Back to sermon search
LW

Wilson, LesterStudies In The Gospel Of John 10 ~ John 8:36

Download audio

Full transcript

will be gone chapter eight. Gone chapter eight. We're going to read one verse and then we hear between one and others in this context. The main verse I want to impress on you verse thirty-six. If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free. free, free, free. No doubt about it. The thrill of being free. It is quite a thrill. There are many people in the world today who give all that they possess just to be free politically and in other areas. You have in verse thirty-six, some of Satan, free men. If the Son therefore shall make you free, and only the Son can, ye shall be free. free indeed. What's the opposite to freedom? Bondage, slavery, services. These hopeful Jews that are in on this argument opposing the Lord Jesus Christ, they said we're not in bondage to any man. My Abraham is our father, we're not in bondage to any man. There were bondage right there. They had been in bondage to the Egyptians. They had been in bondage to the Babylonians. Now they're in bondage to the Romans, through the power of race. So they were in bondage. But they were in a greater bondage than that. They were in bondage to sin. The Lord makes that very plain. They were in bondage to sin. He mentions that in one of these verses about being in bondage to sin. And that's the greatest bondage to be in, the bondage of the free. Many of the people are in this country, the land of the free, and they have many freedoms and many liberties, but there's one thing they're a slave to, in bondage to, and that is that ugly bird of sin. And the pride of these Pharisees, part was simply this they wouldn't admit it. they wouldn't admit they were slaves to sin, which they were. These are some of the sins that men and women are enslaved to. Sinns that have got a hold upon them, and they can't drink from those sins. Drinks are the drunken. Drink of the alcoholics all over this country. They did it, and they got it. They could break the shackles of alcohol and can't be with it. Then you think also of the gambler, the dirt addict, freshly captured. They just can't see the grace from these things. But also these costs, think of what happened in Jayana. How those people were enslaved in services to whatever that man thought. They were slaves who were in bondage, in the end of their bondage of death. Some people are in bondage to tradition. They follow the tradition of their father. The Jews right here, they were in bondage to the tradition of their father. Inflaved by that tradition. They were held, they were kept controlled by that tradition. Until there are a lot of things a man, a woman can be in slave to, in bondage. not only the picture seemed to get daughter, but only where they impounded to Rome and impounded to sin, they were the outright enemies of Jesus Christ. And that's very evident to read some of the verses that got in forty-two and forty-five, the outright enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ. What did the Lord say concerning you? Jesus said unto them, God, where your Father ye would love me. But I proceeded, for I proceeded forth and came from God, neither came I of myself, but he said to me, Why do ye not understand my truth, even because ye cannot hear my word? Now listen to these first things, words. Ye are of your Father that cares, and the lusts of your Father he will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh of nigh, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and a father-up. In other words, these people were not only slaves of sin, but they were the outright enemies of Jesus Christ. And Christ in this text, he calls them lustful men, liars and murder, they were the enemies of evil stuff. Perhaps a very solemn and unfeel. You have three fathers in verse thirty-seven and thirty-eight, three fathers. He says, I know that ye are of Abraham's seed, but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no pardon me. I seek that which I have seen with my father, he's talking about his father. and ye do that which he has seen with your father, and who was that? Not Abraham. For if Abraham had been their father, they would have known the God of Abraham, and they would have been. He's speaking of three fathers. Abraham was their father, so he says. Christ says, I have my father, the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and Satan as a father. He's not all. Day where the children of Satan, Satan was their father. This is a strange language that Solomon's searching on. There are people today religiously find educated, wise, living righteous life, kind, but never knew. He said the whole thing is this. If you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ as your stranger, it simply moves us the devil here about. There are only two families in the world, the family of God and the family of saints. Christ says, he that's not with me, they're getting me. That's all I mean. The saints, the Christians, and let me tell you this, any priest who stands in the pulpit have got his education out of the seminary, if he hasn't been born again in his life, stricken by the Spirit, he belongs to the devil. Now that's what the Lord Jesus is telling us right in this passage, and it's pretty solemn, it's pretty certain. Today, as they claim, where Abraham was their father, they would do the works of Abraham. And Abraham believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, that he said, concerning