Luke 4:17 And 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,
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
It is of critical importance for all to understand what Christ has accomplished for us on Calvary, because the results of His life and death cannot be measured or duplicated by any other mortal. Jesus is the only solution to the human conundrum and even though He often uses human agencies to accomplish good, His work can’t be duplicated or replaced in any way.
Jesus is not to be viewed as one solution amongst many, because those who give their lives entirely to Him are enabled to operate and live their lives on an entirely different plane of existence, than persons who may choose the ways and means provided by man.
This sacred truth must now be made crystal clear, for there are some counterfeits to Christ’s salvation, which have imperceptibly infiltrated the minds of many persons and which must now be seen in stark contrast to what God has done for the human family through Christ, on Calvary.
For instance, whenever the Scripture speaks about deliverance, it is not merely deliverance from this or that bad habit which is being referred to. In context of deliverance, the Bible refers primarily to rescuing us from a specific person, not only from particular bad habits.
Living victoriously over the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is also included in the salvation which Christ offers, but His deliverance refers primarily to setting individuals free from the stranglehold of a particular person.
Bad habits can be corrected without God, but for a person to be set free from captivity, requires Divine intervention, and it is only God Who can do this for us. This sacred truth is enshrined in the following passages, and we must now grasp the full meaning of what is being said. Let’s read:
John 8: 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
1st John 3: 8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remains in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
1st John 5: 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.
John 1:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2 But he that enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the porter opens; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
4 And when he puts forth his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
30 I and my Father are one.
When taken together, these passages of scripture paint an entirely different picture of the deliverance that God offers, than that which is offered by the world, because in Christ, deliverance comes with an absolute certainty, it comes with permanence, and it is guaranteed with certain expected results. That’s because it involves setting us free from a person, not only from bad habits.
After Adam and Eve sinned, satan then became the de facto leader of the human race, and he did put a stranglehold on the entire human family. Thus, God would have us understand, that satan only buckles under pressure that is exerted by Christ.
It is true that God offered to humanity the freedom from this tyrannical leader, but emancipation is only accessed through Christ alone. Let’s read:
Acts 4:7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
It is true that Christ’s death on Calvary forever put the devil into reverse gear, yet the raw facts on the ground certainly make it manifest that many people are still in bondage.
Thus, the question is: How can this be? How could billions of individuals still be in bondage, when Jesus has already come and done what was necessary to set the captives free? This question begs of another: Is it possible for a decent law abiding citizen of earth who is well behaved, well educated, and has great credit, to be still in captivity to man’s nemesis?
As a general rule, when Jesus speaks of deliverance He is referring to breaking the yoke of sin, by which humanity has been bound to satan, referred to as the person, later on in our study. This is the reason why the breaking off of many bad habits, in and of itself, does not necessarily constitute the Scriptural deliverance Christ speaks of.
If a person has a bad gambling habit, and is stressed out because of financial mayhem, that person could call 888-admit it and the resources and help needed will be given to such a person and he/ she can, and in many instances, do recover from the thralldom of gambling. This could be accomplished without any intervention from God.
Smokers can buy nicotine patches, or persons could gradually phase out the habit through counselling, the use of Juul, or by sheer will power. In fact, some have been known to cut the habit “Cold- turkey” as it were, and some never suffered recidivism. Yet, if that person does not experience God’s salvation, he or she is still in captivity, according to the scripture.
Again, if a person has been struggling with alcohol abuse for many years that person can call Alcoholics Anonymous, and they would receive the help, and resources to kick the habit. Folks do not necessarily need God to do that.
The same goes for drug and substance abuse, for there are many resources available locally, and at the federal level to help persons overcome, and it is a fact that many persons have benefitted positively by such ongoing efforts.
There are persons who were once drug addicts, who got their act together by zipping up their boots, and grabbing the bull by the horns, and by appropriating the resources and help available, many have kicked the bad habit and have gone on to get their degrees and now have excellent credit scores, and they lead honorable lives.
This is all well and good, and the results are worthy of commendation, but this is not the deliverance God is referencing, when He speaks of setting the captives free. Unless a person is set free from the “person” it is not real deliverance, for many are still in bondage even though they might have a stunning array of good habits to show.
To put it plainly, good habits, in and of themselves are not necessarily indicative of freedom from the bondage the Bible speaks of. For instance, the rich young ruler did not manifest any bad habits, as far as we know. He was an honorable member of the society he lived in and he was well respected by all.
