Set Free by Christ

I feel like I used to be better about remembering things, but something about regular sleep interruptions and living with a tiny, adorable tyrant makes me feel like my mind is about as sharp as a cotton ball, not a tack. I spend an inordinate part of each day searching for my lost keys, cell phone, or chapstick.

Recently, one of the things I’m most forgetful about is turning the hose off. My husband set up this nice irrigation system for our garden so we can just leave the water on for about 15 minutes and all our plants are watered. I usually just set a timer to remind me to turn the hose off when it's done. It’s been really awesome, except for the part where I’m busy when the time is up, so I stop the timer and then forget to actually turn the hose off. I think the longest I’ve left it on for so far is about...3 hours. Now, it’s been unusually hot here for the last few weeks, so the plants haven't been complaining about the extra moisture! Our water bill, on the other hand, is probably not going to be pretty. We will, quite literally, be paying the price for forgetfulness.

Spiritual forgetfulness is another problem that's easy to slip into as a believer, and it comes with a price. When we don't meditate on the promises of God's Word, we lose sight of the core doctrines of who Jesus is and live as slaves when Christ has set us free.

When we’re struggling with sin and feel discouraged that we’ll never have victory over it, we’ve forgotten that Christ has set us free from sin so that we’re free to obey God. When we allow other people, or our successes or failures, to define our identities we’re buying into Satan’s lies and forgetting that Jesus has freed us from such deceptions so that we can believe the truth of God’s Word. When we live only for today, or in fear of tomorrow, we’ve failed to remember that Christ has set us free from finite lives that end in death so that we can live for eternity. 

We’re continuing our series on the “I am” statements of Jesus from the Gospel of John. Today, we’re looking at John 8:30-59, where Jesus declared, “Before Abraham was, I am,” to remind ourselves of the freedom we have given because of who Christ is.

Free From Sin

30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

This passage begins with a group of people who had heard Jesus’ conversation with the Pharisees in the temple from v. 12-29. They found Jesus’ words compelling in some way and “believed” him, but, as we’re going to see, their belief was incomplete. It wasn’t the responsive, transformative faith of salvation. These people who “believed” began to question Jesus and quickly became just as antagonistic toward him and his teachings as the Pharisees had been:

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed 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 practices 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. 37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

These Jews couldn’t see that, although they weren’t enslaved to people, they were still enslaved to their sin. They were descendents of Abraham, but they lived like children of the Devil because they were trapped in their unrighteousness.

Being united with the Son allows us to remain in the house of God as his adopted children forever. Believers who have been saved and received the Holy Spirit live according to the teachings of Jesus: our lives are transformed by the truth of who he is. We are seen as blameless before God and are free to obey him. We no longer have to live as slaves to sin, so we are free to obey God. We still live in a fallen world and will struggle with temptation, but the Holy Spirit is always at work, transforming us into the image of Christ and changing our hearts to desire to obey God.

Free From Deception

39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

The Jews were proud to be descendents of Abraham, but their physical heritage was not enough. They were drawn in by Satan’s lies, so they could not receive Jesus as the Son of God,. They persecuted him instead, making pointed comments about his possibly illegitimate parentage, and, eventually, carrying out a plot to have him killed. If they were Abraham’s children, they would have loved Jesus and received his teachings.

As believers, we have the Holy Spirit at work in us so that we can see the truth, Satan will still try to deceive us with lies. We could be tempted to believe that God doesn't care about us, or that we're better than other people. We might feel the pull to live for whatever makes us happy, regardless of what God calls us to. These are evil lies, and, because we've been set free by Christ, we don't have to believe them.  We no longer have to be deceived, and are free to believe the life-giving truth contained in God’s Word.

Free From Death

48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

If you got to the part of this passage where the people pick up stones to throw at Jesus and were confused about why they were so angry, you need some context from Exodus 3:13-15. There, God called out to Moses from the burning bush and told him he would use him to save the Israelites from their enslavement in Egypt:

13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

When Moses asked, God told him that his name was “I am” (which is also sometimes translated as “I am what I am”  or “I will be what I will be”). This is God’s most holy name, the meaning of which is meant to represent God’s eternal nature: he has and will always exist without beginning or end. When Jesus said “...before Abraham was, I am” (v. 58) he was claiming the same eternal existence that God had revealed about himself to Moses. God the Father, Son, and Spirit have always existed in perfect oneness: before Jesus’ incarnation, before God appeared to the Jewish patriarchs like Moses and Abraham, and even before the creation of the world. But the crowd did not receive what Jesus taught them and were filled with rage because of what he said. They believed he was blaspheming against God, so they tried to stone him to death.

