Truth Shall Set You Free From What?

It's great to see you. It's great to be here. Thank you very much to the Houston congregation for your hospitality. And so, regularly and faithfully having these regional weekends and inviting us. So, we hope to do this in San Antonio as well. Things change every once a while in our hall situation, so we actually may not get to do that this year. We might.

We'll see. So, we very much appreciate what Houston has and the fact that you're willing to offer it to us as well. I was talking to Mr. Smith in between the two split sermons here, how similar our points were.

And either it's great minds think alike, or God guided us. Let's hope it's the latter. So, there could not have been a better introduction to the message I'm going to give today than that special music. The truth will set you free. The words of Jesus Christ. And so, the title of my split sermon today is actually a question.

The truth will set you free from what? On October 28, 1886, President Grover Cleveland oversaw the dedication of the Statue of Liberty in New York, which symbolizes liberty and freedom to be extolled in every corner of the nation as America's most precious value of mankind. The Statue of Liberty represents the most fundamental belief that almost all Americans have. And you might even say the Statue of Liberty is almost an idol in America. You could almost say we worship liberty.

The Statue of Liberty represents what most Americans want more than anything else. And Mr. Smith touched on that today as well. Freedom to do as we please. The notion that American view of freedom is the foundation of all that is great, noble, worthwhile to mankind.

And it's almost universally taken for granted in our nation. Our notion of the freedom to do whatever we please. Confidence in liberty even goes beyond confidence in the Bible as the guiding light to our nation. And that's what our Statue of Liberty represents. Increasingly, Americans seem convinced that we should be free to chart our own course in life, to choose our own values that we live by.

And here's the thing. America's not totally wrong. You see, freedom and liberty is indeed a blessing from God if properly defined and applied. God is actually the author of a certain measure of freedom or liberty. But not the freedom for every person to do what is right in his own eyes. Because, as I hope to define today, and hopefully clearly, that's not freedom. Jesus said in John 8 and verse 31, and this is what the special music was about. This is what they sang to us. John 8 and verse 31 through 32. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, if you abide, if you live in my word, you are my disciples indeed.

So that kind of, you know, has a connotation of action. You have to actually do something. If you live in my word, verse 32, and you shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free. The question I want to answer today is, the truth is going to set you free from what? When you abide in the truth, what are you free from? The freedom that God gives is liberty defined by his law.

So here's the question. How can you be free if you have to do what somebody else tells you to do? How is that freedom? God's law guarantees freedom. How? Do what I say and you'll be free. That almost sounds like a contradiction. So what did Jesus mean? Well, here's an example. God's law guarantees us the freedom from theft, which translates into your right to own property. Even more importantly, it guarantees us that we will maintain close relationships with each other and with God himself. But it doesn't give us unrestricted liberty, which Americans falsely hold so dear. The American concept of liberty was not always what it is today.

Freedom to do whatever you want. America's liberties is supposed to be based on the same principle as what Jesus was talking about. Originally, that's what America was founded on.

Freedoms sanctioned by law. You see, we have what's called a constitution in America. If we were simply a democracy, for example, simple majority rules. America, by the way, is not a democracy, we're a republic. Big difference. You know how that translates down to your individual life? If your community decides they want a community pool where your house is, where your family is being, you know, fed and protected from the storms, they could just have the majority vote and you're out. No more house. No more right to own property. Because it's a democracy and the majority rules. In a republic, the majority gets to vote on lawmakers to make the law, but the law rules.

And that was the America's original idea of freedom. And that's actually a godly principle, in a way. Freedoms sanctioned by law. The Constitution is what we're supposed to live by. Not everyone, however, is committed to that definition of freedom today. Even the majority of justices on our Supreme Court feel the Constitution should be interpreted according to the prevailing sentiments of the people, instead of by a set of principles defined by pre-existing law. Therefore, we live at a time where a law may be reinterpreted at our highest judges' level to conform to the prevailing whims of society. So we have seen rulings from the Supreme Court lately that really make us scratch our heads. Like, what is going on in the Supreme Court? Are you kidding me? And it's important that we understand liberty from a godly perspective.

And you know what? And I'll mention this at the end as well. God has chosen us to assist Jesus Christ in bringing true liberty to the whole world. So we really do need to understand this topic.

