Our Prisons
December 11th, 2007INTRO:
A. I have been to prison several times. Maybe I should clarify that. I have been to prison, but have never been in prison. I have been to prison to visit people in prison.
B. Prison – not a pleasant subject, but nevertheless still a former or current reality for some believers. Others – never imprisoned – should have been, but escaped their proper penalty due to either God’s gracious attention or man’s negligent inattention.
C. Most, if not all, of us are nevertheless in prison – and that is the true reality – but sadly and shockingly we don’t see the emotional or spiritual shackles. We feel no restraints or restrictions. Our prisons are personal and preventable, not political or criminal. And sometimes that which is not so easily seen is all the more binding, for the simple reason that we cannot be freed from that which we do not know binds us.
D. Paul experienced real prison with real shackles; but not for a real crime. He was a prisoner of (and for) Christ Jesus (Phile.1:1). Preaching the gospel led to his bondage – would we have been convicted? If Christianity was a crime, would there be enough evidence to convict us? Paul, even though shackled by chains, remained amazingly free; free spiritually, emotionally, and psychologically. Not being inwardly restrained by his outward chains, his grace-driven, inner freedom helped him remove the spiritual and emotional chains of sin and hurt imprisoning others. How? He did not have any enslaving sin or hurt within himself. He was free despite his chains. That story is told in the letter to Philemon.
1. But let’s leave Paul’s prison and go back to our prisons. How many times do we let our prisons keep us shackled? What are our prisons? Do we even see the locked cages we put ourselves in? They are many and varied.
E. Jesus Came to Set Us Free:
1. Scripture:
Luke 4:14-21 NASB And Jesus returned to
Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district. (15) And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all. (16) And He came to
Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. (17) And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, (18) “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, (19) TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” (20) And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. (21) And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
2. Two Admissions:
· Jesus came to set us free spiritually, first and foremost. This spiritual freedom is a freedom from sin resulting from both self and false religion. “Emotional freedom” is not the main intent of Jesus’ purpose.
· However, although Jesus did not come to set us free emotionally or psychologically, may I suggest that much of the emotional baggage we carry around is the due to sin – either our sins, or others sins against us.
BODY:
I. PRISONS FROM THE PAST
A. Nothing has occurred in our past which does not shape us today – whether good or bad. Who we are though, is not so much due to our past, but how we react to the past.
· A bad childhood can result in being a bad parent, or a good parent; having a co-dependant marriage or a healthy marriage. Children abused can grow up to become abusers, marry abusers, or be abhorred by such behavior, refuse to give in and fight against it, and even help others. Everything depends on what we decide to do with the past.
·
Newton’s law that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction is not true in the spiritual and emotional world. Reactions differ – we are in charge.
B. Emotional Prisons from Our Past
1. Our past shaping us is especially true for those having suffered childhood traumas, and adult tragedies.
· Some of us have holes in our hearts which have never healed. We are empty, and need to be filled. Too often people turn to drugs, alcohol, sex, or other aberrant behaviors such as “cutting.” We need to fill ourselves with Christ.
· Some of us ignore our past and the horrors possibly associated with it, are unwarily imprisoned by our own fear to face our fear; shackled by our own hurt from being hurt; and ultimately, chained from being who we truly are by our own selves.
· Then there are those of us who acknowledge the pain, but refuse freedom, choosing instead to remain in bondage to chains we see, fearful of a freedom we cannot see. Comfort – even painful comfort – is more attractive than freedom. Freedom is not free – there is always pain that comes with freedom. That old emotional prison is comfortable because it is known. We would rather eat the fruit of Egypt’s slavery than the manna of the wilderness’ freedom…because we can’t see clearly the mild and honey of
Canaan’s freedom.
