Prison Break

[0:00] I want to tell you this evening about how to be free, how to be truly free. And the Bible's full of themes of captivity and of redemption.

[0:11] ! It's right through the Bible, different themes of captivity and redemption. And tonight we're looking at really the great escape. The greatest escape that we can know is God's salvation, isn't it?

[0:23] His deliverance. And as we see here, the words of Luke 4, verse 18. I know that I love to hear stories about escapes and escapes from prison or prisoner of war camps, that kind of thing.

[0:41] People breaking out of being in a captive setting. And the Bible's full of those themes, right through. And today many are held prisoner, they're held in this captivity.

[0:52] And it's a gripping reality that people are being held prisoner. The prison bars that confine them are unseen. There are many such people and they're in captivity, they're captured, they're held in chains, held in bondage.

[1:08] And it's like they're in this dark, gloomy prison but they don't even realise it. They're not aware that they're in such a state. It makes me think of some people that might be living in an oppressed country.

[1:18] For example, North Korea, I've got a slide there of North Korea. You see the people living in an oppressed country such as North Korea. But they've never known anything different.

[1:29] They're born into that country. They're born into that country so they don't know anything different. They don't realise that they're actually in enslavement. They're slaves. And some people think they're actually living free when they're actually living under a domination.

[1:43] And worse than any earthly dictator, it's really the world's worst dictator. Who's he? Satan. Satan is the world's worst dictator.

[1:54] The worst dictator of all time. And people are in this enslavement to him. That's the bad news. But the good news is right here that the Lord Jesus has come to bring deliverance.

[2:05] And our Lord spelled out that mission as he read the word of God at the synagogue there in Luke 4 verse 18. As he came to Nazareth, he stood up as his custom was to go to the synagogue.

[2:21] And he stood up for to read a book of Isaiah. And he reads there about the spirit of the Lord upon me. Luke 4 verse 18, he says, Imagine being a blind person with no sight, no vision.

[2:50] Everything is darkness. We can't really understand that, can we? We that have sight today. And that's the state of man. Bruised, enslaved, imprisoned in darkness.

[3:02] Such that they're blind and they don't realise that they're blind. That's another thing. When you don't have anything to compare it with, if you're a blind person, you don't realise that you're blind necessarily.

[3:14] Unless someone was to tell you so. And it's like that in the world today, isn't it? People are blind in that the Bible talks about minds blinded. That their understanding is darkened. Some people don't realise that they're actually in darkness.

[3:27] But thankfully the light can come. The Bible, as we see Psalm 119, is that super powerful spotlight that sheds its light on the darkened minds of men and the blinded minds of men.

[3:40] And it's like this powerful spotlight that can turn night into day. And it reads in Psalm 119 verse 130, that the entrance of thy words giveth light. It giveth understanding unto the simple.

[3:52] Without the light, we're in darkness, aren't we? And this is the light. The Word of God is described here as light. It's the Word of God is showing a bright, wonderful light into the darkness of men's souls.

[4:05] But without that light, we're stumbling along blindly and ultimately into everlasting darkness. That's where it will lead. And so people are held in this spiritual state of captivity, held fast like prisoners under the heavy oppression of a cruel tyrant, the devil.

[4:23] And many are deceived. We read, the next verse is 1 John 4 verse 1, where it says, Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of God.

[4:34] Because many false prophets have gone out into the world. It's like there's these chains that some are in, the chains of false religion, of false ideas, of false prophets.

[4:45] And I know one such prophet, so-called prophet, Ellen White, we see false prophet, Joseph Smith. There's this falseness, this false philosophy, false theology, false doctrine, false religion.

[5:01] And many are enslaved by this. And they're so blind, they cannot see their chains. They cannot understand or see their blindness. And Satan loves it that way.

[5:11] He wants to keep people in that blindness. So there's no fear of God, no thought of God, no real hope in their vain lives that really will end in eternal darkness.

[5:25] And spiritual forces are arrayed against us today. We see many are deceived, believing spirits. For example, witchcraft and yoga and mindfulness and crystals and Reiki and you name it.

