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Will please turn with me in your 
Bibles to John's Gospel. We're in John chapter 8. Our focus this morning will be 
verses 33 to 36, but I want to read from 31 to 47. Remember, this is the day after 
the Feast of Tabernacles. The Lord Jesus comes that next 
day, early in the morning. All the peoples come to hear 
him, and then he engages in teaching. And obviously, he butts heads 
with the religious leaders at this particular time, and that 
is pretty much the focus for the remainder of the chapter. 
Remember, at the end of verse 30, or in verse 30, we see that 
there were many who believed in him. So he addresses them 
in verses 31 to 32, but then in verse 33, again, the religious 
leaders, those who oppose him, those other antichrists, they 
rise up in opposition against him. So he condemns them, he 
rebukes them, So I want to read beginning in verse 31. Then Jesus 
said to those 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. I know that you 
are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill me because my 
word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with 
my father and you do what you have seen with your father. They 
answered and said to him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said to 
them, if you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. 
But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth 
which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You 
do the deeds of your father. They said to him, we were not 
born a fornication. We have one father, God. Jesus 
said to them, if God were your father, you would love me. For 
I proceeded forth and came from God, nor have I come of myself, 
but he sent me. Why do you not understand my 
speech? Because you are not able to listen to my word. You are 
of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you 
want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning 
and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in 
him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, 
for he is a liar and the father of it. "'Because I tell the truth, 
you do not believe me. "'Which of you convicts me of 
sin? "'And if I tell the truth, why 
do you not believe me? "'He who is of God hears God's 
words. "'Therefore, you do not hear 
"'because you are not of God.'" Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for 
the beauty of this Lord's day and for the privilege to gather 
as the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that you would 
be glorified, that you'd be honored and praised as we gather. We 
ask God that we would make much of Christ, our blessed Savior, 
as we consider his words in this particular passage of scripture. 
May it be unto edification and encouragement to the saints of 
God. And may it be used by the Holy Spirit to bring conviction 
foresaid to any who is still a slave to said. And may you 
free them by the power of your grace. May you free them by the 
power of the Son of Man, who is able to save to the uttermost 
all who draw nigh unto God through Him. Forgive us and cleanse us 
from all sin and unrighteousness. And again, Father, give us ears 
to hear and hearts to receive your wonderful truth. And may 
the Spirit guide us and teach us and bring these things to 
bear upon our hearts and minds. And we ask through Jesus Christ, 
our Lord, amen. Well, we saw, as I said, last 
time we were in John's gospel that the people, some or many, 
believed in him. And then we looked at the blessedness 
of spiritual liberty in verses 30 to 32. So in verse 31, 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. It's a wonderful and a 
blessed statement. We have liberty in Jesus Christ 
from deadness to sin, from the tyranny of sin, from that bondage 
to Satan that the Bible speaks to. Now, in this particular section, 
we see the freedom in receiving the Son. And this is in stark 
contrast to what he said in verse 24. I said to you that you will 
die in your sins, for if you do not believe that I am, you 
will die in your sins. So there's two places, two options, 
two positions that man finds himself in, or one of two, that 
man finds himself. He is either in bondage, he is 
under tyranny, he is a slave of sin, or he has been freed 
by the grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. There's no 
Third place. There's no neutrality. There's 
no sort of in between. Well, I think I'm kind of there. 
I'm almost there. I want to be there. No, you're 
either dead in your trespasses and sins or you're alive together 
with Christ Jesus, our Lord. And it is the hope and prayer 
of all of us that those who are dead in their trespasses and 
sins will hear the blessed word of truth and will move by God's 
grace from that state of depravity and lawlessness into that state 
of being a kingdom citizen under the control of our blessed Savior. 
So this morning, we've seen the blessedness of spiritual liberty 
in verses 30 to 32. We'll look at the wretchedness 
of spiritual slavery in verses 33 to 36. And basically, two 
concerns here. First, the objection of the Jews 
in verse 33, and then the response of our Lord Jesus Christ in verses 
34 to 36. Again, much of the teaching here 
in the temple is a back and forth. It is based on the dialogue. 
It is based on the questions or the objections offered up 
by the Jews. It is one long discourse. It's 
not that it was broken up over days. It is one session in terms 
of Jesus' teaching in the temple at that time. But there are these 
points within the narrative where there is objection, where there 
is question, and where there is this sort of an attempt to 
clarify what Jesus is saying. And in this particular section, 
of course, we would expect them to make the objection that they 
do in light of His statement in verse 32. You shall know the 
truth. and the truth shall make you 
free. He connects that to abiding in his word. So he is underscoring 
again his authority, his identity as the one sent by God, that 
one is clothed with authority to speak for God. And so he connects 
spiritual freedom, he connects that liberty that the blessed 
have under God with his word, with his power, with his person. Now they hate him, the religious 
leaders. They're opposed to him. They're at odds with him. There's 
growing enmity between them and him. And so when they make this 
objection in verse 33, it's not surprising. So notice what they 
say in verse 33. They answered him, Abraham's 
descendants. Now this again is the opposition. 
This is the unbelieving Jews. This isn't the many who believed 
in him according to verse 30. This isn't the many who believed 
in him that now have that blessed liberty in verses 31 to 32. These 
are the ones that he has gone head to head with in the past 
and he will continue to go head to head with in this passage. And so they are the physical 
seed of Abraham. That means they are of his physical 
descent. Abraham was the father of many 
nations, not only in terms of spiritual benefit because of 
the seed, which is Christ, but because there were those descendants 
of Abraham. And Jesus never denies that physicality. Notice in verse 37, he says, 
I know that you are Abraham's descendants. You are Abraham's 
seed. but you're not like Abraham in 
the sense that you want to kill me. So with reference to Abraham, 
it's not just physical descent, but it's that spiritual connection 
that is evidenced by faith in the Messiah. And so that's how 
Jesus responds to them later in the narrative. But here specifically, 
they make this objection. We are Abraham's descendants. 
