Transcription downloaded from https://sermons.heritagesermons.org/sermons/26571/i-therefore-the-prisoner-of-the-lord-quality-good/.

Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions.
Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt.


[0:00] you'll have no nothing but comfort to look back and remember what you once were before the lord called you by his grace and so the apostle comes to these latter chapters to exhort to the general duties of religion and the spiritual worship of god and true fellowship amongst his people and these are exhortations that are based upon god-given authority and let us look then at this text i therefore the prisoner of the lord what a contrast paul was apprehended often beaten imprisoned often he was imprisoned by the romans and they harshly treated him at times and other times they had more respect for him but he was their prisoner and he often wrote he wrote epistles from prison and the lord overruled it so that he had more liberty in writing and ministering that he would have had perhaps otherwise in the sovereignty of god but he was the prisoner of the romans but here says paul i am the prisoner of the lord now none of us like to think of prisoners we think of criminals don't we criminal activity well many are imprisoned for not criminal activities but for their beliefs and they are persecuted for christ's sake but here paul said i am a prisoner of the lord what a beautiful contrast a man who sought to hail men women into prison and to death who hated the very name of christ and persecuted they that worshipped christ here he is seen express himself to be the prisoner of christ now what a contrast he was a man that was devoted by the grace of god to serve christ in the gospel of christ to serve the churches to preach the gospel to every creature he was the prisoner of the lord now what would it be for you and me to be captivated by the sovereign power of god in calling and captivated by the love of christ in redemption in saving our souls in granting us pardon to our sins what do we say reign o'er me as king accomplish thy will powerfully bring me forth from all ill till falling before thee i lord thy blessed name you see believers have to acknowledge that we are prisoners of the lord the apostle spoke of every thought being brought in to the captivity of christ now we don't fully understand what that word means but you know and i know what it is to have our own thoughts to go the way of our own thoughts and to be accused by sometimes their nearest and dearest of being stubborn in our thoughts and as to be brought into captivity to another's thoughts to be brought to submit to the will and word and directions and exhortations of your savior it's quite another matter isn't it but that's what the apostle desired that every thought that he thought of that went through his mind from the time he woke to the time he slept would be brought into the captivity of christ not my will lord but thine be done and believer this is a contrast if that is wrought in our hearts in any measure bless god if it's wrought more fully in our hearts as we get older bless god for that that we have a desire that our every thought for what of our previous thoughts well now i'm going to go back to the last expression in verse 1 to that they should walk worthy of their vocation wherewith they are called and we might consider this morning what it is to walk but it's to look at the vocation wherewith we are called you won't have listened long in their chapels without realising that salvation and all its mercies and blessings are by a call by grace sovereign grace you never heard the call yourself you never thought the lord and gave your heart to the lord by yourself you can only acknowledge if you're honest but for the grace of god you would come and go as a man that had no interest no concern just to come but through grace it is different can you look back my friends to see the vocation wherewith you have been called vocation we use that word in a sense of a career don't we a purpose in life to aim for go after and achieve and accomplish in it's true of a Christian life a vocation wherewith you are called and it's not an outward call an outward call we read of in the scriptures that many are called said Jesus but few are chosen many are called in a general way in the gospel but few appear to be the chosen ones with an internal and spiritual call in their hearts what a contrast to be called out of nature's darkness into his marvelous light it's a call by grace that I knew as a lad of 14 a very definite call by grace from darkness into light and I regret that my early years seemed to be more walking in conflict and darkness still cleaving to this world and its pleasures and its toys and yet longing to be delivered into his glorious light

