Introduction

Jesus is in the courts of the temple in Jerusalem teaching the people. He began doing that early in the morning, but was interrupted for a while when some pharisees dragged in a poor woman who had been caught in bed with another man. They wanted to stone her, but Jesus forgave her and told her to leave her life of sin, he resumed his teaching in verse 12 when he described himself as the Light of the World. He then went on to warn the Jewish people (v24), that if they did not believe on him they would die in their sins. Now he tells them that if they did really receive the truth and believe on him they would be free from the slavery of sin. Verse 36 ‘If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’

A. The Slavery of Sin

The obvious inference of this verse is that men and women who are not Christians are in a kind of slavery. People boast about their freedom but in fact they are in terrible bondage to sin. Verse 34 ‘I tell you the truth, everyone who sins (everyone who habitually sins) is the slave of sin’ Jesus personifies sin as a cruel slave master and says that men and women are in bondage to this tyrant (See also Romans 5:21, Romans 6:17). We can prove this so clearly from every day life and the phrases we use to describe men and women. Compulsive gamblers, drug addicts, born liars, chain smokers, sex maniacs, alcoholics.

But ALL who are not Christians are in slavery to sin. These people to whom Jesus offers freedom were very religious, respectable Jews. They prided themselves that they were Abraham’s descendants (verse 33). Many of them had a kind of academic faith in Christ (verse 31). It’s possible to be decent and religious yet still be in bondage to sins like covetousness, pride and the love of money. This is a very annoying truth (verse 33)!

B. The Slave master

• Sin is a deceitful, lying slave master. It promises its slaves wonderful happiness yet gives nothing but despair and hopelessness.
• Sin is a cruel, vicious slave master. In the end it ditches its slaves and abandons them to hell (verse 35). In the ancient world a slave might serve his master for many years but when he was old and worn out and no more use he would very often be ditched and abandoned. Sin is like that (Romans 6:23).

C. The Saviour

Jesus Christ can set us free from the slavery of sin (verse 36 Isaiah 61:1). Nobody else can. We can’t free ourselves. Mere religion can’t do it. The Jews in our story were very religious people. In fact their empty religion had itself become a form of slavery. Only Christ can set us free from the slavery of sin. How does he do it?

• First of all he does it by paying the price of our sin. Before a slave could be released from the old Roman slave market the price had to be paid,
• Having paid the price of our freedom he opens our eyes to see the truth about ourselves and the truth about himself (verse 32),
• He works a miracle in us and breaks all the chains and shackles and we begin to live a new life of freedom.

D. The freedom

• It’s a real freedom, not make believe. Jesus said, ‘If the Son sets you free you will be free indeed.’
• It’s also replete freedom. Full and and complete. When Christ save us, he not only sets us free from the bondage of sin, but also from the guilt of sin and the punishment of sin,
• It’s a rich freedom. In the ancient world, if a slave was ever freed then more often than not, he was just pushed out and left to fend for himself, penniless, homeless, destitute. He was free, yes but it wasn’t much of a freedom. But very occasionally a benevolent man would come along and buy him out of slavery and give him his freedom but he would also give this freed slave money and clothes and a home. It was FREEDOM PLUS, Christ not only sets us free from the tyranny, guilt and condemnation of sin, he also gives us spiritual riches. When we are freed from sin we are adopted into God’s family. Instead of slaves we become sons (verse 35).
• It’s a righteous freedom. It’s not a freedom to do what we like, but to serve Christ and live for him.
• It’s an everlasting freedom. Once you have been freed from sin and adopted into God’s family you are safe for ever (verse 35).