WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.879 In our last little heart -to -heart talk, we 00:00:02.879 --> 00:00:05.860 were discussing that portion. The Word of God 00:00:05.860 --> 00:00:10.080 is found in the sixth chapter of Matthew. That 00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:13.339 wonderful pattern for prayer that Jesus gave 00:00:13.339 --> 00:00:19.140 us. And we discussed that part of the prayer, 00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:29.809 which he gave in these words. Forgive us. our 00:00:29.809 --> 00:00:34.390 trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against 00:00:34.390 --> 00:00:40.609 us. And you will remember that we saw that in 00:00:40.609 --> 00:00:44.109 this prayer we are obliged either to forgive 00:00:44.109 --> 00:00:49.789 our enemies in sincerity and in truth, not just 00:00:49.789 --> 00:00:55.390 merely with words, not merely with our lips. 00:00:56.939 --> 00:01:04.980 But we must forgive our enemies with sincerity 00:01:04.980 --> 00:01:09.519 and truth. Or never again to repeat this prayer. 00:01:10.260 --> 00:01:14.040 The Lord actually makes our claim to our own 00:01:14.040 --> 00:01:16.540 forgiveness to depend upon our forgiveness of 00:01:16.540 --> 00:01:20.140 others. And it's just like that. You have no 00:01:20.140 --> 00:01:24.319 right to ask the forgiveness of your own sins. 00:01:25.069 --> 00:01:29.469 as long as you are not willing to forgive another 00:01:29.469 --> 00:01:37.450 his injustices against you. We cannot demand 00:01:37.450 --> 00:01:41.890 our own release before we release our brother. 00:01:42.450 --> 00:01:47.569 It's there. That's the reason when you analyze 00:01:47.569 --> 00:01:51.310 the whole thing, you'll see that the forgiveness 00:01:51.310 --> 00:01:57.150 of sin is the central... problem of life. And 00:01:57.150 --> 00:02:06.010 it's just like that. Now we come to the next 00:02:06.010 --> 00:02:11.189 part that Jesus gave in this pattern for our 00:02:11.189 --> 00:02:20.689 pray. And get it just as I said it. Our pray. 00:02:21.409 --> 00:02:29.379 This is not His prayer. This is our prayer. And 00:02:29.379 --> 00:02:32.759 this is the pattern that he has left for you 00:02:32.759 --> 00:02:42.159 and for me to use. Lead us not into temptation, 00:02:42.539 --> 00:02:49.879 but deliver us from evil. This clause has probably 00:02:49.879 --> 00:02:52.939 caused more difficulty than... any other part 00:02:52.939 --> 00:02:57.479 of the prayer. For many earnest people, it has 00:02:57.479 --> 00:03:03.560 literally been a stumbling block. They feel, 00:03:03.599 --> 00:03:07.139 and rightly so, that God could not lead anyone 00:03:07.139 --> 00:03:11.580 into temptation or into evil in any circumstances. 00:03:12.500 --> 00:03:15.900 And so, to them, these words do not ring true. 00:03:17.879 --> 00:03:24.569 Oh, so many people had been regarding this part 00:03:24.569 --> 00:03:30.189 of the prayer. And I can honestly say that I 00:03:30.189 --> 00:03:34.590 do not believe that I have ever really heard 00:03:34.590 --> 00:03:38.729 a sermon preached on this part of the Lord's 00:03:38.729 --> 00:03:43.110 Prayer. Usually, when one is giving an interpretation 00:03:43.110 --> 00:03:46.530 of the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray, when 00:03:46.530 --> 00:03:51.060 they come to this clause, They read it and then 00:03:51.060 --> 00:03:56.520 pass over it very gracefully because it just 00:03:56.520 --> 00:04:04.539 is not being understood. And if one was a medical 00:04:04.539 --> 00:04:09.240 man, they would just diagnose the case as virus. 00:04:10.800 --> 00:04:13.460 You know, I told you, I have a very prominent 00:04:13.460 --> 00:04:18.069 doctor in the East who, being just a... personal 00:04:18.069 --> 00:04:24.310 talk. He said, you know, we have gotten to the 00:04:24.310 --> 00:04:28.949 place in the medical profession that if we are 00:04:28.949 --> 00:04:36.649 not quite sure what the disease is and in diagnosing 00:04:36.649 --> 00:04:42.750 a case, why, we just call it virus. And haven't 00:04:42.750 --> 00:04:47.660 you talked with folk who had Oh, something wrong 00:04:47.660 --> 00:04:49.879 with the head. And the doctor said, well, it's 00:04:49.879 --> 00:04:53.180 just virus. And then maybe the next hour you'll 00:04:53.180 --> 00:04:56.259 find someone else. They have a terrific pain 00:04:56.259 --> 00:04:58.339 in the back. What is it? The doctor said it was 00:04:58.339 --> 00:05:03.480 virus. And then there's, oh, excruciating pain 00:05:03.480 --> 00:05:07.920 in the leg. And they had it diagnosed. And the 00:05:07.920 --> 00:05:14.180 doctor said, virus. And so. We can just put this 00:05:14.180 --> 00:05:19.079 down as virus, because spiritual virus, because 00:05:19.079 --> 00:05:22.779 we just haven't been able to understand this 00:05:22.779 --> 00:05:27.500 portion of the Lord's Prayer. I know there have 00:05:27.500 --> 00:05:29.279 been a number of attempts that have been made 00:05:29.279 --> 00:05:33.519 to recast the wording. People have felt that 00:05:33.519 --> 00:05:37.060 Jesus could not have said what he is represented 00:05:37.060 --> 00:05:40.189 to have said. And so they look about for some 00:05:40.189 --> 00:05:45.250 phrasing which they think would be more in accordance 00:05:45.250 --> 00:05:49.850 with the general tone of his teaching. There 00:05:49.850 --> 00:05:54.230 are those who've tried to tell us that the Greek 00:05:54.230 --> 00:05:59.529 original meant something different than you and 00:05:59.529 --> 00:06:05.829 I, except as being a part of the prayer. But! 00:06:06.959 --> 00:06:15.379 All of this is absolutely unnecessary. