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 He stops wearing clothes made of any mixed fibers “ is too restrictive”  He plays a ten string harp Why I’m not a Christian, Msg. 3  He refuses to shake hands with women who might be ceremonially unclean; (awkward: you got on a short skirt, I bet John 8:31–38 you’re unclean)  And (this was one of my favorites), he tries to fling tiny pebbles at people without them noticing in order to stone Nicole Keegan: 8:31 So said to the Jews who had believed in him, adulterers. “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will  This whole process almost drove his poor wife crazy for a year. know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him,

“We are offspring of and have never been enslaved to I hope it is obvious that that is not what it means to really take the anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus seriously and follow it. But the appeal of that book is that it answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin plays on something that many people assume… and that is to live is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the under the direction of the Bible would be an impossible, and basically son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free ridiculous, way to live. Even if you tried, you couldn’t really do it, and indeed. 37 …You seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. if you did, you’d be living a miserable life… (for many of us that are 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you Christians, this is basically how people outside of Christianity view have heard from your father.” us… you get invited to some party and you’re like, “I can’t go.” And

they’re like, “Why not?” “I’m not allowed. My religion won’t let me.” AJ Jacobs, The Year of Living Biblically. (Book picture) Picked up this And so, they see Christianity as an oppressive, life-inhibiting book the other day in Barnes and Noble… It’s not a Christian book, in restriction. fact the author is an agnostic who grew up in what he describes as an extremely secular home. He writes, “I’m officially Jewish, but I’m This plays into a larger assumption by people in our culture about Jewish in the same way that Garden is an Italian restaurant.” what real freedom is: our culture thinks that to be free you have to The premise of the book is that this very secular, worldly Manhattan have no restrictions. The path to freedom is to shed all authorities, all resident, with no religious upbringing, is attempting to follow every constraints and to discover yourself and then live out of that. rule of the Bible as literally as possible for an entire year. He starts  You see this conception of freedom everywhere, even in the out by reading the entire Bible for a month, and he writes down every Supreme Court = Pretty famous ruling in a 1992 case which states, single directive that he finds, big or small… so, that includes things “The heart of liberty is to define one’s own concept of existence and like the Ten Commandments, but it also includes lesser known Old the meaning of the universe.” Testament laws for diet and ritual cleanliness.  Or, on a more popular level, the movie, IRobot… the basic gist of the movie is there’s this robot, Sonny, whose purpose is to stave off a As you can imagine, the outcome is somewhat interesting… for plot to destroy the human race by the other robots. After Sonny example, succeeds he tells Will Smith that he’s depressed because now he  Leviticus says that men should leave the edges of their beards doesn’t know what to do with himself now that his purpose in being unshaven, so this guy stops shaving and ends up with a created has been fulfilled. Will Smith, ever the insightful massive beard that makes him look like a member of ZZ Top. philosopher, tells him, “Well, I guess now you’re like the rest of us, free to make your own way.” See, that’s the current view of Something whereby you escape “bumness…” Achieving freedom—real freedom is freedom from any design or purpose. a certain status in your career, making a certain level of grades; being a good parent, whatever. Well, that’s exactly what Christianity does, gives you design and  That something controls you because you have to have it. You purpose and instruction about how best to thrive in that purpose. So, become a slave to it. some people see it as oppressive.  