Prayer And Protection 02/28/21

Well, welcome to New Grace Baptist Church and I am so glad that you're with us today for our Sunday Sunday sermon on Sunday the 28th of February. So I hope everyone's had a great week. And today we want to continue and our sermon series and of course the series that we're studying right now. I've called Power praying and it is a study of the Lord's Prayer and we've been kind of going down through the Lord's Prayer in Matthew chapter 6 verse by verse or phrase by phrase. And today the title of today's sermon is prayer and protection and what I want us to look at today, which I think is a very important subject that we understand that a DS is the anatomy of Temptation. And so what we're going to do today, we're going to look at Matthew chapter 6 the first part of verse 13 actually. Going to break verse 13 down will probably have three or four sermons just on this one verse today. We going to do prayer and protection part one and then next week. We'll finish prayer and protection with our second part. So here is The Lord's Prayer and we've been reading this together each week is shorts on the four versus long. So I want to read it this morning. And as I read what kind of recap of what we've covered already. So Jesus says in Matthew 6 beginning and verse 9 in this manner therefore pray Our Father in heaven Hallowed be your name. Now, of course remember we talked about one of my first sermons was the fatherhood of God and how we can call God. He's Abba. He is our father and he's in heaven and we are to honor and to praise and to exalt his name and that's what it means Hallowed be your name. Xenoverse 10 it says your kingdom come your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. So we started out in our prayer praising God and Halloween his name and now I'm verse 10 we come in we pray for God's priorities. Remember, he says your kingdom come speaking of his salvific kingdom coming to this earth. And then he says you were will be done. So weird to pray that God's kingdom would be alive in us in as well as other people as we share the gospel, but then pray that God's will would be done on Earth just as it is in heaven. So there we praying about his priority. So we start with praise we moved to priorities and then it verse 11 says give us this day our daily bread. And remember the summer we preached here. It is prayer and provision where God supplies our needs and as we said you need me we need something in us which would be food. We need something on us, which would be Close and we need something over switch should be shelter and that's what we are to pray for. And then last week we came to verse 12 and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. So we praise God we've prayed for his priorities. We've prayed for our own Provisions that he would Supply us. And then last week we talked about praying in our personal relationships and how we are to forgive others and we talked about what Biblical forgiveness looks like. So now today we come to verse 13 and we going to look at the first little phrase here. And this is what the Bible says in verse 13 and do not lead us. into temptation So this little line here tells me that the God who provides for me is also the one who protects me. So after praising him and focusing on the priorities and then giving him our petitions and then making sure our personal relationships are right. We pray for God's protection over our lives. Now of all the elements of this prayer this one here can be the most perplexing because we can all understand God's desire to shelter us and to feed us and to provide Force because and we can understand his to forgive us because his nature is to forgive. But why would we ask God not to lead us into the into temptation can a holy and righteous God lead us towards sin. Is that what we're asking Lord don't lead me towards sin. Are we saying that God would lead us toward send Believers have been wrestling with this question almost since Christ left this Earth in the Ascension. So what I want to do today is I want to explain Temptation and really that is the first point of our message today. And that is Temptation explained. Now, you see here in our slides. I've got testing and trials the World the Flesh and the devil what I want us to understand this morning. Is the difference between God testing us? In our flesh and the world or Satan tempting us you see there's a difference there. And what we're going to need to do today is we're going to need to understand this we going to need to turn to the Book of James. So if you have your Bibles with you this morning, I want you to go ahead and be turning to James chapter 1 and we going to look at James chapter 1 and here in this chapter. It gives us the perfect explanation of what is the difference between Temptation and testing or try there's a difference. Although the Bible uses the same Greek word to talk about both. So let's turn to James chapter 1 and what I want us to do is first of all, I want us to read verses 2 and 3 of James chapter 1 Not a Bible says here at my brethren. Count it all joy, when you fall into various trials. Now the word trials. There is the same Greek word that Jesus used in Matthew 6:13 when he said do not lead us into temptation the Greek word for Temptation in Matthew. 