· And finally, and thankfully, there are those of us who decide to break the chains of our past, to remove the pain by removing the shackles of hurt and anger. The key is forgiveness. Forgiveness sets us free, just as it set Paul free. Why? Because forgiveness is sending away the pain (one of the Greek words for forgiveness means to “send away”). We must forgive others. If we forgive them emotionally before they ask, then we are ready to forgive them totally when they ask. And if they never ask? At least we have set ourselves free.
2. How do we free ourselves? By forgiveness!
· Forgive (English) – putting the prefix for- together with the main word, give, produces a word meaning, “to take away.”
o I like to look at our English word and understand that when I forgive, I am giving something for the person and for myself. I am giving each of us a gift. Often, I am giving myself.
· Forgive (Greek)
o aphiemi (863) – “primarily, to send forth, send away (apo, from, hiemi, to send)….”[1]; the “undeserved releasing of the man from something that might justly have been inflicted upon him or exacted from him” (Barclay)
§ I am giving up my “right” to hurt you for hurting me.
o charizomai (5483) – “an act of grace that willingly pardons without any requirement of merit or recompense.”
o “(aphiemi) centers on the act of unmerited favor or pardon from a debt, and so forth, whereas (charizomai) centers on the attitude of kindness that prompts free and voluntary pardon.”[2]
o Compilation: It is an act of grace that willingly and freely sends away or takes away the sin, or the hurt and pain.
3. “The essence of responsible biblical forgiveness is to:
· release bitterness and resentment;
· focus our anger toward motivating repentance in those who have wronged us for their benefit;
· offer to restore and reconcile broken relationships whenever possible, even if others will not repent or accept our offer. If the person we forgive repents and desires reconciliation, then we should restore the relationship promptly, if reasonably possible.
4. The Process of Forgiveness
· Remove guilt notation (Gen.45:5-15)
· Remove memory (Heb.8:12)
· Receive back again (Lk.15:20-24)
C. Religious Prisons from Our Past
1. Can our past experiences with and in “religion” also keep us in bondage?
2. Have you ever noticed that you can tell which building is a prison by looking at the windows? They are smaller than normal. Smaller windows equals less light. Hmmm, the smaller our biblical windows, the less light from God can get through!
· When we read the Bible, are we really reading God’s words, or only what we think the Bible says?
· Can God’s truth be seen through the perceptions we grew up with?
· Do we presently believe what we believe because of God, or do we believe because of our past religious traditions?
· As parents are we teaching our children to discover what the Bible says, or to believe because we have told them?
3. John 8:30-59
a. Notice how the religious past of these “believers” kept them from:
· Seeing themselves accurately
· Seeing Jesus accurately
John 8:30-59 NASB As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him. (31) So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; (32) and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (33) They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”
· How can these Jews deny the obvious truth that the Jewish people have experienced slavery?
· But more importantly, they fail to see themselves as sinners due to their relationship with Abraham.
(34) Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. (35) “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. (36) “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. (37) “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. (38) “I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.” (39) They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus *said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. (40) “But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. (41) “You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.”
· Contradiction – I thought they said Abraham was their father?
(42) Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. (43) “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. · What a scary thought…Being unable to hear what Jesus is saying?
(44) “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
· This is the third “father” mentioned: Abraham; God; and now Satan.
(45) “But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. (46) “Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? (47) “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.” (48) The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” (49) Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. (50) “But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges. (51) “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.” (52) The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death.’ (53) “Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?” (54) Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; (55) and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word. (56) “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” (57) So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” (58) Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (59) Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.
· What do we learn throughout this dialogue that helps us understand being imprisoned by our religious past?
o Self-deception; Contradictions; Name-calling; Closed ears – signs of being imprisoned by our religious past.
