This is the 6th petition that the Lord instructs us to pray every day. And I hope that gives us some idea of its importance. Deliver us from evil. How much have we thought about that? What the Lord is telling us to pray. Deliver us from evil. I Wish I could express just how much is in this prayer. You probably wish the same. Our, our father, he's my father. He adopted me. He birthed me. He's my father. In heaven, hallowed, holy, other is his name. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Thy kingdom come.

Give us this day our daily bread. Give us what we need. And forgive us of our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Now what a great need for me. What a great need for you. Something that we should be conscious of all the time. deliver us from evil.

That word delivered is the word rescue. You know what rescue means when you need to be rescued. As a matter of fact, this word is taken out of the word for a mighty flash flood water like thing. You're being carried in a flash flood. You have no power to get out. Rescue me. That's what we're asking the Lord to do. Rescue me, I need rescued. Rescue me from evil. In the original, the definite article is used, rescue me from the evil or the evil one.

If you would remember the prophecy of Zachariah, John the Baptist's father, And his prayer, he prayed that we might be delivered out of the hand of our enemies, that we may be rescued out of the hand of our enemies. And that's what we're praying when we pray, deliver us, rescue us from evil. Now, who are our enemies?

You know, if I'm your enemy, you're in pretty good shape. There's not much I can do to you. And if you're my enemy, I hope you're not. And I'm not your enemy either, but if you are, I'm all right. The enemies that he's speaking of are much greater than flesh and blood. And the first enemy he is speaking of is Satan. Deliver us from the evil one.

The second enemy he refers to is the world, Galatians 1.4, deliver us from this present evil world. And this is not talking about people. People are certainly involved in the present evil world, but deliver us from whatever this present evil world is. And the third enemy we have, evil one we have, is the enemy from within.

Deliver me from myself. Deliver me from this present evil person that dwells within me. Three evils. Satan, the world, and me. And I need to be delivered. I need to be rescued. I need to be saved from this three-headed monster of evil, the devil, the world, and the flesh. And deliver us, first of all, from the evil one. Speaking of Satan, there is a created being, a creature like me and you, the devil.

There was a fall before the fall of Adam. and it was the fall of Lucifer, the devil, out of heaven. I'd like you to read with me in Isaiah chapter 14. Now this is a prophecy against the king of Babylon, but it is a prophecy against the devil as well. Quite often there are two things that are meant, but look in Isaiah 14.

Verse 12, how art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning? How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations? For thou hast said in thine heart, and here's one of the five I wills, I will. ascend into the heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will sit also upon the mountain of the congregation, the sides of the north. I will ascend above the clouds. I will be like the most high. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

We read in Revelation 12, three and four of the great dragon, his tale, drew the third part of the stars of heaven and cast them down to the earth, and this refers to Satan's fall from heaven. We have very little information about it, I realize that, but it took place. This being who is a whole lot stronger and smarter than me and you, the devil, he didn't have any problem fooling Eve, and Eve didn't have a sinful nature when he did it. How easy do you think he could, work with you and I. He's got a lot to work with us. Now, the Lord said, with regard to the devil, the prince of this world cometh and find nothing in me. He didn't have anything to work with in the Lord, but he's got a lot to work with in me and you. And you know that. You know that from your own weakness.

The angels that didn't fall, I love this. The angels that didn't fall are called the elect angels. Why didn't they fall? Because God elected that they wouldn't. That's the only reason. And they know that. You can be sure they're very keenly aware of that and thankful for God for preserving them from the same fall as Satan. Now, it was he that brought our race to where it's at. The Lord was using him. He didn't know he was being used by God. He thought he was destroying God's purpose. He didn't know it, but he was being used by God.

But let me give you his titles from the scriptures, because the Lord tells us, deliver us, rescue us from the evil one. We're told to pray that. Now, when a preacher spends too much time talking about the devil, it always makes me nervous. I love what Michael the archangel wouldn't rebuke the devil. Satan, he said, the Lord rebuke thee. So I feel nervous even talking about him, but we still are commanded to pray, deliver us from the evil one. So let me give you his names from the scripture. Satan means the adversary. The devil means the accuser. He's also called the accuser of the brethren which accused them before God night and day. He's accused you and he's accused me before God.

He's called Lucifer, the son of the morning. He's called the serpent. He's called the dragon. He's called the tempter. He's called the wicked one. He's called the prince of this world. He's called the god of this world. He's called the prince of the power of the air. He's called the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.

He's called Abaddon and Apollon, which means destroyer. He's called the father of lies and a liar. He's called Beelzebub and Belial. He's called murderer from the beginning. He's called the deceiver of the whole world. He's called a roaring lion. He's called the ruler of the darkness of this world. He's called the strong man armed, and this is the one that gives me the most fear, he's called the angel of light. He can make your night look just like day. The angel of light.

