I. THE STATE OF FALLEN MAN IS ONE OF MISERY AND BONDAGE.
1. Misery because he is the prey of a mighty tyrant, the devil.
2. Bondage because he is the slave of a terrible master, death.
II. JESUS CAN SET US FREE, FOR HE HAS CONQUERED. Jesus has been the Great Emancipator of men. (T. Bates, M. A.)
“Shall the prey be taken from the mighty?”
I. WHO ARE “THE MIGHTY,” AND WHO ARE “THE PREY”? The immortal souls of men are the prey, and all the combined powers of darkness are” the mighty.”
II. HOW SHALL “THE PREY” BE TAKEN FROM “THE MIGHTY”? Nothing short of the almighty power of God is calculated to effect this great and important work. But God is almighty, and God is infinitely able and infinitely willing to rescue the helpless sons of men. Our Lord Jesus Christ is that great and glorious Being who gave, whilst here below, signal manifestations of His power to take “the prey” from “the mighty.”
III. A MOST DELIGHTFUL AND ENCOURAGING PROMISE. “I will contend with him who contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.” At all times, in every season of trial and difficulty. Let the enemies of God learn an important lesson: “Woe to him that striveth with his Maker!” He will save His Church under all the trials and temptations, the dangers and difficulties of human life. Are the immortal souls of men “the prey”? and are the powers of darkness “the mighty”? What does the ungodly man think of this? (T. Freeman.)
The adversary and his defeat
I. THE WEAPONS AND RESOURCES OF THE ENEMY.
1. Idolatry.
2. Imposture. Mohammedanism.
3. Papal superstition.
4. The despotic governments of the earth.
5. Crime in its varied forms.
6. A more liberal sort of religion which shall keep the opposition in countenance, and enable them to wield the name and institutions of Christianity against Christianity, sustained by such as live in pleasure, and will not bow the knee to Christ.
7. The corruption of the purity of revivals of religion.
8. The sword. Can such varied and mighty resistance to the truth be overcome? Can the earth be enlightened? Can the nations be disenthralled? Yes!
II. HOW SHALL EVENTS SO DESIRABLE BE ACCOMPLISHED?
1. By the judgments of heaven.
2. By the universal propagation of the Gospel.
3. By frequent and, at last, general revivals of religion.
4. By the special influence of the Holy Spirit.
5. By a new and unparalleled vigour of Christian enterprise. But what can be done? There must be in the Church of God--
(1) More faith.
(2) More intense love for Christ.
(3) More decided action.
(4) More courage.
(5) Efforts to increase the number and power of evangelical
Churches.
(6) Special effort to secure to the rising generation an education free from the influence of bad example, and more decidedly evangelical.
(7) The vigour of charitable effort must be greatly increased.
(8) The jealousies of Christians must yield.
(9) We must guard against the dangers peculiar to a state of religious prosperity.
Conclusion--Will any take side against the cause of Christ? It will be a fearful experiment! (Lyman Beecher, D. D.)
The prey taken from the mighty
Apply the text--
I. LITERALLY--to Israel’s release from Babylon.
II. SPIRITUALLY--to man’s redemption by Christ.
III. EXPERIMENTALLY--to the Christian's deliverance from sin.
IV. PROSPECTIVELY--to the blessed resurrection from the dead promised to the people of God. (S. Thodey.)
