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May I turn in your Bibles to 
Matthew chapter 6? Matthew chapter 6. We come to 
the final petition in the Lord's Prayer, the sixth petition, a 
prayer or a request for protection. After a petition for the forgiveness 
of past sin comes one for protection from future sin. That's the words 
of R.T. France, who incidentally just 
passed away last month. accomplished scholar, a man of 
God, went to be with his Savior in February. So R.T. Frantz is 
no longer with us, though his big commentary on Matthew is 
with us, and it's a blessing and very edifying. But I think 
he hit it right on the head. After a petition for the forgiveness 
of past sin comes one for protection from future sin. I'll just pick 
up reading in Matthew chapter 6 at verse 8. Therefore, do not 
be like them for your father knows the things you have need 
of before you ask him in this manner. Therefore, pray your 
father or our father in heaven. Hallowed be your name, your kingdom 
come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this 
day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our 
debtors and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from 
the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and 
the power and the glory forever. Amen. For if you forgive men 
their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you. 
But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will 
your father forgive your trespasses. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, 
thank you for your word and thank you for this model prayer given 
to us by Jesus. We just ask God in heaven that 
you would cause us to open this passage to reflect upon it. and 
truly, God, to take it to heart. We see what Jesus says concerning 
prayer. We ask that you would conform 
us to this pattern, to this model. May we not just use it in some 
rote fashion. May we not just recite it back, 
thinking we'll be heard for our many words. But God, help us 
to be Godward first and foremost, praying for the glory of your 
name and the coming of your kingdom and the execution of your holy 
will. Then, Father, those things that 
are peculiar to our needs here on earth, Our daily bread and 
continual forgiveness for our sins and this petition for protection. God, we just pray that you would 
give us grace to receive these things now. Again, forgive us 
for all of our sins. Wash us and cleanse us and purify 
us so that we may receive the things that you have for us. 
We ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, temptation 
is serious business. We need to make sure that we 
have a proper understanding of it. To be tempted isn't necessarily 
to sin. The idea, though, is that when 
we are in temptation, or when we fall into temptation, it very 
often, most often, more often than not, at least, will lead 
to sin. John Owen made this very penetrating 
statement, which, if you don't have volume six, you might want 
to purchase that and read his stuff on sin and temptation. 
It is well worth your time and energy. He says this, he says, 
let no man then pretend to fear sin that does not fear temptation 
to it. Let no man pretend to fear sin 
that does not fear temptation that leads to it. He goes on 
to say. He goes on to say, they are too 
nearly allied to be separated. Satan has put them so together 
that it is very hard for any man to put them asunder. He hates 
not the fruit who delights in the root. Very excellent observation 
on this whole idea of temptation. I was thinking about this yesterday. 
There was some footage recently released. Another person filmed 
the destruction of the space shuttle Challenger. Remember 
that event in 1986? The space shuttle launched and 
not seconds into its flight, it blew up. And so I clicked 
on this particular link and I'm watching this knowing what's 
going to happen. I'm watching this footage, not as if it's 
going to be something different, that it survives and it makes 
it, and that the other thing was wrong. No, I'm watching it, 
and that sense of anxiety is welling up while I'm watching 
it. I thought about that with reference to temptation. What 
is the inevitable result of temptation when we don't resist it? It is 
sin. It is the explosion. It is the 
destruction. It is the massacre and the devastation. We need to cut it off at its 
first uprising. We don't give it vent. We don't 
give it room to breathe. We don't give it a place in our 
hearts or in our affections. We seek by the grace of God to 
cut its throat at its first uprising. The inevitable end is always 
destruction. And to that end, Jesus has given 
us this prayer for our protection. Do not lead us into temptation, 
but deliver us from the evil one. Those are two parts of one 
petition, this idea that we are protected by God spiritually. Well, as we consider the passage 
this morning, we'll look first at the meaning of the petition, 
secondly, the explanation of the petition, and thirdly, the 
reason for the petition. So the meaning, the explanation 
and the reason for this particular petition. The meaning of it. 
First, the word used here means temptation. Cutting edge, exegesis 
here. It means temptation, but it also 
means to test. There are instances where God 
tests his people. There are instances where God 
calls his Abrahams to take their son, their only son, up to Mount 
Moriah and drive a knife into him because God wants to see 
the fear in his heart. And it's not for God's information. 
