are asking for? Do we really know what it will require? Do we take it seriously? Do we even know how to do it? Or does our prayer life sometimes look a little too much like the one in this clip.
TIM HAWKINS “BEDTIME PRAYER”
Obviously when we pray, we don’t pray like that and hopefully our prayers are more effective than that. We’ve been working our way through the Lord’s Prayer as a model for how we should pray. When Jesus said, “This then is how you should pray” it wasn’t that He meant these exact words but these attitudes. When we pray these are the area’s that we should cover and the attitudes that we should have. We’ve been looking at the Lords prayer for that last few weeks, so please stand with me and let’s read it together one final time for the series.
Matthew 6:9-13, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
The Lord’s prayer is a model for us. It’s not that we’re supposed to pray these words every time but that we are supposed to pray with these attitudes. The Jewish people believed that just like you have physical arteries you have spiritual arteries. If your physical arteries get clogged your life suffers. If your spiritual arteries get clogged, your spiritual life suffers and by the way, your whole life suffers, because they are connected. So as Jesus works His way through the model prayer He works through each artery that should be cleared.
He began with “Our Father.” These words deal with our relationship with God. The one relationship that we have to get right. God wants to have a relationship with us. He is the perfect father that all the best of us can be is a dim, imperfect reflection of.
Then He said, “Hallowed by thy name.” This is the artery of worship. Even though God desires a relationship with us, we must never take Him for granted. He is still God, we still are not, and we never will be. We need to keep that in proper perspective.
Next was the artery of priority. Jesus taught us to pray for the kingdom of God to come. In life we learn that we can’t do everything so we have to learn what we can do and prioritize that. So Jesus told us to put the kingdom of God first and to pray for that first as a reminder that the kingdom of God needs to be our priority. But there is a pay off for that. Matthew 6:33, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.” Jesus says, “If you make my kingdom your first priority then I’ll take care of all the rest of the stuff that you need.” It may not be everything you desire, but you will end up with a better life then you would ever have without Him.
But when we think about that we tend to worry, so He addressed that, “Give us this day our daily bread.” This was the artery of provision. Now Jesus was talking to people who knew what it was to have to work everyday just to get the food to eat that day. We don’t know that but we still worry about things. God says, “Don’t worry about that, put my kingdom first and I’ll take care of you. If you need something ask me and I’ll provide it.”
Then as discussed last week we get to one of the most personal arteries, the artery of forgiveness. It’s personal because when Jesus said, “forgive us our debts” he was implying that we need forgiveness. Sometimes we don’t like to admit that we need forgiveness, but we do. God is perfect, we are not. But then He said, “As we forgive our debtors.” In other words if we want to be forgiven then we have to forgive others. That’s personal but it’s for our own good. We need God’s forgiveness to flow to us and through us to others.
And now today we come to the final section, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” This section is concerned with the artery of protection. The world is a bad place, we need protection in it. The ruler of the world is our enemy, his name is Satan, we can joke about him, we can try and marginalize or ignore him, some people will even try to deny him. But he is very real and very dangerous. The Bible describes him as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. We need protection from the world, we need protection from Satan, and we need protection from ourselves. Let’s just be honest here, we can do bad all by ourselves. I don’t need Satan whispering in my ear to make a wrong choice, I can do that by myself. We need God’s help and protection in overcoming temptation.
But when we first look at this petition, the wording may seem to be a bit odd. Think about what it says, “lead us not into temptation.” Who are we talking to, God. Would God lead us into temptation? No, but there temptation might lie along the path that we are traveling.
You realize that Jesus had a plan for His mission on earth. He moved through His life with purpose. Yet even Jesus, the God man was tempted. We read about it in Matthew 4. What’s important to notice about that is that Jesus temptation in wilderness happened before He prayed about it. This prayer is a prayer of experience. Jesus knows what He is praying about.
1. Reflect on the Temptation of Christ
I want us to reflect on a couple of things in from when Christ was tempted, because the tactics that we see Satan use here on tactic’s that Satan will try to use on us, especially when we feel strong. See when you’re walking with Christ, when you’re feeling good, when you’re fired up to live for God, Satan would love nothing more then to pull you down, because then He can tell you that you’ll never be able to resist him. So let’s look at three things real quickly.
