← Back to sermon library

But just beginning in chapter 
8 at verse 31, then Jesus said to those Jews who believed him, 
If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed, and 
you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 
They answered him, We are Abraham's descendants and have never been 
in bondage to anyone. How can you say you will be made 
free? Jesus answered them, most assuredly I say to you, whoever 
commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in 
the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore, if 
the son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, thank 
you for the word of God and thank you for these gospel records 
that present to us the Lord Jesus Christ. Help us to receive the 
teaching of this passage this idea concerning spiritual slavery 
and spiritual freedom. And we rejoice, Lord God, that 
though we were slaves, you have freed us, you have brought us 
out, you have given us life eternal. Certainly we confess with this 
passage that the Son indeed has made us free. And in this we 
greatly rejoice and pray that others would know this blessing 
as well. Father, for any that are here tonight that are in 
spiritual bondage, those who are slaves, those who are estranged 
from you, we pray that your Holy Spirit would work in their hearts. 
God, one of the unfortunate things is that these sorts of slaves 
do not see it. They do not understand. They 
don't get it with reference to their place before a holy God. 
We pray that they would get it tonight by the power of your 
Holy Spirit through your Word. and we pray these things through 
Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. Well this morning in our confession 
of faith we studied the doctrine of free will and one of the things 
that we noticed is that man in sin is in bondage. Man in sin 
is a slave and that is essentially what Jesus teaches to these particular 
people in John chapter 8. And I want to just look at two 
broad categories. First, the reality of spiritual 
slavery. This is in verses 33 to 35. And 
then secondly, the blessing of spiritual liberty. This is in 
verses 31 and 32 and then again in verse 36. And as I said, we'll 
seek to illustrate from other portions of Scripture because 
this is a most important subject, a most important topic. Notice 
first in terms of the reality of spiritual slavery. Notice 
Jesus says in verse 32, and you shall know the truth and the 
truth shall make you free. And then they say we are Abraham's 
descendants and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can 
you say you will be made free? Jesus answered them, Most assuredly, 
I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin." So they 
are Abraham's descendants. That means these are people from 
the Jewish nation. These are people that confess 
the saving God. They confess the truth of Holy 
Scripture. But Jesus is illustrating or 
highlighting or pointing out the reality that their conduct 
toward Him Ultimately, they want to kill Him. All of that definitely 
evidences that they are not right with God. I think we'd all agree 
with that particular statement. And so what Jesus is doing is 
He's causing them to reflect upon this and to see that, in 
fact, they are slaves, and that, in fact, they need to be free. 
They need liberty that only the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring. But notice in verse 33, they 
are speaking, or they are thinking, rather, in terms of physicality. They are thinking in terms of 
temporal. They are thinking in terms of carnal things. Notice, 
we are Abraham's descendants and have never been in bondage 
to anyone. Well, even here they're wrong. 
Have they forgotten the introduction to the Ten Commandments? The 
Decalogue wherein God the Lord says, I am the Lord your God, 
who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house 
of bondage. So as a body politic, as a people 
group, as a physical ethnic body, they have been in physical bondage. So they're wrong even on this 
particular point. But that's not what Jesus is 
pressing them on. Jesus is pressing them on the 
reality of spiritual slavery, spiritual bondage, spiritual 
darkness. That is the emphasis in this 
particular passage. And we know from the rest of 
the Bible that this is not unique simply to the Jewish nation. 
in the first century A.D. Paul in the epistle to the Romans 
teaches this very clearly in chapter 1 verse 18 he says the 
wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness 
and unrighteousness of men who suppress or hold down the truth 
in unrighteousness. And then he details or he gives 
a vivid description of the Gentiles, those men that were apart from 
the oracles of God. They are sinful, they are in 
bondage, they are spiritual slaves. They are engaged in darkness 
and evil and every manifestation of it. He then turns his attention 
to the Jews, and he says that they are in the same spiritual 
condition. Sin is no respecter of persons, 
and ultimately all men everywhere are under sin. In fact, you can 
turn to Romans 3, verses 9 to 20, wherein he summarizes the 
entirety of his argument up to this point. And this is foundational 
for Paul in his presentation of the gospel in Romans. Remember 
1.16 is his thesis statement. I'm not ashamed of the gospel 
of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone 
who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. He says, 
for in it, for in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed. 
