Our Sermons

Bible Passage: John 8:31-36
Pastor: Pastor Berg
Sermon Date:  November 3, 2019

It happens sometimes that things are not what they appear to be. This is a true story: A commuter airline flight had an hour layover in Sacramento, CA on the way to Los Angeles. After the plane landed, the pilot announced that the passengers who were going to L.A. were allowed to depan to the passenger lounge at the airport if they wanted to, and they should reboard the plane in about 50 minutes. All the passengers got off except one, a  blind man named Keith. He had his seeing eye dog at his side. The pilot went into the passenger area of the plane. He knew Keith because he was a frequent flyer on this airline. “Keith,” said the pilot, “we have about an hour layover here in Sacramento. You can go to the passenger lounge at the airport if you like.” “No thanks,” said Keith, “but you might take my dog in and let him stretch his legs. He’s been lying at my feet for quite a while.” 

The pilot agreed to do that. You can imagine the shocked look on the faces of the passengers in the airport lounge when they saw the pilot, wearing dark sunglasses, walking into the area while holding on to the harness of a seeing-eye dog! Several passengers were heard to say that there was no way they were getting back on that airplane! Things are not always what they appear to be. 

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you remain in my word, you are really my disciples. You will also know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” “We are Abraham’s descendants,” they answered, “and we have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say, ‘You will be set free’?” The Jews were God’s chosen people. He was their Father, they were his children. To the casual observer, they were a favored nation–a favorite son. But behind the closed doors of their hearts, they were slaves. The slavery was so clever, so disguised, that even the Jews didn’t realize it. “We are Abraham’s descendants…” They appealed to their status as sons. They appealed to their status as a chosen nation. It was ludicrous of Jesus to imply that they were enslaved and needed to be set free. “How can you say that?” 

The Jews were slaves and didn’t even realize it! How foolish! Or is it? Can the same be said for us? Do you feel like a slave? Do you feel controlled by something or someone else? When Jesus speaks to us today and says that we can be “set free,” do we balk at the idea? We live in the land of the free, don’t we? What could possibly be enslaving me without me even realizing it? 

At a farmers’ market in a little village, there was a covey of quail walking in circles around a pole. They had strings attached to their legs and they just continued to walk around that pole hour after hour. A man came to the market and saw the quail and asked the owner, “How much will you take for all of them?” They agreed on a price and he paid the man. And then, one by one, he began to cut off the strings. “What are you doing?” the shocked former owner asked. “I’m setting them free,” said the new owner. But you know what happened? After he cut the last one free, in spite of being given their freedom, those quail continued to walk around the pole in the same old circle! They didn’t even realize they were free to go in a different direction…not until the man began shooing them away did they move from their set routine. 

These Jews who believed Jesus’ words, at least initially, started questioning his wisdom here. When they said they’d never been slaves of anyone, they weren’t referring to political slavery. At the present, they were political vassals of the Romans. Before that, they had spent 70 years in Babylon and even before that 430 years in Egypt. No, they’re referring to their religious status. But their spiritual heritage had blinded them to the fetters around their hands and feet. These Jews were slaves alright–and they didn’t even realize it. They were slaves to themselves and their own sin.

True slavery isn’t always recognizable. That’s especially true when the captor and the captive are the same person. “Jesus answered, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Everyone who keeps committing sin is a slave to sin.” Oh yeah…sin. Isn’t that how we think about sin? It’s almost an afterthought, isn’t it? Why is that? Is it because everyone does it? Maybe. Or maybe it’s because we actually like a lot about sin. The devil is no dummy. He takes things that are good things by themselves and he turns them into baits and hooks that lead us into sin. Sin isn’t some cruel slave master whipping us with a weapon. Sin is often an enjoyable pleasure. And who can argue with pleasure? God wants me to be happy, right? The shackles around our hands and feet aren’t made of iron, but of desires of consumerism and materialism– “I gotta have it!” syndrome. The daily grind of sinful slavery isn’t empty. In fact, the more that I serve sin, the more I seem to be rewarded by this world. And so all the while I think life is good, that I’m happy, the further I enslave myself to sin. And the further sin controls my life, the further I drift away from the kingdom of God. And what’s so horrifying about all of this is that I go willingly. There’s no kicking and screaming. The devil has made the journey enjoyable and there’s so many people going the same way. That’s true slavery–on the path to hell and not even knowing it!

