Category Archives: Escape

Bible, Escape, Gospel, Salvation, Scripture, Warnings

NO ESCAPE

ROMANS 2:3

But do you suppose this, you foolish person who passes judgment on those who practice such things, and yet does them as well, that you will escape the judgment of God?

I have never had to escape a burning building or a sinking ship, but I did have to escape a pretty serious car wreck back in 1975. Long story made short – an end-over-end flipped Lincoln Continental that had been traveling over 100 mph. All four of us walked away with just scratches and bruises. It was truly a miracle. We had to escape through one little opening that was left when the roof caved in and rested on the front seat.

Paul is describing another kind of escape in today’s verse. This is an escape from judgment. What does he say? He says, “Do you reckon you will escape judgment if you are passing judgment while you are doing the same thing you are judging?” This is a tough verse, but it has to be said. You can’t sit in judgment of others while you are doing the same thing. God will hold you accountable as well.

APPLICATION

The Topical Lexicon says this about ekpheugó which Paul uses  and is translated as “escape.” “The verb thus serves as a sober reminder that neglect of salvation inevitably forfeits escape.” This ties in perfectly with Hebrews 2:3 which says, “how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” There will be no escape for those who refuse Jesus as Savior.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 we find ekpheugó used again, “2 For you yourselves now full well that the day of the Lord is coming just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction will come upon them like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” But we have a warning through the Gospel. We have a way of escape, if we turn to Him.

The writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 12:25, “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns us from heaven.” The Son of God came and gave us fair warning. All through Scripture we are warned of the danger, the eternal danger of refusing God’s call. You’ve been warned. Are you heeding His warning today?

Father, I give You thanks for calling me and giving me the way of escape from the penalty of sin.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Captivity, Chains, Conviction, Deliverance, Devil, Escape, Freedom, Judgment, Prison, Rescue, Scripture

NO ESCAPE

GALATIANS 3:23

“But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the Law, being confined for the faith that was destined to be revealed.”

Click! Click! That is the sound you hear as you enter the jail. I served as a Chaplain for our County Sheriff Department for a while. Part of my duties was to visit the officers in the jail. You see, my role was not chaplain to the prisoners. My role was to the officers. And even though they were innocent of any crime, they were locked behind those bars every day also. On the other hand, the inmates remained behind. They could not just walk out. They were condemned to serve their sentence.

Paul continues the idea of the Law being restrictive and confining in today’s verse. In fact, he uses two words that point to that. He says “were kept in custody.” That’s the Greek word phrouréō which means “to actively display whatever defensive and offensive means are necessary to guard.” (HELPS Word Studies). The other word Paul uses is sugkleió which means to enclose or shut in. Paul is saying the Law held us captive until Jesus could be revealed.

APPLICATION

Well Carl, I’m not held captive by anything. I am free as a bird. Are you really? If you are in Jesus, you are free (as we discussed over the past few days), but even then, we can put ourselves back up under Law by thinking we have to do certain things to earn “brownie points” for heaven. There is nothing you can do, outside of surrendering to Jesus, that will get you through those pearly gates.

Acts 16:26 is a great picture of our salvation in Christ. Paul and Silas are sitting in prison for preaching about Jesus and then this happens. “and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains were unfastened.” That’s must be how it looks to God when we finally give our lives to Him. Bam! The chains fall off.

In stark contrast to our freedom in Christ, we see Satan, that ‘ole deceiver chained by God. Revelation 20:1-3 give us a great picture of that. “1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he took hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he threw him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.” Praise be God, Who is the chain breaker and chain maker.

O Father, You have promised freedom for me and imprisonment for the devil. You are the all powerful Judge.

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Belief, Bible, Captivity, Escape, Freedom, God's Will, Redemption, Scripture, Witnessing

PURCHASED

GALATIANS 3:13

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written: ‘CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE’—”

Over 150 years ago here in the U.S., slavery was a part of the economic system. Slaves were purchased off the slave block as they arrived on ships. Most of these slaves came from Africa, but not all. Where they came from was not important. Where they were now was. The horrors of slavery have been told over and over. We should never forget it. The freedom for those slaves was purchased by acts of brave men who saw it as evil. These abolitionists even bought slaves in order to free them.

The word used in today’s verse for “redeemed” is exagorazó. It is not the usual word used for “redeem.” It is more general in nature. Albert Barnes explains the word this way. “It occurs in the New Testament only in this place, and in Galatians 4:5, Ephesians 5:16 and Colossians 4:5. It properly means, to purchase, to buy up; and then to purchase anyone, to redeem, to set free. Here it means, that Christ had purchased, or set us free from the curse of the Law, by his being made a curse for us.” One man for many!