from faith to faith, that just as it is written, the just shall 
live by faith. He then starts with sin. He then speaks concerning the 
darkness of man's heart. Before he introduces the good 
news of Christ Jesus our Lord, he first sets up the context 
of the bad news concerning our sin in Adam. You see, this is 
wise. Paul doesn't say to people, God 
loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. Rather, Paul 
says, God's wrath is revealed from heaven against you. Paul 
shows men their sin. Paul calls men to consider these 
realities. Paul knows the reality that if 
men don't see this, they'll never see the need for the Savior. So notice what he does in 3.9. He says, what then? Are we better 
than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged 
both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written, 
there is none righteous, no not one. There is none who understands. 
There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable. There is none who does good, 
no not one. Their throat is an open tomb, 
with their tongues they have practiced deceit. The poison 
of asps is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing 
and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed 
blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way 
of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before 
their eyes. Now we know that whatever the 
law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every 
mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before 
God. Therefore, by the deeds of the 
law, no flesh will be justified in his sight, for by the law 
is the knowledge of sin. Now in the remainder of the book 
of Romans, Paul indicates again this idea of spiritual slavery, 
this bondage to what is dark and wrong. That's the language 
of B.B. Warfield. But back to our text 
in John 8, Jesus tells them, if you abide in my word, you 
are my disciples indeed. You shall know the truth and 
the truth shall make you free. This causes them to say, we have 
never been in bondage, how can you say you will be made free? 
Jesus then declares, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a 
slave of sin. Now that's where we have all 
found ourselves. By the grace of God tonight, 
we will eat this bread and we will drink this cup. Not as a 
reward for our well-doing, but as a remembrance of the One who 
died and rose again on our behalf. But if you are here tonight and 
you are not a Christian, if you are here tonight and you have 
not believed the Gospel, if you are here tonight, you need to 
understand what Jesus says. Jesus says that you are a slave 
to sin. You are a slave to sin. Carson says, for Jesus then, 
the ultimate bondage is not enslavement to a political or economic system. I think communism is wretched. 
I think communism is horrible. I think communism is abominable. But being subject to sin, being 
in bondage to that which is dark and wrong, being under that power 
has to be worse. Carson goes on to say, but vicious 
slavery to moral failure, to rebellion against the God who 
has made us, the despotic master is not Caesar, but shameful self-centeredness 
and evil and enslaving devotion to created things at the expense 
of the worship of the Creator. Paul deals with that in Romans 
chapter 1 very specifically. Again, he's outlining the wickedness 
of the Gentiles, those men apart from the law of God. Notice in 
chapter 1, verse 22, "...professing to be wise, they became fools, 
and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image 
made like corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals 
and creeping things." Now, you may say, well, I don't do that. 
I mean, come on, I'm not like the heathen out in the bush with 
his loincloth and his totem pole. I'm not like that man out there 
that is praying to a rock. I'm not like the persons that 
are herein described. Those who make these images like 
corruptible man or birds or four-footed animals and creeping things. 
Okay, so your idols may look a little bit different, your 
idols may be a little more culturally relevant, your idols may be a 
little more culturally acceptable, but they are idols nonetheless. Slavery to sin, bondage to what 
is dark and wrong, results in this madness, and in this wickedness, 
and in this depravity, and in this rejection and rebellion 
against the living and true God. royal comments concerning spiritual 
slavery. He says, there is no slavery 
like this. Sin is the hardest of all taskmasters. Do you ever look at a man who's 
whacked out on drugs and think, wow, he's free? Do you hear of 
a man or a woman who's been sexually promiscuous and they have AIDS 
and you say, wow, wouldn't it be wonderful to be liberated 
like that? Absolutely not! You see the effects 
when you worship these created things, when you worship these 
idols, at some time you have to pay the ferryman, at some 
time you have to pay the wages, at some time you have to render 
due to this taskmaster. There is no slavery like this. 