In Genesis 12:2-3 and 22:17-18, Abraham heard and received the promise from God that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through his offspring, and he was filled with joy at the thought. Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of that promise that was made to Abraham. Through Jesus, all believers, from all nations (not just Israel), can become a part of God’s family and receive eternal life. Because Jesus is the Son of God and is God, he is able to offer a path to eternal life to those who believe in and follow him. The Son knows the Father and keeps his commands with perfect obedience.

When we receive Christ as our savior, we believe in Him and receive Christ’s perfect righteousness and the hope of eternity with God. We no longer have to fear death, so we are free to live for eternity. We are given a purpose: to live in obedience to God to love, honor, and glory him. We serve others, not just our own desires because we know that rewards will await us in heaven. We have hope because we know that Jesus will return to right the wrongs and make all things new.

It's all too easy to fall into a season of spiritual forgetfulness. We can slide back into enslavement to sin, deception, and death without even realizing it. If you've been stuck in one of those seasons, take a moment to thank God for the freedom you have because of Christ. Ask God to give you a desire to meditate on and be transformed by his Word, so that you can live joyfully as his beloved child.

Father, thank you for sending your Son so that we can live, not as slaves, but as your beloved children. Thank you for freeing us from our captivity to sin, deception, and death. Help us to remember Christ's sacrifice in our place, and to live like we are truly free. Please give me a desire to meditate on your Word, and transform my heart through the work of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Resource

A helpful primer for meditating on the Bible:
"5 Steps to Meditating on Your Bible" by Kristen Wetherell for The Gospel Coalition.


Respond

How would your life change if you meditated on the truths contained in this passage regularly? How will you intentionally remind yoursel of them? 

Hope in Christ

Over these last few months, even as I’ve been enjoying my new role as a stay-at-home-mom to our son, I’ve been heavily burdened by the darkness and injustice of the world we are raising him in. It seems like I’m being confronted daily by new evidence of prejudice and animosity in the world. It’s hard not to fall into a trap of pessimistic thinking and lose hope for the future.

You may be in that place too: struggling to find hope for an uncertain future for yourself, your family, your community, or the wider world. Hopelessness is a real temptation, but, as Christians, we have an unshakable hope that is built on the cornerstone of Christ. When we’re on the verge of despair, we need to plunge into God’s Word to soak in the reality of who Jesus is. We must receive the hope that the Gospel offers to a world broken by sin. 

The passage we’re looking at today, John 8:12-30, is a conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees, which reveals essential, hope-giving truths about who Jesus is. 

After Jesus’ bold declaration in John 6 that he is the Bread of Life, the Jewish people became divided over his teachings (John 7). Some people believed him and began to follow him, but many of the other Jews thought that he was a heretic who was leading people away from the truth. The Pharisees fell into the latter group. They were so enraged by his public ministry that they wanted him dead and were plotting to have him killed. On many occasions, they publicly debated with Jesus over his teachings, attempting to discredit him.

In John 8:12-30, Jesus reveals foundational truths about himself that should inspire faith and hope in the Christian: Jesus sets us free from darkness, his authority is from God the Father, and to know him is to know God.

Jesus Sets Us Free From Darkness

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 

Jesus certainly wasn’t pulling any punches here, was he? He boldly proclaimed something John previewed for the reader back in chapter 1: Christ is the source of life and of light in the world which will never be overcome (John 1:4-5). The powers of darkness can never truly kill those who have been filled with the new life he offers through his death on the cross, and the light of the truth of the Gospel can never be snuffed out. Followers of Christ are reborn and filled with the Holy Spirit, enabled to trust and serve God and becoming more like Christ as they prepare for eternal life after death. 

Jesus' Authority is from the Father

When the Pharisees responded, they totally bypassed the substance of what Jesus said and instead question his authority to make such a statement about himself at all:

13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” 14 Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. 17 In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. 18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.”