And then notice what they go on to say. They say, and have 
never been in bondage to anyone. Now, the temporal or political 
significance of this is powerful. They had been in bondage. They 
had been slaves. They had been under Egyptian 
rule. They had been under Assyrian 
rule. They had been under Babylonian 
rule. They are presently and currently, 
while they stand in the temple in John chapter 8, under Roman 
rule. So they had been in bondage. 
Now that would be ignorance on their part to exclaim such a 
thing. But perhaps they're not simply 
being ignorant, but they're showing something of their pride. As 
Abraham's descendants, even when they were in Egypt, even when 
they were in Assyria, and even when they were in Babylon and 
now in Rome, they nevertheless were faithful to Yahweh of Israel. So we've never been in bondage. 
Yes, temporally and politically they certainly had been, but 
it's probably not the case that they're operating at that level. 
They are speaking in terms of spiritual things. We're not in 
bondage. What are you talking about? If 
we abide in your word, if we abide in what you say, if we 
believe on you, then we will not be in bondage spiritually? In other words, what do they 
see Jesus doing? They see Jesus doing what we've 
seen Jesus doing all throughout the Gospel of John. He's asserting 
his identity as the Messiah and his authority as the means by 
which sinners are saved by grace through faith. they are probably 
wondering, again, who does he think he is? Why is it the case 
or how is it the case that he can arrogate to himself the authority 
to free men from their spiritual bondage and from those things 
that affect them negatively? In other words, their concept 
of Yahweh of Israel did not allow for this triunity relative to 
the God of heaven and earth. Now, that's not on God, that's 
on them. Because the Old Testament, if 
not as clearly as the New Testament, nevertheless does set forth that 
there is but one only, the living and the true God. But there are 
three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the 
Holy Spirit. These three are one God, the same in substance, 
equal in power and glory. Genesis 1, 1 and 2. In the beginning, 
God created the heavens and the earth. How does He create the 
heavens and the earth? He does so by the word of His 
mouth. We see the Spirit of God brooding 
over the waters of creation in Genesis 1, 2. Psalm 33, 6 comments 
concerning the triune God. Again, it's not Athanasius, it's 
not Augustine, it's not Cyril of Alexandria in terms of Trinitarianism, 
but those elements are present in the Old Testament. So as far 
as they're concerned, this Jesus, this man that they're opposing, 
that they have a rising enmity against, is actually declaring 
that he has such a connection with God Most High, that it's 
up to Jesus to grant spiritual liberty? I think that Klink, 
Edward Klink, makes this observation well. He says, the counterclaim 
by the Jews then suggests the Jews understand Jesus' statement 
to be violating or transgressing the boundaries of biblical monotheism. So back to the text. We are Abraham's 
descendants that have never been in bondage to anyone. Again, 
I don't think they're so foolish as to declaim or disclaim Egypt 
and Assyria and Babylon and Rome. But what they are saying is that 
even when those things obtain, even when we have these foreign 
oppressors, even when they wanted us to relinquish our faith in 
Yahweh, we nevertheless remain faithful. We've never been in 
bondage to anyone. And yet now Christ is saying 
they are in bondage. And as far as they're concerned, 
that is a startling thing on behalf of His, with reference 
to His claim there. Now notice the question that 
they offer up in light of that. They say, we are Abraham's descendants 
and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say you 
will be made free? The previous questions concerned 
his identity and his authority. Now the question concerns this. 
It's not a legitimate sort of a search for knowledge. When 
they say, how can you say you will be made free? They're not 
sitting at the edge of their seat. They're not the men in 
Acts chapter 2, repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus 
Christ for the remission of sins. To those Jerusalem sinners that 
have been convicted and they cry out, and brethren, what must 
we do to be saved? They're saying this with disdain. 
They're saying this in a reproachful way. How in the world or who 
do you think you are to actually suggest that we are in bondage 
in terms of spiritual things? We're the Jews. We're Abraham's 
descendants. We have the badge of circumcision. 
We have that covenantal affinity with the God of heaven and earth, 
Yahweh Himself. Who do you think you are to suggest 
that we're not operating in that sphere of liberty and of freedom? They're not searching for answers. They are reproaching the Lord 
of glory. And I think from this, by way 
of an application, man in sin doesn't believe it when you tell 
him that he's in sin, does he? I'm sure you've evangelized. 
I'm sure you've tried to talk to people about the Savior. You've 
tried to lead them to or cause them to see the glory of Christ 
as the one in whom alone there is forgiveness and righteousness 
and every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. 
You'll meet those persons that you try to tell them, you're 
a sinner. They say, what do you mean? I'm a sinner. I mean, they 
might admit, yeah, you know, I'm not perfect. I've never killed 
anybody. I've never committed adultery. 
I've never engaged in those sort of benchmark sins. But to suggest 
that I'm somehow off or that I'm not going to heaven or that 
I don't have an entitlement to the glory to come. People find 
that offensive, brethren. People find that a challenge 
to them. People suggest or people think 
that you're mad or you're nuts to even proffer to them that 
they have a need for the Savior. But of course, brethren, we can't 
present the gospel of Jesus Christ to them unless they know their 
sin. And that's part of the job of 
evangelism, is to try to convince people or tell them that they're 
sinful. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we 
had a way or a means to try to convince them or show them? Oh 
yeah, we do. It's called the law of God. We 
press the law upon their consciences. We tell them that God's claims 
upon them is that they have no other gods before Him. That they 
don't engage in blasphemy. They don't break the Sabbath. 
