Premise, Promise

John 8:³² “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Has there been a time when all you thought you knew about life or a particular subject was shredded by the truth? Maybe you thought you were clear on a subject, then you encountered truth and realized that you did not know anything. That feeling or such experiences are actually a prerequisite for growth and for you to get to the next level. If you have not had such moments in recent times, it means that there has not been a lot of growth in recent times and you need to work on that. Over the next few days, we are going to be studying John 8:31-59 [please read]. As you engage in God’s Word, you would be hidden from every enemy, in Jesus Name. In John, Jesus spoke four significant promises, take note of them. The first promise is, the one who follows Him will never walk in darkness [John 8:12, please read]. The second promise is, the truth will set them free [John 8:32, please read]. The third promise is, they will be free indeed, they will be truly free [John 8:36, please read]. And the fourth promise is, they will never see death [John 8:51, please read]. Jesus promises all who follow Him that we will never walk in darkness, we will be set free by the truth, we will be truly free and free indeed, and we will never see death. Amazing!

The background to our study [John 8:31-59] is, Jesus was teaching the people in the ceremony of lights, the morning after the feast of Booths. As He was teaching, the religious leaders and their followers came with stones in hand, and a woman caught in adultery. Then Jesus confounded them, and they dropped their stones. Most of them left, but some of them mixed with the crowd that Jesus was teaching. The Bible says in John 8:³¹ “Jesus said to the people who believed in him…’; meaning the conversation that is about to happen is mainly between Jesus and His new converts. John 8:^31-32 “Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (emphasis added). Jesus outlines the three steps to freedom in these passages.

The first step is, commit to His Teachings – Commitment. The second step is, know the truth – Illumination [Revelation]. And the third step is, the truth you know will set you free – Freedom. Interestingly, today people want to reverse the order. They want Jesus to set them free, then show them His Word, and they may commit to following Jesus if He convinces them. People are praying to God for freedom and freedom can mean many things to different people. It could be financial freedom, a job, healing, or some form of deliverance People say, ‘God, give me freedom because it will encourage me to go to church. Then I will consider if I want to commit to You.’ God says, the path to enduring freedom, to lasting freedom is Commitment to Christ, Revelation of Christ who is the truth, then Freedom.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are my Shepherd, therefore, will never walk in darkness, I am set free by the truth, I am truly free and I will never see death, in Jesus Name. Amen!