Sin is the hardest of all taskmasters. Misery and disappointment in 
the way. Despair and hell in the end. These are the only wages that 
sin pays to its servants. I wish that everybody in the 
world would listen to that. I wish that you kids and you 
young people would listen to that. It's not fun, it's not 
liberty, it's not free to go out and rebel against the living 
and true God. It's not liberty, it's not free, 
it's not fun to go do those things which are contrary to what your 
parents have taught you from as soon as you were able to pay 
attention, and even before that. I mean, you were in the womb 
and you heard the Scriptures read, right? You don't remember 
it, but you were nevertheless. My wife at one time suspected 
that one of our sons responded to the voice of Earl Blackburn 
when he was in the womb. I don't know if that's the case, 
but she seemed to suggest that he got very active when he heard 
Brother Earl preaching. Maybe he liked that North Carolina 
drawl. You see, listen to what Ryle 
says, and pay attention to this. I realize we're here as believers 
tonight to remember the Lord in a special way. Let's just 
assume there's no unbelievers. It's still good to be reminded. 
It's still good for us to consider the rock from whence we've been 
hewn, to consider where we came from, so that when we come to 
the supper, we come with glad hearts, we come with joy, we 
come with amazing grace on our lips. Listen, he says, misery 
and disappointment in the way. What does Solomon say in the 
book of Proverbs? The way of the transgressor is happy, it's 
joyful, it's liberating, it's free. The way of the transgressor 
is hard. You know this to be the case. 
You don't prosper when you are in bondage. So it's misery and 
disappointment in the way, despair and hell in the end. These are 
the only wages that sin pays to its servants. Ryle goes on 
to say, to deliver men from this bondage is the grand object of 
the gospel. To awaken people to a sense of 
their degradation, to show them their chains, to make them arise 
and struggle to be free. This is the great end for which 
Christ sent forth his ministers. Happy is he who has opened his 
eyes and found out his danger. To know that we are being led 
captive is the very first step. toward deliverance. You need 
to reckon with this reality. If you are not in the Son, if 
you have not believed the Gospel, if you are not fit and able to 
take the supper tonight because you're profane and ungodly, this 
is your condition. This is your position. This is 
where you are at currently, right here, right now. To use the language 
of John 3.36, he that believeth the Son has everlasting life. He that does not believe the 
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. So right here, right now, There 
could be the wrath of God abiding on those outside of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. Think about this the next time 
you run in rebellion against God. Misery and disappointment 
in the way, despair and hell in the end. This is what Christ 
presses upon these men in John chapter 8. Jesus rather tells 
them very clearly Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits 
sin is a slave of sin. And realize, you're not a slave 
because you sin. You sin because you're a slave. 
You are in Adam. And in Adam, all die. In Adam, 
we're all bound. In Adam, we are all slaves. And 
we act consistently with the wretchedness of our own hearts. 
Now notice secondly the blessing of spiritual liberty. Notice 
what Jesus says in 31 and 2 and 36. Notice first the manifestation 
of discipleship. 31, then Jesus said to those 
Jews who believed him, if you abide in my word you are my disciples 
indeed. You see, I just have this conviction, 
and I think it comes straight from the Scripture, that somebody 
who professes the saving faith in Christ, somebody that is a 
believer, loves Scripture. They love the Bible. They want 
to abide in the Word. They want to know the Scripture. 
They want to hear it preached. They want to hear it taught. 
They want to read it for themselves. They want to read it to their 
children. They want to traffic or truck with Scripture. They 
want the Word of God. They know the value and the import 
of the Word of God. Jesus says, if you abide in My 
Word, you are My disciples indeed. Again, this is not a condition. 
