Let’s take a look at chapter 3 verses 10 and 23.

As it is written:  “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who seeks God.  All have turned away, they have together become worthless”  … For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

There isn’t any room for misunderstanding.  Paul makes it extremely clear that every one of us is a sinner.  Every one of us needs a Saviour! 

                We started this discussion in John chapter 8, where Jesus tells us that we learn the truth of salvation by holding to His teachings! How well do you know His teachings?  It is pretty hard to hold to something you are not familiar with.  I have a 15 year-old son who periodically gets itchy to learn about driving. He has a Driver’s Handbook and I’ve seen him reading it a few times.  When he turns 16 do you think he will get his driver’s license just because he wants to drive and he has looked at the manual from time to time?

NO WAY

! In order to get a license he needs to hold to the rules and laws that are given in that driver’s handbook.  He needs to know and follow those laws in every driving situation.  In a similar way, we need to know and follow Jesus’ teachings in every aspect of our lives in order to find the freedom He promises.

                Do you have any idea what Jesus considered the greatest sin?  Was it murder – there are many Christians who spend a lot of time and money to eliminate the crime of abortion because it is murder.  What about sex outside of marriage? Many young couples who get “caught” through a pregnancy are treated like they have committed the worst sin.  What about homosexuality?  The way many Christians campaign against it, you would think it must be the worst of all sins.  The apostle Matthew records a very long denunciation of one group of people.  Jesus tells this group, “Woe to you,” seven times.  He calls them “snakes and vipers.”  Who was he talking to?  It wasn’t murderers, nor those with sexual sins.  He was speaking to the most religious people in all of Judea! 

                I am assuming that most of the people reading this blog consider themselves religious.  Read Matthew 23, and examine your own life to see if Jesus is speaking to you. 

·          Is Christianity a burden you bear because you are supposed to or is it a delight to know the God who created you?

·          Do you serve others in order to get attention or praise?

·          Are you more concerned about what people think of you than what God thinks of you?

·          Do you hold to some religious traditions faithfully, even though they contradict the Word of God?

·          Is the style of worship or music more important to you than unity within God’s church?

·          Do you pride yourself in your financial giving, yet fail to give Jesus your heart?

·          Are you different at church than when you are home or at work?

·          Do you live in North American luxury without any effort to spread that wealth to the millions of people who are living in a mud huts, starving to death?

·          Is church more about the latest fashions, or the quality of the preaching than about your relationship with the Saviour and His people?

·          Do you read every good spiritual book out there and participate in many Bible studies, acquiring great knowledge about God and Jesus, yet your life looks no different from those who don’t know Jesus?

·          Do you spend all your time with people who think and act like you, rather than sharing Jesus’ message of freedom with those who know they need it?

We are all sinners.  Those of us who are religious are often guilty of the greatest sin – knowing about Jesus without knowing Him and living differently because of that relationship.  Jesus identified that as hypocrisy.  Hypocrisy is the number one reason that many people far from God want nothing to do with Christianity.  I’ve had to take a hard look at some of these in my own life this week.  Let’s stop pointing at others because of the obvious sin in their lives, and start pointing to the sin in our own lives.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1Jn 1:9)

Freedom comes from holding to Jesus’ teachings and through confession of the sin that IS in our lives! 

What sins do you need to confess and give to Jesus so that you can receive His freedom?