This morning, as we consider the sixth and final petition of the Lord's Prayer, let's read together from James 1, verses 2-18. James 1, beginning at verse 2, as we give our attention to the reading and the preaching of God's Holy Word. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its works that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position, But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position because he will pass away like a wildflower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant. Its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his busyness. Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. When tempted, no one should say, God is tempting me, for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death. Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the Word of Truth that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all He created. And I ask that you would turn with me in our Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 52, page 63 in the back of this altar hymnal. Page 63, Lord's Day 52. This morning we consider question and answer 127. Page 63, as we recite together what we believe concerning this sixth petition. Question 127 asks, What does the sixth request mean? And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, means, by ourselves we are too weak to hold our own even for a moment. and our sworn enemies, the devil, the world, and our own flesh, never stop attacking us. And so, Lord, uphold us and make us strong with the strength of Your Holy Spirit so that we may not go down to defeat in this spiritual struggle but may firmly resist our enemies until we finally win the complete victory. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, with the fifth petition, which we considered last week, you recall that our Lord taught us to deal with our past and with our present sins by teaching believers to plead for forgiveness of those sins. And since our God never does an incomplete job, He also makes provision for our future. As our Lord teaches us to seek strength in the face of possible future sins and future dangers. And this makes sense, or at least it ought to make sense, because the redeemed child of God in whom the old man of sin is being put to death more and more, and the new man of grace is growing more and more, the redeemed child of God desires to be pleasing to the Lord at all times in the midst of this world. Surrounded by a world of evil, By God's grace, the child of God has taken seriously or takes seriously the command of James in chapter 4 to resist the devil. Because when you know that something is bad and dangerous for you, you stay away from it, right? Boys and girls, right? When you know that something is dangerous, you stay away from it. Boys and girls, you know that gasoline is dangerous, especially when it's mixed with fire. So you stay away from gas and you certainly don't light fire to it. You know that broken glass is dangerous, so you don't walk through broken glass with your bare feet. Satan, evil, and sin are dangerously deadly And the believer, by the illumination of the Holy Spirit, knows this. So he resists these. Yet he also knows that this is only possible one way, and that is being clothed with the strength of the Lord. And this petition is a request for exactly that. It's a request for the strength of the Lord to stand firm against the forces of evil. With this sixth and final petition of the Lord's Prayer, the believer is called to grateful living, resisting evil in the Lord's strength. We want to consider these things, the need for the Lord's strength, the prayer for the Lord's strength, and the result in the Lord's strength. After asking for forgiveness again for our sins, we pray and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Now first of all, a minor point. Some say, but deliver us from the evil one. And in the Greek construction, it's impossible to tell which one it should be or which one our Lord Jesus Christ intended it to be because either way it's written the same. Some believe that the context in which our Lord teaches this in the Gospels, that context points more to the evil one being the better translation, but the evidence isn't even that strong. And the point is, I believe, that it's not a dilemma whether it's evil one or evil. The evil one, as we know, is the author of evil in all ways and shapes and forms and all evil is intimately connected with the evil one. So either way, both are included. Now as we consider what this petition is asking, I believe it would be good for us to consider what it is not asking, first of all. It is not asking that the Lord would never allow us to be tempted or tried. How nice that would be, wouldn't it? But that's not what our Lord taught us to ask in this petition. I thought that that's what it meant for a long time. Maybe some of you did too. But that would contradict the teaching of Scripture. Jesus said, if they hated Me, they will hate you. And Scripture also teaches beyond a doubt that believers will be subject to persecution. And Paul commands us to put on the whole armor of God. Why? Because Satan will shoot his fiery arrow, sometimes one after the other after the other, like there's never an end or never a pause in between. And even that verse of comfort for the believer in times of temptation makes it clear that temptation is a reality. