I want to thank the worship team for emphasizing what the scriptures emphasize, and that is that our God is a holy God, and so we come before him and we gather together on a Sunday morning, mindful of that, that his name ought to be treated as holy. That is the first request that we are called to pray in our Lord's model prayer. Turn to Matthew chapter 6 for that, and while you're doing that, I want to dismiss the kids for children's church. So Matthew chapter 6, he had to make a list of sins that you struggle the most with, what would that list consist of? I would presume that if you are breathing, then you have such a list that you could make, because we are sinful creatures. There is a survey, or was a survey, conducted by Discipleship Journal, in which it surveyed its readership. about concerning the greatest spiritual challenge to them. And here's a list of some of the things that they struggled with the most. I have a list of nine, and it's in the order of what they struggled with most. Number one was materialism. Materialism. Number two was pride. Number three was self-centeredness. Number four, laziness. There was a two-way tie for fifth, anger and bitterness was one, and sexual lust was the other. Number seven was envy, number eight was gluttony, and number nine was lying. 84%, or let me back up, resisting temptation. When they talked about listing, they listed all the spiritual challenges, and then they went over the ways to resist temptation, and this is what they put as to what helped them to resist these temptations. 52% said that what helped them was being accountable to someone, having to report to someone else about your challenges and difficulties. 52% said that. 66% said it was Bible study that helped them. 76% said it was avoiding compromising situations, not being there in the first place. And 84% said that resisting temptation, the key for them, was accomplished by prayer. By prayer. 84%. Temptation was resisted by prayer. Jesus addresses the issue of temptation in the sixth petition found in the Lord's model prayer, Matthew chapter 6. Let me read this to you, starting with verse 9 once again. This then, Jesus says, is how you should pray. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Verse 11, give us today our daily bread. Petition number 5, forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. Petition number 6, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Lead us not into temptation, Jesus. us to pray, but deliver us from the evil one." This sixth and final petition has some difficulty in understanding this, in understanding its meaning. Jesus instructs you and me to come before God and ask Him, lead us not into temptation. So what is the request for and why does Jesus say that we ought to pray this? If you are unfamiliar with the scriptures, you might think that God leads us into temptation, so it is necessary for us to pray, please do not do this. Do not lead us into temptation. Is this what Jesus meant by that? That God will lead us into temptation, so we must pray for Him not to accomplish this in our lives, not to lead us this way. Note that if you have the New International Version or the King James Version, your translation is the same. It says, and lead us not into temptation. It's addressing God and asking God, says, and lead us not into temptation. If you have the New American Standard Version or the New King James Version, your translation is the same. And it says, and do not lead us into temptation. It varies just slightly. And so, in other words, all four major English versions of the Bible concur. that when we come before God in prayer, we pray and ask God not to lead us into temptation. It is from the word, to lead, it's from the word eis pharaoh, it's a compound word in Greek, eis means into, pharaoh is where we get the English word ferry, as in ferry boat, and so it is, God don't carry us into, don't bring us into temptation. And so what's going on here? What do we make of this? Turn quickly to James chapter 1, keeping your fingers in Matthew chapter 6, but James chapter 1, James chapter 1 and verse 13 says this, 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." And so James outlines for us how we are drawn into sin. He says that he doesn't even put the blame on Satan, the evil one. He says that while Satan can tempt, of course, we find that out from different passages, it is our own evil desires that that's drawn and then it's our own evil desires that causes us to sin and God does not tempt anyone to sin he is not tempted by evil verse 13 nor does he tempt anyone and so it's very clear in James chapter 1 that God does not tempt anyone to sin One of the great legacies from the Reformation is the principle that scripture should be its own interpreter. And that is, if you come across a passage in which you're scratching your head and trying to figure out what is it saying, then you can go to other parts of scripture to help clarify what's being taught, because scripture does not contradict itself. And so that's one of the great legacies that comes to us from the 1500s, from the time of the Reformation. Practically speaking, turn back to Matthew 6, what this means is that the question of whether God leads a person into temptation has been settled by James chapter 1, and that is He cannot lead anyone into temptation. So, the question does remain, however, in why does Jesus say to pray this? Why does he pray and instruct you and me to pray, do not lead us into temptation? Now, what we have here in Matthew 6 is a figure of speech, and you and I can find several examples of figures of speech and also you and I use figures of speech on a constant basis on a daily basis constantly in our conversation a lot of times we are only made aware of this when we're talking to a foreign exchange student who's just learning English or knows English as a second language you try to communicate to that person and put in all of the jargons and all the idioms and figures of speech like oh come on stop it you're pulling my leg Or, oh, you're