The Lord's Prayer - Part 5 - Lead Us Series

Dr. Bradford Reaves

Crossway Christian Fellowship

Hagerstown, MD

www.mycrossway.org

This is the last message in the Lord’s Prayer. What a fantastic series of messages we’ve encountered in the midst of our series of the Sermon on the Mount. We’ve come to the last stanza in verse 13 “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one...” There’s always a bit of confusion when one comes upon that line. What does it mean when we pray to God not to lead us into temptation? Is there a possibility that we could follow God into folly? This is the question we are going to answer.

If you remember, the praying of the Pharisees was characterized by hypocrisy (v.5). They prayed for their self-adoration so that all around them would see how holy and righteous they were. Jesus said that prayer is for the glorification of God alone.

Likewise, our prayers are not to be like that of the pagans. Who prayed mechanically, with meaningless repetitions (v. 7) and ritualistic utterances. I think of the prophets of Baal on Mt Carmel who stirred themselves into a frenzy and even cut themselves.

The Christian prayer is entirely different. We are not praying for piety's sake and for our glorification. We’re not self-seeking or trying to conjure up some ritualistic stupor. We are praying to our Heavenly Father, putting ourselves under Him, surrendering to His will and glory, knowing He is our provider and protector. Our prayers are to focus on God alone. This kind of prayer is God-centered, not self-centered.

Let’s read the passage one more time together:

“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’] (Matthew 6:9–13)

Every single petition here is a wonderful promise from God that there is nothing that we need to come begging to God for us to receive from Him. Instead, we are upholding what God has already provided for us. For instance, God’s name is to be made holy - that’s His desire. God’s Kingdom is coming, and He will be done - that is already in place. He has already promised to give us our daily bread. He has already granted us, in Christ, absolute and total forgiveness. And He has already promised that He will lead us, guide us, and direct us away from evil in the path of righteousness. So when we are praying, we are really laying claim to what is already promised to us. Therefore, the more we understand the promises of God, the richer and deeper our prayers become. We’re not begging God for what He reluctantly gives; we are living the abundant life He desires to provide for us. (MacArthur)

What is remarkable about the Christian life is we are awaiting a home not yet realized. And during that evolution, our Heavenly Father is leading us through a time and land that is treacherous and ruled by ungodly people and entities. From our finite perspective, it seems at times that the terrain is perilous. However, for the believer surrendered to God we realize that the Guide of our Life is the Master of the terrain.

A little boy led his sister up a mountain path, and the way was not easy. "Why this isn't a path at all," the little girl complained. "Its all rocky and bumpy." Her little brother kept on up the mountain, pausing just long enough to call out, "Sure, but the bumps are what you climb on."

So in the sixth and final petition, we’re not praying in a begging fashion for the easy road, but that we ourselves would follow our Heavenly Father in faith through the rugged terrain of life. That’s the essence of the sixth petition. It’s a continuing thought of trusting God for His protection. You could say that we’ve moved from our physical need (daily bread), to our moral need (forgiveness), to our spiritual or moral need (righteousness).

The word for temptation here is peirasmos, a neutral word used several times in Scripture. It is not a word that points to something positive or negative. It is the essence of being proven or tested.

How does the silversmith know just that moment to take the rock out of the flame?  According to my research, the Silversmith knows the moment of purity is complete whenever he sees his actual reflection in the rock; at that moment, it is now pure silver.