Come with me in a time machine this morning. We will travel back to Rome circa 60 AD. We find ourselves at the Graecostadium, the slave market. As we wander around, we see men, women, and children standing on revolving blocks. Immediately we observe the fact that these people are nude, totally stripped of their clothing and being observed by the crowds walking around them. We realize they are captives being sold into slavery. Placards are hanging from their necks detailing every aspect of their lives.
After the slaves are observed, chosen, and paid for, they are placed in cages made of iron or wood until delivered.
Their life would be an existence stripped of rights. Disobedience could lead to starvation and beatings. They would live in shacks, stuffed together in deplorable conditions. They would have been branded at the time of sale, usually on the forehead, with their owner’s name. If they ran away the Fugitivarii (headhunters), were sent to capture and return them. Children born to slaves also became slaves.
A slave could gain his freedom through two options. One was to purchase his freedom, though this seldom happened since slaves were not paid a salary. The other was for the owner to declare the slave a “free man” and release him. Every five years, each male Roman citizen had to register in Rome for the census. In this, he had to declare his family, wife, children, slaves and riches. A master wishing to free his slave needed only to enter him in the censor's list as a citizen and he, or she, would be free. Once freed he or she enjoyed full citizenship, except for the right of holding public office. This also was a rarity.
This is the Rome that the apostle Paul observed. This sight is what leads Paul to write Romans 7:14. “So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin.”
As Paul looks upon these slaves, he realizes his own sinful situation. He is all too human. To be human is to be in the flesh. Remember last week I made the point that everything we do we do in the flesh. We eat, sleep, and have fun, all in the flesh. And we sin in the flesh, making ourselves slaves to sin.
When we are slaves to sin, we are totally exposed in the spiritual realm. We may hide our sins in the fleshly realm. But we cannot hide them spiritually. Sin has stripped us and placed placards around our necks detailing all of our failures, strongholds, and weaknesses. We are caged in our sins, deprived of freedom from them. We don’t have the means to purchase our freedom from sin and our owner is much too cruel to release us. We are slaves, not by choice, but by birthright. We were born into sin.
Paul writes to the Ephesians in Ephesians 2:2,
“You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.”
Here Paul begins to paint a portrait of the cruel taskmaster that purchased us through sin. Notice he says they used to “live in” sin. The word meant the way someone else would conduct his or her lives. It carried a sense of being dominated, manipulated, and controlled by it. Sin would dictate that they would conduct their lives “just like the rest of the world.”
The Greek word “just like” signified a time period. Sin keeps up with the times. The spirit of the 1920s was called the “Roaring Twenties” with strip bars and gangsters. In my generation we had the 1950s with rock-n-roll and rebellious teens. The 1960s was free love and drugs. The 1970s was an attitude of “if it feels good, do it.” It would seem this time period will be known as a time of uprising against authoritative figures. So sin is flexible and dominates, manipulates, and controls the world by the popular mindset of that generation.
The word for world was also used by the Greeks to depict society. So Paul is sending a message back to us through our imaginary time machine. “If you live in sin, you are being totally dominated, manipulated, and mastered by the society in which you live.”
Next Paul reveals the identity of the manipulator. He is “the devil - the commander of the powers in the unseen world.”
The word for commander also means a ruler and a prince. Not only is the devil the commander of his demonic armies, he is also a ruler and a prince. To be a ruler and a prince you must have a kingdom. The devil has a kingdom.
His kingdom is unseen. It is spiritual. And his sphere of jurisdiction is not in the heavens but rather in our very atmosphere.
We read of an incident that took place in the life of Daniel from the Old Testament. Daniel had a vision and was praying for understanding. Three weeks had passed without an answer to his prayers. Then an angel came to him. Listen to what he told Daniel.
“I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia.”
This angel had been battling a demonic spirit for twenty-one days. But not just a usual demonic spirit but “the spirit prince.” One so powerful that a more powerful angel was called to fight the battle. Perhaps this “spirit prince” was Satan. And we can discern that this battle took place between heaven and earth where Satan has established his kingdom.
We can also discern from this verse that Satan is a ruler. The Pharisees, experts of the law, called him the “prince of demons.” Jesus agreed with them, calling Satan “the ruler of this world.” Paul referred to him as “the god of this world.” And Ephesians 6:12 describes the subjects of his kingdom as “evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, --- mighty powers in this dark world, and --- evil spirits in the heavenly places.”
Satan is a real ruler with demonic subjects who exercises authority over those who are in slavery to sin. We also learn that Satan has power. When Jesus is being tempted in the wilderness Satan makes him an offer. “Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. ‘I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them, --- because they are mine to give to anyone I please.’” Notice Jesus does not argue the point. He had no disagreement with Satan’s claim. And Satan’s kingdom is between God’s throne room and us. This sets the stage for spiritual warfare.
