Lead Us
Before we get into today’s message, I want to say thanks to everyone who helped with City Serve yesterday. City Serve is a time when we come together as a church to serve our city, and yesterday we served at Choices women’s clinic, which helps women make informed pregnancy decisions. But we also served at Residing Hope Children’s Home, which helps children in Florida who’ve been exposed to trauma such as physical abuse, abandonment, or family breakdown. Thanks for being a church that’s willing to take your faith from the seats to the streets. But every day is an opportunity to do that, it’s an opportunity to live out our code to love the few so we can love the many. Every day is an opportunity to love a few people so well, that they can’t ignore the love of Jesus for their lives. Let’s keep doing that, so we can keep Reaching People and Reaching The World with the life-transforming message of Jesus.
Now as for today we’re continuing our 5 week teaching series on The Lord’s Prayer. We’re studying a time when Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, so we can learn how to pray like Jesus taught them to pray. It isn’t the only way to pray, but it is the greatest example and model we have for prayer. So each week we’re studying a different part of The Lord’s Prayer, and this week we’re studying the part where Jesus teaches us to pray about temptation...He teaches us to pray about temptation, specifically for the Father to lead us and deliver us from temptation. This is important because both skeptics and believers struggle with temptation. We might have different temptations, but we all struggle with temptations. We all struggle with resisting certain things we know aren’t good for us and our relationships. So let’s see what Jesus says when it comes to praying about our temptations. Let’s turn to Matthew Ch. 6 and get into it. If you open your Bible to the middle and keep turning right, you’ll find Matthew. We’ll be in Matthew 6:9-13 and James 1:13-15. The title of the message is Lead Us, and the big idea of the message is that Jesus teaches us to pray for the Father to lead us and deliver us...Jesus teaches us to pray for the Father to lead us and deliver us...
Here’s your context. The Lord’s Prayer is recorded in two places in the Bible, the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke. We’re studying Matthew’s record because it’s a little more detailed than Luke’s. But what’s interesting is Luke’s record says Jesus is teaching this prayer because one of his disciples asked him how to pray. So the implication is that prayer is something we need to learn. If we need to be taught to pray, then it means prayer is something we need to learn. It’s something we need to grow in. The reality is we all struggle with prayer, we all have room to grow in prayer, and Jesus is about to teach us to pray about temptation. Let’s check it out.
Matthew 6:9-13 states, “You should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation...” Something I’ve mentioned throughout this series is that in the first half of this prayer, Jesus is teaching us to give adoration to the Father. But in the second half of this prayer, he’s teaching us to ask for requests from the Father. We’ve already discussed our requests for daily bread and daily needs. We’ve already discussed our requests for forgiveness of our sins and for help with forgiving others of their sins. But now we’re discussing our requests regarding our temptations. Jesus is teaching us to pray for the Father to lead us not into temptation.
Now this can be confusing, because it almost sounds like he’s saying the Father leads us into temptation, so we need to pray for the Father to lead us not into temptation. But that isn’t what Jesus is saying, because in the original Greek manuscripts the word temptation can also be translated as trials or tests. Well what happens when you’re facing trials and tests? You start facing temptations...When you’re facing trials and tests, you start facing temptations...When life is heavy and hard, you become weak and vulnerable. When life is discouraging and exhausting, your temptations become more attractive and appealing. So Jesus is teaching us to pray, “Father don’t let me face my trials, my tests, my temptations without your protection.” This is really about us admitting our willpower isn’t strong enough to resist sin’s power. It’s about admitting our need for the Father’s guidance and protection when we’re facing trials, tests, and temptations. It’s about admitting our hearts are far too easily prone to wander like the old hymn says: “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love.” As the great theologian Martin Luther said, “It’s true that God tempts no one. But what we ask in this prayer is for God to preserve and keep us, so the devil, the world, and our flesh won’t deceive us.” City Awakening where is your heart prone to wander, prone to being deceived?...Where is your heart flirting with temptation instead of praying about temptation?...Jesus is saying don’t flirt with temptation, pray about temptation. He’s saying pray for the Father to lead and protect your wandering heart from giving into temptation. This isn’t about us praying for strength to lead ourselves. It’s about us praying for the Father to lead us because we often fail at leading ourselves, especially when it comes to facing temptation.
