Free Indeed!
Notes
Transcript
What are the Marks of a Disciple? A Disciple is:
What are the Marks of a Disciple? A Disciple is:
Faithful to Christ’s Doctrine (vv 30-32)
Faithful to Christ’s Doctrine (vv 30-32)
This whole conversation is an expose on false discipleship.
JC Ryle said that the most dangerous position any person can be in is to be “half-way to Christ”, reaching out toward Jesus but not letting go of the pleasures and comforts of the world.
These people believed Christ, and even liked the words of Christ, but they were not willing to come in both repentance and faith. There is not a surrender of their life to Christ. Their is no allegiance to His Word, and therefore, they do not have saving faith.
Jesus warned about false discipleship:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Many had already left him when they did not continue in the Word.
But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”
The disciples believed that Christ had the words of life.
What does it mean to be faithful to the Word?
It means to hear, pay attention to, God’s Word - v. 47
It means to keep, watch and observe attentively, Christ’s Word - v. 51
It means that a person has submitted to Christ’s word has authoritative truth in his or her life.
All truth is God’s truth. Truth is set, concrete, and certain. It is contained in the person of Christ. There is not “your truth” and “my truth” there is just God’s truth. What is true is what aligns with and agrees with the nature of God and has been revealed in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ.
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
Freed by Christ’s Authority (vv 33-38)
Freed by Christ’s Authority (vv 33-38)
Christ has the authority to release captives because he is the son and not a slave.
What are we freed from:
Sin (vv. 33-38)
The Jews claimed to not be in bondage, but they were slaves to sin.
Interesting because they were looking for someone to free them from Rome’s rule, and had just finished celebrating God’s deliverance of their forefather’s from Egypt.
In fact, for the past 600 years the land of Israel had been in subjection to one foreign power after another.
Free indeed! Christ has the authority to deliver from sin.
Satan’s dominion (vv. 39-47)
They were of their father, the devil, because they rejected Christ’s Word and sought to kill him.
Satan has many people in bondage through his lies. It is the truth of Christ that sets free.
The Sentence of Death (51-59)
Literally, Jesus says “Truly, truly I say to you, If someone keeps my word, he will NOT (double negative) see death forever (into the age)”.
Jesus then backs up this statement by declaring his eternal nature, “Before Abraham was, I AM.”
Since he is eternal, he is able to offer eternal life to all who come to HIM!