SERMON ON THE MOUNT
PRAYER: DELIVER US FROM EVIL
COMMUNION SUNDAY
DR. JIM DIXON
MATTHEW 6:5-13
SEPTEMBER 23, 2001
We try to make the world safe. We wear our seat belts when we drive the car, put on sunscreen when we go to the beach. We put on helmets when we bicycle. We teach our children to do the same. We create antibiotics to ward off bacteriological infection. We create vaccines to ward off viral infection. We establish hospitals. We train doctors. We establish law enforcement agencies. We recruit armies for protection and defense. We try to make the world safe, our world safe. Perhaps some people have labored under the illusion that the world is safe, but then came September 11, and since then the world hasn’t seemed so safe. The world has kind of become a scary place for most of us, and we’re a little more paranoid than we were two weeks ago. People have, at least for one Sunday, filled churches across this nation and in many parts of the world, seeking some divine comfort and praying, “Lead us not into testing, but deliver us from evil.”
It was Jesus who taught us to pray that prayer. He taught us to pray for God’s protection. He tells us we are to pray that prayer every single day as surely as we pray for our daily bread. It’s important that we understand the meaning of this prayer, “deliver us from evil.” How does God deliver His people from evil?
I want to suggest this morning that He delivers us from evil in three ways, and I want to cover them very briefly. First of all, He delivers us from evil governmentally. This is a little-known fact, but biblically it is extremely critical. God wants to deliver us from evil through earthly governments. We see this clearly stated in the Bible in the book of Romans in the 13th chapter where we are told that “God has instituted and established and ordained the existence of earthly governments.” Those who serve in earthly governments, in Romans 13, are called “the servants and the ministers of God.” We are told in that passage of scripture that God has given to earthly governments the sword, and that earthly governments are not to bear the sword in vain but are to use the sword to deter evil on the earth. It is the will of God, as we are told in Romans 13, that earthly governments are to execute the wrath of God upon evildoers. This is the clear teaching of the Bible in Romans, chapter 13.
It is true that, as we look back at history in times past, there have been many governments that have perpetrated evil on the earth and have not deterred evil. It is also true that as we look to the future on the stage of history, there will come a government and perhaps an alignment of governments so evil that the Bible calls them Antichrist. But it is the will of God, in all times, that earthly governments deter evil and bear the sword for the deterrence of evil and execute the wrath of God upon evil. God wants to work through earthly governments. He wants to work through our government.
When you pray this prayer, “deliver us from evil,” you should, at that point (also every day) pray for our government and pray for other governments. Pray that God would empower our government and guide our government and give wisdom to our government, that our government in alliance with other governments might deter evil in this critical time. This should be our prayer, that God delivers us from evil through governments. This is part of how He works.
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Our government summoned the support of the American people. Our government drafted 10 million American men, and 5 million additional men volunteered. Three hundred thousand American women volunteered for military service in non-combat capacities. Millions of American women went to work in U.S. factories to fuel the war machine. We allied ourselves with other nations and formed the allied powers that we might deter evil, that we might bear the sword not in vain, and that we might execute the wrath of God upon evildoers. We were up against great evil with Nazism and Adolph Hitler and the incineration and gassing of 6 million Jews. We were up against a great evil. I hope you understand we are up against a great evil today. It is more covert. It is malignant and yet sometimes hidden. We’re going to need the grace of God and the wisdom of God as we seek to respond appropriately. So, pray, “deliver us from evil” and in that regard pray that He would work through our government and through an alignment of governments.
I wanted to show you just a couple of headlines from Britain. This is The Scotsman. says, “Monumental Struggle Against Evil Begins.” This is the headline of The Scotsman. The London Times: “Good Will Prevail Over Evil.” These headlines reflect an awareness. You see, earthly governments are called to deter evil on the earth. The Herald, which is another London paper, says “United in Mourning.” I was thinking in the prayer, “deliver us from evil,” the word for evil is the Greek word “poneros,” which primarily means, “that which causes pain and sorrow.” Here we are in mourning because of a great evil, asking God to deliver us from evil, and we begin governmentally.
Secondly, God wants to deliver us from evil eschatologically. In the Bible, the word for the end times, the word for the consummation of history, is the Greek word “eschatos” or “eschaton.” It means “last things.” The Bible says at the end of time, at the consummation, God will deliver this world of evil. He will eradicate evil on the earth. The Bible says that Jesus will come again. In Revelation, chapter 19, we have that incredible passage that describes the return of Christ in power, the amazing statement that when Jesus Christ comes again, “He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of the Lord God Almighty.” He WILL deliver us from evil.