First Jesus was tempted at a moment when He was physically weak. Matthew 4 verse 1, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty day and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter cam to him and said, “If you are the son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus was hungry and that’s when Satan struck. He does the same thing with us. If he can’t get you to take you’re eye off of God, he’ll wait until maybe something else comes along to do it for him. Remember we’ve said that there is a link between your spiritual life and your physical life. Well it flows both ways. If you want a good relationship with God, you have to take care of the physical life that He has given you too.
But also realize that if you’re going through a physical trial, and they happen, they are not an excuse to sin. One of the lessons of this passage is that those are a time to be on guard to be extra vigilant. Difficulties come in life, they happen to everyone. How you handle them will play a large role in defining who you are and who you will become. You can use them as an excuse to give in to temptation or you can continue to press on.
Satan waited until Jesus was physically weak and then Jesus was tempted with things that He desired. Look at it, Jesus fasted for 40 days, He was hungry and what does Satan say, “Hey Jesus turn these stones to bread.” You’re hungry, I know you want to eat. It’s not anything bad right, just make yourself some bread.” Except for those words, “If you are the Son of God.” See before Jesus was tempted He was baptized. It is an act of submission. It is saying that we give our lives to God. When Jesus did it, He was saying that He was going to fulfill Him mission as the servant of God. It was an act of humility. God the Father and the Spirit both show up to signal their approval. What Satan is saying to Jesus is, “I know you did that but if you are the Son of God, take what you want you deserve it.” Will Jesus complete His mission in His strength or depend on the Father like He said He would. And Jesus responds, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
So then Satan takes Jesus to the temple. You would think this is Jesus home turf but as we read the gospel we understand that this was really a battle ground. Satan tempts Him again but this time He uses scripture. He says, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Now he’s saying, “Fine if you are the Son of God prove it, assert your authority by throwing yourself off of this building. You know that God has to protect you from that. Prove you you are, to yourself and anyone else. It’s even scriptural.” See Satan knows scripture pretty well. Here he’s not just trying to use it, he’s trying to twist it a little bit to get it to say what he wants instead what God meant. It’s why you have to read scripture in context instead of just finding a verse to say what you want.
Jesus says, “Fine you wanna go Old Testament, I’ll go really old school. You quoted Psalms, I’ll quote Deuteronomy 6, the heart of the Law, “Do not put the Lord to the test.” He’s saying, “Satan I’m not going to do it, I know who I am, I know what I am, I know who God the Father is, I know how I am supposed to act and that’s what I’m going to do.” You understand that in these two verses, after 40 days in the wilderness we find that Jesus spiritual arteries were very clear.
But Satan doesn’t give up though, he keeps going. He takes Jesus to a High Mountain, he shows Christ all the kingdoms of the world. Then he says, “All this I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me.” You came to save these people, you want these people, find do it my way. Jesus knew what was ahead of Him. Trial and hardship, constant hounding by the religious leaders, and ultimately the cross and the grave. It was a hard path to the victory that came on the other side. Satan was offering Him and easier path, but also one that didn’t come with the same reward. It was really a choice though of who Jesus would trust for victory, God or the Devil. Jesus said, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” Yep, old school again Deuteronomy 6.
Jesus passed through the temptation. But Satan wasn’t just random, he tempted Jesus with things He desired. Food when He was hungry, proof instead of doubt, the people of the world. This was the best that Satan could throw at Him...and Jesus past. By His example we now see the power we need to overcome temptation. It’s not just the ability to quote scripture or to understand scripture that we need. It is the ability to do so from a right relationship with God. Jesus saw Himself as the servant He was prophesied to be in Isaiah. He was willing to be that for you and me, because He wanted to see the Kingdom of God come fully come. We need that in our lives, you and me if we are going to be able to stand in this world. Let me ask you this question, ‘how are your spiritual arteries?’ Do you see God for who He is and yourself for who you are? Do put His kingdom first and then trust in Him for everything else?
2. When We are Tempted:
It’s an important question because the reality is that we have to be ready for when, not if, we will be tempted.
First thing to realize about temptation is this. What Satan would use to destroy you, God would use to build you. You’re not the first person to be tempted and you won’t be the last. Think of some of the people of God that we know were tempted. We’ve talked about Peter and His being tempted and denying Christ. But remember that after Jesus warned Peter and Judas left He Matthew tells us that Jesus took His disciples with Him to the garden. This implies 11 of them. He took Peter, James and John a little further. But they were all there. They all fell asleep so He wakes them up and warns them. Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The Spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” He warned them. He prayed for them. They still failed. We’ve been failing from the beginning. Adam failed. But God has been at work through all of it to build people up. When you are tempted and fail. It doesn’t have to destroy you. I know someone is thinking, well if God can use it then why not just go ahead and give in every time. Because as anyone can tell you who has really faced up to the consequences of their sins, it’s always better to do it God’s way first. We have to be on our guard against temptation so that we don’t fail.
