Just A Reminder Pt. 8
Notes
Transcript
Recap
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
Our Father in heaven...
Hollowed be your name
10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And, that leads us into today’s message..
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
The greek word for temptation can also be translated as testing.
We talked about this a long time ago when we talked about Jesus’ time in the wilderness.
We talked about whether He was being tested by God or tempted by the enemy...
We concluded that it was likely a bit of both...
Nonetheless, it seems that temptation is a better translation here than testing...
So, we are to pray that we not be led into temptation
At first glance, it seems really weird for us to pray for the Father not to lead us into a place where we are tempted...
And honestly, I searched many commentaries to figure out why this might be worded this way..
Well, it turns out that it could simply be a translation issue..
In the direct Aramaic translated would be more like “and do not let us succumb to temptation.”
We know that in this life....
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
The enemy wants to steal the truth from us...
And, one of the ways that he is going to do that is through temptation...
He has come to destroy...
The quickest way to destruction is through sin...
If he can separate us from the giver of life and all things good, how quickly we are on the path to destruction
Thus, his greatest weapon is temptation....
He is going to tempt us…
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
We need to be of sober mind so that we can see the enemy coming!
When he tempted Eve, he got her to question the Word of God.
He twisted it and enticed her...
Maybe this is one of the reasons that Paul writes:
2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
The Word of God is what renews our mind...
When we spend time in His word, we are renewed!
However, when we lose focus on the Word of God, and ultimately, the will of God, it is so simple to fall into the broken patterns of sin...
James shares this about temptation
13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
So, if we aren’t continually renewing our mind and focusing on the things that are of God, it is to simple to give into our evil desires, which leads to sin...
So, the enemy challenges us to lose sight on the Word of God and the will of God!
He also uses our desires…as was described of Eve
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
The fruit was pleasing to the eye, and she desired wisdom....
So, she took and ate...
We often times are tempted by the enemy…we are enticed by our desires, and ultimately, succumb to sin...
But, the good news....is Jesus
I love how the writer of Hebrews describes Jesus
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.
We have a high priest who knows exactly what is going on....
He too, was tempted by satan in the wilderness...
But, he countered it…with the word of God...
I was listening to a podcast a while back with two guys and they were talking about sin, particularly lust...
But the one was saying that often times the problem is when we are trying to kill the sin we do so by starving it alone...
The problem with starving it is that it just makes us want it more!
It’s easy to say, as Bob Newhart famously says “Just stop it.”
But, that doesn’t always work...
So, what these guys recommend is yeah you stop the sin, but do you don’t just starve it out, you fill it with something else.... and the pointed to the Word of God...
This goes back to Romans 12:2 we transform our minds by the Word of God.....
We submit those desires to Christ and when temptation comes, we run to be filled with the Word!
So, we have a high priest who helps us!
And, He doesn’t leave us being tempted with sin, but He is the one who provides a way out for us!
13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
So, as we wrap up this morning, are you struggling with a particular sin?
Does it seem like temptation is just too much to bear?
Jesus tells us that we can pray that we do not come to temptation and that we can be delivered from the evil one!
This morning, I challenge you to lay the things you are struggling with at the feet of Jesus...
Lay them at the cross...
Pray for the Lord to help you!
And let the Word renew your mind!
If you want prayer, we are here to pray with you!