This transcript was generated by whisper.ai.

I want to welcome you to day four of our look through John chapter 8 and daily
drive time devotions. We're going to be looking at verses 33 to 47 today. You
remember yesterday we talked about the truth will set you free.

There are barriers to the truth setting you free. There are things that get in
the way. When you hear these words from Jesus, "Abide in my word, then you'll
know the truth and the truth will set you free.

" There are ways that we think, there are decisions that we make that get in the
way of that happening in our lives. And through the rest of this chapter, today
and tomorrow, as Jesus continues to talk with the people, we're going to see
some of the barriers revealed in their discussions. I hope you'll see not only
them, but you'll also see yourself, that I'll see myself.

As you hear them talking with him about these barriers, you also see Jesus'
wisdom. His wisdom about how to break through those barriers. Immediately after
Jesus said, "You'll know the truth and the truth will set you free.

" Here's what happened in verses 33 and 34. They answered him, "We are Abraham's
descendants and we've never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall
be set free?

" Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. "
If you're going to break through these barriers to freedom, the first barrier
you have to break through is revealed in these verses, and the barrier is this,
you have to admit you're a prisoner. If you're going to break through to
freedom, you've got to admit you're a prisoner.

The first step towards true spiritual freedom is to recognize our slavery to sin
and to know that we don't have any power to liberate ourselves. Notice here in
verse 33, their first reaction is, "What are you talking about? We've never been
slaves.

" It's easy. It's easy to be blind to the things that enslave us, to tell
ourselves that we're free when we're really not free. Now they were trying to
say that even though we're oppressed by the Roman government, we've never been
slaves in anyone's household, they missed the point entirely.

You see, the worst kind of prison, the worst kind of prison is the one that the
prisoner himself does not recognize. And we might say to ourselves, "I'm fine
the way that I am. " We convince ourselves that bad is good.

We settle for slavery. We can't be found until we recognize that we're lost. We
can't be forgiven until we recognize that we're guilty.

We can't be loving until we recognize that we're selfish. We can't be free until
we recognize that we're prisoners, that we need to be set free. And Jesus said
it clearly.

I tell you the truth. Everyone who sins is a slave to sin. You ever sinned?

I sure have. We've all sinned and fallen short of God's glory. Everyone who sins
is a slave to sin.

That's why we need Jesus to set us free. That's interesting. Everyone who sins,
the idea there in the Greek language is everyone who keeps on practicing sin,
there's a daily idea to this.

You're a slave to sin day by day as you commit sins day by day. None of us are
fine the way that we are. Until we're honest about the fact that sin enslaves
us, we won't trust Christ to free us.

That's a barrier. You break through the barrier by saying, "Jesus, I'll be
honest with you. I've sinned.

I need your forgiveness. I need your freedom. " Listen to what happens in verses
35 to 37.

"Now a slave has no permanent place in the family," Jesus said, "but a son
belongs to it forever. " So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I
know that you're Abraham's descendants, and yet you're ready to kill me because
you have no room for my word.

It's interesting. As I read these verses, I apply them personally as I listen to
their conversation. And I see here two questions to ask each day if I want to
experience freedom.

I got to ask myself the question. Am I acting like a son or a slave? Jesus here
explains the difference.

A slave, no permanent place in the family, a son belongs to it forever. Am I
acting like a slave to sin and just doing what sin temptation tells me to do
today, or am I acting like a son of God? Am I following him?

In verse 35, Jesus reminds them of Isaac and Ishmael, one who was a slave, one
who was a son. And he appeals to their history and he says, "The son is the one
who had the inheritance. " By the way, that's why spiritually we're all sons of
God.

You might think, "Well, I'm a daughter of God. " Well, in one sense you are. But
we're all sons of God because the sons in the Bible were the ones who got the
inheritance, and we all get the inheritance.

We're all sons of God, whether you're a man or a woman. We're all a part of the
bride of Christ. Even though that's a female image, whether you're a man or a
woman, you're a part of the bride of Christ because of the power in that
picture, the inheritance.

Am I acting like a son or a slave? And then I have to ask myself the question,
"Am I making room in my life for his word? " That's quite a phrase, Jesus said,
"You're ready to kill me because you have no room for my word.

" And the American Standard translates that, "My word makes no progress in you.
" Our lives, my life, your life, they can become so filled up with so many other
things that there's no space left for Jesus' word. You think, "I want to live
apart from sin in my life.

I want to live the kind of life that Jesus made me to live, but there's no room
in your life for his word. " And because of that, day by day, you find yourself
acting like a slave to sin rather than the Son of God, the creation of God that
he made you to be. You want to see Jesus Christ do something new in your life?

Then you've got to make room for his word. I have to do that. Anytime I want to
see him do something new in my life, I want to see that every day.

Make room for his word. Act like a son, not a slave. You see, if I'm going to
break free from this slavery to sin, first of all, I've got to recognize, I've
got to admit, I'm a prisoner.

