TITLE: “Free Indeed”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for the Festival of the Reformation is from John chapter 8, with focus on the words, You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

It is indeed appropriate that we have this for our text on this Reformation Sunday. This is the day where we as a church celebrate and remember the gift of God’s Word and the Gospel of Jesus Christ for lost sinners. It is a day about freedom. Freedom from sin. Freedom from death. Freedom from the shackles that bind us all. This freedom, which the theologians call justification, is what defines us and makes us Lutherans. Indeed, it is this very freedom in the Gospel that makes us Christians.

In a few minutes we will dedicate and commission some of our Bibles to go to a prison in Northeast Missouri, where a chaplain will use them to give God’s Word to prisoners. If ever there was an appropriate use of God’s Word, that’s it. What does God’s Word provide to those who are held in bondage? What does it give to those whose life is ordered around by others. What does it provide to those who are not in control of their destiny and their future?

This, of course, isn’t a new question. In our text the Jews were a bit unclear about this question of bondage and freedom. Jesus tells them that only the truth of the Word of God can free them. What is their response? We are sons of Abraham and have never been in bondage to anyone! They thought Jesus was talking about physical slavery, but they missed his point. What Jesus is talking about isn’t finally about who is your boss, or even whether you in prison or free.

You see, according to the Scriptures, we are all enslaved. We are enslaved to sin, to death, and to the power of the devil. We may not know it. Like the Jews in our text, we may blithely go through life acting like we’re in control. But it’s not true. All it takes is a word out of turn, a lost temper, one too many temptations, or some other sins to rear it’s ugly head to get you to realize that you are not in control of your own life. You may put up a good front sometimes. But ultimately, you are enslaved to sin and death.

Saint Paul talks about this at length in his great chapter on sin and grace in Romans 3. Hear a portion of it again: ¹⁹Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. ²⁰For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin (Romans 3:19-20 ESV).

In other words, God’s Law in His Word serves to get us to hush up. We all long to make excuses before God for our sin. We all want there to be extenuating circumstances and a thousand reasons why the Law shouldn’t apply to us. But it does. God’s Law rings out into the whole world, and it convicts you of your own sinfulness and need for Jesus and His righteousness.

That crushing weight of the Law is necessary, absolutely necessary for your salvation and freedom. In order for you to seek the healing arms of Jesus, you have to know that you are sick. More than that, you have to know that you are dead in trespasses and sins, and that only God’s mercy can save you. And God does show mercy to you. He sent His Son into the world to die so that your sins might be forgiven. That is the truth that will set you free.

Jesus said, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” That is the power of God’s Word, my friends. When He says, You are free, I forgive you, I baptize you, This is my body, when Christ our Lord says these great Gospel words to you, it is reality. This is the truth that sets you free. That is what makes you a Lutheran. We hold onto that doctrine of Justification for everything. That is what defines us as the people of God. When we forget that, we have forgotten our very identity.

Next month we begin the 40^th anniversary month of Messiah Lutheran Church. This will be a month where we will look back to see what God has done for us, we will examine ourselves to see where we are, and we look to the future to see what great things God has in store for us. In these turbulent times, it is critical that we as a church be grounded in the truth of the Gospel. That is what we are about. That is who we are. We teach this Gospel in bible class and Sunday School. We teach this Gospel at Little Lambs and in Pray and Play. We teach this Gospel in meetings and even in casual conversation here at church. This is the one unifying factor to this place.

We live in one of the hardest ages to be a faithful Christian. We live in a time when it would be easy, it would be so very tempting to hide the Gospel under a bushel and just make ourselves into one more social agency or club. But it cannot be so. This truth of God’s Word is too important. This is the Word that creates faith. This is the Word that brings eternal life. We must talk and pray and struggle and argue and pray some more that Christ our Lord will give us the guidance to hold up His Word of truth to a dying world. That is our mission as the Christian Church.

There was another time in the church’s history when they had to ask some of these very hard questions. In the 16^th century, five hundred years ago, the Church in Europe had largely forgotten its purpose. The church had gone from the place of salvation to a place of Law and fear. God’s people didn’t go to church to have their sins forgiven. They went to church so that they could fulfill and obligation, or out of habit, or even out of fear. In the midst of that chaos Christ our Lord raised up men like Martin Luther, Philip Melanchthon, and a hymn writer named Paul Speratus. We just sang Speratus’ great hymn of the Reformation, Salvation unto Us Has Come. Hear the first verse again:

Salvation unto us has come By God’s free grace and favor;

Good works cannot avert our doom, They help and save us never.

Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone, Who did for all the world atone;

He is our one redeemer. (LW 355:1)

The Word of God had such an impact on these men, and many others, that they were willing to suffer everything, even death, to hold up that Gospel of Jesus Christ and teach it to their children. These are our forbearers, my friends. They sacrificed much, so that you and I could stand before God today in a Lutheran Church, and know that we would hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.

So this Reformation Sunday, rejoice! God’s Word still reigns supreme, and He gives you the Word of His Gospel in so many ways in this holy place. That is the greatest blessing from God. You are free indeed. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in true faith, unto life everlasting. Amen.