6:13 is the same word as trials here in James 1:2, so it's the same word. So that work can be translated either Temptation or it can be translated as testing or trial. So James has my Berlin count it all joy, when you fall into various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. Well, then we move let's go to James chapter 1 and we moved 2 verse 12 now. Watch what it says here blessed is the man who endures Temptation. There's that same word again Temptation twice in James or wants in James and trials in James. It's the same Greek word that Jesus uses Matthew 6:13 blessed is the man who endures Temptation when he has been approved. He will receive the Crown of Life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him and then in verse 13 Let no one say when he is tempted. There's that word again. I am tempted by God for God cannot be tempted by evil nor does he himself tempt anyone? Well, as you can see here, there's two problems that confront us first. The Bible says that God does not tempt us with evil because he cannot be tempted himself by evil nor does he tempt anyone? So the Bible says that God does not tempt us with evil. So the question becomes is what is the sense of praying that he will not do what he has promised never to do. Anyway, in other words. Why am I to pray that God would not lead me into temptation when he has promised that he would never do that anyway. so now you can answer that question and I believe this is true is by this Greek word can either mean tempting or testing in other words, even though God never entice is us to CN he does test our faith and character and I think that's the way to understand that but as we look back, In Matthew chapter 9 2 verse 13. We see again. He says and do not lead us. Into temptation, but then he says but Deliver Us from the evil one that's on translations may say Deliver Us from Evil but a lot of the other say Deliver Us from the evil one, but which I think is a good translation speaking of Satan here. So lead us not we can understand that in the light of his counterpart but Deliver Us from the evil one. So I think here it is the devil who is in view here who tempts God's people to sin and that's who we need to be rescued from and I think that's the best way to interpret that. Well the second problem concerns the fact that the Bible says that Temptation and trial are good. Let's go back to James 1:2 my brother and count it all joy when you fall into various trials. So if if the trials are good if they're beneficial Why should we pray not to be led into them? And I think the answer to that is probably that. This prayer is more about overcoming Temptation than it is that we may avoid it. We know we're going to have Temptation. We'll talk more about that in just a moment. We know that we're going to have that and we know that we going to have testings and trial. So I think this prayers more about overcoming Temptation than it is to avoid it. So if you wanted to paraphrase if you would Matthew 6:13, maybe we could say it like this do not allow us to be led into temptation the Temptation that would overwhelm us but rescue us from the evil one. So if you look at it like that behind these words that Jesus gave is the implication that the devil is just too strong for us that we are too weak to stand up to him in our own strength, but our heavenly father will deliver us if we will call upon him. So what I want to do now is I want to Kind of show you through James. The different types of Temptations and where they come from so if we're going to understand what Jesus is talking about here, we need to understand the different and distinct types of temptations that are mentioned in the bible, especially here in James chapter 1. So we already said that the word temptation can have two meanings. It can refer to Temptations from Satan are the flash in the world or it can refer to trials and testing that God brings our way. So again we go to James 1 2 and 3 count it all joy, when you fall into various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. and so we look at this and we think That what type of testing is this talkin about? Well, this is the kind of testing that came to Abraham. Let's say when God asked him to sacrifice his son. It's the same type of testing. Sometimes that comes to us if maybe if we are persecuted for our fate or maybe sometimes a sickness befalls us or maybe sometimes we we enter into a season of discouragement and depression through all these experiences God is strengthening the fate of the Christian and we are to rejoice in that type of testing in other words. We are the count it as an honour because just as Christ suffered we're suffering like he did weird account that as an honor. These are the testing that produces patience perseverance in us and it extends and it multiplies our faith. We grow in character we become A more mature Christian this these are the testing or the trials that we fall in and we see this under when I said hear Temptation explain. The first one is testing in Trials these come from God himself and James says that we are to count it all joy when we fall in these because God is doing something in our in our life. He is making us more like him. He is growing us up and he is maturing us and sometimes he does that through suffering and hard times. That's not a Temptation. That is a test or a trial. Well then later on in James. Remember James said this he says blessed is the man who endures Temptation when he has been approved and he's talking about the testing's here. He will receive the Crown of Life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him. So he says if the man who endures this these testings these trials he says when he's approved he will receive the crown of life. Then he goes on to say let no man say when he is tempted. I'm tempted by God for God cannot be tempted by evil nor does he himself