And his main sphere of operation is the pulpit. That's where he does his work. And here's what he's wanting to do. He's wanting to corrupt me and he's wanting to corrupt you from the simplicity that's in Christ. This is his great goal, to get you to look somewhere other than Christ alone. That is his sphere of operation.

And hence we pray, Lord deliver us. from the evil one, because we know how easily he could turn us whichever way he wants. Here's our hope. Like Peter, Peter, Satan has desired to sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you. He's too strong for me. He's the one who walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Rescue me from him. That ought to be in our conscience every day. Rescue me from the evil one. But not only is my enemy the devil, my enemy is this present evil world. That's what Paul called it in Galatians chapter one, verse four, having delivered us from this present evil world.

And once again, let me say, that's not people. He's not talking about people. The world that has no love for God, yes, people are used in it, but he's not talking about people. He's talking about that love, that world that has no love for God, no love for Christ, no love for his word, no love for his gospel. Deliver me from this present evil world. Now turn with me for a moment to 1 John chapter two. 1 John chapter two, verse 15. John says, love not the world.

Now he's not talking about this planet, he's not talking about the beauties of God's creation, you know that. He's not saying do not love individual people. There's people I'm commanding you not to love. He's not saying that at all. So what is he saying when he says love not the world?

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, what? The love of the Father is not in him. James said, whosoever will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him, for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life He's not of the Father, but is of the world, and the world passes away in the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.

Now, here he gives what is meant by the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life. Now, if there was not in us a drawing toward these things, we wouldn't have to be given this warning. Love not the world. We wouldn't have to be taught to pray, deliver us from evil, this present evil world, if there wasn't something in us that had an attraction to these three things that I'm talking about.

Number one, the lust of the flesh. That is the cravings and the desires of fallen human nature. Now, we were born sinful. And we were born with sinful cravings, sinful passions, and the list goes on and on as to what all those things are, and you know what it's talking about, when it's talking about the lust of the flesh. There's pleasure in sin for a season, and there's no one that's not attracted to that pleasure. Somebody says, I'm not attracted to that pleasure. Nobody believes you, you are too. And that is why we're made to cry out, Lord, deliver me from evil, deliver me from this evil world, the lust of the flesh.

The lust of the eyes. I think the clearest definition of the lust of the eyes is what the Lord said to the Pharisees, all their works they do to be seen of men. That is the lust of the eyes. The fear of man, being more concerned with what men think than what God says, Loving the praise of men more than the praise of God. It's keeping up with the Joneses. It's trying to project an appearance that you think will impress men. So what they see is they'll be impressed with. Prejudice is the lust of the eyes. The respect of persons is the lust of the eyes. It's just being more concerned about what men think than what God thinks. lust of the eyes, and then there is the pride of life, lust for power.

I love to remember this, no man has any power at all. They've got too much power, they don't have any power. Remember that. Don't be concerned about things of that nature, but men love the thought of having control, having power, taking credit where credit's not due, self-righteousness.

As I said, if we didn't still have a nature that found all of these things attractive, we wouldn't have to pray this prayer, would we? Deliver me from this present evil world. I will be controlled by it if you don't do that. And we're taught to pray for that. leads to the third evil we pray to be delivered from.

Evil self. Evil self. If I was never exposed to the wicked one, and he never tempted me, and if I was shielded from this present evil world and never had outside influences of any kind with regard to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, I would still be evil. Because I'd still be me. I have no doubt about that. I am the one I fear most.

I love what Paul said in 1 Timothy 1.15. This is so comforting to me. He said, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the chief.

Now, Paul said that. And Paul would look at everybody in this room and say, I'm a worse person than you are. And we wouldn't believe that because we know ourselves. But see, the thing is, why did Paul make a statement like that? Because he knew himself. That's why. He knew himself.

He said, oh, wretched man that I am. Not that I was before God saved me. He's more acutely aware of it now than he was when the Lord first saved him. Oh, wretched man that I am, present tense, who shall deliver me, same word, from the body of this death. And then he answered the question, and he wasn't asking the question because he didn't know the answer.

I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Deliver me from me. Now I want you to turn to 2 Corinthians chapter one for a moment. thinking about this thing of deliverance. I've identified this three-headed monster, Satan, the world, and me. That's who we're praying with regard to the Lord, saying, deliver us from evil.

2 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 8. Now, I realize Paul is speaking about a temporal circumstance that made him pray this prayer. It was an actual event, some things that were going on. But we learn so much of the gospel from this statement. Look in verse 8.

