Learning to be Free
Learning to be Free (Breaking Invisible Chains)
I. Intro.
II. Learning to be Free is a Mark of True Discipleship
A. Jesus offers discipleship and Freedom to those who believe.
1. Jesus was aware that among the mixed crowed of people their were those who believed him and those who did not.
2. Which is how it is in the world we live in today.
3. Their are those who will believe the gospel of Jesus and those who will not.
4. We read in John 8:30-32-
“As he was saying these things, many believed in him. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (ESV).
5. Jesus turned his attention to those who gave indication that they believed him but were not yet committed to him.
6. He challenged their believing him by presenting them with a commitment to learn from him how to live out God’s word.
7. And in doing so, “you will experience for yourself the truth and the truth will set you free.
B. The title of the message is “Learning to be Free” and the subtitle is “Breaking Invisible Chains.”
1. You can believe the gospel and not be saved.
a. To be saved you must repent and believe the gospel.
b. And receive Jesus Christ as your savior.
2. And you can be saved and not be free.
a. In order to be set free as a saved believer, you must make a commitment of discipleship and learn from Jesus.
b. Learning from Jesus is the true mark of discipleship.
C. The people Jesus was reaching out to were Jewish believers.
1. They believed in the O.T., the Law which could not fully save them.
2. God found fault with the first covenant he established with Israel.
3. The fault was with the people who did not continue in God’s covenant.
4. We read in-
Heb 8:7-9 “For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord” (ESV).
5. Israel could not be fully saved and set free because they did not continue in God’s covenant.
6. In Heb 8:6 we read- “But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises” (ESV).
D. And one of those promises is to be set free!
1. Free from deaths hold on you.
2. Free from being a slave to sin.
3. Free from your passions and pride.
4. Free from the corruption that is in the world.
5. Free to approach God with confidence.
6. Free to live the rest of your life pleasing God.
III. Learning to Be Free Comes With A Condition.
A. Persevering consistency in the word of God.
1. Jesus said in John 8:31-
“If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed” (KJV)
2. Obeying God’s word with persevering consistency is the mark of true discipleship.
3. Jesus challenged the disciples to obey his word and when did they experienced it’s blessing.
4. The story is tolled in Luke 5:4-9-
“Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. 6 And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken.”
5. Another story is told in Mat 17:24-27 how Peter learned to obey Jesus’ word without question.
“When they arrived at Capernaum, the tax men came to Peter and asked, “Does your teacher pay taxes?” Peter said, “Of course.” But as soon as they were in the house, Jesus confronted him. “Simon, what do you think? When a king levies taxes, who pays—his children or his subjects?” He answered, “His subjects.” Jesus said, “Then the children get off free, right? But so we don’t upset them needlessly, go down to the lake, cast a hook, and pull in the first fish that bites. Open its mouth and you’ll find a coin. Take it and give it to the tax men. It will be enough for both of us” (Mt 17:24–27, MSG).
6. Persevering consistency in the word of God will be enough to bless you and deliver you.
B. Learning to be free in Jesus is revealing.
1. It will reveal just what you need to free from.
2. Jesus instructed those who believed how to be set free in John 8:31-32.
4. In v. 33, 34-
“They answered him, we be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, ‘Ye shall be free?’
5. For them to claim they were descendants of Abraham and had never been in bondage was certainly false.
6. The O.T. would say otherwise.
7. “The Bible exposition commentary” notes that they had been enslaved by seven mighty nations, as recorded in the Book of Judges. The ten Northern tribes had been carried away captive by Assyria, and the two Southern tribes had gone into seventy years of captivity in Babylon.
8. And at that very hour, the Jews were under the iron heel of Rome!
9. They were so bound up with religious pride and denial that they could not admit their failings and their need.
10. These people were right now in bondage to sin and would die in their sins if they did not submit to Jesus’ mandate to be set free from sin.
11. In John 8:34-36-
“Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” John 8:34-36, (KJV).
12. The only way a slave to sin can be set free is by the Son.
13. How does the Son do it?
14. By the power of the word.
15. If you continue in His word you will experience the truth of His word in your life and it will set you free.
16 It will break the invisible chains...