Four Letter Words: “Free” John 8:31-38

Four Letter Words: Free

John 8:31-38
Sunday, May 25, 2025
Pastoral Intern James Pryor

Introduction

There are some four-letter words that should not come out of our mouths – and there are other four-letter words that we should be talking about. Maybe we don’t because these words make us uncomfortable or we don’t know what to say about them, but that doesn’t mean we should hide from them and the conversations they produce! Words like holy, life, grow, move, care, bold, and free are sometimes misunderstood because the world has redefined them. Let’s explore what the Bible says about these four-letter words together so we can stop avoiding them and start proclaiming what is good and true in our lives and in our world.

April 13: Holy – 1 Peter 1:13-25

April 20: Life – John 14:6

April 27: Grow – 1 Peter 2:1-3

May 4: Move – Hebrews 11:8-16

May 11: Care – 1 John 3:17-18

May 18: Bold – 2 Corinthians 3:12

May 25: Free – John 8:31-38

IMPACT Church 101 E. First Ave. Parkesburg, PA 19365
(610) 857-3887 [email protected]

FREE

John 8:31-38

1. You are free by being to Christ.

Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. 2 Corinthians 13:5

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

Note:

2. You are not free by .

“Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.” Matthew 3:9

Notes:

3. You are free in .

“Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!” Matthew 12:50

God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. Galatians 4:5

Notes:

4. Your keep you from being free.

¹⁶ Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. ¹⁷ When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ ¹⁸ But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ ¹⁹ Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ ²⁰ Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ “ Luke 14:16-20

18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he instructed his disciples to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even lay His head.” 21 Another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.” Matthew 8:18-22

Notes:

Challenge: What excuses will you trade to be free in Jesus Christ?

Notes:

Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!” John 8:58

“If you love me, obey my commandments.” John 14:15

“Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me.” John 14:24a

“Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” John 14:21

All Bible verses are from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.