[7:23] I think perhaps with many of us we realize as the years pass that we haven't really grasped what it is to be saved to be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation to be called and quickened and born again and to possess a new life and in believing have eternal life the hope and the promise of it and no salvation blessings it's a wonderful contrast and know that we are called not to be our own we are bought with a price to glorify God in our bodies which are not ours but the Lord's it's a long way to learn isn't it a long time learning this isn't it yet the nearer I get to my heavenly home I realize how much I failed but how much the truth of it is he has called us and he will sanctify us he will prepare us for his will and prepare us to walk in his will prepare us to be submissive in his will prepare us with heavenly gifts and grace that he will have appointed from all eternity that you and I should possess that his church might be built up his church might be a living witness in the earth that he might be glorified in our worship that we shouldn't hide our light under a bushel that we should be true witnesses for God true witnesses of the grace of God in our lives now this is something of what air text speaks of this morning the vocation wherewith you are called an inward calling ah you say

[9:12] I believe I've had prickings of conscience I believe I know something what it is to be avoiding sin and sinful men in their ways well have you separated in your own purpose of heart from sinners and their sinful ways are they your friends is it their company that you take pleasure in if you're a child of God you won't be left to take pleasure in their company however nice or moral they are they are not the Lord's people they are not the ones that the Lord purposes you should find friendship amongst you know that don't you you know that God has called you into the fellowship of his dear son and into the fellowship of believers haven't we read here in this chapter beautiful description of the church of God from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth that's you and me supplying to this church that which every joint supplieth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part make it increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love this is the will of God for all that are called by grace that you being called from darkness into light may commune with him who is light and walk as children of the light commune with one another help one another impacting by your gifts and grace one to another there's so many other ways we can dissipate the grace of God but we are called to this beautiful picture aren't we of the members of the church according to the effectual working in the measure of every part oh you say

[11:15] I'm poor what gifts have I got this very chapter speaks of the gifts of Christ when he ascended up unto high and gave gifts four men and two men according to the measure of the gift of Christ who loves us and says I will give to him and to her I will give to them the measure of grace that I see fit to give to them and in the sweet exercise of their love they will be part of my witnessing church on earth part of that body that will be glorifying God now says the apostle in divine authority as the prisoner of the Lord united committed to serve the Lord as he did in life in suffering persecution and affliction or manner of hardship in suffering persecution and death he was the prisoner of the Lord and we in our lesser sense who are called by grace to the ministry of the gospel to come away to come to preach to sinners who are sinners ourselves converted by the grace of God to call and to be preached the gospel of

[12:34] Christ in his name now our authority is different from their authority in the gospel I'll spend a little time considering the authority of the apostles which perhaps isn't generally considered amongst us when Jesus spoke that beautiful words where two or three are met together in my name there am I in the midst and that to bless now we love that text don't we it's sweet it has promise something we like to plead something we can take comfort in well that is good but when you look into the context Jesus is speaking of his disciples in this way he called to be apostles I give unto you authority whatsoever ye bind on earth shall be bound in heaven whatsoever ye loose shall be loosed now when did we last consider the binding and loosing as Jesus referred to it

[13:42] Jesus was setting up the establishment of the gospel church upon gospel principles and gospel truths these concern us who are gentile look what he's done away in Christ look what he's fulfilled in the old testament by Christ every jot and every tittle of the law he came to fulfill not to destroy but to fulfill but he came to bind and he came to unloose take for example the right of circumcision God's ordinance forever upon his people until Christ came now there were some that contended for it in the gospel but Paul said if ye be circumcised if that's what you're looking to Christ shall profit you nothing so they've loosed that in their authority

[14:46] Christ said where two or three are gathered in my name that is to discuss to formulate to know my mind and will and to authorize it in the gospel church under divine authority revelation that there am I in the midst and that to bless it God has blessed the preaching of what it is to be in Christ he is a Jew which is one inwardly whose circumcision is of the heart and not of the flesh so they've loosed the doctrine of circumcision and bounded in the gospel the circumcision is by the quickening of the Holy Spirit the cutting of the heart you know these things now you take the Passover they should keep the Passover in their generations forever well that had to be loosed the Jews still keep it because the veil is upon their hearts but that had to be loosed and the apostles in their teaching said

