Reformation
(Observed)
October 28, 2018
John 8:31-36
“Made Free”
How are we
to perceive ourselves? Some believe we exist to be free. That seems to be the
American mantra, “I was born free, I live free, and I will die, free!”
The truth is we are born slaves to sin. All of us have been born into
sin. We are in bondage to the power of the Devil.
Fortunately, this bondage was broken by a man who suffered on a
cruel and bloody cross and then stood at the mouth of an open tomb. Christians
are now declared to be slaves of Christ. In Christ we are now slaves who are
set free.
The Emancipation proclamation is will be remembered as one of
Lincoln’s greatest acts as president. Jesus’ death on the cruel, cruel, cross is
what has guaranteed your freedom. The Reformation was that event which called
for religious freedom – freedom from false and misleading teachings. Freedom of
a burdened conscience and the burden of guilt. We are declared to be free in
Christ – free to live, love and serve.
As Christians we are
1.
Born,
destined to be slaves of sin –
2.
Yet, we
have been made free by Jesus Christ the only-begotten Son of God –
I. Each
is born a slave to sin. (V. 34)
“Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.”
Because of our first parents Adam and Eve we have all been made
slaves to sin. An evil conscience is a troubled conscience. An evil conscience
is a conscience diseased by guilt. Guilt is heavy. It is oppressive. By its very nature it suffocates the soul.
Guilt is inward and deeply affects the heart, mind, and spirit.
The burden of guilt is a by-product of sin. Guilt will not allow you to be emotionally or
spiritually healthy. We cannot live under the burden of guilt. If you cannot
resolve you guilt then your living will be painful, burdened, empty. Chronic
guilt is a thief who steals the fullness of one's life. The guilty soul is a
joyless soul. Guilt, like a strong man, holds the soul captive and will not
yield to arguments of denial. Real guilt is cast in steel. It allows nothing to
break its power. It rules over the mind, the emotions, and the heart.
Ultimately, our entire personality is deeply affected - for guilt brings its
presence to our daily life. [1]
Yet you have been redeemed by Christ the crucified. Yes, Christ
has redeemed you from the curse of the Law. But at the same time, there is the
“Old Adam [lurking] within us. He
needs to die! He is killed daily by contrition and repentance. He is drowned
and dies with all sins and evil lust so that a new man can daily come forth and
arise who shall live before God in righteousness and purity forever.” [2]
Jesus is the only one who is able to break this bond of guilt. He
completely frees you from the guilt of every sin. There is no such thing as
partial forgiveness. He died for all sins. And He frees from the guilt of every
sin. Little sins. Big sins. Even the unspeakable. He has taken all your
sins. Every single one was placed on His
bloody back. He becomes your sin offering.
John proclaimed Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of
the world. He bore the guilt and penalty of your sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in
us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – [3]
St. Paul writes, in Romans, the sixth chapter, “We were buried
with Christ by Baptism into death, that, like as He was raised up from the dead
by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”[4]
Daily we fall short of the perfection the Father demands of us.
We confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We
have not loved the Lord with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors
and ourselves. We justly deserve His present and eternal punishment.[5]
We confess both sins of commission and sins of omission. This is
what we mean when we say to God and to each other, “We have sinned by
thought, word and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone.” [6]
Specifically, we plead guilty before God for everything.
In Individual/Private Confession we pray, “I have lived as if
God did not matter and as if I mattered most. My Lord’s name I have not honored
as I should; my worship and prayers have faltered. I have not let His love have
its way with me, and so my live for others has failed. There are those whom I
have hurt, and those whom I failed to help. My thoughts and desires have been
soiled with sin.” [7]
Transition: As
humans. As sons of Adam. As daughters of Eve. We are born slaves to sin. Yet
there is in us a “new man” which has made us a new people.
II. We
are made free by God’s Son. (V. 36)
“So if the son has made you free you are free indeed.”
You are made free because of the action and work of Jesus Christ. Real forgiveness restores the soul. It
unburdens the heart. A life set free from guilt is a life free to live in the
fullness of joy! A clear heart. And a clear conscience. Un-clutters the mind. A
life free from guilt is a life free to worship with an un-fettered heart. Real
joy is a fruit of a clear conscience. With the heaviness of guilt removed, our
eyes are opened to God. We can be emotionally and spiritually healthy. A clear
conscience frees our personality to an unburdened wholeness.
David writes: “He restores
my soul; he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.” [8] David speaks of God restoring his soul. The
Lord restores the guilty through the atoning work of Christ. David said He was
restored by God. When He "restores" it is not a restoration of our
making. It is a restoration that He performs for us and in us. It is not something we do, or can do.
Regardless of what we do, we cannot restore ourselves, and we cannot make
atonement for ourselves; Jesus brings us back to God. He alone restores, heals,
forgives.
He brings us back from bondage to freedom. And, this freedom is at
the deepest level of our being. Your outward circumstances may be difficult. But
if we possess the restoration that comes from the atoning work of Christ, then
we can live thankfully and joyfully for our conscience has been cleared of all
guilt.
John in his Gospel will tell us Jesus entered this world, “And
the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We have seen his glory,
the glory of the one and only, who came from the Father, full of grace and
truth.[9] But
when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a
woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we
might receive the adoption of sons.[10]
Jesus bore your sin. “He himself bore our sins in his body
on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his
wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you
have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”[11]
Jesus offers you new life. St. Paul would remind us, “Or
don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized
into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into
death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory
of the Father, we too may live a new life.”[12]
This freedom cannot be taken from you. Satan may howl and shriek.
This is what he enjoys! And he’s so good it! He’s so good at what he does. “Be
self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour.” 9 “Resist him,
standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the
world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”[13]
Satan. He’s always accusing. Always judging. Always condemning. He’s so
critical. He does not approve of Christ and what He is doing in you. So He will
continue to bellow and shout his accusations at you.
But in a clear small voice someone speaks even louder - it is
Christ your Savior who speaks His word of peace, “I forgive you” “I love you”
“I care for you.” This is what moved
the Evangelist John to write, “This then is how we know that we belong to
the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our
hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.” [14]
How are
we to perceive ourselves? As humans we are born slaves of sin – Everyone
who commits sin is a slave to sin. That’s the Law. Yet, by the grace of God
we have been made free by the Son – So if the Son has made you free you
are free indeed. In Jesus Christ you are free indeed. Believe and
trust in this reality.
The author to the Hebrews offers these words; “Let us draw near with a true heart in full
assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and
our bodies washed with pure water.” [15]
If you find yourself burdened under a heart of guilt, then come to
the One who alone sprinkled His blood for you, and who alone can wash you with
pure water. He will take your guilt upon Himself, and in return, will give you
His peace!
________________
Words-1,800
Passive Sentences –11%
Readability – 84.7%
Reading Level – 4.3
+ Soli Deo Gloria +
[2] “The Significance of Baptizing with Water” from
Luther’s Small Catechism Lutheran Worship © 1980 Concordia Publishing House,
St. Louis, MO pg. 303
[4] Romans 6:
[5] Confession of Sins from Divine Service II Lutheran
Worship © 1980 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO p. 158
[7] Individual Confession and Absolution Lutheran
Worship © 1980 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO p. 310
[9] John 1:14
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