Lastly, from this verse we discover Satan’s dominance over those living in rebellion against God. The Greek word for “work” is energeo. It’s where the word “energy” derives. Those living sinful lifestyles are energized by demonic spirits. They push them to continue in a lifestyle of open rebellion against God. Satan is their master and they have no choice. They are slaves to sin. Their only hope is to find someone willing to purchase them from their cruel owner and set them free.
Let’s read Revelation 5:9“And they sang a new song with these words: “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”
The word ransomed in Greek meant, “setting a slave free through purchase.” Jesus walked into the spiritual slave market and purchased those on the block, those completely exposed in their sins, with the intent of setting them free from being purchased by Satan. Not only that but He forced Satan to sell him the slaves already purchased by him, so that Jesus could set them free also. In setting them free, they became free men and citizens of heaven.
But we must remember Jesus “purchased” them. He did not steal them. He did not gamble for them. He paid a price. And that price was through his blood.
All people have been set free from the power of Satan. Those who understand this freedom came from Jesus have made him their master now. They have surrendered their flesh, their mind, and their spirit to him. They are no longer under the influence of the prince of this world. Because spiritually they are no longer here.
Let’s read Ephesians 2:6. “For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.” Spiritually we are already in the kingdom and seated with Jesus. We don’t have to wait for death to set us free. Spiritually we are already free. Colossians 1:13 says we have already been “translated” into God’s kingdom. We have been removed from this spiritual world of darkness into the spiritual world of light. If you are a believer, it’s not going to happen. It has already happened.
So why do we have these spiritual battles raging around us? I would like to share two stories with you that might help explain. I am not sure to their validity but they point out why we still struggle spiritually.
I once heard about the story of a bear that was kept in a ten-foot cage. The poor animal paced back and forth inside the cage twenty-four hours of the day, seven days a week. One day, the authorities decided to release it back into the wild. It was transported by air and then by road to its natural habitat.
When they got to where it was to be released, they opened the door of the cage hoping the bear would walk out. It did not. It just paced back and forth in the opened cage passing by the opened door several times.
Finally they managed to lure it out. One would have thought the bear would rise up and run into its natural habitat, but it didn't, it started going ten feet one way and turn around going ten feet the other way. It still had the cage mentality. Released but bound, set free but still in bondage.
We often have a cage mentality. When we are set from the slavery to sin there are often scars that we continue to carry. While you were a slave to Satan, you may have struggled with a bad marriage, a drug problem, a sexual perversion, or just some mental hang-up. These things can leave wounds on our spirit. And until those wounds are dealt with, they are open to be agitated by Satan. We have been released but we find ourselves still bound up in our past.
These areas must be dealt with. We suffer from wrong thinking, wrong believing, and wrong teaching. Remember, spiritual warfare begins in the mind.
Here a few things the Bible says about our “natural” minds. It is hostile toward God. It will alienate us from God and lead to wicked works. It is vain and lacks spiritual understanding. It has been blinded by Satan. It is completely contrary to God. It is a caged animal. Released, but bound. Set free but still in bondage.
So what’s the solution? We are to change the way we think. We are to allow the Holy Spirit to make new our thoughts and attitudes causing us to have a better outlook. Let the word of God dwell in your very being. Prepare your minds for action. The cage door has been opened, step out and move.
Moving means to strengthen your mind through the reading of God’s word. Think on it until it sinks down deep into your heart and spirit. Let it lead you to living a life farther from sin. Desire to be more like Jesus when He was in the flesh. Learn to heed the instruction of the Holy Spirit that is within you. These things break through the binding of spiritual warfare and release you in power.
The other story is about Abraham Lincoln.
There’s a story that Abraham Lincoln went to a slave market one time, and was moved with compassion to place a bid on a young black girl. He won the bid and walked away with his “property.”
There was a sullen, angry expression on the girl’s face, because she knew that here was another white man who had bought her and would abuse her. As they walked away from the slave block, however, Lincoln told the girl, “You are free.”
“What does that mean?” she demanded.
“It means, you are free.”
“Does that mean that I can be what I want to be?”
“Yes--you can be whatever you want to be."
“Does that mean that I can say what I want to say?”
“Yes--you can say whatever you want to say.”
“Does that mean that I can go where I want to go?”
“Yes--you can go wherever you want to go.”
“Then ...” said the girl, “I’ll go with you.”
As I said, I don’t know if this story is true or not. But I do know this is true. Jesus went to the slave market and set all people free from spiritual bondage. He declared you free. You are free to be what you want to be. You are free to say what you want to say. You are free to go where you want to go. But you either go with him or return to the slave market.
Satan did not want to surrender those he branded as his. His hand was forced by the blood of Jesus sacrificed on the cross. Jesus healed our wounds; our branding that identified us as Satan’s. But Satan has “spirit hunters” looking for just a remnant of his old brand. It’s through this remnant that he spiritually attacks us. We must guard our minds through Jesus so that it will not show. Satan has no rights to us any longer. We are out of the cage of his bondage and free to go into the world with the Good News of Jesus.
