Prison Break

Around this time of year, people talk about resolutions and how they are going to change their life for the better. It makes sense, new year, new desire to perform better.

Wouldn’t it be cool, though, if people made resolutions to be worse off. “This year, I’m going to strive to fail all my classes” or “This year, I hope I can get fired so I can spend more time with my pet turtle” or even “This year, I’m going to gain 100 pounds”

Just kidding, but seriously, that wouldn’t be very good to strive to be worse off. It’s good to set goals and standards to better yourself. However, we won’t be talking about that today. Strive to better yourselves on your own time. This morning, we are going to talk about an opportunity for a prison break. That’s right, forget this God thing, I’m going to talk about breaking out of prison. Again, just kidding. But seriously, there is a direct correlation between God and breaking out of prison. What is that correlation?

To get to that correlation, I’m curious:
• What person comes to mind when you think of the word freedom? Why?
• When you think of a person in prison, what do you think of? Try to be appropriate.
• Can you be free and still be a prisoner? If so, how?

I believe that we are all prisoners to something in our life – we are held captive by someone, some thing in our lives. This morning, we are going to examine what we are held captive by and who can save us from this prison.

Scripture

Before I get to read my 1st selection, I want to clarify 2 terms that you will hear me say. When it talks about “perishable”, it is talking about our “earthly bodies”. When it talks about “imperishable”, it is talking about our “heavenly bodies”

Read 1 Corinthians 15:54-58
1. Where does death get its power?
2. Who gives us victory?
3. How did he give us victory?

Death gets its power from sin. Death wants to consume and utterly destroy us. Makes sense sin gives power to death = destruction. However, Christ, through his death and resurrection, conquered and was victorious versus death.

In Christ, we have victory. Whatever ties us down and holds us captive can be conquered through Christ.

This section also leaves us with a challenge: To stand firm, let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord for you know that your work in the Lord is not in vain.

If we want to completely conquer the things that hold us captive in our lives, we have to stand firm and not be moved. We have to commit to Christ for He will help us.

Once we commit to Christ and stand firm against the things that hold us captive we can have freedom and victory that leads to life to the full.

John 10:10 – Christ once said, “The thief comes only to seal and kill and destroy, I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”.

Christ has come to give us life to the full. Death comes to destroy, Christ comes to be victorious.

What does a full life consist of? (Let students answer)

A full life consists of peace and certainty of direction in life. It’s the knowledge that God is providing for you – meeting your needs as you move in confidence in life.

Application

So, in Christ there is victory against all things and a full life.

Scott Stapp used to be the front man of a band called “Creed” until he moronically decided to go solo – not a sermon, just a thought. However, when he was with Creed, he wrote a song called “My Own Prison”.

He said, “I wrote this song at a time in my life when I realized that I could not continue to blame others for why I was in the situations I had placed myself in. I was blaming my parents, God, and anyone I could find, when really the only blame rested with me. Hence the phrase, ‘I’ve created my own prison.”

I’m going to play that song right now and, as this song plays, I want you to think through your life. Are you a prisoner of things in your life? If so, how do you get out? How do you escape?

Play “My Own Prison” by Creed (4:58)

We have created our own prisons. We did this – not our parents, not God, not our friends. Whether you are tied down by bitterness, anger, pain, a friend, a boy/girlfriend, jealousy, drugs, alcohol, pornography, sex, we have created our own prisons. What is your prison?

We are held captive and can’t get out, even if we wanted to. However, Christ, by dying on the cross, allowed us to break out of that prison, that bondage.

We don’t have to be tied down anymore. We can be victorious through Christ. “But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57)

The victory is in Jesus Christ. The question that remains is, will you allow Christ to be victorious in your life. Will you let him free you from your own prison? Or will you continue to be tied down?

When I let my own prison control my life, I’m a wreck. I may look like I have it all together on the outside, but on the inside, I am a time bomb, waiting to explode. It is only when I allow God to be victorious in my life that I realize that I don’t have to be died down or captive any longer. I can have freedom…real freedom.

Again, will you allow Christ to be victorious in your life or will you continue to be held captive in your own prison? The choice is yours. No one else’s.

This New Year let us throw out the resolutions and latch on to freedom and victory found only in Christ.

Pray