Eternal Life and Salvation · Hope and Restoration

Imprisoned or free?

8 min read, approximately

Isaiah 49:8-9
“Thus saith Jehovah, In an acceptable time have I answered thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee; and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to raise up the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritages; saying to them that are bound, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and on all bare heights shall be their pasture.”

From the very beginning, Satan, the god of this age, has devised strategies and sought ways to entice humanity with all those desires of the flesh, leading us to practice them, become captive, and be imprisoned!

“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties, envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of which I forewarn you, even as I did forewarn you, that they who practise such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21)

It is no surprise that more and more people surrender to these things:

“And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14)

Satan will make us believe that this path is good:

“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man; But the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)

Satan is always trying to sell the idea of evil as good:

“in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn [upon them].” (2 Corinthians 4:4)

In this case, God’s Word is speaking not of physical imprisonment but of spiritual imprisonment! Do we want to stop doing something we know is not good for us, yet find we cannot?

Some examples are: Imprisoned by drugs? Wanting to be clear-minded but ending up trapped in alcohol? Wanting a stable life but always ending up in infidelity? Wanting to remain cheerful but ending up with low self-esteem? Feeling persecuted when no one is pursuing me? Wanting to be useful, only to be overtaken by thoughts telling me I am good for nothing? Not knowing how to escape pornography and lust? Wanting to speak well, but obscene words always come out of my mouth? Unable to forgive? Lacking self-control?…

Sins are prisons, chains for our spirit… Sin separates us from God; apart from God, we can do nothing! (John 15:5) Satan knows this, which is why the thief wants to imprison us… How does he do it? By stealing from us, killing us, and destroying us! (John 10:10a)

Examples from the Bible

The Word records many accounts of imprisoned people, but we will focus on 2:

\1. The jailer and his family

“At midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening. Suddenly a great earthquake shook the foundations of the prison; immediately all the doors opened and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer awoke and, seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried out loudly: Do yourself no harm, for we are all here. The jailer called for a light, rushed inside, and fell trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. He brought them out and said: Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

They said: Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household. They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house. At that very hour of the night, he took them and washed their wounds; immediately he and all his household were baptized. He brought them into his house, set food before them, and rejoiced with his whole household at having believed in God.” (Acts 16:25-34)

At first, it seems the jailer wanted to kill himself because all the prisoners had been released. Yet afterward, he confesses to Paul and Silas: “What must I do to be saved?”…Something was tormenting him, something would not let him be at peace… Spiritually speaking, the jailer was imprisoned, and not only he, but his family as well.

\2. The Samaritan woman

“Jesus answered her: If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, Give me a drink, you would ask him, and he would give you living water. The woman said to him: Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where, then, do you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and livestock? Jesus answered her: Whoever drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. The water I give them will become in them a spring of water flowing up to eternal life.

The woman said: Sir, give me that water so that I will not thirst or come here to draw water. Jesus said: Go, call your husband, and come here. The woman answered: I have no husband. Jesus said to her: You have rightly said, I have no husband, because you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” (John 4:10-18)

At first, it seems like an ordinary conversation. Yet then the Lord Jesus exposes this woman’s emotional emptiness… She has wanted so badly to fill it that she has gone through as many as 5 husbands… Spiritually speaking, the woman was imprisoned in loneliness…

What is our situation? Where are we imprisoned?

Whatever our situation, God’s Word brings us news!
Jesus

“…was given the book of the prophet Isaiah. Opening it, he found the place where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom to the captives and sight to the blind, set the oppressed free, and proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. Rolling up the book, he gave it to the attendant and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue had their eyes fixed on him. He began to say to them: Today this Scripture has been fulfilled before you.” (Luke 4:17-21)

For us? Freedom? Yes! That is right!

We need to know that:

\1. God sent Jesus so that, when we believe in his redeeming work, we will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16)

(2)

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

(3)

“If therefore the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

\4. Jesus, being in the form of God, laid everything aside and came to destroy the works of the devil (Philippians 2:11) (1 John 3:8)… And… he defeated him (Hebrews 2:14)!

\5. Jesus set us free! How did he do it?

“And you, being dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you, [I say], did he make alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses; having blotted out the bond written in ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us: and he hath taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross; having despoiled the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” (Colossians 2:13-15)

\5. Jesus can do this because everything is subject to him

“which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly [places], far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and he put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” (Ephesians 1:20-23)

Today is the time to decide… remain imprisoned or be free?

_**Remember to stop by the Songbook

May God continue to bless you, and may you continue to have an excellent day in Christ Jesus!