PRISONER OF THE LORD I. Eph 3:1 3 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles A. There are times in life where we can find ourselves like the Apostle Paul 1. Faithfully serving God a. Following the leading of The Holy Spirit b. And suddenly like Paul, thru the attack of the enemy, we find ourselves being held as a prisoner B. It is during these times in life when our faith is being tested that we must Make a decision: 1. We can allow ourselves to become a prisoner of our circumstances 2. Or, thru the eye of faith look beyond the circumstances of our prison And see things as the Apostle Paul did: a. Despite the jail he was in b. Despite the threats the enemy was speaking to him c. Paul refused to be the prisoner of his circumstances & instead he served The devil and circumstances a notice by telling them: (1) That he was the prisoner of Christ Jesus C. Maybe you are facing some circumstances that have you imprisoned 1. Circumstances like: debt, sickness, disappointment, betrayal.etc 2. You can go on and have a pity party and become a prisoner of your Circumstances a. Or you can declare by faith to the prison that is trying to keep you bound Or hold you back: (1) I (put your name in there) the prisoner of Christ Jesus 3. 2 Tim 1:8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, a. Paul refused to call himself the prisoner of his circumstances b. Paul refused to call himself a prisoner of the devil c. Rather he declared that he was: His / Jesus prisoner II. I need to deal with a couple of things that we ourselves can cause, that will make us a prisoner of our circumstances: A. #1 Sin 1. John 8:34 "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. a. Sin will imprison or enslave you
2. But you can be freed from the imprisonment of sin, thru Our Lord Jesus Christ a. John 8:36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. (1) Call upon the Name of Jesus & receive forgiveness & deliverance from The prison sin holds you in (2) You cannot save your self from your sins (3) New year resolutions & promises to be good cannot free you from sin (4) Only Jesus holds the keys to the prison doors of sin / dwell B. Another thing that we do that can cause us to be a prisoner of our circumstances is: #2 UN FORGIVENESS 1. In the following parable, we find a man who was forgiven of all, but then Fails to forgive others himself: Matt 18:32 35 32 Then his master called him and said to him, You contemptible and wicked attendant! I forgave and cancelled all that [great] debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 And should you not have had pity and mercy on your fellow attendant, as I had pity and mercy on you? 34 And in wrath his master turned him over to the torturers (the jailers), till he should pay all that he owed. 35 So also My heavenly Father will deal with every one of you if you do not freely forgive your brother from your heart his offenses. AMP Trans a. Un forgiveness will place your life in a spiritual prison b. And also put you at odds with God Himself 2. Dealing with un forgiveness is not easy, but because Jesus was tempted in Every aspect of life & overcame those temptations. He can help us forgive a. When Jesus undeservedly hung on Calvary s Cross He cried out the following: (1) Luke 23:34 Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." (a) Don t allow un forgiveness to hold you in it s prison of torment & bitterness. Ask Gods for His grace to forgive the one who offended you
C. 2 Cor 2:10 Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, 11 lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices. 1. Vs 11 lest satan should take advantage of us a. Unforgiveness gives the devil an advantage of us / dwell III. I want to show you two sources the devil uses in attempt to stop the fresh New move of God & Holy Ghost believers flowing with the Holy Spirit: The spirit of religion / the old move of God & ungodly politicians in government that also tries to place us in a spiritual prison A. Acts 12:1 7 12 Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. 2 Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. 3 And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. 4 So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. 5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. 6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. 1. Vs 2 The Jews: represented the religious system of the day a. They also represented the old move of God, that was resistant to the new thing God was doing thru The Born Again Church (1) Isa 43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? 2. Herod: represents ungodly politicians who are anti The Church a. And who condone sinful & permissive lifestyles as Herod did 3. These two spirits working together arrested the New apostolic move of God a. Placing Peter in prison / type of spiritual stronghold b. Placed Peter in chains attempting to limit Peters ministry c. Placed soldiers / type of demonic spirits enforcing satan s wishes 4. We see much of the same taking place today
