Do you want to be free? Free from what? Free to do what?
Jesus told His attackers how to be free and they ridiculed Him. But He also told those who believed in Him how to be free indeed.
Do you want to be free? The Lord willing we will see what it means to really be free, to be free indeed.
John Chapter 8 brings us the account of Jesus dealing with the despicable plot of the scribes and Pharisees who tried to compromise Him on the law and mercy with the woman caught in the act of adultery.
Then to contrast Himself with those Jewish leaders who were in spiritual darkness Jesus says in verse 12 that He is the “light of the world.” They are ignorant of the truth and Jesus says that He is the only way to spiritual understanding or “light.”
The claim to be the “light of the world” is only one of the many claims that Jesus makes for Himself that are either true or not true. If what Jesus said about Himself were not true then it would mean that He is a lunatic. There is no other way to understand the claims that Jesus makes for His deity.
Since Jesus is the Light of the world then it means that faith in Jesus and following His teaching is the only way to move from spiritual darkness and ignorance to spiritual understanding.
In verse 19, Jesus told the most religious men on earth that they did not know God! The reason these men did not know God the Father is because they did not believe the OT Scriptures that told them about Jesus. The OT Scriptures testify of Jesus. Moses wrote about Jesus. If they had believed what Moses wrote they would not be in spiritual darkness.
And in verse 24, Jesus told these men that if they did not believe that I AM that they would die in their sins. I AM is Jehovah! The same Jehovah that introduced Himself to Moses at the burning bush is Jesus. Jesus is I AM!
In verse 27 John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit explains that they did not understand that Jesus spoke to them of the Father.
They were in spiritual darkness.
Such is the case with everyone who does not savingly believe in Jesus Christ, they are in spiritual darkness and they do not know God.
We celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ this week and that is a good thing. But it is not a good thing that so many people who are involved with Christmas and family and presents do not know whom it is that was born of a virgin?
That is what we see in the Gospel of John. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The eternal Word is Jesus of Nazareth.
Can you read these verses we are studying today and understand that this same Jesus is both Lord and Christ?
So we come to verses 28-32:
John 8:28-32
28 Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.
29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."
30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
From these verses [D.V.] we will examine what it means:
To lift up the Son of Man;
To abide in the word that is from Jesus;
And, what it means to know the truth and to be free.
First, Lifting up the Son of Man [28-29].
28 Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.
29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."
What does Jesus mean, “When you lift up the Son of Man …”?
Here is a very good example of why it is so important to use the analogy of Scripture in order to understand what a particular phrase in the Bible means. The analogy of Scripture is to use Scripture to interpret Scripture. Use passages of Scripture that are clearly understood to shed light on passages that may not be so easy to understand. This is also called biblical theology.
Many people think that “to lift up” Jesus simply means to exalt Him in praise. Now we should and must exalt Jesus in praise. But that is not what Jesus means when He says, “to lift up the Son of Man”.
What we need do in order to understand what it means, “to lift up the Son of Man” is to go the other places in the Bible where the phrase is used and see what the context is and then apply that to this verse.
We have an easy task in this case because John uses the expression “to lift up” three times. The first is in Chapter 3, Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus:
John 3:14-15
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
In John 3, Jesus was revealing to Nicodemus the sovereignty of God in the gift of the new birth. Jesus said that it was necessary for Him to die.
The Son of Man MUST be “lifted up”!
Only a crucified Christ will atone for sin.
Only the sinless Son of God is qualified to be the Substitute for sinners.
If you put a sinner like me on a cross I would die but the value of my death would be equal to that of only one sinner. Since my sin is against an infinitely holy God the length of my punishment in hell would be forever.
As a sinful man I could never atone for my own sin because the value of my soul is not infinite. A finite soul versus an infinitely holy God!
So if a man dies in his sins, as Jesus said in verse 24, is the case for those who do not believe that He is I AM, that man will go to hell when he dies and there he will be forever and forever.
But if the world’s only sinless Man, Jesus Christ, is put on a cross and He dies for sin, the value of His death is infinite. This is where, in my opinion, so many people have the wrong idea about whom Jesus died for. The value of His atonement is sufficient for the human race because the value of His soul is infinite.