[5:42] It's all out there. And some think that that's okay. But really, we know the roots of that. We know where it stems from. We know the source of it. And it's not of God. We've got to try the spirits, test them, discern what's of God, what's not of God.

[5:57] The next verse, John 8, 34, it reads, Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

[6:07] So this theme of slavery, of enslavement, just want to unpack that a little tonight. We see the Bible speaks much about enslavement, of captivity and of release. Here we see a picture of a couple of Roman slaves in the slave market, as it were, of the time they would stand on a pedestal and people would bid for them like they would auction off some piece of property.

[6:31] That's how people used to be treated, as if they were pieces of property and such. And even in more recent times, we know the sad state of affairs of the slave market of America, of Europe, where we see people were slaves.

[6:47] But think of it, even worse than that is to be a slave, a servant of sin. And many are slaves to sin. They're in their slavery. And again, they don't realise that they're slaves, but sin rules over them.

[7:00] And the question for all of us is, who will we serve? The Lord Jesus says, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. Will we serve sin and the slave master of our souls, the devil, or will we let Jesus Christ, our Lord, redeem us?

[7:18] So there's this theme of redemption. To redeem means to buy back. And in the slave market times, a slave could be set free, where a redemption price was paid for them to redeem them.

[7:30] Now we know that, we use this terminology today, down at cash converters, you can put some property in, and then you can redeem it, you can buy it back, you can redeem it.

[7:41] And this is the sense of it, where a slave can be redeemed. So we should consider, who will we obey? Who are you going to serve? For some sin has dominion over them, for others Christ has set them free.

[7:55] And Romans 6.14, it reads, For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace. We can be under law, or we can be under grace.

[8:06] There's two mountains we can go to. We can go to Mount Calvary, to find grace, what God has provided, or we can go to Mount Sinai, the law, what God has demanded. Thank God we can actually be released from the burden of the law, and we can find the grace, that Christ gives to us, that gift that we have, that we receive.

[8:26] I know I was speaking with a woman, not long ago, trying to show her some spiritual things, and she showed some degree of interest, in spiritual things, and I offered to show her the gospel, and went to Romans 3.23, which says that all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God, and she up and walked away.

[8:45] She said, that's going to take away my positive energy, she said. She'd been sucked into this whirlpool, of some false religious ideas. People don't like to hear about sin, but friends, we've got to know about sin, so we can be set free.

[8:58] We've got to know about sin, and its penalty, and the danger of the sin, unforgiven, and to be unsaved, so we can know what the opposite of that is, to be set free from sin, and to know God's deliverance.

[9:17] Sin holds people prisoner, and there's good news, we can be set free. Amen. That's the point, in simple terms. And so, three and a half thousand years ago, we know God brought a great saving work, when he set the people free, from Egypt.

[9:31] We see here, pictured the Red Sea parted, we see the people of God, set free, taken out of Egypt, and crossing the Red Sea, into their promised land, or towards it.

[9:44] And so we see, that same deliverer, that set the God's people free, set the children of Israel free, from Egypt, is the same deliverer, we can know, personally know, that can set us free.

[9:55] That great deliverer, he's available for us, right now, right here, to set us free. So there's a wonderful truth there. In the Bible, Acts 10, 38, it says that, he was healing, all that were oppressed, of the devil.

[10:09] He came, and he set people free. He set those oppressed, he sets the oppressed free, amen, he still does. And he's the ultimate chain breaker, he's come to set, the captives free.

[10:21] John 8, 36, it says, if the Son, therefore, shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. Free indeed. That's the kind of freedom, we can know. He's our great deliverer, our great deliverer.

[10:33] And in the streets, and suburbs, all around us, we know, there's people, who are trapped, in their prisons, the prison of unbelief, the prison of darkness, the prison of the blindness, of their minds, we see people trapped, in the hardness of their heart, in the rejection of the truth, trapped and imprisoned, in the prison cells, of unbelief, of fleshly lusts, of worldly vanities.

[11:00] Yet we can have complete victory. If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, you shall be free, free indeed, free indeed. And so there's a wonderful, complete victory pictured there.