We would not, brethren, have ye ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure above strength insomuch that we despaired even of life. That's how upset we were. But we had the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God, which raiseth the dead. Now, what a blessed place to be brought to not trust in yourself. Do you know there's nothing in you to trust? Here's who we trust.

In God who raises the dead. I'd love to think of him in that light. In God who raises the dead. Oh, the power when he raised his son from the dead. He was graveyard dead in the tomb. God raised him from the dead. He was pleased with what he did. He was satisfied with what he did. He raised Him from the dead. I think of the spiritual resurrection you and I have had.

There was a time when we didn't know God. We didn't believe on Christ. We didn't understand the Gospel. We do now. Why? We've been raised from the dead. We've been given spiritual life. And I think of that final resurrection when the dead are raised incorruptible. Now, everybody's gonna be resurrected. The believer is resurrected to eternity like Christ and with Christ. Now, what a God that raises the dead. I mean, that can't be duplicated in a laboratory, can it? The raising of the dead, but God raises the dead. Now, look at this next verse. And here's the word deliver, who delivered us from so great a death. And death deliver present tense, in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us.

Now, like I said, Paul's talking about a temporal experience that he was experiencing. I'm thankful he gives us this. But understand this, God's deliverance, I was delivered in the past. I'm being delivered right now, and I'm for sure going to be delivered in the future, because of His great deliverance.

Now, Matthew 121, that's what I call His name, Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sin, and there shall's in the future. And John 19 30, when He said it is finished, what He said back then was done. They were saved from their sins. But I want you to think about this.

I was saved from my sins in eternity past. when Christ became my surety. And He took full responsibility for my salvation. And at that time, God didn't look for a thing out of me. He looked for everything from His Son. I was saved when Christ agreed to be my surety.

I was saved when Christ lived for me and died for me and was raised for me. I mean, when He said it is finished, my salvation was finished. I was saved in the past. I was saved in the past when I first looked to Christ. And right now, I'm looking to Him the same way I did the first time I looked to Him. I'm saved in the present by looking to Christ only. I love this thing of following Christ.

It's so simple. When you follow Christ, you don't look down at your walk. You don't look to the side at somebody else. You don't look to the back to look at if you've got the proper evidences and experience. You look to Christ right now as everything in your salvation. in the present. And remember, faith is always in the present. If you've got to look back, it's not faith. If you're looking forward to the future, it's not faith. That's works. Faith is looking to Christ right now. As you receive Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him. How'd you receive Him? Well, I know when I did receive Him. I can't put a date on that. I don't know when it was. But whenever it was, I received Him is all I had. hadn't changed a bit.

And he will yet save us. I was saved from the penalty of my sins by his work on the cross, by him being my surety. I'm saved from the power of my sins when he gave me life and I'm able to look to Christ. There was a time I couldn't do that. I'm doing it right now. And I will be saved from the very presence of sin and glorification when I'm perfectly conformed to his image. delivered in the future.

Now unto him that's able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior be honor and power and glory forever. Amen. Now, he hath saved or he hath delivered, he doth deliver and he will deliver. That is a promise.

Paul knew the answer to the question, Romans 7 24, who should deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Christ Jesus, our Lord, who delivers us from the evil one and this present evil world and evil self as only he can do. Now I want to close by looking at five or six scriptures briefly that speak of his deliverance. And remember, we're praying Deliver us, rescue us from the evil one, this present evil world, and evil self, that self that when I would do good, evil's present with me. It's right there with me. That's who I'm asking the Lord to deliver me from, that evil self.

Now, I'm gonna just read these scriptures to you. Romans 11, 26, Thou shalt come out of Zion, the Deliverer, and he shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. Now here's the first promise. There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, he's the one who does the delivering, and he'll turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

Now what is ungodliness? Put this word in the definition. Un-worship. That's what ungodliness means. Un-worship. No fear of God. No reverence for God. No awe of God. No bowing before the glory of His person. What a horrible crime. Ungodliness. How shameful. the God of glory and to have no fear, no awe, no reverence at the glory of his person, no bowing in your heart at his majesty, ungodliness. Let me show you how the Lord delivers us from ungodliness.

Jeremiah 32, 40, God says, I'll make an everlasting covenant with them that I shall not turn away from them to do them good, but I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me." There's a covenant promise. God says, I will put my fear in their hearts. And because of that, they will not depart from me. Colossians 1. We're close, turn them with me there, Colossians chapter one. Verse 12.

Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet right now, present tense, to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who hath delivered us, there's the word, from the power of darkness, and hath translated us unto the kingdom of his dear son.