4. Freedom? Learn to listen despite
· Personal Cost of Believing· Person Teaching Us · Past Experiences
D. Combination – Bad Emotional Experience with Church
1. Why do people stop “going to church?” While there are many reasons, I would like to focus on just two:
· Lack of a Positive Experience
· Effect of a Bad Experience
E. John 8:32 – “and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
II. PRISONS IN THE PRESENT
A. I don’t personally know anybody who purposely puts themselves in prison, do you? I’ve heard stories of juvenile thugs committing murder, hoping for incarceration so they can get their “street cred.” But those of us trying to be part of “polite society” don’t understand such thinking…and yet…
1. There is a comic strip that does illustrate that people do put themselves into emotional prisons. That comic strip is one of my favorites, “Rose is Rose.”
2. “Rose Is Rose”, written by Pat Brady, revolves around Rose and Jimbo Gumbo, their son Pasquale, and the family cat Peekaboo. Rose and Jimbo are deeply in love with each other, sometimes exchanging love notes or kissing under the stars. On the rare occasions when she and Jimbo are fighting, she usually visualizes herself locked away as a prisoner in a “dungeon of resentment.”
3. I wonder if any of us are ever guilty of locking ourselves away in our own little emotional dungeons. We have the key to unlocking it. We usually stay as long as we want to.
B. Emotional Prisons from Our Present – Prisons Being Made Today
· Hardly a day goes by that something negative does not happen: cut off in traffic; children misbehaving; employer chews us out; or whatever happened to us already today. The list is as endless as there are negative possibilities.
o Anger can imprison us.
o Holding a grudge, especially when the offending party has asked for our forgiveness, shackles us. Question – Do you like yourself when you are holding a grudge?
o Self-pity is also a personal dungeon.
o Bad moods can chain us. These prisons might only be temporary, but they do restrain how we can glory God.
· Then there are the positive things that don’t happen such as deserved praise not being given; being overlooked again and again; the void of emptiness not being filled by goodness. Bitterness; resentment, disappointment, and again self-pity can shackle us.
· Then there are the life-changing events: cancer is discovered; a loved-one dies; moving, loss of job, and so on.
· All of these actions (or non-actions) present to us choices – How do we react? Herein are the prisons of the present where we choose to lock ourselves up. These emotional prisons are of our own making, since we choose how we react – or least how we will continue to act – to some wrong done to us – or some right not done to us.
o Genesis 4:5-7 NASB but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. (6) Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? (7) “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
o Who was in control?
C. Situational Prisons from Our Present
· Being unorganized which ironically keeps us extra busy, while being organized keeps us freer to do God’s work. How often do we find that we do not have the time to do some good work?
o Ephesians 5:15-17 – Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, (16) making the most of your time, because the days are evil. (17) So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
· Jobs, hobbies, children, parents, husbands, wives, school, (you name it), anything that takes away the time we should devote to God, His church, His good works, improving ourselves spiritually – without neglecting our responsibilities given to us by God. Paul was in a prison that he could not leave at 5:00 pm, yet he forgot his troubles long enough to help a friend. Yes, we need to handle our responsibilities; but no, we cannot use our responsibilities as an excuse to imprison us from obeying God.
o 2 Timothy 2:4 NASB No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
· Over-commitment – Learning to say “no” is an important lesson to learn, but why?
o Learning to say “no” allows us to be free to say “yes.”
o Learning to say “no” allows us time to meditate and pray.
· Effects of Over-commitment
o Fatigue and time pressure are the second leading causes of depression in women. (Gospel Advocate)
C. Spiritual Prisons from Our Present
1. Unrepentant Sin – What about sin in your life? Romans 7:24 – Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?
a. The Romans, plus some tyrants, would not always immediately put to death a slave who had murdered another. Instead, they would chain the dead body of the slain victim to the back of the murderer. After a period of time, the contagion from the putrid mass took away the murderer’s life.
b. Sin, Guilt, Regret, etc.
2. Blaming God – We can even think ill of God and blame Him by misplacing our anger, by thinking He has imprisoned us! Lamentations 3:7 – He has walled me in so that I cannot go out; He has made my chain heavy.
· “If God is so loving, why is there so much suffering?”
· “Why is life so unfair?”
· “What have I done to deserve this?”
