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The Gospel of John, The Period of Conflict - The Clash of Belief and Unbelief, Continuing discourse after the feast, Jesus as the Light of the World, Part XVI, John 8:33-36 - Lesson 63
Read Verses John 8:30-32, As he spake these words, many believed on him. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 8:33, They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
They miss the mark.
They miss the point.
They see only physical bondage.
But even in that they refuse to remember their history.
They forget the bitter and cruel bondage in Egypt that the earlier sons of Abraham had suffered through.
They forget the bondage of the oppressors during the time of the Judges.
They forget the 70 years of Babylonian captivity and they forget their present Roman Masters.
They are so proud that you know that sudden destruction is eminent in Israel.
They are insulted. Some itinerant preacher dares to say that they are not free but instead they are in bondage.
Man is no different today as we proclaim that modern man continues to be a slave to sin.
It is no difference today than with the Jews who stood before Jesus Christ.
The natural man does not want to hear that he is not free. He cannot tolerate this message.
Tell the sinner that there is no good thing in him, tell him that he is the slave of sin, tell him that he is a captive of Satan, tell him that he cannot think a godly thought, tell him that he cannot receive God's truth, tell him that he cannot believe,tell him that he cannot please God, tell him that he cannot come to Christ, tell him these things and he will tell you that you are wrong and he is not in bondage.
A sinner does not know that he is not free.
But except by the grace of God neither would you nor neither would I!
John 8:34, Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Of a truth, of a truth, Jesus proclaims.
He does not get on the track they try to lay.
He stays on the spiritual track that he has laid.
Not physical bondage he tells them but spiritual bondage.
There is a greater bondage than social or economic slavery.
Are you a sinner? Why do you continue to sin?
Why do you continue to serve sin?
Why is your life dominated and controlled by sin?
Are you not bound by Satan, the slave master of sin?
Can't you see that sin binds you and that you do not have freedom to serve God according to God's will?
Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin!
Jesus says! This is the bottom line. This is the conclusion of the matter.
John 8:35,36, And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Jesus tells them that the status of a servant is not secure.
A slave can be sold to another owner.
A slave has no permanent standing in the master's house.
A slave has only temporary standing in the family.
If sold he then is in bondage to his new owner.
The Jews insisted that they had standing because they were of Abraham's house, Abraham's seed.
They belonged to the favored family, the family that had covenants and promises with God.
But by saying this, that the slave abides not forever in the house, he infers that just being the natural descendants of Abraham, gives them no title to the blessings that belong to Abraham's spiritual children.
Just being part of a chosen people did not entitle them to abide in the house.
Only the son of the house abides in the house.
The slaves of sin serve sin and will be sold from the house.
Remember Isaac and Ishmael?
Which one abided as a son?
Isaac of course, Ishmael was the son of the bondwoman and was banished from the house.
Unless they were made free they would soon be cut off from the temporary place of privilege that they presumed to be a permanent place.
And Jesus Christ came to set them free.
He is the only one that can loose the chains of sin and set them free to truly serve God.
He came to preach deliverance to captives.
The captives of sin.
He came to deliver from the condemnation of sin.
He came to deliver from the power of Satan.
He came to deliver from the bondage of sin.
And he came to deliver from the authority or fear of man.
As I have said before this deliverance was so that man would be free to serve God.
In sin there is no freedom to serve God because sin is man's master and no man can serve two masters.
A sinner saved by the grace of God is no longer free to follow his old nature without consequence.
Spiritual freedom is not license to do as I please, but freedom to do as I ought.
Two passages verify this as the freedom Jesus is talking about:
Luke 1:74,75, That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
Rom 6:16-18,22, 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? 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. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. |