Testing and Temptation: The Conclusion of The Lord’s Prayer
By Adrienne Crist
This weekend our nation watched in horror as an assassination attempt was made on President Trump. By a hair's breadth his life was spared, truly a miracle. Yet another patriot was slain in his stead and two others critically injured. In the crowd, after the President was taken away, the crowd prayed The Lord’s Prayer. This is the second time that I have had to teach a bible study after a violent attack that shocked the world occurred. The last one was after The massacre of Israelis and Jews by Hamas and Gaza citizens last October 7th. It will not surprise me when the next horrific event occurs. We live in an era that needs prayer. Other than the American Revolution and times of war our country needs just as much prayer today. The enemy has more than a foothold in the minds of our citizens. From the bizarre gender bending idolatry that is affecting our youth to the purposeful undermining of the political will of the citizens, regardless of political party, by the greedy and power-hungry leaders, the infectious mind virus on the college campuses to the violent acts like we saw this past weekend, our world appears to be out of control.
From the dawn of time in the garden mankind has been in a battle on two fronts. We battle our fleshly sin nature and the enemy who takes great pleasure in warring with mankind. In response to Cain becoming angry at God’s rejection of his offering in Genesis Chapter 4, the Lord responded, 6“Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
So, it was in past, and it will be in the future,
In the final passage of the Lord’s prayer, Jesus instructs us on the matter of sin, temptation and spiritual warfare. Even in the days before the Messiah’s appearance we are told of the power of sin and our position over it. However, the good news is we can “rule over” our sin. More on that in a few minutes.
Verse 13 begins with.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one. NKJV
Upon first reading this verse in the NKJV it appears a bit confusing, We’re asking God not to lead us into temptation? Other translations may give us a clearer understanding:
The NLT: And don’t let us yield to temptation but rescue us from the evil one.
The New Revised Standard: And do not bring us to the time of trial but rescue us from the evil one.
And finally, the Message bible, while maybe not the most hermeneutically sound but more akin to the gist of the meaning simply states:
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
Another way to look at this verse could be from the opposite: Instead of do not lead us into, we might say keep us away from temptation.
When we use scripture to interpret scripture, we can look to James Chapter 1:12-15, which some scholars believe that the book of James served in part as an interpretation commentary of portions of the Sermon on the Mount.
“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
James begins by telling us the trials that bring us temptation are an opportunity for us to essentially pass or fail a test. Temptation is a refiner and a test of our faith. We all have areas where we are weak, where we are tempted by sin. Even Jesus was tempted by Satan when He was in the wilderness, fasting and praying for 40 days and nights, yet He did not sin. James tells us that temptation is not of God, but of the enemy, Jesus resisted Satan and his twisting of the scriptures with the truth in God’s word.
James continues: 14But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
16Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
James 1:12-16NKJV
James clearly links temptation with our flesh, our evil desires. James uses language alluding to the stages of life to make his point. Conception, birth, growth and death. Sin must be cut off at the pass, it begins with the meeting of our flesh and temptation. When these two meet, the impulse, longing and craving for sin occurs. We have a choice at every point. This is a point where “the abortion of our sin” is necessary.
We do not want to give birth to sin, we want to kill it before it can flourish.
We are faced with temptations every day. This is why asking God to keep us from temptation and protect us from the enemy is so very important. Pastor George alluded to hatred in relation to President Trump. The desire to murder is directly related to anger which can lead us to hatred, as Jesus taught in the sermon on the mount.
Sin separates us from God. The enemy wants that separation. Therefore, he exasperates the temptation. He lies to us, tells us that it’s not really sin, when it is. After explaining how temptation and sin operates, James said “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Is Satan at the heart of every temptation? No. But we possess a fallen nature which can be manipulated by Satan.
In the first chapter of Romans Paul lays out for us the explanation of what happens when man rejects God.
28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting .
This is the judgment of God; people literally losing their minds. Why? Because they hate to think about God, the truth of God convicts people of their sin. Just as we love the children we birth, and do not desire to kill them, so too does man love and protect the sin that James says our desires give birth to.
29being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful.
Ok so you may say, but Adrienne, we are believers, we hate these sins, we love God, we don’t hate Him. Well, we all can be drawn away in verse 24 Paul states “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchangedthe truth of God for the lie”
If you went into the store, with a purse you bought in hand, and say I want to exchange this purse for another, doesn’t that mean that you have been in possession of that purse? In order to exchange the truth of God for a lie you need to be in possession of that truth. Paul makes the argument earlier in Chapter one that all of Creation is the silent proof of His existence. But in verse 32 we read that these sins are committed by people who know better.
32who,knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. If that isn’t a picture of our world today? What has been occurring in the church today? There is a growing acceptance of treating homosexuality as not just a sin, but as an identity. Gone is the notion in some churches, even some churches in our own movement, that our identity is in Christ, not in our sexual deviance. The doctrines of demons are in the midst of the church!
So, we live in a world that is bombarding all of us with temptation. Unless you live in a monastery or in the mountains with no access to the world around you, you will be confronted with temptations.
Jesus tells us that prayer is the answer to temptation.
