Deliverance to the Captives
A Sermon on Deliverance from Luke 4:17-19
Originally preached Jan. 29, 1956
Scripture
17And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he …
Sermon Description
Why does the Bible tell that people are captives? This is an odd statement to many today, just as it was in the time of Jesus, but this truth is at the heart of the gospel. In this sermon on deliverance from Luke 4:17–19 titled “Deliverance to the Captives,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on the glorious truth that Jesus has come to save the captives from sin. God Himself came into the evil world to die upon the cross for the salvation of His enemies so that they might become His children. When God saves sinners, He not only frees them from sin, but also makes them new creatures with new desires for righteousness and the things of God. In His grace, God takes people out of their sin and makes them a new creation. The call for all who have believed in Jesus is to stand in faith and resist the devil, pursue godliness, and flee all sin. This sermon contains the most important message any can ever hear because it is the message of grace and salvation. It is the message of the good news of Christ.
Sermon Breakdown
- Sin leads to slavery and captivity. People do not realize they are in bondage and captivity.
- There is a general captivity to the devil himself. All people are born under the dominion of Satan.
- The devil blinds people to the truth and holds them captive.
- People are in bondage to the world and its ways. They do what society and popular culture tell them to do.
- People are in bondage to particular sins like lusts of the flesh and mind. They are controlled by their instincts and evil thoughts.
- People are in bondage to habits that are hard to break.
- People are in bondage to fears like fear of conscience, fear of the future, and fear of death.
- Only Jesus Christ can deliver people from captivity and set them free. He defeated the devil through His life, death, and resurrection.
- To be set free, people must be delivered from Satan's dominion and brought into God's kingdom.
- Jesus delivers people from the guilt and condemnation of sin by taking away their sins.
- Jesus delivers people from the power of sin by giving them a new nature with new desires and strength. The Holy Spirit works in them.
- Knowing Jesus is near gives people courage against the devil's attacks. Jesus will always hear and help those who call on Him.
- People must cry out to Jesus, admit they cannot save themselves, and ask Him to deliver them and set them free.
Other Sermons
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.