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September 8, 2002
16th Sunday of Pentecost
John 8:31-36
Pastor Robert Raasch

CHRISTIAN, HOLD ONTO GOD'S WORD!

1. So You can be a True Disciple
2. So You can Experience True Freedom

There is something wrong in the Christian congregations these days. The visible Christian church, that is, the sum total of all those people who claim membership in a Christian congregation, is showing signs of being gravely ill. What are some symptoms of this illness? Well, let me share with you some statistics from our own Wisconsin Lutheran Synod. According to the 2001 Statistical Report, on any given week last year, less than 45% of our church members attended a worship service. That means that over half of our members felt they had something more important to do with their time.

Statistic #2. On any given week, only 14% of our adult members were involved in any kind of group Bible study. Now, maybe everyone else is reading the Bible in their own homes. But I rather doubt it.

Statistic #3. Within one year of confirmation, 1 out of every 2 young people have dropped out of church altogether. That's a 50% attrition rate. Friends, these are all symptoms of a major spiritual problem in our church body. If you want to add to those symptoms you can point to things like the increase in the number of broken marriages, or disfunctional families, or people caught in all kinds of different addictions. You could point to the lack of commitment, the lower offering levels, or the decreasing number of volunteer hours being served. Among individual members there seems to be an increased amount of tension, animosity, ill-will. All of these things are symptoms of a disease which has infected the visible Christian Church, of which Mount Olive is a part.

Now whether or not you or I have experienced any of these symptoms personally doesn't change the fact that we still have reason to be concerned that these symptoms are occurring among other members of the body. I mean, we are all members of the same body, right? If a third of the cells in a human body were diagnosed as having cancer, I think that would be a concern to the rest of the body, right? No human body can function if a third, or even a quarter of its cells are dying. Well, the same thing is true of the spiritual body, the church. No church can function if a third of its members are spiritually sick-especially if those members are content to remain sick, or worse yet, if those members don't realize that God offers them a cure for their sickness.

Here in our text, Jesus Christ offers a cure for what ails our church and every other church in the world. Here Jesus speaks to a group of believers whom he regarded as being spiritually weak and in danger of dying spiritually. The words he addressed to them still apply to you and me today. Jesus says to each one of us,

CHRISTIAN, HOLD ONTO GOD'S WORD!

1. So You can be a True Disciple
2. So You can Experience True Freedom

Before we look at Jesus' words, I think it's important to realize to whom Jesus is speaking. John tells us, "To the Jews who had believed in him, Jesus said..." In the verse immediately preceeding our text, we read, "Even as (Jesus) spoke, many put their faith in him." That means that in this section, Jesus is speaking to new converts. He's speaking to Jewish people who for the first time, had been led by the Holy Spirit to believe that Jesus was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament, the one who had come to save them from their sins.

But now that the Holy Spirit had made those Jewish people believers, what Jesus was really concerned about was their staying believers. He wanted them to remain in the faith all their lives. You might say that the same thing is true today. Yes, Jesus wants people to be led by the Holy Spirit to see their own sinfulness, their own inability to earn God's favor by their good behavior. Yes, Jesus wants people to come to trust in him as their only hope for salvation. 1 Timothy 2:4 says, "God our Savior wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."

And yet, the fact is, becoming a believer is not nearly as important as staying a believer. Scripture is filled with examples of people who once believed, but then lost their faith and died in unbelief: We think of Judas Ischariot, King Saul, or in Jesus' parable of the Sower, the seed which landed on rocky ground. That seed sprang up quickly and then whithered away. Maybe you can think of people in your life who were once strong in their faith, and now are not. Here in our text, Jesus expresses his concern for those kinds of people. Jesus is interested in more than just temporary converts. Jesus' desire is for lifelong disciples.

In fact, isn't that the word Jesus uses here? He says, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples." The Greek word there is "mathetai". It means a pupil, a learner, someone who sits at the feet of a teacher. But more than that, it means someone who then uses that instruction as the guide for his or her life. Jesus wants all of his believers to also be disciples. In other words, people who are constantly learning, growing, walking with the Lord.

The question is, "How do you and I show ourselves to be Christ's disciples? Jesus answers that question with the words, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples." Notice, Jesus says "if you HOLD TO my teaching." In other words, if you hang on to God's Word, make it your own. Maybe you remember the prayer from the old Lutheran hymnal where we asked God to help us "read, mark, learn and inwardly digest" the Scriptures. What does that mean? It means to let God's Word sink into our hearts. It means getting into our own Bible and letting the Word convict us of sin, comfort us with God's love, guide us in God's path for the joy and blessings he wants to give us.