[15:51] Christ our Passover is sacrifice for us the Jews would say where is the Lamb we would say we have the Lamb the Lamb of God the Son of God which came into the world to redeem us and Christ our Passover believer this is the glorious gospel that is bound in the authority of the apostle it's bound isn't it in that Christ believers in Christ look to him who was sacrificed for them and if you can say for me what a sweet contrast so that's bound in the gospel and loosed from the tradition that they were bound to keep you take the Lord's day now the Sabbath day was instituted of God for a perpetual ordinance in all their generation but hasn't that been loosed by Christ the first day of the week that saw the Lord arise and John saw in his revelation and said

[17:06] I was in the spirit on the Lord's day so the observance of the Sabbath is loosed as it were upon Gentile believers us and what is bound upon us is the first day of the week which the churches have acknowledged ever since the Lord's resurrection and our Lord spoke of the Lord's day and it's the Lord's day he who came who hath fulfilled the law in every jot and tittle who's kept the Sabbath kept its worship and is now worshipped himself in the glory of his own death and resurrection upon the first day of the week and why are all these things set aside and destroyed now they are loosed from the keeping of them and what is set forth in the gospel by the authority of the apostles is bound upon us as believers and I might go into more details but I won't that is sufficient what the

[18:16] Jews had in the Old Testament is loosed largely by the apostles teaching and doctrines and these things are so sweetly bound in a believer's heart who by the spirit believes in God believes his son Jesus Christ believes in his precious word the doctrines of them the exhortations of them and we have in our hearts and hands the very promises of God the son he that believeth on me has eternal life the will of God that whosoever seeth the son and believeth on him may have everlasting life without doubt not a may with doubt in it but a may without doubt may have shall have eternal life so the apostle the prisoner of the lord said I beseech you beseech seems a strange word to us doesn't it I dare say in some countries of the world they would get on their knees and plead for mercy or clemency when they're threatened with execution or punishment it's a word we don't use much now the beseeching but oh the apostle could say

[19:30] I beseech you a beautiful firm authoritative beseeching of you in the lord's name to all these exhortations I beseech you I beseech you you know we've got a natural man haven't we this chapter speaks of the putting off of the old man his authority and his rule in our lives and the old man would say I'm not going to be told by anyone what I've got to do I'm not going to be pleaded with to do anything which I don't want to do I don't want anyone to beseech me I want to do what I want to do I will do what I want to do it's the very spirit of the old man bless God if you can see a contrast in your spirit and life thy will lord be done teach me lord show me lord that's the spirit is such a different contrast with I'm not having anyone to tell me what to do

[20:38] I beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called and the vocation of God is to be a child of God to be blessed with pardon and spiritual life and grace and gifts gifts according to the measure of the gift of Christ who gave gifts for men even for the rebellious also they're brought in as the tale we might say aren't they how many a child of God has been comforted by that there are gifts of grace for the rebellious one also that they felt to be so rebellious at times let's look at the walk for a moment you walk worthy well sufficient some would say that I just walk doesn't matter whether I walk worthy

[21:39] I don't want a great name I don't want to do great things I just want to walk in the Christian way I don't want much put upon me I don't want much commitment the apostle doesn't say that he speaks to us walk worthy of that vocation if you realize the high and holy calling if you realize the purpose of God in giving you blessings of grace if we realize that in our life God has some purpose in sparing us then we should aim shouldn't we to walk worthy of that vocation I look at my little grandchild the last one I think very shortly she will be walking and how will she walk at first so unsteadily many a fall but she will walk so uncertainly and then how will she walk when she gets over that stage where she run she run rather than walk run with excitement and enthusiasm and sometimes in early spiritual life we want to run in the ways of God run with enthusiasm keenness and to get a child to walk sometimes while they walk very crookedly they don't walk long they don't walk very far they don't seem to walk with any purpose it's a job to get a child to walk they want to run hither and nither all round the place but a child of

