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Sermon #5370

Deliverance to the Captives

A Sermon on Deliverance from Luke 4:17-19

Originally preached Jan. 29, 1956

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Scripture

Luke 4:17-19 ESV KJV
And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty …

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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

  1. Sin leads to slavery and captivity. People do not realize they are in bondage and captivity.
  2. There is a general captivity to the devil himself. All people are born under the dominion of Satan.
  3. The devil blinds people to the truth and holds them captive.
  4. People are in bondage to the world and its ways. They do what society and popular culture tell them to do.
  5. People are in bondage to particular sins like lusts of the flesh and mind. They are controlled by their instincts and evil thoughts.
  6. People are in bondage to habits that are hard to break.
  7. People are in bondage to fears like fear of conscience, fear of the future, and fear of death.
  8. Only Jesus Christ can deliver people from captivity and set them free. He defeated the devil through His life, death, and resurrection.
  9. To be set free, people must be delivered from Satan's dominion and brought into God's kingdom.
  10. Jesus delivers people from the guilt and condemnation of sin by taking away their sins.
  11. 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.
  12. Knowing Jesus is near gives people courage against the devil's attacks. Jesus will always hear and help those who call on Him.
  13. People must cry out to Jesus, admit they cannot save themselves, and ask Him to deliver them and set them free.

Sermon Q&A

What is the Primary Message of Jesus Christ According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon on Luke 4:17-19, Jesus Christ's primary message is that He has come to deal with sin and its effects on humanity. In the sermon, Lloyd-Jones explains that Jesus, in the synagogue at Nazareth, was declaring that He is the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy about the Messiah who would "preach the gospel to the poor," "heal the brokenhearted," "preach deliverance to the captives," "recovering of sight to the blind," and "set at liberty them that are bruised."

Why Does Dr. Lloyd-Jones Say Sin is Like Captivity?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes sin as a form of captivity or slavery because it puts people in bondage. He explains this bondage takes multiple forms:

  1. A general captivity to the devil himself - "According to this doctrine, we are all born into this world under the dominion of Satan, under the bondage and the tyranny of the devil."

  2. Bondage to the world and its ways - "We all in times passed, says Paul, to those Ephesians walked according to the course of this world."

  3. Bondage to particular sins - "Lusts of the flesh and of the mind."

  4. Slavery to habits - "Is there anything more difficult than breaking a habit? Oh, how it holds us and binds us."

  5. Bondage to fears - Including fear of conscience, fear of the future, and fear of death.

How Does Jesus Deliver People From Captivity According to Lloyd-Jones?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones outlines Jesus' work of deliverance in several ways:

  1. By defeating the devil directly - "He did it first and foremost by meeting the Devil himself and defeating him and routing him."

  2. Through His death on the cross - "In his death upon the cross he was putting principalities and powers to an open shame, triumphing over them by it."

  3. By removing the barrier of sin - "The barrier between me and entry into the kingdom of God is my sin. But Christ has taken it away."

  4. By giving believers a new nature - "He not only delivers me from the guilt and the condemnation of sin, he delivers me from the power of sin... by giving me a new nature."

  5. Through the Holy Spirit's work - "For the moment you believe in Christ, he puts His Holy Spirit in you, and he unconsciously is at work within you."

Why Does Lloyd-Jones Say Many People Reject Christ's Message?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, people reject Christ's message of deliverance because they don't recognize they are captives. He references how in Jesus' time, when He offered freedom, people responded: "We have never been in bondage to any men."

Lloyd-Jones states: "It's because men and women don't know what sin is. It's because they don't accept this fundamental biblical teaching about man in sin, the Fall, the entry of sin and evil."

People outside Christianity believe "they're enjoying the freedom of the world, life, seeing life, living life, having a good time. They've shaken off the shackles of religion and they're absolutely free."

What Evidence Does Lloyd-Jones Give That Satan Has Power in the World?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones offers several pieces of evidence that Satan has power in this world:

  1. Biblical teaching - He cites Jesus' parable of the "strong man armed" who keeps his goods in peace (Luke 11).

  2. The unexplained evil in the world - "Are you satisfied with your explanations of the state of the world today? Do you really believe it can all be accounted for adequately in terms of politics or economics or social conditions?"

  3. Unwanted thoughts - "Haven't you found it? The first thing you wake up in the morning, a thought comes wherefrom you didn't think it... What Paul calls the fiery darts of the wicked one."

  4. Physical afflictions - He references Jesus healing a woman "whom Satan had bound for 18 years."

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.