Well, I invite you tonight to turn to the book of James for our reading. Tonight we're essentially concluding our study in the Lord's Prayer. A few verses I'd like to read in James chapter 1. That's found on page 1288. And then we'll say a few questions and answers tonight. On page 63 in the back of the Blue Psalter hymnal. Again, 1288 James 1, 12-15, and this is what we hear from the Lord. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one but each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death and there ends the reading of god's word and a few question and answers in lord's day 52 the last lord's day of the heidelberg catechism and that's found on page 63 i'll ask the question please respond with the answer 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 what does your conclusion to this prayer mean for thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory forever. Together, we have made all these requests of You because as our all-powerful King, You not only want to, but are able to give us all that is good and because Your holy name and not we ourselves should receive all the praise forever. And then finally, on the next page, What does that little word, amen, express? Amen means this is sure to be. It is even more sure that God listens to my prayer than that I really desire what I pray for. What a wonderful ending to our study in prayer in that last section there of the Heidelberg. Next week, we plan to partake of the Lord's Supper. And it's always a good reminder to think about prepared hearts, to examine our sin and the judgment of God and the wrath of God, to examine our hearts to make sure that we're trusting in Christ, to examine our conscience that we resolve to live in faith and obedience. And God wants us to know that He'll receive any who are truly broken and contrite, who are trusting in His Son. Tonight's sermon is the best preparation that could possibly be for the Lord's Supper. We're asking the Lord and understanding what it means when we pray, lead us not into temptation. That is the prayer request of preparation, if you will. The best one we can give. And that's what I want to begin with tonight as we consider this petition and what it means. I want to look at this in a few different ways tonight. The first, I suppose it's important because of the confusion surrounding it to just understand what it means. And then to think about who we need to be on the lookout for and then why we need to pray this. I don't know if you caught it, but recently Pope Francis has called for a translation of a phrase about temptation in the Lord's Prayer to be changed. Did you know that? He changed the Lord's Prayer. Yeah, it's a pretty big thing, isn't it? Does a man have the right to change the Lord's Prayer? Well, he did. And he said, the current wording says, lead us not into temptation is not a good translation because God doesn't lead humans to sin. That sounds reasonable, doesn't it? He says, his suggestion is to use, do not let us fall into temptation. Instead, he told Italian TV. the problem is that the greek word means lead us not into temptation that's what it means lead us not into it uh just because i don't like something doesn't mean i have the right to change the word of god the pope even though he may think so is not above scripture there's a fundamental difference between roman catholics and protestants isn't it it's an important it's important in any consideration of the sixth petition to understand exactly then what we're being taught to pray, what it means, what does this mean? I think it's the one that challenges us a little bit exactly because of the Pope's concern. What does it mean? Are we praying that God himself would not lead us into this? There's some implications that we have to think through, don't we? We have to be very clear about the meaning of the request. Christ is telling us to petition and ask his Father that we would not be led into it. We have been forgiven. Think about the structure of the prayer as last time we considered, forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, that there was a proper ordering to this, that we have received forgiveness from the Lord. Jesus is now encouraging us and commanding us to pray to look for deliverance from anything that would put us back into that situation. Well, what does it mean? This is why I read James tonight where James says, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials knowing that the testing of your faith, he says, produces something. And you'll be reminded that in Scripture, the word for tempt and test in the original is the same word. It's the exact same word found in the Lord's Prayer for temptation. James here uses as trial, and there is an important difference between the two meanings of those words in the English language, at least as we're understanding the implications of it in the way that the Lord works in our lives. There's an important difference that the Scriptures make between trial and temptation. We have many words in the English that share different meanings, but I think in the Scriptures often of the way that the scriptures describe life it describes life as a trial doesn't it listen to psalm 98 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion as in the day of trial in the wilderness it's all over the place peter said the same thing do not think it's strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange thing has happened to you the bible often presents uh the christian life as a trial a testing that the lord puts us under you think of abram when god tested him tested him with isaac his son testing is is often conveyed in the scriptures as god working in his people to try them and test them and show his power tempting here clearly is something we need to think about for what does it mean and what was jesus after when he's talking about temptation clearly he's talking about as he taught us to pray lead us not into it the arranging of all the circumstances would put us in positions and places where we are tempted and lured to sin this is why this is hard for us why are we asking god to do that james uh says something very pointed here something that we have to remember let no one say when he's tempted i'm tempted by god for god cannot be tempted by evil nor this is important for our text tonight and what we're considering in the Lord's Prayer. Nor does He Himself tempt anyone to sin. God tempts nobody. He tries us, but He tempts no one to sin. So I'm still getting at tonight and having us think about what are we asking of the Lord? It seems to be the first great thing we have to consider