Jesus, I need you to help me to break free. There's a second thing I have to do
that's revealed in verses 38 to 43. The second thing I have to do is I've got to
admit that what I'm doing isn't working.

My strategy to break free isn't getting me free. Let me read verses 38 to 43 for
you. Jesus says, "I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence,
and you do what you've heard from your Father.

Abraham is our Father, they answered. If you were Abraham's children, said
Jesus, then you would do the things that Abraham did. As it is, you are
determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God.

Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the things that your own Father
does. We are not illegitimate children, they protested.

The only Father we have is God himself. Jesus said to them, 'If God were your
Father, you would love me. Therefore I came from God, and now I am here.

I have not come on my own, but he sent me. Why is my language not clear to you?
Because you are unable to hear what I say.

'" They just didn't want to listen. They didn't want to admit that what they
were doing wasn't working. You see, their hope, the hope of those that Jesus was
talking to this day was, "We're descendants of Abraham.

Abraham is our Father. We believe in one God, and that is enough. Our spiritual
heritage guarantees us a relationship with God.

" And Jesus' answer to them is, "Look at the results. The way you're thinking,
if what you're doing is so right, why is everything coming out so wrong? If
Abraham truly is the one that you're following, why are you doing things that
Abraham would never do?

What you're doing isn't working. " And Jesus challenges them to admit what
you're doing isn't working. You see, if the key doesn't unlock the door to the
prison the first time, why do we keep trying the same key over and over again?

Because we get attached to that key, because of our pride or our heritage or our
past, because we've had some argument with someone. We get attached to that key,
and we think, "I've got to make this key work to get me out of this trap that
I'm in. " And Jesus says, "This isn't working for you, but I have the way.

I can show you the way out. " In fact, he says, "The reason you're using the
wrong key is you're trusting in the wrong person. " He talks in these verses
about their father again and again, and you're following your father.

What does he mean by that? Let me read for you verses 44 to 47. Here's what
Jesus says to them, "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry
out your father's desire.

He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no
truth in him. And when he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar
and the father of lies. He's trying to say to them, "You're trapped in this
prison.

You need to admit you're a prisoner, or else you're never going to get out. "
He's talking here about how to find the right key to get out of prison, and he's
saying you need to ask yourself, "Who is my father? " He's very clear with them
here.

He says, "Is it God, or is it Satan? " He says to them, "Your father is Satan. "
You see, we are all created by God, but the Bible tells us that God is not the
father in our lives until we trust him as our father.

He doesn't force that relationship on us. And until I trust God as my father,
Satan is my spiritual father. That's what the Bible teaches.

That's what Jesus says here, "I follow his desires. " Now, he doesn't let me
know I'm following his desires, or I'd run in fear to God, but like a fishing
line lure, he lures me into the sin that he wants me to be a part of by lying to
me again and again and again. These verses, these words of Jesus show us how
serious our imprisonment really is.

This isn't a matter of just trying again. I'll try the key one more time. I'll
try to do a little bit better the next time.

I know I can get past this sin. I know I can do it myself. Jesus says you can't
do it yourself because until you know God, until you trust in God, you're trying
to depend on the wrong foundation, a foundation of lies and deceit and
temptations.

You're never going to get there that way. You know that old phrase, "like
father, like son. " It's no good trying to change until you have the power to
change.

And as long as you trust in yourself and the ways of this world, those are all
led by, created by, strengthened by the ways of Satan. They all have lies as
their foundation. And Jesus says if you trust in lies, of course you're going to
get lies in the end.

But I'm telling you the truth. So believe me. Because if you believe in me, if
you trust God as your father, you're going to get truth in the end.

You're going to get life in the end. So what do I need to do? I need to listen
for God's voice.

Verse 47, "He who belongs to God hears what God says. " Listen for his voice
today. Not your voice or somebody else's voice.

Listen for his voice. Because once I'm adopted by him. Once I've been saved.

Once I've made a commitment of my life to Christ. Then I listen for my father's
voice and I follow it to freedom. It's sort of like if you're in a dark room and
you feel trapped.

And there's only one way out, but it's too dark. You can't see the way out. But
a friend is on the outside.

They know the way out. And they say to you, just follow the sound of my voice to
freedom. And they keep saying, just follow the sound of my voice.

As you hear them talk, you follow the sound of their voice and you get out of
that dark place. Just follow the sound of his voice. Let's pray together.

As you pray, say to Jesus Christ, "Jesus, I recognize that the truth will set me
free. But I also see that first I have to admit that I need to be set free.
Forgive me for those times when I just didn't admit that.

When I just held on to my sin, my temptation, when I pridefully wouldn't admit
I'm a sinner like everyone else. I need to be set free. Forgive me for those
times when I wouldn't admit that what I'm doing isn't working.

Instead, today, I look to you and I pray that you would free me as only you can
from this habit, from this temptation, from this sin, from this relationship,
from this lifestyle, from this direction in life that I know is not one you want
me taking. Jesus set me free. I look to you to set me free.

I listen for the sound of your voice. And I choose today to follow it to
freedom. In your name, Amen.