Jesus is not saying to these people, if you do this, then 
you will be accepted. He is vetting. He is ferreting 
out. He is showing that these ones 
who John tells us in verse 31, who believed Him, really didn't 
believe Him, because if they believed Him, they would have 
abided in His Word. If they abided in His Word, they 
certainly wouldn't want to kill Him. If they abided in His Word, 
in John 8, 58, when He says, before Abraham was, I am, they 
certainly wouldn't pick up stones to throw at Him to try and destroy 
Him. You see, Jesus knew all men, 
John chapter 2. Jesus knew who the fakes were, 
and Jesus is showing them to be the fakes that they are in 
fact. And notice the close connection 
between the person of Christ and the truth of Christ. Notice, 
verse 32, you shall know the truth and the truth shall make 
you free. Verse 36, therefore, if the Son 
makes you free, you shall be free indeed. It's almost like 
they're just used interchangeably. The word in Christ. The idea 
is, if you value the Word, you'll certainly value Christ. And if 
you value Christ, guess what, brethren? You will value the 
Word. You know, sometimes people wonder, 
am I really a Christian? What do you think of the Scripture? 
What do you think of the Bible? We saw this morning that humility 
is certainly a trait of a kingdom citizen, but a love for Scripture 
is certainly a trait of a kingdom citizen. A disciple of Christ 
wants to abide in the Word of Christ. He doesn't want to redefine 
it. He doesn't want to try to explain it away. He doesn't want 
to pare off the rough edges. The Bible says that man shall 
not lie with man. The believer accepts that. It 
doesn't matter what the culture thinks. It doesn't matter what 
weak churches say. It matters what God says, you 
see. That is a telltale sign that one is in a good place, 
if you abide in my word. This is what our Lord Christ 
says. Remember in Mark when he says, 
whoever is ashamed of me, and my words." There is this close 
conjunction between the two. You do not have Christ if you 
despise his word. That is simply the case, brethren. 
This is what he is saying. This is what he is indicating. 
This is what he's pressing upon these people. You say that you 
believe, but you don't abide in my word. You say that you 
are mine, but you don't Do what I say. Luke 6, 46. Why do you 
call me Lord, Lord, and you don't do what I say? You see, brethren, 
this is epidemic today. We have a whole host of people 
that profess the name of Jesus or confess the true religion. 
If that's the case, why is there such a large degree of biblical 
illiteracy? Especially when we have five 
Bibles in our homes. Especially when we have sermonaudio.com, 
when we've got Banner of Truth, and we've got Presbyterian and 
Reformed, and we've got RHB, we've got books, we've got an 
abundance of resources. You see, sometimes the people 
of God may be lazy, I grant that. Sometimes the people of God may 
be negligent, I grant that. I'm not excusing it, I want to 
encourage you, please pick up your Bible and read. But sometimes 
the people of God may be faking it. They may just be faking it. If you're a Christian here tonight, 
and you are under conviction, this is a problem with a simple 
fix. We talked about this on Wednesday 
night. You know there's problems in your life that don't always 
have a simple fix, right? There are certain problems in 
your life that require a bit of skill and wisdom on how to 
navigate. You know how you deal with, well brother I haven't 
been reading my Bible as I ought. Read your Bible. It is that simple, 
right? Oh, I'm struggling. I haven't 
read my Bible for however long. Pick it up. Open those ocular 
cavities and look at the page and read it, okay? It's a problem 
with an easy fix. You see, if this is a pattern, 
if this is symptomatic, if this is something you profess, but 
you never, ever spend time with Christ, according to Jesus in 
this passage, if you abide in my word, you are my disciples 
indeed. A.W. Pink says this, continuance 
in his word is not a condition of of discipleship. Please hear 
me. I agree with that a hundred percent. 
I'm not suggesting that if you read Romans today you're gonna 
automatically be saved. I am saying that when you are 
saved you're gonna want to read Romans at some point. Okay? It's not a condition of discipleship, 
but rather a manifestation of it. How do we know that their 
profession of faith is right? Because they abide in the Word. 