· “How can God allow babies to be born deformed?”
· “Why doesn’t God do something about all the misery of humanity?”
3. Performance Based Salvation – I am afraid that anything I say on this topic will be misunderstood.
· Titus 3:5,8 (5) He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, … (8) This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds….
III. PRISONS IN THE FUTURE
A. If we could predict our future, if we could know with a fair amount of certainty how our decisions today would affect our future, would we find that helpful?
1. Naaah! – Why? Too often every single one of us thinks we are better than the statistics. After all…how many criminals think they will be caught and sent to prison?!
B. Decisions made today either free us tomorrow, or imprison us. The word “consequence” literally means “to follow after.” Every decision, whether good or bad, has a consequence. There is no such thing as an isolated action, decision, or thought. That is such a hard concept for children to learn, and I don’t think we adults do much better. For example, grades in school can either free us or imprison us – in the future. Deciding to forego or to follow educational possibilities can put us into bondage – in the future. Who we date can either free us or imprison us – it is impossible to marry the wrong kind of person if we don’t date the wrong kind of person. These are just some everyday actions.
· Spiritually· Emotionally· Educationally· Financially· Physically
C. Can one decision irrevocably change our lives? Gen.3; Gen.4;
1. Illustration: A Young Man in
Alabama
Let me tell you a story about a young man who grew up in
Alabama many years ago. A seventh-grade bully picked a fight with this young man, punched him in the nose and knocked him out. When the boy regained consciousness, he vowed to get revenge and kill the bully. He went home, grabbed his mother’s .22, and set out to find his target. In a matter of moments, his destiny hung in the balance. With the bully in his gun sight, he could simply squeeze the trigger, fire and his schoolmate would be history. But at that very instant he asked himself a question, “What will happen to me if I pull the trigger?” In other words, if I make this choice, what consequences will I also be choosing? After asking that question, another image came into focus, a picture as painful as any imaginable. In that split second which would take the boy’s life in one of two very different directions, he visualized, with chilling clarity, what it would be like to go to jail. He pictured having to stay up all night to keep the other prisoners from attacking him. That potential pain was greater than the anticipation of revenge. He re-aimed his gun, and shot a tree.
As he describes this scene in his autobiography, there’s no question this was a pivotal point in his life. This single choice probably made the difference between a kid with no future and one of great athletic success. Today that boy is a man – Bo Jackson.
D. What kind of “prisons” awaits us in the future? Remember, prisons are built by each and every one of us.
E. Financial Prisons
1. “Debtor’s Prison”
2. Could I suggest that we will be in a type of “debtor’s prison” in the future if we don’t learn to spend less than what we earn?
· Proverbs 21:5 NASB The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.
· Proverbs 21:17 NASB He who loves pleasure will become a poor man; He who loves wine and oil will not become rich.
F. Marital Prison
1. “Trapped in a marriage”
· Proverbs 21:9 NASB It is better to live in a corner of a roof Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.
· Proverbs 21:19 NASB It is better to live in a desert land Than with a contentious and vexing woman.
· Proverbs 21:19 NASB It is better to live in a desert land Than with a contentious and vexing woman.
· Proverbs 27:15 NASB A constant dripping on a day of steady rain And a contentious woman are alike;
· Ecclesiastes 7:26 NASB And I discovered more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are chains. One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her.
· Matthew 19:9-10 NASB “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.” (10) The disciples *said to Him, “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.”
G. Divorce Prison
· Matthew 19:9-10 NASB “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.” (10) The disciples *said to Him, “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.”
H. Prisons of Habit
1. I don’t know why but it seems like every single one of us has tendencies that turn into habits.
2. Habits are cobwebs at first; cables at last. (Chinese Proverb)
I. But more importantly, there is an eternal existence. Decisions made today – do they lead us to eternal freedom or to eternal imprisonment?
Revelation 20:1 – Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.
Are we free?
John 8:36 “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.
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