JOHN 8:34-36
TRULY, TRULY, I SAY TO YOU…
The Son Sets You Free.
In
the name + of Jesus.
Americans are big on freedom. We are accustomed to going where
we want to go and doing what we want to do.
We enter stores without passports.
We buy appliances without requisition orders. We drive through Michigan
We also tend to believe that
this freedom carries over into the kingdom
of God
All have sinned, and all are sinners.
We all have hearts and minds that are turned in on ourselves. We seek our own good above all. We may not always be good, but we will turn
our world over to make sure we always look
good. If it means preserving a good
appearance before others, we will lie and call it good. If it means getting a larger commission, we
will defraud our neighbor. We will argue
that it benefits our family, and we will call it good. We welcome obscenities and filth into our
living rooms. As long as we are
entertained by it, we will call it good.
Our standard for what is good becomes what makes us feel good. And if anyone makes us feel ashamed because
we have made ourselves at home with wickedness, we will go on attack and try to
shame that person.
Jesus declared, “Truly, truly, I say to you,
everyone who practices sin is a slave to
sin.” (John 8:34) This
is our persistent practice because it is our persistent condition. You might think the solution is simply to
quit sinning. Of course, you can
try. And you should try. But what you
will notice is that you can’t stop sinning.
If even your will power cannot stop you from sinning, then your will is
not as free as you like to think. Your
will is corrupt. It is turned in on
yourself, and desires ultimately and only to serve yourself.
Jesus declared, “Truly, truly, I say to you,
everyone who practices sin is a slave to
sin.” (John 8:34) A
slave has no will of his own. He is
bound to do what his master commands him.
It is your sin which owns you.
That is why you do what is sinful.
Sin is your master, and it will always command you to do what is evil
and to turn from what is good. But your
sin hides itself behind selfish motives, and you will always like the motives
which cater to your own benefit.
Remember: Satan did not tell Adam and Eve to defy God. That would have been too obvious. Instead, Satan told Adam and Eve that by eating
the fruit from the forbidden tree, they and their lives would be vastly
improved. That was their motive. It sounded reasonable and beneficial. But this sinful motive led to sinful defiance. Ever since then, sin has held mankind in
forced servitude, and we cannot escape.
Jesus said, “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.” (John 8:34-36)
The Son of God has come from the household of God. He possesses all the rights and privileges of
the estate because he is God the Son.
But more than that, Jesus became man.
As man, Jesus also earned the rights by obedience. Jesus submitted himself to the commandments
that God has decreed and to the temptations that are common to man.
Calvary
But the Son has come to set you free from your heartless master, your
sin. By his sufferings and death, Jesus
has set you free from all the charges that had stood against you. You are pardoned for every offense. By his perfect and willing obedience, Jesus
has set you free from every smear and smudge of guilt and shame. Your sins are covered by his righteous
blood. Truly, truly, I say to you: The
Son sets you free.
But just as it was more than that with Jesus, so it is more than that
for you. You are free not merely from
charges, but you liberated from sin itself.
Sin no longer owns you. Satan can
no longer torment you. The grave can no
longer haunt you. You have been adopted
as children of the Most High God. And he
is no tyrannical master; he is your loving and merciful heavenly Father. He gives you the rights and privileges of the
household. He makes you heirs of the
kingdom.
Truly, truly I say to you: The Son sets you free. And your freedom means that you recognize
that God’s will is always good and right.
Your sinful flesh will still hate it and will still argue that it is
inconvenient and painful and does nothing to benefit you. But you have also learned to hate your own
sinful nature, knowing that it only leads you to death and hell. God’s will is always right and always shows
you what is praiseworthy before God and what is good for your neighbor. And you know that what God wills always leads
to life and blessing.
Truly, truly, I say to you: The Son sets you free. You are free to serve God with joy and
confidence, knowing that God is pleased with your service, no matter how weak
or feeble it looks to you. When your own
child draws you a picture, you know that it is not a Rembrandt or a
Michelangelo. Yet you tape it to the
refrigerator and cherish it because it is the loving work of your child. Are you not children of the heavenly
Father? While your work is not to the
level of angelic perfection, the Father sees no flaws. For, you and your service are covered in the
blood of Christ. Therefore, your Father
loves you and your service dearly.
Truly, truly, I say to you: The Son sets you free. So you never have to go to bed at night and
wonder if you or your works are good enough for God. You are free to live and to serve without
fear. You are free to live life with
joy. The Son sets you free so that God
is your Father, so that his kingdom is your inheritance, and so that everlasting
peace and rest are your future.
In the name of the Father and of the Son +
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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