How do we know their profession of faith is right or is true? Because as a father, he abides 
in the word of the Lord, and he seeks to rear his children 
in the training and admonition of the Lord. As a husband, he 
seeks to love his wife and do so in a self-sacrificial way, 
giving himself for her the way Paul enjoins. How do we know 
a woman's testimony or her profession of faith is the real deal? Because 
she abides in the word. She submits to and honors her 
husband. How do we know children are actually legit when they 
make the profession of faith? They abide in the Word. They're 
not perfect little robots in your home that bring you coffee 
and slippers and polish your shoes, but there is an abiding 
in the Word that will manifest itself in a degree of honor and 
obedience to their parents. You see, you can't avoid this 
reality. Continuance in His Word is not 
a condition of discipleship, but rather a manifestation of 
it. It is not how a man begins, but how he continues and ends. 
Gil says, if ye continue in my word, meaning the gospel, called 
his because he was both the author and preacher and sum and substance 
of it. It's a beautiful statement. If 
you continue in my word. Gil says, meaning the gospel, 
called his, my word, because he was both the author and preacher 
and the sum and substance of it. And to continue in it. is having cordially received 
it, to abide by it, and hold it fast, and not to be moved 
from it by the temptations of Satan, the cunning of those that 
lie in wait to deceive, nor by the revilings and persecutions, 
the frowns and flatteries of men. And when men continue thus 
steadfast in it, and faithful to it, it is an evidence that 
it has come with power, and has a place in their hearts, and 
that they are the true followers of Christ. You see, what Jesus 
is doing is exploiting these men, not in a sinful way, but 
in an honest way. They profess to be believers, 
and He indicates to them, most assuredly, whoever commits sin 
is a slave of sin. The reason that Jesus knows that 
they're false, the reason that Jesus knows that their profession 
is not legit, is because they do not abide in His Word. But 
on the heels of that, and in this context, it's as if there 
is an emotional, not an emotional, but an evangelistic appeal. It's 
almost as if He is saying, look, believe my words. Listen to the 
truth. Come to me really, believe the 
gospel for real." That's what is behind this. Now notice the 
freedom of discipleship. Verse 32, you shall know the 
truth, the truth shall make you free. And then again, verse 36, 
therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. 
I remember hearing one time Dr. Greg Bonson, it was a lecture 
or a sermon or a message of some sort, And he indicated, because 
he went through USC, that's where he did his graduate work, at 
the University of Southern California, and apparently they've got a 
strong philosophy program there, and they've got quite the big 
philosophy building, and there's one part of the building where 
that text is there. You shall know the truth, and 
the truth shall make you free." I mean you hear that in the world 
as well. I actually googled that, I tried 
to find it, couldn't find it. Someday when I go to LA I'll 
walk over there so I can see it for myself, and I won't have 
to say, I heard Dr. Bonson say this. I can say, guess 
what? I saw this. But he made this very important 
observation. You shall know the truth, and 
the truth shall make you free. Disconnected from verse 31. There is no truth apart from 
the word of Christ. It's not just some nebulous philosophical 
truth out there that Jesus is pressing. Jesus is pressing the 
truth of Holy Scripture. He is pressing the Old Testament. 
He is pressing the Gospel. He is pressing, at least in a 
proleptic sense, the apostolic writings. He is saying that it's 
the Word of God Most High that is the truth that makes you free. And then in verse 36, therefore, 
if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. And if 
we were to tease that out for a moment, and this is where I 
hope it will prepare us for this time to take the supper, a fresh 
look at what we've been freed from in order that we may respond 
with great joy and thanksgiving to this time as we eat and drink. We are, first of all, delivered 
from the penalty of sin. Isn't that beautiful? What's 
Romans 8.1 say? Therefore, there is now no condemnation 
for those who are in Christ Jesus. Isn't that beautiful? There's 
no condemnation. I said earlier, with reference 
to John 3.36, if you're an unbeliever, the wrath of God abides on you. 
