(This message may be used as an individual sermon or as part of the series.)
Matthew 6:13 – LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION
Part #7 of 8 on The Lord’s Prayer
A minister was reviewing the family bills. He found a bill from the local dress store for $250 for a new dress. He confronted his wife yelling that she knew they couldn’t afford such expense. The wife replied, “I know honey, but I tried the dress on and Satan tempted me. He said, ‘My dear, you look lovely in that dress.’ So I bought it.”
The husband asked, “Why didn’t you say, ‘Get thee behind me Satan?'”
“I did,” she replied, “But he said, ‘My dear it looks lovely in the back too!'” (Source Unknown)
We all face temptations. James 1:13-15
We will all be tempted to do what is wrong. We can not avoid temptation. However, I believe that God has designed a way for the amount of temptation that we face to be drastically reduced.
As we ask Him, He will give us victory over temptation.
We come to the next portion of our model prayer, The Lord’s Prayer. Matthew 6:13 – “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:” If I sincerely make this my prayer request before God, I am saying,
THERE IS A DESIRE ON MY PART
Do you know why some Christians have a real problem with temptation? THEY WANT TO!
There are areas of their lives that they love so much that they can’t let go. Their desire for the sin is so great, that it does not take much to tempt them.
Some love pornography so much that it doesn’t take much to get them to be looking at pornographic magazines or websites.
Some love sex so much that it doesn’t take much to make them immoral.
Some love gossip so much that it doesn’t take much to make them gossip.
Some love hunting, fishing, or sports so much that it doesn’t take much to make these things their Gods.
Some love alcohol so much that it doesn’t take much for them to make them drink.
Some love themselves so much that it doesn’t take much for them to lie to save their skins.
Some love themselves so much that it doesn’t take much to get them to worry. And the great majority of worry is self-centered.
What am I saying? We are tempted to sin because we have the wrong kinds of desires.
When we pray in sincerity, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: we are expressing the desire to have victory over the wrong kinds of desires.
Please turn to 1 John 2:15-17.
According to this passage, we are tempted in three areas. All the temptations I mentioned a moment ago fall into one of three categories: LUST OF THE FLESH – LUST OF THE EYES – PRIDE OF LIFE
They are the same three areas in which Eve was tempted in the Garden of Eden. God said not to eat a certain fruit. Satan tempted Eve. The end result was that Eve succumbed to temptation. Genesis 3:6
Notice what 1 John 2:15-17 is saying. If we love the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, we do not love God the Father! We are easily tempted because we love the world and don’t really love the Father! We have a greater desire to sin than we do to please God!
We must remember how much God loves us. Psalms 145:8-9, 1 John 4:10
We must remember that we are to love Him!
1 John 4:19 – We love him, because he first loved us.”
John 14:15 – “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
Christian, do you love God?
Christian, do you love the Lord Jesus?
If you do, you should have a desire not to sin, because you want to please Him.
If the desire of your heart is not to sin, then your prayer needs to be in all sincerity, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:”
When you love God and truly desire to please Him, it will be easier to say “no” to those temptations, and to be asking God to deliver you from them.
THERE IS A DECISION ON MY PART
What is the decision that I make as I pray this prayer?
My decision is that, with God’s help, I am not going to give in to temptation.
Notice that I said, “with God’s help.”
You can’t do it yourself.
Romans 6:1-4
When Jesus died on the cross, you died with Him.
When Jesus was buried, you were buried with Him.
When Jesus rose to newness of life, you rose to a new life.
Romans 6:10-14
God says you must make a decision. You must decide or “reckon” that you are dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God” through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Such a decision brings another decision. To yield yourself to God and the parts of your body as instruments of righteousness unto God. You will either yield to sin or yield to God. With God’s help you decide to yield to God!
And notice the promise in verse 14, “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
If your desire is to please God because you love God, your decision must be to yield to God. If you yield to God, your prayer again must be “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:”
THERE IS A DEPENDENCE ON MY PART
As I said a moment ago, you can not do this yourself. You need God’s help. And this request is actually an admission on our parts that we can’t do it ourselves, and that we need God’s help.
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:”
And the neat thing is that God will answer our request!
Turn please to 1 Corinthians 10:12-14.
Vs. 12 – “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”
We are warned here that we must be careful to not get too smug.
There are times when we think that we are doing just fine Spiritually, and that we have everything under control. That’s when we need to look out!
1 Corinthians 10:13 – “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
Any temptation that you receive is a temptation common to the human race. You won’t find that you have a new temptation. In fact the Lord Jesus was already tempted with that same temptation and victorious over it!
Hebrews 4:15 – “…but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
Now look what else it says in this passage – but God is faithful!
God is faithful – He loves you!
God is faithful – He wants you have victory over sin!
God is faithful – He will help you!
You are not being tempted above that you are able. Your temptation to sin, no matter how great it is, can be defeated, not in your own strength, but with God’s help.
With each temptation God says, “There is a way to escape so that you can bear it.”
So when God provides a way to escape, what is our responsibility?
Take it!
1 Corinthians 10:14 – Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
So when temptation comes, we must run from it!
It is as if you are in a burning building and someone yells, “You can escape through the back door.” Whether you escape or whether you burn is your decision.
God says, are you being tempted? Run! I will help you escape.
You’ve heard the Bible story about Joseph. He was being tempted to sleep with his master’s wife. He literally ran, leaving his coat behind. He was later falsely accused, yet he was innocent. But he had to take God’s way of escape.