[23:18] God is called to walk worthy of the vocation where we are called I like walking not as much as I should do but I do like country walks and there was a time when I would say well we go to there and back we have a purpose we have a set object and we walk there and back but today when I'm older and haven't got quite the powers I think well we'll walk as far as we can we'll walk for our pleasure and then we'll come back we don't have an object anymore we just walk as far as we can if there's an object well and good so there's many ways of walking aren't there and I believe all of you would know what it is to have an object we'll walk to fair light and we'll walk back again or wherever you are on holiday shouldn't we walk in that way if we're walking worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called many walks said the apostle oh they were walking to their shame they were enemies of the cross of Christ they didn't want the cross of

[24:37] Christ never looked to the cross of Christ it was a strange doctrine to them didn't see the point of it didn't see any love in the one who died on the cross of Christ the one who died a sin atoning death to reconcile them to God no many walk oh they wanted to be in the general profession they wanted to have a good name many quite happy to live as hypocrites professors blind leaders of the blind whited sepulchers looked lovely outside but vile within many quite happy to walk like that enemies of the cross of Christ whose God is their belly whose glory is in their shame who mind earthly things that's the character of those who walk that are the enemies of the cross of Christ now walking unworthily and the apostle who's speaking with divine authority when he speaks of the ordinance of the

[25:51] Lord's table he speaks of those that come to it worthily and humbly and he speaks of those who eat of that bread unworthily and they bring upon themselves condemnation damnation the scripture says it generally is understood to mean condemnation but the thing the point to consider is this they're not discerning the Lord's body now you see we who are called to walk in the Christian way are given light and grace to discern to discern between what is right and wrong what is pleasing in God's sight and which isn't and to discern the true nature of these things now in a natural sense men would boast and feel comfortable in having a discernment we discern this man's character that woman's character we discern their way of life and we discern what they do with their money and so forth there's a lot of discerning but the condemnation for these well they did not discern the

[27:08] Lord's body discern what a sacred nature we have before us in the person of Christ to remember at his table to come as remembering that he died for you that he did this and suffered for you except ye eat said Jesus my body and drink my blood ye have no life in me there was no discernment you see with them that to eat his body by faith to feed upon his broken body his death in giving himself a ransom was to feed by faith and to drink his blood was to drink deep into the atoning love of Christ spiritually and said Jesus do this in remembrance of me as oft as ye do it now you see this is the way to walk isn't it that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called aren't we called then to follow

[28:20] Jesus if any man love me he will keep my commandments he that keepeth not my commandments loveth me not this is a discerner isn't it but in loving if a man love me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me proud nature the darkness we're in by sinful nature we don't want to deny ourselves anything why should we that's proud nature why should I desire what my impetuous nature sometimes tells me I want or I think I want or need proud nature nature's darkness blindness ignorant so I know where am I going to deny myself it's self first my opinions first others can have a place but not first and as for God first proud nature will have nothing to do with it but

[29:41] Jesus said if any man follow me let him deny himself we've got to deny ourselves haven't we pleasures of the mind have to be denied there's a right balance in what I'm saying you know that you know it doesn't mean denying the common blessings that God has given us but you know what I mean and what Jesus meant by denying himself what the apostle meant when he said put off the old man with his deeds former corruptions and lusts mortify the lusts of the flesh and of the mind fulfilling said the apostle again on another occasion the children of darling fulfilling the pleasures of the mind wonderful capacity we have in our minds to fulfill the pleasures that we have the capacity to think of and delight in delight in in the future and delight retrospectively in fulfilling the pleasures of the mind and were by nature sinful nature by Adam's sin you've inherited it were by nature the children of wrath even as others but God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins that quickened us together with Christ by grace he is saved oh the contrasts that we've expressed this morning that you are beginning to think upon and I hope you can bless God that he has called you out of nature's darkness into his marvellous light for when the apostle spoke of his authority before king agrippa he spoke of his authority from the lord jesus christ himself who said