But the value of His atonement and the intent of His atonement are not the same thing.
If the intent of the atonement of Christ was for the salvation of the entire human race then there is no hell. Whomever Christ shed His precious blood for will be saved. Christ is not a failure. “He shall see the travail of His soul and be satisfied.” “His name shall be called Jesus and He shall save His people form theirs sins.”
Whatever Christ intended to accomplish on the cross is what the result will be. The effect of the atonement will tell you the intent of the atonement.
So to Nicodemus, Jesus says that it is only a crucified Christ, a dead and buried Christ, a risen Christ, and an ascended Christ who has the authority and the power to save sinners. If anyone believes on Jesus they will never perish but will have eternal life.
The second place “to lift up” is used by John is here in our text today.
John 8:28-29
28 Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.
29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."
These men that are plotting to kill Jesus will know something after [when] they have “lifted up” or crucified the Son of Man.
They will know that Jesus is Jehovah but it will be too late for most of them.
There will be a day when everyone will know that Jesus is Jehovah because every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. [Philippians 2:9-11]
The demons believe and tremble, says James, but demons cannot be saved!
Paul tells us in Romans that everyone knows from the evidence in creation that there is a divine nature. But the knowledge that there must be a God is only sufficient to condemn but it is not sufficient to save.
So it is possible to know there is God and not be saved.
Jesus says something else about His relationship to God the Father.
but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.
There is only one God and there is only one decretive will of God. In Chapter 6:40 Jesus says that it is the will of the Father that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life.
Is there a clearer statement of the intent of the atonement than 6:40?
Here 8:29, Jesus says that the Father is with Him and has not left him alone and that He always does those things that please Him. Only the sinless Son of God can say that He always does what pleases the Father.
The Father has not left Me alone, …
Let me offer you something that I have learned about the crucifixion.
Many men, including myself in years past, have preached on the so-called “Cry of Dereliction” when Jesus cries out “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” [Matthew 27:46]
They paint graphic word pictures of God the Father literally turning His back on God the Son. But the context of His being “lifted up” includes the statement that, “The Father has not left Me alone, …”
Let me refer you to a sermon by Charles Alexander that convinced me that the Father never abandoned Jesus. When Jesus cries out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” He is quoting from Psalm 22 and He quotes the first and the last verse, “That He has done.”, “It is finished.”
Jesus is saying from the cross that He is the Messiah of Psalm 22.
Jesus is declaring from the cross that the One they have “lifted up” is none other than the Messiah of the psalms and the prophets.
There is unity in the Godhead. Yes, the Christ suffered the anguish of His soul by being put in the rank and order of sinners but it was God the Father who put His only Son on the cross and the Father never abandoned His darling, even on that cruel cross.
29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.
In the third place that John uses “lifted up” he clearly tells us what “lifted up” means.
John 12:32-33
32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."
33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die.
Moses lifted up the serpent on a pole in the wilderness. The bronze serpent was the symbol of sin. It was sin that was killing the people. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
And of course the opposite is true. Whoever does not believe in Him will die in their sins and spend eternity dying in hell.
It is only the atonement for sin that will draw men to Christ.
Until the Holy Spirit uses the law to give the knowledge of sin and convicts a man of sin and his just condemnation there is no need in that man’s thinking for a Substitute.
But when a man agrees with God that he has sinned against a holy God and that he is justly condemned and the man sees Christ lifted up from the earth, as the sufficient Substitute for sin, then the man will be drawn to Christ and the man will believe in Jesus to the saving of his soul.
So to “lift up” the Son of Man, means to put Him on a cross!
The second thing to see [understand] is that Jesus says something about abiding in His word.
Believing in Jesus [30-32].
There is a vital and necessary connection between believing in Jesus and living in His word.
What is His word? Please abandon the notion that only the red letters in the Bible are the words of Jesus. Jesus is the Word made flesh. Jesus is the logos, the logic, and the way that God communicates with man in order that a man may be saved.
Jesus told the Pharisees that Moses wrote about Him. The entire Bible is about Jesus and how God deals with sin. You know what Jesus told the two that He overtook on the road to Emmaus after His resurrection.
“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded to them all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” Luke 24:27
The entire Bible is about Jesus and the entire Bible is His word.
