3/5/2023 - Lead

(Opening Prayer)

Matthew 6:9b–13 (ESV)

9b ...“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 this day our daily bread,

12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

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

(Sermon Introduction)

Today we continue our “Teach Us To Pray” Series, focusing on the Lord’s Prayer as recorded in Matthew 6.

We want to take an expository look at the most famous prayer ever recorded.

To begin today I have entitled the sermon, “Lead.”

(Lord’s Prayer Context)

Matthew records what is commonly referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer,” here in Matthew 6.

Truthfully, this prayer should be called, “The Disciple’s Prayer” as it really flows from the disciples lips to the Lord.

We call it “The Lord’s Prayer” because the Lord Jesus gave it to them.

It is also important to note that this style of prayer was actually quite common in Jewish circles of the day.

What is unique however is the interpretation and teaching that Jesus shares with it.

Matthew 6 is not the only place we see this prayer recorded.

It is also recorded in Luke 11.

We understand that these times were most likely not the only times that Jesus taught these things to the people and to His disciples.

(Gospel of Matthew Context)

We know that the focus of Matthew’s gospel is the teachings of Jesus.

His focus was not on the chronological nature of Jesus’ ministry.

But having started with what we refer to as “The Beatitudes,” in Matthew 5, Jesus takes the people on a journey of discovering what a true disciple looks like.

At one point, Jesus’ Disciples asked Jesus, “Teach Us To Pray,” to which Jesus responds with a phrase: “Pray like this.”

Jesus then begins to recite what has become the most famous prayer ever spoken.

We have already preached concerning:

“...When You Pray…Pray like this:” (Mt. 6:5-8)

“...Our Father in heaven...” (Mt. 6:9b)

“...Hallowed Be Your Name...” (Mt. 6:9c)

“Your Kingdom come...” (Mt. 6:10a)

“Your Will Be Done” (Mt. 6:10b)

“On Earth As It Is In Heaven” (Mt. 6:10c)

“Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread” (Mt. 6:11)

“and forgive us our debts,” (Mt. 6:12a)

“as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Mt. 6:12b)

Today we are focusing on:

“And lead us not into temptation” (Mt. 6:13a)

(Sermon Tension)

This statement fosters some questions:

What does “lead us not into temptation” mean?

Who tempts us?

The

Matthew 6:13a (ESV)

13 And lead us not into temptation, ...

J. I. Packer (Praying the Lord’s Prayer, #11.)

After prayer for provender and pardon comes a cry for protection, our third basic need.

The sentence has two halves: “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (either sin or trouble or both, or “the evil one” who manipulates trouble to induce sin).

Both halves, however, express a single thought: “Life is a spiritual minefield; amid such dangers we dare not trust ourselves; Father, keep us safe.”

Here the Lord’s Prayer links up with the view of life that runs through the Psalms.

The realism, self-distrust, and humble dependence on God that breathes through this petition is something we all need to learn.

James 1:2–15 (ESV)

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,

3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation,

10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away.

11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

13 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.

14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

This request may appear to contradict James 1:13, which states that God would never tempt anyone.

However, God does allow His people to be tested and tried.

This petition expresses a healthy distrust of one’s own ability to resist temptations or to stand up under trial.

It acknowledges complete dependence on the Lord for preservation.

1. Our Father Does Not Tempt Us, He Tests Us

Temptation / πειρασμός / Peirasmos

N. masc. sing. test, trial, temptation, enticement to sin.

Describes a trial or temptation, as well as the act of testing God.

The noun peirasmos is related to the verb πειράζω (peirazō, “to test”).

It can be used to describe the trial of a person’s integrity (1 Pet 1:6; 4:12) or the testing of God by humans (Heb 3:8).

It can also denote the occurrence of a trial or temptation that can be an occasion to sin, whether arising from internal desires or outward forces (e.g., Matt 6:13; Mark 14:38; 1 Cor 10:13; Jas 1:12; Rev 3:10).

Sun Hee Kim, “Testing,” ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Theological Wordbook, Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).

The thought that God may lead Christians into temptation, as the first clause assumes, has puzzled and shocked many people.

Things grow clearer, however, once we see what temptation means here.

“Test” or “trial”—that is, a situation that reveals how far you are able to go right and avoid going wrong—is the idea behind the word.

(Driving Test Illustration)

The driving test, which (believe it or not) is designed to enable you to show that you can do everything right, is a “temptation” in this sense.

Now, any educational or training program must include testing for gauging progress, and the experience of taking and passing such tests can be very encouraging to the trainee.

In God’s program for the spiritual education and growth of Christians, the same applies.

God does and must test us regularly, to prove what is in us and to show how far we have come.

His purpose in this is constructive, to strengthen us and help us forward.

J. I. Packer (Praying the Lord’s Prayer, #11.)

After prayer for provender and pardon comes a cry for protection, our third basic need.

