Deliver Us from Evil

Our theme for 2024 is “Possessing the Land”

We are in a summer series on The Lord’s Prayer.

We want to, not just speak the prayer, but let it speak to us.

So far we have talked about addressing God as our heavenly Father.

And also seeing God as He is, holy and transcendent.

We talked about how being part of the Kingdom of God means having an eternal perspective - the bigger picture of reality.

We talked about how our lives and our desires are shaped by God’s will and knowing Him.

We said that when God asks us to do something, He also provides what we need to do it.

We need to take a moment to understand an internalize God’s mercy toward us, and then extend that same mercy toward others.

There are two more lines to the prayer before the doxology closing which may or may not be included in some bibles.

Matthew 6:13 ESV

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

There are many different ways to read those two lines.

Matthew 6:13 NLT

13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

Matthew 6:13 NRSV

13 And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.

Matthew 6:13 CEV

13 Keep us from being tempted and protect us from evil.

Matthew 6:13 (MSG)

13 Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.

There are many nuances ways of reading these two lines.

To sum up these two lines, as I see them in the Greek, I would need to pray at least three lines:

“Don’t let us fail.”

“Don’t allow more suffering than you give us grace to handle.”

“Don’t give us over to our own destruction.”

These statements are all pleading for God’s help in turning the tide of our human existence.

Don’t let us fail.

The word for temptation here simply means testing.

The Bible Project leader Tim Mackee suggests the translation, “Don’t put us to the test”.

Jesus quoted Deuteronomy when he said

Matthew 4:7 ESV

7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

Why does the Bible say not to test God?

And why would we ask God not to test us?

Isn’t that God’s job, to test us?

One explanation is that testing or temptation in this context implies testing or tempting with the intent to cause someone to fail.

How many of you are the oldest or older siblings in your families? Did you ever make up a game with rules that gave you a distinct advantage over your younger siblings? Or if they are managing to win a game, you change the rules so that you can win? That is testing someone to fail. I was the youngest - I should know.

God doesn’t test us to fail - but He certainly could if He wanted to!

And when the Bible says not to test God it means not to provoke Him - don’t push it!

We are not asking God not to test us, we are asking Him not to set us us to fail.

“God, don’t give me a test that you know I will fail.”

Tests are inevitable.

James 1:2–4 ESV

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Tests are part of life - you can’t avoid them - and you shouldn’t!

James tells us to embrace the trials of life as an opportunity to grow in faith and in perseverance.

Just like the workout coaches say, “no pain, no gain.”

When life throws you those curve-balls, you eye them up and swing!

And tell yourself - win or loose - this is going to make me a better person.

Temptation is inevitable as well.

You are never going to be such a holy person that you are never tempted.

You can expect to reach a place where that temptation doesn’t stand a chance because you know who you are in Christ and your resolved never to go back.

That is called walking in victory and victory is possible.

But it doesn’t mean that you will never have the thought of sin or whatever your temptation may be cross your mind.

Don’t let yourself be defeated because you had a thought - not everything that pops into your mind comes from you.

That is why we also need protection from the evil one.

Tests are inevitable, however...

Failure is optional.

Mark 14:38 ESV

38 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

The purpose of a test is not to cause you to fail, but to stretch you to do what you didn’t know you could do.

Your tests are not there to humiliate you by showing you what you can’t do.

They are there to encourage you by showing you what you can do.

So embrace the test and be mindful.

However, embracing the test may also mean avoiding it if you can.

Watch and pray so that you are not tempted or tested (its literally the same word).

You have to know yourself and listen to God’s voice.

Don’t put yourself in situations that are going to make you want to compromise.

You spirit may be strong, but don’t underestimate your flesh and it’s desires.

When my kids were teenagers, I was tasked with having “the talk” with each of them, especially the boys. I cited a 2012 study where live brain scans were done on people while they viewed pictures. When they were shown pictures of a person that they were “in love” with, it would light up certain areas of the brain.

The someone compared those brain images with other studies which were done to show the effects of certain drugs on the brain. The infatuated person had a brain image that resembled a person on cocaine.

So my advice to my kids was, don't wait until you are in a relationship to decide what your boundaries are going to be. Once you are in a relationship and infatuated, you are no longer thinking straight.

God is not going to set you up to fail, but you have to do your part.

Don’t play around with temptation.

Avoid the tests you can, and embrace the tests you can’t avoid.

God will not set you up to fail, but He has given you everything that you need to live victoriously.