It's more for Abraham. But that is a test wherein the 
Lord afflicts his particular chosen one or his servant there 
for his well-being. Testing is biblical. That is something that God does 
that occurs very often. It is not, lead us not into these 
tests that you and your sovereignty use for our well-being and for 
our maturation as Christians. The other term, the other way 
to translate this same word is temptation in order to evil, 
a solicitation to do evil. You can turn to James 1, where 
we see both these uses of the same Greek word in one context. James chapter one already referred 
to this. In our study in John 16, but 
notice in James chapter one at verse two, my brethren counted 
all joy when you fall into various trials or tasks. Jesus is not saying, don't pray 
that you won't fall into these things that are for your good, 
that are for your well-being, that are for your blessing. No, 
he is talking about God sending trials and difficulties into 
the lives of his people for their good, for their conformity unto 
Christ. He says, count it all joy when 
you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your 
faith produces patience. Drop down, however, to verse 
12. 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. Again, this isn't the test, like 
God calls upon Abraham or God to the wilderness generation 
of Deuteronomy 8, says I put you in this position to test 
you, to see your allegiance, to make sure you were going to 
depend upon me. This is the solicitation to do 
evil. 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. But each one is tempted 
when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then 
when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, 
when it is full grown, brings forth death. Manton says this, 
in temptation we must distinguish between the mere trial and the 
solicitation to sin. The mere trial, that is from 
God. But the solicitation to sin, 
that is from Satan and ourselves. Remember, Jesus was driven out 
into the wilderness by the Spirit. And then the devil seizes upon 
that opportunity to entice him or to solicit him to do evil. Manson's right. We need to discover. We need to determine the trial 
and the solicitation to evil. We realize that God does not 
solicit us to commit evil. In other words, when you engage 
in this thought process, the devil plies you with temptation. 
You begin to think that this might be a good thing. The Lord 
would have me to do this. The Lord would have me since 
I have such a stressful life and such. I have so many difficulties. 
The Lord would have me release pressure or relieve some pressure 
in this particular way. The Lord doesn't solicit you 
to evil. Ever. This is what James says. Manson 
says, God solicits no man to sin. It is true. God may try 
us, trouble us, toss us, exercise our faith, hope, and patience. 
He most certainly does do that, doesn't he? Solomon said, it 
was good for me that I was afflicted. Well, he sees God as the divine 
afflictor. But this idea of solicitation 
to evil is what Jesus says we are to pray against. Do not lead us into temptation. Do not bring us into that place. Watson summarizes it this way. 
The meaning is that God would not suffer us to be overcome 
by temptation, that we may not be given up to the power of temptation 
and be drawn into sin. That's what he has in view here. 
We've asked, forgive us of our debts, deal with our past sin. 
We pray, God, protect us from future sin. Lead me not into 
temptation. God, in your grace and in your 
mercy and in your kindness and in your love, protect me from 
going into those places where there will be a solicitation 
to do evil. Is everybody trafficking? Everybody 
knows what the meaning of this particular petition is. God, 
keep me from sinning against you. That's the point. Temptation 
is the bridge to sin. Avoid temptation, and God willing, 
we'll avoid the sin connected to it. Let no man then pretend 
to fear sin that does not fear temptation to it. Let's look 
at, secondly, the explanation. Again, there are two parts to 
one petition. The petition is for spiritual 
protection. It's a negative and a positive. 
The negative is do not lead us into temptation. What do we learn 
from this? We learn a lot, but we've just 
got time for, I think, four things here. First, remember I said 
kids last week in a reformed sermon, your parents ask you 
what was the sermon about? You'll never go wrong by saying 
the sovereignty of God. Do not lead us into temptation 
is an recognition and acknowledgement of God's sovereignty. You see, 
in making such a statement, we realize the devil is not sovereign. The devil is not omnipotent. 
The devil is not omnipresent. And the devil is not omniscient. 
In other words, the devil is limited. God is sovereign in 
providence. God is sovereign over the universe. 
God is the God who hung the planets in their orbit. God is the God 
who feeds the mountain goats in places where no one's ever 
seen them before. God is sovereign at the bottom 
of the ocean. From the top of heaven to the 
depths of hell, God is sovereign. So in this petition, we are acknowledging 
that sovereignty. We acknowledge his sovereignty 
in the fourth petition. Give us this day our daily bread. We acknowledge his mercy in the 
fifth petition. Forgive us of our debts as we 
forgive those debtors to us. And in this petition, we acknowledge 
that God is sovereign over the lives of his people. What better 
place to be? What more happy and holy place 
to be than to submit ourselves to the divine government. Remember, 
he is our father. That's how we address him. You're 
a terrible parent. If your child says to you, protect 
me from harm and you put your child in harm's way, you're wretched. You should get the bad parent 
of the year award. You should be on the cover of 
Bad Parenting Weekly. Your child asks specifically 
for protection and you put them in harm's way. You're horrible. 
You're monstrous. And kids don't interpret the 
protectiveness of your parents in a negative light. This is 
to be like God wanting the good of their children. In this petition, 
we acknowledge his sovereignty. We realize that he is sovereign, 
not the devil. We realize that he is sovereign 
and not ourselves. It's that interesting passage 
in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, which encourages us that no temptation 
has overtaken you, which is not common to men. You can never 
say in this world, nobody knows what it's like. You may have 
some details, you may have some particulars, you may have some 
instances that may be a challenge, but somewhere in this globe or 
on this globe, someone knows exactly what you're going through. 
You see, we take the encouragement, we suck the sweet out of that 
passage. Hey, we're on good ground. Everybody 
else has their issues and their trials and the difficulties. 
