No more in chains

When you get delivered, you are turned from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to the power of God. 

"What I want you to see is that issue of the power of darkness," says Jordan. "In Genesis 15 is a great illustration. When God chose Abraham all the nations of earth had been let go to walk in their ignorance. God said in His promise to Abraham in Genesis 12, 'I'm going to demonstrate to the world what it would be like if they had me as their God.'

"God makes that promise into a covenant in Genesis 15. God swore with an oath so there was no question.

"My dad's oldest brother, in the early 1900s, in East Brewton, Ala., used his church letter from the East Brewton Methodist Church, as collateral at the bank to borrow money to start a business. In that era, your church letter meant something. Being a member of the Methodist church meant something about your integrity and who you were. Nowadays we don't want to shake a guy's hand; we want a contract.

"God said, 'I'm going to enter into a legal, binding agreement.' A covenant was always made with the shedding of blood: 'I'm giving the oath of my life.'

Genesis 15:12: [12] And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.

"Literally what God did was put Abraham in a position of experiencing what it's like to be a part of the Gentile nations, who were held captive by Satan. 'I'm going to take you out of that,' and it was out of that horror of great darkness that Abraham's seed was to emerge.

"It's a description used to tell what it's like to be held captive by the Adversary. It's this horror, this tremendous captivity that people are in. Now, they're oblivious to the meaning of it. Why? Because they're in darkness; they don't see.

"By the way, Israel is in bondage to Satan in Egypt. You remember when God brought them out He gave 10 plagues. Moses was told, 'I'm judging the gods of Egypt.' God could have told Moses, 'Just go down and tell Pharaoh, let my people go and bring them on out.' They could have been out in Exodus 5. He said, 'I'm going to bring them out, Mo, but I've got a couple of things I want to do first. I'm going to judge these gods.' Whap, whap, whap, whap, whap, whap, whap, whap, whap, whap. 

"Job was in captivity. That's why he was suffering. People say, 'Job is about why do the righteous suffer,' but you don't pay any attention to the answer. Job suffered until God came and liberated and turned his captivity (Job 42).

"Isaiah 49:24. Here's the big question of the Adversary. Satan holds the creation in the horror of great darkness, alienated from the life of God, from the light of God.

"Satan literally lines them up as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour and he says, '[24] Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?'

"The chapter ends, [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.

"Go to Jeremiah 31 and you see he literally holds them in his hand. Verse 11 says, [11] For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.

"Jesus said if you're going to deliver the guy held captive, you've got to bind the strong man and take his stuff. So Jesus says, 'I'm the mighty one; I can do it.'

"But then Satan says, 'What about the lawful captive? The contract said if you don't keep my commandments I curse you and I can't use you.'

"God's given His Word to the contract so Satan says, 'I got you. Your Word says--your covenant says--they're mine.'

"Colossians 2 says, [14] Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; [15] And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

"He said, 'Okay, I'll come and I'll fulfill all the requirements of that contract, I'll pay for it, I'll put it out of the way, I'll satisfy it and then I'll make a new one.' He took that law and nailed it to His cross. He went in and took the prey from the mighty. He made a shew of them openly, triumphing in the Cross. 

"I Corinthians 2: [6] Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

[7] But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
[8] Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

"It was on that Cross that He spoiled principalities and powers. It was on that Cross that He nailed the law to do away with it. That's what Calvary, the resurrection, the ascension is all about. It's about setting the captive free.

"But if you don't understand the captivity, you can't really have the appreciation you ought to have for the liberty. I read that and I say, 'Woo, woo, woo, that's enough to make a grace Believer shout!' It's a wonderful thing to be free. 

"Every time we sing the song Glorious Freedom, I wonder how many of us are telling the truth:

Once I was bound by sin’s galling fetters, Chained like a slave I struggled in vain; But I received a glorious freedom, When Jesus broke my fetters in twain.
	Glorious freedom, wonderful freedom, No more in chains of sin I repine! Jesus the glorious Emancipator,   Now and forever He shall be mine.
2	Freedom from all the carnal affections, Freedom from envy, hatred and strife; Freedom from vain and worldly ambitions. Freedom from all that saddened my life.
3	Freedom from pride and all sinful follies, Freedom from love and glitter of gold; Freedom from evil temper and anger, Glorious freedom, rapture untold.
4	Freedom from fear with all of its torments, Freedom from care with all of its pain; Freedom in Christ my blessed Redeemer, He who has rent my fetters in twain.