Yet, as he himself confessed, there was something gravely lacking, some unknown void in his life which he struggled with, and which he could not explain. He is shown in the scriptures to be in bondage to a person, yet retaining good habits.
There are certain things in the spiritual realm that some persons may not be aware of, and which must now be made plain so that we all might understand what, and who we are dealing with.
[1] When an individual is in captivity to devils, in the overwhelming majority of instances, the captive is permitted to keep most of his or her intellect intact. This is a collateral blessing of what Christ has done for the human family, for Jesus says to devils: “Thus far and no further”, to some extent.
Herod was permitted to live long after his probation was closed, and although he was fully possessed by man’s nemesis he was allowed by satan to retain his intellect, for those who are thus permitted could do much more damage than individuals who might be frothing at the mouth, and uttering unintelligible things. Let’s read:
Acts 12: 21 And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.
22 And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.
[2] The retention of our sanity is a direct byproduct of Christ’s victory on Calvary, and it should never be taken for granted. The ability to reason intelligently and rationally, is only possible because of what God has done through Christ, and what He continues to do. You remove God’s restraining power, and there comes a tsunami of mad people, completely off of their rockers. Let’s read:
2nd Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
[The Great Controversy pp 517] The power and malice of Satan and his host might justly alarm us, were it not that we may find shelter and deliverance in the superior power of our Redeemer. If permitted they can distract our minds, disorder, torment our bodies, destroy our possessions, and our lives. Their only delight is in misery and destruction.
[3] The restraining power of God alone, is the only reason why humanity has not yet been plunged into irretrievable ruin, because it is the God factor in the human equation which keeps the wheels of sanity turning. Let’s read:
Lamentation 3: 21 This I recall to my mind therefore have I hope.
22 It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Proverbs 21: 31 The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord.
Psalms 33: 16 There is no king that is saved by the multitude of a host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
17 A horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.
Psalms 146: 3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
[The Great Controversy pp 517] We carefully secure our houses with bolts and locks to protect our property and our lives from evil men; but we seldom think of the evil angels who are constantly seeking access to us, and against whose attacks we have, in our own strength, no method of defense.
[4] If the God factor were to be removed tomorrow, all who have not experienced a Biblical deliverance will suddenly manifest very strange behaviors, and the winds of strife spoken of in Revelation will then be let loose.
Revelation 7:1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
Therefore, when Jesus speaks of setting the captives free, He is referring primarily to emancipating folks from the shackles of man’s nemesis. Good habits or behaviors will naturally follow after God delivers us, if Christ is sitting on the throne of the heart, but first and foremost God has to get the person in question, out of the way.
Now, if God’s salvation was only about having good habits, persons may very well claim victory on their own, but if, as the scriptures teach us, “Setting the captives free” has to do with being freed from the stranglehold of a particular person, then it raises the question of who is the scripture really referring to. There is one, and only one person who fits the bill.
In order to bring the gravity of the situation to the forefront of our minds, Christ explained what takes place in the battle for our souls. A fearful warfare ensues, and the use of force has to be exercised in order for us to be set free, for as we have stated on many occasions previously, devils never voluntarily leave a person. Let’s read:
Matthew 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.
The word “When” refers to an inevitable condition of the human heart, by which a person’s mind is to a lesser or greater extent, naturally under the domain of one or more devils, and unless Christ serves them an eviction notice, that person remains under their jurisdiction, for all intents and purposes. That’s why the word “When” is used instead of “If”.
If it was just a mere possibility Jesus was referring to He would have used the word “If”, and therefore, it would go something like this: “If the unclean spirit goes out of a man”. The Weather channel does not speak of Hurricane season as an “If”. It says “When” hurricane season begins, for what is being referred to is an inevitable fact of life.
You ask any Floridian in their right mind if hurricane season is a mere possibility, or whether, come June 1st, or even before, you could expect strong winds, and heavy rain. Down here in the Sunshine state it is sun in the morning, with afternoon thunderstorms. It’s not an “If” it’s a “When”.
Thus, when Jesus opens with the word “When” He is referring folks to a grave condition of the human heart, by which it is dominated by an unseen person who will never leave on his own. It does not matter how many good habits and talents folks might have cultivated, and it does not matter if one has a good credit score, is well educated, or has lots of cash.
Unless Jesus sets the captives free, by evicting that unseen person in question, the human agent is in bondage, and remains in that condition until he or she is delivered from devils. Satan is busy at work in the hearts of drug addicts and prostitutes, but he is also at work in the hearts of many well-educated persons.