But what does the text go on to say? God always makes an exit 
gate. God always puts a door. God always 
provides an escape hatch. God always puts for you a place 
to run and hide so that you don't succumb to temptation. You see, 
lead us not into temptation. Lord, put a lot of exit gates 
around me. Lord, make them clearly marked. 
We have to get examined once a year to make sure our exit 
lights shine the way they're supposed to. So that if the lights 
go off, you can see the exit and you can get out. God, give 
us a lot of exit gates, give us a lot of exit lights, whatever 
temptation comes to me that is common to man. God, give me the 
grace not only to see the exit, but to flee to it. That's what 
we're praying here. We're acknowledging his sovereign 
care. We prayerfully submit to his 
sovereign rule as the one who knows what is best for his children. 
And we seek his direction and his influence in our lives so 
that we might not sin against him. You've got a problem with 
sin. Pray. You got a problem with 
temptation, pray. You got a problem with issues 
in your life, pray. Imagine that somebody comes to 
you, I'm really struggling with this temptation, I'm really struggling 
with this sin, what are you doing? Well, you know, I'm just trying 
to knuckle under and not do it. That's good. Knuckle under and 
not do it. Pray. Isn't that what Jesus is telling 
us here? Pray. It's not rocket science, brethren. The longer I live as a Christian 
and the longer I function as a pastor, the more simple the 
Bible really is. You just do what God says. Isn't that amazing? You just 
do what it says. You struggle with temptation. 
Pray about it. You're a proud, arrogant wretch. 
Pray. Humble me, God. You're a thief? Pray, God, stop 
me from stealing. Keep me from that temptation. 
Brethren, this is what Jesus is saying. And in this petition, 
we acknowledge God's sovereignty. Secondly, we admit our weakness 
and our wickedness. We admit our weakness, and I 
might have to qualify that, and our remaining wickedness. Why 
would we have to pray, lead us not into temptation? if we always 
resisted, if we were always faithful, if we were always strong, if 
we were always holy, if we were always upright, and if we were 
always able to resist. See, Jesus is writing to us here. 
He's writing to those who struggle with remaining corruption. The 
petition carries in it our understanding of remaining corruption. The 
flesh lusts against the spirit, the spirit lusts against the 
flesh. These two are contrary to one another. So what do you 
pray? God, help me to subdue this uprising. God, help me to 
dispossess the Canaanites that remain in the land. God, help 
me to deal radically and violently with these sins. God, help me 
to gouge out my eye and cut off my hand, if that is requisite 
to holiness. You see, it is an admission of 
our weakness and our wickedness. It is to sing number 400, Robert 
Robinson's hymn, O to grace, how great a debtor daily I am 
constrained to be. Let that grace now, I love this, 
like a fetter, a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee. Isn't 
that amazing? The spirituality of that particular 
hymn. Hope when you sing that hymn, 
it resonates with your heart. Bind my wandering heart to thee. 
Let me just explain what I mean by that. It's as if Robinson 
goes on. Prone to wander, prone to leave the God I love. Isn't 
that amazing? This petition causes us to reflect 
adequately on our weakness and our wickedness. Prone to wander, 
Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. 
Here's my heart, O take and seal it. Seal it for thy courts above. Owen again says, for ourselves, 
we are weakness itself. You better be praying this because 
you're not strong. You better incorporate this petition 
in your prayer life because you're not strong. What does he think 
he is telling us? We're not strong. The Bible tells 
you you're not strong. The Bible tells you that the 
flesh lusts against the spirit, the spirit lusts against the 
flesh. Owen says for ourselves, we are weakness itself. We have 
no strength, no power to withstand. Confidence of any strength in 
us is one great part of our weakness. It was so in Peter. Listen to 
this. Confidence of any strength in 
us is one great part of our weakness. You see, being confident of your 
strength is an instance of your weakness. He says it was so in 
Peter. Though everyone else may deny 
you, Lord, not me. What does he do? He denies him 
three times. You would think that brush with 
the holiness of Christ and the reality of not reneging on a 
promise would have lasted in Peter's heart. Lo and behold, 
in Galatians chapter 2, we read the Apostle Paul saying, so I 
withstood him to his face. Praise God, Peter humbled himself. 
Praise God, Peter got forgiveness. Praise God, Peter got mercy and 
grace. But Peter was still a weak man. the sort of man with the big 
funny hat and the miter ruling and reigning over the institutional 
church that Rome would have us to think. A man who says, I will 
never deny you, and denies him. Owen says, he that says he can 
do anything can do nothing as he should. So we have an acknowledgement 
of God's sovereignty and admission of our weakness and wickedness. 
Thirdly, we have a recognition of the power of temptation. Lead 
me not into temptation. Why? Because I recognize its 
potential to carry me off. Right? So you'll pray this petition 
when you see the danger of temptation. Genesis 39, 7 to 23, Joseph and 
Potiphar's house. You wouldn't get near her. Why? 