Again vs. 13, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Notice Jesus says we need to pray for the Father to deliver us from the evil one. Many translations say deliver us from evil, but a better translation of the original Greek is evil one. I say that because the Greek word for evil is pomeron, which is considered a neutered, singular noun. But the Greek word Jesus uses here is poneros, which is considered a masculine, singular noun. That’s important because it means Jesus is telling us to pray to be delivered not from something, but from someone... He’s telling us to pray to be delivered not from something evil, but from someone he calls the evil one, and that someone is Satan. Jesus says in John 8:44, “He’s a liar and the father of lies.” He’s the father of lies who wants to tempt you so you’ll turn away from the Father of Truth. I know some people are like, “Oh Satan isn’t real. He’s just a metaphor, a personification of evil.” But if Satan’s just a metaphor, then how does he know your weaknesses?...How does he know exactly when and how to tempt you?...The reason he knows exactly when and how to tempt you is because he’s real, not a metaphor. Jesus talks about Satan as a real person calling him the evil one. He tells us we need to pray for the Father to lead us and deliver us NOT from evil, but from the evil one.
Now that’s the last line in The Lord’s Prayer. I know some of us are used to The Lord’s Prayer ending with the statement, “For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever amen.” But that isn’t a part of the original manuscripts. It’s something many Christians adopted several years later, and there’s nothing wrong with praying that, because it’s theologically true. I just want you to be aware that it isn’t a part of Jesus’ original teaching. The Lord’s Prayer ends with “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” It ends with Jesus teaching us to pray for the Father’s guidance when facing temptations, but also for deliverance when facing the evil one. We need to stay closely connected with the Father, because Satan’s looking to devour us like it says in 1st Peter 5:8, “Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.” Jesus knows this, which is why he’s teaching us to pray for the Father’s help. But I also want to look at what Jesus’ little brother (James) says about this, because he gives us some insights on dealing with temptation and the evil one too. So let’s turn to James 1:13-15 and see what he says about temptation and the evil one.
James 1:13-15 states, “No one undergoing a trial should say, ‘I’m being tempted by God,’ since God isn’t tempted by evil, and he doesn’t tempt anyone.” (James) says God doesn’t tempt anyone, and it’s because it’s against God’s good and holy character to tempt us. That’s why when Jesus teaches us to pray lead us not into temptation, it couldn’t possibly mean we need to pray for the Father to stop tempting us. We don’t need to pray that because the Father doesn’t tempt anyone. It’s against his character to tempt us. But if you notice (James) also says we shouldn’t ever blame God for our sins. We shouldn’t be like, “Well if you didn’t allow me to be tempted, then I wouldn’t have sinned. So it’s not my fault, it’s your fault for allowing me to be tempted.” We can’t say that, because the Father doesn’t tempt us or force us to sin. The Father’s sovereign and in control of this world, but he also allows us to make free will decisions, which leads to the birth of sin and death.
Now there are 3 primary views regarding God’s sovereignty and human free will. The 1st is the doctrine of random contingency, which believes our free will decisions are random without any purpose. The 2nd is the doctrine of fatalistic determinism, which believes we don’t have free will because everything is already fatalistically determined. The 3rd is the doctrine of concurrence, which believes we make free will decisions, but those decisions aren’t above God’s sovereign decisions. It’s the belief that God’s 100% in control, while at the same time giving humanity 100% free will, and both are working together to accomplish God’s sovereign plans. The doctrine of concurrence views God more like a director in a play than a puppeteer. God isn’t dangling us around like puppets on a string; he’s directing us like a director in a play! He’s such a great director, that he allows us the freedom to ad-lib a little, while also making sure the play ends according to his plans. And just like a great director gives direction and correction to actors, the Father gives direction and correction to us, so our free will ad-libbing doesn’t destroy us. We have many examples of concurrence in the bible, but none of random contingency or fatalistic determinism. The greatest example of concurrence is the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus as the director knew he’d be crucified, he allowed men to make evil free will decisions to crucify him, but it was all a part of his greater sovereign plan for the forgiveness of our sins. So like (James) said, God doesn’t tempt anyone, but he does allow us to make free will decisions, which leads to the birth of sin and death.
