Lead us Not Into Temptation: Matthew 6:13

What do you think of when you hear the word “Evil”?

i remember when i was a kid, i was at a friends house, and we were watching a scary movie. In this instance, the villain rode a horse… he was an evil guy, and frankly I was freaked out. So one of the parents was driving us all home, it’s pitch black, and we get to my friend Ben’s house. Now, the thing you need to know about Ben is that his grandparents, who he lived with, were horse breeders. So as we drove up his long widing driveway (in the pitch black), you had a bunch of preteens who were absolutely terrified pf what was to come. for Us, Fear was associated with the evil that we witnessed on screen.

And that is so often how our perception of evil works. We associate it with an experience, whether first or second hand. When you think of evil, maybe you think of a specific experience that you’ve walked through, or maybe there’s a moment in history that comes to mind, or like the experience that I shared, maybe it is shaped by some type of fiction.

Scripture has alot to say about evil. Jesus teaches to pray for protection and deliverance from evil, but as we begin the discussion of evil and how it relates to our prayer lives, let’s bring some definition to the term:

Evil: Moral deficiency in a person. The tendency of people to do what is contrary to the will of God

To put this differently- Sin… anything that goes against the moral standards and will of God… is defined as evil. So if we want to really understand evil, it will help us to have a firm grasp of the nature of God.

We come to know the heart of God through the word of God. His will is perfectly understood in the person of Christ:

John 1:14 ESV

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

we can also understand that GODS nature is love (as bryce taught us a few weeks back)

So evil would run directly opposed to what we see in Jesus. It’s selfish, it harms others, and acts Against Godly love. As followers of Jesus, we have to realize that the allure of evil and temptation is something that we actively work against… a metaphor that is commonly used is bringing light to darkness.

The Apostle Paul uses the language of battle when he encourages the church at Ephesus to stay true to God

Ephesians 6:10–12 ESV

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

And this is where the act of prayer comes in. When it comes to recognizing evil and choosing good, let’s be honest, we need help. if we are with Christ, then we have to have an awareness of the schemes of the devil, and consciously and prayerfully battle evil each and every single day.

So- how does Jesus teach us to pray against evil?

Matthew 6:13 “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

The most Pressing question in this text:

Does God Tempt People To Sin?

Depending on what version of scripture you read, the way that the first clause is worded could lead one to believe that He does. I find that as we answer this fundamental question about the nature of God, we are led to a better understanding of what we are praying when we repeat this final verse of the prayer. Let’s look for help elsewhere in scripture, specifically to the book of James.

James 1:2–4 ESV

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

It is safe to say that God uses difficult trials (remember, the trouble that we face is usually going to involve sin, Regardless if the source is you or another). so does this tell us that he orchestrates situations that give Us opportunity to sin in Order to provide further growth?James is quick to answer our exact question:

James 1:13–15 ESV

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Let’s examine the difference between two words: Trial and Temptation

It is clear through scripture that we will face trials- the testing of our faith that reveal our character and motives in life.

Every challenge that we face in life presents us with a choice/crossroad:

-When we face offences, we have the choice to forgive or resent

-When we envision the lure to sin, we can follow through or resist

-When we fall ill or suffer we can blame God, abandon God or lean in to our faith And depend on God.

Hard times are some of the most revelatory times in our lives, and just like James says- they build us towards Christlikeness, and even if we don’t excecute a perfect response… because we won’t, God still builds and transforms us through them… that’s the very nature of growth.

but there is one mistake that we don’t want to make:

Even though God can use anything for His glory, He will never entice people to sin.

It is impossible for God to lure people into sin. That is not in line with His nature, and therefore He cannot do it.

All temptation, evil and sin comes from Satan. His primary objective is to lure people away from God using deception, temptation, and any other means to do so.

So when we face temptation and succumb to it, it is a lethal combination of the allure of temptation that is rooted in evil, and the imagination of humans giving over to the belief that satisfaction can be found anywhere but God.

So if we are to engage with the battle of sin- then the responsibility of human beings is to submit our desires to the will and character of God and to be aware of the fact that there will be moments where we are swayed to go against that.

Now- you may be saying “Yes, I understand the difference between a trial and a temptation in definition, but how does it work?”

Here’s the key:

God can use everything, including sin, to accomplish His will.

Even though God cannot and does not cause temptation, he sure can use it.

If we are on this journey towards Christlikeness, then I think we can say that we learn the most about our nature through two things:

-Our Struggles

-Our failure

God is abundant in His mercy and grace. At the cross, he bore the sins of mankind so that all could encounter life for now and eternity in the presence of a loving God.

We use the term “gift” when we talk about salvation because it is not by any work that you can do to free yourself from the bondage of sin- but it is all by the work of Christ.

So one thing that you need to realize is that even in your deepest failures, God’s priority is still that you are in union with Him, and He has made it clear that no failure or temptation has the final word over your eternity.

Romans 8:37–39 ESV

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We’ve already acknowledged that Christians are entrenched in a battle between good and evil- but the beauty of this comes when we realize how little authority Evil has over God… The answer is none!

So in spite of the fact that we face trials and temptations of various kinds- we have absolute assurance that when we make God our priority, that we win.

You have complete and total victory over evil in Christ.

God, in his mercy makes your sins clear so that you can be open to the gift of grace that He has for you. Always remember that it isn’t “when we got it all figured out, Christ died for us”. No- it was “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.

So we know that we will face trials, we know that we face temptation and we know that we can overcome them in Christ… So let’s get back to that specific prayer instruction.

Matthew 6:13 ESV

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

So when we pray this, in no way are we asking that God resists luring us into temptation to sin. We know that He won’t do this.

But we look at both clauses as a complete statement.

Lord- I know that I will face temptation. I know that there will be a number of ways that the enemy will try to twist and distort the messaging to try and lure me away from you- but help me to stand firm.

Theologian Darryl Johnson offers his thoughts on this statement:

“What is Jesus teaching us to pray? I think it’s this: Father, as you lead us into the test, do not let the test become a temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” -Darrell Johnson

God will allow trial, but through your trial, he honours faithfulness.

It’s been said that Martin Luther spoke about starting every day with “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” and ended it with “forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors”

I so appreciate that because it implies that every day, whether large or small, God will allow us to face trials that reveal our nature.

And because of that, every day, we need a fresh dose of His mercy.

As human beings, we are creatures of progress- and each one of us needs to become intensely familiar with the highs And lows of following Christ.

Eugene Peterson titled one of His devotional series “every step an arrival” which I love because that helps us grasp what life is like with God.

As we face these trials of various kinds, we see opportunity for growth and connection, even if that requires us (which it usually does) to seek forgiveness and transformation.

So where do we need help?

Whetherr you us the language of protection, deliverance or rescue- we need God’s help as there are active efforts being made to sever the ties of connection between you and the Father.

The Evil one is actively seeking to destroy your faith.

-He will speak lies over your identity in Christ

-He will speak lies over your standing with God

-He will speak lies over the word of God

-He will constantly seek to thwart your acceptance and freedom that Christ has so lovingly paid for on the cross.

Although he is unable to defeat God, he is going to do his absolute best To have You walk away from His presence.

So this calls us to lean in.

in this day, as we inevitably face trials and temptation, may we recognize our need for the God of mercy to use even the hardest circumstances for His good. May we remember that no temptation is strong enough to overpower God. And finally, may we enter into battle each day with the posture that regardless of what we face, I want to glorify God in all that I say and do.