The sentence has two halves: “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (either sin or trouble or both, or “the evil one” who manipulates trouble to induce sin).

Both halves, however, express a single thought: “Life is a spiritual minefield; amid such dangers we dare not trust ourselves; Father, keep us safe.”

Here the Lord’s Prayer links up with the view of life that runs through the Psalms.

The realism, self-distrust, and humble dependence on God that breathes through this petition is something we all need to learn.

Luke 4:1–15 (ESV)

1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness

2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.

3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’ ”

5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time,

6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.

7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.”

8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ ”

9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,

10 for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’

11 and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”

12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country.

15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

2. Our Father Is Faithful to Guide Us

Why, then, if temptation is beneficial, should we ask to be spared it?

For three reasons.

First, whenever God tests us for our good, Satan, “the tempter,” tries to exploit the situation for our ruin (1 Peter 5:8).

Praying the Lord’s Prayer No Picnic

Jesus knew from his wilderness experience how mean and cunning Satan is, and wished no one to underestimate him or to court a meeting with him.

Praying the Lord’s Prayer No Picnic

Second, the pressures in times of trial can be so appalling that no sane Christian can do other than shrink from them,

Praying the Lord’s Prayer No Picnic

Third, knowledge of our own proven weakness, thickheadedness, and all-around vulnerability in spiritual matters, and of the skill with which Satan exploits our strong and weak points alike, mixing frontal assaults on our Christian integrity with tactics of infiltration and ambush, so that while avoiding one hazard we constantly fall victim to another, compels us to cry, in humility and self-distrust, “Lord, if it be possible, please, no temptation! I don’t want to risk damaging myself and dishonoring you by falling!”

Satan Can Be Resisted

James 4:7 (ESV)

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Temptation may be our lot, but only a fool will make it his preference; others will heed Paul’s warning to the spiritually reckless:

1 Corinthians 10:12–13 (ESV)

12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

God Provides A Way Out

John 17:15 (ESV)

15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

Praying the Lord’s Prayer (Watch and Pray)

When Jesus found his disciples asleep in Gethsemane, he said, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into [that is, start yielding to] temptation; the spirit indeed is willing [to do God’s will], but the flesh [human nature] is weak” (Matthew 26:41).

We must appreciate that the test of sincerity and realism in saying “lead us not into temptation” is readiness to “watch and pray,” lest we fall victim to the enemy’s schemes.

“Watch” suggests a soldier on guard, alert for the first signs of enemy attack.

We watch against temptation by noting what situation, company, and influences expose us to it, and avoiding them whenever we can.

As I have quoted before, “you can’t keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from nesting in your hair” (Martin Luther).

Find out what is fire for you, and don’t play with it!

2 Thessalonians 3:3 (ESV)

3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.

2 Peter 2:9 (ESV)

9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,

Jesus Christ Has Won the Victory

1 Corinthians 15:55–58 (ESV)

55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Charles Wesley

I want a godly fear,

A quick-discerning eye

That looks to thee when sin is near

And sees the tempter fly;

A spirit still prepared

And armed with jealous care,

For ever standing on its guard

And watching unto prayer.

(Response)

(Invite the Worship Team and the Prayer Team)

J. I. Packer (Praying the Lord’s Prayer, #11.)

So do not be unrealistic in not budgeting for temptation, nor foolhardy enough to court it; but when it comes, do not doubt God’s power to deliver from the evil it brings, and to “keep you from stumbling” (Jude 24) as you pick your way through it.

When you are not conscious of temptation, pray “lead us not into temptation,” and when you are conscious of it, pray “deliver us from evil,” and you will live.

Resisting Satan Brings Reward

Revelation 2:7 (ESV)

7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

Revelation 2:17 (ESV)

17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

Revelation 2:26 (ESV)

26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations,

Revelation 3:5 (ESV)

5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.

Revelation 3:12 (ESV)

12 The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.

Revelation 3:21 (ESV)

21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Jesus Christ is Our Victory

Revelation 12:11 (ESV)

11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

(Closing Tension)

What temptation are you entertaining?

What is the enemy working in your life that you need to resist and give to the Lord?

How is God testing you at this moment?

Are you passing the test?

Are you relying on Him to guide you into victory?

Lead:

Our Father Does Not Tempt Us, He Tests Us.

Our Father is Faithful to Guide Us.

Lead Us…“God is faithful to guide His children.”

Not into temptation…“God will test us, Satan will tempt us.”

(Response Card)

1. What did you hear? (Blank Lines)

2. How will you live it out? (Blank Lines)

3. Who will you share it with? (Blank Lines)

4. Who are you discipling? (Blank Lines)

5. What are you praying for? (Blank Lines)

6. How has God answers your prayers? (Blank Lines)

(Closing)