here. lead us not into temptation can be a bit confusing for us if you ever go through the scripture especially in the psalms and listen to the prayers of the psalms and how they speak and the things they ask for the lord you can sort of pick up again the same sort of line of thought when you come across prayers like this remove from me the way of lying psalm 119 29 incline not my heart to any evil thing to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity psalm 141 4 you hear that incline not my heart to any evil thing psalmist is clearly asking the lord to do something to prevent his heart from going into something he should not go into do it's it's it's important to consider this tonight that we're asking god to lead us in this way because i don't think i have to make the case tonight that in yourselves you'll go in this way with no problem at all this way is already in us we are already inclined to do things and to put ourselves into situations into bad situations into tempting situations that'll lead us right into a path of sin this is what we're naturally inclined to do you still ask the question then well does god lead us into it does god lead us into it remember how jesus is teaching us to pray here don't lead us into it it's important that at times god allows the circumstances and orders the circumstances and his sovereignty of our lives that we do fall under temptation and what does that mean david think of david from last week one evening david got up from his bed strolled around on the roof of the palace from the roof he saw a woman bathing a very beautiful woman so David sent someone to inquire about her and he reported this is Bathsheba daughter of Eliam the wife of Uriah the Hittite David sent messengers to get her and when she came to him he slept with her now God could have kept the circumstances from happening God could have prevented those circumstances from being ordered that way couldn't he have but he didn't why well i think it's clear when you look at that particular passage as an example david was in a very callous prideful state the nation's off to war david was careless david was strolling around david was not um was in this position of laziness and all of a sudden he falls into this. This is important tonight to consider because James is teaching that God is not the author of evil nor does he himself tempt anyone but we see that even the wicked acts of David in this particular case and our acts sometimes God does not intervene in his ordering of the circumstances because of pride and orders things in the way that they are for a purpose. The Westminster Confession says this. I was wrestling with the reasoning for this and then I stumbled again upon the Westminster Confession and it's so helpful in this regard. Listen to what it says. The most wise, righteous, and gracious God does oftentimes leave for a season His own children to manifold temptations. See, there it is. He leaves them to manifold temptations. Why? Why? Why does He have all the circumstances ordered and leaves us then to these temptations to face them? He leaves for a season His own children to manifold temptations and the corruptions of their own hearts to chastise them for their former sins or to discover unto them the hidden strength of corruption which you never think about in your life and the deceitfulness of your own hearts of their hearts that they may be humble there it is and to raise them to a more close and constant dependence for their support upon himself and to make them more watchful against all future occasions of sin and for sundry other just and holy ends you see why then at times are we led into it god has a specific purpose of drawing out and showing you your hearts showing you you think you're going in your own strength you don't realize how weak you are and at times you don't even see the deceitfulness of your own hearts what you're prone to do you will fall right into it and that is god's way of teaching and at times working and training so that you will return and learn more and more to pray lead us not into it you see westminster larger catechism says it this way in this petition which is and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil acknowledging that the most wise righteous and gracious god for various holy and just ends may so order things he's order everything doesn't he that we may be assaulted foiled and for a time led captive by temptation it's really a remarkable thought because what this prayer request then is doing is producing in us a humility that every day we get up when we pray this we would realize how dependent and needful we are for him to order all of our lives so that we don't go sin which we don't take seriously enough do we now you understand why we have to pray it which i find immensely comforting tonight that jesus is commanding us to pray this way it it really is such a a beautiful thought at the end of the prayer to think about that this is is calling us to see that every bit of life is under god's sovereign care every bit of your circumstances you're going to get up tomorrow and you think well here's what i'm going to do i'm going to do this i'm going to do this i'm going to do this you don't even think about all the things that that are hitting you and are coming at you and the attacks that are happening and the way he's ordering it all to keep you and preserve you and so at times if he suffers us to fall into it he has a purpose by our own wills right because this is what we want this is often what we will go do each one is led away by his own desires and enticed god lets us fall into that and orders it all the things so he as the confession says leaves us for a season to these temptations has a purpose in strengthening us when he draws us back so that we would depend upon him in prayer all the more all your circumstances all the interaction all the things that happen in the daily course of your lives you're going to now think a lot about lord keep us hold us hold on to me because i can't hold on to myself we'll come back to that so we're compelled to understand this petition is asking the father that he would not allow us to willingly take ourselves into it that everything would be ordered and directed in our lives that that we ourselves would not willingly take ourselves into temptation at the instigation of the devil i've said before it's remarkable how easy it is to justify paths of sin in our life oh it's so easy and um i i've said it's remarkable how easy it is when all of a sudden we're confronted with the right and the wrong thing, when we're pressed that way, how we will begin to justify falling into it and not even want to see it. God sovereignly orders your life. Every bit of it. And without His intervention, without His ordering the circumstances, you don't realize how quickly you could dump it all and run when we sing this prone to wonder prone to leave the god that we love that's somewhat experiential isn't it of course it is so there's a basic understanding then the pope shouldn't mess with things he shouldn't i'll come back to even a greater reason why he shouldn't have messed with it at the end the second reason to appreciate and understand uh is to understand who is constantly coming at you um the stress tonight here all the stress tonight this petition recognizes us jesus understands and we see this all taught throughout the scriptures we have three sworn enemies always coming at us always you know this is a reason the christian life is called a warfare a battle boys and girls you're supposed to put on armor when you get up you're supposed to um to put on the spiritual armor of god every day anyone who goes out to war without knowing the opponent is going to get crushed isn't he the most successful i mean we know this in the world of sports the most successful sports teams uh know that the way to beat the opponent is to know that opponent, to know their moves, to know their players, to know what the good players are going to do and how they're able to do it and who can defend them and who can stop them. Every sports team has to calculate and consider the ways to win. Paul uses these analogies for the Christian life all the time. Consider the runner, consider the farmer, consider, consider. Ask how much time athletes put in every day at practice to make their game better, to learn how to defeat their opponents. You can be sure their opponents are studying them with what weaknesses they have. That's true, isn't it? Our enemies are doing the same thing to us. Studying us. They're learning how to come at us. All too often, we don't take this seriously. And Jesus specifically says to, as some of the translations have here, it's important to realize, deliver us from evil or the evil one. It really makes no difference. It's the same point. The devil is coming at us. The devil has angels who attack us and assault us. Paul often talked like this. Peter, Jesus said, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat, but I've prayed for you. We'll come back to that. Peter realized that Satan runs around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Oh, he's crafty. And it always has to do with some kind of attack on the Word of God. If he couldn't destroy you, he's going to do something to undermine your faith and undermine your belief just like he did in the Garden of Eden and call the whole thing into question. You ever felt that? Is any of this really true? You been there? It's the first thing he did to Eve. You're not believing this stuff, are you? He's always working to break down your view of Scripture and of God and make yourself your own God. Always hitting you. Always hitting you. Always hitting you. If I had time, I could go through a million ways he does this. And he's strategic. He's good. Good at it. This one, God said, is more crafty than any beast of the field. Boys and girls, when you decide to disobey your parents, when you fight with your siblings, this is when he loves the moment. There are opportune times. When tensions are high in our marriages, we're uneasy toward one another or we're facing depression or we're facing attack and doubt these are his greatest tools to come along and assault you oh he's good at it flaming darts of the evil one always come paul said it you know wrestle wrestle with flesh and blood principalities, powers, and the rulers of the darkness of this age. Look at all of it. All the dark ideas and all of the principalities and things that are against the knowledge of God. One pastor said, evil takes on a form suited to each personality according to his or her fascination. And in the midst of the whole world of temptation and seduction, we can do nothing but pray, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. He's right. Not only is the devil our enemy, but then you have the world. Look at my children, I think about this all the time. The world, and it pulls me in. Don't love the world. The things in the world. The love of the world, it's not from God. For all the things that are in the world, The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not from the Father, but is from the world. And that's all passing away. And we are so prone as it lures us and comes at us to adopt all of its desires. When we talk about the world, we're not talking about the earth. We're talking about the whole system. The whole system that makes this go in the world, you see it every day on the news, its values, its desires, what it thinks of. And we're constantly pulled to it. The scariest enemy, though, is you. You. James says, Let no one say when he's tempted, I'm tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But listen to this, each one is tempted when he, is drawn away and by his own desires and enticed when desire has given its birth to sin and sin when it's fully grown brings forth death my mom would always say to me growing up Chris you can go out and you can choose sin and it's fun it'll make you feel great but it will ruin you it always bothered me And I thought, well, how do I give in to that so easily? It's our own sinful nature. Our own desire, our own flesh. So you see, do you understand why we're praying it? This is the SOS call. Do you ever struggle with the same sin in your life? Do you ever feel sick with yourself because of that same stupid sin that you say you know at some point i can't be a christian because i keep struggling with the same sin and what do you think i'm going to say i'm going to say well first off jesus has forgiven jesus is loved confess your sins and he's faithful and just to forgive you your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness 70 times seven but i'm going to then ask you the question do you take seriously praying this and my guess is is that in those who are stuck and and repeated patterns of sin will find in the course of their lives this aspect of prayer is completely absent this is what the prayer is for this is this is the lord saying i'll help you come to me come to me think of the christian life boys and girls like the battle of the alamo One of the worst stories about the Alamo is that they cried for help and no one came. Crockett, Bowie, held off the infamous General Santa Ana and 7,000 of his men