Don’t allow more suffering than you give us grace to handle.

I almost said that “God will not give you more that you can handle” but that isn’t quite true, is it?

I think many of us have had life experiences that overwhelmed our ability to cope.

That is the definition of trauma - experiences that overwhelm our ability to cope.

If you believe that God won’t give you more than you can handle and then experience trauma, it can really shake your faith in God.

“God, why did you let this happen to me?”

“I thought you were good?”

“What did I do to deserve this?”

The truth is that God allows things for reasons that are completely unbeknownst to us, just as he did in the book of Job.

God never promised that there wouldn’t be suffering.

If anything, the Bible promises that there will be - especially for followers of Jesus.

What He does promise is His grace.

2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

How do you receive God’s grace to go though suffering?

I think the best way is to focus on what you know to be true about God.

God is for you.

God is not the source of temptation.

James 1:13 ESV

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.

God uses the trials of life, but He doesn’t cause those trials - there is a difference.

God made the world good.

Pain, sickness and death are all a result of the fall.

Jealousy, envy, and broken relationships - none of that is God’s doing or God’s plan.

Poverty, oppression and violence are all the product of our man-made systems - none of that is God’s idea or God’s fault.

Yes, people have used God’s name to dominate and control other people - but that is still human religion and bears human responsibility.

God gets blamed for a lot that He didn’t do.

So what is God doing in the world?

God is redeeming fallen mankind.

That is why Jesus came to atone for our sin and to offer us new life through His Holy Spirit.

God didn’t just give us the law to live by, but He gave us the Spirit to transform and empower us.

God is restoring the world and its people.

Yes, He has been doing that for thousands of years.

You can focus on ways that the church has failed to demonstrate Christ or you can look as ways that the church has succeeded.

For all the bad that there is in the world, there is also a lot of good to be found.

And wherever you find good overcoming evil - I guarantee you will find a God story.

God’s people are everywhere and most of them are quietly transforming the world around them without ever being noticed.

Eventually God is going to make all things new and Jesus Christ is going to rule both heaven and earth.

In he mean time we work toward that, knowing that His Kingdom has already begun in us.

1 Peter 1:6–9 ESV

6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

God is good - if you know Him, you know it.

And eventually the whole world is going to see it.

He will not abandon you.

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV

13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

God is faithful.

In times of trail, that can be difficult to remember.

Sometimes it doesn’t feel like God hears our prayers.

Sometimes we may have difficulty hearing His voice or feeling His presence.

Sometimes you just have to go with what you know - God is faithful - He cannot be otherwise.

What does He promise us?

He may not deliver us from a trial, but He will deliver us through it.

A way of escape doesn’t necessarily mean a way around it.

It can mean a way through it.

What God promises us is a way to get to where we are supposed to be.

That may mean that we have to go through something that we don’t think we can endure - but somehow He gives us the grace to do it.

So lead us not into temptation may mean, don’t let me be tested or tempted, but it may also mean that if there is no way around it, help me to go through it.

Don’t give us over to our own destruction.

So what is this other part about evil?

What does evil have to do with testing and temptation?

If we fail, why have we failed?

What would cause us to harm ourselves or to bring about our own destruction?

We know that God is good - He is not out to make us fail - but someone else is...

Evil is real.

Romans 12:21 ESV

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

You probably saw that the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony included a number of images that depicted things that seemed ungodly, evil or even demonic. Let me first of all say that the Olympic Committee does not represent Christ or Christianity in any way so we can’t expect them to live up to our standard. We are used to seeing them push the envelope when it comes to what we consider public nudity or decency.

But this year featured a scene which seemed to directly mock or provoke Christianity by portraying DaVinci’s portrayal of the last supper with gay and lesbian characters. One of the actresses even tweeted calling ti the “gay New Testament” Other people responded by saying that It has nothing to do with the last supper; it was a portrayal of the feast of Dionysus - the Greek god of wine, especially the blue guy in the center.

Well, historically, many have thought that DaVinci’s last supper bore a striking resemblance to the feast of Dionysus - that perhaps Davinci was even trying to Christianize another famous work of art. If that is so, then this expression seems to hit back by turning a famous Christian piece into an expression of debauchery.

Why do I bring this up?

I’m not saying we should boycott the Olympics - though many people have.

Enough people raised their voice about it to provoke an apology and to cause several major sponsors to pull out.