Success: You have to have success. You become a slave to it in that you get depressed if it ever looks like you’re not So, let me begin here… Christianity agrees with the culture on what going to be successful, you’re jealous of those who are freedom feels like-- freedom is feeling alive and fulfilled; feeling like more successful for you, and you make some really stupid you’re doing exactly what you were meant to do. But Christianity decisions to attain success by overworking and hurting departs from the culture when it comes to saying how we get that your health or your family. freedom. In John 8, Jesus makes 2 really important observations  Other’s opinions: For others of us it is other people’s about freedom: opinions we have to have. Other peoples’ opinions control how you dress, how you act. You are always worried about I. Real freedom is found only in serving God what everyone else thinks about you or what you’re doing. Criticism kills you, or when you think people are looking Now, that sounds like a paradox. Serving sounds like the opposite of down on you or talking poorly about you it really bothers 33 freedom. But look at what he says in vs. 33: They answered him, you. “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to  Romance: some people feel they have to have a romantic 34 anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus excitement or affirmation to be fulfilled. They’re enslaved answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin to it, so they become serial daters. Irony: “I don’t want to is a slave to sin. be married; independent.” Dependent on their  First, do you see how they define freedom? Not being under independence. oppressive authorities. A lack of political constraints. Jesus  Materialism: two ways… you’ve got to have the latest, says, “no.” There is also a tyranny from within. See his phrase nicest thing or you’re bored. Iphone for the night. Or, you vs. 34, “Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.” This is obsess about losing money… saving, worried, warranty sometimes a little difficult so let me take a few minutes to monger. explain it. All of us look to something that fulfills us or makes  Sensual pleasure: You become a pleasure glutton. life work for us, and whatever that thing is usually ends up Pornography, drunkenness. controlling us. Everybody lives for something.  ((BTW, you might ask, What is it for you? o A few weeks ago I told you about a great scene in o Just ask, when you look to the future, what one Rocky I… They are in the ice skating rink and Adrian thing has to be there for you to feel like you’ll be asks Stallone why he’s going to fight the world champ… happy, or ok? and Rocky says, “I have to go 15 rounds with the guy. o Or, just answer this: If I could change one thing Because if I go 15 rounds then I’ll know I’m not a bum.” about my life right now it would be… Everyone has something that is like those 15 rounds. o Or, what would you be most worried about losing o He feels his home is with the Father. Home is where right now? you know you belong. You know, you’ve been a way o Or, here’s another way to tell: What do you tend to for a while that feeling you get when you come back look down on others about? KIf they’re not home? Home is where your heart is. Sweet Home successful? Not good looking? (Palin and Alabama. Going to Carolina in my mind. My home’s in education) Maybe you look down on people who Alabama. Country Roads take me home. (From WV, it’s are not as righteous as you. What that tells you is like our national anthem). You get the point… The son what you need to feel fulfilled is to feel like you’re knows that where the Father is, that is where His home better than other people.)) is. God created us so that we would only be happy in  We all have something that we have to have for life to be Him. Augustine. Pascal. Angelina Jolie. No matter good and fulfilled and because we depend on it, it controls what we try, we can never replace the fact that we are us. You might ask, “Why are we like that?” We are created created for God. That’s why so many of us are unhappy as dependent beings. None of us is truly self-sustaining. All in marriage. We were unhappy as single people and we this talk on caring for the earth has made us realize that thought that getting married would fix it. But it didn’t. our lives are really contingent on a lot of things we can’t Marriage is not our true home, God is our true home. control. If the sun heats up or cools down by 20% we’re all  The son knows that the Father best understands the way he dead in a few hours. We have needs for the body. Same should live. The son is created in the Father’s image, the for our soul: our soul has a source of life. Whatever the Father loves the son, and thus the Father understands what is source of life is for you, you worship. Our culture says that good for the son and will tell him. Jesus says that freedom is freedom is having no master. Jesus says, that is impossible. discovering how God created you to live and living that way. You’ll