The Truth Shall Make You Free
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
July 28, 2013 - Pastor Dale Lloyd
Scripture Reading: Joshua 2: 8 - 11
JN. 8: 31 – 59
So Jesus was saying to those Jews who
had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then
you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you
free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been
enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus
answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave
of sin. “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does
remain forever. “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free
indeed. “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet
you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. “I speak the
things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from
your father.” They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.”
Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of
Abraham. “But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a
man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did
not do. “You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not
born of fornication; we have one Father: God.” Jesus said to them, “If God
were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from
God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. “Why do
you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My
word. “You are of your father the devil, and you want
to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning,
and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him.
Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature,
for he is a liar and the father of lies. “But because I speak
the truth, you do not believe Me. “Which one of you convicts Me of
sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? “He who is of God
hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them,
because you are not of God.” The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we
not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered,
“I do not have a demon; but I honour My Father, and you dishonour Me. “But I do
not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges. “Truly, truly, I say to
you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.” The Jews said to Him,
“Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also;
and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death.’
“Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The
prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to
be?” 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’; and you have
not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I
will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word. “Your
father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it
and was glad.” So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years
old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say
to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” Therefore they picked up stones to
throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.
Obviously we could spend several weeks mining the truth of these
28 verses. However, I want to begin with the heading that appears at verse
31 in the New American Standard Bible: The Truth Will Make You Free. The word truth appears seven times in these 28 verses.
Christ is emphatic that all true freedom – the only real freedom – is entirely a
matter of knowing the truth. And let me say that, knowing the truth is far more than
an academic exercise; far more than a mere intellectual relationship with a
physical book called the Bible. Jesus told us that HE
is the way, the TRUTH, and the life.
Ultimately, truth is a Person (Jesus Christ) and knowing the truth is a
matter of knowing Him in the context of a living, dynamic and ever
expanding relationship.
Over against this reality of truth Christ referenced someone
else: the devil. He then proceeded to tell us the truth
about that devil; and this is part of the truth that frees us. In other words
we need to know the truth about our enemy but
that truth can never be gained through conversations with the enemy. That was the mistake Eve made. If we want to know the truth
regarding our enemy we find that truth in Christ – in His
words.
According to the words of Christ here is the truth concerning
our enemy: 1) He was a murderer from the beginning.2) He
is a liar and the father of lies. Murder is
the deliberate or intentional destruction of life. This destruction of life
encompasses all expressions of life and not just the physical life of the body.
Here then is the truth concerning our enemy: everything he does, every ounce of
his energy is devoted to one thing and one thing alone – the destruction of
life. Wherever we see the life of human relationships destroyed (from marriage
to family to neighbour, to nations) you can count on it – the devil is involved.
The second thing Christ told us concerning the enemy is
the truth of his method. This is truly amazing;
every bit of the destruction the enemy works is
based upon and accomplished through his ability to lie and deceive.
Look at what Christ said: “...he does not stand in the truth because
there is no truth in him. Do you see how this truth brings freedom? This means that when I discern the voice and
words of the enemy I can instantly conclude it’s all a lie, there is absolutely
no truth in them; it’s all smoke and mirrors and I never have to fear his
threats or live in torment of them.
This means that our struggle with the enemy is not a power struggle, strength
struggle, energy struggle or authority struggle; it is entirely a truth
struggle. The only way to undo the lie is to meet it with truth.
I have not been able to find any admonition in scripture to live
in fear and dread of this enemy. I do, however, find the repeated admonition to
“fear not.” One writer has stated that his count reveals that we are told 365 times in scripture to fear not. I do
know we are told time and again to fearthe Lord. And that it seems to me is the whole point: To walk and live in
true reverential fear of the Lord positions me to where I never have to fear the enemy.
I will share more on this in a follow up message, but I need to
close this message by reminding us of the truth regarding these words of Christ:
He is a liar and the father of lies.
I can truthfully declare that Satan has no real power, strength
or authority over me. But equally true is the fact that he is the absolute
master of the art of deception. That deception is, of course, built upon lies –
entirely and completely from start to finish. Here is what we need to be aware
of regarding this liar – this father of lies; to whatever extent he is able to deceive us with his lie and
get us to believe that lie he will have a measure of influence over us.