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10 verse 13, no temptation has overtaken you except that which is common to man. But God is faithful. who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it. You see, the moment that we open our eyes in the morning, temptation is before those very same two eyes. When you read the newspaper or look at the TV, when you go to the office or the grocery store, wherever you look, the tempter will be hard at work in some way, shape, or form. And even the Catechism teaches the truth of Scripture by speaking of our sworn enemies, the devil, the world and our own flesh that never stop attacking us. And it also reminds us of that spiritual warfare. You see, to never be tempted or tried, in order for that to be true, one would have to be removed from this world and from this life. You see, this points, obviously, to the need for the Lord's strength. Temptation constantly surrounds us because of our sworn enemies, meaning enemies of the redeemed children of God. But before we describe these enemies, let's make a distinction with regard to the word temptation in Scripture. Early on, the word temptation held a double meaning, two meanings. On the one hand, it meant to entice or attract or to lure into sin. And on the other hand, it meant trials or afflictions of faith. Now, our translation here that we have in the pew, the NIV, does a good job, I believe, of distinguishing between the two. But there are other translations, for example, of James 1, in which the word temptation holds that double meaning. It's used to mean both things. Well, what's the difference? What are we to understand between temptations and trials? Very simply put, trials are for the believer's good. but temptations are for the believer's destruction. Again, I think James points that out in this portion that we read. In verses 2, 3, and 12, he uses the word trials. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. And he goes on from there. Verse 12, Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. Trials are for the believer's good. Then temptations, verses 13-15. When tempted, no one should say, God is tempting me, for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when by his own evil desire he is dragged away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death for the believer's destruction. Therefore, beloved, a temptation is any attempt because of our weakness and because of Satan's craftiness. A temptation is any attempt because of those things to lead God's people away from the path of righteousness and cause us to fall into sin. And often, this is done by making the way of sin and service to sin look right and attractive. In contrast to that, as one commentator says, Trial presupposes something good in man which is put to the test and which is improved, purified, and strengthened by the testing process. Gold and silver are tried in order to purify them, to separate the foreign elements in them, and to enhance the beauty of their luster. And James makes it clear, beloved, that God doesn't tempt. Temptations, as we have defined it, is inconsistent, boys and girls. It doesn't fit with the character of our God. But God tries us and tests us as His workmanship. And through trials, He works to purify and strengthen our faith. And Peter tells us why in 1 Peter 1, verses 6 and 7. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith being much more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Trials of faith are meant to prepare the child of God for eternal life while the temptations of evil are meant for our eternal destruction. Trials are founded on the love of God. Temptations are founded on hatred for God. Trials are always good for those who love God and they are always for His honor. And we should not want them removed. Temptations are always for evil and seek to dishonor God. They are the work of the devil for leading us to sin. But also trials always present the truth while temptations present the lie. Again, temptations make sin in whatever form look luring and attractive and good as something worthwhile to go after. Temptation makes sin look preferable to the way of obedience and righteousness and holiness and faithfulness to God. We have a clear example of this already in Genesis 3. God's trial of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil came with the truth. In the day that you eat of it, you will surely die. But Satan's temptation was covered with the lie. You won't die. You'll be like God. Beloved, in the Christian life, the same situation can and often is both a trial and a temptation. It's a trial from God, but at the same time, it's a temptation of the devil. For example, when a Christian is in danger of losing his important position in the corporate world, unless he becomes unfaithful in some way and denies his Lord, His faith is being tried. But at the same time, this is an appeal to his sinful nature to deny Christ in favor of that prestigious position. Many martyrs in the early New Testament church had their faith tried with the choice to confess Caesar as Lord or be tortured to death. But at the same time, the devil was tempting their flesh to take sides with the world in favor of Caesar and against Christ. In other words, to put themselves first. and not the honor of God. Boys and girls, if you see your mom's purse or your dad's wallet open on their dresser or countertop, and you know there's money in there, your faith is being tried. Are you going to do what's right and leave it alone, or better yet, close