Dear Friends,
When one of Jesus’ disciples asks Him to teach them how to pray, this is how Jesus responded.
First, He said, acknowledge God as your Father. Recognize that by His grace you have been invited into a loving, intimate relationship with your Creator.
Second, say to God (and mean it) that the most important priority in your life is for God’s name to be hallowed, lifted up, exalted and honored. This is both a personal priority and the priority for His church. That’s what we mean when we say “hallowed be Your name.”
Third, you need to be able to say to God (and mean it) that you long for God to rule and reign in your own life, in His church and then throughout the world. “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done.”
Fourth, you need to acknowledge before God that you are totally dependent on Him for every aspect of your life – for breath and water and food and shelter. He is your provider. Look to Him for daily bread – and for all you need each day.
Fifth, you need to recognize that you are in need of His forgiveness for you sins. You need the judicial declaration that your sins are forgiven. And you need the daily cleansing that restores your joy, your usefulness, and your fellowship with God.
That brings us to the final petition in the Lord’s Prayer. Lead us not into temptation. Deliver us from evil.
Have you ever stopped to think about this petition? About asking God not to lead us into temptation? The implication there is that God is somehow engaged in tempting us to sin
But of course, James 1 tells us that “God Himself tempts no man.” So it might sound like this petition is us asking God not to do something that is against His nature to do.
Let me give you nine biblical principles related to temptation that can hopefully help you think rightly about the temptations we face and God’s part in them. I’ve linked to the related scriptures so you can look them up on your own.
1. GOD DOES NOT TEMPT US TO SIN (James 1:12-13 (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=bde04b1ea2&e=fbb0a4052b))
2. SATAN TEMPS US TO SIN. (Matthew 4:1-3, (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=001ce39aa9&e=fbb0a4052b) 1 Peter 5:8) (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=59a6956371&e=fbb0a4052b)
3. GOD DOES NOT TEMPT, BUT HE GOVERNS TEMPTATION. (Job 1:9–12 (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=37f864a0a4&e=fbb0a4052b), Matt 4:1 (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=6206f9f9ac&e=fbb0a4052b), Luke 22:31–32 (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=ebaad5ade7&e=fbb0a4052b))
4. TEMPTATION IS NOT SIN. (Matt 4:1 (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=3e9b846190&e=fbb0a4052b))
5. TEMPTATION CAN LEAD TO SIN. (James 1:14-15) (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=1179493481&e=fbb0a4052b)
6. WE ARE PRONE TO SIN. (Romans 7:14–25 (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=a4754bd895&e=fbb0a4052b))
7. WE CANNOT THE DEVIL’S TEMPTATIONS IN OUR OWN STRENGHT. (Ephesians 6:10–11 (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=cfdb493891&e=fbb0a4052b))
8. ONLY IN CHRIST ARE WE ABLE TO RESIST TEMPTATION TO SIN. (1 Corinthians 10:13 (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=91142bb98b&e=fbb0a4052b))
9. TEMPTATION THAT WE RESIST THAT DOES NOT RESULT IN SIN HAS SPIRITUAL BENEFITS FOR US. (James 1:2-4 (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=d5e40ab7c5&e=fbb0a4052b))
John Owen says “Temptation is like a knife, that may either cut the meat or the throat of a man; it may be his food or his poison, his exercise or his destruction.”
When we pray “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, we are praying the same thing that we sing when we sing the hymn A Mighty Fortress. It’s a hymn that is all about God being our strength to withstand the tempting schemes of our adversary.
Here’s I think what Jesus wants us to understand when we pray “lead us not into temptation. I think He want us to see that if we want to have an intimate relationship with Him as our Father, we need to be able to say to Him – and mean it - “Father, I don’t want to sin. I want to live a holy, upright and blameless life before you – a life that honors your name and delights your heart.
“I confess that I am helpless to resist sin and temptation on our own. Unless you deliver me from evil by Your Spirit and Your Word, I will fall.
“So because I know my own frailty, I ask that you would lead me not into temptation. I am afraid I will fall.
“I know that I am living my life in a spiritual war zone, where the world, the flesh and the devil are pressing in on me. I know that as a result, I will face temptation today. I am scared. I don’t want to sin against You. Please deliver me from evil.”
Bible teacher Kent Hughes says “The operative inner quality here is a humble awareness of our weakness. The very best person is, at his or her best, vulnerable and easily stumbled apart from God’s gracious provision of strength. And we are never so vulnerable as when we think we are past a certain temptation.”
