Barry Newton recently reported how a woman “recounted how she had been walking along a fence line when she came upon a sheep hopelessly ensnared by barbed wire.  As she approached the pitiful creature and began assisting it, the ewe frantically thrashed, kicked and pulled in every direction.”

“The barbed wire held fast as she worked to release the snagged sheep.  Suddenly the violent movements of the sheep knocked her to the ground as the ewe lunged free to happily scamper off.”

“Watching that sheep joyfully run free, some thoughts entered her mind: ‘That sheep probably thinks it freed itself from the barbed wire.  In fact, it will probably still be skittish of me in the future.’”

Then Newton commented:  “As vivid as this story can be in our minds, what I found most insightful were her next thoughts.  WE can be just like that sheep!  At times we might think our strength resolved our problems in spite of God’s graciousness.  We too might scamper off ungrateful for what God has done.” *

Indeed, “we can be just like that sheep.”  As Isaiah the prophet stated: “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6a).  That way has led us to the “barbed-wire” bondage of sin and death (John 8:34; Romans 6:23), in which we are hopelessly trapped unless someone comes to our rescue.

But Isaiah also prophesied concerning God’s solution to our dilemma: “And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6b).  The “Him” is the Suffering Servant who would be the promised Messiah: Jesus, the Son of God.  This is what Jesus would do (and did!) to free us from the bondage of sin:  “Surely He has borne our grief and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.  But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5).

Jesus accomplished this when He died on the cross for our sins.  “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

In order to receive the benefits of Christ’s atoning sacrifice, we must place our faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38).  Then, as we continue to walk in the light of His Word, the blood of Jesus will continue to cleanse us from sin (1 John 1:7).

Newton observed, “I suspect that the more accurately we realize the horrific nature of all sin and the more we acknowledge our complete dependence on God to set us free, the more likely we are to love and to be prepared to fall down before him in worship.”  We won’t “scamper off ungrateful for what God has done.”  Instead, we’ll gladly follow Jesus, ever-so-thankful for the price that He paid to free us from sin!

Won’t YOU allow Jesus to free you from the bondage of sin by trusting and obeying Him?