John 8.31-38

We have all been the victims of false advertising at one point or another in our lives.

False advertising is the use of misleading or blatantly untrue statements when promoting a product.

In other words, false advertising is making a promise that it cannot keep or that cannot be kept.

Maybe you ran to a restaurant to get that picture perfect burger that you saw on TV but were met with something that looked like it was run over by a car before they served it to you.

Maybe you chose your favorite cartoon character to help cool you down on a hot summer day after seeing the picture on the side of the ice cream truck but were met with something that resembled a blind person’s attempt to draw that character when you pulled it out of the wrapper.

Or, maybe you got a bait and switch—you were promised one item but after making the purchase, you realized they gave you something else.

The one who believes the false advertising’s promise is left disappointed, monetarily burdened after wasting their money,

and often angry.

In this morning’s Biblical text, Jesus’ is warning his hearers of false advertising.

Let’s hear from our lectionary text chosen for this Reformation Sunday.

John 8:31–38 says this:

[31] So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, [32] and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” [33] 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’?”

[34] Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. [35] The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. [36] So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. [37] I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. [38] I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” (ESV)

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were advertising that God would accept a person into His Heavenly Kingdom based on who they were related to and the tasks that they performed throughout their lives.

However, this was false advertising because the Bible makes it clear that no one will be forgiven of their sin and accepted by God because of human relationships or good deeds or having your Confirmation picture hanging in the hallway of the church.

The religious leaders surrounding Jesus were telling others that things like church attendance, family name, good works, donations of money, and volunteer service would make one qualified to be accepted and loved by God.

Because this false advertising places power in our hands to get something from God, the if you do this for God/then God will do this for you relationship, it tickles our ears and attracts our attention.

However, this advertising by religious leaders is false because it makes a promise that it cannot keep.

In fact, even though it promises eternal love and freedom, it actually delivers the exact opposite.

The promise of a good deeds based forgiveness does nothing but enslave the one who buys it because it piles burden on top of burden as you try to do more, try to do enough, and try to do something of value that will please God. 

You live life worried and weary believing the fake claim that God will accept you through the life you have lived. 

You end up regularly disappointed in yourself as well as angry at God for making His love so hard to obtain.

I have a movie clip, from the greatest Christmas movie of all time, that I want to share with you now.

For those of you unfamiliar with this movie, Elf is the story of a human that is raised by Elves in the North Pole.  The Elf in this clip, named Buddy, has traveled back to New York to find his birth parents.  He is confused by everything in what we would call “the real world” because he was raised under the nonsensical rules governed by fun and Christmas magic in Santa’s town and workshop.  Therefore, when he sees the department store Santa, he knows that this isn’t “the real Santa” because the real Santa smells like candy canes and hot chocolate not beef and cheese.

Today the Christian Church around the world is celebrating the 508^th anniversary of the Reformation.

For those of you unfamiliar with this history-changing event, the bass player from Megadeth, yes, you heard that correct, the bass player from Megadeth, also an ordained Lutheran pastor, sums up the Reformation succinctly and beautifully for you.

In his biography, My Life With Deth, he says,

“In 1517, the German theologian, Martin Luther challenged the political agenda of the [serving] priesthood, which taught at the time that believers could buy their way into heaven.  Luther went back to Scripture, read it, and declared that the church was doing it all wrong. They were not following what Jesus said.” (Dave Ellefson, My Life With Deth, 174)

Martin Luther was saying to the church leaders of his day,

“You sit on a throne of lies!”

He was telling them that their presentation of God’s forgiveness smelled like beef and cheese, not like the sweet fragrant aroma of God’s grace in Jesus Christ.

Luther was standing in classrooms, and in the church pulpits;

Luther was standing on on the city streets shouting that what was being offered by the religious leaders of his day was nothing but false advertising, it was a fake.

And, all of what happened 508 years ago during the Reformation was nothing but an echoing, a retelling, a return to what Jesus said to the religious leaders of His day 2000 years ago as recorded in this morning’s Biblical text.

Jesus was saying to the church leaders of his day,

“You sit on a throne of lies!”

