John 8:31-47 “Perseverance, Freedom, & Bondage”

0:58How many of you know what it means when someone says they are walking on eggshells? Obviously, this expression is a metaphor since everyone, even children, know that it is really hard to walk on eggshells without breaking them. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, Walking on eggshells is being very careful not to offend someone, do anything wrong, or express one's feelings or thoughts. For example, I have to walk on eggshells whenever dad gets home after a hard day at the office because he doesn't like it if I get noisy.

1:58I have to walk on eggshells whenever I state an opinion in class because one of my students might be offended by what I said. I have to walk on eggshells whenever my roommate is stressed out on a test because I can't mention all the dishes that are left in the sink. I have to walk on eggshells whenever I publish an article challenging current research consensus because that alternative view could be used as a pretext for punishing wrong speech.

2:45In John 8, the crowd that gathers to hear Jesus speak is a mixed multitude. Some listen to what he says, while others Listen only to hear something that they can use against him. How did it come to this? Well, let's back up a little bit. The opposition to Jesus began in chapter 5. After Jesus healed the paralytic on the Sabbath and told him to carry his mattress, Jewish leaders were furious. In chapter 6, by the time he finishes teaching on the bread of life, eating flesh, drinking blood, and his ascension, many of his so-called disciples abandon him. In chapter 7, the religious leaders sought to arrest Jesus when he goes up to Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles.

3:57The passage here before us in chapter 8 takes place in front of a mixed multitude. Some believe, some think him a deceiver, and some are looking for grounds to have him put to death. While this is the perfect opportunity for Jesus to walk on eggshells, Jesus chooses to To be blunt as he sets forth three themes about true discipleship: perseverance, freedom, and bondage. Perseverance, freedom, and bondage. Let us first consider perseverance. Verse 31. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him: If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.

5:09Many of you may not know that there is significant debate about this verse. Who are the Jews who believed him in verse 31? Are they the many who believed him in verse 30? This is important because the Jews who had believed in him in verse 31 will want to kill him in verse 59. So commentators have come up with five different explanations for the seeming anomaly between the many in verse 30 and the Jews who had believed in him in verse 31.

5:58I will side with Cars. Calvin, Morris, Hendrickson, and many others, and say that there is a single group who believe in him. This does not mean that there's a transition from verse 30 to verse 31. There is a transition, but it is not from one group to a totally different group. The transition is from one attitude to another attitude within the same group of people. In other words, it is best to think that John is speaking, excuse me, that John is referencing, but Jesus is speaking to some in this group who have made an outward profession, but a profession that did not go very deep. Jesus's words starting in verse 31 are meant to drive home to casual adherents within this group the meaning of true discipleship.

7:10With that said, what does Jesus set forth as the benchmark of true discipleship? The benchmark is found in verse 31. If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples. Perseverance, or if you want another word, endurance is the benchmark. How can you tell a true disciple? The true disciple perseveres. Let us unpack this benchmark very quickly. What does Jesus mean by my word? My word stands for the whole of Jesus' teaching. What does it mean to abide or continue in my word? One abides in Christ's word by making it the rule of one's life.

8:16In other words, a life pattern of obedience is the same thing as abiding in his word. D.A. Carson, in his commentary, notes: Jesus lays down exactly what it is that separates spurious faith from true faith, fickle disciples from genuine disciples. If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. So, what is the true benchmark of, let's just say, what is the benchmark of true discipleship? It's not a profession. It's not some past event. It is an enduring, continuing, and loving obedience to Jesus' teaching.

9:13So allow me to suggest a single practical application related to perseverance. Notice what Jesus says in verse 31 again. If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples. It is very significant that Jesus does not say, you will be, but you are my disciples. In this verse, Jesus is not laying down a condition of discipleship. Rather, Jesus is telling us a characteristic of true discipleship. In other words, perseverance in faith is not a condition of salvation, it is evidence of it. A man is not saved because he continues. He continues because he is saved. Children, allow. Me to borrow an example used by Henry Mayhan in his sermon on this text to illustrate this point. Henry Mayhan and his wife were sitting in a restaurant when a four-year-old girl came skipping by.