We have to also understand that Satan will use a variety of tactics. You understand that what he tempted Jesus with in the wilderness were reflections of what he did to the children of Israel in the desert. The children were hungry and had to cry out to God for bread. But then the bread that God sent wasn’t good enough, they had to try and get it on their own terms.
When that didn’t work Satan tried to get Jesus to act out of doubt for God. Just like the Children of Israel were constantly doubting God in the wilderness. Why have you led us here, where are we going, are we going to die in the wilderness? It was constant doubt. Until finally it was the test of who are you going to worship. Remember Moses goes up on the mountain, the people think it takes to long so they make a golden calf to worship. Do you see it? Satan isn’t very original but he is persistent. He’s got a playbook that he sticks with because he knows that it works. He keeps going to it over and over until he finds our weak points so he can exploit them. Why? Because sin hurts. It hurts you and it hurts God. He likes that. We have to be on guard.
One final thought about temptation. Temptation shows who really has the upper hand in your life. You may think it is between God and you. But it’s really between God and the devil. You and I are going to choose which one. We may say one thing with our mouths but our lives will say another. Which one we really follow will impact what we do and what we say. If we really want what best for our lives we need to be able to stand strong and live for Christ. We need to keep all of our arteries open. We can do it. The Bible tells us that we can. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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 stand up under it.” We all get tempted, but we can resist, why because God will give us a way to resist. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves, then to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
3. The Armor of God:
How do we resist the devil and stand up to temptation. We put on the armor of God. Armor sounds serious, it brings up images of knights and battles. That is precisely the point. We are in a battle. God and Satan have been battling for the souls of men from the beginning of time. We can either realize that we are in the battle. Listen to the words of Ephesians 6, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against eh authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrow of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.”
Of course the armor here is figurative, but each piece is also an accurate illustration of what we need to guard our lives. It begins with the belt of truth, this protects my emotions. The world wants to tell us that their are grey areas. That what God says is wrong, and what feels good is right. But when we accept and know God’s truth then we will not we swayed back and forth by opinion because we will know what God has said.
The breast plate of righteousness assures me of my standing with God. It’s Satan’s favorite lie, that everything is not ok between you and God. Remember he asked Jesus, “If you are the Son of God.” But God has promised to forgive us and save us if we commit to live for Him. Because He is righteous we know that He will keep his promises. If we let Him live in us, then His righteousness will flow through us. When that happens we know that God is in up because we have a relationship with Him, and we see that He is at work in our lives. We don’t have to wonder if God is there because we see that God is there.
The Gospel of peace, keeps my feet on the right path. It’s those age old questions, who are you, what are you, what do you want to do with your life. The answer for the Christian is simple. Where ever I go, whatever my vocation, I am a minister of reconciliation between God and men. My first and primary mission is to share the love and grace of Christ with the people around me.
Next is the shield of faith, to protect my life. Our world is filled with the lies and deceptions of the enemy. He wants to convince you that the world is turning darker, that we are headed toward defeat. He would steal you hope and joy and tell you that you are worthless, that you can’t stand. He would remind you of who you were and all of your past failures and current weaknesses. But when we see the world through faith. When we stand behind the promises of God then we can see ourselves as a new creation. We are slowly being remade in His image and He is at work within us. When we see ourselves that way, then there is nothing in the future but hope and ultimate victory because we’ve read the end of the book, God wins.
So when everything is safe, when we have been able to stand then we come to the final piece, the sword of the spirit to fight the enemy. See the people of God are not just supposed to sit back and survive the onslaught of Satan in this world, we are supposed to at some point God on the offensive. The lies of the devil can not stand against the truth of God’s word. We are the ones charged with the mission to take His word and use it. When temptation comes we can stand against it, we can over come it, because the Spirit of God lives within us. When we live a life that overcomes temptation, when we are able to stand in this world people will notice, they will want what we have. When that happens then we can share with them what we have and advance the kingdom of God. We are at war, but God is on our side, let’s live in victory.
