Lead Us, Deliver Us

Recap

This is our 7th session of the study through the Lord’s Prayer, or what I like to refer to it as - the Model Prayer. We have learned several things from this study.

We have learned that:

God is our Father

He is good

He is powerful

We are to worship God

We must seek His kingdom

Righteousness

Peace

Joy

Power

We must seek His will

We must fully depend on Him for our needs and wants

We must regularly confess our sins to God

These are essential parts of our regular prayer time with God. We also focused last week on the fact that Jesus laid these things out in a strategic order. The goal of the strategy is not to “get what we want,” but to draw us nearer to God, to see Him in the light of His glory, and then be able to see how powerless we are without Him. When we focus on Him, then it is easy to see our dependence on Him and easy to see how dark our sin really is when we come to confess it.

Today, we will study the next phrase, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

So as we jump into our phrase of the week today, let’s do it in the same way that we have for the last several weeks, by reading the Model Prayer together.

Matthew 6:9–13 (KJV 1900)

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Tragic, but Not Unpredictable

“It is a tragic thing, but not unpredictable.” These were the words of Tom Smith, a researcher with the Alaska Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey. He spoke these words in regards to the fatal incident encountered by Timothy Treadwell and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard. The name ‘Timothy Treadwell’ may not ring a bell for you, but his nickname might. Timothy Treadwiell was known more commonly as “Grizzly Man.” He was a naturist who spent 13 summers living with the grizzly bears in Alaska. Over these thirteen years, he repeatedly violated the national park service’s guidelines and regulations. Treadwell spent much of his time in Alaska in very close proximity to grizzly bears, so close that he filmed himself touching them and even playing with bear cubs. He would even give them names, and often would find that upon hes return visits, he would encounter many of the same bears he had in the past. Timothy Treadwell repeatedly wrote and said that he felt he was building relationships with these bears that were learning to trust him. One of his missions was to dispel from people’s minds the idea that grizzly bears are ‘blood-thirsty, maniacal animals.’ His books and documentaries landed him interviews with news stations and night show hosts. In 2003, he took his girlfriend with him to the place he had been going for 12 summers, Katmai National Park in Alaska.

It was found that the day before they were supposed to return home, both Timothy and Amie were mauled to death by a couple of bears. An audio recording about 6 minutes long was the only witness to the gruesome event that occured on October 5th, 2003.

The investigation that followed would later reveal that Treadwell had felt uncomfortable around the bears, especially one that he had name “The Big Red Machine,” one of the same bears responsible for Treadwell’s and Hugenard’s deaths.

“Tragic…, but not unpredictable.” According to Tom Smith, Treadwell was “breaking every park rule that there was, in terms of distance to the bears, harassing wildlife, and interfering with natural processes. Right off the bat, his personal mission was at odds with the park service. He had been warned repeatedly."

Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Our text today is the first part of verse 13. This is the last verse comprising the Model Prayer - “and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” We will cover both those phrases today, and though there is only one phrase left in the actual Model Prayer, we will have two, possibly three, more sessions. But we will not see those until the New Year.

Today, we move beyond the act of confession and into the realm of once again asking for God’s guidance, this time, away from temptation.

We see the word temptation used at least 6 times how the model prayer uses it (Johnny Pope): Lead us not into temptation (model prayer), pray that ye enter not into temptation (garden of Gethsemane), rise and pray that ye enter not into temptation, and such.

So this is a prayer that is asking God to deliver us from temptations.

But there are times when temptation does overtake us, and it comes out of nowhere regardless of how much we have tried to avoid it. This is what the next part of the Model Prayer is about: Deliver Us From Evil

Deliver Us From Evil

The word evil here in this verse means sin, but it can also mean something that is harmful, bodily. This word is translated evil throughout the New Testament in regards to sinful actions, but also to evil acts of other people toward us that would cause us harm. So it is in this part of our prayer that we ask for God’s protection on our lives, and remember, we are asking this in the context of His will being done. The disciples would all eventually suffer bodily harm, and 10 out of the 11 would all die because of their faith in Jesus as God. Does this mean that God did not listen to their prayers? No, it simply means that God’s will was for them to suffer in that manner. You might ask, “But why? That seems so harsh!” And to us, it might seem that way. But it was because of the death of the apostles and many other Christians that the world was able to be convinced of the truth of Jesus. It was because of their faith in Jesus and the fruit of the Spirit demonstrated in them up to the point of death that others were able to see the reality of who Jesus is. So in this part of our prayer, we ask God to deliver us from those that would harm us and our loved ones. And that is a correct way to interpret this part of the prayer, though when we do that, we must not forget the context.