What is the evidence of saving faith?
This is not a formula on how to be saved, it is the evidence of being saved.
30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
You already know that there are different ways to believe in Jesus. Many people believe some of the historical facts about Jesus of Nazareth.
Some people go even further and believe that Jesus is born of a virgin and that He is the only Savior and that He rose from the grave. But there is something missing in what they believe.
What sets apart the person who has saving faith from the person who only accepts doctrinal statements? Jesus tells us: "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.”
Paul, in Romans 8:5, gives us a definition of a Christian and an unbeliever:
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.”
We have the “things of the Spirit” right before us. Your Bible!
How does that work out in our daily lives?
We are faced with a decision; a choice is to be made.
Usually we consider all of the practical aspects of the matter, the financial implications, and the personal gratification and yet our conscience tells us the choice we are about to make is not correct. What might be influencing our conscience?
If you are a Christian it is to “live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit,” the Word of God!
Are we abiding [dwelling, living] in the Word of God? Do we even care what the Word of God has to say? Is Jesus my “light”? Is Jesus my Guide?
"If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.”
Am I really a disciple? Am I a disciple indeed?
Churches are full of people who claim to follow Jesus.
But are they abiding in His word, or they on that broad way that leads to destruction? It is not for me to answer that question about any individual. It is my responsibility to tell you that it is possible to belong to a church and even to be a preacher and not be abiding in the word of Jesus.
And finally, what does it mean to know the truth and to be free?
32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Jesus says there are two things that accompany abiding in His word. You shall know the truth and the truth will make you free.
This is one of the most abused and misapplied verses that can be found in the Bible. Someone is discussing some secular issue and they will say, “The truth will make you free.” Some vain politician, referring to his or her campaign says, “The truth will make you free.”
But are they thinking about Jesus Christ?
First, according to Jesus, there is truth.
And the church is responsible to safeguard the truth.
“The house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” 1 Timothy 3:14
New Age nonsense and postmodernism say there is no absolute truth. The only thing that they are absolutely sure of is that there is nothing that you can be absolutely sure of. Adherents of this worldview say that you cannot know anything for sure. Besides truth, they say, is relative. What may be true for you is not necessarily true for me. We each have our own truth, they say and even if our “truths” are opposite they may both be true.
Only an insane person can hold two opposite things both to be true.
But Jesus says there is truth and that when you believe in Him and abide in His word that you are a true disciple and that you will know the truth.
Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?”
Truth personified stands before Pilate and Pilate is blind to the truth.
Jesus says, “… I am the truth …” [John 14:6]
Knowing the truth begins when you come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. Lay down all your excuses and doubts and put your trust in Jesus and in His righteousness and you will know the truth and you will be made free.
The Jewish leaders will argue that they have never been in bondage to anyone, how can you say, “You will be made free?”
Where are you? Are you like the Jewish leaders and determined to deny that you are a slave to sin? Do you really want to die in your sins?
What does it mean to be free?
To a lazy person, to be free, means not having to work for a living.
To someone in an unhappy marriage, to be free, means to somehow escape the marriage.
To some young people, to be free, means to not have to obey their parents. “Question authority!” is the challenge.
What is true freedom?
Being free to deny self.
Being free to love your neighbor.
Being free to strive against sin.
Being free to worship Jesus Christ.
Come to the truth in Christ Jesus, and the truth shall make you free.
Being a Christian will not make you rich and pay all of your debts. Being a Christian will not make you exempt from illness and personal tragedy.
Being a Christian and abiding in His word will give you the peace of mind that God loves you no matter the circumstances of your life. You will know that the sufferings of this present age cannot be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in the children of God.
Obeying the Word of God is what it means to abide in His word. Obedience leads to knowledge of the truth. One is truly free when sin no longer rules over him, and when the word of Christ dominates his heart and life.
One is free, therefore, not to do what his sinful nature urges him to do, but to do what he should do and to do it gladly.
Listen to what the Apostle Peter learned:
2 Peter 1:2-4
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
That is what it means to be free.
So to conclude, we have seen what it means:
To lift up the Son of Man;
To abide in the word that is from Jesus;
And, what it means to know the truth and to be free.
John 8:28-32
28 Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."
30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
Amen
