We are talking about open doors. Yesterday we considered that The Lord Jesus opens the scriptures to us. Once you know the Lord of Scripture you find He opens your spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear His Word in your heart. We also considered the fact that He has already opened heaven for believers. Once you know Jesus personally He opens Scripture to your understanding and then you become aware that Heaven’s door has been opened for you. Today we need consider the third of four “openings” Jesus has made:
3) Jesus has opened the prison.
From Genesis chapter 3 we learn we have an enemy … who himself is God’s enemy. Read:
Rev 12:7 And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
Without much hard work you will easily see that the passage refers to the devil (Satan), who is the serpent of Genesis 3. There was an attempt to overthrow God but the attempt was foiled because no one is more powerful that God. Remember the evil one is a created being. But he did create havoc on earth by leading our first parents into sin, causing them to lose their innocence (spiritual innocence – holiness – sinlessness). As they were our representative parents, through Adam we too are born sinners … meaning God’s enemy is our enemy … but more than that, we were held in spiritual captivity. We were in bondage, locked up in a spiritual jail and unable to secure our release because the enemy treated us as his subjects, his slaves … slaves to sin. He held us there … but Jesus has sets us free. Almost 800 years before our Lord’s incarnation, the prophet wrote referring to the coming Messiah:
Isa 61:1 “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’S favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.”
Many prisoners, when released find themselves back in prison quite soon because they can’t leave their criminal ways … yet once Jesus opens the spiritual prison and releases souls, bringing them into the freedom and safety of His Kingdom, they will never return to the darkness and bondage of the enemy’s clutches.
Eph 2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
The salvation of the soul includes the immediate change of ownership. Before you were a slave to sin and satan … once saved you belong to Jesus and His eternal Kingdom. When thinking through the Isaiah 61 passage above consider the New Testament as you read Luke 4:18-19 and then
Lk 4:20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Jesus admits He fulfils the Isaiah prophecy on that very day in that synagogue. You see, Jesus is the great warrior … He sets the captives free … this is the purpose of the incarnation. Not to be a revolutionary freedom fighter. Not to be a literal king seated on the earthly throne in Jerusalem. Not at all. He is the eternal King of Heaven … why would He stoop so low as to reign on an earthly throne? In releasing prisoners from captivity it includes peoples from every ethnicity on the planet … so His reign covers all souls saved by grace upon this planet, whoever they are and wherever they come from … even from earthly kingdoms that no longer exist!
But His reign is far more … He has command over all Creation, including its depths yet unknown and unexplored. Because of whom He is and what He has done, He and He alone is able to set the prisoners free. Only He can open the dark, sinister prison under the enemy’s command. Only He, through His Blood Offering can open the spiritual jail, breaking loose the chains of bondage, setting captive souls free to willing follow Him as their new Master, Lord and Saviour.
Ps 146:7 The LORD sets prisoners free …
We live in a world that cries for political freedom, economic freedom, cultural freedom, sexual freedom and many other freedoms as if those claiming this are in a bondage they can never exit. I have never heard of demonstrations related to spiritual freedom from the captivity of Satan. Yet this freedom is the most important for without it, the soul is trapped in eternal bondage. Reader … has your soul been set free from Satan’s spiritual jail? Bondage here means eternal death that lasts eternally in the Lake of Fire that never burns out! That is the spiritual and eternal prison.
Dear Lord Jesus, we can never thank You enough for coming on the Rescue Mission to Planet Earth for the sole purpose of our souls. Thank You for setting us freedom from the enemy’s prison. Thank You for what It cost You to secure our freedom … our precious Blood. Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to Thee. Amen.