be a slave to something. As Bob Dylan says, “You Our culture says that freedom is doing whatever we want; might be a rock 'n' roll addict prancing on the stage, You might Jesus says freedom is doing what you were created to do. have drugs at your command, women in a cage; You may be a o Water skiing – I go water skiing a good bit up at Lake business man or some high degree thief, They may call you Gaston… It’s a huge lake, but what you want to do is Doctor or they may call you Chief, but you’re going to have to find a cove without many people, so you can enjoy the serve somebody. It might be the devil or it might be the Lord, freedom of skiing. But what I’ve learned is that many but you’re going to have to serve somebody.” If Jesus and Bob coves, though they look good, are too shallow to ski. I Dylan both say it, it has to be right. Everybody serves something. got into one of those coves the last time I went… it looked great, I drove back into it. David T was with me, OK then, do you see who Jesus says is free in vs. 35? 35 The slave does he jumped out and said, “I can feel the bottom.” Sure not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the enough, I looked at the depth guage. 2 feet. Of course, Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. The son. The son has a real for David, that’s still almost over his head. Now, I could freedom. Why? Two things about the son. freely choose to drive my boat into the shallow region. I could say, ‘I can drive my boat into that cove if I  The son knows that he belongs with the Father. want.’ But would I really be free? No. Bad for the boat, and bad for David Thompson. There are some realities your boat has to conform to if you want freedom to o Well, if it’s not the stronger desires, how do I know? ski. The greater freedom is found in conforming to the Easy, I need something beyond my feelings… I need the design of the boat. doctor, who has studied the body and knows the o (Or, to use CS Lewis analogy… say you’re walking by a design of the body and can tell me what I’m meant for. lake and you come upon a fish lying on the land. Is that So watch this: if a doctor who has studied the body fish free? No. He’s about to die. If you try to free a fish can tell me what it’s meant for, then God, who made by putting him onto the land you are not actually soul, can tell me what is best for me spiritually. Take, freeing him, you are killing him. The fish is freest when for example, sex… sex almost always “feels right.” But he is in the water as he is created to be.) what does the Creator say? Sex is so powerful that it is o Just because you desire something doesn’t mean it is supposed to be an act of physical oneness that is to be good for you. I used this example this summer: I go to accompanied by oneness in every area: emotional, Maggiano’s and I look at the menu… I have two spiritual, financial… in a commitment for life. When it desires. One desire: Healthy heart… I want to be in is not done in the context of marriage, it actually shape so I have good energy and look great too. destroys. The movie Unfaithful the actress Diane Lane Another desire: To do the family style at Maggiano’s, goes through this process with adultery—it starts out all you can eat of two appetizers, two salads, two seemingly harmless and fun, and feels so right but it pastas, two entrees, and two desserts. Am I free to eat destroys her whole life, even though it felt so right, whatever I want? Yes! But by eating whatever I want right until the end. Jesus says, 32… you will know the all the time I sacrifice the greater freedom of life. truth, and the truth will set you free. You’ll only find Which is the better freedom? Eating whatever I want freedom when you live in the truth of how the Creator all the time, or living strong and long? designed you to live. o And I don’t learn that just by following the “stronger desire” either. In the moment, I always have a So, again—let me summarize, Real Freedom is Found in serving God, stronger desire to eat what tastes the best and not because… what’s the best for me. If you put in front of me a  It is a myth to say that freedom is simply independence. bowl of ice cream and bowl of green beans I almost Because we are dependent beings, we will all look to always feel like eating the ice cream. (You may be one something as our source of life, happiness, and fulfillment. of those weird people who says, “I just like health That thing becomes our master. (So, then, the question is, does food. I’d rather eat the hummus and suck on a stalk of your master enslave you or free you?) broccoli afterwards for dessert…”) Me, ice cream  It is also a myth to say that freedom is doing whatever you always feels