Because the Son has set us free, guess what's not over us anymore? There is no condemnation now 
for those who are in Christ Jesus. We have been freed. We have been 
blessed. We have been begraced by our 
gracious God. Secondly, we have deliverance 
from the curse of the law. The law is a taskmaster that 
demands payment, and we certainly are not law keepers. Jesus is 
our law keeper. Jesus paid the debt. Jesus fulfilled 
the law, such that the Apostle can say, Christ has redeemed 
us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, is everyone 
who hangs on a tree. Our beloved Savior bore the curse, 
bore the wrath for us so that we might be free. Thirdly, it 
is deliverance from the wrath of God. Notice in chapter 3 of 
the book of Romans. We are delivered, we are free 
from the wrath of God. Romans chapter 3, verse 21. You'll notice how Paul structures 
these beginning chapters of Romans. Romans 1.18, "...for the wrath 
of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness 
of man." He then details that sin, the universality of sin, 
from chapter 1.18 or 1.19 all the way to 3.20. And then in 
verse 21, look at what he does, "...but now." But now, Romans 1.18, wrath revealed, 
but now righteousness revealed. The righteousness of God apart 
from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the law and the 
prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus 
Christ to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference 
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being 
justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is 
in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His 
blood." Propitiation presupposes the wrath of God. The word propitiation 
that is used here has to do with God's wrath. Christ was set forth 
as a propitiation. When Christ was set forth as 
a propitiation, it means that the Father crushed Him. The Father 
poured out His wrath upon Him. The Father heaped up judgment 
upon Him that we deserved, that was due to us, but because of 
the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are free. We are free. Jesus said on the cross, why 
hast thou forsaken me? And because he said that, those 
who are in Christ Jesus will never, ever, ever have to say 
that. Isn't that beautiful? Jesus said, 
why hast thou forsaken me? We are never in a position where 
we will say that. We have the promise of God in 
the scripture, I will never leave you nor forsake you. And on that 
day of judgment when we deserve hell and we deserve wrath and 
we deserve curse, we have our blessed substitute who stood 
in our place and as a result it will not be that we are forsaken 
by our God. Fourthly, it is deliverance or 
freedom from the power of Satan. Later on in John's Gospel, in 
John chapter 8, Jesus says to them, you are of your father 
the devil. Notice the interchange there. Jesus would be thrown 
out of most churches today. You shouldn't say that, Jesus. 
You'll make them feel bad. Don't you know you'll hurt their 
delicate psyche? They'll go home and cry. They'll 
feel bad. They'll have to punch pillows because you've upset 
them. We are Abraham's descendants. Now your father is the devil. And the desires of your father 
you want to do. You see, that is the reality 
was asked this morning. Does the devil make us sin? No, 
I do not believe the devil makes us sin. That's Flip Wilson theology. I reject that. But the devil 
tempts, the devil seeks, The devil presents, but he doesn't 
actually get into our heart and make us sin. We got enough of 
that in our hearts already. He just coaxes out what's already 
there. He just says, come on out. I 
know you're in there. I'll present these temptations 
so that you will succumb. So when we realize that we are 
in bondage to that which is dark and wrong, our hearts have a 
natural downward bent, certainly the devil over us, or the devil 
as our father, setting a pattern of murder and lies, certainly 
we will willingly follow him. But one of the things that happens 
in the gospel is that we are freed from the devil. Notice 
in Acts 26. Acts chapter 26 verse 18, Paul's testimony before Agrippa. He indicates what Jesus reported 
to him concerning his mission proclaiming the gospel. In chapter 
26, we'll pick up reading at verse 15. So I said, Who are 
you, Lord? And He said, I am Jesus whom 
you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet, 
for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister 
and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the 
things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from 
the Jewish people as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I 
now send you. Notice the purpose. 2, verse 
18, open their eyes. in order to turn them from darkness 
to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may 
receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who 
are sanctified by faith in me." We thought about that and we 
referred to that passage this morning, Colossians 1.13. He 
has transferred us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom 
of the Son of Islam. You see, this is the paradoxical 
thing. The man in sin, the man in bondage, 
the man in slavery thinks himself free. He thinks he's got liberty. He thinks he can do whatever 
he wants. Nobody's going to pin him down. 