a. As the religious spirit manifests today being anti the fresh move of God (1) Anti the prophetic (2) Anti the apostolic (3) Anti the flow of the Holy Spirit s manifestations b. As Ungodly leaders in our government become anti the Church (1) Thru the promotion of gay rights & homosexual marriage (2) Mayors of New York city banning all churches from renting school auditoriums (3) Banning prayer from our schools (4) Providing birth control & abortions for our children without parent consent (5) the list goes on & on IV. Now I want to show you keys for breaking out of your prison.. A. #1 Prayer 1. Acts 12:5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. Acts 12:7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, "Arise quickly!" And his chains fell off his hands. 8 Then the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and tie on your sandals"; and so he did. And he said to him, "Put on your garment and follow me." a. Prayer releases angelic ministry to do warfare on our behalf b. & no matter how dark your prison if you are a prisoner not of your circumstances but of Our Lord Jesus Christ (1) Just as a light shined in Peter s prison (2) The Light of the Good News / the Gospel of Jesus Christ will shine causing The spiritual darkness of your prison to flee (3) And you will hear The word of The Lord spoken to you (a) If you refuse to stay in a pity party / or in un forgiveness & arise quickly (b) If you resist the spirit of heaviness & arise quickly (1) Acts 12:7 Your chains will fall off your hands as they did Peter (2) what held you chained / bound will have to turn you loose (1) Grid yourself : def gird / to live or gird yourself with life (a) Deut 30:19 choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; (1) In the midst of your prison you must gird yourself with life (2) In the midst of your prison you must choose between the death & Defeat your circumstances offer (a) Or the Abundant life Jesus offers
(b) One of the ways to choose life, is to start speaking life to your Prison (a) Prov 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. (1) Those who love it. Love life will eat the fruit of life (2) do you love the fruit of death. Speak words of death & defeat (3) do you love the fruit of life. Speak life (2) tie on your sandals (a) Eph 6:15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (1) Or in other words put on the peace of God (2) And start walking in the peace of God (3) And silence the mouth, the lies, the threats of the circumstances Of your prison (3) Put on your garment. (a) Garment type of the anointing that breaks the Yoke Isa 10:27 / dwell (b) 2 Tim 1:6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you (4) Follow me. Take steps of faith & follow the leading of The Lord (a) dwell (5) Acts 12:10 they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; (a) Doors that were closed will open for your life & ministry (1) Peter walked out of his prison.. backed by the power of prayer V. Another key to opening prison doors: LEARNING TO BE A PRAISER IN THE MIDST OF PRISON A. Acts 16:23 26 23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 1. VS 26 THE PRISONERS WERE LISTENING TO THEM a. I have news for you, you are not the only one in some form of a prison b. And no one is listening to the other prisoners as they complained, murmured, cried, cursed, conned, blame others, etc
c. But they were listening to Paul & Silas d. Paul & Silas were praising God e. Do you know how unusual it is for people who are held in their spiritual Prisons to hear someone doing & saying something different that anyone else.. like Praising God.. it will get their attention B. Praise releases the SUDDENLIES of God in your prison situation Acts 16:26 27 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed. 1. It was not just the chains & prison doors of Paul & Silas that were loosed & opened a. The bible says: all the doors were opened & everyone s chains were Loosed (1) When we quit being a prisoner of our circumstances & understand that We are a prisoner of Our Lord Jesus Christ (2) We will begin to Praise God at the midnight hours of our life (3) We will get the attention of the world (4) The Suddenlies of God will manifest (5) And people will start getting Born Again (a) Acts 16:29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 2. The difference between a prisoner of Jesus Christ, that one who is a Prisoner of their circumstances: a. Phil 1:12 But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, 13 so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; (1) A prisoner of Jesus Christ understands that God is in control (2) And watches for divine appointments & opportunity for ministry VI. Are you a prisoner of your circumstances? A. Or are you a Prisoner of Our Lord Jesus Christ 1. Praise Team come minister in music 2. Open up the altar for ministry
a. Back you in prayer b. & I want you to do as Paul & Silas did in the midnight hour of their prison experience (1) Praises God (2) Entered into Worship (3) And we are going to believe God to release a Suddenly into your Prison circumstance you find yourself in