like the right choice. (In fact, I think part of want, because sometimes what we want conflicts with how the curse that’s going to be reversed in heaven is the we’re made. whole deal with ice cream… there it’s going to be  SO, Our culture says freedom is having no master; Jesus says eating ice cream that makes you healthy and helps you freedom is having the right master. lose weight, and green beans will clog your heart and make you fat.) Here’s our second point Jesus makes: II. The alone makes us free at least 3000 times. The only difference in them hearing it this time was I was expected to play it perfectly, wearing Let’s go back to our verses: 35 The slave does not remain in the house uncomfortable clothing in front of an audience of total forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will strangers with the one veiled hope that if it did it well enough be free indeed. I might get a snowcone afterward.  For some people, living in God’s house feels like slavery. Religion is rules and constraints that keep you from doing Finally, in about the 6th grade my mother released me from what you really want to do. Amy Hawks… (the handwriting that tyranny. But the strangest thing happened in college. I was on the wall for that relationship). When I met Veronica… noticed the guys who could really play and loved to be around all I wanted to do was spend my money on her: oh, this it. I loved to hear them play praise music especially. And I sat reminds me of you. hahaha. Big hole in my wallet. After we down and tried to pick out some tunes. I actually got pretty got married I noticed that that hole in my wallet remained, decent at playing a few songs… like 5 of them. Me and my just that I wasn’t the one spending the money any more. The friend had a deal worked out that whenever girls were around point is, When you don’t love the Father, living in the I’d play a song and they’d say “you play the piano.” I do… what Father’s house is like slavery. do you want me to play? Ask me anything.” My friend would  How does the Son (Jesus) make us free? What He does is jump in and say, “Yeah, he does… like play “Faithfully” by change our hearts… Gives you that heart where you really Journey (which was one of the 5 songs I actually knew). And delight in God, where He is your home, and where you and I’d be like… Uhh… let’s see. That’s in the key of F.” “Wow.” Or trust in Him. maybe they weren’t like that, I just thought they were. I just  Let me change the example: My mom signed me up for really got into it for a while. I started to learn chord charts. I several years of rather rigorous piano lessons, because she started to understand why we do the finger exercises… It all had a dream that one day I would be the maestro. It was a made sense. All the things that had been such bondage to me dream that I did not share. I dreaded the moment in the (finger rolls) became liberating… as a way to excel at what I afternoon when I’d be out in the yard playing football with the now loved. neighbors and my mom would say, “J.D., time to come in to practice your piano.” 30 mins of piano—of course I had to do I never really went on… the reason being that for all my desire, it before my dad got home, because the last thing he needed I really, truth be told, have no musical skill at all. My fingers after being at work all day was to hear me clunking around on are like meat sausages and I have no rhythm… when I dance I the piano. I would start the clock… always round down and look like someone on roller skates having an epileptic fit. up… start at 4:04 and count that as 4:00; end at 4:26 and count that as 4:30… lots of bathroom breaks, need a drink.  What Jesus is saying here is that many of us view God and His Probably actually got in about 9 minutes of actual piano word like I used to view the piano. Bondage. And that’s practice. because we don’t love Him; we have the heart of a slave… (v. 35) who won’t remain the house forever, but will resent the The worst was the recital. Never really got those… by the time bondage of that home and look for any chance he can to get that the recital came around my parents had heard “Fur Elise” out. Or just serve out of drudgery or because we’re afraid we’ll go to hell. And that’s because you’re not a son. You don’t upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of have the nature of your Father in you. (K looking like me, liking earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and what I like).1 37 …You seek to kill me because my word finds no grace.” place in you. 