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When The Prisoner Is Set Free
September 02, 2016
We are either servants of sin or servants of righteousness. We either allow God to cleanse us or we remain in the filth of our sins. We cannot cleanse ourselves, only God can cleanse us through the blood of Jesus Christ. Once our sins are gone, we are free! - Bernie Parsons
When The Prisoner Is Set Free
a sermon by Bernie Parsons
Presented to the Blockhouse Bottom Church of Christ on 09-02-2016
In Isaiah, God pleads for His sinful children to return to Him, to
listen to and obey Him.
Isaiah 1:15 "And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes
from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands
are full of blood.
16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from
before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the
fatherless, plead for the widow.
18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your
sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red
like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
We choose to be slaves to sin, or we choose to serve God.
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?
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have
obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of
righteousness.
19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your
flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and
to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to
righteousness unto holiness.
20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from
righteousness.
21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed?
for the end of those things is death.
22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have
your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord."
When we are slaves to sin, we are spiritually filthy and in need of
washing.
Titus 3:4 "But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour
toward man appeared,
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his
mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the
Holy Ghost;"
1 Corinthians 6:9 "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit
the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters,
nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified,
but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of
our God."
Some think to clean themselves by hearing the word of God. I have heard
people claim righteousness on the basis of hearing sermons when they
were young.
Matthew 13:19 "When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and
understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that
which was sown in his heart."
Matthew 7:24 “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and
doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon
a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and
beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not,
shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the
sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and
beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."
Some think to cleanse themselves through faith.
Acts 10:43 "To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name
whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins."
James 2:17 "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy
faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils
also believe, and tremble."
Some expect cleansing from confession of sins.
Luke 18:13 “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so
much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be
merciful to me a sinner.”
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
But, we cannot clean our spiritual selves, only God through Christ can
do that.
Titus 3:5 "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but
according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and
renewing of the Holy Ghost;
6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;"
Revelation 1:5 "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and
the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the
earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own
blood,"
When the sinner is set free, cleansed from his filth, there is rejoicing
in heaven.
Luke 15:10 "Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of
the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth."
Luke 15:11 "And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the
portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his
living.
13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and
took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with
riotous living.
14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land;
and he began to be in want.
15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he
sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine
did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my
father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I
have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy
hired servants.
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way
off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his
neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and
in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and
put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be
merry:
24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is
found. And they began to be merry."
Once cleansed by the blood of the Lamb of God, we must not return to the
filth.
2 Peter 2:19 "While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the
servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he
brought in bondage.
20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through
the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again
entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than
the beginning.
21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of
righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy
commandment delivered unto them.
22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog
is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her
wallowing in the mire."
We cannot remove a verse or two from context and formulate a doctrine of
salvation of the soul. Instead, we must understand, accept and put into
practice all that God has told us to do.
