bound

Revelation 1:18
“I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”

The final book of the Bible is aptly called Revelation, for it is a compilation of things that were revealed to John while banished to the Island of Patmos. In it, we will be given key insights into the future, but before the future is described, John takes time to describe Jesus. Instead of seeing the humble carpenter, meek and mild, John describes King Jesus in all His splendor and glory and refers to Him as “the ruler of the kings of the earth.” As ruler, Jesus declares He holds in His hands the keys to hell and death. As I read this, I have to ask, why would Jesus unlock the door to hell?

We have all seen the images of satan as the king of Hell, ruling over the fiery underworld. That image is not found anywhere in the Bible, but is taken from Greek mythology where Hades, the brother of Zeus, rules as a tyrant over the dead. The Bible paints an entirely different picture. Satan is not the king of Hell, but will be the chief prisoner. After all the havoc he has caused upon the earth, he will one day be bound and cast into the lake of fire. There he will forever pay for his rebellion against God, and the destruction he has caused mankind. The key in the hand of Jesus is used to unlock the door of hell to imprison the devil and his cohorts.

There is another reason why Jesus holds this key. The Bible teaches that, prior to coming to Christ, we are held captive to sin. Like a prisoner of war held behind enemy lines, we are bound in our sin and have no way of escape. Jesus holds the key; the way of escape out of sin and it’s penalty. Whenever, whoever, and wherever we are, when we call upon Christ, we are set free from sin, death and judgment, and given the free gift of eternal life. Jesus is the one who unlocks the door and sets us free.

Whatever sin may have its grip on you, if you cry out to Christ, He will set you free.

Pastor Jim

Judges 15:14

“When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him. Then the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him; and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands.”

Whenever an artist attempts to illustrate Samson, he looks like a cross between an NFL linebacker and a competitive body builder. He is painted as bigger, stronger and more muscular than all those in in Israel or Philistia. You might find it interesting that no physical description of Samson is ever recorded in Scripture. What is evident is the fact that his strength and subsequent victories, were all directly connected to the Spirit of the Lord being upon him. It was not Samson’s ability that gave him strength, but the power of the Spirit. In this text, we find the Spirt of God enabling him to break the bonds that held him as a captive. Ropes that would hold the average man at bay were torn, as if they were wet tissue paper.

This serves as a beautiful example of the work of the Spirit, in the life of a believer. We are all held back by the things we lack the power to overcome. For some, it is a difficult experience in our past, others, struggle with a particular desire of the flesh, still others are consumed with addiction. Like Samson, we need a work of the Spirit to enable us to break the bonds that hold us captive. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is given to those who ask. However, Jesus explained that this asking requires persistence. If we are in need of God’s intervention to set us free from any form of bondage, we must ask, seek and knock, until the windows of heaven open, and the Spirit is poured out upon us.

Sadly, when Samson was set free, he went right back into the behaviors that got him in trouble in the first place. Many times, it is not that God has failed to provide the power for deliverance, but that once we are set free, we begin to take steps leading us right back into bondage. If you are struggling, take time to confess it, call out to God for help, and begin to remove those things which make it easy to go back into sin.

Pastor Jim