What I'd like to do today is perhaps give us a little bit deeper—maybe not 100% comprehensive, but a little bit deeper—understanding of what Jesus meant when he said, The truth will set you free. What does that mean? Is it just freedom from eternal death and therefore eternal life? I mean, that would be good. And I feel like a Ronco commercial here. But wait, there's more. And it's the more I want to talk about today.

So it's very important that we understand liberty from a godly perspective.

Paul describes what true bondage really is. So let's start there in Romans chapter 8.

Please turn there with me to Romans chapter 8, and we'll read verses 19 through 23. Romans chapter 8 Let's start in verse 19, and let's define what bondage is. And then we'll understand what freedom is.

When we first understand what it is to actually be held captive. Captive to what?

Romans 8 verse 19, For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope. Futility. You know, everything, once it's born, the clock starts ticking. And it starts to wind down. And everything in the universe that's physical is subject to futility. We're temporary. Not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope. Verse 21, Because the creation itself will be delivered from the bondage of corruption. That word means decay.

When we die, we turn back into dust. That corruption is what keeps us in bondage. Into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Comparing the birth pangs to what a slave would go through in slave labor. We labor until now. Not only that, but we also, who have been the first, have the firstfruits of the spirit, even ourselves, grown within ourselves, eagerly awaiting the adoption for the redemption of our body. You know, brethren, one of the greatest liberties is the freedom from fear of death, for sure. For sure. But that must be preceded by the freedom from the bondage of corruption. It's not the rules of God that put us into bondage.

Get this. It is the consequences of unguided actions of human nature. And it is those consequences that put you into bondage. A simple example is when you spend all of your money on something that you want. That's freedom, right? So you see something you want. You have the money in your pocket right now to buy it. So you buy it, thinking to yourself, I'm at liberty to do that. So you do it. But then you get hungry. And you don't have enough money to eat food, because you spent all your money on the thing you wanted. Now you're in bondage. That's a consequence. You are either you're in bondage to your hunger pains, because you're going to be hungry the rest of the day, or you're in bondage to be forced to sell the thing that you bought at the last minute, probably for less money than you paid, so you can buy some food. Or another option is you're in bondage to the person that gives you a loan, because he didn't spend all his money, and now you owe him.

You thought you had liberty to do whatever you wanted to do, the great American dream.

But the choices you make, they have consequences. And it is the consequences that most often put us into bondage. Paul called that the bondage of corruption, the bondage of decay, of breaking down your life. Paul warns us about not redefining freedom as being the ability to do whatever you want. That is not freedom. That is not liberty. That's what puts you into bondage. Galatians, please go there with me, Galatians chapter 5 verses 13 through 14. We're Christians. We've received the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. There's a certain liberty that comes with that. Liberty from the death penalty. Liberty to go to the throne of God himself and petition him. I mean, who are we to do that? That is incredible liberty. But notice what Paul warns comes with that liberty. Galatians 5 verse 13. For you, brethren, have been called to liberty. Only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh. But through love serve one another. Well, how is that freedom?

So I gotta bring you a piece of pie? I can't just go get a piece of pie for myself?

And that's liberty? Yes. Yes, that is exactly liberty. Because the consequences of us serving each other builds our bonds, strengthens our relationships, reduces our anxiety and our worry and our fear, and gives us peace of mind. And yes, that is liberty.

But through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even this. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. True liberty, real liberty, doesn't grant us the freedom to satisfy our every desire. But only the freedom or opportunity to accomplish something.

What? Accomplish what is good in our lives and in the lives of others. And God's law defines what is good. Therefore, God's law defines liberty.

Because it shows you the way to reach your true potential to become truly great. You know, Mr. Smith read a passage in James chapter 1, and we're not going to go back there.

But in verses 23 through 25, James says you have to be a doer of the law. And you know what he says in that passage? He says that it's a law of liberty. The law itself sets you free when you are a doer of that law. God's law is the standard for true liberty. It defines freedoms and their limits.

Do you know the word law in Torah doesn't mean simply a list of do's and don'ts?

But rather, it means teachings. In other words, God's law and God's word are synonymous with each other. When you see the word law in the Old Testament, think the entire word of God.

The stories about Joseph and Deborah, those are also part of God's law. His word, his Torah in Hebrew. And that's what Moses wrote when he wrote the law of God.

Everything he wrote, and everybody after that, wrote part of the teachings or the word of God.

So what did James mean when he said that the law of God is the law of liberty? He meant the whole thing. Carte blanche. It's not just keeping the Sabbath and not eating pork. It's every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. That's what the word Torah means when you apply it to the Bible.

