We end our series on the Lord’s Prayer with a subject that we might prefer to avoid but one we must face and learn to overcome. Matthew 6:13 says “but deliver us from evil”.
Many of us don’t like to think about evil, let alone that we need to be delivered from it or that it can consume us. But there is a reason Jesus told us to pray these words every day. There is a fight against us that we are not strong enough to face by ourselves. We need to be aware of this so we know how to go to the Lord and ask for His strength to overcome.
It is very important to be real and face the facts however difficult that may be. Dr Martyn Lloyd Jones says that “the teaching of the Bible throughout is that this world in which we live is a battle ground, is a place in which we literally have to fight for our souls, to fight for our eternal welfare. There is a tremendous power working against you.”
Thankfully we have a God who is working for us. And He is far greater than any scheme of the enemy! But how do we come under His covering and oppose anything that tries to bring us down?
1. Know that there is real evil in the world (Mark 7:21-22; 2 Corinthians 11:14; Ephesians 6:12; 1 Peter 5:8; John 10:10; John 8:44)
2. Know that we all need to be delivered from evil (Mark 5; Mark 9; John 8:36)
3. Know that you can be delivered (Psalm 34:17; Psalm 107:6; Colossians 1:13; Galatians 2:20)
Apply
The Bible teaches that there is an evil ruler called Satan, an evil kingdom of darkness and many demons. There is a reason Jesus, the son of God, said that we need to be delivered from evil. C. S. Lewis famously said “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them, and the other is to disbelieve in their existence.” Jesus taught His disciples that if you want to make it through life you’ve got to acknowledge that there is a powerful enemy in the world and that there is evil at work in each individual (Mark 7:21-22). All around we see lust for power, for money, for exploitation of others. People have been corrupted and desensitised to what is right and wrong. We see this in so many ways, e.g. the growing human trafficking industry. There are nearly 50 million victims trapped in modern day slavery; people exploiting the vulnerable for their own personal gain. This is so sinister and wrong. We see this in dictatorship, and the exploitation of the poor, and the misuse and destruction of resources. But we also see this in families, in relationships, the abuse that husbands, or wives go through, that children witness or experience, violence or harsh words that are spoken in the home - it’s evil. Evil sometimes appears to be very obvious, but other times the attacks are very subtle. In ‘The Screw Tape Letters’, C.S. Lewis fictitiously writes about a senior demon who addresses a junior demon on how to trap Christians. And he illustrates about the inner works of their schemes. In one of the letters, the senior demon writes “Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts” - he is saying to gradually bring people down. Sometimes we can’t see the enemy at work because the devil is a manipulator (2 Corinthians 11:14). As Christians, as we saw on our recent series on the armour of God, we must always be on guard, as we realise we are in an ongoing spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:12). To summarise, you have an evil enemy (1 Peter 5:8). The Bible describes the devil as a thief. He comes to steal, kill and destroy and is called the Father of Lies (John 10:10; John 8:44). So we must be awake, face the facts, we are at war with evil in all its forms!
The Lord’s Prayer says “deliver us”. This means to save us. To get us out of the heat. You need to be taken out of what is consuming you. In Germany in the 1930s, the Jewish people knew that evil was coming on them. They were banned from position and banned from making money until they were eventually taken to the camps. They were aware that there was an evil out to get them and they needed to be delivered. Some were more aware than others and took action. But millions more didn’t. And so they were trapped. We mustn’t turn a blind eye to what is happening in our own lives. We need to get out of our trap. The Bible has many examples of people who were trapped in some way. Mark 5 tells the story of a man who was demonised. His life was a wreck. He wasn’t able to live at his home, which meant he lost his family, had no friends, he lived away from society, no one could help him, he was tortured by the evil spirit inside him. It’s a sad thing to see people who are consumed by this darkness and need deliverance. But in everything that had gone on in this man’s life, somehow he heard about Jesus and when he saw Him coming, he cried out to Jesus and Jesus set him free; the evil in his life was gone. The Word says that the people were amazed. Again in Mark 9 a desperate father runs to Jesus, his son is being tormented and he says “if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us”. Jesus said “everything is possible for the one who believes”. He rebuked the spirit and the boy was freed. The Bible says whom the sons set freed is freed indeed (John 8:36). Where do you need to be set free? Are you trapped in any way? Trapped by financial problems, addictions, anger, by fear, sickness, depression, by unforgiveness? What strongholds are in your life? God is a much higher authority than the devil and He can overrule and remove that sentence, that imprisonment, the captivity the devil has marked you with. God can overrule, reverse and break any curse. Jesus took your punishment so that you can be free.
There is the possibility of help. You can come out of this. When Jesus said in His model prayer “deliver us from evil”, He clearly wanted us to understand that deliverance was possible. It’s available. You can come to God because Jesus conquered. Notice that both the possessed man and the son who was tormented were set free when they ran and cried out to Jesus. When they were desperate to be free from the work of the enemy. You can be delivered from the hurts you’re carrying, you can be forgiven for the mistakes you’ve made. You can let go of that heaviness, that guilt, that shame, that anger that you are holding on to because Jesus overcame evil (Psalm 34:17; Psalm 107:6; Colossians 1:13). Jesus absorbed all of our iniquity, all of our sin, every word spoken against us and all power of the enemy upon that cross. He broke every curse that has been assigned to our lives, every curse that have been over families destroying them once and for all! Just like this man, who was desperate not to be tormented anymore, when we call out to Jesus, when we ask him for help we receive that freedom, we receive a new nature (Galatians 2:20). That is why in many versions of this prayer, it ends with “yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory!” His kingdom, His eternal kingdom, His glory will shine and outshine the darkness. His power is greater than any other power. He has delivered us and he will deliver us.