10:50The girl was swinging her arms, smiling and skipping. Mayhan's wife noted, When a child is skipping, it is the sign of a happy child. Mayhan, never one to miss an opportunity to make a theological point, said to his wife, skipping did not make the child happy. She is skipping because she is happy. Children, do you skip to make yourselves happy? Or do you skip because you are happy? Friends, this is the same with salvation. Listen very carefully. Abiding in Christ doesn't save us. We abide in Christ because we have been saved. We are not a believer because we are abiding. Our abiding is evidence that we are a believer.

11:57That is the theme of perseverance. Perseverance is the benchmark of true discipleship. Let us now consider the theme of freedom. Verse 32. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Who are the ones who know the truth? The answer is found back in verse 31. The ones who know the truth are those who abide in Jesus' word. If you don't abide in Jesus' word, you can't know the truth. Believers can know the truth. Unbelievers cannot know the truth. What is the truth that true disciples know? The truth that Jesus refers to is not general or philosophical truth. The truth that Jesus referred to is the whole truth regarding who he is and what he did for sinners. It is the truth that is bound up with the person and work of Jesus. It is the truth that saves people from the darkness of sin, not that which saves them from the darkness of error.

13:27So what is the benefit of knowing? Knowing this truth. The true disciple is spiritually free. Okay, so what does it mean to be spiritually free? Just a few examples. We are free from sin. Jesus said, I will cast your sins to the depths of the sea. I will remember them no more. I will separate them as far as the east is from the west. Second, we are free from the power of sin. Paul says, for sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law, but under grace.

14:19We are free from the curse of the law. Paul said, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. We are free from the wrath of God. Paul says, since therefore we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. We are free from condemnation. Paul said, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. And we are free from death and hell.

15:00John writes, For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. If the Son makes you free, you will be free from sin, from the power of sin, from the curse of the law, from the wrath of God, from condemnation, and from death in hell. That's what it means to be spiritually free. Allow me to suggest a single practical application related to freedom.

15:43I'm going to borrow this from the commentary by William Hendrickson on verse 32. And I want you to listen very carefully. One is truly free when sin no longer rules over him and when the word of Christ dominates his heart and life. Here's the point: one is free not when he can do what he wishes to do, but when he wishes to do and can do what he should do. Let me repeat that for you. is free not when he can do what he wishes to do but when he wishes to do and can do what he should do in my words true freedom is not the liberty to do anything we please but the liberty to do what we ought that is the theme of freedom perseverance is the benchmark of true discipleship freedom is the benefit of true discipleship now let us consider the theme of bondage and now we get into this really long passage and it we'll have to unwind it because it's a little complicated and it seems to go all over the place bondage so at this point right after verse 32 our lord's enemies come unglued because of what jesus has said they seem to think in this manner jesus says that those who abide in the word will be free we don't abide in his word okay since we don't abide in his word we can't be free and if we can't be free we are what slaves so as a result following this reading The Jews set forth two different arguments related to freedom and bondage. The first is found here in verse 33. We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it you say you will become free?

18:23Just as the Jews are convinced they are whole and therefore need no physician, here they are convinced that they are free and they need no liberation. So obviously the Jews are not thinking about their political condition because these are the same people who have been enslaved by the Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and now by Rome. Obviously, they're not thinking of their social condition because many Jews, voluntarily and involuntarily at one time or another, had been slaves.

19:05Now, the basis of their denial is their perceived perceived spiritual condition. We are the offspring of Abraham. In effect, they are arguing because we are the descendants of Abraham. We can't be slaves. We've never been slaves. And it's based upon their understanding the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12, 1 through 3, being a very Good example where God promises to make a great nation of Israel and bless all of the families of the earth through Israel. Look at how Jesus responds to this first argument. Verse 34. Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.