after him, there was coming of prophet, he said, light unto me. And Abraham spoke of the coming of Christ. And these Jews said, Abraham is our father. Well, why don't you do what Abraham did to leave in the coming one? I'm here. And the establishment of these Jews, so held by the tradition of their fathers going back and going in Abraham, Isaac, and great, and yet when Christ, the one of whom prophets speak, stood in their midst, to him, they tried to kill the Lord Jesus Christ. But isn't it wonderful that the Lord Jesus can deliver from all these wrongdoings? Things that men and women are enslaved through. He can deliver from sin. He can deliver the drunken. He can set free the gambler. He can also deliver the dope addicts. He can deliver those who are caught up with their passions, their petty passions. He can deliver from talk to them. And he can deliver it in the tradition of the Apostle Paul, even the Apostle Paul. What a man, what man had a more noble tradition in the Apostle Paul? He gave you a whole list of what it was. I think it's over in Galatians. He tells her about his background. To the Pharisee of the Pharisee, a very religious man, to the scripture, willing to tie to the tradition of his father. And yet the Apostle Paul had to be shown that he was not a Christian. He didn't know Jesus Christ. He hadn't been yet delivered from the position of the heart. The Lord Jesus can deliver from your bishop. He can deliver from all these things. And he can make you free. Whoever the Son makes free... you shall be trained in me. And over the Galatians five, one, I think it is, stand fast in the liberty where with Christ has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. That's the law. Stand fast in the liberty where with Christ has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. But freedom must be qualified. Doesn't mean freedom from walk, work. Some people would like that. Freedom from work. I don't have to go to work. I will lay in bed as long as I like. I don't have to strike a list on you. Some people take care of me, and they also take care of a lot of people. This doesn't mean you're free from work. It doesn't mean you're free from going to school where our kids would like that. That's not the freedom. Not free from care. A lot of people would like to be free from any care, any of the responsibility. I haven't met any yet who want to be free from any. Or free from God. He's got to qualify this. What are you talking about? I mean, talk about freedom. Deliverance. Freedom does not mean freedom from bodily suffering. To sin suffering. And it turns to that plainly over in Hebrews chapter twelve, chapter eleven. So when you become a Christian, one of God's free ones, and Christ's free one, doesn't mean to say that you become free from suffering. For in the human body there is the law, the principle of death. In you and in me, from the moment you were born, there was that principle. That sin that brings forth fruit unto death, our outward man is dying by the day. And you're going to have suffering, and you're going to have pain of body until you die, unless you're a very fortunate individual. Some of the happiest Christians I've ever met, and some of the most godly Christians I've ever met, have suffered... all their life. So becoming a Christian, one of Christ's free men, doesn't mean to say your free will suffer. We suffer for Christ's. Look at the Apostle Paul. Would he not have robbed a free man? He was free from the law. He was free from the tradition of his powers. He was a free man when he found Christ. But he suffered perfectly. Though to be a free person, free in Christ doesn't mean you won't have bodily suffering, nor does it mean you'll be free from chastisement. That the mark of sonship, according to Hebrews, God gleaneth with you as your son. And what son is he, whom the father chasteneth not? God chastises his sons, and yet sir, free. free from going to hell, they're free in Christ, but still the Lord with the fulfillment of it. What does it mean, and I'll say this, to be safe and be free, doesn't mean to say you're going to be free from temptation. In Matthew chapter four, the Lord Jesus was tempted by the devil and certainly had no fear. Three times over the devil tempted him. And three times over, the Lord came back to his place. That's how Christ loved the victory over the devil. He quoted the Bible. That's one thing that the devil doesn't like the word of God. And so you're not going to be free from temptation when you become a Christian. And you're not going to be free from the presence of sin. As long as you live in this world, it's going to be sin around you. You're not going to be free from the very presence of sin. So this freedom must be qualified. And I possibly have qualified it. But this freedom, he's talking about, whichever the Son shall make free, he shall be free. Indeed, free from what? Freedom from the Lord. Christ has delivered us from the curse. of the law. Isn't that wonderful? Christ hath delivered us from the church. He redeemed us from the church of the law. Apostle speaks of the Ten Commandments as a youth that no neither we nor our powers should bear. That awful youth of the Ten Commandments, thou shalt not, thou shalt not, thou shalt not. People today are trying to get to heaven by keeping the Ten Commandments. They'll never do it. They're under the bondage and yoke of the Ten Commandments. But when you get paid, you're delivered from that yoke and that bondage. For Christ is the