Rev. David Holwick K
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
March 30, 2003
Acts 25:23-27; 26:27-29
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I. Prisoners of war in Iraq.
A. Ordinary Americans. [baptism of James Kiehl, 22, in desert] MIA
1) Single mother.
2) Patrick Miller, a recently-married soldier from Kansas. [1]
B. Wounded, worried, scared.
1) Concern of families. (interviews on TV)
2) Iraqis have a history of abusing prisoners.
3) Talk I had with an American captured during Battle of Bulge.
a) He felt helpless, the lowest of the low.
II. Paul's imprisonment.
A. He spent much of his Christian life in prisons.
1) Here, choice of prison and death later, or death now.
2) He chose prison - and an opportunity to witness in Rome.
B. From his perspective, he wasn't a prisoner of Nero, but Jesus.
1) He was a liberated man.
a) He wasn't thrilled with his chains, but they didn't
really matter. 26:29
b) What he had, anyone else would want - salvation.
c) Rather than feeling helpless, he was empowered.
2) He tried to liberate others.
a) His testimony to King Agrippa.
1> King James - almost persuaded.
2> More cynical in NIV - king felt put on the spot.
b) Our personal story is most effective outreach we have.
III. Captivity as a metaphor for spiritual struggle.
A. We are prisoners of Satan. Heb 2:15
1) Prisoners of fear.
a) Death and the future can unsettle us.
2) Prisoners of sin. Acts 8:23
a) Many are enslaved by their appetites.
Thomas Costain's history, "The Three Edwards," describes
the life of Raynald III, a 14th century duke in Belgium.
Grossly overweight, Raynald was commonly called by his
Latin nickname, Crassus, which means "fat."
After a violent quarrel, Raynald's younger brother Edward
led a successful revolt against him.
Edward captured Raynald but did not kill him.
Instead, he built a room around Raynald in the Nieuwkerk
castle.
He promised him he could regain his title and property as
soon as he was able to leave the room.
This would not have been difficult for most people since
the room has several windows and a door of near normal
size, and none was locked or barred.
The problem was Raynald's size.
To regain his freedom, he needed to lose weight.
But Edward knew his older brother, and each day he sent a
variety of delicious foods.
Instead of dieting his way out of prison, Raynald grew
fatter.
When Duke Edward was accused of cruelty, he had a ready
answer:
"My brother is not a prisoner.
He may leave when he so wills."
Raynald stayed in that room for ten years and wasn't
released until after Edward died in battle.
By then his health was so ruined he died within a year...
a prisoner of his own appetite.
#1863
b) We live in an addictive culture. Many end up destroyed.
3) Prisoners of worldly philosophies. Col 2:8
a) Materialism - only this life matters..
1> Leads to focus on money, prestige, power hunger.
b) Relativism - truth is negotiable.
4) Prisoners of law-righteousness. Gal 3:23
a) Law-righteousness reduces religion to a set of rules.
1> Obey the rules, you'll go to heaven.
b) Very deceptive, because it is religious and moral.
1> But it cuts the heart out of Christianity.
2> Our faith is a relationship, not a bunch of rules.
3> It focuses receiving, and giving, grace.
B. We can also be prisoners of Jesus.
1) This was Paul's favorite description of himself.
a) Christ owns me.
b) He does with me what he wants.
2) Paul found God's love to be compelling. 2 Cor 5:14
a) He had to share it with others.
3) At the same time, it is an easy captivity.
a) His burden is easy and his yoke is light. Matt 11:29f
IV. Even Christians we can face captivities.
A. Our own sinful actions.
1) Many Christians are undisciplined, lazy and weak.
a) When we are attacked, we crumble.
2) Without God's help, we can fall into any pit a worldly
person can.
B. Living in a broken world.
1) We can be literal captives, like the missionaries in
Afghanistan.
2) We can be captives of illness or other circumstances.
3) Wherever we are, we can have an overcoming attitude.
V. Principles of survival.
A. Soldiers are trained on how to endure imprisonment.
1) Role-playing, including torture.
2) It requires more than courage or strength.
3) Spiritual conditioning is just as hard.
B. Prepare yourself.
1) Submit to God.
a) In our hopelessness, acknowledge the Higher Power.
b) Let his values flow through your life.
Where Jesus Christ is believed and trusted a profound change
takes place in the individual, and ultimately the community.
One of the most moving stories of captivity is told by
Ernest Gordon, a former chaplain at Princeton University.
During World War II he was captured by the Japanese and
sent to a POW camp in Malaysia.
The American prisoners of the camp came to the point where
they were reduced almost to animals.
They were starving, and they stole food from their buddies who
were starving.
In their desperation the prisoners decided it would be good
to read the New Testament.
Because Gordon was a college graduate, they asked him to lead.
By his own admission he was a skeptic, an agnostic.
Those who asked him to lead were unbelievers as well.
As he read to them from the New Testament, these men were
converted to the living God through Jesus Christ.
This community of animals was changed into a community of love,
because God lives, and he lives in Jesus Christ.
#1424
2) Grab hold of hope.
a) The will to live (and succeed) is important.
b) When prisoners of war give up hope, they die.
c) Seeks God's purpose for your life.
3) Focus on your deliverer - Jesus. Rom 7:24-25
a) He can rescue us from anything.
C. Are you free or captive?
1) Testimony of Kansan P.O.W.
This week Patrick Miller, age 23, became one of the first
American POWs.
His maintenance convey was ambushed and five of them were
captured.
Patrick was married in Olivet Baptist Church in Wichita
about a year ago.
During the pre-marital counseling he accepted Christ as
his Savior.
Jesus is with him in his cell right now. [1]
2) What is your testimony?
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
[1] "MIA soldier baptized before battle; pastor's son KIA," by staff
writers of Baptist Press, March 27, 2003. [see also #22795]
#1424 "The Bible in a P.O.W. Camp," from a 1983 sermon by David Holwick.
Probably originally from Christianity Today.
#1863 "Enslaved By Sin," by Rev. Dave Wilkinson, Oroville, California,
in Leadership Magazine, Spring 1984, page 44.
These and 23,000 others are part of a database that can be downloaded,
absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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