[31:43] I deliver thee from the gentiles and I send thee unto them to open their eyes this was the apostle's commission from christ himself to open their eyes to bring them from darkness to light from the power of satan to god that they might receive the forgiveness of sins and an inheritance amongst them that are sanctified that was the apostle's commission bless god if he has opened your eyes from nature's darkness darkness from sin and what is darkness but ignorance what is darkness but unbelief what is darkness that poor blind man said one thing I know that whereas I was blind now I see he was totally blind he couldn't see anything and by nature we can't see god we're ignorant of god we're ignorant of his holy gospel and law we're ignorant of his grace it's nature's darkness it's a blindness to open blind eyes to bring out of darkness into light and we all walk we have to walk in the light don't we walk in the light said

[33:06] Jesus while it is yet light while you have the light walk in the light believer you have the light in Christ he is the light of life here's the light of this world here's the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world there isn't a man that's lighted in any other religion that isn't lighted by the Lord every man that is lit whatever the profession of his religion is lighted by the Lord or else there's no light would we go as far as say there's no light in any heathen religion we wouldn't go as far as that but we'll go as far as this to the word of God that every man that is lighted in his soul with an inward illumination is lighted by our Saviour who is the light of the world where's the hope of your light and mine it is that God who has shined into darkness has shined in my poor heart to give the light of the knowledge of God in the face of

[34:12] Jesus Christ what a contrast my friend to walking in darkness and ignorance God has revealed the light of his glory his glorious face in pardoning sin in the face of Jesus Christ oh have you ever seen the light have you ever seen the light of glory in the Saviour's face and when I think of that expression light and darkness and with this I must close this morning there's been a judicial blindness and darkness upon the Gentiles for four thousand years think of it in the wisdom of God in the solemnity of his judgments the Gentiles were without God and without hope in the world God's mercy in the whole of the Old

[35:16] Testament was mainly for his covenant people that were his people that were his God that were he was their God to them he gave the oracles the law and the service of the sanctuary but the Gentiles were blinding upon them was what we call a judicial blindness he has closed their eyes lest they should see lest I should convert them and they be saved he has closed their eyes it's a sovereign judicial judgment of blindness and darkness upon the Gentiles one exception I would bring before you again this morning and that of Ruth Ruth had her eyes opened a great contrast her father's house was an idolatrous house they had idols they worshipped and Orpah was quite happy to go back to her father's house and worship their gods but Ruth had her eyes open she saw

[36:25] Naomi's God was the true and living God she came to trust under the shadow of his wings when Boaz spoke to her she said why have I found grace in thy sight seeing I am but a stranger the Gentiles were strangers to the covenants of promise but God brought her in in the seed of Christ God brought Ruth in to look to Naomi's God in that beautiful way entreat me not to leave thee or to return from following after thee thy God shall be my God thy people shall be my people where thou livest I will live where thou diest I will die that beautiful expression of faith and Boaz said to her it hath fully been showed me of all that thou hast done for thy mother in law the Lord recompense thee and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel under whose wings thou art come to trust she saw knew that great contrast to turn from idol worship which was vain to serving the living

[37:36] God which was full of reward well I hadn't thought of coming to this word this morning my ministry has been rather a lot of meditation and a lot of being turned away on the Lord's day to another word without pondering so much I have to leave that I want to speak the words the Lord will speak with me nor had I intended going further in this word but if the Lord will help me I want to come again to it this evening that you walk worthy of your vocation being called being blessed being enriched with the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit in Christ's name what a privilege what a responsibility you say oh perhaps I wish I hadn't been called by grace then then you'd be lost forever being called you're called to privileges being called you're called to responsibilities you're called by grace to see the

[38:50]  Lord to know these great contrasts in changes to serve the Lord Christ and one day to see his face but what is before us to say as we've sung already what a saviour how great thou art I hope every one of you can say that from your heart inwardly how great thou art not only in what he's done outwardly but what he's done in your heart the Lord bless his word this morning Amen