The immediate context of this phrase, “deliver us from evil,” is the phrase, “lead us not into temptation.” So I believe that this phrase is primarily talking about about the evil of sin. Being delivered from the temptation that seeks to overtake us.

It is this part of the prayer that we are asking God to deliver us when temptation happens.

Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 10:13.

1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV 1900

13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

When these temptations happen, 1 Corinthians tells us that there is no temptation that does that that isn't common to man. What you are tempted with, others have been tempted with and will be tempted with (don't believe the lie that you are tempted on a level that no one else has ever experienced). Satan will try to convince you that it is okay to sin, because, “No one has ever been tempted like you have in this area.” So don’t believe the lie, to reference a quote that those that come on Wednesdays would be familiar with, “Don’t give the enemy a seat at your table.” Don’t listen to that. If you find yourself being tempted, resist, or even better, get away.

So God says that with that temptation, He has made either a way through or a way out.

Through = Resisting

Out = escaping

Resisting

There are temptations that we can and should resist. This is God giving us the power over temptation. In God’s strength there are temptations that can be resisted.

James 4:7 KJV 1900

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

Notice the order of things. 1. Submit to God, then 2. Resist the devil.

If you are not submitted to God, you cannot resist the devil. You will never outsmart the devil. There is a saying in Spanish that goes, “Más sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo.” I know right?! Pretty smart… J/K

This translates to, “The devil knows more because he’s old than because he’s the devil.” Meaning, Satan has been around a time or two, and he knows the best way to outsmart anyone. He has tried and true methods for tempting and bringing down individuals. If you plan on resisting temptation, then you must be submitted to God.

If you are not submitted to Him, you will not be able to resist temptation. How many of you are familiar with the term “rope-a-dope”? Rope-a-dope was a boxing strategy most famously implemented by Muhammad Ali. He’d lean against the ropes, a position that you would not normally want to be in, then, he would dodge and protect against the barrage of blows from his opponent. This barrage would leave the opponent tired and worn out, and when Ali would notice this, he would come back with powerful counters, knocking his opponent down. It really is impressive to watch a boxer that can do this well.

Satan will try this technique on Christians, and has been doing it well before Muhammad Ali. You may think you have Satan on the ropes all on your own, but he’s just waiting to tire you out and deal a deadly blow. You can’t fight Satan successfully in your own strength. You must be submitted to God first.

There are temptations that we can resist with God's help and there are temptations that are best escaping.

Fleeing

A couple of years ago we did a series on the life of Joseph as we studied through Genesis. Joseph found himself in a situation where Potiphar’s wife was literally throwing herself at him. It wasn’t very subtle either. She would tell him daily, “Joseph, come lay with me.” And Joseph resisted. But one day, there was nobody in the house except for Mrs. Potiphar and Joseph. So Mrs. Potiphar said to herself, “Enough with just words,” and the Bible says that she grabbed Joseph by his coat, and then enticed him. Joseph, knowing this was wrong and also knowing that he was no longer in a position where he could resist, slipped out of his coat and ran away. He fled. The Bible clearly tells us that we should flee youthful lusts and flee fornication.

There are times that we should resist and endure temptation, but mainly, we should be avoiding it if we can and even fleeing it when it comes around.

A pastor that I respect a lot once said this:

"God is more interested in keeping you from the presence of temptation than delivering you from the power of temptation." - Johnny Pope

Read that again. Can God deliver us from the power of temptation? Absolutely. But there are times where we so easily and willingly enter into the presence of temptation. If we do not enter into the place where temptation is, we don’t even have to worry about the power of temptation.

So we should be praying that God would keep us away from temptation itself, and I believe some of us do that, but how many times do we knowingly put ourselves in situations that invite temptation into our lives?

If I have a problem with alcoholism I don't go down to the bar where I used to get drunk just to have a Dr. Pepper with my buddies.

If you have a problem with lust, you don't keep your internet activity secret from your spouse.

If you have a certain friends that when you hang around them they are an influence on you to do and say things that you shouldn't, you don't go and put yourself in that situation. If theses are the people or places that are conducive for me doing the wrong thing, then I need to, as one man once put it, “change my friends and change my playground.”

We need to flee these situations if at all possible.

This morning I want to analyze 1 Corinthians 10:13-14. This is a verse that I believe gets misused and misunderstood a lot.

1 Corinthians 10:13–14 KJV 1900

13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

Look at verse 13 again. What does that first phrase (There has no temptation taken you) imply? It implies that temptation is running after you. 1 Peter 5:8

1 Peter 5:8 KJV 1900

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

So Satan and temptation are out there like roaring lions, seeking who they can overtake. But, the Bible says that we must be vigilant, so we don't get overtaken by the tempter. You and I need to be aware of what is going on around us, what situations we are getting into, etc. Because if we are not, Satan will sneak up and pounce.

