A PATTERN FOR PRAYER
WATCH OUT!
"The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’ ” “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” “Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?” The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”" (Genesis 3:1-13, NLT)
"And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one." (Matthew 6:13, NLT)
(SLIDE 2)
INTRODUCTION:
A young man went into a chemist to buy 3 boxes of chocolates: one small, one medium, and one large. When the pharmacist asked him about the three boxes, he replied, “Well, I’m going over to a new girlfriend’s house for supper tonight. Then we’re going out. If she only lets me hold her hand, I’ll give her the small box. If she lets me kiss her on the cheek, then I’ll give her the medium box. But if she really lets me kiss her seriously, I’ll give her the big box.” He made his purchase and left.
That evening as he sat down at dinner with his girlfriend’s family, he asked if he could say the prayer before the meal. He began to pray. He prayed an earnest, heartfelt, intense prayer that lasted for almost five minutes. When he finished his girlfriend whispered to him, “You never told me that you were such a spiritual person.” He replied, “And you never told me that your dad was a pharmacist!”
We are living in a world today where it is not difficult to get yourself into trouble. We are continually bombarded with temptations to transgress. There is seemingly no escape for a sincere believer seeking to live a godly life before God. All around us we are assailed by the moral and emotional upheaval of a society in which anything goes! It seems that moral and ethical norms are at an all time low!
Never before so it seems, is the urgency so great for believers to be praying the sixth petition of our Lord’s Pattern for Prayer.
"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." (Matthew 6:13, ESV)
THUS FAR in the Pattern for Prayer...
OUR LORD HAS FOCUSED OUR ATTENTION ON:
Thus far in the Pattern for Prayer … OUR LORD
HAS FOCUSED OUR ATTENTION ON:
• GOD’S PERSON … “May Your name be kept holy”
• GOD’S PURPOSE … “May Your Kingdom come soon”
• GOD’S PROGRAM … “May Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven”
• GOD’S PROVISION … “Give us today the food we need”
• GOD’S PARDON … "… and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us."
OUR FOCUS IS NOW TURNED TO OUR NEED FOR
• GOD’S PROTECTION ... “And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.”
How do we understand this petition of our Lord?
The first thing we should take note of is that the word in Greek ‘peirasmos’ can be translated both as trial/test or temptation and is only distinguished by examining the context.
The second thing we need to understand is that both are neutral, neither good nor bad. Therefore we need to understand that temptation is not sin. To be tempted is not to sin. How do we know this? The writer of Hebrews says... “He was tempted in every way that we are, but he did not sin. ” (Hebrews 4:15, NCV). The Bible tells us that Jesus was indeed tempted by Satan in the Wilderness. But Jesus was without sin. Therefore temptation is not sin. Sin comes when we yield or give into temptation.
(SLIDE 3)
SO IS THIS A PRAYER TO KEEP US OUT OF TRIAL, TESTING OR TROUBLE?
CONSIDER:
Jesus tells us in this world you will have trouble...
"Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”" (John 16:33, NLT)
James tells us to consider it pure joy when trouble comes to you ...
"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy." (James 1:2, NLT)
Peter tells us that our troubles are working eternal benefits for us ...
"Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you." (1 Peter 4:12, NLT)
Paul tells us that trouble teaches us to rely on God and not on ourselves
"We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead." (2 Corinthians 1:8-9, NLT)
So God uses trials to grow us to be more like our Saviour Jesus Christ and there is purpose behind every problem we encounter then the petition cannot be a request to God to exempt us from trial, testing or trouble.
So if it is not a prayer to keep us out of trial, testing or trouble … what is it?
Some translations say ..."And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." (Matthew 6:13, ESV)
SO IS THIS A PRAYER ASKING GOD NOT TO PLACE US IN A SITUATION WHERE WE CAN BE TEMPTED?
BUT CONSIDER... God’s holiness and integrity will never purposely place his children in a situation where they will be induced to sin. God will not purposely place us in a situation that will destroy us. What is more the Bible tells us that …
"No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God.” For God is not tempted by evil, and He Himself doesn’t tempt anyone." (James 1:13, HCSB)
Furthermore, Jesus never purposed that we should be taken out of this world of evil and sin. In Jesus’ High Priestly prayer He prays ... “I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one.” (John 17:15, NLT)
A student was walking through Campus sporting a T-shirt that proclaimed on the front “Lead me not into temptation”. As the student passed by the back boldly announced “I can find it myself”
When a pastor announced that the next weeks sermon would reveal 375 ways in which a person could sin. A number of his congregation asked if he would be producing a list to make sure they weren’t missing anything.