Because there was danger associated with this woman. There was calamity 
associated with this woman. There was sinning and wickedness 
associated with this woman. He didn't want anything to do 
with it. Job 31, I've made a covenant with my eyes. Why then should 
I look upon a woman? He doesn't say, why then shouldn't 
I go into a strip club or why then shouldn't I look at internet 
pornography? Why would I even look upon a young woman? I know 
the connection between temptation and sin. I want nothing to do 
with it. Jesus says, if you look upon 
a woman of lust, you've already broken the commandment. He says, 
if you say fool or rock in your heart, you've already broken 
the commandment. You take radical steps to deal with temptation. 
You cut off hands, you gouge out eyes, you do what is necessary 
because you're not that strong. It is an admission of the power 
of temptation. Again, Owen said this. There 
are traitors in our hearts. ready to take part, to close 
and side with every temptation and give up all to them. You 
look at it that way. Oh, yeah, we all have remaining 
corruption. That's just a reformed doctrine. Hopefully it's a biblical 
doctrine and then a reformed doctrine. Yeah, you have remaining 
corruption. I have remaining corruption. 
That means there's traitors in our hearts. Israel was told to 
go in and dispossess the land of the Canaanites. Did they do 
that? They made a treaty with the Gibeonites. 
They let slide some of the various ites in the land. What happened? Did they live harmoniously together 
forever after, happily ever after? Do Canaanites and Israelites 
inhabit the same place happily and joyfully? No, what happened 
in the history of Israel? The Israelites became like the 
Canaanites. They didn't dispossess the land 
of the Canaanites, so then they end up bowing at the gods or 
before the gods of the Canaanites. You see, it's the same thing 
in our own hearts. Owen says there are traitors 
in our hearts ready to take part, to close inside with every temptation 
and give up all to them. Yea, to solicit and bribe temptations 
to do the work as traitors in sight and enemy. He says, Do 
not flatter yourselves that you shall hold out. There are secret 
lusts that lie lurking in your hearts, which perhaps now stir 
not, which, as soon as any temptation befalls you, will rise, tumultuate, 
cry, disquiet, seduce, and never give over until they are either 
killed or satisfied. Oh, that's just Puritan goings 
on about holiness and sin and all that sort of thing. Isn't 
that true in your own heart? Is this not true in your own 
heart? It may seem dormant. You ever had that experience 
where you dealt with a sin early on in your Christian pilgrimage? 
You thought you had done it. You thought it was over. You 
thought that was one Canaanite that was dispossessed. Don't 
have to worry about that one. 10, 15, 20 years later, where 
did that come from? It's like perennials. I don't 
know a lot about botany, but I think a perennial is a plant 
that dies, and then you put it in your garage, and then you 
replant it, and it grows again. When it's sitting there looking 
decayed in your garage, you get this idea that it's dead. It's 
gone. If you're a non-botanist like me, you say, throw it out 
with the rest of the garbage. Well, wait a minute. We can plant that, 
and it'll grow back. It'll thrive, and it will flourish. 
It's the same way. You might put it in the garage 
for a season. You might not be harassed with 
it for a season. You might see it laying dormant 
for a season and then, lo and behold, up it comes. You say, 
where did that come from? That's why you pray this petition. 
Lead us not into temptation. Do not flatter yourselves that 
you shall hold out. There are secret lusts that lie 
lurking in your hearts, which perhaps now stir not, which, 
as soon as any temptation befalls you, will rise, tumultuate, cry, 
disquiet, seduce, and never give over until they are either killed 
or satisfied. He goes on to deal with that 
situation where you think you've dealt with one, and what happens? 
Boom, out comes another one. It's like trying to cover quicksand 
or trying to cover something that's just wanting and desirous 
to get out. It's got to be universal. Well, 
I don't do that anymore, but I'm a gossip. I don't do that 
anymore, but I'm proud. I don't do that anymore, so I'm 
proud of not doing that anymore, and I'm self-righteous. It's like that whack-a-mole, 
right? You pound one, up comes another. Whack it. Whack it. 
Whack all of them. That's the idea here. And then 
fourthly, this petition is a humble appeal for divine aid. Lead us not into temptation. We're not commanding God what 
he shall do and not. God, make sure that I don't go 
anywhere that will ever harm me. God, you've got to be there. 
No, no. In my life of sanctification, I know my tendency, I know my 
proneness to wander, I know the proneness to leave the God I 
love. Lord, I humbly appeal to you to watch over me, to provide 
protection for me, to govern me in such a way that I will 
not find myself in a in a harmful situation. Lord, please, we have 
that statement in the book of Hebrews, saying that we have 
a great high priest who has passed through the heavens. Jesus, the 
son of God, let us hold fast our confession, for we do not 
have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, 
but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin. Let 
us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace. Boldly does 
not mean arrogantly. Boldly does not mean proudly. 
Boldly means humbly, but with an earnestness. Let us therefore 
come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy 
and find grace to help in time of need. Do not lead us into 
temptation. The second part says, deliver 
us from the evil one. Deliver us from the evil one. 