[11:12] And so this theme continues, for example, Galatians 5, verse 1. It says, Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty, wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again, with the yoke of bondage.

[11:24] Now there's a picture here, of Bunyan's story, of Pilgrim. It's a great analogy, a great allegory, of a man travelling through life, and finding the burden of sin, lifted, of God's grace delivered, of the journey of faith, till the blessed city.

[11:45] And it pictures many themes, from the Bible. And in one of the, little snapshots, of Bunyan's pilgrim story, we see one time, where Bunyan and his colleague, fell into a trap, and they fell into this time, where they were held captive, by giant despair.

[12:04] Giant despair. And friends, as believers, we can have times of despair, can't we? Times of difficulty, of discouragement, of despair. And that's what Bunyan's pilgrim found, where he felt like he was in, this kind of prison cell, of despair, of desperation.

[12:19] And some believers, can have those moments, where we feel like we're in prison. And I was speaking, with a brother lately, who referred to another allegory, within Bunyan's allegory, of the pilgrim's progress, of a man in an iron cage.

[12:33] He felt like he couldn't escape, because he felt, he was under condemnation, but he was too far, gone, for God to set him free, from the iron cage, of his, hard-heartedness.

[12:46] And yet, in the story of, giant despair, it says that they found, the key of promise, which pictures, the promises of God. They found the key of promise, which was the, the key that unlocked, the chains, and the prison cell, that they were captive in.

[13:03] And so, it's a picture again, of the word of God, as being the, way of release, from such despair. So, believers, if you have those times, where you might have, feeling like you're, in a, a situation of captivity, of being bound, and captured, there is deliverance.

[13:22] There's the word of God, there's promises there, we can hold, and claim. And, we can have that, we can know that, we can show others that, same wonderful message, of God's deliverance.

[13:33] We see people all around us, who need deliverance. People with all kinds of, mental, emotional, heart problems, spiritual problems, at the heart of it. And, really the answer, the ultimate answer, is Christ.

[13:47] We know that. And I know there's some, studying, to enter, the care industry, of psychology, of health, of aged care, of disability. And I've been in such industries, it's a great place for a Christian, to serve, as a, as a secular occupation.

[14:03] But we know, ultimately, all the worldly care, all the secular help, all the worldly wisdom, that we can offer, and extend, fall short of that, absolute and ultimate, best, that we can offer, is that message, of deliverance.

[14:17] That, the Lord Jesus, is the absolute answer, for man's, essential needs. We see in 2 Timothy 2, verses 25 through 26, it talks about, how the some, that, are in the snare, of the devil, taken captive, by him, at his will.

[14:36] There's a picture there, that people are, are ensnared, they're taken captive, they're captured. Isaiah 57, talks about, how the wicked, are like the troubled sea, whose waters, cast up mire and dirt, there is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.

[14:52] So there's this, captivity, and it's a dread, dreadful captivity, it's a troubled, peaceless, kind of life. And it says, the lost, are like, as we could picture, the prodigal, as one example.

[15:08] The prodigal son, thinks about, how this prodigal, was slurred away, by Satan's lies, drawn like a magnet, into wretchedness, and misery, and came so low, that he was in the, buried pig pen.

[15:21] He's so low, that he's turning, to eat the pig's food, eating the pig's food, for breakfast, lunch and tea. Imagine that. That's the state, of the soul, of the prodigal, carried away, by his foolish lust, into this far country, away from the father's house, and there, in the misery of it, in the poverty, and the despair, and the misery, of it, that he actually, stoops down, to eat, as it were, that he hungers, and feasts, on the pig's food.

