Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text for the celebration of Reformation Day 2015 is the Gospel Lesson just read, from John 8. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- We hold freedom very dear in America. We can look back in human history at other nations, cultures, and times, and we can also look around us at other nations in the world – and we lament the dreadful lack of freedom that often prevails. I’m talking about religious freedom, freedom of speech, and political freedom.
- Of course this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to freedom. There are many other aspects of human life that tend to “enslave” us. For example, we would love to be “free” from fear and anxiety: fear of illness or accident, fear of death, fear of financial troubles, fear of other people, fear of failure, fear of not measuring up to others, fear of losing our respect in the community. The list goes on and on.
- Spiritually, we are fearful of God, fearful of judgment, fearful of being wrong and foolish, fearful of putting our faith and trust in principles that may not be true or trustworthy, fearful of putting our faith in people. Likewise, we may be fearful of putting trust and confidence in the Bible or in the church or in the Sacraments.
- Of course, there are many ways in which people “deal” with their fears and try to “free” themselves: mere optimism that things will be okay, trust in themselves, their abilities and prowess, or trust in other people – the government, etc. But generally speaking, these things always fail us and sooner or later our fears are realized.
- In our text Jesus gives us a promise about being “free,” and even sets forth the protocol for attaining freedom and remaining free. Of course, one person’s freedom is another person’s slavery. Along with freedom comes responsibility, and responsibility often feels like “self-enslavement.” Complete freedom from responsibility is slavery to laziness, failure, and futility. Freedom from God is slavery to self, sin, and foolishness; on the other hand, unbelievers see God’s freedom as slavery to God and slavery to His Word.
- In the same way we can see that the “freedom” to eat whatever we want and however much we want means the loss of freedom to be fit and trim and healthy. Likewise, the freedom to drink as much alcohol as possible means enslavement to drunkenness. Freedom to skip my physical workouts and training means failure to accomplish performance. If we were to legalize the use of heroin, so that people were free to use heroin whenever they want, this would not yield less addiction but much more. So legalizing things does not necessarily create more freedom but may increase enslavement.
- So it turns out that our thinking about freedom must become a bit more sophisticated and complex – but Jesus is speaking about ultimate freedom, the greatest freedom that we can have. He assures us that:
I. Freedom Comes Only To Those Who Believe In Jesus
A. Those Who Believe In Jesus Are Free From God’s Condemnation, And Therefore Free From Guilt In The Presence Of God, And Free Not To Be Afraid Of God’s Punishment
John 1:29 “Behold, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.”
1 John 1:7 “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Eph. 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
John 3:36; John 5:24 “He that believes the Son has everlasting life. . . . and shall not come into condemnation but has passed from death to life.”
B. Those Who Believe In Jesus Are Freed Also From Enslavement To Sin
1 John 4:19 “We love because He first loved us.”
Rom. 13:10 “Love is the fulfillment of the law.”
1 John 4:7 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”
C. And Those Set Free Through Faith In Jesus Are Free To Stay In God’s House Forever
Text: “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Statement: These are the principle and most basic freedoms provided for us through faith in Jesus – and by “abiding in His Word” – freedom from the existential guilt and punishment for our sins, freedom from threat of God’s wrath and punishment, freedom to experience love – the good will and blessing that are God’s free gifts to us and are not dependent in any respect on what we do or do not do, gracious gifts of forgiveness and mercy in spite of what we do. This experience of God’s love – His mercy and forgiveness – is what moves us, and frees us and compels us to also love God and to love one another – which is the beginning of freedom from sin.
Application: This still does not necessarily free us from other fears that have to do with other people and with the dangers inherent in life in this world under the curse of sin, but God’s Word also provides us with promises and assurances that God’s love also protects us from many of these dangers – and that God is able to insure that even our unpleasant experiences in life will turn out for our good and benefit. But it is the assurance of God’s eternal love and His deliverance from the eternal consequences of our sin that forms the basis for believing in His other promises.
Transition: And so it is that Jesus promises that:
II. Freedom Comes As We Abide In Christ’s Word, In God’s Word, In The Word Of Holy Scripture
A. His Word Gives Us Knowledge Of The Truth
Text: “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
B. So It Is Truth – The Truth Regarding God’s Love For Us, His True Promises And His Faithfulness, That Brings Us To Faith And Freedom
Text: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
C. And This Makes Us His Disciples
1. Those Who Are Taught By Him
2. Those Who Are Following Him
Text: “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples.”
Statement: Being someone’s disciple seems to many to be limiting of our freedom – we follow, we learn from, and we serve as disciples. But it all depends upon the One that we are following, learning from, and serving. In the case of Jesus, it leads us to serving God – which does not make us servants, but rather children of God – children who remain in the house forever. Now, I suppose that some view parents as masters who enslave – but most people come to realize as they grow older that parents were not enslaving us but actually preparing us for the freedom of adulthood. And this is precisely the dynamic when it comes to our discipleship to Jesus and our being “children of God.” We are not being enslaved but freed, and being prepared for even greater freedom in His eternal heavenly kingdom!
Application: So again, we need to learn to think about freedom a bit more deeply. Freedom from God only means enslavement to the disease of sin and to all of the negative consequences that come from sin – including the harm that we do others by our sin, and the harm of retribution and justice that must be inflicted upon us for our sin. We look at physical incarceration as the worst form of loss of human freedom, but the inability to resist sin, the compulsion to sin, is at least equal to this incarceration. It portends only slavery, slavery of the worst kind, that which denudes us of our deepest humanity.
Conclusion: In the days of the Reformation, the church had lost knowledge of the truth regarding God’s gracious mercy and forgiveness, and was no longer abiding in Jesus’ Word. Consequently, the freedom that God wills for us to have was not being administered by the “visible” church of that time. Hence the need for and the importance of the Reformation. We have lived in the benefit of the restoration of Jesus’ Word in the church now for nearly 500 years, and from little on up we who are Lutheran have been trained in His Word and have been rejoicing in the freedom which He bestows upon us through the truth.
Truth continues to fulfill this function of freeing people, especially the truth of God’s gracious forgiveness and mercy in Christ Jesus. This is the truth that comes through His Word, and is apprehended by continuing in Jesus’ Word, the Word of Holy Scripture.
Such truth and freedom is a rich blessing for this life, and insures to us even greater blessings in the “forever” of Christ’s coming kingdom. For this we should be grateful for the Reformation – but even more so to our gracious Savior, Whose suffering, death, and resurrection provides and guarantees these blessings.
So may we also endeavor in all things to be His disciples, to abide in His Word, to live in and by the truth, and to enjoy ever more fully the freedom that His Word alone bestows. May God grant these rich blessings to each and every one of us now and forever! Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.