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and o Some of you struggle so much with sin… you have tried you do what you have heard from your father.” The fact that to quit: pornography. Sometimes I talk with people we hate what God loves and love what God hates show that who struggle with homosexuality. Thirst for power. we take after a different father. That’s why obedience to Can’t control your temper. “I just can’t turn it off.” Of God—ion things like sexual purity, generosity, forgiveness… course you can’t. You can’t tame your heart by telling feels like a drudgery. We feel like God is a taskmaster who it don’t do that. You have to replace your love of the keeps us from what we really love and robs us of all our fun… sin with a greater love. and so inwardly we hate him, resent him, and actually (as o You’ll never overcome any kind of sinful urge (whether Jesus says) want to kill him. it is for homosexuality, adultery, or lust power) until o “Wait, wait… I wouldn’t kill Jesus.” Think of it this way: you hate it like God hates it. How do you learn to hate Jesus came and said that He should be the absolute it? Hate is another dimension of love. (Sometimes Lord. You can do one of two things: submit, or secretly people think hate is the opposite of love. Far from it. wish you could get rid of Him. that’s what they did… Hate is another dimension of love. When you love secretly hated him, and when opp came, they killed something, you hate what destroys it. as in, if you love him. every time you disobey you and reject Jesus’ somebody, you hate the cancer that eats away at their Lordship you are consenting in His death. body.) So, the way to develop hatred toward sin is to  What Jesus wants to do is give us back the heart of a son… a develop a love for Jesus. son who trusts His Father, is like His Father, and loves what o By you experiencing the power of His all-satisfying His Father loves. And, unlike me with the piano, when He love, He plants in you both love for Him at your core gives you the desire, He’ll also give you the skill. that satisfies you and gives you the hatred toward sin. . (Illus: My conversation with a guy who couldn’t The Son makes you free. How does He do that? 32… you will know the overcome a sin… tried and tried.) Quit focusing truth, and the truth will set you free. Learning the truth about His love on the sin and start focusing on the love of for you. Jesus… and you’ll grow to where you develop a  1 :19: “We love Him because He first loved us.” What hatred toward the sin. causes our love for Him? Learning more of His love for us. o (Summit: this is why we say real Christian growth  1 :15: “If anyone loves the (sinful patterns of the) world, happens by learning more about the Gospel… as you the love of the Father is not in Him.” Look closely at this verse. learn the love of Jesus more, and He becomes more See what it’s saying? If you do love the sin of the world, what beautiful, and you see that your sin destroyed His is the problem? The love of the Father is not in you. What is body, it creates a hatred toward sin and a love for God. the answer? Learn the love of the Father. “Turn your eyes You need a heart change, not more resolutions to do better. You need to learn to be overwhelmed by Jesus’

1 Bible Exposition Commentary. love, caught up in His everlasting joy, and your heart will change.) Our pleasure and our duty, though opposite before, Since we have seen His beauty, are joined apart no more. To see the Law by Christ fulfilled, to hear His pardoning voice, Transforms a Slave into a Child, and Duty into Choice. - John Newton (writer of Amazing Grace)

Here’s my conclusion:  For some of you, being in church, trying to be religious, is a drudgery. It’s not a delight. It’s time to be honest. You might think you’re in the Father’s house, but you have the heart of a slave. And don’t try and make up your mind you’re going to change… you cant’. Say, “God, I need you to change my heart. Teach me about your love, about your ability to delight me. Enrapture my heart with You so that it is not enraptured with sin.” And then, I want you to make a decision to get into an SLG where you can learn to love Jesus.  Maybe the reason you don’t love Jesus is that you’ve never accepted Jesus’ free offer of forgiveness. All your sin is completely paid for. He gave Himself for you. I mean really believe it. “I prayed when I was 8.” “I was baptized.” Maybe you’ve never embraced the Gospel. Do so this morning.  One more thing I want to say: Matthew 11:28: Jesus said that his yoke is easy and burden is light. If your soul is bring crushed this morning, it’s because you have some other yoke and some other burden, because Jesus’ yoke is the only one that is light and easy and will not crush you and will sustain you and satisfy you. We all have a master. You’ve got to make a choice… I’d rather have this burden… than Jesus.

