TOPIC:‌"You Can Escape from Prison"

                  by Rev. Dr. Reg Dunlap

 

TEXT:‌Galatians 3:21-25

 

But the Scriptures have declared that we are all prisoners of sin, so the only way to receive God's promise is to believe in Jesus Christ" (Galatians 3:22, NLT).

 

‌Someone has said, "Man is a slave and everywhere in chains." That statement, I believe, is correct. All of humanity, apart from Christ, for one reason or another is behind prison bars. But the name of the one imprisonment that modern man finds himself in is "sin." He is in bondage to the slavery of sin.

 

‌But man's predicament is not hopeless. Prison doors can be opened. Broken and beaten prisoners can be liberated. The Gospel of Jesus Christ makes it possible for enslaved man to be healed, forgiven, and set free. This new life and new purpose for living is found in the words of Christ our Lord when He declared: "If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (John 8:36).

 

‌As I state in the theme of our text - "You can escape from prison." There is a way out of your imprisonment.

 

I.

 

‌First of all, the Apostle Paul calls our attention to the DESPERATE PLIGHT of man. We read these words from our text: "But the Scriptures have declared that we are all prisoners of sin" (v. 22). Or, as Phillips renders it: "the Scripture has all men 'imprisoned' for their sins." The Greek here means that the whole world is trapped and under the dominion of sin.

 

‌No matter where you may look there is no enslavement or imprisonment in all the world like that of sin. This imprisonment is universal in scope for the Bible declares that all men are guilty of sin. Take these words of Paul: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Or consider the words of James: "Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it" (James 4:17, NLT). From these words of Paul and James we must admit we have all at sometime put our own will over against God's supreme will. We have all sinned in one way or another against a holy God.

 

‌I don't mean that we have committed gross sins or vicious crimes such as murder, adultery, drunkenness, or robbery. We may never spend time in a literal prison, but all of us are in the dungeon because of some kind of evil. Sin takes many different forms and it comes to all of Adam's sons. It enslaves us. It takes us captive. It binds itself around us and makes us prisoners. If you don't believe me, ask any alcoholic who has been chained to it until he ends up on skid row. Ask . . .