In Revelation 22, our Lord Jesus Christ speaks. He says, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing My recompense to repay everyone for what he has done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” If we fail to apprehend these international terrorist organizations, they still won’t get away with it because He is coming and He will bring His recompense.
We look at Revelation, chapter 1. It says, “Behold, He is coming with the clouds. Every eye will see Him, everyone who pierced Him. All the nations will cry out on account of Him.” He will come to judge the nations. In Matthew 25, Jesus says that “when the Son of Man comes in His glory and all of His angels with Him, He will sit on His throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate them one from the other as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” You see, at that time He will usher in a new age.
It says in 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4, “the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call, with the sound of the trumpet of God, and He will usher in a new age.” Isaiah, chapter 11: “He will smite the earth with the rod of His lips and with the breath of His mouth, He will slay the wicked. In that day, the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard and the kid shall lie down together. The calf, the lion, the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall feed, and their young shall lie down together. The lion shall eat straw like the ox. They will not hurt in all My holy mountain. The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the oceans cover the sea.” He’s going to create a new world.
Revelation, chapter 21: “Behold, I saw a New Heavens and a New Earth. For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more. I saw the heavenly city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of the heavens from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her bridegroom. I heard a great voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with women and men. God Himself shall be with them and they will be His children and He will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. Neither will there be mourning, crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.’” You see, He will deliver us from evil eschatologically, at the eschaton. When you pray this daily prayer, “deliver us from evil,” look to the blessed hope of Christ returning when He will eradicate evil from the earth.
Certainly, September 11 felt apocalyptic. I mean, did you not think that when you saw the horror of the attack on New York and Washington, D.C.? Did it not feel apocalyptic? The Greek word, “apokalupsis,” is a word that means “revelation,” and it is the title of the last book of the Bible. It is the book of the apocalypse. We know that a time of great trial is coming upon the earth. Certainly, if international terrorist organizations are able to access chemical and biological weaponry or low-grade nuclear weaponry, they will be able to bring a level of chaos on this earth. This is apocalyptic. Do not be afraid. The Bible says, “God has not destined us for wrath but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” He WILL deliver us at the consummation, and He will deliver us from evil.
Well, finally, He will deliver us supernaturally right now. He offers His protection right now. His protection is not simply governmental or eschatological. It is existential. It is right now in the midst of our daily existence through angelic mediation and by the power of His own hand. He wants you to pray for protection daily, recognizing that He has power to bring you to safety. He wants you to pray for physical protection. He wants you to pray for physical protection and certainly for some measure He offers this.
It was March 1st, Saturday night, 1950, in the town of Beatrice, Nebraska, at the Westside Baptist Church… Choir practice that Saturday night was at 7:15. It was at 7:15 every Saturday night. Everyone always came on time. In fact, the people in the choir came early. That was what they normally did, but things were different this Saturday night, that March 1st in 1950. Everybody was late. The choir director was late. His daughter hadn’t come home. He was concerned. He waited until she came home, and he didn’t arrive at the church until after 7:30. The piano player was late. She had fallen asleep. She had never fallen asleep before on a Saturday night at 7:00 o’clock, but she had fallen asleep. She woke up late; she rushed to the church. It was after 7:30. The pastor and his wife sang in the choir, and they were late. They ate their Saturday night dinner and then they were going to rush over to the church. They noticed their daughter had soiled her dress, and they gave her time to change her clothes. By the time they got there, it was after 7:30. They were late
What was true of the pastor and his wife and the piano player and the director of the choir was true of all the members of the choir. They were all late, and for a variety of reasons. Some of them couldn’t get their cars to start that Saturday night. Many of them had never had a problem before, but suddenly the car wouldn’t start. Some of them were engaged in conversation on the telephone or over the fence with a neighbor. Time passed. They lost track of time. They came late. Some just felt lazy that night. They came late too. Everybody came late. Nobody was there before 7:30. It was a good thing because at 7:25 the building blew up. The church blew up because of a gas leak in the basement. The whole church came down. The walls crumbled. The roof fell. Everybody would have died, but nobody died because nobody was there.
In the last 51 years, that story has been told many times, and the events have been researched endlessly. There’s no doubt it happened. There’s no doubt it’s true. There’s no doubt that on that night God protected His people, and He protected them physically. God has power to do that. God protected Daniel physically in the lion’s den. He protected Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the midst of the fiery furnace.
He wants you to pray, “deliver us from evil.” He wants you to pray for His physical protection. He wants you to pray for the people you love. He wants you to pray for your children, your grandchildren, your parents, your grandparents, your friends, your church, your nation. He wants you to pray. But we understand that in this life His physical protection is only given in some measure. We understand that. God doesn’t always protect us physically in the way that we would want Him to.
