Opening illustration: In the hours after the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan, the White House was in turmoil. The President's precise condition was not yet fully known. The Vice President was on a plane over Texas, and the press wanted answers. In the line of succession to the Presidency that day, as it is today, was the Vice President, the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate, in that order. And yet, Secretary of State Alexander Haig, fourth in the line of succession, famously announced to the White House Press Corps and the nation, "As of now, I am in control here."
In almost 40 years since, Haig's declaration has become a classic Washington blunder. As Reagan's national security advisor later wrote, "A powerful Cabinet secretary had made a shocking mistake during a national crisis that demanded he display calm and command." Politics aside, that episode begs the question: "who's ever really in control?" And that paradox is central to today's Gospel Lesson.
Introduction: There is a phenomenon that seems to plague us all, and yet we don't often talk about it, in so many words. It's what has been called "The Paradox of Control." In a nutshell, the paradox is that while you believe you are in control, you are not. The moment you gain true control, you see that you really have none to begin with -- at least not the kind you imagined. This is rooted in the fact that you perceive control to be something you possess outside of yourself, and completely ignore the real control you have, which is inside of yourself.
In today’s text, we can see that either God has control over our lives or the flesh in us … once we give control to our flesh, Satan takes precedence. Just as it happened in the garden of Eden.
1. How can the captives be set free?
Jesus came to proclaim liberty to the captives. This is liberty from spiritual bondage to sin. All of us, even when we are Christians, find ourselves in bondage to certain sins. In Christ, you have been set free. There has been an “Emancipation Proclamation” so that you are a free man/woman. But too many of us keep walking around as if we were still slaves. But as we get into the Word of God, as we pray, as we attend church and fellowship with other Christians, we not only become positionally free from sin, but practically also.
It is obvious that Jesus did not have a jailbreak ministry. So, what was He talking about?
As you live in the Spirit, you may still find certain sins that cling to your life. They may be habitual sins, ungodly thoughts, guilt inducing memories, bondage to fleshly lusts such as overeating, addictions, pornography, or sexual immorality, or a myriad of other things like these. No matter how great your desire to follow Christ, these nagging sins entangle and weigh your spiritual life down like chains. Well, take heart, for there is freedom through the resurrection power and authority of Jesus Christ!
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” (Galatians 5:1)
2. What is the nature of Spiritual Bondage?
• The TWO SMALLER CIRCLES represent two Spiritual Kingdoms under which we live. Make no mistake about it, you live either in subjection to Satan’s Kingdom of Lies, or God’s Kingdom of Truth. All of us were born under Satan’s Kingdom (Ephesians 2:1-3) but were transformed and transferred to God’s Kingdom the moment we repented and trusted Christ to forgive our sins and give us eternal Life (Colossians 1:13-14)!
• The ARROWS emanating from the circles represent their influencing forces upon our lives. Satan enslaves us through Lies and Fear, while God liberates us by His Truth and Grace. From the moment of our birth, these forces influence what we Think, Feel, and Do. Spiritual Bondage occurs when Satan’s Lies gain a “foothold”, or area of control, in our Minds and Bodies. Like barbed harpoons, they enslave our thoughts and actions. These “harpoons”, or “fiery darts” of Satan, must be identified and removed before we can be Spiritually Free in Christ.
(i) OUR MIND is the center of the Battle for control of our lives, for it is the Mind that determines how we Feel and what we Do! That is the reason Satan targets us with his Lies, for if he can get us to believe them, he will have gained control of our lives completely unawares. This is why we are exhorted to set our Minds on things Godly!
(ii) OUR EMOTIONS are automatic responses to our Thoughts, whether or not these thoughts conform to reality … How many times have you laughed, cried, and gotten angry in the space of a few minutes while watching a movie? As our Minds accept the movie’s plot and characters, even though fictitious, they affect our Emotions as though real. Therefore, to govern our Emotions, we must be in control of what we think!
(iii) OUR WILL controls our Deliberate Actions. We choose to act based on what we think in our Minds! Ungodly Thoughts produce Deeds of Unrighteousness, while Godly Thoughts result in Deeds of Righteousness. The advertisers got it wrong. It isn’t “You are what you eat.” Rather, it is “You are what you Think!”
It boils down to who has authority upon your life? (Matthew 28:18)
Example: Samson gave up his mind, emotions and will to the flesh. The consequences were: Blind, Binds, Grinds!
3. What is the Road to Spiritual Freedom? (John 8:34-36)
(a) RECALL (Psalm 139:23-24)
Ask God to bring to your Mind areas of your life where Satan and his Lies may have taken hold. This Step is like pulling weeds. Unless you pull out the roots, the weed will grow back! Too often we confess the Ungodly Emotions and Actions of Sin (the parts we can see), but fail to deal with the Wrong Thinking that produced those emotions and actions (the roots). Ask God to show you the ‘root’ of your problem! (Pray for God’s protection from Satan’s influence as you begin this exercise.)
? Any False Beliefs or Worldly Values adopted through other people, television, advertising, our culture, our upbringing, our education, etc.
? Involvement in any Occult or Cult activities in the past or present. (Satanic Rituals, Witchcraft, Fortune Telling, Secret Ceremonies, etc.)
? Anything you are habitually doing that is sinful. (Sexual Immorality, Addictions, Eating Disorders, etc.)
? Anything others have said to you, or about you, that have created False Perceptions that are not in line with what God says to be True about you. (“You’re Stupid”, You're Ugly”, You’re Good for Nothing”, etc.)
? Any Attitude that you are presently harboring that is displeasing to God (Pride, Rebelliousness, Unforgiveness, Critical Spirit, Jealousy, etc.)
(b) RENOUNCE (Matthew 16:21-23, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
Individually Renounce each False Belief/Thought or Sinful Activity we are committing with our Bodies that God brings to your Mind. By the Authority you have in Christ, Renounce Satan’s hold on your life! (Note: We cannot completely rid Sin’s presence from our lives because of the Sinful Nature within us. Until Christ returns and transforms our mortal bodies into spiritual bodies, we will always have a natural vulnerability and propensity toward Sin.)
© RELEASE (Ephesians 4:26-27, 2 Corinthians 2:10-11, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
Release any Anger, Bitterness or Malice you may have toward another by making a list of people whom you believe have wronged you and forgive each person individually! Our Anger only gives Satan a “foothold”, or an area of control, in our lives and enslaves us to bitterness! It is important not to give Satan a “foothold” in our lives for they eventually become “strongholds” from which he seeks to control us!
(d) RENEW (2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Romans 12:2)
Transformed lives do not come from getting more Emotional or having more Willpower. Rather Transformed Lives come from Renewed Minds. Only by Renewing our Minds to how God thinks can we ever be assured of responding with Godly Emotions and Actions! Remember this:
Application:
• Any form of captivity is slavery.
• There are so many different forms of captivity it would take several books of information to cover them all.
• Jesus came to set the captives free from every form of captivity imaginable, so why are we not free?
• In order to experience freedom from captivity, we must receive the free gift that Jesus has given us.
• We can either believe Satan’s Lies or God’s Truth. The Choice is Ours!