That they're not insubordinate to lawful authority. that they 
don't murder, commit adultery, engage in theft, or lies, or 
covetousness. We need to show men their sin, 
so that they'll see their need for the Savior. We need to pray 
that the Holy Spirit comes and brings that conviction for sin, 
so that sinners will cry out for salvation. Jesus said, I 
did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. The 
pulpit that is silent about the law of God, the pulpit that is 
silent about the sinfulness of man, is the pulpit who will never 
preach fully the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord. Bunyan rightly 
said, low views of the law produce low views of sin, and low views 
of sin will always produce a low view of the Savior. The Savior's 
not there just to make your life a little better. He's not a beverage. He's not a Coke. He's not a new 
car. You need the Savior in a way 
that you don't need a new car. The way that you don't need a 
Coke. You need the Savior for that specific reason. To save 
you from your sins. It's not that you've just been 
a little off in terms of your religious life. It's not that 
you're just a little bit shy of that standard of righteousness. 
The Bible is very clear, and we're going to investigate that 
as we move through the passage, that man's problem is severe. Man's problem is grave. Man's 
problem is horrific. And if you're here this morning, 
and you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, then I implore 
you to listen. Because not only do we see the 
problem, but we see the remedy specified. You see, the entirety 
of the Bible sort of functions in that way. God tells us what's 
wrong, God shows us what the particular remedy is, and God 
provides to us the gift and the grace necessary so that we may 
appropriate that blessed remedy. Now notice what Jesus says in 
terms of his response to these people. There's three things. 
He makes a declaration concerning spiritual slavery in verse 34. He then gives an illustration 
of spiritual slavery in verse 35. And then finally, he gives 
the blessed redemption from spiritual slavery in verse 36. But notice 
the declaration in verse 34. So they ask the question or they 
make the assertion, we are Abraham's descendants. We've never been 
in bondage to anyone. How can you say, or how then 
can you say, you will be made free? Who do you think you are? 
Now notice what he says in verse 34. Most assuredly, this is an 
amen, amen. This is a statement that demands 
a hearing. Most assuredly, I say to you, 
whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. Whoever commits sin is 
a slave of sin. So again, the issue isn't, well, 
I'm not as good as I ought to be. I missed the mark a few times 
from here to there, or here and there. But you know, overall, 
I'm a great guy. Overall, I'm a great girl. Overall, 
there's no way God would cast me off. There's no way that God 
would say to me, or Christ would say to me, depart from me, for 
I never knew you, into hell that was prepared for the devil and 
his angels. Men have this concept, women have this concept, boys 
and girls have this concept that they're far better off than what 
they really are. It's kind of like somebody who's 
riddled with cancer being given that diagnosis and then walking 
out of the examination room and saying, oh yeah, it's something 
like a cold or it's something like a sniffle, it's something 
like just a little bit of an illness that I'll be able to 
get over soon. You got a grapefruit-sized tumor 
on your brain and it's malignant. The problem is far more severe 
than you even begin to know. And again, brethren, we understand 
and we need to understand that this knowledge of sin is directly 
connected to the law of God. How does Paul end his summary 
in Romans chapter 1 to 3 when he declares that all men everywhere 
are under sin? He says in chapter 3 verse 24, 
or therefore, by the deeds of the law, no flesh shall be justified 
in his sight. For by the law is the knowledge 
of sin. This necessitates the preaching 
of God's law. Yes, gospel. Yes, the balm of 
Gilead. Yes, the blessedness of coming 
to Christ in faith and repentance. The joy of being found in Him. 
Not having a righteousness that is our own, but that righteousness 
which is from God received through faith. But we don't come to that 
place until we know the problem. Until we know the malady. Until 
we know just how invasive the situation is. So when Jesus says, 
whoever commits sin is a slave of sin, in the first place, he's 
not dealing with the believer who's dealing with remaining 
corruption. We sang that just before worship. The hymn writer 
says, prone to wander, prone to leave the God that I love. 
That's in all of us who confess faith in Christ. It's sad to 
admit it. You're probably like me saying, 
oh, I wish it wasn't that way because we serve the altogether 
lovely and the chief among 10,000. And the fact that the good that 
I wish to do, I don't do, and the evil that I don't want to 
do, I find myself doing, it vexes my soul. We heard in the last 
hour from J.C. Riles something about an African 
man who was praying to God for protection against the enemies 
that he faces. And he says, and the chief enemy 
being myself. Brethren, we've always got ourselves. 
The world may forget about us for a few moments. The devil 
may forget about us for a few moments. But we've always got 
ourselves. When we're swimming that river 
Jordan, going to the celestial city, we still got ourselves. We still got that proneness to 
wander and that proneness to leave the God that we love. But 
that's not who Jesus is talking about here. Jesus is not talking 
in terms of Romans 7 or Galatians 5 and the ongoing battle for 
the believer. Jesus is describing the person 
who is outside of Jesus, that person that is dead in his trespasses 
and sins. So the one who commits sin is 
the one who is dead in Adam. You can turn to 1 Corinthians 
15. We're going to look at all these passages because I hope 
we get a nice heart full of them. And so that those who are dead 
in their trespasses and sins, the Spirit of God opens their 
eyes to show them their malady and to show them that Christ 
is in fact the remedy. 1 Corinthians 15 at verse 20. But now Christ is risen from 
the dead and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 
For since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection 
of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even 
so in Christ all shall be made alive. So when Jesus says whoever 
commits sin is a slave of sin, the Bible elsewhere identifies 
that person, that slave, as somebody who is dead. Now you're not dead 
physically, you might be sitting here. You're not dead physically, 
you might leave from here. You're not dead physically, you 
might eat a sandwich today or a bowl of soup. He's talking 
about spiritual death. In Adam all die. He's talking 
about spiritual. Now we're obviously liable to 
physical death. It's not the case that we're 
going to continue on in this frame. But the fact is, is that 
you are dead spiritually in terms of your place before a holy God. 
