Series: Isaiah
Title: Lawful Captives Delivered
Text: Isaiah 49: 24-26
Date: January 20, 2013
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Isaiah 49: 24: Shall the prey be taken from
the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? 25: But thus saith the LORD, Even
the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible
shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and
I will save thy children. 26: And I will feed them that oppress thee with their
own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine:
and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy
Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.
Literally,
historically, the mighty king of Babylon with his mighty and terrible forces had
taken God’s Israel captive. The king of
Babylon was the mighty, the terrible. Israel
and Judah were the prey. Israel had sinned
against God therefore God allowed Babylon to take them. So the children of
Israel were “lawful captives.”
But the
LORD God, as he promised in the word he delivered by Isaiah, sent a deliverer from
a far country. Cyrus broke the yoke of
Babylon from off Israel, he carried Israel the whole way across the desert, and
he delivered them into their own land in Zion. God promised it. God did it.
Proposition: All of that was an historical picture to show us what
God has, and is, doing for his spiritual Israel in sending his Son, Christ Jesus
to set his people free, to carry us through this world, and to deliver us into
heavens Zion.
Title:
Lawful Captives Delivered
Divisions:
1): The prey and the mighty; 2): The Deliverer and the Deliverance; 3) The End
I. THE PREY AND THE MIGHTY--Isaiah 49: 24:
Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?
Illustrate: The squirrel and the hawk in our front yard. The squirrel was the prey. The hawk was the mighty.
The
mighy, the terrible is Satan, the Devil, along with all the powers of evil of
spiritual Babylon, falsehood and wickedness. His names convey his power: the
strong man armed, a roaring lion, the great red dragon, leviathan, the piercing
serpent.
The
prey are those God shall save by his grace—his elect. Christ’s people, like all mankind, fell
“prey” to Satan in the garden.
Shall the “lawful captive be delivered?”
Satan
is a crafty foe. Had he gone into the garden and seized Adam by mere power, we
would be his unlawful captives. But, if
Adam transgressed the law of God then Adam, and all mankind, would be Satan’s
lawful captives.
So Satan used the woman.
He beguiled, tricked, Eve. He did
as Satan’s preachers do. He crafted the word of God. He told Eve that God meant something other
than what God said.
Genesis
3: 4: And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not
surely die: 5: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes
shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
So Eve gave to Adam and with his 0eyes wide open, Adam
did eat, sin entered in and death by sin and death passed upon all men for all
have sinned. And we are doubly
bound—because not only did we break the law in Adam, but God’s elect are born
into this earth bound under Satan’s power in our sin-nature, altogether
disobedience to God.
Ephesians 2: 2: Wherein in time past ye walked according
to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the
spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.
So this
is why Satan is said to have the “power of death.” It is not because he can kill and destroy men
when he will, but because he was the first introducer of sin, which brought
death, so he was a murderer from the beginning. His power is sin and
death. He temps men to sin, accuses them
and terrifies them with a fear of death.
So here
is the question of questions, “Shall the lawful captive be delivered?” The chains of the lawful captive are as
strong as the sanctions of the law he has violated. How strong is the law of God? How demanding is the holy justice of God?
Christ said,
Matthew
5:18: For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one
tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
The LORD told Moses, “I will by no means
clear the guilty.” (Ex 34: 7) “The wages of sin is death.” (Rom 6: 23) “The
soul that sinneth, it shall die.” (Eze 18: 4)
Every sinner shall die. Every
sinner shall die—either in a Substitute or in their sins. But every sinner shall die. The holy justice
of God demands it.
Application: Now, here is the question for you personally, are you a
sinner? There may be some here who think that I talk about sin too much. But do you notice that every passage of
scripture in the word of God begins by addressing this problem of sin? Whether you know it or not, whether you admit
it or not, you are a sinner?