And before we look closely at God's law to clearly understand true liberty, let's look at some history. How important liberty under law, liberty under law, has been to us as a nation. We're going to look at two historical events, two major historical events, one from Great Britain and one from the United States, that impacted you in your life today sitting here in Houston.

One was the first one is the British Magna Carta, or Magna Carta Libertarium, which is a medieval Latin for the great charter of freedom. It's commonly, we just call it the Magna Carta, or the great charter, in other words. And the second one is the American Bill of Rights. We're going to take a quick look at both of those. First, the Magna Carta. It was a royal charter, an agreement, in other words, of rights, agreed by King John of England in 1215, the year 1215. It was drafted to make peace between an unpopular king and a group of rebellious land barons. Now, let me explain the feudal system just briefly, but it's not like our world today. Society was very different. When you were born, you were born into a specific class. You were either in the barren class, which was the landowners. They owned everything. And people like you and I didn't own anything. We got to work on that land, but we didn't own it. The barons did. Then you had the soldier class. The soldiers were second-class citizens, but they were still pretty upper-crust, because if you were a soldier, you got to protect the barons. Okay? And the barons always had a king. There was usually, you know, one guy at the top. And then below the soldier class was the working class. And that's most of us, the working class. Well, being a king in the feudal system was a risky, very precarious thing. Because if you made the barons mad, off goes your head, and they'd get another king. Wow, how did that happen? Because they owned everything. So you had to be very careful. But you also had to be very careful being a baron, because the king had the soldiers who answered to him. And if just one or two barons got out of line, the king could have them killed. So it had to be a lot of barons that gang up on the king.

So it was a very precarious relationship between a king and these barons. And this is what happened. This is how the Magna Carta came to be. There were enough barons to create enough risk to the king. The king actually, for the very first time in history of ever, made a deal with the barons.

It was drafted to make peace. The Magna Carta promised the protection of the church, and church rights, protection of the barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, so they couldn't be stuck in prison forever awaiting trial. And the limitation of feudal payments to the crown, which was the really big deal, always follow the money. And it was to be implemented through a council of 25 barons, not the king. And both the barons and the king signed this. But that never lasted. In the end, neither king nor baron stood by their commitments. The charter was annulled by Pope Innocent III, which led to a big war, but that's another story.

Currently in the United States, we took note of the Magna Carta when the founding fathers were writing the Constitution. And we in the United States are now protected by a set of laws that is very similar to the Magna Carta that we call the Bill of Rights, which is in our Constitution.

And this Bill of Rights gives American citizens liberty. These laws give you freedom.

Let me explain, at least when they're upheld, they do. The Bill of Rights gives you freedom from oppression, freedom to worship God, freedom to assemble. We can meet here today, and we're not worried the police are going to bust down the door. Freedom to speak up when you believe something's wrong in the government without threat of reprisal from the government. You have the right to a fair trial by a jury of your peers. You have the right to own your own house without the government taking it over for military use. So you have the right to live in your own home at peace. And those are just a few of the rights that you are given, a few of the freedoms that you have because of law.

Just to relate the point that law actually does grant freedom.

Those laws grant us the opportunity to actually reach our American potential, what we call the American Dream. And it is the law in America that grants our liberty.

It's the law that protects us from a tyrannical government, from oppression. And when that law breaks down or becomes subjective, that's when your freedoms are at risk. And don't worry, this is not going to get political. This is about the kingdom of God, not America. Today's sermon is not about the political stage going on today. I would not dare stick my toes in that blender of a mess.

So you see the point. Good laws protect freedom. You know, in America, we don't even have perfect laws. And many times we change the laws to fit the whims, and that even, you know, whims of society, that even creates more strife. But the good news is, and why we're here today, is that God's law doesn't change. It is perfect, and it defines liberty much better than the Bill of Rights does. It protects society, as long as people follow it, from those who would tear it down.

Trust God. That's what Jesus and the Apostle Paul were saying in the scriptures that we've read today. If you want true liberty, trust the words of your Bible. Let those words be what you live by, and you will live free from the consequences of sin. By rejecting truth, true freedom is actually thrown out the window. That's how truth sets you free. Truth, as defined by God, is the source of your liberty. But our nation has come to worship a different kind of freedom. The freedom to do as you please. This freedom leads us into the bondage of corruption, as Paul called it, because it rejects God's word as the basis of truth, as Mr. Smith was saying. Not truths, according to your point of view, but truth, according to God's. Just like the consequence of spending all your money and then not having enough to eat, that's not freedom. It's bondage.

