Scripture:

1 John 5:19　We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the evil one.

I. Men are captives of the evil one:

  1. Once men followed the evil one to commit sin, they became captives of the evil one.
  2. As soon as a man is born, he is in the position of a captive.

II. Men are in the power of the devil:

  1. To say that man became the devil’s captive means that man fell into the power of the devil.
  2. To be in the power of the devil is to be dominated by him.

III. Men are lying in the hands of the evil one:

  1. Men are not only dominated by the devil, but they are also manipulated by him.
  2. To be dominated means that one is refused his freedom; even worse, to be manipulated means one is led to act unwittingly, with no consciousness of being manipulated.
  3. To dominate is to deny one the freedom to do anything; to manipulate is to make one do something without the realization of what he is doing. A man lying in the hands of the devil is like a patient on the operating table who, having been anesthetized, allows the doctor to operate freely.
  4. Give examples to show how man is in the devil’s hand, committing sin without consciousness and without self-control

IV. How to escape from the hands of the devil:

  1. Confess that you are in the hands of the devil.
  2. Believe in Jesus as your Savior because He has destroyed the devil and nullified the works of the devil.