Romans 3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God;
The
reason the scriptures keep dealing with this sin issue is because our life is a
vapor and in the blink of an eye you will be standing before holy God. And you who are unconverted are dead in
trespasses and in sins. You are under the curse, hanging over the pit of hell
by a thread. I can’t express to you how
bad your condition is right there where you sit. You are in the grip of the prince of
darkness, his lawful captive because you have broken the law of God. And you don’t even have a will to want to be
delivered! There is nothing you can do to free yourself. A guilty criminal cannot justify
himself. You can’t walk an aisle to freedom. We can’t be baptized into freedom. We can’t work yourself into freedom. You have to die!
So because it is the very holy law of God which fastens
our shackles tight, because the justice of death must be carried out upon the
convicted, then this becomes the question of all questions, "Shall the
lawful captive be delivered?" How can God be just and yet set the captive
free in mercy?
II. THE DELIVERER AND THE DELIVERANCE
Isaiah 49: 25: But thus saith the LORD, Even
the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible
shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and
I will save thy children.
The Deliverer is Christ Jesus
Shall
the prey be taken from the mighty, shall the lawful captive be delivered? The answer is yes—“But thus saith the LORD,
Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the
terrible shall be delivered.” By whom?—“for
I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy
children.” THE LORD God, Christ the Savior, Christ the Redeemer, the Holy One
Himself has pledged himself to deliver the elect of God—“I will save thy
children.” That is what God the Son
promised God the Father in the everlasting covenant of grace when he struck
hands to become our Surety.
Illustration: Like Judah promised Israel his father concerning
Benjamin. Genesis 49: 9: I will be
surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto
thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever:
Then in
the garden, God promised Satan that Christ would contend with him.
Genesis
3: 15: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed
and her Seed [Christ]; it [Christ the woman’s Seed] shall bruise thy head, and
thou shalt bruise his heel.
Here he promises us, he will contend with him that
contends with us. Christ came to destroy
the works of the devil and deliver his children.
1 John
3:8: He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the
beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might
destroy the works of the devil.
Proven Spotless
Up
until the cross, Satan attempted repeatedly to contend with our Savior but
failed. Satan tried to prevent his coming into the earth by destroying the
children of Israel over and again—but Christ prevented him. Satan tried to destroy Christ as soon as he
was born into the world, using Herod.
Revelation 12: 4:…the dragon stood before the woman which
was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
But the
Lord was in control. He was taken to
Egypt and so fulfilled his own scripture.
Matthew 2: 15: And was there until the death of Herod:
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
Out of Egypt have I called my son.
The
word contend means “sue, charge, accuse.” Satan is the “accuser of the brethren.” Satan tried many times to find something to
accuse Christ of. In fact, God used his attempts to show us just how pure and
spotless the Holy One is. After our
Lord’s baptism, in the wilderness Satan tried to get something with which to
accuse our Savior but Christ overcame him. (Matt. 4:1-11) Then again Satan tried in the Garden of
Gethsemane but Christ overcame him.
John 14: 30: Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for
the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
The
death of Christ was not owing to any sin of his own, he had none. His death was not due to any power of the
devil over him—Christ submitted to death, in love to his Father, and obedience
to his command. But after proving
himself the just one, the holy one, the spotless lamb of God, THEN IT WAS CHRIST
WHO CONTENDED WITH SATAN.
How
does Christ accomplish this deliverance of his people? In a three fold way:
redemption, regeneration and resurrection.
The Deliverance by Redemption
First, Christ delivers by redeeming his people through
his death.
Hebrews
2:14: Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also
himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him
that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15: And deliver them who
through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
It was by his death, being lifted up on the cross that
the world was judged, Satan’s head was crushed, and all his elect were
redeemed.
John
12:31: Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be
cast out.
32: And I, if I be lifted up from the earth,
will draw all men unto me. 33: This he said, signifying what death he should die.
So
Christ willingly gave himself to be crucified. When they came to arrest him, he
said,
Luke 22:53: When I was daily with you in the temple, ye
stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of
darkness.
On the
cross, God held back the glory of his power and allowed Satan and all his
principalities and powers to let loose upon Christ. Every poisoned arrow, every fiery dart that
could be hurled at him, Christ endured. He bore the sins of his people, the
penalty of justice and all the fiery darts of the wicked. Yet Christ remained faithful through it all.