I think this final petition in the Lord’s Prayer is a neglected petition in the church today because too many of us take a casual approach to pursuing holiness.
The Lord’s Prayer begins by acknowledging that God is our kind and loving Father who has adopted us into His family at the cost of His own Son’s life. He has made us joint heirs with Jesus. He has loved us with an everlasting love.
The prayer ends with a plea – that ought to be the cry of our hearts – that God would protect us and keep us from temptation. We know how frail and weak we are. We would never want to do anything to dishonor the One who has loved us so!
So we pray each day a prayer that says to God “Help me to not sin. Help me to resist the Devil. Help me to resist the siren song of the culture that encourages and entices me to live for myself and my own temporal pleasure. Help me to resist my own flesh that cries out saying ‘I want what I want!’
“My spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak. I long for holiness in my life. I long for my life to be a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to you. Because I know how weak I am, keep me from temptation.”
Is that the longing of your heart? Do you long to live a life that is pleasing to Christ? Do you long for holiness and righteousness? Are you content trying to manage your sin instead of putting it to death?
If you lack the longing for holiness, it’s either because you don’t know Christ or because you need to fix your eyes on Him. Look carefully at Him. See the kindness and love and compassion and grace that flows from His life. The more our gaze is fixed on Jesus, the more we will want to be like Him. The more we will see what a treasure He is. And the more we will see the toxic waste that is our own sin.
And as we do, we’ll be more likely to pray “Lord, lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil.”
WELCOME VIRGINIA ANNE BROWNCongrats to Alex and Lydia Brown on the arrival of their second child, a daughter named Virginia Anne! 7lbs, 8oz. 21 inches long. Mom and baby are doing great, but Lydia says she’ll probably sit out the Stay-treat this weekend.
WOMEN'S STAY-TREAT - THIS WEEKEND!The women’s Stay Treat takes place this weekend. Please be in prayer for God to work powerfully in the lives of those who are attending.
If you have any questions about the Stay Treat, contact Jen Gurney – jengiles1@yahoo.com (mailto:jengiles1@yahoo.com)
NXT-GEN
The next young adult NxtGen get together happens a week from this Saturday.
MEN'S BREAKFAST FELLOWSHIPAs we’ve looked at all we have going on this month, we’ve decided to postpone the planned Men’s Breakfast. We’ll let you know when our next event is scheduled.BABY DEDICATIONSOn Mother’s Day (two weeks from this Sunday), we’ll be dedicating children to the Lord, following the pattern modeled by Hannah in 1 Samuel 1-2. If you’d like to take part in this commitment ceremony for your son or daughter, please let Becky Perez or Jen Gurney know, and plan to invite friends and relatives to join you in church on Mother’s Day.BIBLES FOR GRADUATING SENIORSWe have four high school seniors who are graduating next month. And on Sunday, May 3, we’ll be honoring them and presenting them with a keepsake Bible.
Whether you know these students or not, we’re asking you to take a few minutes before or after church this Sunday to highlight a verse or two in each of the Bible, along with your name and a note so these students will be able to see the verses or passages that you’d like to point them to.
Please plan to arrive a few minutes early or to stay a few minutes after church on Sunday to bless these seniors.NEW DEACON NOMINEEThis week, the Elders met with Scott and Kellie Riggan. We believe that God is setting Scott apart to serve our church as one of our deacons. And Scott has confirmed for us his desire and willingness to serve us in this way.
Our plan is to install Scott in this role during our worship service on Sunday, May 17. Over the next three weeks, we’re asking you to pray for God to make Scott’s calling clear.
If you have questions or any concerns about Scott serving in this role, we would ask that you would address those concerns to any of the Elders or directly to Scott. If no concerns are raised, we’ll move forward with our plans on May 17.READY FOR SUNDAY
Here is the preview (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=37e6e64543&e=fbb0a4052b) of the songs we’ll be singing together this weekend.
Our Gospel Way Catechism Class continues before church this week. Come enjoy the fellowship as we talk about the core elements of what we believe.
You can’t really know God unless you can comprehend something about His love for those who are His. But it’s also true that no matter how much we come to know and understand God’s love, we can never exhaust all there is to know. We’ll take a look at the Apostle Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians to know God’s love when we continue our series in Ephesians on Sunday.
See you in church!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Pastor Bob
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