Romans 5, the Apostle underscores this very thing. Romans chapter 
5, specifically at verse 18. Therefore, as through one man's 
offense, judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, 
even so through one man's righteous act, the free gift came to all 
men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man's 
disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one man's obedience 
many will be made righteous. So for those outside of Christ, 
you are connected, at least in one form or other, to Adam. And in Adam all die. So that's 
the one who commits sin. As well, the one who commits 
sin is the one who is under the power of reigning sin. We sing that earlier. He breaks 
the power of reigning sin. He sets the captives free. There's 
a difference between remaining corruption, Romans 7, in the 
life of the believer, Galatians 5, 17, in the life of the believer, 
and reigning sin. You all, I hope, appreciate that. 
If something remains, it's a pesky influence. It's something we 
would rather not remain. There's a time coming when it 
won't remain, but it's remaining. But that's a far cry different 
than reigning sin, reigning corruption, the mastery of sin, the bondage 
that you find yourself in, the tyranny of sin. You see that 
in John 6 at verse 44, when Jesus is speaking or teaching in the 
synagogue in Capernaum. He makes the statement in verse 
44, No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws 
him, and I will raise him up at the last day. If you're still 
in Romans, you can look at chapter 8 at verses 7 and 8. This person 
who commits sin is under the power of reigning sin. Romans 
8, 7, the Apostle Paul says, Because the carnal mind is enmity 
against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed 
can be. So then, those who are in the 
flesh cannot please God. As well, the one who commits 
sin is the one who is under the power of the devil. You can turn 
to Ephesians chapter 2, a passage that we've seen not too long 
ago in our studies in the evening. Ephesians chapter 2, the apostle 
gives a before picture in verses 1 to 3, and then an after picture 
in verses 4 to 10. This is what you look like before 
Christ. This is what you look like now in Christ. And that 
before picture is bleak. Again, this is the examination 
room. This is the shining of the light of scripture upon your 
malignancy, upon your malady, upon your issue, upon your problem. This isn't a head cold. This 
isn't a sniffle. This isn't even COVID. This is 
absolutely horrific. This is bad news. The Bible doesn't 
play games when it tells us why Jesus Christ came to live, to 
die, and to rise again. It wasn't simply, again, so we'd 
have a little bit better life. He came to save us from our sins. And in Ephesians 2 verse 1, in 
you, it says, it supplied you, he made alive, who were dead 
in trespasses and sins. That deadness in Adam, that's 
the state of man. That's the condition of man. 
Now notice what's true of that man in that state, that condition. 
Verse 2, in which you once walked, according to the course of this 
world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the 
spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also 
we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling 
the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature 
children of wrath, just as the others, lifeless, helpless, hopeless. That's the condition, that's 
the issue, that's the diagnosis here. Our own passage in John 
8, Jesus underscores this connection or solidarity with the devil. Verse 44, you are of your father, 
the devil. Brethren, again, when the chapter 
ends with them taking up stones to throw at him, you understand 
that if you understand the mind of the truly diabolical. They have been insulted as far 
as they're concerned. They have been challenged. They're 
the descendants of Abraham. They're the covenant people of 
Yahweh. And now Jesus, this man who claims 
to be Messiah, is telling us that we're the sons of the devil? Absolutely, positively, he's 
right on. This isn't a head cold. It's 
a tumor on the brain that is malignant. It is wretched. It 
is horrific. You can't explain it away. You 
can't just take some vitamin C and hope that everything's 
gonna be okay. Christ says, whoever commits 
sin is a slave of sin. It is tyranny, it is bondage, 
it is wretchedness. The one who commits sin is the 
one who is liable to God's wrath and curse, both in this life 
and that which is to come. Listen to Augustine, the early 
church father, describe this slavery. He says, miserable slavery. Now, when I read from an Augustine, 
you've probably heard that name before. He was an early church 
father, as I said. He was a hero of the faith, a 
champion of the faith. He wrote, you know, I mean, he 
was a brilliant intellect. If you look at the history of 
the church, you know, there's a handful of guys that were head 
and shoulders above the rest, and Augustine was one of them. 
And I think it's typical for us in the church today to hear 
of an Augustine and think, you know, he popped out of the womb 
and he had a copy of Birkhoff's, you know, systematic theology. 
He popped out of the womb and his mother started to catechize 
him. He popped out of the womb and he was only this perfect 
upright, as perfect as a human can be. He was a wretch. He was 
a wretch saved by grace. The Apostle Paul was a wretch 
saved by grace. When Newton writes, "'Twas grace 
that taught my heart to fear,' he understood what it was to 
have been a wretch saved by grace. No one in this room exclaims 
that, you know, I fixed this brain tumor on my own, I performed 
some surgery, and I ejected it, and I'm healthy and strong now. 
No, once they were diagnosed with the problem, by the grace 
of God, they were liberated through the blood and power of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. So when you hear these words 
of Augustine, he's not a theology machine just cranking out commentaries. 
He's a man who is intimately aware of the saving grace of 
God Most High. He was intimately aware of what 
it was to have been a slave in sin and now a free man in Jesus 
Christ. He says, miserable slavery. Men 
frequently, when they suffer under wicked masters, demand 
to get themselves sold, not seeking to be without a master, but at 
all events to change him. What can the servant of sin do? 
