“Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself.” Hebrews 13:3
Last night I had the opportunity to witness arousing worship unto the Lord. The singing was deeply spiritual. The prayers were more heartfelt than any I have heard. The preaching of the gospel powerfully impacted four in the audience to surrender their lives to King Jesus. The fellowship was tight. Tears streaked my face, as well as the preacher’s and many listeners.
And it all happened behind prison walls.
It made me wonder,why is prison worship so good? I know why. Because those brothers have accepted the reality that they deserve death for their crimes and their sins. They know that they deserve the punishment. They know that any favor they are shown is something called grace.
How about you? Do you know that you deserve death for your crimes? Those inmates have broken the laws of man-made government. You have broken the laws of a holy God (Rom. 3:23).
They have been sentenced to life in prison. You have been sentenced to death. “For the wages of sin is death…” (Rom. 6:23).
They bask in the truth that they wake up everyday and receive the free gift of salvation. You have also been given the same gift of freedom. You have been offered a pardon for your crimes. “…but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).
But the choice is yours to accept the pardon or pay the price of your guilt with your own blood. As I have heard behind those walls before, “I recommend Jesus.”
Christ died for us when we were unable to help ourselves. We were living against God, but at just the right time Christ died for us. Very few people will die to save the life of someone else, even if it is for a good person. Someone might be willing to die for an especially good person. But Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and by this God showed how much he loves us.
We have been made right with God by the blood sacrifice of Christ. So through Christ we will surely be saved from God’s anger. I mean that while we were God’s enemies, he made friends with us through his Son’s death. And the fact that we are now God’s friends makes it even more certain that he will save us through his Son’s life. Rom. 5:6-10