In 2008 (I think), there was a study that came out of interviewing a large number of muggers and thieves. It concluded that victims were often chosen, not due to their physical presentation (strong, weak, etc.), but they chose the ones who were not paying attention to what was going on around them, they had no situational awareness. They were not vigilant.

We need to watch out and be aware that Satan wants to tempt us.

Look at this next verse. Romans 13:14 tells us to make no provision for the flesh.

Romans 13:14 KJV 1900

14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Put on the Lord Jesus - Put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6) How do I resist and make no provision for the flesh? Being next to Jesus, putting on Jesus.

So we are to try our best to not enter, not making any provision for us to enter into situations that Satan could use to tempt us to sin. This is what it means by “God is more interested in delivering you from the presence of temptation rather than from the power of temptation.”

We are commanded in several places to flee from sin. We just read in 1 Corinthians 10:14

1 Corinthians 10:14 KJV 1900

14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

1 Corinthians 6:18 (KJV 1900)

18 Flee fornication [sexual sins]. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

Speaking of the dangers of loving money and making that an idol and the hurtful things that this can cause, Paul writes to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:11

1 Timothy 6:11 KJV 1900

11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

2 Timothy 2:22 KJV 1900

22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Avoiding

We are told in Scripture to not only flee from sin, but to avoid sin.

Proverbs 4:14–15 (KJV 1900)

14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, And go not in the way of evil men.

15 Avoid it, pass not by it, Turn from it, and pass away.

1 Corinthians 7:2 (KJV 1900)

2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

And this is one of the verses that we can clearly see that we should have a strategy about sin. In order to avoid sin, there are steps that we can take.

Not only are we to avoid temptation, but those that would lead us into temptations that would harm our church, namely false teachers and those that cause fights and division with their words within the church.

Romans 16:17 KJV 1900

17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

So if there is someone that is always complaining about someone else in the church, talking bad about others, always trying to get people on “their side” about things - avoid those kinds of people. Why, because none of that does anything to foster unity, it does, however, cause division.

All this to say, we should be avoiding temptation as much as we can.

This portion of the prayer is when we pray for the temptations that so easily make us fall into sin. This is the time when we acknowledge to God the sins that so easily beset us, to borrow a phrase from the Apostle Paul.

“Lord, I know that I am weak in this area. Help me today as I go into situations that tempt me to lose my temper, tempt me to say things I shouldn’t say or behave in ways that are not glorifying to you. Help me to have the power to resist in you or the courage to run away. And if at all possible, help me to avoid these situations altogether.”

The Trap of Presumption

It is presumptuous to pray this prayer, though, when we so willingly invite temptation into our lives.

Presumption: behavior perceived as arrogant, disrespectful, and transgressing the limits of what is permitted or appropriate.

We started off the sermon with the story of Timothy Treadwell. In the summer of 2003, he presumed that he would emerge from his time with the grizzly bears as he had the 12 summers past. Despite warnings and even orders to not be so close to the bears, he presumed that he had a good relationship with all of them. But in the night hours between October 5 and October 6th, Timothy and Amie were brutally mauled and partially eaten by two of the bears that Timothy was so familiar with.

So many people were surprised, but what can you expect from a wild animal? He wanted to change the world’s perspective of grizzly bears, and ended up confirming it.

Just three nights before in Las Vegas, Nevada, Siegfried and Roy were performing at the Mirage in a special performance celebrating Roy Horn’s 59th birthday. The previous night, at a party, Roy was asked when he planned on retiring, to which he answered, “I will retire when I can no longer physically be able to do all this! It’s going to be a long time!”

But on October 3rd, 2003, shortly after Roy led out some of his white tigers, a central piece of the show, tragedy struck. Roy turned to a 7-year-old tiger name Mantacore. He said, “Why don’t you say ‘hello’ to the audience?” Now, Mantacore weighed in at 380lbs, and instead of his usual response, Mantacore bit Roy by the sleeve. Roy responded by hitting Mantacore on the head with the microphone and telling him, “No, no.” Mantacore released Roy, but remained fixated on him, despite the standby trainers trying to distract the tiger.

As Roy retreated a bit, Mantacore leapt at him and knocked him off his feet, pinning him by the wrist. Roy repeatedly told the tiger to release him, and Mantacore eased the pressure. When he did this, Roy fell back even more, and that is when Mantacore bit Roy on the neck and dragged him offstage. There the trainers were able to free Roy by hitting Mantacore on the head repeatedly with a fire extinguisher.

Roy suffered massive blood loss as his jugular vein had been severed. Though he did not die of his injuries, it was a long recovery.

