Over your prison cell it is has always said, “CONDEMNED.” “SEPARATED,” eternally, from God. “GUILTY”! And then suddenly, it switches when you realize what Jesus Christ has done. It says, “JUSTIFIED.” It says, “FORGIVEN,” “REDEEMED”!! … Here’s the problem: most of us have stopped with the good news right there. The blood of Jesus Christ has been shed and He was killed. And I want you to know that that is unbelievable news. But we are still in a prison cell!… And so we’re praising God from within a prison cell, going, “Thank You for forgiving me, thank You for changing the sign on the outside of the prison!” … And God’s word says, “Could you check the door to the prison cell? Because My blood was shed for more than just forgiveness.” … Forgiveness was the avenue through which He could make the escape for us! He isn’t just interested in dealing with the consequences of the penalty of sin! He’s also dealt with the problem of sin! … “Test the door; it’s unlocked!”
~ Eric Ludy
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
because the Lord has anointed Me
to bring good news to the poor;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
They shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.
Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks;
foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;
but you shall be called the priests of the Lord;
they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God;
you shall eat the wealth of the nations,
and in their glory you shall boast.
Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion;
instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot;
therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion;
they shall have everlasting joy.
~ from Isaiah 61
Oh beloved, it is true.
It is for freedom that we have been set free. Christ has accomplished this in our lives. And for us to want to get away from sin, is not just to keep from breaking some sort of rules. It is for another, and much larger purpose.
We (both you, and this fool of a writer) were stuck in a place where life could not really happen. The place was within ourselves, and confined to time and space. We wanted to try and reach for lots of things beyond us, but really it was so that we could grab something and pull it back into our prison cell den.
And it is here, that many of us, stay. We are, quite actually, sitting within a prison cell in which we no longer belong. The door is open, and the exit is clearly marked. But, we stay.
Mostly, this is because of fear. We are afraid of what freedom really looks like. For freedom is incredibly large. In coming to know G_d, through the Person of Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit – we become eternal. Time, space, circumstance and every thing else is no longer of account in the life we now live.
We own everything
We are sons and daughters of G_d
We can do anything we please
We have come under the perfect law of liberty, which drives us to actually and freely care for others beyond ourselves.
Can we see it?
Sin is not really about breaking a rule or trying to get my own way. Sin is about me actually keeping the rules I used to think I had to keep. I (and you) had developed all these ways of keeping ourselves busy inside our tiny little heads, looking at our tiny little screens, trying to pick off some crumb of pleasure.
Sin is about living small. And, not just a little smaller than i was set free to live. No, sin is about staying in the one place where i no longer (and actually, never) live(d).
So, this Christmas, you may want to give yourself another gift. You may just want to radically upsize your life to what it has already been Designed to be. Jesus has made all the payments. Jesus has given us His Spirit to guide us through to each new vista.
Tonight is your night, beloved. Time to be repenting of smallness, and go Big – in Him.
