1

On Prayer

2

On Prayer Part 6 – Lead Us Not Into Temptation

2 Father: May your holy name be honored; may your Kingdom come.

3 Give us day by day the food we need.

4 Forgive us our sins, for we forgive everyone who does us wrong. And do not bring us to hard testing.

Luke 11:2-4, Good News Translation

3

Review: Jesus had been praying -- Luke 11:1 One of his disciples asked “Lord, teach us to pray” So, Jesus taught them what we now call “The

Lord's Prayer” It was an example radically different from what the

disciples were used to But was it really something new?

On Prayer Part 6 – Lead Us Not Into Temptation

4

Today we look at the phrase “Lead us not into temptation”

We will examine briefly the Greek text We will see if there are any Old Testament

antecedents Jesus might be referring to

On Prayer Part 6 – Lead Us Not Into Temptation

5

The word temptation, in both Matthew and Luke, is from the Greek word peirasmos: Experimentation, proving, testing, temptation

In modern “Christianese”, throughout the New Testament, this word can be translated trial (no apparent moral choice) or temptation (obvious moral choice required)

We infer the latter here, as do most traditional English translations, because of the clause “but deliver us from the evil one” in Matthew

On Prayer Part 6 – Lead Us Not Into Temptation

6

What does the Old Testament say about temptation? Surprisingly little! The words tempt and temptation are not found (at

least in NIV)! The Old Testament gives us vignettes, stories

about temptation, not aphorisms We will look at some of these stories

On Prayer Part 6 – Lead Us Not Into Temptation

7

Most speakers would start with Eve in the garden, the first temptation

But we will start with the second generation, Cain and Abel Genesis 4:1-7 Abel kept flocks Cain raised plants They both brought offerings to God Notice this: Even after the fall in the garden, God is

still in daily, face-to-face contact with the human race

On Prayer Part 6 – Lead Us Not Into Temptation

8

Cain and Abel, continued: Abel's offering was accepted, Cain's was not We can't be sure why Cain's was rejected

Perhaps he only brought the leftovers Abel brought fat portions (the best) Perhaps he was supposed to bring a blood offering The sacrificial system was not codified until Moses Perhaps the issue was Cain's attitude, not what he

brought Whatever the reason, Cain's offering was rejected

while Abel's was accepted

On Prayer Part 6 – Lead Us Not Into Temptation

9

Cain and Abel, continued: Cain's reaction was anger and jealousy But notice, he was still in contact with God God spoke directly to him about it

Why are you angry? You need to go back and do it right

Notice this next sentence, very carefully: If you do not do what is right, sin (Satan) is crouching at

your door, it desires to have you But you must master it

Rephrase this as “You are being tempted but you must overcome it!”

On Prayer Part 6 – Lead Us Not Into Temptation

10

Cain and Abel, continued: Was this the last great opportunity for the human

race? The last sentence of Genesis chapter 4: “At that

time men began to call on the name of the LORD.” Routine direct fellowship with God was ended Evil became rampant in just a few generations

But what did God mean, “You must master it?” Is that really possible? Or are we doomed to fail?

On Prayer Part 6 – Lead Us Not Into Temptation

11

Joseph Here is a good example on how to resist temptation

Genesis 39:6-12 Joseph evaded the source of temptation on a daily basis When he couldn't evade it, he fled it

However, Joseph's temptation quickly turned into a trial (v13-20) Sometimes we do the right thing and suffer anyway But not as badly as if we yielded to the temptation

On Prayer Part 6 – Lead Us Not Into Temptation

12

David and Bathsheba Now for a negative example -- 2 Samuel 11:1-5 First, David set himself up

By just relaxing a little bit, shirking his responsibilities just a little bit

He sent Joab off to do the fighting for him -- v1 Then he tasted the bait

He saw a woman bathing -- v2 Instead of turning away, he made inquiries

And was hooked First he committed adultery -- v4 Then murdered one of his own Mighty Men to cover it up

On Prayer Part 6 – Lead Us Not Into Temptation

13

Daniel Daniel's temptation was to conform -- Daniel 1:8-16

We are also continually tempted to conform to the world Daniel was resolved, from the beginning, not to

conform wrongly -- v8 He dealt with his superior with tact and reason

And was rewarded greatly for it We can infer from the later story of the lion's den,

that Daniel, had he failed to obtain permission for a special diet, would have resisted to the death

On Prayer Part 6 – Lead Us Not Into Temptation

14

Job -- Job 1:6-12 Job is another interesting case study of the

interactions between temptations and trials He was being tempted by Satan, to reject God He was being tested, by God in a manner similar to how

rifle barrels are “proof tested” He was being educated about God's character

Job's mistake (and his friend's mistake as well) was thinking that all bad things that happen to us are punishment Jesus' disciples thought the same thing -- John 9:1-2 People still think this today

Sometimes bad things are for our benefit

On Prayer Part 6 – Lead Us Not Into Temptation

15

What can we learn from this? God commanded mankind to resist temptation from

the very beginning We are so commanded, too -- James 4:7

God told Cain he must master the temptation We must also Is it really possible to withstand temptation?

Joseph did Daniel did Jesus did We can, too, with the help of the Holy Spirit

On Prayer Part 6 – Lead Us Not Into Temptation