Grace Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text today is the Epistle Lesson, especially this verse, "He has rescued me from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen."
Dear friends in Christ. Last week, we watched as 33 Chilean miners were pulled out of a mine in Chile. For 68 days, they had been trapped down there, with no means of escape. They were uncertain if they could ever be rescued. But finally, after weeks of waiting, they were delivered. Finally they were rescued. Finally they could return to their homes and families. Finally their prayers were answered.
Deliver us from Evil. Rescue me from mine enemies. Every time we pray the Lord's prayer, we pray that phrase. Rescue me. Deliver me. And yet we still seem trapped. Every day, it seems our enemies are growing stronger. Every day, it seems that we are awaiting rescue, that we are stuck facing our troubles, and that we cannot escape. Our sin is there, death is around every corner, and the devil is always prowling about like a lion looking to devour us.
But even in the midst of these earthly problems, St. Paul tells us that we have been delivered from the Lion's mouth, that we have been rescued from all our enemies. And it is true,
IN JESUS WE ARE DELIVERED FROM OUR ENEMIES.
Jesus delivers us from evil. Jesus delivers us sin and death. Jesus delivers us through the cross.
To see a good picture of this, we should look at St. Paul as he writes our text today. St. Paul's life was one of suffering and sin, his life was one of pain and sorrow. As a young man, St. Paul had viciously persecuted Christians, having them arrested and even killed for confessing Jesus Christ. He had looked on approvingly as St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr was stoned to death while confessing "Jesus as Lord." But his whole life changed one day as he was headed to persecute more Christians. On the way to Damascus, Jesus came to him, blinding him and asking why Paul was persecuting him. From then on, Paul's whole life would change. Instead of persecuting God's people, he would be the one persecuted. Instead of being God's enemies, he would become the one who needed rescuing.
Paul spent the remainder of his life preaching Christ throughout the Mediterranean. He was arrested, he was beaten, he was persecuted himself, all for believing the Gospel. He boldly took up his cross to follow Jesus, and upon the writing of today's text, he found himself in a Roman Prison, awaiting trial before Caesar, awaiting his own martyrdom and death.
But Paul, even while awaiting his death says, "I have been delivered from the lion's mouth, I have been delivered from every evil." How can this be, Paul? How can you say that? Your enemies have you right where they want you! They are waiting to put you to death, to kill you, to decapitate you. You have been delivered? No Paul, you are going to be martyred.
But in Jesus, Paul actually is delivered. Even as it appears his earthly life is over, he prays the Lord's Prayer, "Deliver us from evil." Paul knows what awaits him. Eternity. Eternity with Jesus. Eternity apart from pain and sorrow, no more crying no more sadness, only Jesus. Paul knows that while the enemies of God can destroy and torture his body, in the end Jesus awaits him. Paul knows his soul belongs to Jesus. How? Because Jesus himself was imprisoned. Jesus himself was beaten, Jesus himself was killed. And in the end, even the grave could not hold Jesus, for Jesus too was raised into eternal life, and Jesus promised Paul that is what awaited him as well.
So what for us Christians today? What is it that awaits us? The same things as did Paul, and as did all Christians throughout time. 1800 years ago, Christians were herded together and run into stadiums where they were eaten by wild animals and lions. But yet "God had delivered them from the lion's mouth." For in their faith they were delivered to heaven. Lord, Deliver us from evil. 1000 years ago, Christians in the Holy land were run out by the Islamic rulers, they were persecuted and surrounded by enemies, but they too prayed, "Deliver us from evil", trusting that in the death of Jesus, they would be rescued.
Even 500 years ago, the church was held in bondage by its own self, persecuted by the idea that one must earn forgiveness through Jesus. But even then, God rescued his church, God delivered it from Evil, as a small group led by Martin Luther pointed back to Jesus as he hung on the cross bleeding and dying and said, there is our salvation, there is our rescue.
And here today, we are surrounded by our enemies. We are surrounded by those who would put to death the Gospel of Christ and those who believe in it. Yes even today, we Christians face the same enemies, Sin, Death and the Devil. We face sin in our lives, as we daily fail to fulfill God's word. Sin as we fall short, sin as we are not good enough. Sin as we deny Jesus. Sin as our thoughts words and deeds, and what we have done and left undone confess our own unworthiness. Sin as we heard last week, of all sorts of false messages that would lead us astray. Sin, as the world forgets its savior, and instead turns to its own desires for comfort.
We face death, death of loved ones, death of friends. We face threats of death as even today, Christians are killed as Stephen was, and as Paul was. We face death as prominent Atheist writers put in their books that it would be better to have religious people exterminated then to let them spread their ideas about Jesus. And behind all of these the Devil still prowls like a lion that is waiting to devour its prey. And so we still pray, "Lord deliver us from evil." Lord rescue me from mine enemies. Lord please.
And while we here in Hankinson, ND might not face physical persecution, I am sure that on some level, we do face criticism for being Christian. People may laugh at us for believing in a God in this age of unbelief. People may criticize us for the language we use. People put us down for "Wasting our time" on something that in their mind doesn't even exist. We too, here in Hankinson, ND also face our enemies, we too are surrounded. And so we also pray, "Lord, deliver us from evil." Rescue me from my enemies.
And he does. Just as Paul writes, "I have been rescued from the mouth of the lion. So too can we confess with certainty, Jesus has rescued me. Jesus has saved me. He has gone to the cross, given up his own life and all that he has "So that I may be his own, and live under him in his kingdom." (small catechism) He has spilt his blood out from his own body, and has poured it upon us in Baptism. He has used his blood to wash away our guilt and our shame. Yes, even as the lion's mouth closes upon us, and as we face death, we can say with St. Paul, "The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom." By the death of Jesus, we are given as the text says, "the crown of righteousness" which Christ will award. Even as we are poured out as an offering, we have that promise and that hope, that in Jesus we are rescued from our enemies.
Deliver us from our enemies is our prayer, and deliver us is exactly what Jesus has done. By his own death and resurrection, Jesus has pulled you out of the mouth of your enemy Satan, who wanted to consume you, and instead has put himself in death's terrible jaws. Where death would overtake you and swallow you up, Jesus took your place. Jesus delivers you, because Jesus takes your place, and gives you life, and life to the full.
And so as we go throughout this world, it appears that our enemies are around every corner, but even then we know that we have been delivered. Yes these enemies may harm our bodies, they may hurt us in our lives, but they cannot take from us the best treasure of all, the treasure of Jesus, the treasure of life in heaven, the treasure of eternity at the face of Jesus. This is our hope, this is our promise, and it is sealed in the blood of God himself made flesh. In Jesus, we are delivered. Amen.