The Pharisees were trying to trip Jesus up in something he said before: that his testimony about himself could not be true unless it was corroborated by another witness. This happened during another conversation they'd had about Jesus’ authority back in John 5. There, Jesus said, “30 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. 31 If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.” The religious leaders were trying to discredit Jesus by throwing his words back in his face, but (once again) their hearts were blind to the truth and they missed the most important part of what he was saying. In John 5:30-47 and again here in 8:12-30, Jesus’ openly acknowledged that his authority doesn’t come from himself, it comes from God (5:36-37, 8:16,18,28-29). Christ knew that he had been sent by God to live on Earth and that he would return to him after his death and resurrection (v. 14) to reign with him forever in eternity. While the Pharisees judged people according to their own standards and self-imposed rules, Jesus’ judgments (and his authority to make them) are just and perfect because they originate from God (v. 15-18, 26, 28-29). 

To Know Jesus is to Know the Father

19 They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 

Without equivocation, Jesus tells them that if they really knew him, they would know God too. John already primed us for this idea in 1:18: “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.” The Father and Son are in perfect unity with one another. To know one is to know the other. When we have eyes to see the truth of who he is, the Son will help us to see the Father as well. Through faith in Christ's sacrifice on our behalf, we have a relationship with him and are able to truly know God and be perfectly known by him. 

The Pharisees were woefully blind to all of these truths about Jesus, and he warned them of the consequences of their unbelief:

21 So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23 He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” 

Because they did not believe that he was the Messiah, the Son of God, the Pharisees were destined to die in their sins without access to eternal life with Jesus. As the religious elite of their day, they were pretty shocked and confused by his teaching:

25 So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. 26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” 27 They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. 29 And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” 30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

Everything Jesus said and did was in obedience to and for the glory of God the Father. Though the Pharisees were blind to this, Jesus knew that they would understand the truth when he was lifted up: at his death and resurrection and through his glorification at the Second Coming. The Pharisees hearts were too hard to receive Jesus' teaching at that time, but many other people who heard him responded and believed (v. 30). 

It’s easy to become discouraged and even filled with despair when we put our hope in relationships, material security, or world affairs. As believers, we have hope because we know that Christ has brought light into the darkness of our wayward hearts, rescuing us from our slavery to sin. He was sent by God with complete divine authority to heal the world's brokenness for his own glory. Christ's death took the punishment our sins deserved so that we could be redeemed and restored to fellowship with God, knowing and being perfectly known by him

Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word. We too often take for granted how blessed we are to be able to read and study the eternal truths found in the scriptures. Thank you for sending Jesus to deliver us from the darkness of sin, redeeming us so that we could be a part of your family. Thank you for the everlasting hope we have because of your goodness. Amen.

Resource: 

I am the Light of the World” by John Piper on Desiring God.


Respond

How do you remind yourself of these truths about Christ's identity when you are tempted to give up hope? Which of these is most encouraging to you right now, and why?

Craving the Bread of Life

As a new stay-at-home mom with a newborn to care for, I find myself constantly battling against chronic tunnel vision. It’s easy to get so focused on caring for and bonding with my son that I forget about important things like doing the laundry (never mind folding it), responding to important emails, or even eating meals. 

This tunnel vision impacts my spiritual life as well. During the long days and nights of caring for our son, I might sporadically toss up a few quick prayers for strength, energy, or patience when we’re having a rough day, but I neglect to devote time and energy to seeking God in prayer and asking Him to change my heart in areas where I’m struggling with sin. I’m so focused on trying to make it through the day and balance my priorities as a homemaker that I mostly seek God with immediate needs and rarely with a desire for sanctification or worship of the Father.

You don’t have to be a stay-at-home mom (or any kind of mom at all) to feel the same way. Job stress, a hectic schedule, health problems, or even the monotony of the daily grind can cause us to lose sight of the transformative work that Christ has done, and is continuing to do, in our lives through the Holy Spirit. We have been given abundant, eternal life because of the Cross, and yet we plod along, day to day. We seek God for what he can do to make our lives easier now and forget the value of what he has already done.

“I am the bread of life.” (John 6:35, 48)

Today, we’re continuing our study of the the “I Am” statements of Jesus in John, meditating on Jesus’ as our “Bread of Life,” as he describes himself in chapter 6 of this gospel. Like us, the crowds of people Jesus was teaching were so focused on what Jesus could do to improve their daily lives that they couldn’t comprehend the eternal, priceless value of the Gospel.

This teaching took place just after Jesus had miraculously fed the five thousand (6:1-14). The Jewish crowds who had witnessed this miracle were stirred up into a frenzy. They planned to declare Jesus their king, which likely would’ve led to all-out war with the Romans authorities who occupied the land at the time. Jesus and his disciples had evaded the mob and then split up. The disciples started across the Sea of Galilee in a boat first and Jesus followed them, walking on water in the middle of a storm to meet them near the middle. After recovering from their initial shock and fear, the disciples gladly took Jesus into the boat, then found that they had suddenly reached land on the other shore. 

