Word for Word 9/22/21

Pastor Matthew Majewski
Pastor Matthew Majewski

Freedom Comes from God

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?” (John 8:31-33)

It is amazing how such a simple truth can be so hard to understand. Jesus offered truth that could provide freedom from spiritual darkness and bondage. Yet His audience thought He was talking about their economic status as freemen, as opposed to indentured servants. They missed the point.

Of course, Pilate was even worse off. A lifetime of political wrangling and maneuvering had left him cynical and jaded. “Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.  Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?”  (John 18:37-38)

We are not much better off. Consider all the debates raging in our current culture. The scientists argue among themselves. Medical professions debate a host of positions. Politicians continue the same old game of turning truth into talking points. In such a chaos, what is the truth?

Jesus lived in an age of debates and arguments. There were religious arguments and political factions that fractured the harmony of first-century Judaism. Yet when He confronted those ideas, Jesus never sided with any of them. Rather, He looked past the issues and saw the issues of the heart.

What are the issues of the heart that Jesus was so interested in?

First, that we as people are sinful.

“Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come... I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” (John 8:21, 24) In our innermost being, we are broken and completely corrupted by sin to such a degree that God cannot receive us into His presence.

Second, that He is the only solution to our sinful condition. The Jews of Jesus’ day trusted in their religious works and in their lineage to Abraham, believing that these would secure their place in heaven. But Jesus shattered that belief when He said, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36) He claimed to be the only way to God.

What is the truth that sets us free? That God Himself came to earth to live among us, to die upon the cross for our sins, and to be resurrected the third day so that we by faith could be freed from sin’s power and be given a home in heaven.

If in your quest for truth in the chaotic world of men you have not considered these truths, then I challenge you to consider them. If you listen to men, you will become confused or cynical.  But if you listen to God’s Word, you will find peace and everlasting life.

Pastor Matthew Majewski, Center Baptist Church