The Apostle Paul was beheaded near the Appian Way in the city of Rome by the order of Nero. Perhaps he would have had 25 or 30 more years of life, but his life was cut short. God allowed that. The Apostle Peter was crucified upside down near the place where the Basilica of St. Peter stands today. He may have had 30 more years of natural life. His life was cut short. God allowed that.
More than 6,000 lives precious to God were lost on September 11. There were many Christians on the ground and in the air. God allowed them to come home that day. God does not always protect us physically in the way that we would like. But, you know, if you look at the lives of Peter and Paul through the book of Acts, you do see that God did protect them physically time and again. I mean, they could have died countless times through the years. They were incarcerated, they were in shipwrecks, they were flogged and beaten. Countless times they could have died. They were rescued supernaturally time and again. God did protect them physically, but there came a time where He lifted that protection, and they came home. I believe God works that way in the lives of His people.
You ask me why a child dies? I do not know, but I do know that that child is taken to heaven, and I do believe that God can bring good even out of a child’s death. I know that God is not primarily concerned with our physical lives but with our souls. Jesus said, “Do not fear him who can take the body but fear him who can take the soul.” God is primarily concerned with your soul, and only God can keep your soul safe. Only God can protect your soul from evil. Only God can deliver your soul from evil. Only Christ.
There’s that little passage in Luke, chapter 22, where Jesus is talking to Peter. He says, “Simon, Simon, truly I say to you, the devil demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith would not fail.” The devil wanted to destroy his soul. That Hebraic expression, “to sift like wheat,” means “to separate the useful from the un-useful, the good from the bad.” What the devil wants to do is take the good out of our lives and just leave the bad. He wants to destroy our souls. The amazing thing is that when Jesus said, “Simon, Simon, truly I say to you, the devil demanded you,” that first “you” is in the plural. Jesus wasn’t just talking about Peter but all the disciples—and indeed, all Christians in all generations, because the devil wants us. He wants to destroy us spiritually, and he wants to sift us like wheat, and he can’t do it. He can’t do it because of Jesus.
He said, “I know My sheep. They hear My voice. They follow Me. I give them eternal life. No one is able to snatch them out of My hand. My Father is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” If you, by His grace, want to come to a place that is safe, that’s only possible through Christ.
As we close, I know you’ve all heard of Martin Luther. He was the great reformer who launched the Protestant Reformation. He was in the midst of great depression and a deep illness in 1527 when he wrote the words to perhaps the greatest Christian hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” I was reading the words to that hymn this past week… “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing. Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing. But still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great and armed with cruel hate. On earth is not his equal. Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing. Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He, Lord Sabaoth His name. From age to age the same, and He must win the battle. Though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us. The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him. His rage we can endure, for lo his doom is sure. One little word shall fell him. That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them abideth. The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him who with us sideth. Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also. The body they may kill; God’s truth abideth still. His kingdom is forever.”
You see, Martin Luther understood that we do not battle against flesh and blood ultimately. We battle against the principalities and the powers; the world rulers of this present darkness, the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenlies. He understood that Jesus Christ is a mighty fortress, and He, indeed, and He alone can deliver us from evil.
I know that some of you are shaken. Some of you feel afraid. Jesus says, “Fear not.” He says, “I will never fail you or forsake you.” He wants you to know that He has you in His hand and that heaven awaits you. He wants you to know that even your life in this life is guarded, and He will not allow you to be taken home before He is ready. He has power to protect you even physically. He wants you to pray every day that God’s protection might come governmentally. He wants you to pray that God’s kingdom would come eschatologically. He wants you to pray that God would protect you physically and that God would protect you spiritually and all you love. He wants you to understand that you can cast all your anxieties on Him because He cares about you. “Though your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour, you should resist him firm in the faith, knowing the same experience in suffering is required of your brothers and sisters all over the world.” He wants you to know that when you’ve suffered for a little while, that God of all grace who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus will restore you, establish you and strengthen you.” It was Peter who wrote those words in the book of 2 Peter.
As we come to this table this morning, it might be that you don’t feel safe and you know you’re not in the hand of Christ. This would be the time, as we come to this table and we remember the cross where His blood was shed and His body broken. We remember His substitutionary atonement, how He died for us all. We know the promise of the gospel, that if we come to Him and receive Him as Savior and Lord, He forgives us and receives us unto Himself and gives us eternal life. As we close in prayer and come to this table, I want to give you a chance to, by His grace, come to a place that is safe and receive Christ as your Lord and Savior. Let’s close with a word of prayer.