John Chapter 8:33-42

Jesus sets us free from sin. What we do at some point in our life we look at the chains we been set free from, and we think well look, there's James Weatherly nice stranger never knows how shiny they were. What are they still said what we do for, welcome to cross the bridge with David McGee.

David is the senior pastor of the bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina. Today he's teaching through John chapter 8 with the message.

Freedom we also have the studio with this be a brown one of David's associate pastors welcome brother and Bob if we been walking with Jesus for a long time. We can forget what he saved his battle life those things we didn't want to be a part of today pass Dave to remind us what God has done what he's doing now. Sounds like an exciting message.

So let's jump right in. As David McGee begins his teaching freedom. So when John chapter 8 picking it up with verse 33.

It's got an interesting because this chapter he remembered, began with the Pharisees, desiring to stone.

The adulterous woman working asleep this morning is that it ends with them wanting to stone a sinless Savior, so they just had this stone and Bob, I guess, but verse 33 says they answered him and said we are Abraham's descendents and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say you will be made free.

They were offended they were offended that Jesus said you will be free and they said were not in bondage to anybody not have to admire the this statement of fierce independence that there may can hear but in reality they were under the heavy rule of Rome and its interesting nursing were not in bondage and they were under the heavy yoke of Rome and and it reminds me of people that you talk to the don't know Jesus who is not been set free and you say you can be set free in the go, man. I'm sorry and yet their life is dictated by the desires of the flesh. Their life is dictated by what the world tells them the same and far from being free there in bondage. But they get offended now again I understand this statement of independence in appreciate the fierce independence of the Israeli people and and to this day that continues to be there statement if you will. What happened here for them to make this statement that they were never been in bondage to anyone they forgot, often, we remember what we should forget. We forget what we should remember and they had forgotten something, because even if you forget Rome. I'm not sure how you could do that. But even if you forgot you were under the heavy yoke of Rome, how could he forget Egypt coming out of Egypt out.

In addition to Syria and Babylon, but they had forgotten and you know what we forget to. We forget that we've been set free. We forget often that we at one time were in great bondage and that's the first life lesson.

Never forget what Jesus set you free from never forget what Jesus set you free from see we have a tendency to conical loss over the past and to even glorify our past and when I share my Testament. I don't get into a lot of gory details and the reason is I don't want to glorify my past.

I want to glorify my walk with the Lord because sometimes you know you have somebody that sit in there and they they've not really been as much of an idiot as I've been in the house like you know and and perhaps they grew up in the church and on the Lord. Praise God. That's an awesome testimony and then someone comes along and tells about how they were next murder and did this and did that and then people here that they go well I gotta go get me a testimony just yet testimony is that you're walking with Jesus Christ. But never forget even if you weren't under the bondage of drugs and alcohol you still been set free from soma you been set free from loneliness you you been set free from not having any meaning in your life you've been set free from the bondage of sin from the bondage of being so preoccupied with yourself.

Never forget what Jesus set you free from verse 34 Jesus answered them, most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin and a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore, if the son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. Good verse and Paul picks up on verse 35 incidentally were not going to get sidetracked there, but he picks up with this concept of a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides in the house forever. See there is no place to eat that you can experience freedom like you can experience freedom when you surrender your life to the Lord now I've done a lot of different things in my life I've lived in ways that a lot of people look and say wow, what of what a life of freedom.

But you know what what looks like a life to freedom to the world is a life of bondage and to submit ourselves to God and walk with the Lord is just an incredible thing.

Now if you're here this morning and enemy just say this with love and with honesty. If you're here this morning and you're sitting on the fence you're not really committed to Jesus, you're not really surrendered to Jesus, you're probably asking words freedom is because as you are on the fence. You've got I got no 11 foot with the Lord. 1 foot in the world that leaves you in a very difficult place to because you're not experiencing the total freedom that Jesus wants to give you but you're not really enjoying the sin of the world anymore and the way to experience the freedom is to simply take this, but put it over here and commit yourself and surrender yourself to the Lord again. We talked about that last week the way that a lot of people know the truth but not a lot of people are surrendered to the truth of the Bible, not a lot of people are surrendered to the truth of the bow and you know what's amazing Jesus sets us free from sin and you know what we do at some point in our life and and I'm not sure I've ever met anybody that didn't do this, but we look at the chains we been set free from, and we think well look at those chains whether nice changeup that I never noticed how shiny they were. While they are really things are nice chains. What are they still said what we do we pick, we put all to see. They still fit some never taken back off. Jesus has provided your freedom at a great price. Don't be entangle again with the things that he set you free from his that the means you need to be extra careful in areas be extra careful in those areas. Life lesson here is walk in the freedom that Jesus has provided walk in the freedom Jesus has provided Galatians chapter 5 verse one tells us stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ is made us free, and do not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage and also in Galatians the same chapter and it's a great chapter review read the whole thing later, but Galatians chapter 5 verse 13 and 14 says for you brother and have been called to liberty only.