To whom can he make this demand? To whom can he apply for redress? 
Of whom require himself to be sold? And then at times a man's 
slave, worn out by the commands of an unfeeling master, finds 
rest in flight. Whither can the servant of sin 
flee? Himself he carries with him wherever 
he flees." That's the problem, brethren. The world might leave 
you alone. The devil might leave you alone. Guess what never leaves 
you alone? prone to wander, prone to leave 
the God I love. That's remaining corruption for 
the redeemed sinner. What about reigning corruption 
for the unredeemed sinner? Does he ever get let up on? Is 
there ever a freedom from his tyranny? He says, an evil conscience 
flees not from itself. It has no place to go. It follows 
itself. Yea, he cannot withdraw from 
himself for the sin he commits is within. He has committed sin 
to obtain some bodily pleasure. The pleasure passes away. The 
sin remains. What delighted is gone. The sting 
has remained behind evil bondage. So Jesus' words in John 8, 34 
is an accurate indictment of man in sin. Whoever commits sin 
is a slave of sin. Again, you're not a little off. 
It's not that you just need to be checked so that you're back 
to true. The problem is astronomical. The malignant brain tumor the 
size of the grapefruit is a walk in the park, brethren. That's 
metaphor, that's illustration, that's analogy. The problem of 
sin far exceeds that. I think any redeemed sinner would 
rather have a malignant brain tumor and liberty in Jesus than 
having tyranny in sin. and no malignant brain tumor. 
So the analogy or the parallel or the illustration doesn't go 
as far as it is calculated to. This problem of sin isn't some 
small thing. It ain't chump change. So he 
indicts them, he upbraids them, and he tells them most assuredly, 
Amen, Amen. I say to you, whoever commits 
sin is a slave of sin. Now notice the illustration of 
this spiritual slavery that he gives in verse 35. Remember his 
target audience. He's speaking generally for all 
men everywhere. He's speaking generally for you 
if you're not in Christ today. He's speaking generally in terms 
of everybody from Ottawa down to wherever in terms of Canadian 
society. He is making a general statement 
that obtains and holds true for all the sons of Adam. Whoever 
commits sin is a slave of sin. But now notice specifically how 
he's going to hone in on these particular unbelieving Jews. 
Verse 35, he says, and a slave does not abide in the house forever. The unbelieving Jews had had 
a place in God's redemptive plan. He's just made that announcement 
to them. Notice, most assuredly, this 
is in response to their question, you will be made free. Most assuredly, 
I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. He's not 
just suggesting that generically. He's answering their specific 
objection. He's telling them, you're slaves. You're undone, you're in bondage, 
you're in tyranny. And to illustrate that in verse 
35, a slave does not abide in the house forever. House there 
should be taken the way we take church, the way we take covenant 
people, the way we take the body that is in allegiance to or in 
affinity with our blessed God. So the unbelieving Jews had a 
place in God's redemptive plan in the Old Covenant. Read Genesis 
to Malachi. Who's the spotlight on? It's 
on the Jews. It's on the nation of Israel. 
They had abided in the house. They had a tabernacle. They had 
a temple. They had a worship system. They 
had a sacrificial system. They had legislation. They had 
laws. They had regulations. They were 
God's set-apart people. When Solomon ascends the throne, 
it says that he sat on Yahweh's throne. They were directly ruled 
by God. We call that a theocracy. God 
ruled through a monarchy, but it was a direct rule of God upon 
the people. He gave them oracles. He gave 
them laws. He gave them covenants. He gave 
them all the things that distinguished them from the nations around 
them. He even gave them a menu. You know, you read the Old Testament, 
you say, what's the matter with shrimp? What's the matter with 
lobster? What's the matter with these things? There's nothing 
intrinsically the matter with them, but what it did was it 
separated the nation of Israel from all the other pagans around 
them. They had sanctity, a separate nest. They were a holy nation. They were a royal priesthood. 
They were a people that were to function in God's house. But 
notice what Jesus is saying. The slave abides in the house, 
but not permanently. The slave abides in the house, 
but he's going to be removed. The slave abides in the house, 
but he's going to be ejected. He's going to be evicted. He's 
going to be thrown out. Now turn back to Matthew's gospel 
in chapter 21 to see this theme there. Matthew chapter 21. specifically 
at verse 43, after the parable of the wicked vinedressers. The 
parable of the wicked vinedressers is the history of Israel. The 
vineyard is God's. He's given the people of Israel 
that stewardship of that particular vineyard. He sent his prophets 
to call them to faithful and and repentant living. He did 
all these things, overtures of grace, and they refused, they 
rejected the prophets. And so the vineyard owner says, 
I know what I'll do. I'll send my son. Certainly they'll 
receive my son. Certainly they will accept my 
son, but they don't. They beat him, they kill him, 
and they eject him. So what's the point of this particular 
story? Verse 40, therefore, when the 
owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers? 
They said to him, he will destroy those wicked men miserably and 
lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits 
in their seasons. They were bright enough bulbs 
in the chandelier to understand that point. They just weren't 
bright enough to see that it was them that it was about. That's why Jesus said to them 
in verse 42, have you never read in the scriptures, the stone 
which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. 
This was the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes. 
Now notice the implication he draws from that. Verse 43, therefore 
I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and 
given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. We know that nation, 
its identity in the new covenant, it's not Iran, it's not Canada, 
not the United States of America, much to the chagrin of my brothers, 
according to the flesh. It's the church of the Lord Jesus 
Christ, 1 Peter chapter two. So therefore I say to you, the 
kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation 
bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone 
will be broken, but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to 
powder. Now, when the chief priests and 
Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking 
of them. Oh, yes, he was. Absolutely. 