Are we led into temptation? The answer is a definite no! We are more than capable of finding it ourselves!
Therefore perhaps the best way of understanding the petition is as the NLT translates it ... “And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.” Concluding that …
THIS IS A PRAYER not against being tempted but rather ASKING GOD TO HELP US FROM BEING DRAWN OR SUCKED, BY OUR OWN WILL, INTO SINNING
A prayer asking God to protect us against ourselves, that we will not willingly yield to the temptations that are presented to us as we live in this world that has a predisposition towards evil and rebellion against God’s Laws!
This is confirmed by the Psalmist who prays …
"Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips. Don’t let me drift toward evil or take part in acts of wickedness. Don’t let me share in the delicacies of those who do wrong." (Psalm 141:3-4, NLT)
Jesus also confirms this when He warned His disciples as the crisis of His pending arrest and execution loomed large on the horizon …
"There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”" (Luke 22:40, NLT)
Let me illustrate. Suppose a man begins a new job. Shortly after commencing, one evening he has to work late. Everyone has left the office. As he is about to leave he discovers a large sum of money on his desk. No one has seen, so he decides to take the money home intending to hand it in the next day. At home the thought occurs to him, no one saw him take the money and he cannot be connected to it. That is temptation. If he kept the money it was sin. He returns the money the next morning to the boss who says “I put it there. It was a test of your integrity”. The petition asks God to protect you from giving in to temptation and to give you the ability to not be duped by the Evil one.
To fully understand this petition of our Lord in His Pattern for Prayer we need to consider …
THREE ASPECTS OF TEMPTATION
• THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR TEMPTATION
• THE ROUTE OF TEMPTATION
• THE RESOURCE IN TEMPTATION (next week)
(SLIDE 4)
THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR TEMPTATION
A manager of a minor league baseball team became so frustrated with the poor play of his centre fielder, that he ran onto the pitch, grabbed the mitt from the inept player and said “Let me show you how it is done!”. The first fly ball that came his way bounced and hit him in the mouth; the second was lost in the sun and smacked him on the forehead; the third missed his glove and struck him in the face. Turning to the amused outfielder he threw the glove at him and screamed, “You idiot! You’ve got centre field so messed up that even I can’t do anything with it!”
How typical when we mess up we can’t deny the facts so we excuse ourselves by shifting the blame! Adam did it, Eve did it and we’ve been doing it ever since!
SO ... WHO IS TO BLAME?
• CIRCUMSTANCES?
We try to blame our circumstances, trying to shift the blame onto the things that come upon us oft times claiming it happened because we didn’t get a favourable break. “If things had been different, then I would not have …”
• OTHERS?
We try to blame others, our parents, our siblings, our spouse, our friends, our colleagues or our employer. The list is endless … We are innocent victims. Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent!
• GOD?
We even try to blame God. Did you notice when things turned pear shaped Eve was no longer “… bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh!” but suddenly became “the woman you gave me”. The implication … it’s your entire fault God; if you hadn’t given me this woman then I would not have let you down!
• SATAN?
Rev Leroy, alias Flip Wilson, pastor of the ‘Church of What’s Happening Now’ in the American Sitcom coined a phrase that has caught the fancy of many … “The devil made me do it”.
Actually he wasn’t the first … Eve was! But Jesus, when he was challenged as to what made a man impure and guilty of sin, said… "It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.”" (Mark 7:15, NLT)
• Circumstances may make temptation more appealing
• Other may aid or influence you in the temptation
• God may allow the temptation
• Satan may provide the temptation
BUT REMEMBER ...
• I AM RESPONSIBLE!
When confronted by Nathan after his sin with Bathsheba, David accepted full responsibility "For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just." (Psalm 51:3-4, NLT)
What is the true source of temptation? It all begins within me.
James says “Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.” (James 1:14, NLT)
Little wonder Paul having expressed his frustration with his inability to consistently do what he knew to be right and pleasing to God cries out “"Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?" (Romans 7:24, NLT).
Is there any help? Yes, next week we will examine our Resource in Temptation but first we need to understand the process and hence …
(SLIDE 5)
THE ROUTE OF TEMPTATION
Fortunately, Satan is entirely predictable. He has used the same strategy to tempt us in order to trick us into disobeying God’s Laws and to fall into sin. All temptation leading to sin follows the same pattern. Let’s examine the …
THE SLIPPERY SLOPE
Paul’s confidence was by knowing Satan’s schemes it assisted him in making certain that he did not yield to temptation … He told the Corinthians
" ... so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes." (2 Corinthians 2:11, NLT)
The good news is that from Adam and Eve, through to Jesus and onto today, Satan has not changed his strategy; the pattern is the same …
James lays bear Satan’s evil schemes when he tells us
"But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death." (James 1:14-15, HCSB)
THERE IS A FIVE FOLD PROCESS
• DESIRE
We all have desires which are not evil in themselves. For example, hunger, thirst, love, pleasure as opposed to pain, or success. There is nothing within these desires that is inherently bad. However when they begin to control us rather than us controlling them we move onto dangerous ground.