Do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another for all the law is fulfilled in one word, even this you shall love your neighbor as yourself, were to use our freedom to serve one another and to love one another and let me clarify something here it says love your neighbor as yourself. Other places it says love your neighbor as yourself.

And I've heard some people go well in order to do that. You gotta learn to love yourself. The Bible doesn't tell you that nowhere in the Bible does it say you need to learn to love yourself. It doesn't say that any where in their and you know what in my life. Personally, my problems have not been calls by me not loving myself enough. Now maybe I'm just different. My problems have been calls for maybe me thinking a little too highly of myself and not thinking of others enough mature graphic portrayal of this answer question, you get a photograph and there's several people in this photograph. But you're one of them and so money hand you this photograph was the first person you look at net photograph is it everybody else or do you look at yourself and then what you do you decide whether it's a good photograph Arafat photograph depending on how you look, all that's a bad photograph know that's a backgrounds great and everybody's got their eyes open and stuff and and get bit as bad photograph by the negative or if if it's a good shot of you and everybody else. I mean, they can have me having all kinds of weird facial things going on but you're like all that's a good shot that is a good photograph. But everybody else is around close, I know, but that's just a good shot in. We do that we do that this morning when you woke up.

What did you think about was first thing you thought about is probably you going to be what you were going to wear right honey. I doubt anybody in here woke up and thought I wonder what Pastor Dave is wearing this morning will maybe some of you actually did remember was you thought about what you are going to wear and what you were going to eat and see that's that's our natural inclination of your mother you may have thought, what are my children going to work but the let's examine that just little bit further why did you think that yeah you did want your kids showing up in pajamas.

Why because some I would go whose child is that all that's that lady so she didn't dressing me. I know she is. She's hot, where she got CQ you wanted to make sure your children were dressed well why because it reflects back on the just something we have to deal with and something we have to recognize that we have a bent towards ourselves and we need to escape that bondage because it is bondage man so preoccupied with ourselves this bondage.

We need to be focused on Jesus, we need to be focused on others and that doesn't come naturally become supernaturally and that's why encourage people just about week in week out to get involved in the start servant while because it's biblical because it's biblical church.

It was never meant to be a spectator sport. It was never meant to have a small portion of the people serving wild. Most people didn't serve never meant to be like that and so I encourage people to survive because the Bible encourage encourages us to serve and it's a great use of your freedom. Well I you know, God knows my heart got I don't want to fill out a form. I don't want to do this. I don't want to do that. Is that really the heart of a servant it we got a saying on staff and with leadership. The way you can figure out when you really have the heart of a servant is when somebody treat you like one and how you respond sicker sometimes those situations can bring up our flash, they can bring up those things in us that we want to focus on us, because God wants to deal with those things and I believe that the body of Christ should be as Galatians says, serving one another, since 1/3 life lesson is you are scripturally supposed to use your freedom to serve God and serve others. So what were doing here is just encouraging you to walk in that spiritual freedom scripturally supposed to use your freedom to serve God and serve others. We got that Galatians. First, we also have first Peter 215 says, for this is the will of God, that by doing good. You may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men as free, not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but his bond servants of God honor all people love the brotherhood, fear God.