Often these don’t get that much attention - but people are waking up and realizing that the world is slowly drifting toward a vision of the future that is not consistent with the goodness of God’s creation.

Evil is real and if good people do nothing, evil will win - at least for a while.

We want to believe that people are basically good, and that there is good in everyone.

Both statements are true in a sense, but also false.

Mankind was created good before the fall, making people good apart from from their fallen sinful nature.

But everybody has that fallen sinful nature - nobody’s perfect - not even close!

SO while we recognize the image of God in everyone - even people who don’t believe in Jesus,

we also recognize that we all have a sinful nature

yes, even us Christians!

Good and evil exist side by side (as in the parable of the wheat and the tares)

It’s all mixed up, we can’t always sort it out.

That is why we let God be the ultimate judge.

We need to begin by sorting out our own hearts and recognizing where evil has influenced us.

And we also get to choose, to some degree, what kind of influences we want to have in our life,

like if we want to patronize companies that push an anti-Christian social agenda.

Good and evil are very basic concepts of a Christian world view.

And it is an anti-Christian tactic to try to blur those lines and distort our sense of what is good or evil.

Essentially, the goal of evil is calling good evil and evil good.

We don’t overcome evil just by fighting it (which often causes us to act in the same manner as those we hate) but by doing and demonstrating what is good.

The devil is real.

Matthew 4:1 ESV

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

I know there are many people who would call me old- fashioned or even scholarly, but I believe in a real devil.

I’m not talking about a red guy with a pointy tail and a pitch fork.

I’m talking about fallen angels, not just one, but many, who have rebelled against the God of the Universe and have become corrupted in their very nature.

The terms, devil and satan in the bible are not proper names, but a title or a description meaning “the accuser.”

When Jesus was tested there was areal manifestation of one of these fallen beings who appeared to him and challenged him.

Jesus overcame him by relying on the Word of God and obedience to God.

I know we envision this as being like two superheros with superhuman power fighting it out.

Actually, in those moments Jesus was at his absolute weakest.

I don’t think he felt much like the Son of God, having gone with out food for forty days and having very little water.

He had to battle through his own thoughts and feelings to know what is right and what is wrong.

When you are not at your best, things that are false can seem pretty real.

You can have thoughts go through your mind that didn’t originate with you.

In mental health we call these “intrusive thoughts”

If you have thoughts that you don’t want to be having - guess what? they are not your thoughts!

I have known people who have been in the occult where they practice mental projection and psychic harassment.

In other words they try to project their thoughts into other people’s minds.

I don’t think it actually works without the help of demons so don’t try it.

But you might try realizing that there is a devil out there who is trying to get into your head.

Don’t let him in!

Pay attention to your thoughts, especially the ones that don’t belong in your head.

Rebuke the devil for putting them there.

And don’t beat yourself up for having that thought.

It was probably never yours to begin with.

Put on some worship music and get your mind back onto Jesus.

Hell is real.

Matthew 10:28 ESV

28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

This could be a whole sermon, but not today.

Hell, is not what most people think it is either.

God didn’t make hell for people.

And God doesn’t just sent people to hell either.

Hell is the absence of God’s presence.

Just as darkness is the absence of light, hell is the a place apart from the goodness of God.

It is the anti-creation - eternal destruction.

Hell is what you get when evil is allowed to do what evil wants to do.

Here is the lesson and this is why we pray deliver us from evil or from the evil one:

Evil originates in rebellion against God.

To the extent that we insist on doing things “our way” instead of “God’s way” we open ourselves up to the influence of evil.

Nobody in their right mind chooses to go to hell.

They simply choose to reject God and hell is the result.

When we pray, “do not lead us into temptation” we are putting ourselves in Gods hands.

We are saying, “if you can spare me this trial, then spare me”

“but if the only way is through this trial, then give me the grace to go through it.”

Jesus was praying this same prayer in Gethsemene:

Luke 22:42 ESV

42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”

When we pray, “deliver us from the evil one” we recognize that in our humanity, we are already inclined toward rebellion against God.

By submitting ourselves to God, we are allowing God, even asking God to turn us around.

We are breaking off any allegiance to evil or the subtle hold (or not so subtle) that it may have on us.

We are inviting Him to define for us what is good, not according to what we want, but according to what is truly best for us.

We are beholding His goodness, focusing on that, regardless of what we may be experiencing otherwise.

Thus the prayer has brought us full circle - back to focusing on God, His love, His power and His right to rule in our hearts.

Matthew 6:9–13 ESV

9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.