And by laying
down his life Christ spoiled principalities and powers, and him that had the
power of death—he took away all Satan’s ammunition. Our scapegoat took away the sins of his
people when he was cut off. Our sin-offering justified his people of all our
sins when he died. Our High Priest entered into the presence of God with his
own blood and God is eternally satisfied with his people.
As the result of our Savior's obedience, death,
resurrection, and ascension as our Substitute, the serpent's head was crushed.
His power was broken. His usurped dominion over the nations of the world was
overthrown.
Revelation
12:9: And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil,
and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and
his angels were cast out with him.
Jeremiah 31: 10: Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations,
and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will
gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. 11: For the LORD hath
redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than
he.
Deliverance by Regeneration
Secondly,
our deliverance is accomplished by regeneration.
Application: How is it that some can hear this gospel and are yet be
unmoved? Why do I not preach
philosophy? Why do I not teach you
little moral stories and try to convince you to turn over a new leaf? It is because though Christ has redeemed his people,
until quickened by the Holy Spirit, they are yet under an evil spirit—“the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience:”
The demon-possessed
man of Gadara in Mark 5: 2-4 had an unclean spirit. He dwelt among the tombs—among the dead. No
man could bind him—he broke every chain.
No man could tame him. That is
the problem with a man in his sins. For
you and I to be made a “new creature in Christ Jesus” there has to be as great
a miracle performed as if we were killed, buried, and raised again to newness
of life. God must create us a second
time.
I
preach Christ and him crucified because Christ alone do it. He can enter in and cast out the strong
man.
Luke 11: 21: When a strong man armed keepeth his palace,
his goods are in peace: 22 But when a
stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all
his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.
Christ
alone is stronger than he. He said, "I,
if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me." In regeneration the Spirit of God creates
life and delivers his child from the power of sin and Satan, through the blood
of Christ and draw them to himself. And
he shall draw all for whom he died to himself.
Application:
When Christ finished with that demoniac, “sitting at the feet of Jesus,
clothed, and in his right mind.” Sinner,
you’re not bowing at Christ’s feet. You’re not clothed in his righteousness. And
you’re not in your right mind. I do pray
this morning that Christ would give you a believing heart! For those who are born, praise our heavenly
Father,
Colossians 1:13: Who hath delivered us from the power of
darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Deliverance by Resurrection
Thirdly,
this deliverance shall be by resurrection.
1
Corinthians 15: 52; In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:
for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we
shall be changed. 53: For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this
mortal must put on immortality. 54: So when this corruptible shall have put on
incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be
brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55:
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56: The sting of
death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57: But thanks be to God,
which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now
this deliverance is all by God. We could
not die, we could not re-birth ourselves anymore than we could the first time
and we cannot resurrect ourselves.
Salvation is of the Lord.
IV. THEN COMES THE END
Isaiah 49: 26: And I will feed them that
oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own
blood, as with sweet wine:…(Rev 12: 5)
The Lord Uses the World to Protect His People
Though
Satan is defeated, though he cannot separate God’s people from Christ or hinder
the cause of Christ in this earth, he yet rages like a dog on a chain against
the Lord’s people, his church.
Revelation 12: 15: And the serpent cast out of his mouth
water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of
the flood. 16: And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth,
and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
As
Satan spews out floods of heresy trying to carry away God's church with the
flood, the reprobate of the world swallow up the flood so the Lord’s church is
protected (1 Cor. 11:19; Matt. 16:18)—the Lord says, “I will feed them that
oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own
blood, as with sweet wine:”
Everything
in this world is according to God’s providence.
And nothing will separate his people from him. (Hosea. 2:18; Rom. 8:28).
Isaiah 54: 17 No
weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall
rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the
servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
In the End
In the
end, the Lord will justly leave all our oppressors to bite and devour
themselves.
Revelation 16:6: For they have shed the blood of saints
and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
In that
day, the Lord assures you and I believer that everyone shall know this—“and all
flesh shall know that I the LORD am…THY Saviour and THY Redeemer, THE Mighty
One, of Jacob.”
Amen!