THE SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
July 3, 2005
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
The Rev. M. Anthony Seel, Jr.
Matthew 6:13
"Deliverance from Satan’s Influence"
It has been nearly 30 years since Psychiatrist M. Scott Peck wrote his bestseller, The Road Less Traveled, and it was well-received and widely praised by critic and public alike. Roughly a decade later, Peck wrote another bestseller that was less well received by the critics. People of the Lie received fewer reviews than The Road Less Traveled, and the reviews it did receive were generally more critical.
Dr. Peck says that he began writing People of the Lie from a perspective that was in agreement with “99 percent of psychiatrists and the majority of clergy, I did not think the devil existed.” He goes on to say, “Still, priding myself on being an open-minded scientist, I felt I had to examine the evidence that might challenge my inclination in the matter. It occurred to me that if I could see one good old-fashioned case of possession I might change my mind.” [p. 182]
Through fifteen years of psychiatric counseling, Peck had not seen anything that made him even consider the demonic, and then there came George, who told Peck that he had made a pact with the devil. That certainly got his psychiatrist’s attention! After George, Peck met Charlene. He was Charlene’s psychiatrist for three years before he realized that her most pressing problem was the evil in her heart that she would not release. Peck came to believe in the demonic based on his practice of psychiatry.
Whether the term used is exorcism or deliverance, the goal is the same: ridding people of demonic influences or possession. George and Charlene needed to be delivered from the evil that resided within them, and neither was willing to submit to such treatment.
In his new book, Glimpses of the Devil: A Psychiatrist’s Personal Accounts of Possession, Exorcism, and Redemption, Peck relates two exorcisms that he was involved with in the 1980s. Peck said in a recent interview, "They were two of the most extraordinary experiences of my life. I just felt as I got older I could not go to my grave taking these stories with me." [The Salt Lake Tribune, 7/2/05]
Asked in another interview, “Where should we focus our greatest fear of evil, on the Devil or on the evil in human hearts?” Peck responded, “On the evil in human hearts. Given the dynamics of narcissism and laziness, I suspect most people don’t need Satan to recruit them to evil. They’re quite capable of recruiting themselves.” [Christianity Today, 1/24/05]
While this is true, consider the renunciation that we make in our liturgy for baptism. We are asked, “Do you renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God.” What do we mean by these words?
In the prayer that our Lord has taught is the petition, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” What do these words mean for us? This is the subject today for us from the Lord’s Prayer.
One thing that is clear from the gospels is that Jesus Christ was keenly aware of the spiritual battle that He was engaged in on earth as He accomplished the will of His Father. Jesus understood that His real enemy was never people, it was always the cosmic powers of the present darkness of this world. As long as Jesus was doing the will of His Father, He knew that He would face persecution and suffering. As He explained, darkness hates light. Light exposes darkness, and so, darkness seeks to blot out light. The gospel exposes the evil of this world, and evil ruthlessly fights against this exposure.
Given what Jesus had to say about Satan and the demonic forces in this world, we can be sure that He understood, as He would want us to understand, the destructive and vicious nature of the forces that were arrayed against His work on earth. But more importantly, He knew the power of living in obedience to and trust of His Father in Heaven. Before we go any further, let’s be clear that if you are a Christian believer, if Jesus Christ lives and reigns in your heart, there is nothing in this world that you must fear. He who is in you is greater than any power in this world. Even so, this obviously doesn’t mean that you will never face temptations or testings
A few years ago, I met a missionary couple who served with Operation Mobilization. They were in port at Tampa, Florida on one of the ships that O.M. uses for evangelism and church leadership training. They told me about their wrestling with their call to missionary work and how badly things were going for them as they considered whether or not God was leading them to serve with Operation Mobilization. I remember their words very well. They said that when they encountered the greatest opposition, they were surest that they were doing God’s will.