Religious slavery… (religious constraint)… but real freedom. We use God? NOTES:  Like piano lessons as a kid… o I hated it. The son knows He is created for God o At “recital…” I had played Fur Elise 1000’s of times. Did The son knows that the Father best understands the way he should my parents want to hear it again? No… the only live difference was they were there to see if I could play it The son has a heart that loves the Father PERFECTLY. o Later, I learned to love to play. I learned there’s a Galatians 2:20: Christ lives in us! reason for chords… before I thought the chord charts “Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.” Saying that freedom is were burdensome tasks to intensify enslave me. Now I simply doing whatever we want is built on two false assumptions: realized they were exercises that would grant me life  You can ever really be independent and freedom to play! o Everyone lives for something. Whatever you feel like o Freedom comes from love… like me paying money for you need controls you. I’ve explained before how I felt drama class. like I needed people’s opinions… even in my freedom I was enslaved. A slave never knows when he is going to be thrown out. His relationship o Also, when you love something, you are constrained… is conditional on his performance, but a son has freedom because a the only way to stay free of constraint is to stay free of son knows he belongs; love.  Whatever we desire is good for us: o I am a bundle of conflicting desires. (example of How we learn that freedom… “if the Son sets you free, you are free something stupid I’ve done)… indeed” o When you talk to people who have either been through adultery, or on the verge of it, there are two Jesus says freedom is doing what you were built to do; the father can conflicting desires. One is to be a person of integrity, to tell the son that, that’s Jesus’ analogy; the son wants to do many be a promise keeper, to maintain your family, the things which are not really good for them other is to be with this person who exhilarates you and makes you feel good about yourself, and you think about all the time. So the modern definition of Matthew 11:28 – Jesus said that his yoke is easy and burden is light freedom is “do what you want to do.” If your soul is bring crushed this morning, it’s because you have some other yoke and some other burden, because Jesus yoke is the only Our culture says freedom is having “no” master; Jesus says it is having one that is light and easy and will not crush you and will sustain you the right master. and satisfy you

A new type of freedom: A son abides forever” 3 Christianity is a straightjacket: Absolutism/Finding the Truth in . Romans 6 . John 8… “free indeed” Ourselves. What is “freedom?”  John 8:31–36… difference in being a slave and a son. Both OR… Option 2: 2 Tim 3:14–17… HOW THE WORD OF GOD IS LIBERATING. You are in a world of death, God’s ways are the ways of nature. Keller, “If you went to the doctor. obey, but one is used, the other is blessed. One motivated by And you were 50 and he said you have to cut out cholesterol,” You wouldn’t say, “Doc, love, the other by fear. Christ came preaching freedom (quote that’s a naked abuse of power… or, will you send me to prison? You know he’s acting in your best interest. Where is your locus of authority? Why yourself as a locus of from Isaiah 61:1–2; Both of these passages are a type of authority will fail you. summary of Jesus’ ministry. Great Commandment: Love!: Ch. 16, Bruner o Enlightenment freedom… freedom from any “rules’  Keller: whatsoever. Answer to no one. The side effects of that o Truth is unavoidable (THESE FIRST TWO THINGS were: DEBUNK THE IDEA THAT CHRISTIANITY IS THE ONLY o You could have no purpose: THING THAT IS RESTRICTIVE) . Fish analogy… o Community can’t be completely inclusive (everyone is o You could love nothing: Love is always “confining” exclusive) o Those two things ALWAYS confine you. o Christianity isn’t Culturally Rigid: See Keller notes on o **Use the 4 things in Keller Exodus talk 5 (Everybody Galatians 2 in Bible studies… revisit “Inclusive lives for/is serving something; whatever you live for exclusivism” enslaves you…) o Freedom isn’t simple… everyone has master . Matthew 11:28–29: God is more liberating than o Love, the ultimate freedom, is constraining all other masters  Study: Galatians 2:4–16 o See If you could ask God one question, ch 11: “Why do  Testimony: Miguel Valencia. See Jason Douglas. “God sent you hate sex?” mini-plagues into my life to cleanse me of it”

o Shalom, the plagues and Jesus’ miracles: the hands of People who really understand what Christianity teaches never reject the King are healing hands… one way I know is that it it because it’s dull or boring works so well… o We’re all enslaved to something, we’re all worshippers  Loving… o It is an inclusive exclusive and a liberating rule, and  “Slaves to righteousness.” worth fighting for.  (Now, I need to make clear as we begin that to take the o Choung’s 4 circles… Bible seriously does not mean that you live this way… o Here’s a thesis to remember (relevant for next week, those laws were for a particular time in history; Jesus said too: Christianity is an inclusive exclusive and a that the essence of following God now is to love God with liberating rule, and worth fighting for) all of our hearts and to love each other as much as we love o Option 2: The freedom of the children of God. HOW LOVE IS FREEDOM AND ourselves.) BONDAGE. (How whatever you serve you are enslaved to). (this one would deal with worship idolatry and being born again. . Everyone is serving something. Pervasity of worship… Formerly slaves to… now you are slaves to… Galatians 3, and 5 about serving the flesh, fruits of the Spirit. “The freedom of love.”