for 13 days. And then Santa Ana broke in and killed them all. you have satan and his army leading inside you have your own hearts you've got the world they're caving in on you constantly and the reality is you can't hold these guys off that's why this prayer is here until you realize that you're going to feel a constant amount of defeat until we're looking to the lord jesus christ i'm not i'm not challenging the integrity of the forgiveness he's already given you you're forgiven but the struggle in sin is what this is about the struggle and battle in the sin is what this is about as a christian this is sanctification this is the prayer request for sanctification and i am i wrong in saying it's probably the most neglected one the wonderful news of the gospel is that by faith the righteousness of jesus is imputed to you but the lord also wants you to live in the joy of that comfort the lord also wants you to enjoy the victory that's been won for you in christ and the lord also wants you to know the joys of putting to death sin in your life and he's serious about that forgiveness of course is done but it always with has in view in the Christian life of now putting it to death. If by the Spirit you mortify the deeds of the body, you'll live. Romans 8. John Owens, great work on sin and temptation. On Romans 8.13. We were good Wesleyans. We would believe in this life that we could obtain perfection and no longer sin, but we don't believe that. We believe there's a Romans 7 struggle still going on and that this is the great way the Lord has given us to come to him and talk to him and tell him about the struggle and ask him for help and Jesus will pray for you that your faith would not fail it leads me to ask are we concerned that after we're forgiven that after the Lord has cleansed us from all unrighteousness are we concerned not to do those things again do we really care to stop we really understand all of life being so ordered by him that we need him every minute to help us and uphold us it's somewhat hypocritical to ask the lord just to get me out of the consequences of the offenses and then never take seriously what got me into the mess to begin with right or to never keep me again from what it took his son to die for on the cross i need your constant help lord constant that's the prayer take seriously the the presence of sin still in our lives until we're in glory and it's all done that's why you need this prayer requests that's why you need to to pray to him this he's inviting you and he wants to help you how does it sound lord forgive me for my sins but you know how weak i am you know that even though i'm pardoned that particular sin or sin continues to crouch at my door think of the lord's language to cain temptation for my weakness always seeks to smack me in the face and without you all give in to temptation every single time and if you don't order the circumstances of my life the things that i see the positions that i'm put in if i don't take that seriously and you don't help me i will go into it don't lead me into it you see the devil shoots i've got the world coming at me and my own flesh wants it lord without you i'm too weak i'll keep on sinning i will covet i will do everything against your law leave me not into these things i love what the heidelberg says we're so weak in and of our poor selves that we simply cannot make it throughout the day and and and it's telling us here let us not go down in defeat and the lord will not let his children go down in defeat that's the beauty of it lord uphold me they say that the site the ship the boat receiving the sos from the um titanic had no idea of the seriousness of the call for help had no idea the ship was going down and they tried to get there but they didn't realize the seriousness of it that's not the case with your lord you know he sympathizes with all your weaknesses this is why the pope shouldn't have messed with this petition because the spirit led jesus into temptation remember the spirit led jesus in the wilderness to be tempted by the devil for what end to beat it for you to go ahead of you so that ultimately you can know that the Son of God has defeated the devil, the world, and your own flesh. And you're not under His condemnation. Remember what Hebrews says? For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was at all points tempted as we are. He was led into it, yet without sin. So, we can now pray. Lead us not into it because Jesus was led into it for us. You see? Now we can pray that. And the Father hears that. Jesus has gone through this for you and He knows, He understands. He understands your weakness. He understands temptation. And He is ready to give you help. There is grace in time of need. So why wouldn't you pray it? isn't that the motivating factor here alexander the great would ride out in front of his armies and take the hits alexander the great was a mortal man jesus rode out in front of the army and won therefore pray it he has overcome temptation he's overcome death in the grave to help you in your weaknesses. I'm just going to read tonight the closing to this of the Lord's Prayer. And then I'd like to close in prayer by us saying the Lord's Prayer. But think of question 49 again. I mean, I'm sorry, 128 of Lord's Day 52. What does the conclusion to this prayer mean? For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever means we've made all these requests of you because as our all-powerful king you not only want to but are able to give us all that's good he wants to and he's able and because of your holy name and not we ourselves you should receive all praise forever what does that little word amen express when we say boys and girls amen at the end this is sure to be it is even more sure that god listens to my prayer than that i really desire what i pray for that is the most beautiful statement god listens he desires to answer he will answer even more than you desire it i hope this series in prayer has has helped you to consider the importance of prayer to practice prayer look who's offering you help jesus himself by the spirit as you come to the father let's be a praying people and understand the privilege we have to come through right to the throne of grace don't have to go to a pope don't have to go to anyone else and go right to Him. He'll help you. It's our own foolishness not to talk to Him. He's loved you in this way. Enjoy your God. Talk to Him. Pray to Him. And now we should ask Him for that help. Let's say together tonight. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we give our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.