Title: True Freedom/John 8:31-36
Contents
true freedom
John 8:31-36
Chungshin Church (Seodaemun) - Ahn Jae-eun (20000319)
March 19, 2000 Sermon broadcast (sermon text)
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Pascall said, 'Man is a thinking reed'. Humans are weak, but because they think differently from animals, we reflect on the past and evaluate the present by thinking about the future. Therefore, mankind is not satisfied with the present, but lives to pursue a better future and happiness.
Philosopher 'Socrates' worked hard all his life for freedom of thought. What is freedom? The French started the French Revolution, fighting the feudal monarchs for freedom and equality. Americans fought for independence from Britain, and blacks fought for the survival and prosperity of their race. What people have sought in common for thousands of years has been 'freedom'. Those who longed for freedom even asked for death if not freedom. I have a thirst for freedom.
The text speaks of true freedom. We will be able to enjoy true happiness through these words.
1. A sin that hinders freedom
(John 8:31,32) Therefore Jesus said to the Jews who believed in him, If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
The word 'know the truth' in the text means the assurance of God's revelation in Christ and the assurance of possessing the kingdom of God. There are many people in the world who strive to find the true truth, and sometimes they spend their whole lives trying to reach the Way.
But the truth is not in some secret place, but in Jesus and intimately connected with him. Therefore, knowing the truth begins not only with intellectual awareness, but also with actual experience and experience of God's holy and eternal life. Here is happiness.
In verse 32, “the truth will set you free,” freedom is reminiscent of the Exodus, and refers to the freedom that the Israelites enjoy in the promised land as God's people, freed from slavery in Egypt. And this, more specifically, is liberation from the element of sin that robs us of our happiness. It means freeing your people from their sins and granting them true God's freedom.
Essentially, what makes a man unfree is not the outward appearance and the physical, but the human mind. It is a 'sin' that ultimately destroys people to enslave them. This is always the cause of all human injustice, corruption, and unrighteous actions, which inflicts great damage and harm on oneself, others and all others. No one can forgive sins.
Indeed, the power of sin is so powerful that it binds people in every aspect of their intellect, emotions, and ultimately destroys them. The more you learn, the more intelligent you are in sinning. Therefore, human beings are bound by this spiritual chain, the power of sin, and cannot enjoy true freedom.
If there is one of the most serious diseases of modern man, it is the unconsciousness and insensitivity to sin. If you look at the media these days, there are people who are unaware of their sins among those who are being arrested. Kierkegaard, an existentialist philosopher in the 19th century, referred to this as 'a disease that leads to death'. Without curing this disease, man can never be free. It is a disease that leads to death. Ultimately, it will die.
When Park Ji-man, the only son of former President Park Chung-hee, was arrested for the fourth time by the police for habitual use of methamphetamine, he complained that he should be sent to prison. "I can't stand the thought of methamphetamine when I'm lying alone at home," he said. "I'd rather stay in prison until I can overcome this urge."
Who is in it? If the power of sin, which man cannot solve, drags us away, there is nothing we can do about it. We are being led by something, and we are sinning.
2. Jesus Gives True Freedom
So what can we do to free ourselves from the bondage of sin?
(1 John 1:8,9) If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just who will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. that
Freedom that people feel includes political freedom, economic freedom, and ideological freedom. But all this freedom is but a shadow. Also, it can be seen that this is not a fundamental problem.
So what is 'true freedom'? That is the freedom Jesus promised. The true freedom that Jesus gives is none other than the freedom that is given by freedom from sin. Because freedom from sin is the fundamental solution to all sins, the freedom that Jesus gives is true freedom.
(John 8:33) They answered them, Since we are Abraham's children, we have never been slaves to anyone.
When we say in verse 33, “I have never been a slave,” it is not that the Jews forget or deny that they were in political servitude, but that they have never been deprived of religious freedom by oppressors such as the Medes or Persians. It was something I was proud of. How full of pride and pride?
So when Jesus spoke about freedom, they questioned what it had to do with them. But Jesus' answer has a completely different meaning.
(John 8:34) Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.
Jesus is referring to the problem of the human heart. “Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin” means that the person who sins is bound to be subject to sin. In other words, those who continue to live in sin cannot escape the slavery of sin by their own strength because they have a wrong relationship with God and cannot receive the influence of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we must break free from the bondage of sin by the grace of God.