Nobody's going to stand in his way. Nobody's going to keep him 
from the fun that he deserves. The man's a slave. The man is 
in bondage. The man is in a degraded state. The man is in misery and in darkness. It is that transfer from the 
kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of His love 
that brings freedom, that brings liberty, that brings joy, that 
brings peace, that brings security. And then finally it is a deliverance 
from the power of sin. You need to understand that with 
reference to justification and sanctification. We were to think 
in those ordo salutis categories. Justification, we are freed from 
the penalty of sin. Sanctification, we are freed 
from the power of sin, right? Sin's back has been broken in 
our lives. We have remaining corruption 
to be sure. The good that we wish to do, 
we don't always do. The evil that we don't want to 
do, sometimes we do. We find a law working in our 
members. We have the Galatians 5.17 reality. The flesh lusts against the spirit, 
spirit against the flesh. These two are contrary to one 
another. That's there to be sure. Do you know what else? We have 
the ability, by God's grace, to no longer present our members 
as instruments of unrighteousness. That's Romans 6. He breaks the 
power of reigning sin. We are freed from its penalty, 
but as well we are freed from its power. Sin's back has been 
broken by the grace of the gospel, and herein is the liberty that 
the sons of God definitely enjoy. We have freedom from those things, 
but we have freedom unto things. We have freedom to serve and 
worship God as we were created. We are free to serve and worship 
God as we were created. This is why God made us. He didn't 
make you so that you could go out and spend your time pursuing 
your lusts. He didn't make you so you could 
be sexually immoral. He didn't make you so that you 
could take drugs and whack out your mind and brain. He didn't 
make you for those purposes. He made you to worship. He made 
you to serve. So when God, by His grace, saves 
us, redeems us, brings us out of darkness into marvelous light, 
He has put us where we should thrive and flourish. Spiritual 
freedom is the freedom from sin. Matthew 121, You shall call His 
name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people, what? From 
their sins. Again, the penalty. Romans 6 
outlines the power. and then spiritual freedom brings 
true joy, true everlasting happiness. No, it's not without its trials. 
You brethren know as well as I do the Christian life isn't 
one of singing zippity-doo-dah as we skip to heaven. I have 
yet to open my windows in the morning and see bluebirds out 
there flapping their little wings and saying, come on Jim, we're 
going to take you to heaven. I have never seen rose petals 
in my path. There are trials, there are difficulties, 
there are hardships to be sure. Christ is with us every step 
of the way. Well, in terms of our text, it 
is a time to examine ourselves, isn't it? We're told this in 
the actual supper, or in the record of the supper in 1 Corinthians 
11. Let a man examine himself. And 
so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. It's good to 
examine, have I been dealing with my sins? Should I come to 
the supper tonight? But there is a broader category 
wherein we should examine ourselves. What do we think of the Word? 
What do we think of Christ? Are we able to say, He breaks 
the power of reigning sin, He sets the prisoner free, His blood 
can make the foulest clean, His blood availed for me. I shared with you, I heard from 
Carl Truman, that one of the things that Luther said, you 
know, the Pope speaks about the death of Christ, the Pope speaks 
about the resurrection of Christ, the Pope speaks about the ascension 
of Christ, same sorts of things that I speak of. The only difference 
is, Luther says, I speak of it for me. He died for me, He rose 
for me, He ascended on high for me, and He will return again 
in glory for me. That's a Galatians 2.20 sort 
of a thing. Paul said, He loved me and He 
gave Himself for me. Can you say that tonight? Can 
you actually sing this song? He breaks the power of reigning 
sin. I've seen Him do it in my life. 
I had this orientation to whatever the sin was, but He broke the 
back of that sin. He sets the prisoner free. I 
now want to come to the house of God. I now want to read my 
Bible. I actually want to be with Christian 
people. If you would have asked me 28 
years ago, do you want to hang out with Christians? Yeah, right. 
Absolutely not. Now I love to hang out with Christians. It's wonderful. That's the freedom 
that Christ brings. His blood can make the foulest 
clean. His blood availed for me. That's the examination we ought 
to concern ourselves with. Listen again to A.W. Pink. The 
man of the world imagines that to become a Christian means to 
forego his freedom. He supposes that he would be 
fettered with a lot of restrictions which nullify his liberty. Take 
it down to the level of the playground, or take it down to the level 
of the schoolyard, or take it down to the level of your peer 
group. It's almost like I can hear them. 