19:57Everyone who practices sin in the Greek is a participial construction. Don't ask me to explain what that is. We're going to get lost. But it points to a continuing state. Jesus is saying that everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin, whether they realize it or not. So having now said, well, whether you realize it or not, you are a slave and you are a slave to sin, he's now going to draw attention to the difference between a slave and a son in a home. And it's going to be done this way to show that only he, Jesus, can bring the freedom that they want and need. Verse 35. The slave does not remain in the house forever. The son remains forever. So if the son, notice, capital S, sets you free, you will be free indeed. The slave's position is temporarily. Temporary. He may remain in a particular house all of his life, but he has no rights, no security, because at any time the slave can be moved from the house to the farm, from the farm to another property. A son, on the other hand, has the position of a son, and nothing can alter that. He belongs, he has rights. The Jews presumed that they were sons when they're actually slaves. And then, at the tail end of that verse, notice in Johannine manner, John switches from the son, little s, verse 34, to the son, big s, in verse 35, because what Jesus is saying is Jesus is eternal, and only he has the ability to give real freedom. And finally, Jesus concludes his dismantling of the Jews' first argument when he says, verse 37: I know that you are offspring of Abraham, yet you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my father, and you do what you have heard from your father. They answered him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said to them, If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing The works Abraham did. But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.

22:47So Jesus concedes their claim to be Abraham's line. But over against that, he sets their attempt to kill him as being of another spirit than Abraham. The reason for their hostility is given in terms of Jesus' word. Their word they hate, and it finds no place in them. But Jesus also tells them that if they really, really were Abraham's children, they would do the works Abraham did. Abraham obeyed God. He followed God's voice. He followed his requirements, his commandments, his decrees, his laws. Abraham cordially received God's messengers. Jesus is God's messenger. They receive God's messengers and look forward with rejoicing to the coming of the Christ. But you guys, by contrast, you have no heart for God. You have no sensitivity to his voice. Jesus says that the Jews are doing the deeds of another father.

24:00Though he, at this point in time, doesn't name who that other father is. So that is the Jews' first argument related to freedom and bondage. So naturally, the Jews do not appreciate Jesus' insistence that their failure to abide by Jesus' word and conduct disallows their claim to Abraham as their father. So they set forth a second argument. They claim the highest spiritual paternity, God Himself, and then they insult Jesus in the process. They said to him, We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one father, even God.

24:52So, in the same manner that Jesus rejected them and rejected their appeal to being children of Abraham, he now rejects their claim that God is their father. Verse 42: Jesus said to them, If God were your father, you would love me. For I came from God, and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. The form of this conditional statement denies both. Propositions. If God were your father, as he is not, you would love me as you do not.

25:40In other words, Jesus is saying that if you really love God, you would also love me, because the two of us go together. Jesus continues in verse 43, Why do you not understand what I say? Jesus answers this Himself: It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. Jesus is basically speaking of spiritual incomprehension, not of some failure of intellect. And next, and finally, and plainly, Jesus' name's their true father. Verse 44: You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and a father of liars. This word is like the dropping of a bomb.

26:49Jesus says, the father of these Jews is the devil himself. Are they not devoted to lies, just like their real father, the devil? When they seek to kill Jesus, are they not murderers like their father, the devil? And Jesus concludes this demolition of the Jews' second argument in verse 45. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?

27:26Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God. It is precisely because Jesus tells the truth that these sons of the great liar reject his words. And yet, for all of their defamation of his character, for all of their attacks, Jesus still challenges them to offer proof that he is guilty of even one sin. And finally, Jesus asks, why will you not believe in him? Why will you not believe in me? The answer is simple. They can't. Those who belong to God listen and respond to God's word. These people do not listen or respond because they do not belong to God. It's as simple as that.

28:27Now, some of you may be thinking, scratching your head. Head, what in the heck do all of these arguments have to do about bondage, have to do with true discipleship? It is this: true discipleship is not found in appeals to biology, spiritual heritage, or moral superiority. Appeals to a biology, spiritual heritage, and moral superiority are appeals by those in bondage. And bondage is the opposite of true discipleship. Young people, allow me to explain it maybe in terms that will make it more understandable to you. If you think you can be saved by the color of your skin, the color of your eyes, or your genetics, that is biology, or if you think you can be saved due to the fact that your parents are Christians and you've been raised in a Christian household, that is spiritual heritage. Or if you think you can be saved because you're a good person and you're better than these bums over here, and I do good works, that's moral. Superiority. You are making an appeal as one in bondage. In bondage is the opposite of true discipleship.

