The Truth will set you Free

John 8:32 NLTAnd you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”john 8: The world is searching for freedom from:The Interpretation of St. John’s Gospel V. Jesus’ Testimony Culminates in an Effort to Stone Him, 31–59

“Shall know” does not refer to a remote future but to one that begins at once and continues and grows.Everybody wants to be free from somethingEverybody wants to be free from somethingThere is no one I know who does not have something they want to be free fromThe world is searching for freedom from:CrusadesHatred FearBigotry LonelinessDisease HopelessnessJesus never came to specifically bring freedom from some behavior or addictionJesus came to break the power behind all the unhealthy damaging things we do…its called sinSin enslaves usJohn 8:34 NLTJesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.Two kinds of slavery referred to here:(John Piper)That anger you have – sinJohn 14:34the domination and damnation of sin. Eternallythe domination and damnation of sin. That damaging desire you have – sinHe frees us from the damnation of sin by becoming a damnation for us. And he frees us from the domination of sin by changing our nature at the root through the new birth and giving us the Holy Spirit And he frees us from the domination of sin by changing our nature at the root through the new birth.That greed, jealousy, pride, fear – sinApparently Jesus’s freedom comes from Truth …..so what is Truth?Greed, Jealousy, pride etcHe wants set you & I free from the power behind these thingsJohn 8:36 NLTSo if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.8:Apparently Jesus’s freedom comes from Truth …..so what is Truth?Apparently Truth is the thing that makes us free…..so what is Truth?Apparently Jesus’s freedom comes from Truth …..so what is Truth?Pilate asked Jesus if he was the king of the Jews…and Jesus said thisPilate asked Jesus if he was the king of the Jews…and Jesus said this“You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” 38 “What is truth?” retorted PilateSo what is truth?First we are told that Jesus is the truthJohn 14:6 NLTJesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.Jesus is truth….but how was truth given to us?John 8:31–32 NLTJesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”John 8:Ephesians 4:21 NLTSince you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him,John 17:17 NLTMake them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.So Jesus’s “truth” is in his teachings.So Jesus’s “truth” was in his teachings.There is another part that is truth (explain trinity)1 John 5:6 NLTAnd Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross—not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth, confirms it with his testimony.Before Jesus left the earth physically, he promised to still be with us through the Holy SpiritJohn 14:15–18 NKJV“If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.John 14:Summary:Jesus is truthPresents it in his teachingsProvides the Holy Spirit which will lead us into his truthJohn 16 NLT“I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith. For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God. This is because they have never known the Father or me. Yes, I’m telling you these things now, so that when they happen, you will remember my warning. I didn’t tell you earlier because I was going to be with you for a while longer. “But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged. “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’ “In a little while you won’t see me anymore. But a little while after that, you will see me again.” Some of the disciples asked each other, “What does he mean when he says, ‘In a little while you won’t see me, but then you will see me,’ and ‘I am going to the Father’? And what does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand.” Jesus realized they wanted to ask him about it, so he said, “Are you asking yourselves what I meant? I said in a little while you won’t see me, but a little while after that you will see me again. I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world. So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy. At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy. “I have spoken of these matters in figures of speech, but soon I will stop speaking figuratively and will tell you plainly all about the Father. Then you will ask in my name. I’m not saying I will ask the Father on your behalf, for the Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came from God. Yes, I came from the Father into the world, and now I will leave the world and return to the Father.” Then his disciples said, “At last you are speaking plainly and not figuratively. Now we understand that you know everything, and there’s no need to question you. From this we believe that you came from God.” Jesus asked, “Do you finally believe? But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”John 16:13 NLTWhen the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.JohnJohn 1616:13….When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. (remembering reading scripture without knowing Christ)How does The Truth set us free?The Teacher’s Commentary 112: John 7–9—Light and Darkness

To “know” the truth is not to intellectually comprehend, but to experience. To know the “truth” is not to focus on a body of knowledge, but to live in touch with reality as God knows reality. To “hold to” Jesus’ teachings is not a reference to doctrinal purity, but to a commitment to put Jesus’ teachings into daily practice. To be “free” is not to live selfishly, doing whatever one wants whenever one wants, but to live a disciplined and godly life which releases us from our bondage to sin so that the choices we make lead to what helps us rather than to what hurts. All this can be found if we are only willing to really be the disciples of Jesus.

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