[15:51] What a situation, that's a picture, of sin, isn't it? Of captivity, of the sinner's, guilty state, and condemnation, and the enemy, would be, a trickster, that would con us, that will end up, in that situation, and the Bible, speaks in 2 Corinthians, 11, 14, how Satan himself, is transformed, into an angel of light, he's looked so beautiful, and glorious, and many fall, for his traps, and you know, the snares, of false religion, of the, the smooth talking serpent, that he still is, and men fall, into that grip, of darkness, John 3, 36, contrast, the offer of God, is everlasting, life, and the glad freedom, we can know in Christ, he comes to set, us free, to set the captives free, and that's the good news, it's still the good news, that our Lord announced, in Luke 4, verse 18, he's come to preach, that good news, and really, Christ only, is the only one, he's the only one, who can offer you, everlasting life, no other religious, teacher, or philosophy, can extend, such a promise, but Christ can, and does give, to those who believe, on him, everlasting life, and it says,

[17:07] Acts 4, 12, neither is there, salvation in any, other, for there's none, none at all, none other name, under heaven, under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be, saved, he's the only one, who can bring us out, as he brought, redeemed Israel, out from Egypt, through the blood, of the lamb, the blood of the lambs, that were shed, and he took them out, of that bitterness, of hard bondage, away from their, slavery, to their taskmasters, and it's a picture again, of that deliverance, power of God, as we think of Passover time, we see, that it reflects, that deliverance, power of God, John 8, 36, the Lord says, if the son, therefore, shall make you free, you shall be free, indeed, yet many, would follow, the destructive, world views, the hellwards path, of demonic, falsehoods, that threaten, to control people today, there's a mind control, of the masses, because many are just, falling to this, falling prey to this, under the control, whether it be, of drugs, of alcohol, of dominating, addictive forces, of the love of money, of their own ego, or pride, of some other, heavy burdensome yoke, whatever the devil, can throw at you, to divert you, that would control you, that would hold you captive, and yet, the Lord wants the opposite, he wants us to know, true freedom, now that doesn't mean, we're still going to have times, where we're feeling, downhearted, where we're still going to be tested, but we can know God's help, as many controlling things, that are very small, for example, the next slide, shows a picture, of a ship, and of course, we know James, talks about the tongue, as being a small member, like a rudder, on a big ship, it's got a bigger impact, controlling the direction, of the vessel, as like the bits, in a horse's mouth, and the point is, that something small, and insignificant, can make a huge difference, so it can be, something that, you've not resigned, to the Lord, that has control over you, it can, impact, your Christian walk too, a little thing, can make a big impact, and that can be such, that sin, even just accommodating, something small, can be, a big impact, on your Christian walk,

[19:36] Ephesians 1, 7, it talks about, the redemption, again, that theme of redemption, in whom, in Christ, we have redemption, through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches, of his grace, it's interesting, when you think about it, for you and me, that know the saviour, one of the names, of the saved, is the redeemed, that's one of the names, of we, the people of God, and sometimes, I think we miss that, sometimes, we're actually, a set free people, we're truly, a set free people, he's rescued us, as he's rescued, the children of Israel, out of Egypt, he's rescued us, out of the kingdom, of darkness, he's brought us, glorious liberty, as the sons of God, in Peter's case, we saw he was, imprisoned for his faith, the church prayed, and he was released, let's not neglect, the power of prayer, that vital, resource of prayer, likewise Daniel, the next slide, as he prayed, while in prison, he was in that, captivity, of the den of lions, God shut their mouths, when Daniel prayed, think of the, redeeming power of God, and it's there for you, believers, to trust him,

