Lead Us Not into
Temptation
Our Sermon Series on
the Lord’s Prayer
Happy
Reformation
Sunday!
October 31st is Reformation
Day
It’s the day
traditionally set
aside to
commemorate
the beginning of
the Protestant
Reformation in
1517.
October 31, 1517
On that date, Martin
Luther posted 95
statements for
debate on the
church door in
Wittenberg,
Germany - starting
a reform movement
within Christianity.
Martin Luther was protesting
abuses he saw within the church
of his day.
Indulgences
In order to raise money
to build St. Peter’s
Basilica in Rome,
“indulgences” were
sold.
The concept in back of
these indulgences was
that in purchasing this
piece of paper you
could basically get a
“pass” as far as heaven
was concerned.
Indulgences
Repentance was not
necessary…
Faith was not
necessary…
Apparently, all that
was needed was
just the right
amount of money.
Luther’s protest sparked
debate throughout Europe
Reaction from the
hierarchy of the church
was negative
Reaction from the common
people was positive
And the Reformation was
born!
But what does any of this
have to do with the Lord’s
Prayer?
Our topic today is
supposed to be the
6th Petition.
“And lead us not
into temptation.”
What does
Reformation
weekend have to do
with that?
Well, let’s have a little
game…
We’re going to look at several statues
of Martin Luther from around the
world.
As you look at these various
renditions of the great Reformer pay
attention to what they have in
common.
Have you guessed what it
is?
With each one of
these statues,
Martin Luther is
shown holding
the same thing:
The Bible
God’s Word!
Something we should expect since a huge
part of the Reformation was restoring the
Bible as the only source for Christian
teaching and living… a concept called Sola
Scriptura.
But what does this have to
do with the 6th Petition?
Or, as Luther would ask,
“What does this mean?”
Knowing God’s
Word has
everything to do
with what the 6th
Petition is all about:
resisting
temptation!
Just ask Jesus
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit
into the wilderness to be tempted by
the devil. And after fasting forty days
and forty nights, he was hungry. And
the tempter came and said to him, “If
you are the Son of God, command
these stones to become loaves of
bread.” But he answered, ‘It is written,
‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but
by every word that comes from the
mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy
city and set him on the pinnacle of the
temple and said to him, “If you are the
Son of God, throw yourself down, for
it is written, ‘He will command his
angels concerning you’ and ‘On their
hands they will bear you up, lest you
strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus said to him, “Again it is written,
‘You shall not put the Lord your God
to the test.’”
Again, the devil took him to a very
high mountain and showed him all the
kingdoms of the world and their glory.
And he said to him, “All these I will
give you, if you will fall down and
worship me.” Then Jesus said to him,
“Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You
shall worship the Lord your God and
him only shall you serve.’” Then the
devil left him, and behold, angels
came and were ministering to him.
(Matthew 4:1-11)
“It is written…”
Did you notice
how with every
temptation that
Jesus faced, He
answered the
same way!
He always
quoted the
Bible.
“It is written…”
In His encounter
with Satan and
when He was
tempted, Jesus
could have used His
power as the Son of
God to repel each of
Satan’s attacks.
But He didn’t
“It is written…”
Instead, Jesus used
the ‘weapon’ that is
available to all
God’s people.
He used God’s
Word.
He quoted it.
He applied it.
He did that because
God’s Word is all
the power He
God’s Word is all the power
we need, too!
It has all the power we
need because it is
God’s Word.
God caused it to be
written.
God caused it to be
carried across the
ages.
God caused it to be
translated.
And God still speaks to us
today in His Word!
Consider the Apostle Paul’s
words:
All Scripture is
breathed out by God
and profitable for
teaching, for reproof,
for correction, and
for training in
righteousness, that
the man of God may
be competent,
equipped for every
good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
God’s Word prepares for us
those times when we must
resist!
It gives us the
tools we need
to survive and
to thrive in the
face of Satan’s
relentless
pursuit of
God’s people.
When we are tempted to sin,
God’s Word…
Reminds us of what is right & wrong.
Prods & encourages us to obey God.
Empowers us to do God’s Will.
Reminds us of the love God has for us.
The Bible
Earlier we
noted that it is
the Bible that
helps us
understand
what God’s Will
is when we
pray, “Thy will
be done!”
The Bible
It is the answer
because within
its pages God
speaks to us His
will: how to
live… how to
love… how to
serve… and how
to obey Him.
The Bible
And as we take
to heart its
message, God is
preparing,
strengthening
and emboldening
us to live out His
will…
Even in the face
The Bible
Well… the Bible
is also God’s
answer when we
pray, “Lead us
not into
temptation.”
It is how God
protects us in
times of
So… what does this mean?
It means we have some reading to
do.
And some “hiding” to do, as
Psalm 119:10-11
With my whole
heart I have
sought You; Oh,
let me not wander
from Your
commandments!
Your word I have
hidden in my
heart, That I might
not sin against
Hiding God’s Word in our
hearts happens when…
We read God’s Word on a regular basis
We study & discuss the Word together with
other believers
We commit key Bible passages to memory
We attempt to see how what God says
speaks to the everyday situations of our
lives
And we apply it (put it into practice) especially during times of temptation
It doesn’t matter how you do
it…
It doesn’t matter how you do
it…
It doesn’t matter how you do
it…
Just do it!
Wear out your Bible
Wear out your Bible
And be amazed
how encountering,
learning and
cherishing God’s
Word gives you
the strength and
the wherewithal
you need in the
face of Satan’s
temptations!
Here’s how Luther put it
centuries ago (and how we sang
about it a couple of minutes
ago)…
Though devils all the
world should fill,
All eager to devour
us,
We tremble not, we
fear no ill,
They shall not
overpow’r us.
Here’s how Luther put it
centuries ago (and how we sang
about it a couple of minutes
ago)…
This world’s prince
may still
Scowl fierce as he
will,
He can harm us
none,
He’s judged; the
deed is done;
One little word can
And that “little word” is
God’s Word!
Amen!