John 8:31-32 English Standard Version (ESV) 

The Truth Will Set You Free

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.”

John 16:13 English Standard Version (ESV) When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

When we accept Jesus Christ as Lord He sends us the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of truth. We suddenly become aware that our most intimate thoughts are being shared. We have lost the illusion of privacy. God always knew and now we know without any doubt, our thoughts are not our own.

Sin is no longer a private matter. We might hide it from others but we can no longer hide it from the indwelling presence of the Spirit of truth. We are known in ways we never expected. What we might have thought of God eternal, being face to face with His Spirit every waking moment is an unnerving reality.

How does that set us free?

We must accept that the Comforter has come to be that companion in life that is our helper in the fight against the power of the Prince of the Air, Satan. His only influence in the world is our sin nature and we were powerless against it without God’s help. Sin no longer has any power over us, so we are free from the power of sin. We now have the ability to say no to our sin nature. That is a choice we did not have before we came to Christ.

Galatians 5:1 English Standard Version (ESV) For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Now we have a choice of who we serve, God or sin.

Free will has not been taken away.

John 3:2 English Standard Version (ESV) This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”

Catching up with yesterday’s offering, this is the moment in John 3 where Nick places himself at risk. In order to understand that we shall need to know a little more about this Pharisee’s beliefs. What I copied from BLB.ORG yesterday was not everything they believed.

They held strenuously to a belief in the existence of good and evil angels, and to the expectation of a Messiah; They were bitter enemies of Jesus and his cause; and were in turn severely rebuked by him for their avarice, ambition, hollow reliance on outward works, and affection of piety in order to gain popularity. (Source; Bible Outline BLB.ORG)

What Nick is asking of Jesus is at the core of John 3:16, “Are you the Messiah?” He does not ask directly but acknowledges that only God can do what Jesus has done. He seeks a direct answer without asking a direct question. “By what authority do you have the right to challenge who I am and what I believe?”

Jesus answers Nick in the same manner in which Nick asks, in his heart without words, because Nick believes that only God can know his innermost thoughts.

John 3:3 English Standard Version (ESV) Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Nick wants to see the Messiah come to rule and reign according to his understanding and beliefs. Once again Jesus answers Nick by challenging everything Nick thinks he understands. Jesus challenges his belief system.

In the next few verses leading up to John 3:16 Jesus answers Nick’s questions and leaves a trail that only faith can follow. Jesus uses a term Nick is familiar with, Son of Man. Jesus points to prior acts Nick is familiar with, Moses and the serpent symbol. He tells Nick that He as the Son of Man must be lifted up to save Israel. 

Now comes John 3:16 and Nick now has to understand that God the Father has seen His only begotten Son to be the sin atonement for Israel. It is taking everything Nick knew and worked for and unravels it all by challenging his faith, the one thing Nick thought he had right.

Nick had to watch and wait as his Messiah went about fulfilling all the prophecies Nick thought he understood, but had to watch it all unravel in light of the truth being executed in front of him.

What does that have to do with our risks?