Restraints, Ties, and Ligatures II

Brief view on various bindings in our life that hold us in captivity… a measure of liberation but held captivity by these things that seek to make us like a common person.

Centered on Delilah and Samson

Judges 16

v. 5 collusion with Delilah and the Philistines to figure out Samsons strength and to humble Him;

She’s given an assignment and goes to work:

1. seduce him

2. find out where his strength lies

3. strategy to over power him

4. strategy to humble him

5. willing to pay for it.

the enemy sends in at times people to fool you into a false relationship under an assignment of the enemy.

v. 16-17 Delilah pressed him until his soul was vexed (suppressed) under the weight of her insistence

The enemy will press and press until you finally collapse….

Restraints in your life will cause you to be unable to operate in the fullness of your liberation

Restraints

Luke 8:29 ESV

For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.)

Gerasene man according to Mk 5 is bound restrained by physical restraints and would break them

Chains

Shackles

Guard

tied to a load

Restrained and placed under guard

someone is watching you

You might be “free” but there is an oppressor who is present and ensuring you are not fulfilling the call on your life

consider a restraining order… every time you draw close to the Lord it blocks you out

With physical restraints… who is the owner of those restraints? These restraints are spiritual “many a time it had seized him…”

things in life that seem to have there way of popping up

v.29 is a process… work of commanding the Spirit to leave…

Jesus goes through the process

we are no exception

Symptoms

Naked - running from the church

Cemetery - fascinated with death; carry symbols of death

Prefers company of the dead over the living - stop consulting with the dead for wisdom

Post Liberation

Initially Found at the feet of Jesus

washed in the Word

He is sent to his home to testify

your life begins to tell of the work

Let’s look at at some of the restraints in the word

Restrained by the Mouth

Numbers 30:6 ESV

“If she marries a husband, while under her vows or any thoughtless utterance of her lips by which she has bound herself,

One can be bound by the very utterance of your lips

Prov. tells us power of life and death is in the tongue.

thoughtless vows… songs we sing… promises

You bound yourself with your words… undo the work in the Power of the Holy Spirit and guidance of the minister breaks that legal right

Things we look to break

Promises

first loves

word curses

things spoken over you

pledges

vows of…

pinky promises

innocent but binding

THINK BEFORE YOU THOUGHTLESSLY enter these types of covenants

What do I do?

Renounce the utterance covenant agreement

Revoke the legal rights

Confess in the power of the cross

There is one thing as a minister I cannot do… if someone does not want to be set free I cannot bring them into their liberation

Restrained by Religiosity

Matthew 23:1–4 ESV

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.

legalism; pragmatism force a way of living presenting it as Godly and lay heavy burdens on the people

They prevent the person from being able to look up to the cross… they wont lift a finger for them

When being liberated they cannot accept it because what religiosity tells them not to accept it

Be patient with these as they arrive… liberation to these is brought to them in the washing in the word… get out of the extremes

We cannot lay additional burdens on His people “…let my people go so they can worship God and He can be their God…and they can be His people”

Minister

Break the restraints… break the things that are preventing you from serving God in the fullest

Desire your liberation from all forms of restraints

Maybe today there are vows the need to be broken… maybe you still have religiosity

Renounce the utterance covenant agreement

Revoke the legal rights

Confess in the power of the cross

Stop giving the enemy a legal right to harass you…

do not collapse under the weight of the one who is trying to find your weakness…

According to Rom 8:31-39 who can condemn you… for you have been Justified by Christ and in HIs suffering we have been made not just conquerors but much more then conquerors

“…let my people go so they can worship God and He can be their God…and they can be His people”