Parkwood Baptist Church

“Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil”

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” – Jesus (John 10:10)

“Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:11, 12)

“Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

To have a growing relationship to our heavenly Father does not mean that we are no longer confronted with the evil that is in the world around us.  It is a misunderstanding among some that when we give our life to Jesus Christ our battle with evil is over.  The truth is that most Christians find that their struggles have escalated after they have crossed the threshold into the God’s Kingdom work.

Today we need to be reminded that there is an enemy.  There is a “thief” whose sole purpose is to steal our joy.  He wants to distract us…to burden us down and make us ineffective.  Unfortunately, some deny the existence of the devil and, therefore, they have become easy prey for the “roaring lion”.  They do not see a reason to pray this part of the Lord’s prayer…”deliver us from evil”.  “Weren’t we delivered once and for all when we were born again?”  Of course, when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior we were delivered from the wages of sin.  We went from death to life.  But we still live in a dangerous world that is under the attack of “spiritual forces of evil”.

No, the devil cannot steal your salvation but he can steal the abundant life that God intended for us to experience.  Nothing brings more victory to the kingdom of darkness than believers commiserating about the challenges of living for Jesus.  Many have forfeited the joy and peace of the Spirit filled life in order to live in the misery of self pity.  Those who are called to bear the Good News of the Gospel become a “bad ad for the heavenly Dad”.

Rise up, today, child of the King!  Let us pray that God would deliver us from evil so that we can be free to experience the abundant “full” life that Jesus has given us!

“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
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us
Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil”

“So I find this law at work; Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.  For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work within me…What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?  Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:21-25)

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever.  Amen.” (Galatians 1:3-5)

We have seen that our Father is one who leads us and, specifically, leads us to where we need to go.  He knows our weaknesses and can give us the direction that we need to avoid areas of temptation.  But, we all know that we are quite prone to stray in our journey even with the best intentions.  We find ourselves in-between what we want to do and what we are tempted to do.  We are torn by the internal conflict that Paul describes in the Letter to the Romans quoted above.  His evaluation is desperate but simple…we need a deliverer!!

Paul does not leave us hanging in the fog of hopelessness.  The answer…A Deliverer…Jesus Christ!  God is a deliverer.  It is what He does.  In nearly every major story in the Bible God shows up to deliver those who love Him.  He delivered Noah from the flood.  He delivered Israel from Egypt.  He delivered Daniel from the lion’s den.  Our heavenly Father has proved Himself as a deliverer.  His greatest act of deliverance was coming and dying on the cross to deliver us from our sin…”the present evil age”.

Today we ask our Father too deliver us from evil.  It is a prayer of protection.  It is a prayer for help when we are in trouble.  It is a prayer that acknowledges that there is evil and that we can sometimes get tangled up in it.  We need a deliverer.  We need Our Father…

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

“Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again:  Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7)

Rest…Sabbath…coincides with peace.  But this peace that we long for is not the peace that the world can give.  It is not the peace that the world talks about.  It is a peace that is beyond human understanding and it cannot be experienced apart from the Spirit of God Himself.  The peace that Sabbath is designed to bring is not the absence of conflict.  It is not the absence of noise.  These are both definitions that the world uses for peace.  The world says, “Just leave me alone.  Give me peace and quiet.”

Unfortunately, what the world has found out is that in the quietness our “unrest” becomes even more emphasized.  Because in the quietness we are confronted with the anxieties deep in our soul.  The conviction of our shortcomings and our need for a Savior.  Therefore, we rush quickly back to the noise.  We turn on the TV…we call someone…we work even when we are not at work…we fill our “quiet” times with busy-ness.

There is good news!  The peace that Jesus affords us is not this kind of uncomfortable unsatisfying peace.  It is a peace with God that comes through a relationship to Him.  It is a peace that is not dependent upon our circumstances.  It is a peace…a “quietness” deep within us that gives us rest in the middle of our crowded lives.

The question today is this…are you experiencing that peace?  Or Are you overwhelmed with the things of this world and tangled up in the anxiety of daily routine?  If you do not have a relationship with Jesus than it’s no surprise…but the Good News is that you can…today…and you can experience that peace.

If you already know Jesus and are not experiencing that peace…stop right now…refocus on the Savior that gave it all so that you could experience it.

“Lead us not into temptation”

“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.” (James 1:13-15)

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one that has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

This part of the prayer asks God to lead us and there is no one better to do that then the One who created us.  The request, however, is more specific…”Don’t lead me into temptation”.  Would God do that?  Would he deliberately lead us into situations that “tempt” us?  Without consulting the Scripture we can quickly draw up a view of God as someone who is constantly trying to sabatage us.  “Maybe God put the tree in the garden to cause Adam and Eve to sin”, we might say.