tempt anyone and then we look at verse 14 now watch what this says carefully but each one is tempted. Now. This is The Temptations say like Satan would do when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. So we see here. This is a temptation to sin not to grow in Christ likeness and James says that when we are tempted that we're tempted by our own desires now that's talkin about our own flesh. That's talkin about the old man that lives within us that's talkin about that nature. You say why I'm saying, I've got a new heart and I have the Holy Spirit living within mixed with ice exactly. Right but that old nature is still there. And it's Paul says the flesh Wars against the spirit and they are contrary to one another. There's a war going on inside us each and every day between the spirit and between our own flesh that we were born within that when the Adam and Eve fell into sin. That we all inherited. So James makes it sound like most of the time we all to blame all the sin and all the Temptation. We really drawn away by our own desires and enticed it comes from our own sinful natures and we're urge to triumph over it. So we see in verses 2 and 3. We see the test or the trials that God sends our way then it verse 13 and 14. We see we see what the flash will do that. We are drawn away by our own desires. And of course, I would add the world in there as well because of the world system in the way it teaches us that week, you know that we are to live for herself and take care of yourself and just climb up the ladder and no matter who you step on you getting to where you want to go. That's the world's teaching it at least a pride and it leaves the selfishness all that all that kind of conforms to our old nature in it. Bulls us away and entices us away from God but then there's a third way that James says it here in James and this is James chapter 4 verse 7 And this is what he says here therefore submit to God resist the devil and he will flee from you. You see the Temptation referred to in the Lord's Prayer. I don't think is the first one that we talked about how how God is testing us. It's not that when it's not the testing in trials in the end. It could be the world in the flash of course, but I think the main one that is talking about here in the Lord's Prayer primarily is a Temptation that comes from Satan. It is a Temptation that comes to the believer directly from Satan. So we see here that James gives us the layout here. He said sometimes in this Greek word for Temptation remember can mean testing our trials sometimes God sends us a test. Sometimes he puts us in a difficult situation and he'll give us some type of trial in life, but then other times were drawn away by our own flesh and the world and remember now what the Bible says about the world 1st John 2:16 and look what it says for all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father but his of the world so we need to understand here this morning that we are being drawn away by our flesh will be drawn away by the system of this world and even Satan he will come and he will bring Temptations. You see let's look at it like this this morning. When God tests us he tests us to prove us he tests us so that we may trust him and when we trust him, we will have victory over Temptation. Every time God test us. He tests us so that we may stand every time our flesh and Satan in the world temps us they temps UPS attempt us so that we may fall the World the Flesh and Satan wants us to fall wants us to trust ourselves wants us to trust the world system and Satan will deceive us and they do all that so that we may fall away from God God tests us so that we may stand Satan tempts us so that we may fall and that's exactly what happens. Here, so let's just take some examples of all this if what we've been talking about here and we said Temptation explain. So we explain the difference between the testing in trials. And then of course Temptation. Well when Joseph was sold into slavery member we studied him in the Old Testament. He could have easily become bitter and desired Revenge, but when he was tested he was given the opportunity to get back at his brothers. And remember what Joseph said in Genesis 50:20. He looked at his brothers and he said you meant evil to me but God meant for good you say within the story of Joseph. There were two concepts of the word trial testing or Temptation. God didn't attempt Joe has to do evil. He simply allowed a tough trial to come Joseph way in order to shape him in the man that he wanted him to be Lord didn't set Joseph up to fail. It is not God's name. You to do that remember? It says God is not tempted with evil and God Kemp's no one. He never tempts us to do evil. But he will bring a test our way to approve our character and our maturity and him. So when Jesus tells us to pray lead us not into temptation. It doesn't mean God is enticing us to sin but it does mean that he made lead us into some difficult situations to prove our character. Just think of when Jesus went out into the Wilderness to be tempted by Satan the Bible says that he was led to the Wilderness by the spirit. So Christ didn't lead Satan there, but it was the spirit who let him there because God the Father knew that Jesus need to be tested but during that test Satan used it as a time to tempt Jesus and that's the way it is with us to God may send a test in our life, but if we don't respond Corral, Satan will use that test as a moment of Temptation. So two things can be going on at the same time. So sometimes God allows us to be in a place where he knows. We will be