G Friday
25 March 2016
“Deliver us from evil”
Matthew 6:13
ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ.
but deliver us from the evil one.
Friends in Christ, I urge you all to life your
hearts to God and pray with me as Christ our Lord has taught us and freely
promised to hear us. And lastly, O heavenly Father, deliver us from all evil of
both body and soul, now and forever.[1]
Father, rescue me and all your saints in the church
militant from evil. Protect us when we are tempted, assure us of your love, and
transform everything that seems to harm us into blessing. Bring us all to
glory, where we will worship you, our all in all. I pray this in the name of
the One who taught us this prayer, Jesus Christ, your Son.
In the Greek text this petition
reads thus: Deliver or preserve us from the Evil One, or the Malicious One; and
it looks as if He were speaking of the devil, as though He would comprehend
everything in one, so that the entire substance of all our prayer is directed
against our chief enemy. For it is he who hinders among us everything that we
pray for: the name or honor of God, God’s kingdom and will, our daily bread, a
cheerful good conscience, etc.[2]
The incarnation reminds us that Jesus is the personified
Son of God – conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary. Jesus is
true God and Man at the same time. To win your salvation, Jesus had to be
human. To guarantee your salvation, Jesus had to be God.
The Annunciation reminds us that God became human.
Jesus entered time. And space. The incarnation – Jesus taking on flesh - is
proof that God is not against us![3]
It was Necessary for Jesus to be a Man
1. To
take your place under the Law
2. To
live the perfect life – for you
3. To
take you unto Himself
It was Necessary for Jesus to be God
1. To
overcome sin
2. To
overcome death
3. To
overcome the devil
Because of Jesus’ Incarnation, when Jesus entered
time and space, and because of the bloody cross on a hill called Calvary, we
can boldly pray, “Deliver us from evil…”
Quite possibly Luther has saved the best for last.
In the 7th petition we pray: “But deliver
us from evil.” Luther writes: “We
pray in this petition, as the sum of all, that our Father in heaven would
deliver us from every evil of body and soul, property and honor, and finally,
when our last hour has come, grant us a blessed end, and graciously take us
from this vale of tears to Himself in heaven”.
In this petition we ask God –
I. To
keep every evil from us.
The Lord promises us in Psalm 91 that He will keep
us safe so that no harm or evil will overcome us. “If you make the Most High your dwelling –even the Lord, who is my
refuge then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.”
(vv.9-10) “God is our refuge and strength
an even present help in all kinds of trouble.” says David. (Psalm
46:1) Thus, we are called to have a
triumphant confidence, a fearless trust in God.
The devil and sin would threaten our very existence
- yet God in Christ has done something about our sin and the devil’s might. He
dealt with our sins on a hill called Calvary when He suffered and died for our
sins and the sins of the entire world. That’s why we have been taught to pray:
“but deliver us from evil,” or as
some put it, “but deliver us… from the
evil one”.
II. In
this prayer we ask God to take from us or to help us bear and turn to our
benefit the cross with which He afflicts us.
Returning from Antioch Paul, “Strengthened the disciples and encouraged them to remain true to the
faith.” (Acts 14:22) Those early Christians were tempted within and
without. There were many crosses and temptations, challenges and persecutions
placed in their road. Yet, the Lord by
His Word and Spirit kept them as they remained true to the faith. To this day, the Lord does this in your life
and in my life as we pray with the hymn writer:
“Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies
Hea’vn’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows
flee
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me![4]
No matter what might befall us, Christ remains with
us. In the book of Job, chapter 5, verse
19, we are told, “From six calamities He
will rescue you; in seven no harm will befall you.” Though many trials may
come to us Christ will see us through.
We can trust that these promises will be kept
because Christ kept the greatest promise ever made when He went to the cross on
a day called Good Friday. He suffered in our place so that we could receive
forgiveness, life and salvation.
III. We pray in this petition that our dear
redeemer would deliver us from all evil and finally lead us to a blessed end.
Paul writes in 2 Timothy, “The Lord will rescue me from every attack and will bring me safely to
His heavenly kingdom.” (v.18) When we know the Savior and are assured of
His protection you and I can pray with Simian of old, “Lord, now let your servant depart in peace as you have promised. For my
eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the sight of all
people. A light for revelation to the Gentiles and for the glory of Your people
Israel.” (vv.29-32)
We toil here on this earth where we are bombarded by
the forces of the devil, the world and our own flesh. Our ultimate goal is to
be with Jesus in glory. That’s what St.
Paul reminds us in his letter to the Philippians. Chapter 1, “I’m torn between the two: I desire to depart
and be with Christ, which is better by far.” (v.23)
And that’s why today is called Good Friday. Christ
has conquered and gained for us the victory. Hidden under the shadow of the
cross we wait for a new day when we will be with the Lord. Until that day comes,
we can be assured that He will continue to deliver us from every form of evil.
Yes you are covered and protected by the Savior.
Pilgrims here on earth and strangers
Dwelling in the midst of foes.
Us and ours preserve from dangers;
In Thine arms may we repose
And, when life’s sad day is past,
Rest with Thee in heav’n at last.[5]
[1]
Lutheran Service Book, Divine Service, Setting Five © 2006 Concordia Publishing
House, St. Louis
[2]
Luther’s Large Catechism
[3] A
quote attributed to Luther
[4] The Lutheran Hymnal “Abide with me” #552,
stanza 8,© 1940 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis
[5]
Through the Day Thy Love hath Spared Us, stanza two, The Lutheran Hymnal #553 ©
Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis
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