However, when we look into God’s Word we find that God cannot be tempted and He does not tempt anyone.  God does not try to cause you to sin…that is temptation.  God does provide choices because He loves us.  The choice is to follow His direction or to follow our own path.  God also can “test” us like he did with Abraham (Genesis 22:1).  But these situations are given to develop character or increase our faith… not to give opportunity to rebel against our Father.

The Scripture in James (above) states that we are tempted when we are “dragged away” by our own lusts and desires.  To ask God not to lead us into temptation is to ask Him not to lead us into situations where we could be ensnared by our own sinful nature.  It is  asking God to protect us from the tempter who can take any situation and use it as an opportunity to bring us to sin.

Hebrews tells us that He has already been there and knows where the traps are hidden and, since He created you, He knows where your temptations lie.   The fact is that He is the only one that can lead you through the mine field that sets before you today.  He is the light for the path and He will guide you, but you must ask Him to,

“Lead me not into temptation”

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
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us
Lead us not into temptation

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way…” (Isaiah 53:6)

“When He (Jesus) saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36)

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.  He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:1-3)

“I am the Good Shepherd.  The Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep…I am the Good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me…” – Jesus (John 10:11, 14)

“For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd…”     (1 Peter 2:25)

Have you ever been lost?  Maybe you knew where you were but you didn’t know how to get where you wanted to go.  You needed direction…that’s right men…directions.  Or have you ever been in a situation and you were not sure what to do?  “How should I handle this?”  “What should I say?”  You needed guidance…some one who could lead you to do the right thing.  The Bible tells us that we are all like that.  We are like sheep without a shepherd wandering about hoping to stumble onto the right path.  But that’s not all the Bible says…it tells us that we do have a Shepherd…the Good Shepherd!  Someone who loves us and can lead us where we are to go.  What a comfort!  What wonderful news!  We don’t have to wander through life hoping that we get a few things right…we can go to the Good Shepherd and ask for His leadership.

I believe this is why Jesus directs us to ask the Father to “lead us”.  Of course, this requires us to admit that we are lost.  We cannot do this on our own.  We are not sure which way to go or what to say or what to do.  We need directions!

When Jesus saw the crowds (that’s us) He felt compassion because they were harassed and helpless.  How are you feeling today?  Is Jesus at the helm of your ship?  If you do not ask for Him to lead you today you are setting yourself up for frustration.  Trust the Good Shepherd today.  He will lead you.

“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” -Jesus (Matt. 5:7)

“But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matt. 6:15)

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?  Up too seven times?’  Jesus answered, ‘I tell you not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'” (Matthew 18:21, 22)

“Then the Master called the servant in, ‘You wicked servant, I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.  Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” (Matt. 18:32, 33)

Our meditation over the last few days has focused on the wonderful incomprehensible forgiveness of God for us.  We have been reminded that God does NOT forgive “like” we forgive (Thank the Lord) and that His forgiveness is unconditional and available to all who wish to receive it through repentance.  But we have also mentioned that experiencing God’s forgiveness should change the way we practice forgiveness to others.  So, today we must look at that aspect.

In the Scriptures above we see that God does take interest in how His forgiveness shows itself in our lives.  In Matthew 18 Jesus reveals this truth in a parable about a man who owed a great debt.  When he begged for mercy from the master he was forgiven the great debt.  Then we see the forgiven man harassing a friend for a much smaller debt and giving no mercy.  Lesson…there is no way that you can be the recipient of such a great act of mercy and not be merciful.  God’s forgiveness should transform how we deal with those who have sinned against us.

Have you experienced the unbelievable mercy of God in your life?  Have you experienced the joy of being forgiven of all your sins through faith in Jesus?  If so…have you allowed this great gift…this wonderful blessing…to transform your attitude to those who have wronged you?  In light of what you have been forgiven their sin against you is nothing.

To be forgiven is to be called to be a people of forgiveness.  Yes, God’s forgiveness and our forgiveness of others is all wrapped up together.  They are to be a package deal.  If we cannot forgive then we probably have not totally appreciated God’s forgiveness.

Are you a forgiving person?  What can you do today that models God’s forgiveness?

“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” (Isaiah 55:1)

“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages that He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God – not by works…” (Ephesians 2:6-8)

“When you were dead in your sins…God made you alive with Christ.  He forgave us all our sins…He took it away, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:13-15)

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed…but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18, 19)

During this season of Lent we are reminded of the cost of our salvation and the forgiveness that God has made available to us.  Yes, our forgiveness cannot be earned or bought by us at any price.  We were in debt beyond our means.  But, our freedom from that debt of sin…the forgiveness that we are freely offered came at great cost.

Today as we pray for the forgiveness of our sin let’s remember the One who paid the price for our redemption.  Let’s meditate on that weekend 2000 years ago when our Savior took upon Himself our sin and was crucified for us…in our place.  He paid the debt that we could not pay so that we could come to God “free and clear”.  He shed His precious blood as a demonstration of His love for us and to clear the way for us to be reconciled to God.