joking. Come on, get out of here! Now, that person may end up being offended because they're not sure what you're trying to communicate. Have you ever had an exchange student in your home and trying to talk? You run into this problem. You have to keep it simple and straightforward. You can't be talking about pulling my leg, etc. Well, in Matthew chapter 5 even, we have some figures of speech going on. Look at Matthew chapter 5 and verse 29. Matthew 5 and verse 29 Jesus says if your right eye causes you to sin gouge it out and throw it away It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell And if your right hand causes you to sin cut it off and throw it away It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell now What is Jesus teaching here? You see, no matter how thorough you are with word studies, no matter how much you look into this word gouging and the word cutting it off, it means to gouge out your eye and it means to cut off your right hand. But you have to recognize that Jesus is using a figure of speech here. It's a hyperbole. And that is, he is exaggerating to make a point. And he's saying that when it comes to sin, If your eyes offend you, if your eyes are leading you into sin, deal with it radically. He's not telling you to literally take an instrument and gouge out your eye, or take a saw and cut off your right hand. He is saying that when it comes to sin, deal with it radically. Take the steps necessary in order to do it. Whether it involves removing yourself from the situation, whether it involves getting in your car and driving away from it, do that. but deal with it radically, and so we can see this figure of speech going on even in Matthew chapter 5. Well, in Matthew 6 and verse 13 we have another figure of speech. It's called litotes, and it is where you use a negative communication to convey the opposite. You use something negatively to convey the opposite. For example, if I said, The service this morning was attended by not a few people. What am I saying? I'm saying the opposite. I'm using something negative, not a few people, to indicate that there were several attending the service. If I said to you that the debt that you have incurred is not a small amount, what am I saying? I'm using a negative to indicate the opposite. That is, that your debt amount is very large. And so when Jesus says, Lead us not into temptation. It is a negative phrase to convey the opposite. And that is, Lord, lead us not into temptation. It means that, Lord, keep us away from evil. Keep us away not only from sin, but from temptation. Help us to stay clear from it. That is what Jesus is saying when he instructs us to pray. Lead us not into temptation. And so here is a request. asking God for the help that you and I need to keep ourselves free and clear, not only from sin, but even from its temptation. This morning, I want to spend the rest of our time going over some implications as to what this means then. Jesus instructs us to pray, lead us not into temptation. What does this mean? What does this imply? And there are three. First, it implies When we pray, lead us not into temptation. It implies that no matter how spiritually mature a person might be, this request is never outdated, it is never inappropriate, and it is always timely. No matter how spiritually mature you are, to pray and to come before God and to pray, lead us not into temptation. Lord, keep me free and clear from temptation and sin is always current news. It will never grow old in your life. This is a reminder of this. You know, when I mentioned to you the survey, I was thinking about this with Discipleship Journal, because the journal surveyed its leadership. It didn't survey just any church, it surveyed its leadership. And I was trying to think, who subscribes to the Discipleship Journal? You know, we're not talking about those that rarely darken the doors of the church. We're not talking about those who are out there somewhere and are nominal Christians. We're talking about those who have lived, have committed their lives to Christ, have that growing desire to follow Christ in discipleship. they try to make it their plan to study the scriptures and to be regimented this way and so then they subscribe to discipleship journal wanting to find out ways to help their walk with Christ and so it is out of this group that we find some of their spiritual challenges like materialism and laziness and such and so forth And it means that even though you have been a Christian for a long time, that you're still going to struggle with things. And so this request for you never becomes outdated. And as you pray before God, as you are there next to your bed, or whenever you pray, that you ought to include this, and because it's always timely, Lord, lead us not into temptation. Help us. Keep us from evil. Keep us from being swayed. Help us to stay clear. Help us to be able to recognize Satan's strategies. Help us not to be lured away. Help us not to wander away from you, from what your desire is for my life. And so the longer you and I walk with Christ, the more mindful we ought to be of this request. There's a second implication when we pray, lead us not into temptation. It reminds us that one of the ways we hallow God's name, as in the first petition, is to live holy lives. It's not by accident that when you read Matthew 6 and this prayer, that Jesus says, Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Then he says, verse 12, forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. If there is anything that attracted you and me to this prayer, it would be petition number 5, located in verse 12, forgive us our debts. Who is among us here who does not want to be forgiven? Who among us here does not want to be reminded of God's tremendous grace that he poured out for you. He showed you extreme kindness and he forgives your sins and he clears your debt and he declares you not guilty. Which one of us don't want to be. We don't want to be reminded of that. We all do. Right. Those are precious truths. However. If