Now I want you to think of what he's saying. This is amazing. He hath, right now, made us meet for the inheritance of the saints in light. Right now, there's an indelibrable company, the saints in light in His very presence right now, singing the praises of the Lamb without seeing, oh, what a worship service that is.

And right now, present tense, I've got everything they've got. I'm fit right now, right now, for that great Heavenly choir. I've got it. I'm complete in Christ. I'm not lacking anything. Now, I still got something they don't have. Sinful flesh. And that'll let you know just how far that helped. that influences, because you can't imagine being in that heavenly choir right now with this sinful body you got right now. But that's going to be gone. And right now, you have everything required to be in that heavenly choir. Verse 13, who hath delivered us, hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear son. I've been removed from one kingdom to the other, rescued, brought in, transferred in, translated in. Right now, that's the kingdom I'm in.

1 Thessalonians 1.10, we're called upon to wait for his son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, who hath delivered us from the wrath to come. All my life, from the time I was a little boy, I was always afraid of going to hell. Feared it. Feared it.

He hath delivered us from the wrath to come. There is no wrath for any believer. No coming wrath. As a matter of fact, when I stand before God on judgment day, because the scripture says there's therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, I'm going to stand before God justified, having never sinned. I've perfectly kept God's law in mind, thought, and word. You said, well, you didn't really do that. I did too, because if Christ did, I did. I'm united to him. Whatever he did, I did. That's my standing before God, his life. Didn't he say, I am the life? The only life that God will accept is the life of Jesus Christ, and his life is my life. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear. Then shall we appear with him in glory.

Second Timothy chapter four. Verse 18, and the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me in his heavenly kingdom, to whom be glory forever and ever, amen. Now, think of the context of this passage of scripture. Verse 14, Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil. The Lord will reward him according to his works, of whom be thy will also, Watch out for him, for he hath greatly withstood our words.

At my first answer, no man stood with me, but all men forsook me. I was on my own. I pray God that a man may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with me and strengthened me. that by me the preaching might be fully known, that all the Gentiles might hear, and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion, and the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me into his heavenly kingdom, to whom be glory forever and ever.

Amen. 2 Peter chapter 2, this will be the final scripture we'll look at. Verse six, and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemn them with an overthrow, making them an example unto those that afterwards should live ungodly. Now, one morning in Sodom, they woke up, business as usual. They had no idea what was getting ready to take place. The wrath of God was going to rain down on heaven and destroy that place.

There was one man in there, though. You remember how Abraham said, if there's 50 righteous men, will you spare the city? I'll do it for 50. 40? I'll do it for 40. 30? I'll do it for 30. 20? I'll do it for 20. Oh, I've taken upon me the dust and ashes to speak to the Lord. How about 10? I'll spare it for 10.

Sodom's a big place. Lot was there. Now, what do you think about when you think about Lot? If you know anything about his history, he doesn't seem to be a very honorable man when we read his history in the Old Testament. You know what he did? He chose the well-watered plain and let Abraham have the leftovers when he should have given difference to Abraham. He didn't.

He pitched his tent towards Sodom. He's living in Sodom. Now he's at the gate of Sodom, which means he was one of the civic leaders in Sodom. He was having a good life in Sodom. Perhaps his business was prospering. I don't know what all was going on. But everybody knows he shouldn't have been there, and he was. And you remember the two angels coming into Sodom?

And hold that thought, and let's read God's description of him. Let's read God's description. That was my description just now. historical facts, but let's read God's description. This is how God saw Lot. And delivered just Lot. Justified Lot. Not just Lot. Justified Lot. Righteous Lot. Righteous Lot.

This is God's testimony of this man. Don't forget that. Now, God's testimony is the right testimony, isn't it? He delivered just lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked for that righteous man. dwelling among them and seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds. The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to reserve the unjust into the day of judgment to be punished now. Remember how the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation. Do you remember what happened when the angels said to Lot, get out of here. God's gonna destroy this place. What did Lot do? He lingered. He did not want to leave. All this is gonna be burn up. He lingered.

What did God direct the angels to do? Grab him by the hand and yank him out. That is how the Lord knoweth how to deliver the righteous like he did Lot. I'm so thankful, and I hope this part of this prayer becomes more real to me, that I don't just say it, recite it, that it becomes more real to me. Lord, deliver me, rescue me from evil. The evil one, the evil world, and evil me. And he will. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for your gospel, how we thank you for your deliverance, how we thank you for rescuing us from the evil one, from the evil world and evil self. And Lord, cause this prayer to be in our heart all the time in continual remembrance of our need at all times for you to rescue us. Bless this word for Christ's sake. In his name we pray.