This week we look at the last petition in the Lord’s Prayer. Here are all seven petitions:
• Petition #1: “Hallowed”: God’s honor
• Petition #2: “Kingdom”: God’s rule
• Petition #3: “Will”: God’s direction
• Petition #4: “Bread”: Providing grace
• Petition #5: “Forgive”: Pardoning grace
• Petition #6: “Lead us”: Preventing grace
• Petition #7: “Deliver us”: Preserving grace
DAY 1
Matthew 6:13 “…but deliver us from evil.”
1. What types of evil do you think Jesus is talking about?
2. In the Greek language, the phrase could also be translated, “from the evil one.” The New Testament identifies three main categories of evil.
• The “world.”
1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
• The “flesh” (our sinful nature)
1 John 2:16 For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world.
• The devil.
1 John 5:18-19 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. 19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
3. Every day, all three sources of evil are “busy” at work to inch you away from God, to get you to make “small” compromises today in order to set us up for big compromises later. Take a few minutes and pray Petition #7 for yourself and those you love…
“…deliver us from evil.”
DAY 2
You have three great enemies: the world, the flesh (your human nature), and the devil. Today we’ll look at the world.
1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world.
1. What do you think John means by:
a. “The world?”
b. “loving” the world?
Galatians 1:4 …the Lord Jesus Christ who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
2. Paul uses the phrase “present evil age.” How is this similar to John’s phrase, “the world?”
James 4:4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?
3. James makes two important points about the world in 4:4. What are they?
4. Understanding these phrases is important. The central idea is one of love and allegiance. If we live for what the world has to offer as our central purpose we have become “friends with the world.”
5. This is illustrated in two ways relationally! See if you can spot them. One is in James 4:4, the other is in James 4:5. Write down the ideas.
6. God considers our putting what the world can give us as primary as adultery! (4:4). He uses the phrase that He “envies intensely” for us. How do these illustrations add to the idea of “friendship with the world?”
7. Jesus uses the phrase “in the world,” “of the world,” “out of the world,” and “into the world.” Underline each phrase and jot down what you think He is saying our role to the world should be.
John 17:14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
DAY 3
You have three great enemies: the world, the flesh (your human nature), and the devil. Today we’ll look at “the flesh,” meaning our sinful nature. Evil emanates from within us!
Matthew 12:33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.
1. How do we know an orange tree is an orange tree? How do we know a lemon tree is a lemon tree and not an orange tree? The simplest way is to test the fruit, and taste the fruit! Whatever we may think of ourselves, the truest test of who we really are can be seen in our deeds and words.
Think back over the last month of your life. What kind of fruit do others see in you in your words? Your deeds? What does your fruit taste like?
2. Our sinful nature expresses itself in many forms. John names three of them in the following verse.
1 John 2:16 For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world.
Jot down one example from your own life for each of these:
* “Cravings of sinful man” –
* “Lust of his eyes” –
* Boasting of what he has and does” –
3. Jesus taught the parable of the sower and the four soils. One of the soils was seed sown among thorns.
Mark 4:18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
Jesus tells three more things that emanate from our sinful hearts. Write down one example of each of these:
* “Worries of this life” –
* “Deceitfulness of wealth” –
* “Desires for other things” –
4. Which of the items you studied today needs your attention? What steps do you need to take?
DAY 4
1. Satan does whatever he can to take you out. What does the following verse say to you?
1 Peter 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, …
2 Corinthians 2:11 … in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
2. For each of the verses below, write down what Satan’s scheme is:
Revelation 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
1 Corinthians 7:5 Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
Matthew 13:19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
3. What helps us overcome Satan and his schemes? Record what scripture says in the verses, below.
1 John 5:4… for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
1 John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
DAY 5
Ephesians 2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
1. Write down his descriptions for each of our evil enemies:
* The world–
* The flesh–
* The devil–
2. A pretty bleak picture! “But” – the next word in the passage, depicts what God has done to help us overcome each of our three evil enemies!!! Write down what God does for us in each of the verses, below:
Ephesians 2:4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
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v. 10-
4. What is our role in dealing with evil? For each verse, write down what our role in overcoming evil is.
2 Timothy 2:22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace…
Romans 13:14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
1 Thessalonians 5:22 Avoid every kind of evil.
Psalms 119:9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
5. You’ve studied, “Deliver us from evil.” Evil shows itself in the world, the flesh, and the devil. What steps do you need to take to overcome the evil around you and in you?