end of the law, the righteousness that every one shall be healed. Every one of the leaders. Yes, there's freedom from the curse of the Lord. sinless freedom from guilt. Can I be free from guilt? Yes. As over Romans eight and one, we'll be free from guilt. There is therefore no condemnation, no guilt to them who are in Christ's peace. Isn't it nice that he's free from guilt? And that's the freedom of the Son. no condemnation. Think of that woman who was speaking about in the early part of the chapter. Neither do I condemn me. Go and see. What freedom does it say? Let alone let's give off her conscience. The no condemnation that two have had to be born against her. No condemnation. Freedom from the dominion of sin. Sin shall not have dominion over you as a Christian. I'm talking to Christians in Romans this. You don't have to be under the dominion of sin. Sin rule is over you. If Christ rules over you, that'll deliver you from the bondage or service you to sin. Sin shall not have dominion over you. And if he reads God's word and abide in Christ and knows something of fellowship with the Lord, sin will not be your master, but you can be the master of sin. If you know something of Christ abiding in your heart, sin can control the Lord Jesus Christ. And sin does not necessarily need to control you. If you know something of fellowship with the Lord Jesus, you will have victory over dominion over sin. Instead of sin telling you what you can do, you can tell sin what it can do. He's not going to be a part of my life. It means also season from the power of God. Look at this lovely verse over Colossians, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath been translated us into the kingdom of his dear son. Isn't that a wonderful deliverance? Freedom from the power of God, then freedom from the fear of man. If you want to read that it's over in Acts chapter four, here are the disciples and why they are being persecuted. And these leaders, they were trying their best to stop these men from preaching the gospel. And then they dropped them before the judgment seat. And they said, now you men, we're going to be leading with you on this occasion. But don't you speak any more in this man's name. You don't want any more of this type stuff. And Jesus speaks up because whether it's right for us to obey you or obey you or God, he does. We're not going to obey you. We'll obey God. And as for you then, with all your robes and authority sitting there in that tribunal, we're not going to fear you one day. And the more a man or a Christian hears God, the less he's going to fear a man. Fear you have freedom from the fear of man. The fear of man, then it will smell. But these are some people are not saved. They're afraid. of man. What will my buddy say? What will the folk say where I would? I'm not afraid of the persecution of Christ I may have to pay. The fear of man bringetheth near. My Bible says, and I said it many times, that fear of God is the beginning with me. And if you know something of being God, free man, God, freedom! You don't have to fear man. God's on your side. So why should you fear man? And this freedom is freedom from the sting of death. You think that in first Corinthians, verse fifteen? Oh, death, very size two. Not only freedom from the sting of death, but freedom from the power of the grave. When Jesus Christ comes and he's coming soon, Those who are alive and remain, he's going to catch up. They'll not die. They'll be changed in a moment in the taking of an hour. And as those who are alive when Christ comes are caught up, they can look back and say, Oh, death, what is my skin? You didn't sing me. You sung a lot of people, but you didn't sing me. And then those who are in the grave when Christ comes, they'll be raised. They'll come out of their grave, and they'll look back to the empty grave and to the old grave where is thy victory. And so Christ gives the victory over the string of death and the power of the dead. He also gives the victory over coming judgment. He delivers from the wrath that is to come. My, how wonderful to be woman. God, Trina, whom the Son hath made free, he shall be free indeed. What are some of the responsibilities of being a free person, free in Christ? Oh, God forget that ours is the freedom of Son. When you become a child of God, you're a son of God. Because better than First John... He won. Beloved, now are we the sons of God. It doth not yet appear what we shall be. He know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And so we enjoy the freedom of some. And the word Jesus said, As a true son, I honor my father. He said to these Jews, you don't honor me. I honor my father. And every true kind of God should honor his heavenly Father. That's what God wants you to do. Honor your heavenly Father. Now, you have a choice. You can choose not to honor him if you will. But he is there now for Christ. And some Christians are dishonoring... their heavenly father. They are not doing his way the way they should. The Lord Jesus said about his father, I do always go, sing, that please. And that should be the desire of every Christian toward his heavenly father. I do always go, sing, that please. A sad thing when a Christian, freeborn in Christ and dishonest, lost his father. freedom of son, freedom of servant. Yes, wonderful. To enjoy the freedom of a servant, and that word is the freedom of a slave. I'm free now to serve the Lord. I lift the slavery of sin, and it's yes. Now I'm a slave of Jesus Christ. I've got a new