it and put it in a safe place, or are you going to take some? But at the same time, Satan is tempting you to take some because maybe your parents won't miss it. And just think of what you can buy with that money. Young people, as you become interested in it and begin dating, and you find yourselves alone with that special someone, what are you going to do? What are you going to do? Satan will be there to tempt you to do what you ought not. But at the same time, it's a test of your faith. What are you going to do? I've used my experience with cancer with a number of people as an example of this trial and temptation. And we could add any number of situations. For example, losing a loved one to death, especially at an early age. And in those situations, the Lord is saying, whether we have a hard time understanding it or not, the Lord is saying, Do you trust Me enough to know what's best for you? Because I love you. But at the same time, Satan is there tempting, saying, come on, how can you believe in God? If He really loved you, He would never have let this happen to you. Of course, I think in Scripture, we have a clear example of this trial versus temptation with Peter. In some respects, the song we just sang dealt with that. We know, of course, which way Peter went. But as I trust you understand, beloved, temptation in this petition is talking about the work of Satan and evil working for our sin and destruction. Our need is great. For one reason, because of those sworn enemies. As Psalm 2 says, these enemies take their stand against the Lord and against His anointed. They have sworn to oppose God and anything He commands. They promote everything that is against Him. We need to remember that. Satan is not our friend. He promotes everything that is against God. The devil, the world, and our own flesh are our mortal enemies. They desire our physical hurt and our spiritual death at any cost. The Bible makes it clear that the devil, Satan, is our number one enemy. That's why we need the armor of God against His flaming arrows. And we know well how Peter describes Him. Your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. And part of his craftiness is that he doesn't always look like a roaring lion. In his deceit, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11, he sometimes transforms himself to make himself look like an angel of light. And then Satan is the prince or ruler of another of our sworn enemies, the world. And we know, and we hope to talk about this more tonight, the Lord willing, that this is talking about the world apart from God. The world that exalts man and treats God as dead. It is the world of sin. This world, congregation, is the tool in the hand of Satan, and therefore it is at enmity with God. And when you get friendly and comfortable with the world, remember the words of James when he says that friendship with the world is enmity. Hatred against God. And remember what John says in 1 John chapter 2, that those who love the world, the love of the Father is not in them. And Jesus says in John 15, if the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you were not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. And we know, don't we? We know by experience. Each one of us, the temptation of the world. We know it far too well. The world through many means and vehicles, especially through things like infomercials and billboards and magazines and all kinds of other advertisements, tempts us to lust and to greed and to spite and to envy and to covet and so much more. And that's difficult then because of our third sworn enemy that tempts us to willingly give in to these temptations, our flesh. Our flesh is still subject to sin, even for the child of God. Jesus said, for the Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Paul expressed the same thing in Romans 7. And in Galatians 5, verse 17, he says, For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. Beloved, our flesh has been described as the traitor inside the fortress, Because it opens the door to the enemies from without. And the Catechism says that these three never stop attacking us. Yet we cannot overlook the sovereignty of God here. Because His divine providence includes these tempting us. Yet they do the tempting. And since by His grace we know ourselves, and we know that our need is so great because by ourselves we are too weak. In this petition then we are praying for the strength of the Lord to resist evil. Jesus said, without me you can do nothing. And then Paul gives the assurance I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. In this petition, we pray that God would deliver us from evil so that in times of temptation we might stand strong. Deliver us from evil and by doing that, O Lord, let us not enter into temptation. The Catechism says, uphold us and make us strong with the strength of Your Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ given to His people to take up residency in us. He is our strength. He is the One who gives us the courage and the confidence to stand firm in the midst of the battle. He is the One who gives us that power from on high. And only in the power of the Holy Spirit can we pray that when it comes to the devil, that we would be clothed with the whole armor of God. That with regard to the world, that He would keep us from falling in love with it. And that when it comes to our own flesh, that we would crucify it. Beloved, we live by and we stand in the