But then something happens that wakes us up out of the fog. Someone dies, something bad happens in my life and all of sudden I can see the chains, I can see the path I’m on. And I realize that I’m trapped. How do I get out? Who can save me from myself? It can’t come from myself! Self-rescue from self-slavery is impossible. My sinful self can’t be trusted. What I think would be freeing my might actually be enslaving me in a new way. Just think about the life of Martin Luther. He too was haunted by his sin. He realized the path that he was on. He desperately wanted out. So he ran to the monastery to try to work out his salvation with fear and trembling. He did whatever he could to be a righteous person. The only problem was, that no matter how hard he tried, Luther was never good enough. He could never be free from himself. Not that he didn’t try! He confessed his sins daily, sometimes for as long as six hours in a single sitting! He believed for every sin to be forgiven, it had to be audibly confessed and therefore had to be remembered. He spent hours trying to remember every wayward thought and dirty deed. But with each confession, Luther only felt more guilt. He was a prisoner of sin. His whole life was consumed with sin, even in the seclusion of the monastery. On every page of the Bible, he found something that judged his life and condemned his soul.

And the same will be true for us if we look for rescue in ourselves. And that’s where the majority in our world will point us. Self-help, more good works than bad, a purpose-driven life are all ways that the world tells us that we can rescue ourselves. But none of them work. They only drive us deeper into despair and further away from the truth! The Truth will set you free! The truth is not something found inside of us. The truth is that rescue has to come from the outside. That’s why Jesus said, “If you remain in my word, you are really my disciples. You will also know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The truth that frees us from slavery to sin, to the devil, to the world, yes, even to ourselves is the truth of God’s Word. And that truth is what Luther was blessed to discover by the grace of God. God led Luther to the truth of his Word in his quest to find rescue. He revealed to him that the righteousness God demands for salvation he also gives. The perfect life that God demands he gives through Jesus Christ. The truth of Jesus’ perfect life, death, and resurrection is what sets us free. Instead of looking inwardly for rescue, God’s Word points us to Christ crucified. As we see Jesus on the cross, we see the glory of God and his perfect plan to set us free from our sins. Because of what Jesus has done, we are free!

But do we realize it? Do we live like it? Or are we like those quail who continue to walk in the same old sinful circle? So how can we know the truth? It’s more than just knowing about it intellectually! Jesus says, “If you remain in my word, you are really my disciples. You will also know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” What is Jesus really saying? “If you remain in my Word, you are really my disciples. Then you will experience the truth and the truth will set you free.” 

Freedom is often widely misunderstood, especially in America. Freedom is viewed as the ability to do whatever you want. However, that’s not what Jesus tells us today. We are only truly free when we live according to our Creator’s intention. And we can only do that if we remain in his Word. There were lots of “religious” people in Jesus’ day. Some went to the temple everyday. They never failed to bring the right sacrifice at the right time. Yet Jesus said about many of them, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Luther also saw plenty of “churchgoing” people in his day, but they didn’t know the Word. Is it any different today? “I belong to a church–that’s good enough.” “I was raised a Lutheran. I say my prayers before meals–what more can their be?” “I’ve been baptized and confirmed–I don’t need any more of that.” Is that really remaining in the Word? Is that living according to the Word, letting the Word guide our decision making? Is that really freedom?

God wants you to be free. That’s why Jesus rescued you by making himself a slave and making you a son. Experience that freedom. Remain in God’s Word where you can be free to be who you are: a dearly loved child of God, a member of God’s family. “A slave does not remain in the family forever. A son does remain forever.  So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.” That is who you are! Welcome Home, where you free to be who you are! AMEN