master. Sin is not my master. shakeness of my master. Christ is my master. Isn't that wonderful? A remarkable verse over in Romans six, seven, James. He says, but God, he said, that ye were the servants of sin once. You were the slave of sin once. But you have obeyed from the heart that mold of doctrine, that form of doctrine that was delivered unto you. So now, Having we made free from sin, free from being a slave to sin, we are slain to God with the righteousness of the Jesus Christ. Wow, that's a wonderful thing, isn't it? From being a slave to sin, stirring sin in bondage to sin, to being a slave to Jesus Christ. And that is exactly true. The Apostle Paul rejoiced that he was a prisoner of Jesus Christ, a slave to Christ. He's my master, and he's not a hard master. The Lord Jesus is a wonderful master. He's been my master for fifty-three years. And about any other master, I've been quite along with you. He's the most gracious of master, the kindest of master. the most considered a master. And he's never ducked my pay. He's never lowered my pay. He knows prices of living today. He saw the living goes up and so does my income here. I'm not worried about inflation. What a master is, I have the law. And all through my life, when my expenses went up, my income went up. When my chances went down, my syndrome went down. Somebody up there, if he can book. What a match would I have. So kind, your loving hand, succeed. I don't know how it's exactly me, but I may not be faithful from trying to be faithful. This is what it means to be a slave of Jesus Christ. freedom of servant sons, freedom of servants, then the freedom of worshipers, free to come into this presence as you have over in Hebrews chapter one. Let us draw near with boldness. That's an early testimony one man once a year could go into the Holy of Holies. Now every foreign again system has a freedom, the liberty. the privilege, the glorious opportunity to come into the presence that's brought at any time under all circumstances, conferring all things with freedom to worship. It's not compulsory, but it's voluntary. And so Sunday morning and Sunday evening, and on the list, we engage in cultural worship as a group gathered in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to worship him, to watch freedom. you're enjoying the freedom of tongues, and you come into the Father's presence, strong and fairer than the freedom to worship. He did boldly enter into the folly of Jesus' blood of sheep, and lay the face of bread and wine in memory of all sin. How did he make men and women true? By they were coming to him, and by arresting him, and by your working for him after you pray. There are three things I want to mention. Closing the great life, the great lesson, and the great Lord. Yes, the great life. He spoke on that last week, the good life, in verse travel this chapter. Then the great lesson. There are four great lessons he learned from this chapter. And the first ones are solemnly. What is that first solemn lesson he teaches up? He tells up this, that they that die without him die in their sins, and there he is, they cannot come. That's the lesson that every person in this world needs to learn. But if you die in your sins, where Christ is, you cannot come. Simply meaning in this, Christ is in heaven now and is going to stay there and if ever you're going to meet me with him and be with him in glory and light and forever, you've got to know him. He's got to set you free. If not, you're going to die in your church when he says, where I am, you cannot come. That's a solemn lesson. There are many verses along this line. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, that even hath not the Son shall not be light, but the wrath of God that believeth on him. He that believeth is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he believeth not in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And a more solemn verse said, Who, so at his name, was not found written in the book of Christ, was cast into the lake of fire, Revelation, Pentecost. Here's the first solemn, searching lesson of this guy. The Lord has told these scribes and pardons he was cast. And he points his finger at them, and with eyes of steel he said that he died in your sins. where I am, you cannot have. And that's the lesson to the Lord, for those who are not saved. But then there's another lesson here, that son will make you free, and that's the lesson the Lord wants you to learn, that son will make you free. The third lesson you have here, we are not saved by our righteous ancestors. These Jews thought they were Abraham as our father. He learned the world up. The Lord says, Abraham is not your father. Terrible is your father. That's a lot of sentiment. You don't know the God of Abraham, for I am the son of the God of Abraham. Then you take me and you're trying to kill me. And Godly ancestry will not take you to heaven if he thought it would. Your grandfather might have been a preacher. Your father might have been a deacon. Your mother might have been the most spiritual woman in the world. That's not going to take you to heaven. You've got to know that grandfather's God and that father's God and that mother's God is there on heaven. You've got to know, thank yourself, your ancestors will not take you to heaven. Another thing, all people are not sisters. You make that prayer in this gospel. All people are not Christians. Wouldn't it be something? You talk about your godly mothers and grand parents and so on. And