What enemy is in view here? The King James, New King James, 
with the addition of one, it highlights the work of the devil. 
And certainly, if we look at Matthew 4, for instance, Jesus 
is driven out into the wilderness by the Spirit, and He has to 
battle the evil one. But I suggest in your prayer 
life, you not only pray, do not lead us into temptation, but 
deliver us from the evil one. Deliver us from Satan. Deliver 
us from the world. Deliver us from our own hearts. 
To be comprehensive, J.C. Ryle says it this way, we are 
here taught to ask God to deliver us from the evil that is in the 
world, the evil that is within our own hearts, and not least 
from the evil one, the devil. Manton said, if there were no 
devil to tempt us, yet the heart of man is fruitful enough of 
all that is evil. If there were no devil, we still 
got a lot of problems. There is a devil. I'm not rejecting 
that. I'm not saying otherwise. But you've got enough problems 
right here, Matthew 15, 19. What proceeds from the heart? 
Happy thoughts, joy, blessing, kindness, love. Is that what proceeds from the 
heart of man? Really? Is that what proceeds from the 
heart of man? I'm even suggesting from redeemed man. What proceeds from our hearts 
that we have to resist, we have to fight against? What are the 
New Testament epistles full of? Admonitions to us to keep watch 
over our hearts, to guard our tongues so that we don't engage 
in the sorts of wickedness that flow from the heart. So when 
you pray, deliver us from the evil one. Yes, Satan. He walks about as a roaring lion, 
seeking whom he may devour. First Peter, chapter five. Yes, 
this world, it's wicked. It's no friend of God. It hates 
God. It raises its fist at God. But 
as we've had cause to observe before, if you go live on a deserted 
island that Satan doesn't know where it is and there's no influence 
of television, radio or news, there's no Internet piped in. 
It's not as if you're scot-free or home-free. You've still got 
that wretched heart. We should pray this petition, 
even on a deserted island where all the food that we could possibly 
want is. We're still going to sin. I don't 
mean to paint too bleak of a picture here, brethren. I acknowledge 
the power of the Spirit, the work of Jesus Christ, and the 
glory of God Most High. But we want to acknowledge as 
well the genuine battle that we're in. Our temptation is not 
that we're too watchful. Our temptation is not that we're 
too on guard. Our temptation is not. He prays 
so much about not being led into temptation and not being delivered 
from the evil one. Boy, he's just consumed with 
it. That's not generally our temptation. Our temptation runs 
the other way to not pray this petition. To not ask for protection, 
to not think twice before we speak once, to not think twice 
about going into a harmful place. That is more of our peculiar 
danger. And so we need to recall these 
things and we need to think through these things so that we can be 
killing sin. Realizing, to use a noanism, 
if we're not killing sin, sin will be killing us. There's no 
neutrality in this. The enemies in view, the world, 
the flesh, the devil, the continual threat. Isn't it interesting? Pray, give us this day our daily 
bread. How often do we pray that? Well, 
it's our daily bread, so we ought to be praying it every day. We 
pray, forgive us our debts. How often do we sin against God? 
Yeah, that's right. All the time. So we should always 
be praying for forgiveness. You just see someone unconverted. 
Oh, you got a real bleak view on human nature. Yeah. Genesis 
to Revelation reports a real bleak view on human nature. Casts 
us in the lap of sovereign grace and mercy. Calls us to function 
in such a way that we acknowledge our dependence upon God. This 
is a continual threat. We pray for our daily bread. 
We pray for daily forgiveness. Guess what? We should be praying 
daily. Do not lead us into temptation. Deliver us from evil. prone to wander, prone to leave 
the God I love. Center my heart to you, God. 
Rivet it to you, God. Bind me to you, God. Keep me, 
God. That's what Jesus is telling 
us that we need to pray. Later on, Jesus will tell his 
disciples, watch and pray lest you enter into temptation. I 
realize that's a very specific situation, a very specific context. 
They're falling asleep while he's praying just prior to his 
being handed over into the hands of wicked men. But the principle 
remains, watch and pray lest you enter into temptation. The 
spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. You may have 
all the pious and noble great desires in the world. The flesh 
is weak. You need to pray. You need to 
pray against that flesh. And then notice the reality assumed 
in this half of the petition. Deliver us from the evil one. What's the reality assumed here? 
We fall, don't we? Deliverance bespeaks of us having 
been in a position of disadvantage. Deliver us. Keep us from it, Lord, but should 
we fall, rescue us. Should we fall, grab us. It's 
inevitable if you do a lot of boating, you might fall overboard. 
Hopefully you're with people that are going to reach down 
and pull you out again. There's a reality assumed in 
this petition that the Westminster larger catechism says when fallen 
in this petition, We pray to be raised again and recovered 
out of it and have a sanctified use and improvement thereof. 
