Freed To Do Good

John 8:31-36

Former NFL player Jason Brown was one of the best offensive linemen in the game in the early 2000s.  He earned millions of dollars playing for the Baltimore Ravens and the St. Louis Rams, and at one time signed a contract making him the highest paid center in the league.  Then after seven years in the NFL, having made $25 million, Jason retried in 2012 at 29 years old.  He’d made a fortune and could do whatever he wanted for the rest of his life.  But as a person of faith, Jason said he prayed to God for guidance and heard the call of Jesus: feed my people.  Jason discerned God’s call to retire early (when he probably could’ve signed another contract) and start a farm that would give away all its food to the poor.  Jason said people thought he was crazy.  But his wife was supportive, and together they left their 12,000 sq. ft. mansion and bought a farm. 

Jason had never farmed a day in his life, but he took a leap of faith.  It was quite a different lifestyle.  It wasn’t easy learning how to manage a farm and do all the physical work it required.  But they trusted God and have been successful.  Over the years their “First Fruits Farm” has grown, harvested, and donated over 2 million pounds of food to those who are food insecure. 

Jason’s NFL earnings gave him the freedom to do whatever he wanted, freedom to never work another day in his life.  And yet, in the midst of that freedom he asked God’s guidance and discerned what he was really meant to do was farm for those in need.  And in following that call, he found true fulfillment.    

Today is Reformation Sunday.  It’s the day we celebrate the good news that Martin Luther reintroduced to the world.  The good news of freedom in Jesus Christ that had become so misunderstood that it essentially became bad news about God’s wrath, hell, and needing to earn forgiveness.  In a medieval world obsessed with doing enough to earn your way into heaven, Luther reminded people what the Bible clearly says: that God does not keep score of our good and bad deeds, rather we are saved by God’s grace as a free gift.   

Luther dedicated his life to assuring Christians that they need not worry about the wrath of God, eternal hell, or not being good enough or believing hard enough.  He emphasized God’s love and the promise of eternal life in Christ because of divine love not human achievement.  And more than simply assuring people of a positive afterlife, Luther reminded us that salvation is more than just what happens after we die.  Salvation is about living in right relationship with God here and now.  It is being free to be who God calls us to be in this life and the next.

In the Gospel reading today Jesus speaks of the freedom we find in Him.  Martin Luther dedicated many books and sermons to teaching about this freedom we have in Christ.  One of his most famous works is called “On the Freedom of a Christian.”  In this book, Luther describes the apparent paradox between freedom from needing to do good works for salvation, and the idea that receiving salvation as a free gift actually leads directly to a life of good works. 

Luther explains that we are freed from the anxiety or worry about punishment and have no requirement to follow God’s law to earn God’s reward or grace or favor.  But at the same time, true freedom actually leads us to following what God calls us to.  Which Luther says always involves some form of service to our neighbor, some kind of good work for other people.  Because doing good works is what we were created to do in the first place.  So when we’re freed from sin, we’re free to do good!  Luther said good works are not necessary to earn God’s love and salvation, we have God’s love and salvation already as a free gift—and that naturally leads us to spend our lives doing good for God and neighbor.

This is what Luther meant when he said the famous line: “the Christian is a perfectly free lord of all subject to none, and the Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all subject to all.” 

God’s grace sets us free from needing to do anything to earn God’s love and favor and salvation.  We have all that as a free gift.  And it is that very gift of freedom that gives us space to discern how we might spend our lives loving and serving.  Not because we have to to earn anything, but because that’s what we were created for, so it’s obviously where we will find our deepest fulfillment.  Being our most natural, truest self means living out God’s will for us.  

Conversely, imagine what it would be like to use your freedom to fulfill your own selfish desires.  Anything you want, all the time.  With what we know about modern psychology it makes sense that Jesus says everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.  Because using your freedom to live selfishly and get whatever you want, whenever you want, will enslave you to your wants.  It’ll make you addicted to fulfilling your instincts and desires. 

We might say: “Using your freedom to do whatever you desire is enslavement to your desires. But desiring to do whatever God shows you needs to be done, that is true freedom!” 

To put it another way: “Needing to do whatever you want, is being addicted to your wants.  But wanting to do whatever is needed, that’s freedom” (I’ll repeat that).

Consider again the example of Jason Brown who had the financial freedom to never work again and do whatever he wanted for the rest of his life.  But instead he chose to work hard on a farm so he could donate all the crops to those in need.  Jason could’ve spent the rest of his life partying at his mansion where he could eat, drink, and be merry.  And he might’ve enjoyed that for a while.  But eventually he might’ve become addicted to eating or drinking or enjoying material possessions, and true happiness would evade him.  But instead of that, he understood that living his best life wasn’t about satisfying all his desires for comfort and pleasure.  Living his best life meant asking God what his best life should be.  Asking God for the guidance and discernment that led to his farm. 

Likewise, living our best lives, truly living into the freedom of a Christian, means seeking to align ourselves with the divine will, discerning God’s call for us and finding our fulfillment in that.  Because it is through living in alignment with the Creator that we creatures find our ultimate fulfillment.  

None of us may live in complete alignment with the divine will all the time.  We all make mistakes and sin from time to time.  But that doesn’t mean we should give up altogether.  This life is a learning ground, a school if you will, where we learn to live in alignment with God.  Where we learn to manifest God’s goodness and love in real, concrete ways.  We’re free to make mistakes.  But when we understand our true purpose, it’s not even a question that we’ll want to keep following Jesus on this path of freedom, keep walking the spiritual journey, keeping loving and serving God and neighbor. 

There are many ways we can walk with the Lord and serve our neighbors in need.  One of the key ways is being involved in a community like this one, where we learn from each other, grow closer to God, and serve the world together.  Where we are part of the Body of Christ and are the hands and feet of God to a world in need.  And on this day, our annual Stewardship Sunday, we invite you to prayerfully discern making a financial commitment to supporting the ministry of this congregation.  Living generously is one way we can live into the freedom of a Christian, following God’s call to tithe 10% or whatever we can give.  Not because we have to.  Not because it’ll earn us extra points with God.  But because we have received from God’s generosity, and want to share that generosity where in ways that will do good.

Of course financial generosity is but one way we live into the freedom of a Christian.  There are many forms that freedom can take.  We can take part in outreach ministries where we collect for a different charity every two months, donating food or clothing or school supplies.  Also, we can discern how we might use our time and energy, our passions and gifts, to serve this community in worship leadership, on council or committees, or by volunteering in Sunday School or fellowship events.  Or we might discern how God is calling us to grow through spiritual practices like bible study or centering prayer.  Or we might feel called to share our faith by inviting to church a friend who’s never had a relationship with God before. 

How we love and serve God and neighbor will be different for everyone.  We’re free to follow wherever the Spirit leads us.  Not because we have to in order to earn God’s love and forgiveness, but because we are children of God, freed from everything that separates us from God.  Freed to be who we truly are meant to be.  Freed to be generous.  Freed to be loving.  Feed to servants.  Freed to follow Christ wherever He leads. 

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen. 

Pastor Brian | October 26, 2025 | Reformation Sunday