tested what causes through resistance of Temptation that we mature in our Christian walk. Just think of Jobe. He was the most righteous man who lived on the earth the Bible says but he was put in a situation where he God allowed Satan to tempt him God. Remember God gave permission to Satan to take jokes family. His flocks is material wealth. He took everything and sometimes the Lord allows us to face difficulties like that as well. But we need to keep in mind that nothing happens to us by accident and that our circumstances are arranged by God always so Temptation when we look at it we look at testing as though it may be a sometimes. It's always evil and we look at the Temptation the same way, but see God can use to Things for good yielding to temptation is sin but simply being tempted is not sin. So why do we pray that we would not be led into temptation but calls though the task may be useful. We know our own SIM from us and we know our own limitations and we ask God to Deliver Us from both of them. Not not a single one of us gets up in the morning and praise Lord bring me a test today and I have you ever prayed that I know I haven't and I'll probably prayed that you would keep me away from test. But I've never prayed for test. You see these Whenever there is a test we can either fail it and do poorly or we can pass it. So in a fat what we doing we praying for God to refrain from texting us because we don't want to fail the test now Matthew 6:13. I want to show you this verse in the New Living Translation and I think the New Living Translation catches what it means here. Look what it says in verse 13 and don't let us yield to temptation. But rescue us from the evil one. You see, I think that catches what is saying here. Don't let us yield to Temptation another word Lord. You know that I'm weak. You know that I'm frail, you know In My Own Strength that if you send the test or Satan tempt me, I'm probably going to fall for it. So don't let me yield to temptation. But rescue us from the evil one. Nobody's going to pray Lord lead me to Temptation instead. We pray to stay away from it because we know our own hearts and we know that we are frail. So the way I look at it is this God tests us. He does that to make a stand Satan tempts us he does that to make us fall. In other words. We have some enemies the Bible says that our enemies are the flash the world and Satan The Flash is our internal flow. The world is our external fold and the Devil he's our infernal float photo because his lies come from the pits of hell. So that is point one. I know they was kind of long and drawn-out but I felt like we need to explain Temptation explain. Well, let's move 2.2 and .2 is simply this temptation expounded. Now, what I want to do now is I want to kind of dig a little deeper into the house. Aten switch. That's who we think this is talking about here in Matthew 6:13 do not lead us into temptation where we will fall into the schemes of Satan but Deliver Us from the evil one. What I want to do is to kind of give you the steps if you will. That the devil uses to get us to fall. Now as we go over these. I want you to think of the first sin in the Bible, which is the Garden of Eden and we'll kind of compare this but this is the way the devil Works he work that way and Adam and Eve life and he'll work this way in your life is well, you see the Devil he's easy to identify because he's going to appear when either something is going real bad in our life or something is going very well in our life and tired and when we are discouraged or depressed or when we on a high mountain Satan knows that this is the best time that he can come to us and that he can tempt us. So there are six steps that always happens when we are tempted not added a seventh one this morning because I thought of it but I want to briefly go through these and he still operates the same way today. The first step in temptation is one that's the least obvious to us and that is deceit. We are giving some false impression that whatever wrong. We do really isn't all that serious and kind of in a subtle way. We convince ourselves that the send that we're getting ready to do isn't all that bad. We get talked into this through simple deceit you see on paper. It can be clearly black and white but as many as you know somehow in the midst of Temptation things doesn't seem that clear do they they become kind of Grey areas to us and we start playing games and we start rationalizing her action and then Satan begins deceiving us towards seeing that's exactly what he did with Adam and Eve cuz he said that God really say that you can't eat from this tree. You see he was trying to get them to doubt God. So the first step in the Temptation is to see the second step is what I would call the light you see Satan causes us to have a passion for things that we have deceived ourselves about we start thinking about him. We get them in our mind and we start fantasizing what this send would be like well that further lowers our guard so that the send now seems like, you know something good rather than something bad and then the third step is desire. You see we begin to let our minds reflect on this end and all of a sudden a compelling desire is aroused in our hearts. What did James say that when he said that we are drawn away by our own evil desires and this is where desire comes in at that comes from our fallen nature the old man, which is at war with God and in love with seeing and all of a sudden the sinful action appears to be pleasant even reasonable now and as we begin to think about it, we developed a desire for