That's not Puritan ease just to fill up a catechism. When fallen, we pray that we'd 
be raised again and recovered out of it and have a sanctified 
use and improvement thereof. In other words, what should we 
learn about that fall? Don't go there. What should we 
learn about that fall? Don't say this. What shall we 
learn? That's the sanctified use. But 
the petition or the second part of the petition, the speech, 
the reality that we will fall, that we need deliverance, that 
we need rescue. And this is what we bid God deliver 
us from the evil one. Don't say, well, he's already 
got me, so I'm just going to be his slave. He's already got 
me, so I'm just going to give in. Lord, if I fall, grab me 
right away." This is the mind of man. Well, you know, I've 
already sinned against God. I might as well just see it through. 
You'll never find that logic in the Bible. I've already started. I should just finish and then 
confess it to God. His protection has been wanting, 
so I'll go ahead and engage, and then I'll seek His forgiveness. 
That's not the way you're supposed to live. God, should I fall? Should I succumb? Should I be 
in enemy territory? Rescue me right away. Don't let 
me sit there. Don't let me be there. Lord, 
please deliver me. There's an importunance about 
this particular petition. And the catechism, I think, is 
right on. When fallen, that we'd be raised 
again and recovered out of it. Maybe it's just one of us in 
here, but the mind works in this way. You've got a big task or a big 
job. I'll never be able to do that. So forget it. You've been 
faced, you know, some of the businessmen here probably can 
relate. You've got a mountain of tasks facing you on a Monday 
morning. What's the temptation? I'm going 
to go golf. Even though I hate golf, I don't 
want to deal with that mountain. Is it sin sometimes like that? 
I'm so weak. Butler's right. I'm so prone 
to wander. I'm so prone to leave the God 
I love. I am a monster. I am horrific. I am wretched. I am everything the Bible says 
to the nth degree. So why bother? You've been saved 
by grace through faith in Christ, the bleeding, suffering Savior 
who has risen again, who's enthroned at the right hand of the Father, 
who has bid you to pray that you not fall. who has called 
upon you that when falling, you pray and cry out to him for deliverance. He is for you. He wants your 
success. I don't want to say want in the 
sense that we have this God who is swayed and he is movable and 
he is reactionary. The biblical testimony is that 
God desires, God has put into place everything for your and 
mine success in the Christian life. Why do we pray this? Reasons for the petition. We've 
already dealt with our remaining tendency toward evil. You probably 
throw me out if I highlight that one again. Our remaining tendency 
toward evil. Can't minimize that. I don't think it was just Robert 
Robinson. I don't think it was just John Owen or Thomas Manson 
or Thomas Watson or the Puritan era. It's interesting, Augustine 
in his Confessions talks about, before he was converted, highlighting 
the evilness of sin. He has this story or this account 
of him and his buddies going to steal pears. He said, we didn't 
go steal the pears because we were hungry. We stole the pears 
to do evil. That's not my heart, Pastor. 
OK. Notice the corporate nature. 
Do not lead us into temptation, pray. Do not lead my Wicked brethren 
in the temptation, if it is not your heart. Pray for the rest 
of us. Deliver them, Lord, from the 
evil. Our tendency toward evil. Secondly, 
we pray this because we have a genuine desire for communion 
with God, don't we? Again, you're a terrible husband 
or wife. If you know something bothers 
your spouse, And you do it anyway. I'm going to get in trouble when 
I get home today. I'm in big trouble. She's going, 
yeah, that's right. And this, and this, and this, 
and this. But you're horrible, aren't you? 
You know something bothers your spouse, and you do it anyway. I'm not talking about absent-minded 
professor. I'm not talking about, oh, I forgot. I didn't mean to, 
honey. That's more of the category here. I'm talking about calculated. If there's something that bars 
communion with our father, we ought to get rid of it. We ought 
to despise it. We ought to disdain it and abhor 
it. If God's smile isn't upon me 
because I'm playing games with temptation and sin, get rid of 
it. God has saved us to commune with 
him. God has saved us so that we can know Psalm 27. What's 
the recurring theme in that psalmist's prayer? Tell it, God. He prays 
even with this conscious reality of remaining corruption. Says 
here, oh Lord, when I cry with my voice, have mercy also upon 
me and answer me. When you said seek my face, my 
heart said to you, your face, Lord, I will seek. Do not hide 
your face from me. Do not turn your servant away 
in anger. You have been my help. Do not leave me nor forsake me. 
Oh, God of my salvation. When my father and my mother 
forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me. He says in verse 
4, one thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek, that 
I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. 
Can you imagine David preaching a sermon on being in the house 
of God? The same David who said, I would 
rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God than dwell in the 
tents of wickedness. David would probably say, you 
mean we have to force people to come to church? We have to 
threaten people to come to church. We have to yell at people to 
come to church. We have to discipline people 
to come to church. What are you kidding me? Church 
is the new covenant place where God most high is with his people. You shouldn't have to be harangued. 