30:14We have considered this morning the benchmark of true discipleship that is perseverance, the benefit of true discipleship, that is freedom, and the opposite of true discipleship, that is bondage. I would like to conclude this message by focusing on one final thought from our text: a merciful warning. At the beginning of the sermon, I talked about walking on eggshells. In this chapter, despite some listening to entrap him, Jesus chooses to be blunt. So, why is Jesus blunt in this passage? Why doesn't he talk about faith, hope, and love? Why doesn't he talk about, come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest?

31:20Why is he so blunt? Let me give you three answers. First, these Jewish leaders are unaware of their Need to be saved. Jesus came from heaven. They didn't accept that. Jesus said he was the only source of spiritual life. They didn't like that. He said it was necessary to believe in him. They didn't want to hear that. He told them they needed to be forgiven. They denied that. He told them they needed to repent. They refused that. He told them they didn't need, didn't know God. They didn't buy that. He told them that they would die in their sins. They laughed at that. Thus, in this chapter, Jesus chooses to become more direct. Religious people, like these Jewish leaders, never see themselves the way they really are.

32:26They are unaware of their need to be saved. Likewise, there may come a time when we must bluntly address this fact with the unbeliever. Second, the antagonism of the Jewish leaders was increasing. Despite his preaching of the gospel for two and a half years, the Jewish leaders completely, definitively. And resolutely reject him. They have grown to hate him and want him dead. As the antagonism of the leaders increases, so does the directness and severity of Jesus' statements.

33:20Likewise, brothers and sisters, a sinner needs to know that there is no security in religion, good works, or spiritual heritage. Only by believing in Christ can sin be forgiven and hell escaped. Part of doing evangelism, part of being honest with the gospel, is shattering false securities. You don't have to be brutal about it, but eventually, when there's enough resistance that keeps being put up, you may have to become more blunt, just like Jesus. And third, time was running out. In less than six months, Jesus will return to Jerusalem to end his life.

34:20Thus, he makes the determination this is not a time to gently invite them to come and embrace the blessings of salvation. This is a time. To warn them because they are in severe danger. Likewise, for us, there may come a time when we have to escalate our warnings to the unbeliever. As you would do with anyone who is on the brink of danger, if they don't listen to the first warning and they don't listen to the second warning, you start elevating the extremity of your warnings because of the imminent danger. Why is Jesus so blunt? It is because the Jewish leaders are unaware of their need to be saved. It is because of the antagonism of the Jewish leaders is increasing, and it's because time was running out for Him to speak to these Jewish leaders. For these reasons, Jesus chooses to give Jewish leaders a merciful warning.

35:32Why might we not walk on eggshells around the unbeliever? Why would there be a time where we quit walking on eggshells around the unbeliever? When would we become blunt? It is when we know that the unbeliever is unaware of their need to be saved. It is because their antagonism has increased as they are confronted with the gospel. And it may be because time is running out for whatever reason for us to speak to the unbeliever. When we are faced with these circumstances, we may need to provide the unbeliever with a merciful warning.

36:16Let us pray. Father, the text before us at first glance can be very complicated. And yet, embedded throughout this text is a clear call and explanation of what true discipleship looks like. True discipleship is evidenced by perseverance. True discipleship provides us with incredible spiritual freedom. And true discipleship doesn't look anything like an appeal to biology, an appeal to spiritual heritage, or an Appeal to our goodness and our good deeds. True discipleship is evidenced by us abiding in your word, loving that word, and depending on that word.

37:53There may be some here in this room who are in bondage. They are entrusting their salvation to the fact that they have been born and raised in a Christian family and have been attending church since they were five. There are others who may be depending upon the fact that they're just good. They don't do a lot of sin. They follow the rules. They're nice. They're generous. But they're depending upon their deeds. And when we do this, we are in bondage and we are not true disciples.

38:40True discipleship comes when we recognize our sin. We turn to Jesus, whose perfect life paid for our sins, and we place our trust and faith in His work, not our work. And then we confess that He is our Lord. And Savior, and then we follow and entrust our life by obeying His Word. And we do so willingly, lovingly. May the rest of our service this morning bring honor and glory to you. For it's in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen.

39:34Thank you for listening to the sermon audio from New Life Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. For more information or to support our ministry, visit us online at newlifecs.net.