Oh, you gotta go to church all day on Sunday? You've got to 
do this? Oh, I mean, it sounds like murder, 
doesn't it? Sounds like putting your head 
in a vice and having someone crank it to those outside of 
Christ. You ever heard that? Have you 
ever experienced that? You know, I suppose that on a 
day like this, I had the morning service, and then I had the hospital 
service, and then we had tonight, you know, me going to my car. 
People are probably going, what the hell, Protestants, why do 
you have to go to church so much on a Sunday, man? I want to go! This is spiritual freedom. This 
is blessed liberty that the sons of God enjoy. I want to be with 
the blood-bought children of God. There's no greater place 
on earth than the church. God is praised and worshiped 
and glorified in His church. You can worship privately. I 
am not suggesting otherwise. But there is a sense wherein 
the New Covenant presents to us the corporate gathering of 
God's people is where He is pleased to dwell. The psalmist says this, 
God loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places 
of Jacob. Doesn't mean he hates the dwelling 
places of Jacob, doesn't mean he despises godly families in 
Israel, but he loves the gates of Zion because all of his people 
gather and all of his people sing and all of his people praise 
and worship and glorify. What better place is there for 
the people of God to be? Back to Pink. He supposes, this 
is the man of the world, that he would be fettered with a lot 
of restrictions which nullified his liberty. It is this one out 
of Christ, not the one in Christ, who is in bondage, in the bond 
of iniquity. He is impelled by the downward 
trend of his nature, and the very freedom which the sinner 
supposes he is exercising in the indulgence of his evil propensities 
is only additional proof that he is the bond slave of sin. The love of self, the love of 
the world, the love of money, the love of pleasure, these are 
the tyrants. which rule over all who are out 
of Christ. That's reality. That's the real 
deal. That's what Jesus is communicating. That is the essence of 834. Whoever 
commits sin is a slave of sin. There's one place to go to have 
the back broken, and it is Calvary's cross. It is believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christ. It is flee, it is run, it is 
hide, it is take refuge, it is to come to receive the Lord Christ 
Almighty by faith alone. Brethren, with reference to some 
exhortation, the follower of Christ abides in the word of 
Christ. The follower of Christ sees that 
word in the Lord's Supper. May God indeed use this, as our 
confession says, as a means of confirmation of the faith of 
believers and all the benefits thereof. And finally, that freedom 
comes through the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians 
4, 4-7. Galatians 4, 4-7, When the fullness of the time had 
come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the 
law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might 
receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God 
has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying 
out, Abba, Father. Therefore you are no longer a 
slave, but a son. And if a son, then an heir of 
God through Christ. Ephesians 1, 7, In Him we have 
redemption. through His blood, the forgiveness 
of sins according to the riches of His grace." Colossians 1.13, 
I've already alluded to it. Verse 14 rehearses essentially 
what we have there in Ephesians 1.7. And first, Timothy. This is just a sampling of Pauline 
passages on this particular theme. 1 Timothy chapter 2 verses 5 
and 6. 4 There is one God and one mediator 
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself 
a ransom for all to be testified in due time. He gave Himself 
as a ransom for all those whom the Father had given to Him. 
So it is by the grace of God, through faith in our Lord Jesus 
Christ, that we are free. Let us pray. Our Father, we thank 
You for Your Word, and we thank You for this emphasis so clearly 
in 831 to 836 of John's Gospel. We were slaves to sin, and You 
have set us free. You have blessed us richly. You 
have dealt with the reigning sin. You have freed us in terms 
of the devil. You have freed us in terms of 
the power of sin. All these blessings we give You 
praise and glory and honor for. And as we eat this bread, and 
as we drink this cup, we would think fondly on these things, 
that we would be encouraged, and that we would be strengthened, 
and that we would be confirmed, and that we would glorify and 
worship and praise you for your mercy. And we pray these things 
through Christ our Lord. Amen.