This is certainly an inconvenient truth which most of us would prefer not to hear, but it is just the facts in the matter. In other words, an invisible “someone” is always sitting on the throne of the heart, and it is up to us to choose who that someone will be. Let’s read:
Matthew 12: 43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.
44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he finds it empty, swept, and garnished.
45 Then he goes, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
Case in point was the rich young ruler, who felt an unknown emptiness in his soul, who came to Jesus asking about his condition, but after Jesus told him what needed to be done, he went away sorrowful, and was never ever set free from his captor.
After he turned away from the only Person who can help in such situations he was then permitted by his captor to retain his intellect, his good habits, and his good standing among men. He did not start to curse and misbehave himself, as some other persons who may manifest visible signs of demon possession.
Instead, if you were to visit the rich young ruler’s home you would most likely find it to be neat and tidy, and he would continue to pursue his higher education, racking up excellent grades, going on to get his Doctorate, and if persons were to read the dissertation he wrote for his P.H.D, it would savor only of an incredibly intelligent mind with a high I.Q.
All the while he’s still entirely subjugated in bondage to this invisible person we’re speaking about, and he has not a clue as to his true condition. The freedom that the gospel offers through Christ alone, reaches much deeper than emancipation from bad habits or attitudes.
It’s not only the eviction process that puts the forces of darkness into reverse gear; if a person so chooses Jesus begins the creation of an entirely new heart and mind, that is inclined to God and righteousness. It is such persons Jesus refers to when He says “My sheep hear My voice, and they shall never perish”. Let’s read:
2nd Corinthians 5: 17 Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Hence the reason why Jesus makes it abundantly clear that persons in whom God’s emancipation has not yet taken place are not expected to obey God in the real Biblical sense. They may do good, they may be law abiding citizens of the country in which they dwell, but they are still in bondage to this “person”.
Even though, like the rich young ruler persons might attempt righteousness, and might actually succeed in doing so externally, the fact remains that they are still in captivity to the person in question and makes deliverance all the more necessary. Let’s read:
Romans 8: 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
The way that a person is set free from captivity is by using their God-given freedom of choice to ask for deliverance. God does not arbitrarily impose a new mind on anyone against their own will, and because of this, we will have to choose to avail ourselves of the freedom Christ offers, from the bondage to the person, that is indigenous in the human experience.
Prayer for deliverance is encouraged, and when this is done in sincerity, Jesus will always respond in the positive, for this is the essence of salvation, that of setting the captives free. Let’s read:
[Testimonies Vol. 1 pp 295] Satan leads many to believe that prayer to God is useless and but a form. He well knows how needful are meditation and prayer to keep Christ's followers aroused to resist his cunning and deception. Satan is enraged at the sound of fervent prayer, for he knows that he will suffer loss.
In our day, there are many advertised pathways to heaven, and various types of deliverance are on sale without the God factor. The phrase “Good without God” savors of human efforts to do, and to be good. But while this may go a long way in maintaining an equilibrium in our society, it does not address the root problem of personal captivity to invisible foes.
Therefore, it is a stark warning issued by God in His word, that none should be deceived as to the high stakes in the game of life, for inevitably, we will be under the control of one of two masters, and there are only two. Let’s read:
Matthew 6: 24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Matthew 23:10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
2nd Peter 2: 19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
[The Desire of Ages pp 324] When the soul surrenders itself to Christ, a new power takes possession of the new heart. A change is wrought which man can never accomplish for himself. It is a supernatural work, bringing a supernatural element into human nature.
But unless we do yield ourselves to the control of Christ, we shall be dominated by the wicked one. We must inevitably be under the control of the one or the other of the two great powers that are contending for the supremacy of the world.
If we do not co-operate with the heavenly agencies, Satan will take possession of the heart, and will make it his abiding place. The only defense against evil is the indwelling of Christ in the heart through faith in His righteousness.
We may leave off many bad habits, for the time we may part company with Satan; but without a vital connection with God, through the surrender of ourselves to Him moment by moment, we shall be overcome. Without a personal acquaintance with Christ, and a continual communion, we are at the mercy of the enemy, and shall do his bidding in the end.
Let us therefore avail ourselves of the freedom that only the indwelling Christ can offer, and wherever there may be a desire for a permanent change of heart, let everyone remember that we can always access God’s throne of grace to find help in time of need.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which should keep before our minds, the sacred truth of freedom that is found only in Christ. Let’s read:
John 8: 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
God Bless!