The crowd continued to pursue them, however; they caught up with Jesus the next day and began to question him: 

22 On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 

Jesus didn’t even acknowledge their question, but scolded them for materialistic motivations they had for following him:

26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 

Instead of recognizing the spiritual significance of the miracle of the bread and fish, the people who had been there were looking for more free food! They were so focused on their stomachs, they couldn’t see how Jesus’ miracle revealed his divine identity. 

Jesus continued admonishing them, saying:

27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 

He encouraged them not to focus their earthly efforts on obtaining literal food (which will eventually rot and can only sustain a person for a short time), but to seek eternal “food” from the Son of Man, Jesus. This is not to say that they were to stop working entirely or stop using their earnings to buy bread. Instead, Jesus is encouraging them to their focus from acquiring material security and put their hope in God's eternal provision in Christ.

Once again, the crowd misunderstood what Jesus had said:

28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

The people mistook Jesus’ reference to “work” to mean that they needed to please God with works in order to earn this eternal sustenance. Jesus corrected them, stating that the “work of God” is to believe in the One he sent: Christ. God offers us the treasure of everlasting life which he freely gives to those who simply believe in the Son and receive the forgiveness of sins that he offers. We will still have to work to put food on the table and a roof over our heads, but our hope and security will be in God's provision, not the labor of our hands.

Finally, the crowd caught on to the fact that Jesus was telling them to believe in him as the one sent from God. Apparently, however, they had been underwhelmed by the feeding of the five thousand, because they immediate demanded more miracles as further "proof" before they would believe in him:

30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 

The Jews pointed out that miraculous food was nothing new to their people, whose ancestors had eaten manna from Heaven during their wanderings in the wilderness. They challenged Jesus to produce a greater miracle, since feeding a crowd of people for one meal on a single day seemed small compared to an entire nation being fed for 40 years.

Jesus responded:

32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

Jesus reminded them that the manna their ancestors ate in the wilderness was from God, not from Moses, and that the manna in the wilderness was a sign to point them to the true bread that God would give them from heaven. That true bread came in the form of a person: “he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (Spoiler alert: it's Jesus.)

Of course, the Jews were still thinking with their stomachs, so they thought he was talking about the kind of food that sustains the physical body. Instead, Jesus was offering himself as the eternal nourishment they needed for their bodies and souls:

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 

Jesus taught them that belief in God’s Son leads to eternal life (v. 40), and that the bread he would give to the world was his very flesh: his body, broken on the cross for the sins of the world (v. 50-51). To believe in Jesus and receive his sacrifice on our behalf is to partake of Jesus' flesh and blood and be filled with life and with the Spirit:

55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 

Because of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives (Christ abiding in us), believers have the opportunity to learn more of God and continue to be sanctified: remade into the image of Christ, God's perfect son. We abide in Christ, filled with the peace and security of our salvation and God's provision for our every need. 

When we get stuck living day to day, putting our hope in the fragile security of material plenty, we pass over the abundance God freely offers us. We choose trinkets over treasures. We fail to partake of the hope and security we have been freely given through Christ's death for our sins. We don't crave the Bread of Life.

So how do we break free? Fasting? Service? Meditation on God's Word? How do we change our focus and transform our desires so that we pursue the Bread of Life above all else?

The short answer is: we don't. We simply can't pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and change our hearts by sheer force of will. All the spiritual disciplines in the world will not transform our desires or grow us in godliness if we don't begin by asking the Father to do that work in us. God, through the Holy Spirit, is the one who does this good work in us (Philippians 1:6). The Holy Spirit transforms our sinful desires into godly ones, producing spiritual fruit in our lives (Galatians 5:16-24). Then, and only then, will we be set free from our worldly tunnel vision and begin to desire and seek Jesus, the Bread of Life.

Father, we are too easily distracted by the fleeting security this world offers us. Our hearts desire possessions and status more than they desire you, and we fail to abide in your provision. Holy Spirit, change our desires. Transform our hearts to truly believe in and treasure your Son and the truth of the Gospel. Teach us to abide in you and to trust in Christ as our source of life. Amen.


Respond

Do you struggle to desire the Bread of Life? In what areas are you putting your hope in your resources instead of in God?