3 Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath
begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible,
and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God
through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1
Peter 1:3-5)
The Prison of the World and Sin
We are all kept either in the PRISON of the World, or by the FORTRESS of the
GOD of Heaven. The world disguises its prison as a fortress, but its chains are
made of sin, and its destination is Hell. The Prison of the World resembles a fortress
in many, but not all, points:
1. It is a strong and secure
establishment;
2. The walls are high and
insurmountable;
3. There is a Warden who is the
keeper of the occupants (Satan);
4. No one enters freely unless they
are bound in chains;
5.
No
one escapes unless they have paid the penalty for sin (death);
6. The occupants are treated
without love;
7. It is a place of hopelessness
unless the government is changed, or a pardon is proclaimed;
8. It is designed to keep the
prisoner in, not the world out.
All who are confined in the Prison of the World deserve to be there. They are
all sinners by nature and by choice; and they have chosen this prison for their
own habitation. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God;" (Romans 3:23) "For the wages of
sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
(Romans 6:23)
Those who may escape for a time
under their own power (self-righteousness) will be arrested and brought again
into the prison since every man's righteousness is as filthy rags. It is only
by the imputed righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ that we may be justified
and considered righteous by Heaven. "But we are all as an unclean
thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a
leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. 7 And there is none that
calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou
hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities." (Isaiah
64:6-7)
No one in prison has the key to the iron-barred door. No man can free himself
who is in the prison of sin. The Governor of Heaven has the key. He will grant
pardon to all who will receive it. But there are terms for that grant of grace.
The prisoner must evidence a change of heart by repenting of his past sins. He
must apply for the pardon, but this is not his own action, but the grace of God
drawing him to it. No one in prison loves another prisoner, and is incapable of
loving in his natural state. But God, in His wisdom, providence, and
foreordination, always draws the one who will respond to that love of God by
echoing the same in his heart. "We love him, because he first loved us."
1 John 4:19 That magnetic love of God draws the repentant sinner to Himself.
Since the sinner is already dead in trespasses and sins, he cannot come to God
as a dead man. But that love of God quickens his dead heart and draws him forth
from the tomb into the freedom of Light and Grace. So it is only God who is
able to grant a pardon to the prisoner and set him free. Not only that, but the
criminal record of the prisoner is erased forever.
The Fortress of God
Once we are set free from our sins and prison by the grace of God, we must be
given sanctuary from the pursuing demons of the world's prison. Where shall we
find that Sanctuary City? Is it not the City and Fortress of God? "The
LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in
whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."
(Psalm
18:2 (KJV)
While living on the high desert of old Persia (Iran), I flew often in the
environs of the central city of Esfahan (elevation 5,000+ ft). To the east and
west of the city were very high mountains. Some peaks of the mountains
surrounding the city were very steep and almost vertical reaching a sharp peak
several hundred feet above the desert floor. It seemed impossible to have
scaled that rocky faced steep, but atop many were watchtowers built upon the
rock. They were signal towers to alert the city of approaching enemies. They
were, in fact, little fortresses. Many of these were ancient to the days of
Cyrus the Great. They have survived all of these centuries because they are
situated on a ROCK and immune from the enemies approach. That is what God is to
His Elect.
"2 Bow down thine ear to me;
deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save
me. 3 For thou art my rock and my
fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. 4 Pull me out of the net that they
have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength." (Psalm 31:2-4)
The Fortress of God is a safe sanctuary, but also a watchtower for the approach
of the enemy. Though its walls are impregnable, it serves as a warning to those
who are still in the world and its prison. The enemy of our souls is always
a'prowl for souls to finally destroy them; but those who are yet in prison
still have the hope of escape to the Sanctuary City ere Satan takes their lives
finally. The Fortress of God can be seen from all directions for it is a City
set upon a Hill. Its warning fires can easily be seen by those in prison.
"Brightly Beams our Father's Mercy, from His Lighthouse evermore. But to
us, He gives the keeping of the Lights along the shore."
The Fortress of God looks much like the Prison with profound exceptions:
1. It is a strong structure made of
stone and built upon a stone. Its walls are high.
2.
Its
occupants are there by choice and not compulsion.
3. There is a Governor there who is
King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
4. It is impregnable to the enemy,
but readily available for admission to the redeemed.
2 Bow down thine ear to me;
deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save
me. 3 For thou art my rock and my
fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. 4 Pull me out of the net that they
have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength." (Psalm
31:2-4)
5. The occupants of Heaven's
Fortress are protected from the enemy without whereas the prison protects those
without from those who are within.
6. Our residency and citizenship of
the Fortress is eternal. "3 Be thou my strong habitation,
whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for
thou art my rock and my fortress." (Psalm 71:3)
7. The Fortress of God is a secret
place that the enemy cannot find. "1 He that dwelleth in the
secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." (Psalm
91:1)
8. Not only is the Fortress kept
secret from the enemy, its inhabitants are hidden as well from the enemies
arrows. "Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word."
(Psalm 119:114)
9. In a prison, all communications
are restricted to the prison; in the Fortress of God, the message goes out to
all surrounding horizons of the offer of pardon: "To open the blind
eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness
out of the prison house." (Isaiah 42:7)
10. Those in prison are committed
for what they are (sinners); but
those safely abiding in the Fortress of God are there at the grace of the God
by the sacrifice of Another (Jesus Christ).
11. Amazingly, the offer of pardon
is broadly proclaimed to the prisoners, but most prefer to reject it. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin
is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but
the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be
free indeed." (John 8:34-36)
Though prisoners may be pardoned and freed from the World's Prison by offer of
Grace, nothing can penetrate the defenses of the Fortress of God. "upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it." (Matt
16:18) To which
Rock does this text make reference? Is it to the chip of a stone which was
Peter, or was it that Solid Rock that is Christ? ". . . . for they
drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ."
(1 Cor 10:4)
Are you drinking of that spiritual Rock that is Christ or are you chipping the
granite stones of your prison? Best to turn your hope over to the Keeper of
Souls whose grip never fails, whose purpose is never foiled and whose offer is
of peace, love and joy.