Think of how many times Jesus speaks of the importance of staying in touch with him by staying in touch with His Word. How did Jesus put it in John chapter 15? "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." When we are in the Word, and Christ is in us, then we are able to bring forth the kinds of fruits which are in keeping with true discipleship.

But now, maybe you're thinking to yourself, "Yeah, but I'm not sure I really want to be a disciple of Christ. I'm not sure I want to be that committed. You know, I don't want to be labeled some kind of religious nut. I still want to have some freedom in my life. I want to be free to do what I want to do with my life." And I guess those are all valid feelings. We've probably all felt that way to one degree or another.

But the question we need to answer is "Exactly what is true freedom? And how do we get it?" Here in our text Jesus answers those questions. He encourage us to Hold on to God's Word, II. So that We Can Experience True Freedom. If you think about it, true freedom is not merely the ability to do whatever I want to do. No, in many cases, doing whatever I want to do is the exact opposite of freedom. It's an example of bondage. Think about it. If I do whatever I want to do, then I'm being controlled by my desire, my ego, yes, my "self". And because my "self," by nature, is sinful, I'm in reality being controlled by sin. In fact, anytime I use my freedom to do something which goes contrary to God's will, I'm putting myself under the slavery of sin. Isn't that what Jesus meant when he said here in our text, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin"?

Certainly that was true of Eve, in the Garden of Eden, right? Eve thought she was exercising her freedom when she ate the forbidden fruit. In reality, she was putting herself under bondage of sin. From that time forward, her own sinful nature was in charge. She was a slave to her own sinful desires.

Friends, doesn't the same thing happen today. How often don't people use their so-called freedom to choose as a freedom to sin. I may say that I'm free to watch whatever movie I want. But if I use my freedom to watch some skinflick, then I'm no longer free. I've become a slave to my own sinful lust. I may say that I'm free to use my tongue any way I want. But if I use that freedom to curse or lie or damage the reputation of others, then I've become a slave to those sins, haven't I? And I may be free to use my time anyway I want, but if the time I spend out playing basketball or hunting geese leads me to neglect my family, skip my devotions, or shirk my responsibilities as a Christian, then I'm no longer free. I've become a slave to my own recreation. I expect that every one of you can think of some area of your life where the exercise of your freedom has in fact, made you a slave.

Isn't that's the point Jesus is making here in our text? Anyone who uses his so called freedom to do what is wrong, is not really free at all. He or she is a slave. So, let's go back to the definition of freedom. True freedom is not the ability to do whatever you want to do. True freedom, in the big picture, is the ability to do what is right, do what you ought to do, to do what is God-pleasing. And do it, not because you have to, but because you want to. Think about that a moment. True freedom is the ability to do what God wants me to do...because that's what I want to do.

Now, the question is, "How do we attain that kind of freedom? How do we get the freedom to do what God wants us to do? How are we freed from the spiritual shackles that make us slaves to the desires of our sinful flesh?" Well, Jesus answers all those questions when he says, "If you hold to my teachings, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." What is the truth? Jesus answers that too, when in his prayer for his disciples he prayed, "Father, sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth."

My friends, Jesus says that this book is the Truth. Here's where God tells you what is real. Here's where God uncovers your sin and mine as the debilitating cancer it is, eating away at our lives, our peace, our joy. But more importantly, here is where God reveals what he has done with our sins. God has laid them all on Jesus. In Christ's perfect life and innocent death God has declared you and me not guility in his eyes. We are redeemed. We are restored. We are forgiven. And really, it's that new status in God's eyes which gives us the power and the motivation to live our lives to God's glory. And here in his Word God gives us the practical guidelines we can follow to show our dedication to God and at the same time enjoy God's blessings in our life, our home, our relationships with others.

Friends, if these are all things which God truly wants to give to us through his Word, why would we ever turn them down? Why would we cut ourselves off from this kind of spiritual feast? Tell me, if you won an all-expenses paid meal at the finest restaurant in town, do you think you'd go in there and just order a cup of coffee? Would you say, "Hey, that's enough for me." Are you kidding?!? No, you'd go in there and look over that menu and then order a full course meal. I mean, appetizer, entree, dessert, the works! Why not? It's the finest feast in town. And it's all free!

Christians, every week our gracious God offers us an even greater feast right here in His Word. In fact, this week Mount Olive is expanding the menu considerably. There is Sunday School for the children, Carpenter's Café for the teens, and four different Bible studies for the adults. You might say that it's a full course meal for you and your family. In light of that kind of feast, please don't settle for just a cup of coffee. Instead, why not exercise your true freedom as a disciple of Christ by helping yourself to the spiritual bonanza God offers in his Word. Trust me, you don't want to home hungry. (Unless, of course, you're simply hungry for more.) In Jesus' name. Amen.