The Word of God is Liberty - Part 551

Acts chapter 12 speaks about Herod's attempt to prevent the preaching of Jesus from going forward. To that end, He killed James the brother of John with a sword. He had Peter apprehended and put in prison. Indeed, Herod had a mission. But what he had not counted on was the prayers that were made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

At the time, Herod had planned to bring Peter forward to the people. But in God's exact timing, a miracle happened. The same night Peter bound with chains and sleeping between two soldiers saw an angel of the Lord appear. And a light shone in the prison and the angel said to Peter, "Arise up quickly." And the chains fell from his hands. 

And the angel said unto Peter, "Gird yourself and bind on thy sandals. Cast thy garment about me and follow me." And he went out and when they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city "which opened to them of his own accord; and they went out and passed on through one street before the angel departed from him."

When Peter was come to himself -- because he had originally thought he was seeing a vision -- dreaming -- he said, "Now I know of a surety that the Lord has sent his angel and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews." And when he considered fully the thing -- the miracle that he had been freed from the worldly prison -- he knocked at the door of the gate to tell his friends before going to another place.

The Lord God Almighty who holds the universe in the palm of His hand loved Peter enough to set him free from the shackles and chains that attempt to bind us in the world. Indeed, is this not what happens in the world today? Man-made systems desire that we are kept imprisoned in the cares of the world -- chained and bound by earthly matters.

But Jesus came to save us and set us free. And He did so because He loved us. John wrote, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." And later in John 1:14, the Word became flesh. He desired our hearts so that we could commune directly with our Lord and Saviour.

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made us free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2) As believers, our assurance is that we shall know the truth and the truth will set us free. (John 8:32)

You see Jesus paid the price for our sins on Calvary once and for all. Unconditional love for you and I. Acts 15:10-11 states, "Now therefore why tempt ye God to put a yoke upon the neck of [His] disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? We believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they."

Therefore, with surety as Peter did, stand fast in the liberty with which Jesus the Christ has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage - the constraints and shackles of this earth. (Galatians 5:1) Why? Because if Jesus has set us free, we are free indeed. (John 8:36) 

II Corinthians 3:17 adds a further confirmation of our liberty in Jesus. "Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." Freedom and liberty in abundance. Come out from the world and rejoice for our Lord and Saviour is surely good to those that love Him. Stand in the offering plate.