“And Lead Us Not into Temptation,
But Deliver Us from Evil”
Matthew 6:13

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Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost—July 28, 2019

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

You are invited to follow the sermon outline on the last pages of the bulletin, as we continue our summer sermon series on the Lord’s Prayer: “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; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

There was a true, funny story in “Reader’s Digest” about a woman whose pet parrot flew out an open window and was loose somewhere in the neighborhood.  As she told her co-workers about it, she kept saying, “I just hope he doesn’t start talking.”  One of them asked, “Why are you so worried about your parrot talking?”  She replied, “Well, the only thing he knows how to say is, ‘Here, kitty, kitty.’”

Peter warns us, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”  The devil is after you, like a hungry lion, and BY YOURSELF you are like that parrot, helpless, defenseless, and even calling out to the devil, “Here, kitty, kitty.”  For, the devil has on his side not only the wicked world, which conspires with him to constantly confront you with temptations, but he has another co-conspirator, on the inside: your own sinful self.

If left to defend yourself, you haven’t got a prayer against the devil.  But, you are not left to yourself, you have God on your side, and you DO have a prayer against the devil, the last petitions of the Lord’s Prayer: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

You may have heard about it in the news last month when the current pope caused quite a stir by approving an alternate translation of the Lord’s Prayer.  Instead of the traditional “lead us not into temptation,” in that church they can now translate it “do not let us fall into temptation.”

Now, there’s nothing wrong with that; it is indeed an acceptable, possible translation of the original Greek.  But, actually it’s not a new idea—the pope was just catching up with Martin Luther.  Because, already 500 years ago, Luther commented that IF the familiar phrase “lead us not into temptation” was “not in such general use, it might add to the clarity of this petition” to word it differently.†  For example, Luther paraphrased it “Dear Father, let me not fall . . . into temptation”‡—almost the exact same wording the pope just approved.  Looks like someone got the pope a set of Luther’s Works for Christmas!

However, Luther DIDN’T make that change 500 years ago, for the reason he stated in his preface to the Small Catechism: “The pastor should most carefully avoid changes or variations in the text and wording of the Ten Commandments, the Creed, [and] the Lord’s Prayer. . . On the contrary, he should adopt one version, stick with it, and keep using it unchanged year after year.  For young and simple people must be taught a single fixed form, or they will easily become confused. . . There should be no change, even though one may wish to improve the text. . .  Our good fathers understood this, for they all used the same form of the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments.  Therefore, we too should . . . not change a single syllable.”

So, Luther felt it would be just too jarring and confusing for the common Christian to introduce a change into something so familiar as the Lord’s Prayer.  That’s why he kept the traditional phrase “lead us not into temptation.”  But, he also emphasized the importance of explaining what those words really mean—and DON’T mean.

Is it possible that God HIMSELF would lead you into temptation?  That’s a strange thought.  Is THAT what Jesus meant?  James settles that question in today’s Epistle Reading: “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.”

But, if God does not tempt anyone, why does Jesus teach us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation”?  Luther explains in the Small Catechism, “God indeed tempts no one; but we pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us, so that the devil, the world, and our flesh may not deceive us nor seduce us into misbelief, despair, and other great shame and vice; and though we be assailed by them, that still we may finally overcome and obtain the victory.” 

With the phrase “Lead us not into temptation” Jesus is inculcating an attitude.  We humans like to think that we’re self-reliant.  Jesus is teaching us that when it comes to fighting temptation our only hope is to be GOD-reliant.

Paul says in Romans, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. . .  When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.”

You have that same spiritual struggle going on inside you, every day.  Because, on the one hand, you have been born again as a child of God, but on the other hand as long as you live in this world your old sinful self still clings to you and struggles against you.

The cross is the number one symbol of the Christian faith because it was on a cross that God’s Son, Jesus Christ, sacrificed himself to pay for your sins and make you right with God.  Paul describes this in Colossians, “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.  Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.  But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.”  Your sins are forgiven on his account.  Because of Christ’s sacrifice for you, you are “without blemish and free from accusation.”  Paul puts it this way in 2nd Corinthians: “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not counting men’s sins against them.”  Your sins are not counted against you, on account of Jesus Christ. 

That Good News changes your attitude—you WANT to serve God, you want to do his will, you want to live a holy, god-pleasing life.  But as long as you live in this world your old sinful self still clings to you and struggles against you.  As Paul says in Galatians, “The sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are at war with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”

That is why you need power from on high, and that is what you are praying for when you pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”  You are praying for power from on high to fight the devil.

But when you pray “Give us this day our daily bread,” you do not then just sit back and wait for it to fall from the sky, but you go out and work for it, using the means God provides.  In the same way, when you pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” you will then actively struggle against temptation, using the means God provides. 

The Bible teaches us four strategies for fighting temptation.

#1) Put on Your Armor

Paul says in Ephesians, “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the full armor of God that you may be able to 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. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”

The devil rejoices to see a Christian who is neglecting his spiritual armor, by not attending worship, not reading and hearing and studying God’s Word, not receiving Holy Communion, not speaking to God in prayer.  That makes you easy prey for the devil.  “Resist him, standing firm in the faith.”  Fight temptation by putting on your spiritual armor.

#2) Avoid Tempting Situations

Paul says in Ephesians, “Do not give the devil a foothold.”  That means you must consciously, deliberately avoid situations where you will be confronted with temptations, especially temptations that you are susceptible to.  Fight temptation by avoiding tempting situations.

#3) Turn Your Thoughts

Sinful thoughts are not to be taken lightly.  They are really are sins, in themselves, and they are also dangerous because of the domino effect.  If left unchecked, sinful thoughts so often lead to sinful actions, as James says in today’s Epistle Reading, “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.”

Instead, turn your thoughts to that which is pleasing to the Lord.  As Paul says in Philippians, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things,”  and in Colossians, “Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”  Fight temptation by turning your thoughts.

#4) Memorize Scriptures to Fight With

When Jesus was tempted by the devil he fought back with the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, each time declaring “It is written!” and then quoting Scripture.  The Word of God is the most powerful weapon for you to fight temptation, by memorizing Scriptures appropriate to the temptations you face, the temptations you know you are susceptible to. 

Maybe you are tempted sexually: “Each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God.”  “You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

Maybe you are tempted with a temper: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger.”

Maybe you are tempted to hold grudges and seek revenge: “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”  “As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Do not take revenge, my friends.”

Perhaps you are tempted with alcohol or drugs: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?”  “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to depravity. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” 

Maybe you are tempted by material things: “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, for a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Maybe you are tempted to impure language: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths.”  “Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place.”

Maybe you are tempted to untruths: “Each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor.”

When you memorize these and other Scriptures, they will be like a whole quiver, full of swords, with which you can fight off the devil.

And, of course, committing the Ten Commandments to memory will cover just about every temptation you encounter.  Fight temptation by memorizing Scriptures appropriate to the temptations you face.

Paul says in 1st Corinthians, “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”  If left to defend yourself, you haven’t got a prayer against the devil.  But, you are NOT left to yourself, you have God on your side, and you DO have a prayer against the devil, the last petitions of the Lord’s Prayer: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Amen.

†Luther’s Works, American Edition, Volume 42, Page 71
‡Luther’s Works, American Edition, Volume 51, Page 180