He was telling them that their presentation of God’s forgiveness smelled like beef and cheese, not like the sweet fragrant aroma

of God’s grace in Jesus Christ.

Jesus was standing in temple courts, and in the synagogue podiums;

Jesus was standing on the mountainsides and on the city streets shouting that what was being offered by the religious leaders of his day was nothing but false advertising, it was a fake.

Jesus brought you the good news of God’s grace.

God was not a God of burden.

God was the God of love.

God was the God of forgiveness.

God is the God of freedom because God requires NOTHING from you in exchange for His love, forgiveness, and eternal freedom.

Everything God required from you was completed for you in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It was a freely offered gift from Him to you. 

A gift that was purchased by Him, for you, with the blood of His own Son.

This is the truth that sets you free.

Jesus lived the perfect life of obedience to God the Father.

Jesus took on your sin and died on the cross to take the punishment that your sin deserved.

Jesus rose from the grave defeating the power of death once and for all.

And all of that perfection,

all of that complete work,

all of that victory,

all of the meeting of God’s requirements

was completed for you because God is gracious and God loves you.

God knows that you could never complete His requirements for perfection by yourself but He still wanted to accept you into His Heavenly Kingdom.

At the theological conference I attended a few years, one of the speakers shared this thought,

“Without Christ, you are in bondage to sin, trying to buy and earn God’s forgiveness.

With Christ you are free because forgiveness has been bought for you.”

Only if Jesus Christ, the Son sets you free, are you free indeed.

“Because Jesus gave you His righteous, you are free to live and love your neighbor because you don’t need anything from them.” (Elyse Fitzpatrick, Here We Still Stand, San Diego, October 20, 2017)

This morning,

here I stand,

proclaiming to you the unquestionable truth that you are saved and set free from your sins, by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

Jesus’s words remind you of this good news.

“I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8.12, ESV)

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14.6, ESV)

This morning, repent of your sins, confess them to God, and believe in the truth that sets you free—in the person and work of Jesus Christ, God forgives everyone of your sins.

Go into the world today trusting in God’s Word alone which proclaims this truth to you.  Do not believe any other false advertising which places a to-do list into your relationship with your Maker and Creator.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

October 27, 2024.

Prayer:

Glorious heavenly Father, 

We admit that we don’t see your glory very clearly. In heaven we will be captivated by your beauty, but now we are weak and sinful and do not adore you as we should. We do not have clean hands and pure hearts, but have wandered away like lost sheep. Our idolatrous hearts desire many things besides you; our days are filled with other thoughts; we live in a world full of strong temptations and have an enemy who knows how to draw our eyes away from you. Father, forgive us for finding so much glory in your creation while failing to see you in all of your wonder and radiant majesty. Our souls are darkened and all our motives mixed, yet you allowed your perfect Son to die in our place. Help us to see the great glory of your love and forgiveness through the outrageous sacrifice of the cross. 

Jesus, you preserved purity in both your heart and your hands. You touched lepers and brought them wholeness instead of becoming defiled by them; you ate with tax collectors and sinners and called them away from their sin rather than being drawn into sin by them. You used your hands to glorify and praise your Father, and now you have ascended into the heavenly sanctuary, which you purified once for all with your own blood. Now you grant us access to the Father through the gift of your perfect cleanliness—what a privilege is ours! 

Holy Spirit, open our eyes to see the magnificence of our great Savior. Lovingly strip away the idols and trinkets that seem so priceless to us, yet keep us from worshiping him alone. Wean us from our strong attachments to your wonderful gifts, and quiet our anxious thoughts when you take them away. When we see our impure hearts and unclean hands, give us the gifts of godly sorrow and swift repentance. May the darkness of our sin magnify the glory of Jesus Christ, whose perfect heart and spotless hands have been credited to us. Make us grateful that through him we are worthy to belong to the King of Glory, to fall at his feet and join in worshiping him forever. Until then, may we live as joyful and grateful debtors to your mercy alone. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Benediction:

Go in peace today.  In Jesus Christ alone, you are free, free indeed!