if you got to heaven, you found Stalin and Hitler and a bunch of butchers. No. The Lord Jesus makes this claim. He says, I don't pray for the world. I pray for those whom he's given me out of the world. And he says, in John seventeen, gee, he's speaking to his owner, not to the world. But I'll take them out of the world. There are two classes, two families in this world. Those on the broad way going to hell, and those on the narrow way going to light heaven. Those were the children of God, and those were the children of the devil. Just two classes. And those two families divide this congregation this morning, and even the one or the other. And that's what he's telling us. That's the fourth lesson. The people are not, all people are not, the children of God. The Lord put his finger right upon the most trusting verse, I think it's verse forty-two. Jesus said unto them, If God were your father, he would love me. That's it. Were they loving him? By no means. the earth that is God's not your father. And I want to tell you this, the acid test on whether you're saved or not, he loves the Lord Jesus Christ. If God were your father, he would love the Lord Jesus. That's what he's offering. With all the children of God, if all people were going to heaven, Then the work of Christ is coming into this world and going to the cross with a cross, an absolute mistake, as everybody says. Al Capone and Billy Graham are the same people. No. There are two distinct families, and that's why the Lord Jesus came into this world and went to that old rugged cross that he may save that great crowd of the devil truly might cave out of that family, the devil's family come to become the children of God. He says, that's why he says, and without the death of Christ, there's no salvation. It's an absolute impossibility for you to go to heaven. Without the question of Christ, if you will come, you hate your dreams, and when you die, you shall be saved. Love Christ is the impalible truth that you are a child of God. There is the fruit of the great Lord, my victory. A great light, a great lesson, and a great way. Straight to the neighbor hands, he says in this chapter, David and Abraham, and over in chapter four of John, Are thou greater than our Father's Jacob? It's David. For well, the woman sent to you. Christ is greater than Jacob. So he's greater than the Patriarch. A greater than Solomon is here. You need him not, but Christ. Greater than the King. A greater than Jonah is here. Greater than the Prophet. Greater than John the Baptist. All this is him, if you ask me. Christ is greater than John the Baptist. He says... and greater than the temple in Matthew chapter. Greater than all the Jews. And furthermore, all that distinction. And like greater than the angels, according to Hebrews chapter one. And furthermore, he's greater than Aaron. All the priests. He's the greatest of them all. If a man been parading around the country, he loves to say, I am the greatest. Well, he that not does one of these days will find out he must be. There's just one person who is the greatest of the universe of God, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the greatest. Friend, I ask you, do you know this great one? If you know, you're a prophet. If you know Christ, you're rich. If you don't know Christ, you're poor. This is the great Lord that we preach. Christ from sin to you. Do your Lord. Because if you die in your sin, you have I am, you can come. If you want to be with this greatest of all, then you're going to have to suffer. You're going to have to open your heart and let it in. And without let him in free, I would beg God to let him in for days. But sooner you let him in, sooner you'll be happy, and have peace, and may something and enjoy the wonderful freedom of whose gifts we have been seeking. Are you free, and are you in bondage? You answer that, shall we pray? Our Father in heaven, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we commit to thy presence, we ask thy blessing, on thy word, and thank thee, for the liberty those of us who are saved, having our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray for those whom all must live in bondage. May we know something of having that milk broken and coming to know Christ soon to know his mercy for us. We ask to bring it to know the impression of him. So they sing, three hundred and seventy-six. And how appropriate this hymn is to what we've been talking about. Out of my bondage, God of the night, Jesus, I come. Into thy freedom, gladness and light, Jesus, I come to thee. Are you going to stay in that bondage, or are you going to get into it? Freedom and knowledge of Jesus, sight of your Savior. And stand, T-Seven-Six. If you've trusted Christ sometime and you haven't told us this is our opportunity, maybe you've trusted him this morning. Come and tell us. And if you haven't, want to, I'll be glad to join you in this room and show you how you may be saved and lost. W-S-E-Seven-Six. Oh, my own is called and by. Jesus I come, Jesus I come. I love my Lord. Strained verse three, and when one comes, the meeting will be over, hath some unrest, some avid and pride, Jesus, I come. And then the final analysis is pride of keeping a fellow of youth and coming to Christ. Come to the humble one, the Lord Jesus, who keeps unmoving a heart. And we will come in this evening this morning, this week. Are the Lord willing to come to them by? He is a far gone, he is a far gone, he is a far gone, he is a far far. If I come to thee