Overview
Tony Washington examines “Escape from Bondage” through Isaiah 58, Galatians 5, Romans 8, John 3, showing how know, things, shall shape a believer’s relationship with God, daily choices, and service to others.
Transcript
Understanding Escape from Bondage
Yeah, so today’s topic is escape from bondage. And I remember a number of years ago, I was in a leadership program. And as part of the training, we went on what’s called a duo.
And it was time alone with you and God to kind of reflect on, on how you could serve, you know, what your ministry is, that kind of thing. And I remember sitting outside my little tent in the wilderness of Colorado. And, you know, I’m looking at the birds in the sky, and I’m seeking signs from heaven waiting for, you know, there to be some fireworks or some odd thing that happened that would clue me into God’s will.
And I remember as I was, as I spent that time, that never happened. All that happened was I had this pervasive urge, the best way to describe it, to read from Isaiah 58. And I must have read this section 100 times, I just couldn’t get enough of it.
And it wasn’t till a number of months later that it dawned on me that maybe God was trying to tell me the best thing to do via his word, you know, they didn’t need to write something into heaven. So I would like to start today by taking a look at Isaiah 58, if you could turn there, please. And then in we’re going to start in verse six, but just to give you a little bit of context of this chapter of Isaiah, it’s like there was some correction there for people sort of going through the motions, being, you know, not putting their heart into things, saying they were doing things for God, but it wasn’t true, you know, God who knows all.
So there’s some correction here. And then it starts in verse six. Is not this the fact that I have chosen? In other words, this is something that God wants us to do.
Loose the bands of wickedness to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free and that you break every yoke. Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh. Then shall thy light break forth as the morning and thine health shall spring forth speedily and thy righteousness shall go before thee and the glory of the Lord shall be thy re-reward.
Then shalt thou call and the Lord shall answer, thou shall cry and he shall say, here I am, if thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger and speaking vanity. And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then shall thy light rise in obscurity and thy darkness be as the noon day. And the Lord shall guide thee continually and satisfy that soul in drought and make fat thy bones and thou shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not.
The Biblical Foundation
And of thee shall build the old waste places, verse 12, thou shall raise up the foundations of many generations, thou shalt be called the repair of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in. So that section of the word really caught my attention because I recognize that it’s God’s will that his people are set free. It’s always been God’s will that his people are free, free in every possible category of life.
So in thinking about escaping from bondage, which is always God’s will for us, bondage means a state of being bound, usually by compulsion, obligation, and necessity. It’s involuntary servitude. It’s usually fear-based and it gains access when we lose sight of the right doctrine.
Remember, right doctrine is right believing. So when we lose sight of that, start adding in works and behaviors that we feel compelled to do or obligated to do, it’s typically a sign that there’s some bondage involved there and God doesn’t want us to live in bondage. Take a look, please, at Galatians chapter 5. You knew we would have to go to Galatians if we’re talking about escaping from bondage.
In Galatians chapter 5, verse 1, it says, Stand fast therefore in the liberty, wherewith Christ hath made us free, and been not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. So because of Jesus Christ’s finished works, we have been set free and it’s not God’s will that we get caught up in bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, verse 2, that if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
And you could substitute the word circumcised therefore any work or behavior that you’re doing to try to, you know, make yourself righteous before God, I guess. Verse 3, for I testify again to every man that is circumcised that needs a debtor to do the whole law. Christ has become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law, you are fallen from grace.
For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith or believing which is energized by love. You did run well.
Examples and Spiritual Lessons
Who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. So you can see that it doesn’t this like subtle influence at times or sometimes obvious influence, it doesn’t come from God. God’s not behind it.
I think sometimes it’s the accuser, you know, that accuses the brethren night and day that has you and I thinking we’re somehow in need to do something else to be pleasing to God or to bless God when it’s actually not true. That’s the opposite of Christianity. Religion is the opposite of Christianity.
And the reality is that you and I cannot perfect our flesh, no matter how hard we try, no matter how much work we put in, no matter how disciplined we are, we’re never going to perfect our flesh. What’s perfect in us is our spirit. Look at Romans chapter seven, please.
And in verse 18, I’ll read it to you. This is Paul talking. For I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.
There’s the reality in your flesh, in your old nature dwells no good thing. You’re not going to make it right by doing works, by doing behaviors that you think you have to do. And it goes on to say that in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.
For to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good, I find not. For the good that I would, I do not. But the evil which I would not, that I do.
Now if I do that which I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law that when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man.
Faith in Action
But I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Or another way to say it is who shall deliver me from this dead body? Right? So what Paul is saying there is we all have an old man nature and that old man nature is crucified on the cross when Jesus Christ died for us. So everything that was ever wrong with you and I was done away with because of Jesus Christ’s accomplishments.
So what that means literally is that God doesn’t judge us anymore. Look at Romans chapter 8 please. This is a familiar verse.
In Romans chapter 8 in verse 1 it says, there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. I’ll read it again. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.
Verse 2, for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. So when God says there is therefore now no condemnation, there is therefore now no condemnation. God isn’t going to judge you.