To understand how serious we should be regarding the enemy’s
ability to deceive consider the following verses of scripture:
Rom. 3: 13 “With their tongues they keep deceiving...”
Rom. 7: 11 ...for sin, taking an opportunity through the
commandment, deceived me…
Rom.16: 18 …by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive
the hearts of the unsuspecting.
1Cor.3: 18 Let no man deceive himself.
1Cor. 6 : 9 Do not be deceived...
1Cor. 15: 33 Do not be deceived...
2Cor. 11: 3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived
Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and
purity of devotion to Christ.
Gal.6: 7 Do not be deceived...
Eph. 5: 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words...
2Thes. 2: 3 Let no one in any way deceive you...
1Tim. 2: 14 And it was not Adam who was deceived,
but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.
2Tim.3: 13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving
and being deceived.
Titus 1: 10 For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers…
Titus 3: 3 For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived…
James 1: 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
James 1: 26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but
deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.
1Jn.1: 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the
truth is not in us.
1Jn.2: 26 These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive
you.
1Jn.3: 7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you…
2Jn.7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming
in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.
Rev. 12: 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil
and Satan, who deceives the whole world…
Rev. 13: 14 And he deceives those who
dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the
presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to
the beast…
Rev18: 23 …for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations
were deceived by your
sorcery.
Rev.19: 20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs
in his presence, by which he deceived
those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image…
Rev.20: 3 …and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over
him, so that he would not deceive the nations anylonger…
Rev.20: 8 Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive
the nations which are in the four corners of the earth…
Rev.20: 10 And the devil who deceived
them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and
the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
I have shared these verses for a single purpose; that purpose is
to reveal the number one fact, the very core reality we need to know about our
enemy. That fact is twofold: 1) the only weapon he
has to use against us is deception, and 2) his entire kingdom is built upon and
is a kingdom of deception.
There will be a part three to this set of messages, but this
morning you need to take this core truth away with you: Every
single thought, word, imagination and suggestion the enemy whispers to you is a
lie – nothing but a lie from start to finish. Resist that lie with truth – the
word of truth, and you will growingly experience the freedom Christ spoke of.
In our next message we will begin with the definition of the
Greek word that is translated “deceive/deception in our English
Bibles.
Scripture Reading: Joshua 2: 8 - 11
JN. 8: 31 – 59
So Jesus was saying to those Jews who
had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then
you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you
free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been
enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus
answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave
of sin. “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does
remain forever. “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free
indeed. “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet
you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. “I speak the
things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from
your father.” They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.”
Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of
Abraham. “But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a
man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did
not do. “You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not
born of fornication; we have one Father: God.” Jesus said to them, “If God
were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from
God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. “Why do
you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My
word. “You are of your father the devil, and you want
to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning,
and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him.
Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature,
for he is a liar and the father of lies. “But because I speak
the truth, you do not believe Me. “Which one of you convicts Me of
sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? “He who is of God
hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them,
because you are not of God.” The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we
not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered,
“I do not have a demon; but I honour My Father, and you dishonour Me. “But I do
not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges. “Truly, truly, I say to
you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.” The Jews said to Him,
“Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also;
and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death.’
“Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The
prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to
be?” 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’; and you have
not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I
will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word. “Your
father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it
and was glad.” So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years
old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say
to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” Therefore they picked up stones to
throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.
Obviously we could spend several weeks mining the truth of these
28 verses. However, I want to begin with the heading that appears at verse
31 in the New American Standard Bible: The Truth Will Make You Free. The word truth appears seven times in these 28 verses.
Christ is emphatic that all true freedom – the only real freedom – is entirely a
matter of knowing the truth. And let me say that, knowing the truth is far more than
an academic exercise; far more than a mere intellectual relationship with a
physical book called the Bible. Jesus told us that HE
is the way, the TRUTH, and the life.
Ultimately, truth is a Person (Jesus Christ) and knowing the truth is a
matter of knowing Him in the context of a living, dynamic and ever
expanding relationship.
Over against this reality of truth Christ referenced someone
else: the devil. He then proceeded to tell us the truth
about that devil; and this is part of the truth that frees us. In other words
we need to know the truth about our enemy but
that truth can never be gained through conversations with the enemy. That was the mistake Eve made. If we want to know the truth
regarding our enemy we find that truth in Christ – in His
words.