I'm going to take the kingdom from you and I'm going to give 
it to a nation that bears fruits consistently with it. And notice 
what that does to them in verse 46. But when they sought to lay 
hands on him, they feared the multitudes because they took 
him for a prophet. You see, brethren, this is obvious 
as to why they despised Him, as to why they hated Him. I'm 
not justifying it. I'm not saying, well, you know, 
they were just in doing this. But you can understand, as children 
of the devil, who are being challenged directly by God Most High, they 
don't just take this happily. They don't take this in a welcoming 
way. They take this with absolute enmity in their hearts that is 
targeted against them. Matthew chapter 23, look at what 
Jesus does at the end of the chapter after upbraiding the 
religious leaders with several woes. Woe to you, scribes and 
Pharisees, hypocrites. He doesn't ever shy away from 
telling hard truth. He tells them specifically what 
their issues and their problems are. He then makes the statement 
in verse 34, Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, 
and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some 
of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from 
city to city. that on you, you, the Jewish people, this generation, 
in A.D., first century A.D., that on you may come all the 
righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel 
to the blood of Zechariah. Now that's A to Z. It's obvious 
there in English, Abel to Zechariah. But it's A to Z in the Hebrew 
canon. The first book in the Hebrew canon is Genesis. The 
last book in the Hebrew canon is 2 Chronicles. And Zechariah 
dies in 2 Chronicles. So that on you may come all the 
righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel 
to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered 
between the temple and the altar. Assuredly, I say to you, all 
these things will come upon, notice the language, this generation. In light of that, he then laments, 
verse 37, oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets 
and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to 
gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under 
her wings, but you were not willing. See, your house is left to you 
desolate. The very temple that they boasted 
of, the temple that gave them their identity, the temple that 
they found their joy in. He says, I say, your house is 
left to you desolate. For I say to you, you shall see 
me no more till you say, blessed is he who comes in the name of 
the Lord. Now what happens in Matthew 24? He gives a prophecy 
concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. So 
in John chapter 8, to illustrate the point, whoever commits sin 
is a slave of sin. He says in verse 35, a slave 
does not abide in the house forever. You're going to be cut off. This 
isn't going to continue indefinitely. It's going to culminate in the 
crucifixion of the Son of God. But then it's going to result 
in ultimately their city being destroyed by the Roman armies. Why? Because they rejected the 
Messiah of God Most High. But then notice how he continues 
the illustration. Verse 35, a slave does not abide 
in the house forever, but a son abides forever. What son do you 
think he's talking about? He's talking about the only begotten 
son. He's talking about himself. He 
abides in the house forever as the second person of the blessed 
Trinity, as the one who, according to verse 29, that always does 
those things that please the Father. There's no ejection of 
the son from the house. There's no eviction of the son 
from the house. The son is the constant. The 
son is the rock solid. The slave gets evicted, but the 
son abides forever. Christ is preaching Christ to 
these people. Christ is preaching the way of 
access to the father. It is through the son, the only 
begotten son of the father. That language is celebratory 
in John's gospel. We've seen it about 20 times 
up to this point. the one sent by the Father. Jesus is the one sent by the 
Father. He is the only begotten Son of 
the Father. And so when he says that the 
unbelieving Jews are going to be evicted from the house of 
God, that old covenant system is going to come to a close, 
he's announcing, maybe not as decisively as Paul will in the 
book of Hebrews, but he is announcing new covenant blessing, new covenant 
reality. But a son abides forever. The Son here refers to the only 
begotten Son of the Father. It is singular, a Son. Just like 
in Galatians 3.16, the seed of Abraham is singular. It points 
to the Lord Jesus Christ. This Son we learn of in Hebrews 
3.6, Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are 
if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope 
firm to the end. The Son is not a slave, but he 
abides forever, and it's by virtue of the Son that he brings many 
sons to glory. Cyril of Alexandria says, the 
power to set free will be appropriately ascribed and belong only to him 
who is God, from God, by nature. So verse 35 illustrates what 
we see in verse 34. Whoever commits sin is a slave 
of sin. And be assured slaves of sin, 
that's what he's saying to these people, you're going to be evicted. 
You're gonna be cut out. You will no longer have part 
and parcel in the house of God, but the son abides forever. The new covenant is upon us. 
The blessedness and joy of inclusion in God's promises. You see that 
in Hebrews chapter two, for it was fitting for him, for whom 
are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons 
to glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through 
sufferings. The son abides in the house forever. 
So who better fit? to bring additional sons to abide 
in that house, but the son. You see that covenantal parallel 
in Paul's language in Galatians 4, 30 and 31. Nevertheless, what 
does the scripture say? Cast out the bondwoman and her 
son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son 
of the free woman. So then, brethren, we are not 
children of the bondwoman, but of the free. We are children 
of the free woman, the Jerusalem that is above, the new covenant, 
in contrast to the old covenant, that one ushered in by the blessed 
Son of God, who came to save His people from their sins. So 
yes, there's a sense where the sons of God, those of us who 
by grace have believed the gospel, are not going to be evicted from 
His house. There's no salvation today and then damnation tomorrow 
for the true child of God. I've always loved what Spurgeon 
says, a gospel that promises salvation to a man and then that 
man can finally be lost is a gospel that I abhor. The gospel of our 
salvation is to the uttermost. Our blessed Christ saves to the 
uttermost all who draw nigh unto him. that draw nigh unto him 
to the Father. Now, with reference to this illustration, 
though, I think he's shining the light upon his position as 
the mediator, as the Messiah, as the one who brings many sons 
to glory. And then the passage of this 
section ends at verse 36. Notice the redemption from spiritual 
slavery. He says, Therefore, here's the 
implication from this brief section. So if or whoever commits sin 
is a slave of sin, slave does not abide in the house forever, 
but a son abides forever. Therefore, if the son who abides 
forever in the house of God, who always does what pleases 
the Father, if that son makes you free, you will be free indeed. So he's answering their objection. 
