And Lead Us Not Into Temptation/But Deliver Us From Evil - Part 5 - 11/14/2021

Pastor Wayne D. Mack Sermon Notes November 14, 2021 And Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From Evil Matthew 6:13 Matthew 9:13 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. James 1:2 - 4 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience (endurance/perseverance). 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1: 13-15 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. 13 1 Start Here Last week: A quick snapshot of The Process of Temptation. Today: A comprehensive look at temptation -- in a logical order; this should help everyone. My goal is to provide an understanding of how temptation comes into play in our lives, and to help us apply God’s remedy to keep it in check. Today’s message will serve as a new weapon of warfare in your spiritual arsenal against the threat temptation. The FIRST thing that must be established in understanding how not to be taken advantage of by temptation is by applying God’s four golden words to James in James 1:2 Count It All Joy. Let me read it in context: 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials . . . What is this saying to us? The operative word here is COUNT. Count means to stop and observe, or evaluate, consider, or establish. To COUNT is what I call a Pre-Trial requirement that must be applied first if we are to ever triumph in trials and overcome temptation. Hypothetically, when James says COUNT, he is telling Believers to ask themselves of the trials they face: Is this trial from God or is this trial from Satan? 2 Can Satan bring a trial? I don’t think so! Trials are designed to develop our faith, strengthen our walk with God, and to mature us in Hallowing God’s name, seeking His Kingdom, and doing His will – in earth as it is in heaven. Is that what the devil is trying to do. No! He is the adversary. His goal is to tempt us and draw us away from God. He is the evil one. He is the Tempter. 1Thessalonians 3: 1-5 is about God building faith in His people. In the same passage, we see the Apostle’s concern for Satan opposing God’s work through temptation. Listen to verse 5: v. 5 For this reason, when I (Paul) could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain. In real time, James’ instructions to us “To Count” is saying when we find ourselves faced with trials, we are to first STOP and immediately discern that it is from God. Next, we are to apply the truth standard that makes us free: This trial is only intended to test my faith in order to bring me to maturity. Nothing more. Trials are not punishment from God. We are to count or conclude that God is in control of all trials coming our way – that He’s up to something, and the something He’s up to is His desire to develop mature faith within us. What is mature faith? A Life of Total Surrender and Trust in God in every matter. Trials come whether we understand them or not. James is saying put every trial “back” in God’s hands. The greatest temptation for believers when it comes to trials is to blame the devil. That’s exactly what the devil wants you to do so you won’t see God’s loving hand insulating you through trials and building faith muscle that will allow you to destroy Satan’s schemes. 3 [Satan wants you to flunk every trial. He wants you to blame him for it and to give him credit for it so that you never submit to God who alone allowed the trial in order to grow you. Satan does not want you to grow. He wants to keep you in the 5th grade for the next ten years. And, in the same chapter of life for the next 22 years. He knows that if he can keep you from growing and graduating, you’ll never qualify to overcome the same temptation that has dogged and controlled you for years. Someone once said: The sailor who has only sailed on smooth seas will never be able to navigate rough seas and stormy weather. We are instructed by James to submit to God with every trial because trials come to us through God to test our faith. The thought of “falling into trials and then counting them as All Joy”, goes counter to our human nature. The temptation of the flesh is to do just the opposite – because the flesh hates trials and sees them as anything but JOY. Trials are painful. The JOY spoken of in verse 2 is that kind found only in the Lord. It is a divine, supernatural form of rejoicing available only to saved people. Rejoicing is JOY out loud. “In the Lord” is the sphere or realm that is unrelated to the circumstances of trial. According to “Count it all Joy”, we are supposed to process our trials in the context of God’s Word, not the context of what the trial is saying or looks like. Examples: • Joseph in prison – look at the promise, not the problem. 4 • The young man and Elisha – Lord, open his eyes. [2 Kings 6:17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha]. The bottom line, God wants us to trust His Word which says: • I will never leave you nor forsake you; Hebrews 13:5 • All things work together for good to those who love the Lord. Rom. 8:28 • The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry. Psalm 34:15 To count the experience of falling into a trial as JOY comes with wisdom and maturity. The Ultimate Joy Believers can count on stems from God’s promised protection of us. His protection consists of: 1. Limiting the boundaries of the trial and the evil one. 2. Revealing that trials are not about punishing or embarrassing the Believer, rather for the development of their faith through testing and making it stronger. 3. Counting it all Joy releases additional blessings found in God like peace, perseverance, faithfulness, love, spiritual growth, overcoming power, etc. 5 4. Knowing confidently that God is present with us despite the trial. No trial is faced alone. No trial is absent of God’s presence. The moment we realize that is the moment we experience real joy. Now that we have a clear read on God’s Pre-Trial Golden Rule, let’s talk about TRIALS. What are TRIALS? Trials are defined as trouble or something that breaks the pattern of peace, comfort, joy, and happiness in someone’s life. They are an interruption that hold our attention when they happen. They sober us up in our walk with God by showing us how badly we need God. Trials are like when you’re walking along, and you stumble over a rock in your path or trip over an uneven sidewalk. You least expect it, but it gets your full attention and causes you to bring your thoughts in and focus. Trials cause us to be grateful: God has not promised us sunshine; that’s not the way it’s going to be but a little rain, mixed with God’s sunshine and a little pain -- helps us appreciate the good times. The gospel according to Lynette Hawkins. Spiritually speaking, “trials” are meant to put us and our faith to the test. Contrary to what TRIALS feel like, they are a punishment from God, neither are they intended to bring you down. Rather, God has put trials in place to make His children whole, and more mature. It is Satan’s intent is to bring you down, but God’s intent is to develop you. 6 God either allows trials to come, or He brings trials into our lives to show us how strong or how weak the quality of our personal faith is. His purpose for doing this is to build us up where we’re underdeveloped in our faith, or to increase our endurance or perseverance to fight on. Relative to trials, I want to point out something quite significant: listen to James’s verse 2 again: Count it all JOY when you fall into various trials, Two key observations: • When you fall ~ it usually comes as a surprise = trials seem to come out of nowhere; can’t plan for only prepare for; (hint you can plan for a temptation) • Various trials – all sorts and different kinds You fall into trials, but you can plan for or premeditate a temptation. As believers, we must come to a place of knowing the purpose of TRIALS in our lives before we can fully grasp where temptations fit. Trials is the place where faith is developed and matured. Let’s move on . . .to one of the most revealing aspects of trials. Take Note: Every TRIAL is accompanied by a TEST. The believers concern ought to be to pass that test. James 1: says 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 7 Knowing is key. We must come to know the trials we face are only a TEST that is designed to attest to and to develop your faith in God. TRIALS are not intended to bring you down but to make you whole, and more mature in the things of God. Satan’s intent is to bring you down, God’s intent is to develop you. 8