Honor the king another new living trait translation puts it a little differently. It says in first Peter chapter 2 verse 16 and something you are not slaves you are free, but your freedom is not an excuse to do evil. You were free to live as God's slaves show respect for everyone. Love your Christian brothers and sisters fear God show respect for the king and some of you may be going what you mean set free to be God slave seat that was why you were created to serve God to worship God in the have a relationship with God to anything that you do outside of that places you in bondage, anything that you do inside of that is an experience of freedom for what you were designed and created to do is Ephesians 210 says you created for good works are saved by grace created for good works, so it's obvious from the Scriptures and from that Scripture that you're supposed to be using your freedom. Everybody in here if you're walking with the Lord and you're committed to the Lord your experience in the freedom but the question is how are you using your freedom and this is why, because I I'm I don't talk about serving because meant we need help in ministries but that that's true but that's not my motivation to my calling is to teach the Bible and raise of disciples and part of that is encouraging you to serve your listening to Pastor David McGee on cross the bridge will be right back with more just a moment, but I want to remind you of the free resources available to you on cross the bridge.com there's a team of hundreds of people that will pray for somebody to be saved. You have a loved one that needs to know Jesus as Savior. You need people to pray for them. You need someone to present God's word to them every day were present in God's virtual here on cross the bridge with Pastor David McGee. We can pray for them as well. Just by simple going to cross the bridge.com and click on the pray for the lost button. All you need to do is put in the first names of the people you love, that need to know Jesus as Savior. Click on submit and immediately hundreds of people begin praying for your lost loved ones. What an awesome way to bring your love ones to Jesus. Here's a word from associate pastor DA Brown hey Bob were excited about God's word, going forth with Pastor David and want to pray for some people in the cities world broadcasting today. Beaufort, Gainesville, Macon, Milledgeville savanna, Snellville and Thomasville, Georgia God, we thank you for the people listening today in these areas.

We pray that they will be encouraged in your word, they would realize that you want to bless them. Lord, you have a good plan for them God. We pray for those who are sick in the area that you would please heal them and we pray for the pastors and the churches that they would be ignited and all the good plans you have for them and sharing your word throughout their city. In Jesus name, amen.

Hey man, thank you brother and now get back to David McGee as he continues teaching verse by verse, verse 37. I know that you are Abraham's descendents, but you seek to kill me because my word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with my father and you do what you have seen with your father. Well it's getting her to get very interesting here but Jesus says here my word has no place in you. That's the problem here and understand notice something. There were people previously that we looked in this chapter that when Jesus was teaching. They were less than the right. Yes yes this is great. We believe you.

And then there's another section of people that what are they doing for getting very very offended. While because Jesus is present in the truth and you know what this is usually a good indicator on whether the truth is getting presented or not, that some people are accepting it and some people gone to get offended at him and bought some love on the blog. A big jerk for 50 years.

That is the natural response to the proclamation of the truth.

People being offended people been set free. If you don't see those two things you probably should question whether the truth is really being proclaimed to because it it seems that the church as a whole has started to come to water down the truth. Let's not offend anybody is not getting body mad at us but see what happens in Asia not only offend your not offending people.

You're not seeing people set free. I can't do that as a pastor I have to proclaim the truth and I know when I know from emails and phone calls and in different things understand that some people get offended at that and in a twisted way that solidifies that verifies what I'm doing here is proclaiming the truth she nobody ever got upset. I would really begin to wonder if I was really proclaiming the truth. Now that doesn't mean I go out of my way to make people upset you, probably seen that I want to do that. But in the proclamation of the truth. Some people get offended and some people get set free new living translation here it is because my word has no place in you, says that my message does not find a place in your hearts, my message does not find a place in your hearts this morning.

The message is being proclaimed to you, the question is, is it finding a place in your heart.

Are you sitting there going. You know that's that's good, that's biblical truth recently are going and doesn't apply to me. Are you sitting there going, but I am really getting uncomfortable that let the truth find a place in your heart and surrender to that tree, not just hearing it but surrender to the truth that I can make sure you hear the truth. And if you're here, I will make sure that you hear the truth that we look at Scripture but it's gotta find a place in your heart. Verse 39 they answered and said to him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said to them, if you are Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.

But now you seek to kill me, a man was told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this now.

I talked last week that no when they were talking about.

Where is your father, but they were insinuating something were working to see in just a moment there there revolving around this father issue and what there is in the commencing just as I get what they're insinuating is that Jesus was born out of wedlock, not the son of God, but the offspring that came out of an illegitimate relationship there got back to this father issue. You know the sad thing here Jesus is offering them for God to be the father and their rejecting that say no. We want Abraham to be our father. Now Abraham was a noble man, strong man of faith, but given the decision of who my father could be whether it would be Abraham. Whether it could be God, what an amazing thing that God can be my father. He's willing to be my father and Jesus is presenting them with an awesome choice and they're making the wrong one in here this morning many of you are being presented with an awesome choice. Our prayer my prayer is that you're making the right one verse 41, you do the deeds of your father. So there, dancing around this, but you do the deeds of your father. Then they said to him, we were not born of fornication. We have one father God. So there it is there.