According to the words of Christ here is the truth concerning
our enemy: 1) He was a murderer from the beginning.2) He
is a liar and the father of lies. Murder is
the deliberate or intentional destruction of life. This destruction of life
encompasses all expressions of life and not just the physical life of the body.
Here then is the truth concerning our enemy: everything he does, every ounce of
his energy is devoted to one thing and one thing alone – the destruction of
life. Wherever we see the life of human relationships destroyed (from marriage
to family to neighbour, to nations) you can count on it – the devil is involved.
The second thing Christ told us concerning the enemy is
the truth of his method. This is truly amazing;
every bit of the destruction the enemy works is
based upon and accomplished through his ability to lie and deceive.
Look at what Christ said: “...he does not stand in the truth because
there is no truth in him. Do you see how this truth brings freedom? This means that when I discern the voice and
words of the enemy I can instantly conclude it’s all a lie, there is absolutely
no truth in them; it’s all smoke and mirrors and I never have to fear his
threats or live in torment of them.
This means that our struggle with the enemy is not a power struggle, strength
struggle, energy struggle or authority struggle; it is entirely a truth
struggle. The only way to undo the lie is to meet it with truth.
I have not been able to find any admonition in scripture to live
in fear and dread of this enemy. I do, however, find the repeated admonition to
“fear not.” One writer has stated that his count reveals that we are told 365 times in scripture to fear not. I do
know we are told time and again to fearthe Lord. And that it seems to me is the whole point: To walk and live in
true reverential fear of the Lord positions me to where I never have to fear the enemy.
I will share more on this in a follow up message, but I need to
close this message by reminding us of the truth regarding these words of Christ:
He is a liar and the father of lies.
I can truthfully declare that Satan has no real power, strength
or authority over me. But equally true is the fact that he is the absolute
master of the art of deception. That deception is, of course, built upon lies –
entirely and completely from start to finish. Here is what we need to be aware
of regarding this liar – this father of lies; to whatever extent he is able to deceive us with his lie and
get us to believe that lie he will have a measure of influence over us.
To understand how serious we should be regarding the enemy’s
ability to deceive consider the following verses of scripture:
Rom. 3: 13 “With their tongues they keep deceiving...”
Rom. 7: 11 ...for sin, taking an opportunity through the
commandment, deceived me…
Rom.16: 18 …by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive
the hearts of the unsuspecting.
1Cor.3: 18 Let no man deceive himself.
1Cor. 6 : 9 Do not be deceived...
1Cor. 15: 33 Do not be deceived...
2Cor. 11: 3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived
Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and
purity of devotion to Christ.
Gal.6: 7 Do not be deceived...
Eph. 5: 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words...
2Thes. 2: 3 Let no one in any way deceive you...
1Tim. 2: 14 And it was not Adam who was deceived,
but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.
2Tim.3: 13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving
and being deceived.
Titus 1: 10 For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers…
Titus 3: 3 For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived…
James 1: 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
James 1: 26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but
deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.
1Jn.1: 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the
truth is not in us.
1Jn.2: 26 These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive
you.
1Jn.3: 7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you…
2Jn.7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming
in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.
Rev. 12: 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil
and Satan, who deceives the whole world…
Rev. 13: 14 And he deceives those who
dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the
presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to
the beast…
Rev18: 23 …for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations
were deceived by your
sorcery.
Rev.19: 20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs
in his presence, by which he deceived
those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image…
Rev.20: 3 …and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over
him, so that he would not deceive the nations anylonger…
Rev.20: 8 Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive
the nations which are in the four corners of the earth…
Rev.20: 10 And the devil who deceived
them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and
the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
I have shared these verses for a single purpose; that purpose is
to reveal the number one fact, the very core reality we need to know about our
enemy. That fact is twofold: 1) the only weapon he
has to use against us is deception, and 2) his entire kingdom is built upon and
is a kingdom of deception.
There will be a part three to this set of messages, but this
morning you need to take this core truth away with you: Every
single thought, word, imagination and suggestion the enemy whispers to you is a
lie – nothing but a lie from start to finish. Resist that lie with truth – the
word of truth, and you will growingly experience the freedom Christ spoke of.
In our next message we will begin with the definition of the
Greek word that is translated “deceive/deception in our English
Bibles.