Many times we believe the exact opposite. When we encounter problems and obstacles, we often wonder why God is putting us through all this. But, it is not God who leads us into temptation or trials; it is the evil one who does so. Jesus is not suggesting that we pray for no temptations or trials in this life; He is praying that God would keep us from anything that would destroy our faith. To this end, Jesus gives the next phrase, “But deliver us from evil.”
Walter Wink of Auburn Seminary in New York City, who is far from being a fundamentalist or evangelical, says that
…if you want to bring all talk to a halt in shocked embarrassment,
every eye riveted on you, try mentioning angels, or demons, or the
devil. You will be quickly appraised for signs of pathological
violence and then quietly shunned. [Unmasking the Powers, p. 1]
It is socially dangerous to admit to belief in demonic spiritual powers, but we can see throughout the gospels that Jesus had no problem talking about them. Wink explains why it is so odd to speak of a spiritual source for evil today, saying
Nothing commends Satan to the modern mind. It is bad enough
that Satan is spirit, when our worldview had banned spirit from
discourse and belief. But worse, he is evil, and our culture
resolutely refuses to believe in the real existence of evil,
preferring to regard it as a kind of systems breakdown that can
be fixed with enough tinkering. [ibid., p. 9]
It isn’t fashionable to speak of the devil in many circles, but there is an increasing interest in some places. As eastern and new age religions take firmer root in America, there is a growing body of believers in demonic powers. Muslims and Hindus have no problem believing in the reality of an evil spiritual force. As Anglican Michael Green observes, “It would be broadly true to say that disbelief in the devil is a characteristic only of materialistic Western Christendom.” [I Believe in Satan’s Downfall, p. 17]
All followers of Jesus Christ can and should be assured that God will protect His faithful from evil. God does not lead us into temptation, as the older English version of the Lord’s Prayer suggests. God does allow trials in our lives, as the more contemporary version suggests with the wording, “Save us from the time of trial.”
Our series booklet identifies two areas of deliverance that are relevant to all Christian believers. The first refers to the first phrase of this petition - deliverance from temptation.
About trials and temptations, the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Corinth, saying,
No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. (1 Cor. 10:13)
There is nothing that God allows to happen to you that you and God together can’t handle. You may need the support of others, but God has provided others for you as well. You will not be pushed beyond your capacity to endure or escape. You can be sure of that. If you feel that you are in over your head, look for the way out that God has given you. As our booklet reminds us, even Jesus prayed for deliverance.
The second area refers to the second phrase of the petition - deliverance from evil or the Evil One. First, Scripture is clear that there is a personal spiritual force of evil that the Bible calls Satan, the adversary of God. There are spiritual forces of wickedness that work with the adversary of God to destroy this world. As C.S. Lewis says, belief in Satan and demons,
agrees with the plain sense of Scripture, the tradition of Christendom,
and the beliefs of most men at most times. And it conflicts with nothing
that any of the sciences has shown to be true. (Screwtape Letters, vii)
Satan and other demonic forces are not equal to God, nor can they exercise any power over any of us that we cannot repel with the help of God, a help, by the way, that God is always willing to give. God is faithful, and the time that we spend in Bible reading and prayer will help us to overcome the temptations and trials of this world.
I recognize that there are at least four dangers inherent in preaching about evil. First, it is possible that some have completely tuned out because I take seriously the reality of spiritual evil. A second danger is a devil made me do it irresponsibility that others might adopt. A third danger is an awareness of the spiritual realm that leads to fear. A fourth danger is demonizing others.
Most of our personal problems are probably not attributable to spiritual evil. Most of our difficulties are more likely caused by our own failings, doubts, or ignorance. Or they could be the result of the sinful behavior of others, including the evil that is unfortunately built into our human networks of relationships. Whatever it is that you face, please know that God is with you, and with God’s help you will make it through. We in this parish stand together in the glorious but demanding work of overcoming the evil of this world.
God is good, and He does promise to save us from the ill effects of the temptations and trials of this world. God’s power for His people is released when we pray, and Jesus has given us the model prayer. Can we trust that the God who has called us to Himself is also the God who delights in our prayers and is ready to answer them?
Let us pray.
Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