You can’t get on the negative side of the ledger with God. Right? You’re always on the positive side of the ledger. Even at the at the gathering together when we go to the awards stand to receive rewards for the things that we have done for God, even at that time there’s not going to be any negatives.
There’s nothing that God holds against you and I because of what Jesus Christ accomplished for us. But see that’s how we get into bondage when we don’t believe that true doctrine anymore and we start getting persuaded of other doctrines that leads to bondage ultimately. Think often if you tell somebody God is displeased with them, all that does is hurts tender-hearted believers.
Right? It’s not the unbeliever and the God-rejector. They’re not listening anyway. We’re the tender-hearted ones who love God and want to please God.
Walking in Love and Confidence
So it’s a sensitive place for us and to imply that God is angry with me or displeased with me or judging me, all that does is lead me down path of works and then once I get into the path of works I’m off track from the Word of God now and that’s how people get into bondage and like I said typically based on fear, fear of something. So in order to help God deliver me or take care of me I better do some more things just in case and it’s just not the right way to get there. Take a look please at 1st John chapter 3. Back to your Bible.
1st John chapter 3 and in verse 20 it says, for if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things. See even when we condemn ourselves God is greater than our hearts and God knows everything. God sees all the influences.
God sees all the things going on in the background that you and I don’t always see and for that reason and because of what God did for us he doesn’t judge us but even when we condemn ourselves he’s greater than our hearts. Verse 21, beloved if our heart condemn us not then have we confidence toward God and whatsoever we ask we receive of him because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. So see right there now you have to take a pause because it says uh-oh I have to keep his commandments and now maybe I’m going back under the law.
Look at verse 23 it says and this is his commandment that we should believe on the name of his son Jesus Christ and love one another as he gave us commandments. See that’s not too hard for us to do. I remember many years ago we I heard the expression when it comes to living in the Grace Administration.
Love God, love your fellow man and do as you dang cool please and I’ve always loved that. It’s not an invitation to sin, it’s not an invitation to do the wrong things but it’s more a declaration of the freedom that we have in Christ and God wants us to live free. You know God wants us to live above that stuff and not caught up in what we’re doing and not doing it.
You know you can sort of tell when you’re getting off track when the focus becomes more about you or the focus becomes more about me than it is about God. If to be evaluated and discussed I’m probably off track right. It’s not me oh Lord it’s what God did for me and you that sets us free and if you would go to 1 Corinthians chapter 10 there’s another interesting verse on the subject 1st Corinthians chapter 10 verse 23 all things are lawful for me but all things are not expedient.
Applying the Teaching in Daily Life
All things are lawful for me but all things edify not right. So all things are lawful to us because of what God did for us but not everything’s going to bless us. You know it’s not that being free from bondage and living free means we do the wrong stuff.
You already know that that doesn’t work. We have we recognize that in our own lives that that doesn’t work but rather God wants us to know that we’re not coming under condemnation. We’re not coming unto judgment from him.
You know I was thinking about this in terms of being in fellowship with God because you know that’s another thing that’s important for us for us to live happily and successfully but I thought if you were to get out of fellowship with God and you never ever got back into fellowship with God and now you’re at the return you’re still gonna be there. You’re still gonna go to heaven. You’re still gonna live forever with God.
You won’t have had a happy time because you’re out of fellowship and you maybe you’re miserable and defeated and all those things that go with being out of fellowship but what God accomplished for us is permanent and it doesn’t change. So no matter what you and I are going to be in the gathering together and we’re gonna live together forever with God. So in closing my exhortation to you is that it’s not God’s will for us to be bound or held back by anything.
God doesn’t want us to do a bunch of behaviors and things to try to please him. He’s already pleased with us. If our spirit is perfect we can’t add to that by doing things in the flesh.
We’re already perfect in God’s sight because of what Jesus Christ accomplished for us. So live in the freedom that God gave you and enjoy your life. And then one more time from Isaiah 58 verse 6. Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens and to let the oppressed go free and that you break every yoke.
That’s God’s will for our lives. Thank you. God bless you.
Key Takeaways
- So because of Jesus Christ’s finished works, we have been set free and it’s not God’s will that we get caught up in bondage.
- In Galatians chapter 5, verse 1, it says, Stand fast therefore in the liberty, wherewith Christ hath made us free, and been not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
- 1st John chapter 3 and in verse 20 it says, for if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things.
- You know it’s not that being free from bondage and living free means we do the wrong stuff.
- And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then shall thy light rise in obscurity and thy darkness be as the noon day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main message of “Escape from Bondage”?
Tony Washington examines “Escape from Bondage” through Isaiah 58, Galatians 5, Romans 8, John 3, showing how know, things, shall shape a believer’s relationship with God, daily choices, and service to others.
Which scriptures are central to this teaching?
The teaching draws especially from Isaiah 58, Galatians 5, Romans 8, John 3, 1 Corinthians 10.
How can believers apply this teaching?
Believers can receive the truth presented, verify it in Scripture, and put it into practice with faith, humility, love, and consistent action.
Scripture References
Isaiah 58; Galatians 5; Romans 8; John 3; 1 Corinthians 10
This text was prepared from the teaching audio or source document. Please verify scripture references against your own Bible.
