THEME: CAPTIVES OF THE MIGHTY.
Memorise:
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. John 8:36
Read: John 5:1-9
5:1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
5:2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
5:3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
5:4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
5:5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
5:6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
5:7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
5:8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
5:9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
Message:
The reason why many people are so helpless in life today is because they are in captivity. Many are in bondage of sin, sickness, poverty, addiction, demonic posseession and other evil conditions. The resultant effects of captivity include loss of freedom, psychological imbalance, emotional trauma, loss of contact with loved ones, hopelessness and dejection.
A captive is a person with lost identity. Such a person may have been royalty before being captured by the enemy, but he or she has become a slave and must now live at the mercy of his or her new owner. A captive loses dignity and suffers from low self-esteem and emotional trauma from thinking about the situation that led to his or her captivity.
A captive is in a worse situation than an ordinary prisoner because a prisoner’s jail term is fixed, but a captive has no hope of being set free. Above all, the situation of a captive is hopelessly filled with regret. The big question is, can a captive find true freedom? The Holy Spirit answers this question in Isaiah 49:24-25:
“Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? 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.”
Hallelujah! A captive can indeed be set free. Jesus in Luke 4:18 declared that He came to set the captives free:
“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,”
I bring you good news today: no matter how difficult your experience in captivity has been, and no matter how heavy the chain of affliction is, JESUS is here to set you free! Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah, Redeemer and Deliverer, sent to set everyone who will accept Him as the Lord and Saviour of their lives free from the bondage of Satan, the world and the flesh. What is your problem? Are you operating under the powerful grip of a secret sin, sexual immorality, secret society, a blood covenant or any form of addiction? Jesus, in John 8:36, has these words for you:
“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
Jesus came to set the captive free; call on His Name for your deliverance now!
Prayer Point:
Lord Jesus, please manifest your power to set me free from every form of captivity I am experiencing today.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Kings 10-11
Ezekiel 23:35-49
HYMN 4: THROUGH THE LOVE OF GOD OUR SAVIOUR
1. Through the love of God, our Saviour,
All will be well;
Free and changeless is His favour,
All will be well;
Precious is the blood that healed us,
Perfect is the grace that sealed us,
Strong the hand stretched out to shield us,
All will be well.
2. Though we pass through tribulation,
All will be well;
Ours is such a full salvation,
All will be well.
Happy when in God confiding,
Fruitful if in Christ abiding,
Holy through the Spirit's guiding,
All will be well.
3. We expect a bright tomorrow;
All will be well;
Faith can sing through days of sorrow,
All will be well;
On our Father's love relying,
Jesus every need supplying
In our living, in our dying,
All will be well.
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