Who do you think you are to suggest that we're in bondage? Who do 
you think you are to suggest that we're not free men in Abraham? Well, I'm the son that abides 
in the house forever. And I'm the son who has the power 
to enable you to abide in the house forever. As I said, Christ 
is preaching Christ to these unbelieving Jews. And I think 
it demonstrates the mercy of Christ. He's going to cut them 
off. He is going to be enthroned at 
the right hand of the Father. It is Christ at the right hand 
of the Father who dispatches the Roman armies to ultimately 
sack them in accordance with the book of the law. They're 
not supposed to be surprised by this eventuality. None of 
us should look back in history and say, well, I can't believe 
the Romans beat the Jews in AD 70. Why can't we believe that? Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 
28 tells us crystal clear that that's going to happen. It happened 
in the 8th century BC under Assyria. It happened in the 6th century 
BC under Babylon. It happened in the 1st century 
AD under Rome. Who's the one that's sovereign, 
though? It's Christ at the right hand 
of the Father. It's Christ who is sovereign. 
It's Christ who is evicting these Jews from the house of God. Why? Because they're slaves that 
didn't apply to the remedy that the God of heaven and earth himself 
had sent. The Son comes into their midst, 
the Son identifies who He is, the Son is clothed with glory 
and majesty and power, and what do they do? They reject Him, 
they resist Him, they attack Him, and they eventually crucify 
Him. And so Christ makes this blessed 
promise. Think back to the grapefruit-sized 
tumor in your brain. You need help. Now, I would suspect 
they would recommend chemotherapy. I suspect they'd recommend a 
regiment of drugs. I suspect they'd hopefully recommend, 
you know, lots of change in terms of diet and exercise and rest 
patterns and all that sort of thing. So what's the remedy for 
that other malignancy? What's the remedy for that slavery? What's the remedy for the problem 
of sin, the bondage of sin, the tyranny of sin? You know the 
answer. believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved. That's what the Son of God says 
to these people in verse 36. He says, therefore, if the Son 
makes you free, you shall be free indeed. They wouldn't have 
to ask the question, well, how do we appropriate the benefits 
that you offer? He's already told them in verse 
24, I said to you that you will die in your sins, for if you 
do not, what? Believe that I am, you will die 
in your sins. Verse 30, as he spoke these words, 
many believed in him. Then Jesus said to those Jews 
who believed him, So verse 36 is the implication, it's sort 
of the crowning seal on this part of the dialogue. Therefore, 
if the Son, the Son who abides in the house forever, that only 
begotten Son sent by the Father, who would live and who would 
die and who would be raised again, so that He could bring many sons 
to glory, if the Son makes you free, notice, it's not just you 
may possibly be free. Brethren, I think there's a world 
of comfort in the last part of verse 36. You shall be free indeed. The gospel of our salvation isn't 
hopeful. It isn't possible. It isn't potential. It is indeed. You come to the 
Savior and you're saved. You come to the Redeemer and 
you're redeemed. You come filthy, guilty, vile, 
helpless. and He washes, He cleanses, He 
confers a new robe upon you, a robe of righteousness by which 
you may enter in to the presence of God Most High. Therefore, 
if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. Whatever 
may happen tomorrow, whatever misery they may have for us coming 
up in the next few months or years, never forget this reality, 
I'm indeed in Christ. I am free in Christ. I have everything 
in Christ. What Paul says in Ephesians 1-3 
is true. Blessed be the God and Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual 
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. such that no one can 
ever strip them from us, such that no one can ever take them 
from us. Internal problems, we're free indeed. External threat, 
we're free indeed. Whatever our condition or lot 
in this life, we're free indeed. It's not a potential, it's not 
a possible, it's not a hopeful, but if the Son makes you free, 
then you're free indeed. We are free men, free women in 
Jesus Christ, and of course that means in terms of the spiritual 
realm. So whatever external problems 
may come our way, God be blessed, God be thanked, God be glorified 
that Jesus is in the business of bringing many sons to glory, 
and he does so by conquering them with the gospel of free 
and sovereign grace. The way to get around the malignancy 
of sin is not to get around it. It's to bring it to our blessed 
Savior. He is not chemotherapy. He's 
not a regimen of drugs. He is the Savior for sinners. 
That's your problem. That's your issue. That's the 
malady that you suffer under today. And the offer of salvation 
is clear. Believe on Him and you will be 
saved. And not just you will be, but 
you will be in Indeed, all that the Father gives me, he says 
in that synagogue in Capernaum, will come to me. And the one 
who comes to me, I will certainly not cast out. Why do we flip 
passages over? Why do we make it so difficult? 