the sin and then next we began to play with it in our minds. I call that deliver ation. In other words, we start thinking about it and we start giving a pro and con list. What should I do it or should I not and we can always come up with more Pros than Conn's will V. We come to the step that I call defeat. This is where that we act on it. And we actually do what we're thinking about it started out as deceit it turn to desire, but it eventually it comes to deliberation. And then finally we decide to do it we elect to send and that brings about our defeat and Satan's Victory and then finally one of the last steps is despair. You'll never know anyone who succumbs to Temptation, especially some major Temptation like sexual sin who didn't go through a. Of Despair. You see once the devil has prompted us towards sin. He he will attack us with reminders that make us feel worthless and useless as soon as you commit that sin. Satan's going to say say I told you so you're not the type of Christian that you ought to be you're not the person that God wants you to be. Why do you even claim to be a Christian when you act like this and all of a sudden the spare sets in and then I added one this morning, that's death. Because when Adam and Eve sinned if it led to not only physical death but spiritual death and even our sins if they're costly enough can lead to death now when you look at all these here, this is how Satan will make Spam Temptation This is how he that's the steps that he takes in your life and my life now, let's compare it very quickly to Adam and Eve is the very same process. He began by raising doubts about they should eat the fruit that it would really not have that serious consequence. So he started with the seat. He then presented the picture of Adam and Eve becoming as Gods knowing Good and Evil by eating the fruit will course that delighted them who wouldn't want to to be like God. So all of a sudden they were delighted now, it sounds good. Well the idea how to peel it aroused in them this notion of what what's wrong with becoming wise. I would like to be wise so it let him to desire to be Why is like God then they actually reached out and took hold of the fruit and they started looking at and judging it for us worth in other words. They started deliberating. Yeah, this does look good. Maybe I should eat it you say that led to deliberation. Then they ate it which of course that led to defeat the liver decision on their part. No one forced Adam and Eve to sin they made their own choice and I sent right away that they had been taken in by Satan. And so what did they do? Well, they were naked and they were shame they were embarrassed and they hid from God and they cut off communication with him. You see and then Adam and Eve were forced to leave the garden and of course that led to Despair and of course it also led to death both physically and spiritually if you check the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, you'll see the same pattern. We are tempted when we are drawn away by our own desires. So Satan may use a test. I got to come to us and to tempt us either by our own flash or him himself tempting us trying to draw us away from God and friends. If you find yourself this morning in an improper relationship or whatever type of seeing it may be further his financial or anyting if you find yourself walking down that road that you're sucked in by deceit and delight and desire I can tell you exactly what's coming next. What's coming next is defeat Despair and possibly death. It's the same for everyone. You don't have to continue down that path turn around and go another way and if you're going to pray about the issue of testing learn the pattern of Temptation and then pray that God will not put you in that position. So we looked at Temptation explain the difference between testing and Temptation the difference between God testing. So that we will stand Satan tempting us. So we will fall then we looked at Temptation expounded in the actual steps that Satan takes in our life. Well number three and this is the last point in will close and that is Temptation extinguished. Now. What I want to do here is I want to give you four words. They all start with the letter I give you four words that will help us and to give us strength and to give us victory over Temptation friend. Temptation does not have to rule us. It does not have to win always. So I want to give you these words now, we already know the steps that Satan takes so it's like a ball team you study of all team is going to play you study what they like to do and how they play defense and and what they do you study that so you'll know how to play and when we need a strategy we need a strategy here for Satan, so I want to give you four words and the first word is simply this temptation extinguish. We start we have fight now don't be passive when we come to Temptation friends. Sometimes you have to fight back. The Bible said remember what the Bible said in James 4-7 resist the devil and he will flee from you that word resist does not mean to hide behind a rock that actually the word means to stand that word means to oppose Satan. It means to be active. It means to put on the whole armor of God and that we are to stand up and oppose him, you know, too many Christians they say well they'll see in they'll say well just happened. I don't know it was a mistake. I don't know. I just keep doing the same thing over. There's nothing I can do about it or friend. No, it's not that way at all you thought about it. You were deceived. You desired it you did it it led to defeat at