Matt. 6 13
Here we have the final example of petitions we are to bring before God during our prayer time. We have been encouraged to pray for physical needs and forgiveness. Now Christ instructs us to pray for spiritual victory. This final example is an important one. It relates to our relationship with God. It has been misunderstood, however, so let’s clarify the request before we move on.
The request clarified
We know from Scripture that God does not tempt us to sin. James 1:13-14 says “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil neither tempteth He any man: But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed.” Why then would Jesus tell us to ask God to do something He would never do anyway?
We also know from Scripture that we are to rejoice at temptations. James 1:2 says “My brethren count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations.” James reasoning is that temptations work godly virtues into our life. If temptations are good for us why then should we pray that we enter not into them?
Let’s deal with the issue of God and personal temptation first. The Bible says that God tempted Abraham in the matter of offering up his son as a sacrifice (Gen. 22). The account also tells us the purpose of Abraham’s temptation. It was to reveal Abraham’s level of commitment to God (Gen. 22:12). Simply put, God tempted Abraham to reveal his character; Satan tempts mankind to corrupt his character. Therefore we cannot consider God’s temptation of Abraham the same as the temptation Satan brings to humanity. God’s intention is to reveal, Satan’s is to destroy.
The Bible also says in Matthew 4:1 “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.” The Spirit of God led Jesus to the wilderness for the purpose of being tempted by the devil. Why did the Spirit of God do this? Was this contrary to the nature of God? Absolutely not. The Spirit of God did not lead Jesus into the wilderness for the purpose of causing Him to sin. He was led into the wilderness to be tempted so that He could be “in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). Once again, God’s motive for Christ’s temptation was not to see Him sin. God’s motive was to glorify Himself through the faithful High Priest who revealed His righteousness through victory over the devil.
The second issue is, “Why should we ask God not to lead us into temptation when Scripture says we are to rejoice in it?” Sometimes the word translated “temptation” refers to trials and circumstances that come into our lives. God does allow these trials into our lives. The purpose of these trials, however, is to strengthen us. Trials also work together for our good and the glory of God. Therefore, Jesus is not telling us to pray that God will give us an easy life free from trials. In fact, that would be impossible because He promises that our life will be full of trials (John 16:33).
This is what I believe Jesus is teaching us to pray. “Father, do not lead us into any circumstance where we will sin against you.” That is consistent with the Scripture. It does not identify God as the author of sin nor does it request a life of comfort.
A specific type of temptation
As believers we have three enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil. The world is the system around us that is completely contrary to the desires of God. It is the ideas and philosophies that stand against the truth of God. The flesh is that part of man that contains the effects of sin. It is weak and the world is extremely appealing to it. The devil, however, is the strongest of all three. He is a living being that has intelligence and supernatural ability.
Some translations translate “evil” “evil one”. This would be consistent with Matthews first mention of temptation being directly related to the devil (4:1). I believe that Jesus is instructing us specifically to pray for deliverance from Satan’s temptations. In Ephesians 6:11-18 Paul instructs us in spiritual warfare. He ends the section with these words “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” (Eph. 6:18). The context suggests that the prayer should be for deliverance from the demonic powers he revealed that we fight against (Eph. 6:12).
Jesus command that we pray for deliverance from the devil’s temptation show us Jesus mindset on temptation. Here are some truths I believe Jesus wants us to know.
* Satan is powerful. He is more powerful than mortal man. In ourselves we are completely helpless against him. He is a roaring lion walking around looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Peter wrote those words with the full understanding of his power. Jesus warned Peter “Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat”. Jesus then told Peter “But I have prayed for thee” (Luke 22:31-32). Peter fell in dramatic fashion. Thanks to Christ he was restored. After that we can be certain Peter knew to take serious the power of Satan’s temptation. We are to pray that we are not led into temptation because the devil is a powerful enemy.
* Prayer works. Just before Jesus was to be crucified He went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray. He instructed His disciples “Pray that ye enter not into temptation.” The disciples decided to sleep rather than pray. After Christ was crucified they fell into unbelief and compromise. Satan tempted them and they fell. It was not Christ’s desire that Peter deny Him or that Thomas doubt Him. That is why He instructed them to pray. We open ourselves up for failure when we refuse to pray to be delivered from temptation. We are an easy target for the enemy.
