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FREEDOM!

(A gospel tract written to persons in prison)

The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me, because Jehovah hath anointed me to announce glad tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and opening of the prison to them that are bound; . . . (Isaiah 61:1)

Prison opened?! Liberty for the captives?! What glad tidings indeed!

Who then is announcing this, and who are the captives who can have this freedom?

The Anointed One is the Lord Jesus Christ[1], and these glad tidings of liberty are available to all men. You may feel your bondage as imprisoned in this jail and think that once you are out of here you will be free, and that every man and woman ‘outside’ is free. The truth is that every man and woman since Adam has been in bondage! No-one has been born free — all have been in bondage since birth!

In bondage to what, or to whom? In bondage to sin, and to the devil! For, whatever we obey, this is our master. Proud men say, ‘I am subject to no one — I do what I want to do!’ What folly! They think they are doing what they want to do, but in reality they obey sin in themselves. What man is there that has the power in himself not to sin? Not one! We are without strength before our captor! We are bondmen to sin[2], the end of which is sorrow upon sorrow and finally death, and after this, judgment.

But God knows your weakness and misery as in bondage to sin and has therefore made the provision of a Deliverer through the giving of His Son. Such is His love for man! Christ Jesus came to deliver from this bondage. How? Through His taking my place.

Jesus was the only Man not in bondage to sin, the only One who was not under the penalty of death, but He offered Himself spotless to God when He was on the cross[3]. He came before the Judge (God) instead of me — He took my place in the dock. God made Him sin[4] and put all my sins upon Him[5][6] (as if they were Jesus’ own), and judged Him for it all — pouring out His wrath on Jesus for three hours. At the end of these three hours God abandoned Jesus[7] and a short while later, Jesus delivered up His spirit and died. After He died a soldier pierced His side with a spear, and blood and water came out — a witness to His death[8]. He lay a prisoner with the dead for three days[9], and then was raised up and ascended to heaven, to the right hand of God His Father[10].

Having taken my place, He was made sin for me, bore the wrath for me, was abandoned by God instead of me, died in place of me, was buried for me. I am free from the power of sin and death because I died when Christ died, I was buried when He was buried. But I have a right to live now because Christ was raised too — if I am identified with Him in death, so I am identified with His resurrection[11]!

This is true of every one who believes[12] in Him. If you accept Christ as your Saviour today, you come into the blessing of this great work immediately! It is absolutely free — the Lord paid the full penalty Himself!

What kind of life do I then lead now that I am raised and set free? Whatever I wish? Far be the thought! I have died, and no longer serve sin, but am alive to God, walking in newness of life, pursuing righteousness while still down here. My mind is on the things that are above[13], where Christ has entered as Forerunner for us. For Christ is coming again soon to fetch all those who believe in Him and will change our bodies to be like His[14] (incorruptible, immortal, heavenly bodies)[15], and take us to be with Himself eternally[16].

But what if I do sin after having believed? If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1  John 1:9)

How then do I spend my time here in prison? When you believe in these glad tidings concerning God’s Son, and confess your sins, you are free with God, and can have conversations in prayer with Him, and know His love for you — no bars or locked doors can hinder this!

For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38, 39)

You will find too that God can use this time for good in your soul: But we do know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to purpose (Romans 8:28)

This was written from within a prison by:
JARED PUDNEY
144 Winston Ave, Lexington, KY 40505

Scripture references from J.N. Darby’s translation of the Holy Scriptures:

  1. Luke 4 : 16-21 (Back to text)

    And he came to Nazareth, where he was brought up; and he entered, according to his custom, into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up to read.

    And [the] book of the prophet Esaias was given to him; and having unrolled the book he found the place where it was written,

    [The] Spirit of [the] Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach glad tidings to [the] poor; he has sent me to preach to captives deliverance, and to [the] blind sight, to send forth [the] crushed delivered,

    to preach [the] acceptable year of [the] Lord.

    And having rolled up the book, when he had delivered it up to the attendant, he sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed upon him.

    And he began to say to them, To-day this scripture is fulfilled in your ears.

  2. John 8 : 34 (Back to text)

    Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say to you, Every one that practises sin is the bondman of sin.

  3. Hebrews 9 : 14 (Back to text)

    how much rather shall the blood of the Christ, who by the eternal Spirit offered himself spotless to God, purify your conscience from dead works to worship [the] living God?

  4. 2 Corinthians 5 : 21 (Back to text)

    Him who knew not sin he has made sin for us, that we might become God’s righteousness in him.

  5. Isaiah 53 : 6 (Back to text)

    All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all.

  6. 1 Peter 2 : 23, 24 (Back to text)

    who, [when] reviled, reviled not again; [when] suffering, threatened not; but gave [himself] over into the hands of him who judges righteously;

    who himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, in order that, being dead to sins, we may live to righteousness: by whose stripes ye have been healed.

  7. Matthew 27 : 46 (Back to text)

    but about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

  8. John 19 : 34 (Back to text)

    but one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water.

  9. 1 Corinthians 15 : 4 (Back to text)

    and that he was buried; and that he was raised the third day, according to the scriptures;

  10. 1 Peter 3 : 21, 22 (Back to text)

    which figure also now saves you, [even] baptism, not a putting away of [the] filth of flesh, but [the] demand as before God of a good conscience, by [the] resurrection of Jesus Christ,

    who is at [the] right hand of God, gone into heaven, angels and authorities and powers being subjected to him.

  11. Romans 6 : 5 (Back to text)

    For if we are become identified with [him] in the likeness of his death, so also we shall be of [his] resurrection;

  12. Romans 10 : 10 (Back to text)

    For with [the] heart is believed to righteousness; and with [the] mouth confession made to salvation.

  13. Colossians 3 : 1-3 (Back to text)

    If therefore ye have been raised with the Christ, seek the things [which are] above, where the Christ is, sitting at [the] right hand of God:

    have your mind on the things [that are] above, not on the things [that are] on the earth;

    for ye have died, and your life is hid with the Christ in God.

  14. 1 John 3 : 2, 3 (Back to text)

    Beloved, now are we children of God, and what we shall be has not yet been manifested; we know that if it is manifested we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

    And every one that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure.

  15. 1 Corinthians 15 : 49, 54 (Back to text)

    And as we have borne the image of the [one] made of dust, we shall bear also the image of the heavenly [one].

    . . .

    But when this corruptible shall have put on incorruptibility, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the word written: Death has been swallowed up in victory.

  16. 1 Thessalonians 4 : 15-17 (Back to text)

    For this we say to you in [the] word of [the] Lord, that we, the living, who remain to the coming of the Lord, are in no way to anticipate those who have fallen asleep;

    for the Lord himself, with an assembling shout, with archangel‘s voice and with trump of God, shall descend from heaven; and the dead in Christ shall rise first;

    then we, the living who remain, shall be caught up together with them in [the] clouds, to meet the Lord in [the] air; and thus we shall be always with [the] Lord.

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Published by:

Nicolas Noakes
24 Buena Vista Close, Mandeville, Jamaica W.I.
+1 876-821-4026  •  nicolas.noakes@gmail.com

GodsGladTidings.info

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