You shouldn't have to be forced. He says this one thing I have 
desired of Yahweh, that will I seek, that I may dwell in the 
house of the Lord all the days of my life. And he says to behold 
the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple for in 
the time of trouble, he shall hide me in his pavilion in the 
secret place of his tabernacle. He shall hide me. He shall set 
me high upon a rock. You see that experience with 
the psalmists. They're downcast, they're melancholy, 
they're hurting, they're trying. They come into the house of God 
and what happens? A new perspective on things. 
A new view on things. The ability to stand back and 
go, oh yeah, God is in control. Has that ever been your experience? 
You've come here downcast, perplexed, tried, difficult, laden. You 
start singing and what happens? Our life's not so bad. God's 
for me. God's for me. What can man do? 
What can he possibly do? Don't you love that in the hymn 
that we sang? The soul that on Jesus hath leaned 
for repose, I will not, I will not desert to his foes. That 
soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I'll never, 
no, never, no, never forsake. Just in case you didn't get it. 
I'll never, no, never, no, never forsake. It's the God of Isaiah. It's the God of the Apostle Paul. 
It's the God and Father of our Lord Jesus. That is the one we 
address in this prayer. Our Father. We don't want things 
that bar communion. We don't want things that hinder 
intimacy. Something offends your wife, 
don't do it. Something offends your husband, don't do it. You 
are covenanted together to serve one another. Don't be a hindrance, 
an obstacle. Don't be someone that is an albatross 
around his neck. By the same token, as Christians, 
let us not let sin and temptation get between us and our God. We 
pray this because of our remaining tendency toward evil. We pray 
this because we have a genuine desire for communion with God. 
We pray this because we long to glorify God. Who wants God glorified? Who 
prays this prayer? The children of God, adopted 
as sons by Jesus Christ, according to his sovereign will. Again, 
John Owen says this, consider the end of any temptation. Consider 
the end of any temptation. This is Satan's end. This is 
sin's end. Just ask, what's the end of temptation? 
What do you have in mind, devil? What do you have in mind, world? 
What do you have in mind, flesh? What is your end game? What's 
the bottom line, we might be inclined to say? That is the 
dishonor of God and the ruin of our souls. It's not that hard, is it? What's 
Satan's end game? What's sin's end game? What's 
the flesh and the world's end game? The dishonor of God and 
the ruin of our souls. That's what's in view. That's 
why this petition is important. That's why the people of God 
are told by Jesus. When you pray, yes, pray for 
your daily bread. Yes, pray for forgiveness because 
you're going to continue to sin, but pray for protection because 
there is a battle at hand. And if you don't wage this battle, 
if you don't abstain from fleshly lust, which war against the soul, 
you will be the hurt one. That's the language Peter uses, 
abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. Think about that next time you're 
about to indulge in temptation. I'm going to look at this. I'm 
going to look at that. I'm going to do this. I'm going to do that. I'm 
going to say this. I'm going to say that. Wait a 
minute here. These lusts want to war against 
my soul. Don't want it. I'll shut my mouth. I'll cut my finger off so I don't 
click that button. I'll gouge out an eye, I'll lop off a hand, 
I'll do whatever it takes because the endgame of that sin is the 
dishonor of God and war against my soul. You see why Jesus teaches 
us to pray these things? Brethren, there's some particulars 
we ought to apply. God willing, we'll do that tonight. 
Don't want to just shove it on at the end. Some ways that we 
can pray this with reference to the individual believer and 
with reference to the church, the corporate body of Jesus Christ. But notice how the prayer ends. 
Verse 13. Do not lead us into temptation, 
but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom 
and the power and the glory forever. Amen. We come back to where we've 
begun. Our Father who art in heaven. When we finish this prayer and 
we engage in this praise, we engage in doxology, We've come 
into the presence of God. We've asked that his name be 
hallowed. We ask that his kingdom come. We ask that his will be 
done. We then ask for our bread. We ask for our forgiveness. We 
ask for our protection. And then we end on a note of 
praise, adoration, worship, and glory given to this God. For 
yours is the kingdom. Yours is the power. Yours is 
the glory, now and forever. Amen. Some have ingeniously seen 
the Trinity in this particular prayer. We pray to the Father 
to provide for our daily provision. We pray for the Son to cleanse 
us from all the sin that we are guilty of. We pray for the sanctifying 
power of the Spirit. Lead us not into temptation, 
but deliver us from the evil one. And we end on this Trinitarian 
note. Kingdom, power, glory. Give all praise to God in your 
prayers. Never forget that reality. Sometimes 
you'll hear people say, and sometimes it might rise up in your heart, 
well, why should I pray? Nothing ever happens. That is 
the self-centered ethos of our generation. I tried praying and 
nothing changed for me. I went there and nothing helped 
me. I did this and I didn't get anything 
from it. Do you just stop and think ever 
for one moment that maybe in this God is glorified? You know, back to that statement 
from John F. Kennedy, we're good at asking what our country will 
do for us. Precious little about what we can do for our country. 
Let's go, I'm going to get me. How's God going to bless me? 