It is a very ironic fact that people living in the modern age, where scientific civilization is extremely developed, are feeling very anxious and are living in a sense of bondage. The social environment we live in today is comfortable and convenient on the outside, but on the inside it is too corrupt.
In September 1938, the World Peace Conference was held in Berlin, Germany. British Prime Minister Chamberlain, who was then present, declared, "Peace has come in our time". Exactly a year later, in September 1939, a war broke out in Germany, which was held at the peace conference. The world was engulfed in uncontrollable war. Since then, the world has held close to 10,000 large and small peace talks, but no peace has been achieved.
Discord caused by sin could not bring peace to mankind by any political or diplomatic efforts. Humans are living in the midst of famine, war, and conflict. True peace is only possible in Jesus.
Therefore, all who are under sin absolutely need a savior. That savior is the only one, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ sets us free from all power of sin.
(Romans 8:2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.
Spurgeon said: "The freedom of people's lives is valuable and religious freedom is precious, but spiritual freedom is an extremely precious treasure." Deaubigne also said, "To be completely in accord with the will of God is the only sovereignty and complete freedom." is saying
3. True freedom through faith
(John 8:35) A slave does not dwell in the house forever, but the son forever.
Jesus explains the relationship between truth and freedom by taking the relationship between a slave bound by a family door and a son who has the right to heir as an example. The Jews thought of themselves as children of God, but in reality they were slaves to sin. If we have true faith, we will experience true freedom in it. And that freedom will dwell with us forever. On the other hand, the text explains 'true freedom'.
(John 8:36) Therefore, if the Son sets you free, you will be truly free.
According to Exodus 21:2-6 and Deuteronomy 15:12-18, in the case of Israeli slaves, they can be freed after 6 years, and according to the Jubilee system in Leviticus 25:10, all slaves are freed in the 50th year. can be. Even before this period, slaves could be redeemed by their relatives or their own money, but the amount was so great that they seldom freed themselves.
Likewise, Jesus, the Son of God, freed mankind from the bondage of sin (Galatians 5:1). Jesus paid for our sins by dying on the cross. Our Lord has solved the problem of sin. May you enjoy freedom in the Lord who gives you true freedom. And that freedom, which is brought about by the law or by human wisdom and thought, is temporary and partial, but not true and eternal. Truly, man is in a tragic fate that he cannot untangle himself from the chains of sin and cannot bear.
The person who can break the chains of this sin must be without sin and have the power of Almighty God. Such a person is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus came into this world to set man free from the bondage of sin, and finally died on the cross to bear the sin of man.
He also overcame the powers of death and sin and rose from the dead. The Lord has made it possible for all to enjoy freedom from the power of sin. Only Jesus Christ can forgive human sin and give us true freedom.
(Galatians 5:1) Since Christ set us free, therefore, stand firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
In 1866, the Russian writer Dostoevski published a literary work called “Crime and Punishment”, and there was a process of transformation into his true life. As a young writer, he was very proud of his writing. That was a no-brainer.
Then, he was arrested for participating in a secret society, and he was sent to exile in the Siberian wilderness. Years of hopeless patterns continued in the Siberian concentration camp, where no one recognized its reputation. During the day, he was subjected to forced labor, and at night he was alone in a dark and cold closet, consoling his life.
Then someone sent me a Bible. He heard the voice of God in the Bible. At the end of his life, he finally did his best to produce a work called “Crime and Punishment,” which dealt with the issue of conscience.
He was regenerated by the words of the Bible, and the problem of conscience was solved. After I sinned, I heard the voice of God. After much trouble, his sin problem was solved. He understood the fear of sin more deeply than anyone else, and he expressed this truth well in literature. Here are the verses he realized:
(James 1:15) When lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
conclusion
Do you think you are the person God the Creator wants you to be by being freed from sin? Am I really doing what pleases God? Am I living with the meaning of my life right now? Am I truly a happy person?
(Romans 7:24) O wretched man I am; who will deliver me from this body of death?
The world we live in today is full of more sins than ever before. Even among those who claim to be children of God, there are many who have committed such sins. Could it be that we are now under sin and are not prisoners of sin?
We have no qualifications or authority, but the Lord shed His blood to forgive our sins. We must come before the Lord and live a victorious life in the true truth by believing in Him.