Transcription
Welcome back as we are meditating deep on Matthew 6 and the Lord's Prayer, leaning into prayer. Prayer is a holy call for you and for me. For every believer, the Lord says, "My house shall be called a house of prayer." Yes, that's the church, but it's also Do you not know that you're the dwelling place? That's a house of the Holy Spirit who lives in you, 1 Corinthians 6:19 says. And so, the identification mark of our lives is to be prayer, that we are a praying people.
Let me ask you a question. People in your world, in your family, your friends, even at work, if they're going through a challenging time, do they know that you're the person who prays? Do they come to you and go, "I know that you pray, so can you pray about this?" It's a great thing. People should know that what we do is pray. I I know I've been challenged and even convicted of about this over the years. We can be known about a lot of different things, but are we known as "Oh, he's a man who prays. She's a woman who prays."
And so, today I want to lean into Matthew 6 and verse 13. And oh, I pray the Holy Ghost takes us deep. I I I just sense in my spirit God really wants to show us something. So, come on. Let's lean in deep. This is what it says, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." Father, speak to us. Speak to us.
And lead us not into temptation. The word temptation really is the word testing. A testing. I I just I've got so much things swirling around my mind right now. Let's lean in. What is it saying? Is it saying that we'll never have tests? That we'll never have temptation? That temptation itself is wrong? No, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted, led by the spirit to be tempted, to be tested. He knew that was going to happen, and it was going to happen by the enemy. Yet, in James 1, it very clearly says, "When you are tempted, do not think that you are tempted by God, because God tempts no one." You need to understand this. God tempts no one. God did not tempt Jesus in the wilderness. The devil tempted Jesus. The holy But, he was being led by the spirit, and all of this really shows me something here. Even when we are being led by the spirit, there can be temptation. Right? Jesus was being led by the spirit into the wilderness, and the devil tempted him there. If you're tempted, it doesn't mean you're out of the will of God. Jesus was led by the spirit, and he was tempted, but it's not God that's doing the tempting. We must get this. We must get this. God never tempts us to sin. He can put us to the test, but it's not to sin. It's actually to reveal to ourselves that we can overcome.
>> [laughter] >> This is so good. Joseph, when Potiphar's wife tried to seduce him time after time, and then one day he's at work, he's doing what he is meant to do, and there's no other servants around. He was He was not doing the wrong thing intentionally. He was doing his job, and he was a slave. But, even in that place where no one else could see, and Potiphar's wife tempted him, it was not a It was Potiphar's wife that was doing the tempting. It wasn't God, but God was ordering Joseph's steps, and it was a test. But, it wasn't a test to prove him wrong. It was a test to even reveal in that moment the strength of his convictions that he can say no. And he says, "I will not sin against my God, even though no one else can see. he can see, and I will not do this against my God. Jesus overcame the enemy, and as he did, he passed the test. Why? It It was not a to reveal how far he had to go or how much he was doing wrong, cuz he was perfect and sinless, but it revealed the strength of his resolve and his character and his commitment to his father in heaven.
I love what it says in James 1 verse 2. Uh 3 and 4, it says, "Count it all joy when you face these trials of many kinds, uh because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance, but you must let perseverance finish its work, then you'll be mature, complete, lacking nothing." That's what we want. We want the maturity, the completeness, the lacking nothing, and it starts with these trials. Well, in this case, it's different to temptation, but it says the trials are tests. Well, the temptations are also tests, and a test just reveals what do you know? You say you know this, do you know this? We say the peace of God will guide our heart and mind, but when you're in a place of testing, of temptation, that that is literally a test that to reveal do we believe what we say about God? It's just as much an opportunity to do good as it is to do evil.
And so, as we go back to our scripture and lead us not into temptation, it's not that we won't ever have it, but it's God, let us not be unnecessarily put in a place. And I think this is part of the wisdom that we need. I- I- If you're really struggling with alcohol and that's been a problem ongoing, ongoing, ongoing, you don't purposely go and sit at the bar. You don't purposely go to a bar where where it's all around you. No, no, no, no, no. We need to be wise and not unintentionally put ourselves in a place where there's harm. If you're struggling with pornography, you're struggling in the area of lust, you don't go mindlessly scrolling on the internet by your You don't put yourself in a place. Lead me not into temptation. Help me to be wise. Help me to make decisions. But even when we are being wise, temptation could can come. But Jesus said, "Pray, lead us not into that place of being overcome and deliver us, but deliver us from the evil one. If it is a test, help me to pass the test."
I love what it says in Psalm 23. I think it's verse three, "And lead us in the paths of righteousness for your name's sake." >> [laughter] >> It talks about that the spirit The Holy Spirit, he will guide us into all truth. A guide is one who has been through something, knows the terrain, and knows how to lead you through safely. If you If you are following a guide on a trip somewhere, they know where they're going. Well, the Bible says in Hebrews chapter 4 verse 15 that we have a great high priest who is able to sympathize with us in our weakness because he was tempted in every way just like us, but he did not sin. In other words, he knows the way out. First Corinthians 10:13 says, "For um no temptation has overtaken us except what is common to all mankind. But God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. And with every temptation, he will provide a way of escape. He will provide a way out. How does he do it? He does it by the leading of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ who has been tempted in every way, and he did not sin. He knew how to get through that. He knew he did get through that reliant upon God and he says, let me guide you on the way out. Lead us not into temptation. Lord, you lead me. Since I live by the spirit, I'm going to keep in step with the spirit of God and I will not be delivered I will not give in to the evil one, but rather God deliver me from the evil one. The devil will not win in my life. He's defeated. I have submit to you. I resist the devil and he's got to flee. James 4:7 says, thank you, Father.
And so, let's step into this for a moment here. Father, I pray for those that need to make wiser decisions. This I just want to speak to you. I want to speak to you. I'm going to pray and speaking to your heart. If you are continually putting yourself in a place of temptation and you're falling, that's not what this scripture's talking about. He says, no, lead lead us not into that place. Deliver us from the evil one and that takes making wise decisions. Change your environment if you keep on falling in. Don't be foolish, but actually ask the Lord to give you the strength. I'm not going to do that. I'm going to change that. I'm going to change that situation. I'm not going to go there. Father, give us your wisdom to make wise decisions in Jesus' name.
But Lord, for others that even like Jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness and there was temptation there, but he overcame and Joseph, there was temptation there, but he overcame and we face trials, but they're tests and we can actually be mature and complete. Lord, I pray that your strength will enable us to say no. Lord, that your spirit will guide us and lead us as we resist and Lord, let us come out like Jesus did out of that testing and that temptation. He came out in the power of the spirit because he said no to the enemy. Let us be strengthened as we overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. Father God, lead us we pray. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. God bless you.