And you know, it goes much, much deeper than that. That's an over-simplistic example.

Our human nature gets us into so much trouble. When we transgress the law of God, that's set there to protect life and liberty, we damage some part of our life, and that always puts us into some kind of bondage. Consequences. Consequences are our jailer that holds us into bondage. Like when we eat a bad diet, and we're not careful what we put in our mouth. We have poor health as a consequence. And now we're in bondage to our health.

Or someone cheats on a spouse. That's pretty common in human nature. And what do they do? They generally lose the spouse and break up a family. And now they're in the bondage of the anguish. One of the worst anguishes of all. And that is the feeling of rejection.

Or spending too much money and living in debt.

All of those consequences that I just mentioned and so many more lead to anxiety and worry and doubt. Anxiety and worry and doubt are true bondage.

You know, they are the gatekeepers of the jail. Because from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed, you're in bondage. And in fact, when you go to sleep and you have bad dreams, you're still in bondage. To that worry and that doubt and that anxiety. And where does that come from? Not God's law, because that sets you free from that. It frees you from those consequences.

The consequences of our own bad actions really start to add up. In fact, I would say pile up.

And then they combine with the consequences of other people's bad actions that have intersected with our lives. And now you have a real mess on your hands. And you understand, at least in part, what Paul meant by the bondage of corruption. Everyone on this planet right now is facing the end of life on the earth. We see the wars going on, and I'm not going to get into it for time's sake, but in the Ukraine and in the Middle East, and that could snap.

So many people could die. Millions in less than an hour could be snuffed out.

All because people define freedom as being whatever they want. And that is not freedom.

2 Peter. Peter gives a solution. 2 Peter 2, verses 15 through 19.

2 Peter 2, verse 15. They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, loved...what are wages? Wages are consequences. Wages are what you've earned as a result of something.

They love the consequences.

But he was rebuked for his iniquity, a dumb donkey, speaking with a man's voice, restrained the madness of the prophet. These, speaking of those people that love to follow their own path, those people who have gone astray, as Peter says, these are wells without water, clouds carried by the tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever, for when they speak great swelling words of emptiness.

Follow me and I will give you...this is my campaign promise...oh, the swelling words.

They allure you through the lust of the flesh. What does that mean? That's such a religious term.

When Peter wrote that, it was just an everyday word, but now, you know, we don't really use lust of the flesh in everyday language. But when Peter wrote this letter, it was in everyday language.

You know what it means? Getting anything you desire. Anything you want, it goes.

And that's what these wells without water promise. Anything you want. What could be wrong with that?

The bondage of corruption, anxiety, worry, doubt, the breaking of relationships. That's what's wrong with that.

They allure you through the lust of the flesh, through lewdness, through the ones who have exactly escaped those who live in error while they promise them liberty. Oh, it's the freedom. It's liberty to do whatever you want. They promise them liberty. They themselves are slaves of corruption. The same exact thing the Apostle Paul said. Same exact thing. For by whom a person is overcome, by him he also is brought into bondage. When you are baptized, brethren, you are freed from the death penalty, for sure. And all of the terrible consequences of human nature's desires have been forgiven you. And then you start to learn self-control, which is the opposite of giving in to the lust of the flesh. With the help and the strength of God's spirit, as Mr. Smith mentioned, working in you, you start to govern yourself. You stop believing that true freedom is the ability to do whatever you want. And you realize that true freedom comes from God's law, which keeps you away from the consequences that totally ruin your life. And you stop believing the lie that true freedom is the ability to do whatever you desire whenever you desire it.

That is bondage. That's selfish. It's immature. And it only leads to the negative consequences that cause eternal death. Jesus said in John 8 and verse 31, and we heard in the special music, if you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free.

One day, this world is going to need you to be gentle and loving and a teacher of God's way.

A gentle person who has learned that true freedom is freedom from fear, freedom from worry, freedom from anxiety, and freedom from doubt. Freedom to have the peace in your mind and in your life that comes from keeping every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. And you have to learn that now in order to teach it then. God's word gives you freedom when you know it and you follow it. Learn to be governed by God's way. Pray for self-control and gain true freedom.