Sermon Tone Analysis
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*The Gospel of John XVI: *
*Sin’s Slavery*
*John 8:31-36*
*/October 5, 2008/*
*Prep: *
· Sermons: John 14, Phil 9, Romans
· Leftovers: pg 1-2
· Bible: John 8:12ff
*Intro*
*Membership* *Sunday* went great.
Look at the bullet and see if we can *remember* the church’s *mission*.
· Membership class is *online*.
*Prayer: *
· Help us see sin for what it is and become freer from it.
*Sin is fun!*
Q Is sin fun?
Q Why are you lying, in church?
Sin is like a *drug*: it gives you a great trip, but *uses* *you* *up* and *costs* way *more* than you’d want to pay in your *right* *mind*.
· The problem is that we are *seldom* in our right mind.
We are back in *John* and we’ll look at the *price* of sin and how God helps us *struggle* against it.
In the *larger* *context*, Jesus is still in *Jerusalem*.
It is the Feast of *Tabernacles*, a mix of Thanksgiving and Oktoberfest.
People slept in *tents*, and celebrated the *harvest*.
· Key *traditions* involving *water* and *light*.
In this context, Jesus shows up and starts talking about bring living *water* and being the *light* of the world.
· Like at *Christmas* saying he is a *present*.
We will focus in on this one passage:
*John 8:31-36 ESV* 31 ¶ So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone.
How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”
34 ¶ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
· *Executive* *summary*: Sin is *slavery*, and *Jesus* is the only way to be *freed*.
The majority of people here *are* *Christians*, so before your eyes *glaze* *over* and you think, “Yeah, yeah, Jesus frees us from sin”:
Q Who is Jesus speaking to?
“The Jews who had believed in him.”
This stuff is spoken to *us*.
*Now and not yet*
There’s two parts to sin: *penalty* and *consequences*.
Jesus said:
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
If we believe in Jesus, then we are freed from the penalty of sin – we will never face the judgment for our sins.
· But we still *sin* and face the *consequences* of sin.
This is part of “*now* and *not* *yet*”: So many aspects of our faith are true from the moment of salvation, yet will not be fully seen in this life.
· The struggle with sin is a *lifetime* *struggle*.
· The purpose of this sermon is to look at *some* *keys* to *struggling* *successfully*.
*Key: Be honest about our sins*
These guys thought that they were not slaves to their sin:
33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone.
How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”
This is rather *ironic*: Jews had in fact been slaves more often than free – of their c.
*1500* *years* in existence, they had been *enslaved* for a total of *900* *years*, currently by the Romans.
We can laugh their *self*-*delusion*, but we would do better to learn a *lesson*.
· The *freer* we think we are from sin, the *more* *bound* we are.
The *holiest* people I know are the most *conscious* of their sin.
Not in a guilt-ridden way, but in *humility*.
As Paul said, I am the *worst* of *sinners*.
ESV *1 John 1:8* If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
· And we are *only* fooling ourselves!
Our *family* and *friends* are all keenly *aware* of our *failings*.
So let’s stop pretending to be something we are not.
*Don’t cover up, ‘fess up!*
This is perhaps seems an *obvious* *point*, but we must rid ourselves of the notion that *Christianity =* *perfection*.
We know better, yet we still feel the need to *look* the *part*.
· That is why our *mission* *statement* says we are “*striving*.”
This gives us the *freedom* to ‘*fess* up and find the *help* that God would give us in *community*.
· In fact, *relationships* are one of the most important *tools* good gives us to be *freed* from sin.
Ä So as we try to do what’s right, *honesty* is a key; *just* as *important* is how we *view* *sin*.
*is it worth it?*
Q Do we *really* believe the sin is slavery?
*A* Kinda
When we *consciously* *choose* to sin (*important* *distinction* – more in a moment), it is because we believe that the *payoff* is bigger than the cost.
· *Think* *about* *that*, we believe the benefit outweighs the cost.
When *Marilyn* and I are *arguing*, and I know just the thing that will really cut her down to size, then say it, it is fun – until I am sleeping on the couch.
· *Sooner* or *later* we will figure out it *wasn’t* worth it.
*getting away with Sin*
In our lives, there are *two* *types* of sin: The ones we *want* *God* to take (the *embarrassing* ones, e.g. less stingy) and the ones we want to *keep* (the *fun* ones, e.g.
bitterness and lust).
· We view these sins as something to “*get* *away* *with*.”
· “Lord, give me *chastity*, but not *yet*” shows *short*-term view of sin, that we *don’t* *believe* God that it is truly *wrong*.
Remember: Sin is not a *list* of arbitrary *rules*, but God helping us *avoid* *pain*.
Again, sin is never something we *get* *away* with, it is something we are *inflicted* *with*.
“Sin takes you *further* than you want to go, *leaves* you there long than you want to stay, and *costs* you more than you want to pay.”
*Key: Knowing Sin is slavery*
A *key* to struggling to sin is to see it as slavery – *every* sin, *every* *time*.
Sin is never something we get away with.
We are always *digging* the *pit* *deeper*, making it harder to get out.
Every *lie*, every *laziness*, every *glance* makes it *harder* to do the *right* *thing*.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.
As *Americans*, we love our *freedom* and we hate being *told* what to do.
Ironically, *freedom* to *do* *anything* is slavery.
· We end up like the *Jews* who said they had *never* been *slaves*, or the *addict* who says he can *quit* *anytime*.
· *True* *freedom* is the *freedom* to *not* *destroy* ourselves with sin.
I talked *earlier* about *consciously* sinning – very often we really are *slaves* to the sin that have become *ingrained* *habits*.
· We need to *pray* that that we see sin as *slavery*, not *freedom*.
And when we cannot *see* that *far*, we have to pray for *faith* to trust, that if *God* *says* it is sin, then it is truly slavery.
Ä We have to *want* to be free.
*Key: Strive to be free*
We have to hate *dishonoring* God, *hurting* others, and *hurting* ourselves.
We have to want it *enough* to *change*.
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