Getting down to it are thing here is out and open.

They're saying you know what you were born of fornication.

It's interesting how the they suddenly made the they they made the transition.

Now they're saying Abraham is our father. God's her father made with her claimant both. I don't know but anyway there accusing him again of being the offspring of an illegitimate relationship. Now you know it's interesting in this happens every time you understand spiritual pride always gets ugly.

It always gets ugly and less money is willing to bend their pride to the truth of the word to the truth of the gospel religious pride gets it just gets ugly and now they've said that it's kind of all-male verse 42 Jesus said to them, if God were your father you would love me for I proceeded forth and came from God, nor have I come of myself, but he sent me.

Now this is interesting as is an interesting verse because he thing you know if God were your father you would love me and recognize where I came from and where I'm going understand that is the litmus test for any religion or any denomination.

Do they love Jesus. Do they proclaim Jesus. They recognize that he's the son of God. He's the Messiah is not just what is not of God. I don't care what their intentions are. I don't care how honorable they may be. I don't care how many good works they do if they don't pass this litmus test than they're not of God. But as long as your sincere. I'm sorry that's not biblical and is not practical is not logical and I want to go to California and I sincerely want to go to California and I leave out here and I start going north.

Am I going to get to California know I'm not going to wind up in New York, but I sincerely want to go to California. I'm going the wrong way. It doesn't matter how sincere I am about going to California. I'm going in the wrong direction and you know what that fits. Got some people. They may be sincere about seeking the Lord, but there going in the wrong direction and they won't find them in the direction we are going to and so it's our role, our responsibility, even the say you know what you're going to California you need to go West you are going to God, you need to come to Jesus. Jesus at this point it seems is no longer interested in the wrong answers. Verse 43. Why do you not understand my speech because you were not able to listen to my word again here you can hear the word you cannot only hear it, but you can have it explained to, as I did, and I studied and I go to presented and you can get a lot of truth in and I want to encourage you guys and studying the Bible on encourage, encourage you to study and read ahead maybe don't have time to study, but you can you know where I'm going to be from week to week, wherever I leave off this week.

I'll start up next week and if you read it, let me promise you if you read ahead you get a lot more out of the teaching whether that's on Sunday morning or Thursday night if you read the chapter had been maybe jot down questions and in the Lord will answer this question in the next each and you know this personally. As a teacher, I find that I get more out of it as it is a Bible teacher I get more out of it if I read ahead so I'm always sure to read the passage ahead, not just on encourage you to the friend you know for sure that your sins have been forgiven.

You can know right now only Legion a short simple prayer simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him. God want you to pray this prayer so much that he died to give you the opportunity and the ability to ask him to forgive you. Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven and I believe you were raised from the dead that I could have a new life now done wrong things I have sent and I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things. Please give me the power to live for you.

All of my days in Jesus name, amen it friend of you prayed that prayer according to the Bible you've been forgiven you've been born again. Jesus said he would not turn anybody away who comes to him and he came for those people who knew they needed forgiveness. Those who were sick, not the righteous to congratulations bring you just made the greatest decision that you will ever make. God bless you, if you pray that prayer with David for the first time we'd love to hear from you. You can visit cross the bridge.com to receive our first steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ.

Or you can write to cross the bridge at PO Box 12, 515 Winston-Salem, NC 27117 and share how God is working your life will DA before we go. What are some ways that we can bless our listeners each day. You can wake up with encouragement from Pastor David to the word of God with his email devotional life lessons to consider a daily reading plan and a thought to meditate on throughout your day. From the heart. David McGee, that sounds good Pastor day and again. It's been great to have you with us on the program today but tell us what else can a listers find on cross the bridge.com. If you're not able to make it to your home church this Sunday. Why not join us for our life. 10 AM Eastern time or on Thursday night 7 PM this visit, cross the bridge.com and click on a lifestream link. There you will experience a live service from David's home church.

The bridge North Carolina again.

That website is cross the bridge.com. Thanks again for listening and join us next time.

As David McGee continues teaching verse by verse in the Gospel of John