John 8:36 4/23/2019*

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed”

Jesus is not being dramatic or poetic here. He means exactly what He says…He is saying that the word “freedom” means something, and unless He has set you free, you don’t know what it is. 

Are you free? …Do you want to be free? …Or have you become comfortable in your confinement?

Animals that are raised in cages acclimate to them. They find security in their imprisonment.  It is heartbreaking that when the door is finally open, they often remain inside, because they fear liberty. 

Finding comfort in confinement is not freedom, but we do the same thing. We become comfortable in our sin.  It is familiar and predictable and though it imprisons us, we choose to be a slave to it because it is all we know.  Furthermore, as we look around this world - it is all we see … but that is not freedom. 

Freedom is not mundane and predictable. It is liberating and empowering.  There is an anticipation and excitement to it. That is why Jesus differentiated between what the world calls freedom, and what He calls freedom.

Christ didn’t just open the door, he destroyed the cage.  He conquered death, and rose from the grave, sin has lost its grip on you …So, the question is, what sin have you surrendered to?…Whatever it is, it is powerless, and you can walk away.

Jesus says He has broken the chains and you can be truly free.  But no one can push you out of your cell, you must walk out on your own. Today you can leave the dungeon you have lived in your entire life…you just have to follow Him out. 

We have all seen the photos of freed prisoners from concentration camps…The pure joy at the arrival of liberating forces is evident on their faces…. That can be you this morning…That can be you every morning.

Step into the sunshine and begin the life you were meant to live…because when the Son of God sets you free…there is no prison that can hold you. 

“Those who do not move, do not notice their chains.”
- Rosa Luxemburg