Jesus Revealed Pt. 8 - What Do You See?Sample

Set Free!  

Thoughts on the Passage

Many believed in Him.

Jesus was challenging people to believe that He would die for their sins and without this, they had no chance for salvation. Some believed Him.

Jesus challenges them yet again. Follow His teaching diligently – and the truth will set you free. Free from what? The people immediately understand this physically. They think Jesus is telling them they will be free people – free from the oppression of Rome or other nations. They are offended, because they feel they have never given up their freedom. Jesus is not talking about that kind of freedom. Jesus is talking about spiritual freedom and freedom of the heart.

We must understand this – we get to choose WHO will be our master, we do not get to choose IF we will have a master. People who have not received forgiveness, have no choice – they are slaves to sin. People who have received forgiveness from God can now choose. Do you wish to go back and get enslaved again by sin? This happens when we choose to go back and do the things we used to do. Sin will re-enslave us. If we choose to follow the teachings of Jesus, then we are choosing to be a slave of righteousness – and living in freedom. Free do to the things that God designed us to do. Free to live the way God designed us to live. Free to experience life the way God designed us to experience life. That is true freedom. Only the Son of God can release that kind of freedom.

There is another aspect of being set free. Truth sets us free. Sin gets control in our lives when we believe its lie. Truth exposes the lie of sin. Jesus challenges us to be people who live by the truth of God’s Word. God’s Word teaches us what is true and the Spirit of God within us empowers us to live that way. For example, we need to love one another – the Holy Spirit strengthens our heart to love people who ignore us, reject us, betray us, misunderstand us, or may be immature and childish in their behaviour. If we choose to love only some people (the lie of sin says that we do not need to love some people), then we will go back to slavery to sin. The truth of God’s Word tells us to love everyone no matter what they say or do to us.

 The same Truth of Jesus applies to being patient with people, forgiving people, being a person who rejoices in every situation, living faithfully for Jesus, speaking truth not lies, etc. Living like this is freedom!

Application

Take time today and ask God if there is a truth in His word that we have chosen to ignore because it is too hard – or maybe too painful – to follow. Ask for forgiveness and choose to walk in truth. Ask the Spirit of God to strengthen your heart to be obedient no matter how difficult that might be.

By choosing to walk in God’s truth, we choose to be a slave to righteousness (choosing to always do what is right). There is true freedom there.

Time to Pray

Father, as I walk through the list of things You call me to do – and the truths You call me to live by – I see it is my heart’s desire to do them, but the ability to live that way is beyond me. So today I ask for a gentle heart to help hurting people. I ask for a peaceful heart in the midst of turmoil in my world. I ask for a forgiving heart to anyone who has offended me or abused me. I ask for Your Spirit to strengthen me to live by these truths today. I ask this so I am free to live in truth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.