"Freedom Is Never Free" based on John 8:31-36
Reformation Sunday -
Pastor Troy Slater - Our
It's
This morning
we gather to celebrate freedom. We
gather to celebrate a freedom that was bought at a very great price. And
although we certainly do give thanks to God for the freedoms we enjoy as
citizens of this country and for those who have given their lives for it,
that's not the type of freedom I'm talking about. For after all, there are people all around
the world - Christians in many other nations who don't enjoy the political and
social freedoms that we enjoy - Christians in China, the Sudan, Pakistan, Malaysia,
Vietnam - Christians not politically free but yet they too - many of them in
secret - they too gather together today to celebrate this same freedom that we gather to celebrate this
morning. Yes today we join with
Christians everywhere in celebrating our freedom in Christ. … That's right, today we celebrate our freedom in Christ. …
Now, in our
Gospel reading for this morning we heard Jesus speak of this freedom as He
said, "If you abide in my word, you
are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you
free." But those to whom Jesus
spoke, "the Jews who had believed in
Him" our reading tells us, they had a view of freedom much like we
often view freedom. For they said, "We are offspring of Abraham and have
never been enslaved to anyone."
In other words, their view of freedom was a political or a social
freedom - the ability to do your own thing - go where you want - free to choose
to do this or that.
Although to be truthful, the Jews who
were speaking to Jesus didn't even have that.
For If you could look down on this scene from above, you would see a
Roman army barracks right next to the temple grounds where Jesus spoke. And in that barracks was a tower and in that
tower were soldiers who were keeping an eye on everything that happened on the
temple grounds. That tower was a constant reminder that if anything got
out of hand, gentile Roman soldiers would quickly come into the temple area, defile
the temple, and bring a peace that was enforced by the Roman sword. These Jews, whether they were offspring of
Abraham or not, they weren't politically or socially free.
However, Jesus was concerned about
something much more serious than the Roman occupation. Jesus wasn't
concerned about any trivial self-constructed, self-centered ideas of freedom that
the Jews may have had nor that we may have. For Jesus answered them and He says to us
today, "Truly, truly, I say to you,
everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin." In other words, Jesus wants us to consider
our spiritual condition.
For example, we here in the United
States we enjoy a lot of freedoms, don't we?
But yet there's an awful lot of bondage and enslavement going on across
our land, and at times at least, probably even in our own lives. I mean, one can be politically free but yet
not be free from the oppression of our shame, not be free from the oppression
of our guilt, not be free from the bondage of the pain of our sin. Addictions, patterns of hurtful words and of
strained relationships, mentally and spiritually held captive by past actions
and current regrets, held bondage by failing health and fears of the grave. It can all leave us and others, feeling
anything but free.
And so to
have freedom - to have true freedom - is to have all guilt and sin and shame
removed. True freedom is to know that my
past does not have to hold captive my present nor my future. True freedom is to know that no matter my sin nor my present circumstances, the God of
heaven and of earth has a plan for me. Even
though I will someday rest in my grave because of my sin, true freedom is to
know that God still has a future for me beyond
my grave. That is freedom.
And that is what we celebrate this
morning. Today we celebrate our freedom
in Christ. Today we celebrate that our past
is forgiven, that God is our Father.
Today we rejoice that heaven is our future, and that death is but a doorway. That is our freedom and that freedom, it was not free, was it?
For the freedom that we celebrate
today is a freedom that was obtained only at a price - a very great price. And no, not by a great army, but rather by
the humble sacrifice of God himself. For
as we say with Luther, "I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten
from the Father from eternity, also true man, born of the virgin Mary, is my
Lord. Who has redeemed me a lost and
condemned creature, purchased and won me - freed me - from sin, death and the
power of the devil. Not with gold or
silver - for the price was much, much greater - rather it was with His holy
precious blood and His innocent sufferings and death. All so that I might be His own and live under
Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and
blessedness." No
freedom is never free and freedom is what we have in Christ. …
And so today we do celebrate. Today we do celebrate our Lord's death and
resurrection which has set us free.
Today we celebrate that for nearly 2,000 years since the death and
resurrection of our Lord - He has kept sending His Word of freedom out into the
world and even into our own lives as He grants us sinners
faith in Him. Today we celebrate that
over the last 2,000 years the Lord has used various people - men, women, laity,
pastors, teachers, mothers, fathers, those politically free and those
politically enslaved - all proclaiming that Word. Some who even gave up their
life as martyrs as they faithfully proclaimed that Word. People whom the Lord has used as again and
again He calls His church back to the truth of His Word. People - Martin Luther certainly included - people
who by God's grace knew that there is only one thing that truly sets men free. And that one thing is the good news of Jesus
Christ crucified and risen. That's what
we celebrate today. That's what we
celebrate.
You see, today - this Reformation
Sunday - isn't about Martin Luther - although we certainly do give thanks to
God for him and his efforts to call the church back to the Word of Christ. Rather today, as it is everyday, it's about
Jesus. It's about the good news of
Christ Jesus who was crucified and risen that we might
be free. For the price
has been paid - a very great price has been paid - for you and for me to be
free. And indeed, there is no
greater freedom - indeed, there is no other lasting freedom. Only in Jesus - the one crucified and risen
for you - only in Jesus do you know the truth, that truth that sets you
free. Amen.