December 30, 2006

• You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free by Pastor Don

  This Bible study was prompted by a question someone asked Pastor Don over the lasagna we had for our pot luck lunch. I would give anything for you to be able to attend these studies. They are open to anyone who wants to attend, and what is blessed about them is that Pastor Don encourages questions and comments and input, so it is a real sharing of the Word of God.

  Pastor Don pointed out that we should never stop growing in the Word, and that our need for the Word is never fulfilled. That is so true, each and every day there are new revelations.

  John 8:32 And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.

  This well known passage in the Bible does not mean what we have understood it to mean. In order to get the context of the passage we have to look at the previous verse.

  John 8:31-32 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him. “If you abide in My word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”

  We have to abide in His Word. How do we know that we are a disciple of Christ? We ABIDE (dwell, habitation, our life exercise), in the Word, not speaking doubt and unbelief. A follower working and living in Christ’s way.

  A true disciple will not have a spirit of offense, will take correction if it is given in the love of Christ, and according to God’s Word. We are not to compromise the truth of God’s Word.

  If we are honest with ourselves we realize that we do not correctly follow God’s Word 100% of the time, so we have to realize that if someone shows us where we are missing it in a loving and kind manner, we will begin to know the truth and gain freedom as verse 32 implies.

  Notice that Jesus was not speaking to the Scribes and Pharisees in this passage, He was talking to Jewish believers. We have to realize that sometimes friends, unbelievers, and non-committed Christians may not hear us – hear the truth of God’s Word. It is much the same as a teenager who has selective hearing about something their parent has told them,

  If you abide in the Word (verse 31), then you are in position to receive the truth (verse 32).

  Verse 36 ties into it. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. When we abide in the Word, believe what Jesus says, living in that Word that you believe, then we will see that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. John 14:12-14 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also, and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, then the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

  Jesus is our path, our direction, our road. He becomes our mode of operation. When we know Jesus and obey him then we are in position to experience true freedom. Jesus will reveal to you everything you need to know. When this truth is applied to each believer, then there is a chance for true freedom in all nations. Those who speak peace as the world perceives it will never see peace manifest, it can only manifest as believers choose to obey Christ, and the number of believers increase, then world peace is possible.

  Today people have taken the word “freedom” and abused its meaning. Freedom in our society leads to anarchy. What people today want is freedom without responsibility, and that leads to chaos. Teenagers who claim “I just want to be free” are really saying that they want to do what they want to do without responsibility and the consequences of their actions.

  We need to know the truth about our desire to be free. Sin is a consequence of chaos, confusion, bad decisions without responsibility. Very few people who commit a sin start out saying, “I know what I am doing, and the consequences of what I am doing.” Satan does not want to reveal the consequences. There is baggage with every sin, even sins that you think have not been observed by others.

  Revelation of truth comes by knowing the foundational truths of God, then you can understand the creation of the universe, entropy, gravity, microevolution, etc. The way to know everything that gives you the greatest freedom is to know Him. To be really free we need to know the consequences, then we have the ability to choose with knowledge. And He will reveal to us what we need to know.

  1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

  To those who are perishing, who don’t know the truth, they come to a conclusion so foreign to what most arrive at.

  1 Corinthians 1:19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

  If I abide in the Lord, consult what Jesus says, find the truth and the Word about a decision then I can make a wise decision. So many people act first without consulting God. They go to God after the fact, not before, and it invariably leads to trouble.

  1 Corinthians 1:20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

  The Pharisees were the politicians of the day, the scribes were the historians, the keeper of the Word. Jesus was debating with the scribes when he debates scripture. The Pharisees would ask the scribes what the Word says, they had the Word, read the Word, studied the Word, but missed the deeper revelation, and the deeper revelation begins with OBEDIENCE.

  What does the Word say? Jesus pointed out that God desired mercy, not sacrifice. The scribes would look for sacrifice, but God wanted them to look for mercy,

  The Word of God is truth. The Word is greater than science or politics. Politics can be a very prideful activity, thinking that it is a way to effectively change people without the Word of God. All we do in politics is control, change conditions. Now we are seeing an evolution of the world view, one world view, and there is a push to accept things that God has deemed unholy, such as same sex marriage, etc. They are taking wrong things and trying to force people to see them as right.

  We can tell a true Christian, that we know Christ well enough because Christ has reminded me of my problems. If we know Christ, He reveals to us every problem we have, and the source of it within us, that it is not caused by someone else.

  Notice in verse 20 that refers to the sacrifice of a spiritual person who knows the world. Even though a person claims to be a Christian, they need to be examined to see if they are obedient to God’s Word. There are a lot of people calling themselves “Christian” who do not believe the gospel or like the gospel. Who selectively choose what they will obey.

  1 Corinthians 1:21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

  We do not get our wisdom by the prevailing world view. The world view doesn’t offer salvation and make life better. Our wisdom does not seem wise to the World. Jesus is looking for people saved by faith, who have a hart to love him, a heart to believe the unbelievable. In essence the world sees us as crazy people.

  It is late, so I am going to stop here and continue tomorrow, but I wanted to get a bit of the Bible study out for you.

  Hoping you have a blessed night.

  Heather

  • 12:30 am
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