The importance of Jesus instructing us in this is monumental. If we did not sin, we would have no need for a savior. Asking the Lord to essentially keep us from temptation is critical to finishing the race well.
And when we are faced with temptation there is hope!
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” 1Cor 10:13
We can have victory over temptation, but we must ask! Not only that, but we must believe His Word on the matter. I wish I had time to go over Romans Chapters 6,7 & 8. While at times these chapters are difficult to study, they contain the teaching we need to fully understand what it means to be dead to sin and alive to Christ. It’s a position we hold when we are in Christ. But when we decide to live in the opposite manor, alive to sin and dead to Christ we cannot escape the laws of nature. Sin will make a mess of our lives.
If I had to pick just a few verses from those chapters, it would be the following.
Romans 6:10-14
“The death he [Christ] died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.
Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.
For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”
Jesus adds that we are to ask God to deliver us from the evil one. The last two studies that I taught were addressing Satan and his many forms of demons. We know that he behaves like a lion, searching for whom he may devour. And he comes at us Christians hard. The news has been riddled with scandal after scandal that has rocked the church. Christian apologists and Pastors have been exposed as predators and child molesters. At some point in the life cycle of sin the enemy worked overtime to keep them in their struggle. Did they ever ask the Lord for help? Or did they love their sin so much that they were not willing to submit it to the Lord for execution? I believe it is the second. Jesus wants us to recognize that we cannot deliver ourselves from sin or the enemy, only He can.
We are to put on the whole armor of God:
Ephesians 6:10-18
10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
It’s not called the armor or Christians, but the armor of God. It is His battle.
“For yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory, forever and ever Amen”
Now some texts omit this sentence, but honestly, I don’t think we need to spend time on that discussion. Because I think we can all agree it makes perfect sense for this phrase to be in our bibles right here.
This line is referred to as a Doxology which means “Acts of Praise”. Praise is the bookends of The Lord’s prayer and a fitting sentiment for all of our prayers. The Lord’s Prayer begins with acknowledgement of who God is to us personally (position) He is “Our Father in Heaven “and
His Holiness, “Hallowed be thy Name”, not only a statement but a praise of His unique attribute of complete perfection. We are to begin our prayers acknowledging who we are speaking to, with great reverence and praise.
So too, The Lord’s Prayer ends with a succinct description and praise of His personhood
For yours is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory Forever. As I was meditating on this phrase I was struck by the Trinity. And once I saw it, I could not unsee it! Now I will tell you, I have not researched this, or hunted down any commentaries for consensus.
The Kingdom (God the father established His domain His Kingdom) Jesus referenced The Kingdom of God 110 times in the New Testament. It is the theme of the New Testament.
The Power (the Holy Spirit is the impetus which enables us to live for Him) The Holy Spirit gives us the power to be able to resist sin, to have the strength to follow the narrow path, and to work within the giftings He has given us to encourage and edify His Church.
The Glory (Jesus is the Glory of God the Father, His sacrifice and resurrection were the achievements that exemplified His Glory). Jesus is not the only example of God’s glory, but the entire Bible points to Jesus. Jesus is glorious!
When David gave his son Solomon the throne, he began his prayer with the following:
“Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, And You are exalted as head overall.”
I Chronicles 29:10-11 NKJV
This doxology recognizes that we are not the center of our prayers, He is. Leaders of nations are not in charge of our universe; our Heavenly Father is in charge. We can take great comfort, receive peace and strength to live out our days for Him when we recognize that His kingdom come and His will be done, truly is the ultimate goal in our walk with God.
In closing I want to share a brief personal story of the Lord’s prayer in action. I may have actually learned something these past few weeks!
My daughter was getting ready to leave for her summer camp, she attended all through her youth and now is a camp counselor and helps run the camp. As she was preparing to go, I walked into her room and found her in a distressed state. I asked her if I could pray for her. As I began praying my heart wanted to cry out first thing on her behalf, and I did, these were prayers that came from the mother in me, but the Spirit interrupted me. He directed me back to the Lord’s prayer for the outline. As we were praying, I knew we had to look to the Lord and his majesty in relation to our petitions. He is so much bigger than our needs, able to do so much more that we think or imagine. We prayed for His will to be done for the campers first and foremost, for their spiritual growth and for salvation. That’s His will, that His children have the knowledge of the saving grace that Jesus offers us. We prayed for the needs of the staff, that they would be equipped, they needed bread. Lastly, I prayed for her needs, her weaknesses which the Lord showed me in prayer. I prayed against the enemy all throughout.
When we were done, she arose, had a smile on her face and peace in her heart. The fear and anxiety were put where they belong, in God’s capable hands.
Prayer is the way for us to act out our faith and deepen our connection with our Lord. Jesus not only modeled what a prayer relationship looked like; He also instructs us so that our prayers will be pleasing to Him.
Let’s pray the Lord’s prayer together.
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11
Give us this day our daily bread.
12
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
[d]For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
If you are struggling with a temptation or a sin that stumbles you, will you please avail yourself of that struggle today in prayer with your sisters in Christ? Remember you are not unique; temptation is common to all men.