Vs. 14, “But each person is tempted when he’s drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire.” Some translations say we’re lured away, which is fishing language. (James) is saying facing temptation is a lot like fishing. When you’re being tempted, you’re being drawn away, lured away, enticed, and the bait is your own evil desires. It’s a lot like fishing, because if you go fishing, you need the right bait, the right lure to catch the right fish. When you have the right bait, you cast the line, the fish takes the bait, and the fish gets hooked. That’s what it’s like being tempted. The evil one Satan knows what bait to tempt you with, and if you take the bait you’ll get hooked. So (James) is saying don’t take the bait...When you’re being tempted don’t take the bait, don’t get hooked...Instead of taking the bait, pray for the Father to lead and deliver you from the evil one. Pray for the Father to give you a way out of the temptation like it says in 1stCorinthians 10:13, “With the temptation, he’ll provide the way of escape…” Sometimes the way of escape comes through recalling a bible verse. Sometimes it comes through a family member or friend warning us. Sometimes it comes through the Holy Spirit warning, “Don’t do that, don’t click on that, don’t take the bait, because you’ll get hooked.” City Awakening the Father won’t ever lead you to a lake where there isn’t a canal to escape in. So when you’re being tempted it means it’s time to pray and find the canal. It means Satan’s baited the hook, and you can either take the bait or take the canal. If you take the bait, you’ll get hooked and give birth to sin and death which he mentions next.
Again vs. 14, “But each person is tempted when he’s drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. 15 Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.” He’s saying temptations will come to flirt with you, to wink at you. If you flirt back, if you wink back at the idea of it, the urge will get stronger until you eventually give in and conceive. (James) says you’ll conceive, you’ll sleep with your temptation, and you’ll give birth to sin and death in your life. In the words of the 17th-century Puritan John Owen, “Be killing sin, or it will be killing you.” You need to be killing sin, or it will be killing you and your relationships. But the good news of the Gospel is it’s never too late to ask Jesus to resurrect your life again. It’s never too late to repent for your sins and believe Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins. It’s never too late to ask him to take the hook out of your mouth and resurrect your life again. Every sin begins with a flirt, with a wink back at your temptation, and (James) is saying to pray, not flirt. You need to pray and take the Father’s escape, not the evil one’s bait. You need to pray, “Father, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
Now like I said that’s the last line in The Lord’s Prayer, and a simple way to remember the different elements of The Lord’s Prayer is to think Triple A Prayer. It’s adoration, admitting, and asking. When you pray give adoration and praise to the Father. Then start admitting your sins to the Father. Then start asking the Father to forgive you, lead you, and deliver you, but also to provide whatever is best for any requests you have. It’s called AAA Prayer, and you can find other similar models, but none of them matter if you aren’t making time to pray. So my suggestion is to start with brief prayers, not long prayers. Schedule time to pray for 5 minutes, three times a day, in the morning, afternoon, and evening. John Wesley trained himself to pray every hour on the hour, because he wanted to start his day with the Lord and continue his day with the Lord. If we schedule time to pray 5 minutes, three times a day, it’ll help us start and continue our day with the Lord too. There are even apps you can download like EchoPrayer, which can keep track of the things you’re praying for, and also sends you reminders to pray throughout the day. As a church we’re about to start 21 days of prayer and fasting, and we’ve created prayer guides with brief prayer prompts so we can be praying for specific things together as a church. We’ll tell you how to get those prayer guides later, but the purpose is for us to be a praying church. It’s for us to live out our prayer code, which is to make prayer our first response, and our continual response.
The big idea of the message is Jesus teaches us to pray for the Father to lead us and deliver us...Jesus teaches us to pray for the Father to lead us and deliver us from temptation and the evil one, because the evil one is real. The bait is real. The hook is real...So when temptation winks this week and the bait looks shiny, pray don’t flirt!...Pray don’t flirt, don’t take the bait, so you don’t get hooked!...If you’re defeated and discouraged over taking the bait too many times, remember Jesus didn’t die on the cross because you didn’t take the bait; he died on the cross because you did! If you’re willing to repent of your sins and believe he died on the cross for your sins, then he’s willing to take the hook out of your mouth and resurrect your life again! If you stumble in sin again, fall on your knees to pray again! If you stumble in sin again, run to the Father to pray again! It’s never too late to repent, never too late to return, never too late to be restored and resurrected back to life again! So run to the Father, pray to the Father, and let him resurrect your life again!...