In 2009, unable to move around and perform the illusions quite like they used to, the duo still put on one final farewell show, retiring for good afterwards.

We look at happenings like this, and we wonder what goes through people’s heads. But we do the same thing. We go and we play with fire, and because we didn’t get burned the first time, we do it again. And again, and again. All the while, we pray, “God, help me not to get burned, thanks.” But then we wonder how we went and got burned.

I want to close with one final look at 1 Corinthians 10:13

1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV 1900

13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

There has no temptation TAKEN you. We are promised deliverance from temptations that try to overtake us. But this verse does not promise deliverance from temptations that we so willingly flirt with.

Don’t flirt with sin. Don’t play around with temptation. Sooner or later it is going to bite you, and though you will be surprised by it, everyone else will say what Tom Smith said of Tim Treadwell - “Tragic, but not unpredictable.”

Invitation

It was not a deadly thing for Timothy Treadwell to go camping with the grizzly bears. That is not what killed him. What killed him were the teeth and claws of a grizzly bear.

It was not a deadly thing to raise, sleep with, and perform with tigers. No, the performance is not what nearly killed Roy; it was Mantacore’s teeth.

The temptation is not sin. There is no bite to temptation. But behind temptation is a wild animal called sin. Sin wants to bite you and maul you to death. We shouldn’t be surprised when it happens. Just like it is in a nature of a huge carnivore like a grizzly bear or a tiger to go after anything it perceives a food, as weak, or as problematic, it is in the nature of sin to bite and destroy us.

Too many Christians are playing around with temptation. They aren’t sinning just yet, but they are putting themselves in positions where sin comes easy. Hanging out with people that draw out the worst in them, going places where addictions await, looking at things that will drive them to make sinful decisions.

All the while, God has made a way to escape, and the first way is to never be in those places or around those people.

Flee from temptation when you can! Resist only when you can’t flee.

This is why we have rules with our kids about where they go, who they hang out with, what shows they watch. Because I am more interested in keeping my kids away from temptation than I am for them to have to resist temptation.

Hey guess what, if I never am alone with a woman who is not my wife, I will never have to resist the temptation to commit adultery. If I am determined to flee that situation if it ever does arise, I still won’t have to resist much. And I am not saying that it will not cost you something, because often times it will.

It cost Joseph a prison sentence. He lost his reputation and went to jail because he did not give into temptation. It cost the apostles their lives because they did not give into the temptation to renounce Jesus.

And it might cost you something too. It might cost you friends. It might cost you your favorite place to hang out with friends. It might cost you your girlfriend or your boyfriend. It may cause others to make fun of you. It may cause you not be able to have certain types of entertainment anymore. But you know what it will gain you? It will bring you closer to Jesus, it will gain you rewards in heaven, it will expand your influence on others. You will be a brighter light and saltier salt upon this earth.

With every head bowed, every eye closed, is there anyone here that would say, “Mike, if I’m honest, I am playing around with temptation. I am putting myself in situations that invite temptation into my life. Will you pray for me?”

Maybe you’re here this morning and would say, “Bro. Mike, I live among temptation. Try as I may, a lot of these temptations are unavoidable, would you pray that I would be submitted to God so that I can see victory over these temptations.”

Maybe you’re here this morning and you are well beyond being tempted, you are stuck in sin. God is a powerful and He has given you freedom from the bondage of sin. If you will confess that sin to God, repent and submit to Him daily, you will see victory over that sin, and you will see God’s redeeming power in your life.

Sin is a life destroyer. If you are here this morning and do not have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, the Bible says you are dead in trespasses and sins. They separate you from God because He is holy.

But today can be the day where you receive forgiveness of sins. If you are unsure about your relationship with God, if you are not sure if you would go to heaven when you die, I would love to set up a time to talk to you later. There are a couple of ways that you can do this:

text the word decision to 866-375-7857

talk to me briefly in the fireplace room after the service is over.

Life Groups

In a prayer that is meant for us to be closer to God, why is “Lead us not into temptation” such a crucial part?

What is the difference between being tempted and sinning? Why is this distinction important?

What are common temptations Christians face today at work, home, or other places/situations?

When should we resist these temptations and when should we flee from/avoid them?

How does recognizing Satan’s tactics help us to not fall into temptation?

What are real instances we could use either avoiding, fleeing, or resisting temptation in our lives?

If we are to resist temptation successfully, what is the one essential thing according to James 4:7?

What does submission to God look like in our daily lives? Is there another part of the Model Prayer that this aligns with?

How can being an active part of your church help in resisting temptation?

Have you ever lost anything to flee temptation or avoid sin?

How does 1 Corinthians 10:13 provide encouragement and warnings about temptation?

Are there areas of your life you need to surrender to God to avoid temptation?