Our look into the Westminster Shorter Catechism tonight gets us to the next to last question, number 106. And the question is, we haven't looked there. Nope. It is the question, what do we pray for in the Sixth Petition? The answer in the catechism is, In the sixth petition, which is, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, we pray that God would either keep us from being tempted to sin or support and deliver us when we are tempted. Since we are doing this petition tonight, I thought I might as well do the sermon on the same subject, so we're going to take a deeper dive into this in a few minutes here. But for now, just to observe in the Catechism, the answers it provides are really quite simple for us. Two things that it highlights. First, that when we're praying this petition, we are asking God to keep us from situations where we might be faced with temptations to sin. And then secondly, recognizing that it's not God's purposes to always keep us from temptation. That we will experience a temptation and that when we do encounter them, the second emphasis is that we need to ask for God's help. What I really want to stress at this point is how important it is for us to understand this petition because we are constantly facing temptations. Every thought, every decision, every action that we have or we make is a context in which we will be faced with temptation. We go through those things. Are we going to be obedient and honor God in our thoughts? and in our decisions and in our actions? Or are we going to choose to be disobedient to God and to seek our own selfish desires? So we're constantly in this battle. Are we going to think sinful, lustful thoughts? Are we going to think things of purity and honor? Are we going to make decisions based on pride and greed, or are we going to make decisions with humility and compassion for other people? Are we going to act with forgiveness and grace, or are we going to choose to be angry and seek revenge? So we're always facing these kinds of temptations. Some things are more tempting to us, to each of us. Something might tempt me that doesn't tempt you. And some temptations can become so severe that we get addicted to them and find it difficult to break out of the bondage of those addictions and the temptations that we face. Thankfully, most of the temptations we face are not that severe. However, since we're constantly faced with temptations, we need to understand how essential this petition of the Lord's Prayer is to us in our walk with Christ. So we're going to take a look at that petition and we're going to look at it in the scripture tonight in Matthew chapter 6 from the Sermon on the Mount. And before we read the word, let's pray. Father, we thank you that you have given to us this written word, this revelation of yourself that we might come to see and know you. It is your desire. You want a relationship with us. You want us to know you. You want us to be able to trust you. And so we ask that you would open our hearts to your word and your word to our hearts and that the words of my mouth and the meditation of all of our hearts would be acceptable in your sight. Amen. Beloved, the grass or what we haven't read it yet. Let's read it first. Please stand as we read the passage. Gospel of Matthew, chapter six, verses five through 13. And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and to pray in the synagogues and at the street corners that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your father who is in secret, and your father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this. Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not in temptation, but deliver us from evil. Beloved, the grass withers and the flowers fade. So if you're thinking at all about this petition when you're praying it, it seems to me there'd be some questions that we'd have to ask ourselves. Lead us not in temptation. We're asking God, don't lead us into temptation. You have to wonder, does God lead us into temptation? Is that what he does? Does God actually provoke us to sin? And if we don't pray this petition, say we neglected this, we didn't have this prayer in here, then would God lead us into sin if we fail to pray this? And are we asking God to do something here? Do we have to ask him to do this because he's not inclined to do so, or it's not his desire to lead us from temptation? It's a little confusing, and I think one of the reasons we find this confusion is because the Greek word that's used here, parasmos, has two different uses in the scriptures. In some contexts, it means temptation. And in other cases, it means testings or trials. It's the same word. Albert Moeller explains the differences. He says this. We can confuse God's tests with temptations because our hearts often use difficult circumstances as an excuse for sinful behavior. A test is a trying circumstance or difficult situation orchestrated in our lives by God. A temptation, however, is an invitation to sin, an encouragement to engage in something contrary to God's law. God certainly tests us, but he never tempts us. We must never allow God's test to lead to temptation. Indeed, in the midst of trials, we should pray this prayer more frequently and even more urgently than perhaps at any other point in our lives. So here are some scriptural examples of the way this word is used, parasimus, is used differently. In James chapter 1, verse 13, it means temptations. Now let no one say when he is tempted, I'm being tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. which is the answer to those questions that I was pondering about in the beginning, is that God never leads us or tempts us to sin. And then in 1 Peter 1, verses 6 and 7, the Greek word parasmus means a test or a trial. So Peter writes, in this you rejoice, so now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials. That's the word. The tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. And then one more, in James chapter one, verses two through four. Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness, and let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. A Greek theologian Helmut Thielicke provides us with a helpful perspective. He says this, he does not spare us suffering, but he is on our side. He does not free us from the burdens of life, but he helps us carry them. He does not simply banish death, he permits the last enemy to remain, but he helps us in our death, and though we must depart, he never departs from us. He does not spare us the valleys of the shadow of death, but he goes through them with us, always a shepherd who leads us, and a rod and staff that will not let us stumble. So taking these perspectives into consideration from what you said so far, let me give you a couple of paraphrases. People have kind of captured this intent, what this phrase means. John MacArthur interprets it this way. Lord, do not lead us into a trial that will present us a temptation such that we will not be able to resist it. And Warren Wiersbe understands the petition to mean, give me the faith I need to accept this trial and to use it for your glory. Deepen my roots, increase my faith, and help me to turn this testing into triumph and not temptation. So hopefully sorting out the differences now between testing and temptation, let's focus on temptation itself. And we need to realize that temptation itself is not a sin. It's not a sin if you're tempted. It's a reality for all of us. Even Jesus was tempted. It's not the temptation that's the sin, it's yielding to its invitation to sin where it becomes sinful. This petition of the Lord's Prayer then is a a prayer to resist temptation. And if we're going to be successful in our resistance, there's a few things we need to be aware of. One, the appeal of sin. You realize that the temptation to sin or the sin always has a promises to us some sort of pleasure or satisfaction. That's why sin is tempting to us, because there is this promise that it makes, even though it's a false promise. But it has a great appeal, and it's a trap that leads to greater misery. Second, we need to be aware of the power of sin. In Genesis 4, verse 7, you read, If you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it. And the implication is that if we don't rule over the sin, sin will rule over us. And it's a dark and vicious, powerful ruler. And a third thing to be aware of is the sources of temptation. It's twofold. Some temptations come to us. are external. Satan is a tempter, which we saw in Jesus' experience in the wilderness when he was tempted. So that's an external temptation and the world is a source of temptation. So secular culture and the things that you watch in media and the advertising industry and the distorted views of sexuality and on and on we could go that so much of the things in this world are a temptation to us to sin. Those are external. There's also internal temptations. our own depraved heart, mind, and passions. James chapter 1 verses 4 and 5, 14 and 15 says, 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 when it is fully grown, brings forth death. And this is all why we need to pray our Father lead us not into temptation. Now to make sure that we don't keep up empty phrases as Jesus cautioned us against, here's six things that this petition the Lord uses to teach us. Number one, the depth of our depravity. If you'll remember, this morning we sang the hymn, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, which has the phrase in it, we are prone to wander, prone to leave the God we love. That's our human nature, prone to wander from the paths of righteousness and into the paths of sin. I once had a baseball cap, a little saying on the front of it, and it said, lead me not into temptation, I can find it myself. That's great because it captures the nature of our heart. That's what we're prone to do. We don't have to have anybody teach us to do it. Second lesson, we are not able to resist temptation on our own. We need to be aware of a false sense of security to think that we are strong enough to be able to resist the temptation. Because the power of Satan and sin is much greater than our willpower. And in case you need any reality checks to the strength of your willpower, just think back to the last time you tried to go on a diet. And how did that work for you, resisting those things that you weren't supposed to eat? Third lesson, Jesus is our deliverer. That's why we pray the petition to the Lord, to Him. You deliver us from evil. Our hope of resisting temptation is not in our willpower, but in the power of Christ in us. Fourth lesson, which is pretty obvious since this is the Lord's prayer. We need to pray. That's the instruction of Jesus. Pray like this. Pray for a holy heart that hates sin. Pray for wisdom and discernment to be able to identify temptations in our hearts and our minds and the world around us for what they really are. Pray to die to selfish desires. And speaking in hyperbole, Jesus says in Matthew chapter 5 verses 29 and 30, If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better for you to lose one of your members 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. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body goes into hell. Fifth lesson. We've already noted this earlier. We need to actively resist temptation. And of course, there's a number of ways that we can do that. We need to avoid temptation. We need to be discerning about the things that we watch, the places that we go, the people that we spend time with. We need to flee from temptation, we're told in scripture, not to try to toy with this temptation to think we have the ability to resist it. We need to flee from it. Alan Redpath counsels us this way. He says, if you say, Lord, lead me not in temptation, and then when you are on your feet, you run directly to it, do not be surprised that your prayer is not answered. If you will come to Jesus Christ in humility and say to him, Lord, I want to cut out of my life everything that dims my vision of you, everything that makes my worship unreal, Lord Jesus, I want him or her or it to go. If I'm prepared to say that, then I can look up into his face and add, Lord, lead me not into temptation. And he will take my hand. He will see me through many deep waters, but they will never overflow me. He will take me into many a furnace, but the flame cannot touch me. Then one day he will present me faultless before his throne with exceeding joy." Resisting temptation is a fight for faith. It's the same fight that Adam and Eve had to face in the garden, whether we choose to believe Satan and the world or we're going to choose to obey God, which we're going to be. It's a fight for faith. We can help to resist temptation by knowing and applying God's word. Psalm 119 verse 11 says, I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. And of course, you remember in Ephesians 6, 17, he's told to take the spirit of the sword, which is the word of God. It's important we know and apply this word. We also need to know that victory is possible. We need to have this hope of the gospel and the power of God and the faithfulness that he has for us, because if we don't have hope, we're going to be powerless against temptation. That's why we're told to pray the Lord's Prayer. We don't have to be resigned to sin. There's hope for victory. Listen to these promises that we have. In 1 Corinthians 10.13, no temptation is overtaking you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability. But with temptation, he will also provide the way of escape that you may endure it. Or 2 Peter, the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials. Or Hebrews 2.18, speaking of Jesus, For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. And the sixth lesson is that resisting temptation is spiritual warfare. Notice in the way Jesus gives this prayer to us, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. He doesn't say don't lead us into temptation but deliver us from temptation. That's not what he says. He says deliver us from evil or perhaps even a better translation is from the evil one who is Satan. Satan's desire is to separate us from fellowship with God and to redirect our worship away from God. He's a deceiver and a liar. 1 Peter 5, 8 tells us that we are to be sober-minded, to be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. And so this petition in the Lord's Prayer reminds us of the reality of spiritual warfare. And yet the sad reality is that most of the time, and for most believers, we're oblivious to this reality of spiritual warfare. We're not thinking that way at all. We're not alert, we're ill-equipped, and therefore we are vulnerable to the temptations that come to us. As sad as that is, There is good news because God has already provided everything we need to resist temptation and to be delivered from the evil one. On the cross, in the power of that death of Jesus Christ, Jesus conquered the power of Satan and sin. He is our Savior and our Lord, and when we accept that by faith, we're united to Him in such a way that His victory over sin and Satan becomes our victory over sin and Satan. And then we have the greatest weapons of all, we have the word and prayer. We have the scriptures revealed to us, this glorious majesty of God, the greatest treasure of all. So that when we see Him and know Him, that His glory so outshines anything that meager things that this world has to offer, that we will not be tempted because we know God and who He is. And we have this power of prayer. And in prayer, when we pray this, we entrust our souls to the One who has loved us and given us the power of His Spirit to dwell within us and to give us the power over the evil one. In case you have any doubts about this victory that is promised in this petition, listen to these promises of God. James 4.7, submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. First John 4.4, little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. And John 16.33, I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but take heart, I have overcome the world. Let me close with a prayer based on a prayer by Alan Redpath. Let's pray. Lord, we are weak and we would avoid every temptation of the devil if we could. We do not ask to be exempt from trial because that would not be good for us. But Lord, if today there is to be put in our path any inducement to sin, Lord Jesus, then lead us through. Take our hand and keep us near to you. We don't ask to be free from the furnace of testing, but oh God, we desperately need your presence through the fire. Allow us to see and know your glory and majesty. Cause us to cherish you above all else, so the temptations of this world would so pale in comparison that they would lose their appeal. Lord, may you be our only joy and satisfaction through your son, our Savior, Jesus.