grace of God if He removes His restraining hand even for a moment from us, we would follow that which is natural for us. The devil, the world, and our own flesh. Yet in Him, and in Him alone, we can confess that the joy of the Lord is our strength. And that joy, beloved, includes the fact that if God is for us, who can be against us? And we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Now why can we pray this petition in confidence? Because Jesus Christ is victorious over our sworn enemies, the devil, the world, and our flesh. Only in Him can we be confident of the result in the Lord's strength. That result is deliverance in this life and in the next. The Catechism says, so that we may not go down to defeat in this spiritual struggle, but may firmly resist our enemies until we finally win the complete victory. You see, in this life, in this life, we pray, that we would indeed be securely clothed with the whole armor of God. Paul says, finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. It is only in the strength of the Lord that we can stand against and resist evil. To think that we don't need Him is foolishness. It can't be done apart from His strength. Only in His strength will we not give in. Yet, beloved, when we still play with the fire of evil, God may very well remove His hand of grace and let us fall for a time. Yet our assurance is that this is only temporary. He will not completely let go. And He will draw us back to Himself even closer than before. It doesn't mean that these times will not be painful. They will be. But this too is a part of the all things that work together for good. For those who love God, who are the called according to His purpose. And beloved, the result is guaranteed. Again, 1 Corinthians 10.13 says, God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it. But His strengthening power and His influence, it goes on throughout our entire life preparing us for that complete victory. The Catechism, again, says it beautiful and right when it says until we finally win the complete victory. It's not a question of if we will gain this victory. It's a sure thing. Because Jesus Christ has secured it for those whom He teaches to pray this prayer. This complete victory is a blessing from God because it is a perfect gift. Verse 17 says, Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows. In this life, and again I stress, in this life our prayer is that God would equip us with His strength. To stand firm in the midst of our enemies and not suffer defeat. Our prayer is that indeed we would be able to resist the devil which is done through faith. But this prayer also looks forward to the next life. When that armor can be taken off and put aside. Because all of Christ's enemies have been put under His feet and we have been glorified body and soul to the new heaven and the new earth where the forces of evil no longer exist. Beloved, do you look forward to that? Do you look forward to that day when that final goal is reached and when our sworn enemies will be no more and the dangers of sin and death are no longer a threat? A day when complete salvation and perfect victory are here. Do you look forward to that? with longing and anticipation. I pray that you do. Is your prayer, Lord Jesus, come quickly. If your desire is to dine with the devil and to have fellowship with the world and to indulge in the flesh, then you are being called to repent of your sins, to forsake your old nature, to seek the Lord while He may be found and to call upon Him while He is near. You must understand, beloved, that enmity with God in this life will result in an eternal separation from God, death and destruction in the next. But the promise of the Gospel is plain and clear. Jesus Christ died on the cross and paid the price for the sins of those who believe on Him by grace through faith. He not only resisted the temptation of Satan by his perfect obedience, but He completely defeated him. And our confidence is that even in our weakness, He is strong. He is victorious. And His promise is sure. That promise is beautiful. What is it? Notice verse 12. Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. Beloved, as we have come now to the end of the petitions of the Lord's Prayer. We notice that they form a whole. This prayer, which is so beautiful, is complete. God's name and revelation with which we began brings us that grace then by which we will end, by which we will be delivered from this wicked world. And this prayer gives the Christian encouragement, confidence, and strength for this life and at the same time prepares the Christian for complete victory in the next life. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, indeed, we must confess that so often we feel that tension that as our Lord said, the Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. But we thank you for your strength, your power, your hand of blessing in our lives. May we never desire to be without your hand of blessing, without your Spirit. We pray, Holy Spirit of God, that you would continue to work in us in a most powerful fashion. To continue to secure us and defend us against temptation, to deliver us from evil. but as well to prepare us for that final victory as we look forward to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ as we yearn for eternal life. Father, thank you for your blessing. Thank you for your word. Thank you for your salvation. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.