APPLICATION

You and I do not have to do that today. We do not purchase people out of slavery. But we do have the privilege to show them a Savior who can set them free from all their sins. Acts 1:8 still has application for us today. “‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’” Do you believe that? I do.

How about 1 Peter 3:15? “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,” You see, we still have a mandate from God to help execute this “purchase.” He is still using people like us to provide this ransom for their souls.

Will you commit to being part of this team? God wants to use us to see lost souls come to Jesus. Yes, God could part the skies and proclaim, “Repent now in Jesus’ name.” He could send every single person on earth a personal message. He can do anything. But He has chosen to use us in these last days to deliver the message. Let’s do this!

I am thankful You purchased me off the slave block of sin where I was doomed to an evil master.

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Abiding, Admonished, Advocate, Affliction, Belief, Bible, Choices, Commands, Danger, Deliverance, Escape, God's Will, Remembering, Scripture

THEY KNEW

ZECHARIAH 11:11

“So it was broken on that day, and so the afflicted of the flock who were watching me realized that it was the word of the LORD.”

Sometimes you just know! Right? Call it a gut thing or something just didn’t feel right. Perhaps you remembered something you had been told earlier. A situation jogged your memory and you said, “Aha, I remember that.” Whatever the reason, you have that “Spidey sense” that warns you about something. You heed the advice you have been given and avoid a catastrophe.

“The afflicted of the flock” referred to in today’s verse had done just that. They had heard the warnings from Zechariah and fled Jerusalem before it was surrounded and destroyed. They escaped into the mountains. How did they know this? Because Zechariah had forewarned, and they had believed him. These were the humble and devoted ones who were still seeking to follow Jehovah. Their devotion was rewarded.

APPLICATION

How can we escape terrible situations in our lives? By listening to and obeying the Lord. His Word gives us ample warning of the things we should and should not do. Before you freak out, it is not a book of rules. It’s a guidebook for life. 1 Corinthians 10:11 says, “Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”

Here’s a verse you probably know. Romans 6:23 tells us, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” I could go on listing verse after verse, passage after passage about God’s warnings to us. The warnings, in and of themselves, mean nothing unless you are willing to listen and obey. Just because we read it or hear it doesn’t mean we are delivered. We have to obey.

I have discovered that if you stay close to Jesus, if you read His Word regularly, if you memorize and meditate on it, if you apply His Word to your life and spend time with Him daily in prayer, then you will be quick to hear and obey all those warnings. Or will you be like the other Israelites who heard but did not heed the warnings? It’s your choice.

I hear You, Lord, and I will obey.

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Access, Asking, Bible, Cleansing, Cross, Direction, Escape, Forgiveness, God's Will, Heaven, Salvation, Scripture

WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING?

ZECHARIAH 5:10

“So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, ‘Where are they taking the ephah?’”

If you have children, you have probably put up with “explorations.” We put up baby gates and all sorts of contraptions to try to keep the little buggers contained. But lo and behold, they would find ways to escape. I can remember sitting and watching my children trying to figure out how to get loose. I would jokingly ask them, “Where do you think you’re going?”

Zechariah just watched the two winged women swoop down and pick up the ephah with the woman (wickedness) inside and fly away. His first thought was “Where are they going?” I don’t think he was concerned about the woman’s welfare. He was just curious about their destination. By this time, Zechariah wasn’t afraid to ask anything of that angel. (Come back tomorrow to see where they take her.)

APPLICATION

As I was thinking of an application for this verse, the thought came to me – what happens to our sins? Where does God carry them? We have the answer right in Scripture. Psalm 103:11-12 says, “11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our wrongdoings from us.”

That’s a long way! You can’t get to the east by traveling west or vice versa. You just keep traveling in the direction you are going, whether that be heading east or heading west. In other words, you can’t get back that sin once it has been forgiven. It’s gone. Now, you may choose to sin again, but it won’t be that same sin. It will be a brand new one.

God could pile all our sins up in one big heap in heaven (mine would be mountainous) and show them all to us when we get there. But no, He removes them. So, we don’t have to ask that question I asked earlier. We know where He carries our sins – to the cross, where they are forgiven forever. Amen? Amen!

Burdens are lifted at Calvary, Calvary, Calvary
Burdens are lifted at Calvary, Jesus is very near

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