Why do we say, well, you know, it's just this small handful, 
just these few frozen chosen, just this little group of people. All that the Father gives me 
will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will certainly 
not cast out. When you preach the gospel, brethren, 
don't do so with any tethers, don't do so with any restraint, 
don't do so with any inhibition, but preach the gospel of free 
and sovereign grace. God Most High is in Christ Jesus, 
reconciling the world to Himself. You turn to Revelation 7, oh, 
there's just this small group, this small remnant of the faithful. No, there is a great multitude 
that no man can number from every tribe, every tongue, every people, 
every nation. Why is the world look like the 
way it does right now? Well, I think that answer comes 
at the level of two things. First, man is moronic and tyrannical. But secondly, God has his purposes. God is in the business of saving 
sinners all throughout the earth. More often than not, he uses 
extreme hardships in the lives of those sinners to bring them 
to himself. So let's just say for a moment 
that extreme hardships are the means by which he's ordained 
to bring many sons to glory. We praise him, we extol him, 
and we glorify him for that. But at the same time, in light 
of the rest of Scripture, we pray that He gives some brains 
to the morons and takes away their craven power or desire 
for power so that we will be unmolested and live in this world 
the way that Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 2. Pray for kings and 
all who are in authority. Why? So that the church can lead 
peaceable and quiet lives. Right? It's in that environmental 
framework we get to preach the gospel. But if we don't have 
peaceable and quiet lives, we still get the privilege to preach 
the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord. In conclusion, we see in 
this passage the problem of sin. The problem of sin. The sinner 
is a slave to sin. Theologically, we call this total 
depravity and total inability. When you hear that word total, 
you think Charles Manson. You think Paul Pott. You think 
Joseph Stalin. You think, you know, these various 
characters in the history of the world. You think just how 
wretched. Total depravity doesn't mean 
we're as bad as we could possibly be. If it was that, this would 
be hell on earth. But total depravity means that 
we're affected holistically in terms of sin. Every faculty of 
our being, our hearts, our minds, our soul, our strength, our physicality 
is affected by sin. Total depravity. The sinner is 
blinded to the power of sin. How do we know that? How can 
you say you will be made free? He's blinded to his condition, 
even when you tell him convincingly, even when you can illustrate 
it, even when you can show him. He still has that within him 
to say, well, I'm not as bad as you're suggesting. No, you're 
probably a thousand times worse than I'll ever know. We just 
don't know the degree and depths of depravity. Praise God that 
the physicality of the human Body isn't like an aquarium. You see all the fish in the aquarium. 
If everybody saw the wicked and barbaric, vicious little fish 
swimming around in our hearts, none of us could stand each other. 
We'd avoid each other like the plague. We'd say, no, I don't 
want anything to do with you. I see what you got going on. 
That's how the Bible tells us sin is. It's a bad thing. The 
sinner is an opposition to the remedy for sin. See, I think 
that might be the distinction between grace and mercy. Grace 
is God's unmerited favor. Mercy is God's unmerited favor 
given to people like us. Imagine if you went down today 
and you had a whole bag of goods for somebody that was homeless 
and you tried to give it to them and they spit in your face. They 
said, I don't want your food. I want your money. You give them 
money. Well, I want more money. And they keep spitting at you 
and they keep hurling insults at you and they keep abusing 
you. And you kept doing it. That would be mercy. See, it's 
not like God's mercy comes to people that are happily recipient 
of it. It comes to people who at times 
are kicking and screaming until such time as God conquers them 
and makes them willing in the day of his power. The sinner 
is absolutely dependent on the triune God for deliverance of 
sin or from sin. Ryle makes the observation, there 
is no slavery like this. Sin is the hardest of all taskmasters. That's another aspect of this 
that I think Augustine touches on and that he speaks to here. There's a sense where the slave 
to sin kind of likes it. He kind of likes it. There's 
things about it. He'd change if he could, he'd 
go to heaven, that part he'd really want, but giving up those 
things that I love, giving up those pleasures, giving up those 
delights. He says misery and disappointment 
in the way, despair and hell in the end, these are the only 
wages that sin pays to its servants. 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. If the doctor 
gives you the diagnosis, you've got the tumor, well, at least 
now you know what you're dealing with. Would it be kind for that 
doctor to say, you look great. Your brain scan is great. Churches 
do that. You look great. You just need 
a little help. Just need a little positive attitude. 
A little bit better you. Brethren, the task of the church 
is to tell the sinner their problem, and that the only remedy for 
their problem is the Son who sets men free indeed. So may God indeed bless our church 
plants, the brethren that we have fraternal relationship with. May God bless the churches throughout 
Canada and to the uttermost parts of the world. that they preach 
the gospel to be sure, but preach it in the context of the broken 
law of God, the reality that man has undone himself, the reality 
that he is a slave, the reality that he is in bondage, and the 
reality that the only one that can free him, the only one that 
can save him is the Lord Christ, who is the Son, who makes man 
free indeed. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the teaching 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. We suspect that it was received 
or it's received today with as much enmity and malice as it 
was in this first century context. So we rejoice in your grace that 
softens our hearts, that changes our hearts, that gives us the 
graces of faith and repentance to believe these things. to turn 
from our wretched sin. We thank you for that freedom 
that we have, that freedom that is freedom indeed. And may it 
be the case that this gospel would be preached throughout 
the earth, that your word would run swiftly and be glorified, 
and that the Son would be in the business today of making 
men and women and boys and girls free. And we ask this through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. We'll close our service 
by singing the doxology in praise to our triune God, that's on 
page 568. 568, we'll stand as we sing. ♪ Praise God around 
you, all blessings flow ♪ Praise Him, all creatures in 
the earth. Praise Him, our God, the heavenly 
host. Praise Him, all creatures in the earth. Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ 
and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you 
all. Amen. Father, go with us now and cause 
your face to shine upon us and keep us by your grace and power 
and cause us to rejoice in the communion that we have with Father, 
Son, and Holy Spirit. We bless you for the sending 
of the Son of your love into this world, sinners to save. 
And we thank you for including us in that blessed lot. We ask 
that you would be glorified that you would be praised, that you 
would be honored and worshiped in our local church. And we pray 
this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, you may be 
seated for a brief time of meditation.