Imprisoned
not
a pleasant thought
locked
up and the key thrown away
What can happen? Given enough time
and discouragement we start acting like prisoners.
Now add a spiritual dynamic. The
Bible says people are attacked by evil in this world. Sin in the
world oppresses us. What will we do about it? What can we do about
it? We start going our own way, the way that our circumstances direct
us.
How did God view that in Isaiah
65? It’s a foul smell. It’s something that will come back to
haunt us.
Doing what is right in our own
eyes is rarely the right choice. It’s only the right choice when it
is in harmony with God’s Word.
We find ourselves imprisoned.
not
with a cage
not
with chains
not
with shackles
We can break all those, like the
man in Luke 8.
We are in a far worse prison.
sinful
nature
world
flesh
devil
What will deliver us? How can we
escape? Not even through death and destruction.
Only through Jesus.
Only through Jesus coming onto the
scene.
Only through Jesus arresting our
sin.
Only through Jesus bringing us
forgiveness.
Wait a minute. You want to take
away THAT???
What do we cling to?
What do we depend upon?
Where do we look for help and
hope?
Any place other than throwing
ourselves on God’s mercy in Christ will leave us in the same state
we were in before, or maybe even worse.
Jesus sent the demons away from
the tortured man. They were destroying him. Now they found another
target and destroyed a herd of pigs.
When Jesus destroys our sin, it
finds another target. It kills him. Jesus dies for sin so that we
might have life. What is the result? He rises from the dead. We are
found sitting, clothed and in our right minds, talking with him,
trusting him.
What do we do? Jesus sent the
formerly demon possessed man back to his home. He goes everywhere
telling what God has done for him. We likewise are sent home. And we
show God’s great mercy and love. Our lives are changed. They are
not the same. The prison doors have not only been burst open, the
prison has been torn down and the rubble removed. We are unshackled.
We are truly free.
Lord, grant us your forgiveness.
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