[20:43] God causes overcomers, Romans 6, 16, know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves, servants to obey, his servants ye are, to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience, unto righteousness, so, we know, when we receive Christ, when we're converted, there's a transforming, that happens, he rewires our minds, our thought patterns, he gives us a new way, of living, a new way of talking, a new way of walking, and you that are the redeemed, think of that, maybe we don't always, contemplate that, the wonderful, victory that we have, the wonderful, redeeming, power of God, that is with us, and for us, every day of our, walk with him, our Lord sets us free, in our souls, the next slide, he sets us free, he really breaks those chains, he looses us, he brings us, true, freedom, he breaks control, over those things, that would, hinder our walk with him, those things, that would control, our emotions, and lusts, that are contrary, to his will, he wants to, give us true freedom, in Christ, to know that, the scales are removed, from our eyes, he breaks the fetters, and he gives us, everlasting freedom, and we are actually, bought with a price, that redeeming picture again, that he's actually purchased us, from the slave market, so we were there, and the devil wanted to keep us, as a slave, but Christ bids, the highest price, the very price, of his precious blood, and he purchases us, and he makes us, his servants, but more so, he sets us free, to be his sons and daughters, we're actually got, full deliverance, and we'll freely, want to serve, because he's, paid, our purchase price, there's many scriptures, some, some reckon, there's about a hundred scriptures, over a hundred scriptures, that talk about the freedom, and victory, that we can know, so there's many verses, we could talk on, we're just touching, on some here, 1 Corinthians 10, 13 says, there have no temptation, taken you, but such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not suffer you, to be tempted above, that you are able, but will with the temptation, also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it, so believers, for us too, as redeemed, there's a way to escape, as we face, the troubles of life, and we know, we'll still be tempted, to sin, but we have God's, way to escape, we have that way to escape, that he provides, that right path, that he gives to us, when we see sin, and temptation, we can, know God's provision, of a way out, a way to escape, and to be accountable to God, to follow his will, and find the right path, and take it, the pathway to escape, next it says, 2 Timothy 4, we read how,

[23:47] Paul was there, talking how, no man stood with me, and he says that, yet the Lord stood with me, verse 17, and then we see, it reads on, I was delivered, out of the mouth, of the lion, and the Lord shall deliver me, from every evil work, so God's deliverance power, is with us, it's for us, even Paul there, in that prison cell, as he was there, deserted by his friends, he was alone, yet the Lord was with him, and it's the same with you, brother and sister, when you're going through, times of testing, as Paul was there, in prison, in that Roman jail, he was delivered, he was delivered, from self pity, he was lonely, but he knew the Lord's presence, and you can know that too, believer, when you're going through, times of loneliness, that he is with you, he is with you, and he will deliver you, out of the mouth, of the lion, even in this physical prison, while Paul was held, waiting to be martyred, he was delivered, delivered from fear, it's interesting, when you hear stories, about people, who have trusted the Lord, while they've been in prison, that they actually, know, well,

[24:52] I'm the freest I've ever been, when they trusted Christ, they know that they're truly set free, even though they're still behind, the prison bars, serving the sentence, for the crime they've committed, that they know, true freedom, even within, the prison cell, that, we can know, that the Lord delivers us, and that's the ultimate, isn't it, just as he delivered, the people of God, through times of wilderness, through travels, through crossing rivers, and knowing God's comfort, and presence, guiding the way, and so, and even our Lord, as he was in the wilderness, as he himself was tempted, he could say, to Satan, it is written, it is written, and so there's deliverance there, and Romans 6, 18, it says, being then made free from sin, he became the servants, of righteousness, our old dread slave master, the bitter bondage of Egypt, that we knew, the slave master, that was Satan, that we were born, into that slavery, into that blindness, into that captivity, under that ultimate dictator, we're set free from that now, and we've got, the ultimate, providence of God, we've got, our Lord and master, who truly loves us, and wants, to give us his very best, his great salvation, we've got a loving master, now that we can serve, freely and willingly, and all the darkness is gone, 2 Corinthians 4, verse 6, it says,

[26:19] God has commanded the light, to shine, out of darkness, and he's shined in our hearts, to give the light, of the knowledge, of the glory of God, in the face, of Jesus Christ, we who once were blind, we are once in that dark, dingy prison cell, of unbelief, he's shined the light, of the knowledge, of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ, he's shined that spotlight, of his truth, of his, of his illumination, illuminating power, of that, the true light, who is Christ, the light of the world, and his deliverance power, and it says, Philippians 1, verse 6, that not only can we know, his redeeming power, but also, his great keeping power, it says in Philippians 1, verse 6, being confident, of this very thing, that he which hath begun, a good work in you, shall complete it, he shall perform it, until the day, of Jesus Christ, so, his delivering power, not only does he deliver us, but he keeps us, he keeps us, in that keeping, of his grace, he keeps on delivering us, and what he has started, he will finish, the Lord will finish, what he started, and so, there's a wonderful, blessing for us, to know that, now, think of this, wonderful deliverance, this wonderful redemption, you that are, the redeemed, that you have, that privilege that you have, to be such, and we should think of the others, that are not redeemed yet, because there are many, still, in that bondage, not knowing of it, that blindness, not aware of it, that we have a message, to share to them, and it's the message, of redemption, it's the message, of this book, this is the book, of redemption, this is the story, from cover to cover, it's the story, of God's redeeming grace, and we've got, this same message, to give, to share, many are, in bondage, and really, it starts, from childhood, really, doesn't it, now,