* Temptation is constant. Prayer for deliverance from evil should be daily. We live in a wicked world that appeals to our wicked flesh. On top of that we have a wicked devil enticing us to sin. Jesus prayed in John 17:15 “I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” Just as Jesus prayed for us to be delivered from the evil one in this world, we should pray daily for ourselves. We should pray that God would deliver us from his temptation. It is impossible to escape temptation but it is not impossible to be delivered from it.
* Deliverance is possible. 1 Cor. 10:13 says “God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” The believer is never in a position where he/she has to sin. The world, the flesh and the devil all combined together cannot make us sin. The believer is indwelt by the very power and presence of God. For this reason, we can resist the most calculated attacks of our enemy. Many believers resign to be defeated in certain areas of their life. They have given up the battle. They throw in the towel. When someone does this they need to recognize that they are making a statement not only about themselves, but also about their God. To allow Christ’s greatest enemy to defeat us is an insult to our Savior. We are giving more credit to Satan than he deserves.
It is God’s desire that we shame Satan by resisting his temptations. As we shame Satan we are glorifying God. Satan told God that if he had the chance he could get Job to curse God (Job 1:10). God allowed Satan to tempt Job. In the end God was glorified and Satan shamed because Job continued to trust in the Lord and overcame temptation. God allows Satan to tempt us. It is our responsibility through the power of God to resist him.
The Doxology
The prayer ends beautifully. It ends as it began, with praise. Three great truths are put forth that inspire us to worship. It is similar to the words of David in 1 Chronicles 29:11.
Let’s look at the three great truths we see about God at the need of this prayer.
*The kingdom belongs to God. Of course this is referring to the kingdom of God. Jesus began the sermon with an emphasis on the kingdom. The kingdom is the rule of God. Because it is His kingdom He is obviously the King. The Bible declares that Jesus is the “King of Kings” (Rev. 19:16). It says that He sits on a throne (Matt. 19:28). As King, the entire kingdom belongs to Him. It is comforting to know that as believers we are also a part of His kingdom. Therefore, we belong to Him. God’s kingdom is an everlasting kingdom that will know no end (2 Peter 1:11). His people will exist eternally as well. We can be sure that the kingdom of God will prevail because we know the strength of its King. He is the Almighty.
*The power belongs to God. There is no greater power than God’s power. We often think of God’s power in an experiential way such as being saved (power of our sins being forgiven), overcoming temptation (power over the devil), doing mighty acts (service, spiritual gifts, etc.). It is true that God’s power is revealed in these ways. Let’s think about His power in another way. Let us set our minds not only on how we experience His power. Let us think about how we will one day see His power.
I know of no greater example of God’s power revealed than at the return of Christ. Revelation 19:11-21 reveal this in vivid detail. This text declares that Christ will “smite the nations”. He will “rule them with a rod of iron”. He will “tread the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God”. His enemies will be “slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse.”
The entire creation will witness the power of Christ. His power is without measure. No being can overpower Him. Amazingly, the great power we witness from Christ will be executed without any effort on His part at all. He will simply open His mouth. The power belongs to Him.
* The glory belongs to God. The kingdom is for the purpose of bringing glory to God. The power is displayed for that purpose as well. God longs to be and deserves to be eternally worshipped. That is the purpose of His entire creation. His desire is that His creation eternally praises Him. Revelation 5:13 gives us an idea about what we will do when we are in heaven. It says that every creature will say, “Blessing, and honor, and glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth on the throne and unto the Lamb forever and ever”. God deserves that. His power and character make Him worthy of eternal praise from all creation.
“Amen” simply means “Let it be”. Prayer should be in faith. The reality that the kingdom, the power, and the glory all belong to God should strengthen our faith. As we pray for God to deliver us from temptation we should be convinced that He can and will by the doxology of this prayer. We belong to a kingdom that belongs to a God who has all power and deserves all glory. That God will deliver us from the power of the devil. We can be sure of that.
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