Jesus: The True Freedom
PS BRENDEN BROWN | JULY 05, 2026
We all love the idea of a miracle. We love the dramatic, instant, chain-breaking moments where everything changes in a flash. But if we are honest about our Christian walk, we quickly realize that not every moment is a headline miracle moment. Healings and breakthroughs don’t always happen instantly.
Oftentimes, God uses our obstacles to shift things beneath the surface. True miracles are frequently less about a sudden spectacle and more about a deep, ongoing relationship, one where Jesus walks alongside you, piece by piece, breaking the chains that bind you.
The God of Grace and Light
Consider the woman caught in adultery in John 8. The religious leaders brought her before Jesus, weaponizing her sin to condemn her, demanding: "Jesus, what do you say to this?" (John 8:5) Jesus calmly replied: "You without sin cast its first stone." (John 8:7) One by one, the accusers walked away. When Jesus looked up, He asked her, "Where are those who accused you?" (John 8:10) She responded, "There is none, Lord." (John 8:11) And He said:
Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more. (John 8:11)
The very first thing we see is that Jesus does not condemn people. He is a God of grace. Right after this encounter, Jesus makes a profound declaration in the scriptures:
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)
The thing about light is that it exposes darkness. Many people love living in the dark simply because they don't realize they are in it. But when light enters a room, it can make us uncomfortable because it reveals the reality of our environment. Jesus entered a realm where everyone had hidden sin, yet they were trying to expose this woman's sin. As the only one without sin, Jesus chose to show grace.
But notice this: that woman was not fully set free in that single moment. She had a moment of freedom, but she likely spent the rest of her life getting free. It wasn’t just about walking away from the act of adultery; it was because she, like all of us, had to navigate the constant, daily life challenges, complex wrestles, and shifting struggles that we all face and must continuously be set free from as we grow.
In the modern church, we sometimes do ourselves a disservice by treating "come to Jesus" moments as a magic fix where everything is instantly resolved. You can experience the power of God touching your life and be healed in some areas, while still desperately needing freedom in others. Nobody is perfect. We all have wrestles. The question is: What do we do with wrestling? Do we pull a blanket over our heads to stay comfortable in the dark, or do we let the Lord's light wake us up, expose the pain, and bring true healing?
Freedom is a Journey
Freedom is one of the deepest longings of the human heart. If you ask anyone, "Do you want to be free?" The answer is always a resounding yes. We get sick of the struggle. But wanting to be free and knowing how to get free are two completely different things.
If you were wearing physical chains today and I handed you a key, unlocking them would be easy. But in the spiritual realm, many of us are chained and simply don’t know what the key is. We live in a constant battle, wanting freedom but feeling stuck, siloed into perspectives that keep us trapped.
Think of it like a football game. Imagine a defensive wall blocking an attacker from reaching the end zone. If the attacker keeps running straight into the same defenders, hitting the same wall over and over, they will never score. Too often, we do the same thing in life by running our own strength and efforts directly into the same wall of habits, addictions, and toxic mindsets.
We go around the same mountains, wrestling with the same old problems. We want the breakthrough, but we rely entirely on our own strength and efforts. We ask, "Why am I not getting past this? I pray, I read the Bible, I go to church!" But we keep running into the same wall because we are playing by the wrong playbook.
Shifting the Playbook
There is a way the world operates, through politics, governments, and corporate ladders. But God’s Kingdom operates on a completely different framework.
Want to be the greatest? Wash someone's feet.
Want to be first? Become a servant.
Want to grow in financial freedom? Be generous and give.
The world tells you to hoard, save, and look out for number one. God says the opposite. The enemy has done such a good job of teaching us the world’s way that we become comfortable in our captivity. We sit in a prison cell of our own habits without even realizing the door is unlocked.
If you abide in my word, then you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. (John 8:31-32)
Truth isn't just meant to inform you; it is meant to transform you. We have all heard truth that made no difference because we didn't receive it. When you truly receive the Word of God, it changes you from the inside out.
Notice the progression in John 8. Jesus starts with Light, transitions to Truth, and finishes with Freedom. It isn't three separate thoughts; it is one seamless conversation. Light exposes, Truth transforms, and Freedom is the outcome.
The Power of Abiding
To get set free, we must embrace the full counsel of God's Word, not just the parts we like. When we pick and choose scripture, we live in deception. Jesus lays out a clear process where we must first abide, which leads us to become true disciples, which allows us to truly know Him, and that intimacy ultimately produces our freedom.
To abide means to stay connected to the vine (John 15). We do this by opening His Word, attending church, worshiping, and soaking in His presence. Spiritual fruit doesn't come from your frantic self-help efforts; it comes from abiding.
Hebrews 4 tells us the Word of God is a sharp, double-edged sword. When you read the Bible, the Bible reads you. It acts as a mirror, reflecting Christ inside you and transforming you. Through this intimacy, knowing Him, walking with Him becomes stable and predictable because you trust the one who sets you free.
In Galatians 5:1, Paul writes:
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Paul contrasts two covenants through Hagar (the slave woman) and Sarah (the free woman). Righteousness by faith has nothing to do with your good behavior; it is about surrendering to the cross. Don't taste the grace of Christ only to run back to the prison of self-help. Rely on the power of the Spirit, which brings life and peace.
Freedom is a Person
True freedom isn't an abstract concept or a political state; freedom is a person. Knowing the Son is the ultimate key to freedom.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36)
In John 14, Thomas expressed his doubts and asked Jesus where He was going. Philip chimed in, asking to see the Father. Jesus responded, "If you know me, you know the Father." It is a beautiful reminder that you can have doubts, questions, and struggles, and Jesus still loves to work in your life.
When you know Jesus, everything He paid for on the cross is planted inside you as a seed. And every seed eventually produces after its own kind.
Need Peace? Isaiah 26:3 says, You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Water that seed by setting your mind on Him.
Need Healing? Look at Psalm 103: Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.
God has benefits! There is no condemnation in Christ, and everyone is a candidate for His goodness. But a seed requires faith to grow. Without faith, it is impossible to please God, but He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. He fulfills His promises and tells us that those who abide in Him will do even greater works.
Freedom is About Sonship, Not Slavery
When confronting the religious leaders in John 8, they argued, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves to anyone."
Jesus corrected them directly:
Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. (John 8:34-35)
They may have been physically free, but they were under spiritual slavery. If you want to be free from the addictions, mental traps, and recurring challenges in your life, you have to walk out of the slave quarters and step into sonship.
To break the cycle of hitting the same walls, we have to stop trying to handle it with our own perspectives. Go to the Word of God and ask: "Lord, teach me Your ways." His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and His ways are higher than our ways.
When you keep hitting up against the same struggle without finding a breakthrough, you risk accepting it as your "normal." Hear this today: captivity is not your normal. The very same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives inside of you. Nothing is impossible for those who believe. If you believe God can't change your situation, you are defeated before you begin. But when you lean into the Light, abide in the Truth, and walk with the Person of Jesus, you will find that the chains begin to drop away.
He who began a good work in you is faithful to finish it. Trust the journey. You are a child of the free woman, and whom the Son sets free is free indeed!