[28:15] Vladimir Lenin, the founder, of the Russian, Communist Party, said, give me just one, generation of youth, and I will transform, the whole world, he knew he had, to get the youth, and he did, just like Hitler, and others, other dictators, they get the young, the youth, and the young, of our generation, are being conditioned, to fall into line, with radical agendas, we see, what's being pumped out, in the secular schools, we see many, lies being fed, to youngsters now, because the young generation, such, impressionable, we must reach them, for Christ, it's the will of God, to set the captives free, and there's full, and free deliverance, and we have that message, it ought to be the message, on our lips, it's available, for the vilest, of the vile, it's available, and God wants us to be, declaring it, with boldness, and affection, the message for today, is the message, of redemption, and it's the same message, the message of old, whosoever shall call, on the name of the Lord, shall be saved, it's the same message, that we read, in Colossians 1, verses 13, through 14, he has delivered us, from the power of darkness, he's translated us, into the kingdom, of his dear son, in whom, in Christ we have, redemption, through his blood, even the forgiveness, of sins, so, tonight believer, remember, you are redeemed, you have been redeemed, and that should make us, really, really thankful, shouldn't it, we should be, very thankful for that, remember, that you've been redeemed, you think of the Passover, the children of Israel, redeemed, saved out of Egypt, brought into, the promised land, well, on the way there, and we see, that they were set free, from Egypt's slavery, taken out, and taken by God, out of Egypt's domination, which pictures the world, and the devil's, domain, and taken into God's, dominion, into God's charge, and likewise, we that are saved, he's transferred us, from that, power of darkness, he's translated us, from that blindness, into, truly seeing, into true light, into true truth, into, the kingdom, of his dear son, that we can be called, sons and daughters, of the king of kings, and the lord of lords, that we can, in Christ, we can know, we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, so he's delivered us, from death, from captivity, and we can break free, and know full, deliverance, so friends, as we think, as we close, we think of the, deliverance power of God, people are in a prison, of unbelief, it's a miserable, estate, to be, in that blindness, and darkness, of unbelief, that Christ has come, to set the captives free, as he declared, as he read that verse, that we started with, he has sent me to, preach the gospel, to heal the broken hearted, to preach, deliverance to the captives, the recovering of sight, to the blind, to set at liberty, them that are bruised, let's pray,

[31:26] Lord we thank you, that you are the great deliverer, Lord that you give, great deliverance, there's a great redemption, you're the great redeemer, that we that were in the slave market, of sin, we that were there, as captives, enslaved, you bid the highest price, and you paid the price, Lord the greatest price, of your very precious blood, that we can be redeemed, bought back, purchased, made your very possession, because of that great purchase price, of your redeeming blood, Lord we pray, that each one might know that, today, and Lord we might be mindful, of those, that are still in blindness, and the darkness of unbelief, that still held captive, still captives, of the slave master, Lord we pray, that we might, be messengers of that truth, that your word tells us, that you are the one, who can set men free, and Lord we pray, that that truth, would be on our lips, and imparted to others too, that others can know, that great truth,

[32:32] Lord that you are the saviour, that one name, under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved, is you our Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for that Lord, for the great love you give, the great, blessing we have, just to serve you, to be under your, mastery, which is a glad servanthood, and no longer under the bondage, and the hard yokes, and the bitterness, of Satan, Lord we thank you for that, pray that each one, might have that certain hope, and that knowledge today, that they are, one of the redeemed, because of your great love, we thank you Lord, Amen.