that's the only one you celebrate and the only one you pray and the only one you cling on to and embrace, it could be a problem. because now you are looking at God and emphasizing the mercy and kindness of God and that you're forgiven and that you realize that you are sinful but you're not perfect and so you can live your life the way you please and at the end of the day just as long as you fall on your knees and you say, Lord forgive me I have blown it today and listed several categories of sin that you have violated that everything's okay Now some Christians, or some professing Christians anyway, think that way. What a deal! I can live as, you know, I can live any way I please, and just so that at the end of the day I'm on my knees asking for forgiveness, everything's going to be okay, because no one on this earth is perfect, there's no one in the church that can say that they are sinless, we're all with sin, and so You know, that's just the way it goes. Christians aren't perfect, they're just forgiven. Not a few professing Christians will reason this way. Now let me ask you this. You know that the Bible teaches there ought to be a difference. Right? There needs to be a difference. If you claim the name of Christ, if you call on Him as Lord and Savior, there ought to be a difference in your life. You can't just blend in. And so if you are in school and you are among the students, you cannot be like the rest of the students. You cannot be like the rest of the students who don't know God. You cannot be among them laughing at their jokes, their raunchy jokes. You cannot be among them grumbling and complaining and rebelling against the teacher. You cannot be numbered among them. You mustn't be. As a co-worker, there's got to be a difference in the way you live your life. There's got to be a difference. You can't be in the lunchroom exchanging slanders and gossips and any news of the day that causes the ill-repute of others and talk badly about your boss and bad-mouth the company. You can't be among them. There's got to be a difference. There should be a difference. It's not okay. And you can't just say, well, you know, you can't just throw your hands up and say, well, you know, no one said I was perfect. There's got to be a difference. But I know what you're saying. You're saying, well, but a lot of times there's not. There's not a difference. And a lot of times that I wonder whether the teacher can tell who the Christians are and who the Christians aren't in the class. And I'm wondering if the boss can really pick out those that have the right attitudes and the Christ-like character in the workplace. And is there a difference in the way that you conduct yourself that distinguishes you from those that curse God? Well, it's not too difficult to imagine that people blend in that way, right? Just emphasize forgiveness at the exclusion of holiness. Just celebrate the fifth petition. Forgive us our debts to the neglect of petition number one. You know, may your name be treated as holy. Hallowed be your name. May we treat you as the holy God that you are. And just neglect the sixth petition, which is lead us not into temptation, because it's very clear that the intent and desire of God is that you lead a holy life. And that's why he says, get down on your knees and pray. Lead us not into temptation. Keep us from evil. Not only keep us from sin, keep us from its very temptation. And so what are you and I to do? Well, we ought to be reminded of this, that holiness is a priority with God. Not only are we to treat Him holy, but we are in response to be holy ourselves. As we are reminded throughout Scripture, be holy, for I am holy, God says. And so stop making excuses for sin in your life. Stop trying to minimize it by saying, well, everybody does it. Stop, you know, minimizing by looking at your fellow church members and saying, well, he struggles with that. Why can't I? Pursue holiness. Don't embrace the sins that sent Jesus to the cross. And so, the first implication is that you and I, no matter how spiritually mature we might be or might think we are, we never outgrow this petition, lead us not into temptation, because this will always be current in our lives. And secondly, lead us not into temptation. This request ought to promote holiness. It ought to remind us that we shouldn't be settling for living our life You know, like the rest of the pagans, that there should be a difference. There's got to be a marked distinction between those who know God and those who don't. Pursue holiness. And there is a third implication, that when you and I kneel down and pray, lead us not into temptation, it's a reminder that holiness is the work of God. that holiness is the work of God. I mentioned to you the responses to how to avoid temptation, giving you percentages, giving you ideas on what this readership said it was helpful to them of avoiding compromising situations and being accountable to someone and having Bible study and then praying. And all of these things are good helps and ought to be followed and you and I ought to be regimented that way in which we are, who are filling ourselves with the Scriptures. If you need to realize that steering clear of temptation and the temptation to sin must never be reduced to a mechanical formula of a three or four step process. That just because I can name so and so that I am answerable to, and just because I open my Bible every day, and just because God will find me on my knees, and just because I try to exercise care in avoiding the wrong places, doesn't mean that I will never fall. Do you remember Peter's determination not to abandon his Lord? Do you remember that? The Apostle Peter before, of course, the whole episode in Acts toward the end of the Gospels. What happens to Peter? Peter says this, Lord, even if all fall away on account of you, I will never fall away. That's what he tells Jesus. And Jesus says, well, actually, Simon, that's not true. Before the rooster crows, you're going to deny me three times. What does Peter say? Does Peter