The Prison Door
So Jesus flings open our doors just like he flung open the grave on Easter day! Let’s hear another door that Derek speaks about in this sermon.
“Fourth door - top left. Prison door. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to work this one out. There are lots of people here who appear to be free. Nobody stopped you coming down here today, did they? Didn't have a roadblock did you? You’ve got the freedom to drive here.
You've got the freedom to dress as you like. Remember the days, ladies, when you had to wear a hat to church and everybody criticized what it looked like and everybody criticized you because you wore it last week as well?
Freedom through the Resurrection Power
We have the freedom to eat as we like. We appear to be free. But the truth is that this is a veneer. There are many, many people that are imprisoned by their lives and their lifestyle. How about you? What imprisons you? Alcohol? Drugs? Work? Sport? TV? Pornography? Facebook? Money? Retirement? The fear of death? What imprisons you?
What if you've given up? How sad is this? How sad is that if you've given up? What if today we were to open the prison doors to receive the resurrection power of Jesus Christ to take you out of your cell, the new resurrected you?
Have a look at 1 Corinthians 15:55. Paul wrote: Death where is your victory? Where oh death is your sting?” Can you hear the words of Paul here? The celebration of what it means to be resurrected?
Will you give in to your imprisonment or will you walk free? Maybe the parole board signed your release years ago and you’re still there? Maybe the resurrected Christ can do something for you today. The resurrection of Jesus makes this possible.”
Resurrection Power: Break Free and Live!
Hasn't that been the theme all week? The resurrection of Jesus, which we celebrated on Sunday, makes it possible for us to break free from these different places that we get imprisoned.
Don't go back to your prisons. Freedom is available. Walk out of your prison in faith. Enlist the help of some other good men and woman of God and walk in freedom. The power is there. The same power that raised Christ from the dead. It's there. If we'll just walk out of our prisons and live in freedom.
