The Truth-A Mountain- A Climb- And Sin
John 8:31-36
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you
abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you
will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They
answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never 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 practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave
does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed
Truth, a mountain, a climb and sin. It’s been a few days from Reformation
Sunday for me now. I have been given an infusion of medicine to help me in my
life. I am tired and feel weak. I know things will get better. They have for
decades now. The medicine given to me by infusion works for me and keeps me in
somewhat good order until I need to get another dose in another six weeks. So,
what’s this to do with anything? It’s similar, but nowhere close to the passage
above. There is truth in the help of the medicine. I climb a mountain every six
weeks until my body begins to fall apart. My sinful nature has brought about
disease and death. But… enough of this.
Believers are sometimes easily shaken loose from their belief in Jesus. God
gives faith. We can’t conjure up faith and dig out faith from within ourselves.
God gives faith. God gives the Word. The Word as we see in the Bible. The Word is
Jesus. God gives Word to us. We can’t conjure up the Word. We can’t dig out the
Word from within ourselves. God gives the Word.
We need to be real with God’s gifts. I or you do not deserve God’s gifts.
We can’t conjure up ways to make God want to give us gifts. We can’t do stuff
to make God think he owes us gifts. And certainly, we don’t deserve any gift
from God due to our own efforts.
God’s gifts do not come to me or to you through any obedience or birthright
of any of us. God’s gifts only come to us from God alone.
Now, what about this talk of Truth. Truth never leads to bondage. Do you
need freedom? Of course! I need freedom from my sin. God shows me my sin daily.
Reflect on the Commandments… I can reflect on Abraham and his life and find
that even a heritage and lifeline to Adam cannot free me from my own bondage to
sin.
Look at yourself honestly and truthfully. I sin daily and cannot free
myself. That’s the truth of it. But I see and hear in this passage a Truth that
does not come from myself. I see and hear and read of a Truth from God. This
Truth is the Truth that never leads to bondage. This Truth IS Jesus.
This Truth, this Jesus that frees does not come through my study, my
investigation, my efforts, or even from my own proclamation that I accept Jesus
Christ as my personal Lord and Savior.
There is a great chasm between my bondage to sin and freedom.
Freedom only comes through Jesus, because Jesus is the only one free from
sin. The Truth of it all IS Jesus and only Jesus can make me free. Only Jesus…
nothing from myself will free me from sin.
Jesus is the Truth that frees me
of the certain death of my sins.
Now… up the mountain. A joy-filled hike.
I and you climb a mountain of joy and love while we are in our sin. We
take a step in the Word and see God’s love revealed along the way. Step by step,
day by day. Sure, we still sin along the way, but this journey is not about
ourselves. This is a journey where daily, step by step, God’s love is revealed
along the way.
That’s the joy of living out the gift of life with God from baptism. As we
step towards eternity with God. This new journey up the mountain is a journey
of Truth with the Word and is not a journey locked in the bondage of our sinful
selves. Even though we sin along the way through life. We are not in bondage to
our sin. No, rather we journey in the freedom from sin through the
righteousness and Truth of the gift of Jesus to us from above. I cannot free
myself from sin… But the gift given to me at Baptism from God frees me and
kicks me off on the journey up that mountain to arrive to the glory of God, not
on my own, but through Jesus, life, death, and resurrection.
The Truth is that God gave himself for me and for you to save us and make
us his own, in order that we may live with him and with one another in the love
of God. So…
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Lord, make me still. All have sinned. All are justified by faith, freely
given, apart from any of my works. It’s only about the work of Christ. In this
eternal Gospel freely given to me and to all; daily I repent and turn to God.
Daily I step out with you to love you and love all those you give to me, as we
climb the joy filled mountain of life leading to eternity with you… today… tomorrow…
and forever. --- Amen
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