Yes, our salvation is offered to us free of charge.  We can do nothing to earn it.  We have nothing to offer God that can pay for it.  It is “by grace” that we receive thiis mercy, as the Scripture above states, but…this grace…this spectacular forgiveness and restoration came at great cost.  Make no mistake about it.  When we come to God must bow before Him in humble gratitude for such a marvelous gift.

Think about the cross today.  It is what Jesus did so that you could be forgiven.  His “precious blood” was shed for you.  Thank Him today.

“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.  He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever; He des not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.  As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him…” (Psalm 103:8-13)

These words of the Lord’s prayer has been the source of comfort for us, but for many, it has also caused some misunderstanding when it comes to the endless depths of God’s mercy.  This confusion can come from the second part of the phrase…”as we forgive those who trespass against us”.

Is the forgiveness that we receive from God dependent upon our forgiveness of others? Does God only forgive us IF we forgive others?  Does God forgive like we forgive?

If God’s forgiveness mimicks my forgiveness then I am in serious trouble…the pressure is on.  The wonderful mercy that brings us freedom from the bondage of sin now becomes conditional.  Instead of relieving me of the burden of sin I am now saddled with pressure to forgive like God forgives…and that is a tall order for anyone.

It is true that God’s forgiveness should have an effect on the way that we forgive others.  But, it is not true that God forgives us like we forgive.  The Psalm above describes the way that our compassionate Father deals with our sins.  He removes our sins and does not treat us as our sins deserve.  We can forgive but…very few of us can forget.  We can forgive but…many of us keep a score card for future reference.  God doesn’t do that.  His forgiveness is based on His love for us.  It is available to all of us if we come to Him with a repentant heart.  I can’t forgive like that anymore than I can love like that.  It will take the transforming power of the Holy Spirit and a lifetime of fellowship with Him to even begin to exhibit that kind of mercy.

Jesus is instructing us to pray for forgiveness and to be about forgiving others.  So, more accurately, the phrase should read, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others (not “like” we forgive) through your divine power, in order that we may give testimony to your great mercy and grace that is more than anyone can imagine.”

Today experience the forgiveness of God.

“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”

“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” -The Prodical son. (Luke 15:21)

“Let’s have a feast and celebrate.  For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” -The Father of the prodical (Luke 15:23, 24)

The depth of God’s forgiveness is beyond our imagination.  It comes to us by way of Jesus wrapped in His limitless compassion and love for us.  In His presence we find ourselves unworthy and sinful, but we are compelled to run to God and jump into this ocean of mercy.

It is necissary for us to be forgiven.  Our Father is perfect and holy and cannot tolerate sin.  Therefore, to have the fellowship with God that we long for we must be washed of our sin…made holy by the blood of Jesus that was shed for us on the cross.   Our sin separates us from God and holds us captive.   We are unable to help ourselves…we are in bondage…trapped.   So, we turn to our Creator for intervention.   John describes this work when he says, “To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood…” (Revelation 1:5).

“Forgive us our trespasses…”

We must also remember that to be aware of our sin is a work of the Holy Spirit within us.  This is called conviction and leads to repentance which precedes forgiveness.  God, through Jesus Christ, offers forgiveness to everyone but only those who repent of their sin are able to experience that wonderful forgiveness.  Repentance requires us to be aware of our sin and confess it to God and accept His loving mercy.

There is a temptation to let the awareness of our sin turn to guilt and a unhealthy view of ourselves.  Repentance is not feeling that you are worthless.  This is an unBiblical way of thinking.  Repentance is realizing our need for God  and doing what needs to be done to restore the relationship.

He forgives you because He loves you and He always has.  He values you and has made it possible for you to be reconciled to Him.  This is a forgiveness that is based on His love for you not on your failures.  This is not about you crawling back to God on your hands and knees hoping that He will throw you a little compassion.  This is about a God who has pursued you and has never sopped loving you…who patiently watches and waits for you…and who rejoices and throws a party when you respond!

This is the joy of forgiveness!  This is the reward of repentance!

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
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil
For Thine is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen

Today read these words from Scripture and rest in the arms of a forgiving God who has given mercy unto us from the storehouse of HIS riches!

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, for the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us.”  (Ephesians 1:7, 8)

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

“Blessed is the one whose transgression are forgiven, whose sins are covered.  Blessed is the one whose sin Yahweh does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.” -David (Psalm 32:1, 2)

“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1, 2)

Today, as you pray the Lord’s prayer on this Sabbath, meditate on the love that He has bestowed on you.  The forgiveness that He has given you.  The forgiveness that cost Him so much is “lavished” on us!  Are there things in your life that you think God will not or has not forgiven?  Bring it to the altar today.  Lay it at His feet and know this…His forgiveness is greater than all your sin.  That’s why Jesus could say from the cross…”It is finished”.  All that needed to be done for your salvation was accomplished on the cross.

“For it is  by grace you have been saved, through faith” (Ephesians 2:10)