say, oh, really? Well then, Lord, I need your help. Please help me know. What does he say? He says, Lord, me? Fall? If I have to go to prison and suffer with you, I'm going to be right next to you in prison, suffering. You can't touch me with suffering or the threat of imprisonment. If I have to die with you, If they crucify me right next to you, I'm going to be there right next to you doing that. That's what he says. If I have to go to prison or die, I'm willing to do this, but I'm not going to fall away. That's what Peter says. He is primed and determined, and he's saying, I've already made up my mind. I'm not going to abandon you. But that wasn't enough, was it? What keeps Peter? from totally abandoning his faith? What keeps Peter from being able to pick up the pieces, as it were, after a while, after he has denied his Lord the three times before the rooster crows? What helps Peter? Listen to what Jesus says, Luke 22, verse 32. He says, right after telling him that Satan has desired to sift him like wheat, Jesus says, But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. God the Son is the one who keeps Simon's faith afloat. If you have never read Pilgrim's Progress, you ought to. It is a great book that is an analogy of the Christian life, it's an allegory, written in allegory form. I make mention every now and then to some different things in the book, but very early on, as Christian is on his way to eternal life, he stops at the interpreter's house, and there he sees this picture, this picture being acted out, and here is this man with a big wall behind him, and there's fire coming out through the wall, and he's trying to douse out the fire with water. But it seems as though every time he tries to douse out the fire with the water, that the fire just burns all the more brightly. And so the Christian here asks the interpreter, what does this mean? And so the interpreter takes him, takes Christian, and they go behind the wall. And they find a man crouched down feeding the fire with oil. And so every time the fire is trying to be doused out, there is the person crouched down, feeding the fire with oil, making it burn ever more brightly. What's the meaning of that? Interpreter says, the man with the bucket trying to douse out the fire is Satan, trying to extinguish our faith, trying to get the water and quench that fire, put out the flames. The person behind the wall. It's behind a wall because he's doing it secretly. And he's feeding the fire with oil, making it burn ever more brightly. And that person is the Lord Jesus Christ, who keeps our faith afloat. So, folks, discipline yourselves to read the Scriptures. Work hard to develop the steps of obedience and habits of faith Read any book you can to help you to live the Christian life. Attend all the seminars you need. Learn biblical methods to employ in studying the scriptures. But never forget this, that with all of that, it is God himself that keeps your faith afloat. And this is why we come before him and we ask, Lord, lead us not into temptation. keep us free and clear, not only from evil and the evil one, but also from its temptation. And so we pray this, folks, not only for ourselves, but for others. Parents, for your children. Children, for your parents. Husband, for your wife. Wife, for your husband. Couples, for your marriage. Members, for your fellow church members and leadership. Pray. Ask God that we would pursue holiness, realizing all the while that God is the one who keeps us afloat. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, keep us from error. Keep us from emphasizing forgiveness so much so that we forget about holiness. Forgive us, Lord, for the times that we have looked at your grace and thought that we could sin as we please and all we needed to do was seek your forgiveness. Forgive us, Lord, for mocking your holiness when we do this. I pray that you would give us the unction and the energy and the zeal and the desire to live for you. that we would find a hunger and a thirst to please you and to center our lives around you. Lord, we look to you to satisfy us as we glorify you in our lives. And so, Lord, help us to accomplish these things. You tell us to treat your name as holy, to treat you as holy. Help us to do this by the way we live, by living holy lives. by doing whatever is necessary to pursue you and to pursue your righteousness. And I thank you, Lord, for those among us here this morning who are seeking you because you are drawing them to yourself. I thank you for the hearts you are turning and for the evidence of that that we can see. And we pray for that good work to continue. We pray for that one person here today who knows he needs a Savior, that today would be the day of their salvation. But today they would say, Lord, forgive me for my sins. Help me to live for you. Lord, would you have this person talk to the person that brought them or speak to someone who can give them answers about what it means to have faith in your son? Father, as a church, we pray that we would adopt these words in Jesus' instruction as to how to pray. Not just in the words we say, but in the life that we live. That we would be a forgiving people. That we would magnify your grace. And that we would be a people who insist on your holiness. And insist that you be treated as holy, even by the way we live. And that we would live holy lives that please you. Help us, Lord, by your spirit and strength to put sin to death, even as we are told in Romans 8. Thank you, Lord, for your work in us. Though you tell us to work out our salvation with fear and troubling, we realize that it is you at work in us doing these things. So, Father, make us the people that you smile upon. Thank you for this church, for the people that make it up. Help us to grow in this area of holiness. Thank you, Father. We pray for those who are mature, those that you are working in, that you would have them be at the forefront, leading us. Thank you again for your word, for Matthew 6, for your son, teaching us to pray. We thank you in his name. Amen.