How's the church going to satisfy me? How are those people going 
to serve me? You see, that last idol to die 
is self. This petition casts us back to 
the beginning. We pray, how will it be your 
name? Or this doxology, rather, or this conclusion to the Lord's 
Prayer. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. As well, it grounds us, it stabilizes 
us, and it causes us to reflect and realize that we don't offer 
these petitions in vain. The one to whom we pray, his 
is the kingdom, his is the power, and his is the glory now and 
forever. Amen. We cast ourselves into the lap 
of sovereign power. The Westminster Larger Catechism, 
what does the conclusion of the Lord's Prayer teach us? The conclusion 
of the Lord's Prayer teaches us to enforce our petitions with 
arguments which are to be taken not from any worthiness in ourselves 
or in any other creature, but from God. You see, you don't 
offer up those petitions and say, because I'm a pretty good 
guy. No, we offer up these petitions 
because yours is the kingdom, yours is the power, yours is 
the glory. You'll see an example of this 
in Daniel chapter 9. Think Daniel 9, you think of 
the 70 weeks, right? Well, prior to the 70 weeks and 
the prophecy of the 70 weeks, Daniel prays. Daniel prays for 
mercy. Daniel says, not because we're 
righteous, but because you're merciful. Forgive our iniquities. Not because we are righteous, 
but because you are merciful. You see, this conclusion underscores 
the reality that we argue in prayer. That doesn't mean the 
way we argue with somebody that cuts us off in the road. Arguing, 
presenting our petitions to God, and the reasons for it are his 
power, his kingdom, his glory. He goes on, and they go on to 
say, and with our prayers to join praise, ascribing to God 
alone eternal sovereignty, omnipotency, and glorious excellency. In regard 
whereof, as he is able and willing to help us, so we by faith are 
emboldened to plead with him that he would, and quietly to 
rely upon him that he will fulfill our request. And to testify this, 
our desire and assurance, we say, amen. Yours is the kingdom 
and the power and the glory forever. Amen. A fitting end to a blessed 
prayer. And may God indeed write these 
things upon our hearts so that our prayer lives won't just be, 
just bless us, just, just, just, just bless us, just bless us, 
just bless us. We've had enough of just bless 
us. How about God be glorified? God's kingdom come. God's will 
be done. The blessings we need is food 
on our table, forgiveness in our hearts, and protection from 
the enemy. Beyond that, everything's gravy. Beyond that, everything is, you 
know, the cherry on the... It's nice to have a cherry on 
the cake. It's nice to have gravy on your potatoes, but the potatoes 
will sustain you. See, we want all that. We want 
all the goodies. We need to pray for these basic 
things that God has set forth as being most important for the 
lives of his people. And based on this prayer, coupled 
with this prayer, we need to engage in action. We need to 
engage in conduct. Owen says, he who prays as he 
ought will endeavor to live as he prays. He who prays as he 
ought will endeavor to live as he prays. You get up off your 
knees and you go and you serve God. You get up off your knees 
and you go resist temptation. You get up off your knees and 
you don't go to places of danger and harm. You get up off your 
knees and you look at your feet instead of looking at those things 
which are a distraction and a hindrance to your spiritual life. You get 
up off your knees and you serve the Lord your God. That's what 
we need to couple with this model prayer. If you don't know Christ 
today, you can't call God our Father. What a horrible thing. And on the one hand, it's a great 
privilege to be able to be told in this manner, therefore pray, 
our Father in heaven. Isn't that beautiful? As a believer, 
you get to call God our Father in heaven. But it cuts both ways. If you're not a believer, you 
don't get to call God our Father in heaven. In fact, it's hypocrisy 
to pray this as an unbeliever. It's hypocrisy to pray this as 
an unbeliever. The way, the means, the path 
to be able to pray this is through the blood. I read a good quote, 
a man, a little book called What is a Reformed Church by Malcolm 
Watts. Says, as the old minister said 
to the young minister, preach the blood. There is no gospel 
without the blood. You want to pray this prayer? 
You need the blood. You need Christ. You need forgiveness. You need washing. You need cleansing. 
You need purification. You need justification by faith 
alone, in Christ alone. You need to come to the cross. 
It's the best way to learn how to pray this prayer. Not go back 
to the website and listen to all the sermons and figure out 
the points and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christ and you will be saved. And then in this manner, 
therefore, pray. Let us close now in prayer and 
ask God to bless our time together. Father, we come to the end of 
this blessed prayer, this wonderful prayer, and we thank you so very 
much for it. We thank you that you've not 
left us as orphans in this world, that you've supplied your Holy 
Spirit, and that you've given us your written word. God, give 
us grace to apply ourselves to study, to meditation, to contemplation, 
to receiving your truth. We know the truth affects our 
practice. And as we've learned here, we need to pray first and 
foremost that you would be glorified. We need to pray first and foremost 
that your kingdom would come and that your will would be done. 
And then for those things, with reference to our own lives, these 
are simple requests and yet so profound, God. We need daily 
provision. We need daily mercy and forgiveness. 
We need daily protection. And God, just watch over each 
of your people here in this way, in this manner, in this means. 
And we ask through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.