12-11 Bid Aldus - 4

Prayer is a strategic weapon Matthew 6:13 Welcome to part two of the three petitions that flow from the exaltation of God the Father in Jesus’ model prayer. As I pointed out last week, hallowing God’s name, longing for His Kingdom to come, and asking for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, naturally lead to the three petitions that follow. This does not - in my opinion - necessitate a division in the prayer (addressing God and then getting to the point or worse: buttering God up in order to get what I need), but rather develops a natural progression as His fatherhood leads to the expression of our dependence on Him for our daily needs. His plan and will in Christ was my pardon and therefore I ask for His forgiveness. His will is my holiness, so therefore I ask for His direction in avoiding sin’s allurement. We confess our complete dependence on Him who knows what we need before we ask it (vs. 8) for today’s needs, yesterday’s guilt, and tomorrow’s dangers. Before we continue Before we continue with temptation, I want to re-address guilt, shame, and pardon. Many come from a background that has made guilt and shame an artform. You were taught very well the depth of your depravity and the wickedness in your heart and the sin it produces. Grace may or may not have been part of what you were taught, but it leaves you feeling less than pardoned. Let me explain that this is never as God intended it. God grants forgiveness in order that we would be pardoned from the canker of guilt and shame. Let me diverge from our text this morning to prove my point. > Hebrew 4:12-16 paints the picture without mincing words. We are filleted open before His eyes. Not a thought or even intent of heart is hidden from His eyes. Frightening? Perhaps. And yet this reality leads the author to invite us to boldly go before the throne of grace. Why? Because He already knows and has already forgiven all in and through Christ. > Romans 5:1-5 Christ took away our shame and guilt. This is the truth about pardon, which is why Paul asks the question in Romans 6: should we continue in sin that grace may abound? That’s the risk of grace. He says… no way. And then in chapter 8 he makes the point crystal-clear: there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. What about the Great White throne judgment? That’s for unbelievers only. > 1 John 2:1 even goes a step farther and explains that Christ is arguing our case in heaven. Our shame for sin and subsequent guilt is intended to lead us to the cross where we see the payment for our sin and grants our access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ. Guilt is intended to move us towards Him - never to keep us from Him. And this makes way for the final petition: lead us. His perspective on tomorrow: fleshly deliverance (6:13) Christ third petition is for leading, which literally means to “carry in” and is the same word that is used in Luke’s account of the friends that bring the lame man on a stretcher and lower him into the house where Jesus is. Perhaps this is the clearest application of “Thy will be done”... in my struggle against my flesh I desire and petition God’s leading. This begs the very important question “does God tempt us?” James’ answer is no (James 1:13-15) and performs an autopsy of sin. It comes from the lust in your heart, which is lured and enticed and when entertained incubates sin, which will kill you. Sin comes from your heart. So if God doesn’t tempt us, why does Jesus teach us to pray like this? The main petition is one of leading. The prepositions are perhaps the most helpful in understanding what is being asked. “In” describes movement in the direction of something. “From” generally describes a point of departure as in: moving away from something. If we leave out the second verb, perhaps this will help our understanding: Lead us not in the direction of temptation, but away from evil (“the evil” is better than “evil one”). Our natural bent is to walk right into temptation and the petition is that God would meet us in our need and change the direction of our step away from sin. And what does Jesus call this? We put the verb back: deliverance. He saves us from evil. Paul uses this exact same verb in his exclamation: Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? In 1 Corinthians 10:13-14 Paul places this petition in a different context and explains that every temptation is common to man and that God always has a way of escape. This is what Jesus is asking… Heavenly Father, lead me to find your way of escape.