led to desire that led to despair. So don't just walk along and wonder what's going to happen in your spiritual life. You need to fight. You need to put up a defense develop a strategy for battling Satan. Sometimes we have to fight. Well, there's another word. I want to give you second word. And that is sometimes we have to follow instead of putting all your energies into thinking about seeing. Let's put our energies in drawing near to God in other words getting close to the Lord. The Bible says in James 4:8 that if you will draw near to God that He will draw near to you and this is what we need to do if we will follow close to God we'll find ourselves father away from Satan and one of the best ways that we can overcome Temptation and get victory over temptation is to stand up and fight and the other way is to follow God and to stay close to him and that's what we're teaching. This Lord's prayer about that each and every day we need to have daily prayer and we need to come to him. We need to have a close personal intimate relationship to the Lord if when we follow him closely Satan will stay away. Well, there's a third work. We're going to fight we're going to follow and sometimes we're going to have to flee friends. Sometimes when it comes to seeing we need to Runaway. Remember what Paul told Timothy. He said flee youthful lust you see when Joseph was tempted by Potiphar's wife when we studied that story. Joseph didn't stand around think it over and he didn't grab me a spot of her by the hand say Miss popular kneel down here beside the bed and let's pray about this thing though. He what did he do here and he got out of Dodge and sometimes friend, especially when it comes to sexual Temptation. The best thing that you can do is to run. Let me tell you the greatest weapon that we can have against Temptation, especially sexual temptation is a good pair of running shoes. That's what we need. We need a good pair of running shoes. Sometimes we need to stand up and fight but friends, sometimes we just need to run and go the other way and we need to get away from it. And in the last word I want to give you is we need to fight. We need to follow we need to flee and sometimes always we need to feed you. See we need to fill our heart and mind with the word of God. Remember what David wrote Psalm 119. He says your word Lord. I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against friends. We need to write the word of God have it written on the front door of our heart and we need to inscribe it on the bottom shelf of are mine. We need to have it with us when Satan comes and temps us and he's not going to give us the time to reaching our back pocket and pull out our new testament or Psalms and Proverbs and try to find the averse. We need to have it in our heart. We need to have it on our minds don't you remember when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness? How did the Lord respond to each Temptation? He says Satan it is written and then he quoted some Old Testament scripture out of Deuteronomy. You see hehehe Scripture to combat the devil. You see the Bible is our source of strength for doing battle. And if you aren't reading it friend you are going into the battle unarmed is what you're doing. Well. I want to leave you with one verse today. You see if we all do these four little things here. We can have great confidence before God even before we were faced with temptation because we pray that Lord you can keep us out but we're going to fight I want to stay close to you, but I have to I'll run and I'm going to feed daily on your work. So maybe we can we can use Matthew 6:13. Maybe we can say it this way Lord. Keep us from wandering into Pav's. Where we will be tempted by the devil. But if he comes and when he comes Lord, keep us out of his clutches you see we have a promise. in 1st Corinthians chapter 13 And this is the promise that we all have now, this is in the New Living Translation again, but I think it says it perfectly so when we are tempted always remember this promise The Temptations in your life are no different from what others have experienced. Sometimes we experience Temptation. We thank God no one's ever gone through this. I'm the only one that's ever been tempted like no, your temptation is no different from what others have experienced. I watch this and God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand when you are tempted. He will show you a way out so that you can endure some translation so that you may be able to Bear it and that word bare means so that you may be able to stand you see friends. That's what we need to do. We live in a dangerous world. So we need to pray that we will not be led into temptation. Temptation explain know the difference between God's testing and the Flash and the devil and the world tempting know the steps that Satan will take when he attempt you. Know about the desire and know about the deliberation. You can just follow it know his strategy and then in the end. We need to fight and follow we need to run some time. And we need to feed on the word of God and friends when we pray lead us not into temptation. We can be assured that God will never allow anything to come in our life that will overcome has he has promised always a way of Escape. Well, thank you for being here today. And I hope this sermon helps as we continue our study of the Lord's Prayer and Wednesday night. Of course, we'll continue in developing a powerful prayer life and Jenny. She will send out the link. I hope everyone has a great weekend and we will see you again next Sunday at our next sermon.