For example when we cease to control our hunger and it starts to control us it becomes gluttony. When our desire to succeed or excel begins to control us to the point where we will stop at nothing, even at the expense of others, then our desire has crossed the line.
Temptation is a thought process that attempts to satisfy a legitimate or natural desire in a way that is contrary to God Law. It uses shortcuts and justifications to validate its actions … “You deserve it; you should take it now; no one will know; it’ll be exciting; it’ll make you feel better!”
This is what happened to Eve in the Garden. From striving to defend God’s position, she was enticed by Satan’s suggestion that God was not being fair to her and denying her something that was to her advantage... ““God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”” (Genesis 3:5, NLT)
Remember what Jeremiah said ... "“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?" (Jeremiah 17:9, NLT)
John in his first Epistle cautions us ... "Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him." (1 John 2:16, The Message)
• DOUBT
Beware Satan always sows seeds of doubt about what God has said about sin and God’s motive for giving us His Laws, laws meant to put us on the path of living fulfilled lives. Satan plants the seed of doubt ... ‘Doesn’t God want me to be happy?’ It is never a direct attack. That is why the writer of Hebrews warns…
“… watch out! Don’t let evil thoughts or doubts make any of you turn from the living God.” (Hebrews 3:12b, CEV)
• DECEPTION
As the Father of Lies, Satan tries to make evil look attractive.
He is the master of deception making that which is deadly look appealing ...
Throughout the world grows over 130 species of an interesting plant called the “Sundew”. With a slender stem, tiny rounded leaves fringed with tiny hairs with a sticky substance that glistens in the sun like the morning dew as it parades its clusters of attractive red, white and pink flowers. It looks beautifully harmless but it is deadly! Any unsuspecting insect attracted to it is soon imprisoned by the stickiness of the substance at the end of the tentacle hairs and soon the leaves close tightly around the struggling insect.
James captures this when he says ... “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” (James 1:14, ESV). He uses two words, one from hunting, the other from fishing.
‘exelkomenos’ – ‘drawn or dragged away’ – baited trap
‘deleazomenos’ - ‘enticed, lured away’ – baited hook
Satan is the ‘Father of Lies’ and not only casts doubt on God’s word but also replaces it… “You will not die”… You can get away with it. No one will know. Everyone else is doing it. It is only a little sin. Rick Warren suggests that sin is like being pregnant…You may hide it at first but eventually it will show!
• DISOBEDIENCE
Desire works on the realm of the emotions, doubt and deception work on the intellect all leading to an act of will … DISOBEDIENCE! What begins as an idea is birthed as a behaviour. Remember that ...
God is not trying to make us unhappy by giving us rules and regulations; He is trying to protect us!
Disobeying God’s Way produces consequences
Adam and Eve’s disobedience led to their expulsion from Paradise, a broken intimacy and fellowship with God which is the final blow…
• DEATH
It starts with spiritual death now, being outside of Christ will lead to eternal separation from God in the future. Praise God death is not the only option
"The payment for sin is death. But God gives us the free gift of life forever in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23, NCV)
Death is being sidetracked from the purposes for which God made us. Imagine if someone gave you a brand new BMW and you used it to store Garbage or a Belgian Lace table cloth and you used it as a duster!
(SLIDE 6)
CONCLUSION
Therefore when we pray “And don’t let us yield to temptation,” (Matthew 6:13, NLT) we are asking God to help us to…
STAY ALERT… STAY ALIVE!
And to…
ANTICIPATE AND AVOID THE AMBUSHES!
A man wanted to sell his house for two thousand dollars. Another man wanted it badly, but did not have the full price. After bargaining it was agreed that the owner would sell at the reduced price but would retain ownership of a large nail hanging above the front door. When several years later the original owner wanted to buy the property back, the new owner would not sell. As a result the old owner found the carcass of a dead animal and hung it on the nail. Soon the house became unliveable and the new owner was forced to sell.
If you leave the devil even a small peg in your life he will hang his rotten garbage on it.
“So let us run the race that is before us and never give up. We should remove from our lives anything that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds us back. ” (Hebrews 12:1b, NCV)
WHAT HAVE YOU LEFT IN SATAN’S OWNERSHIP?
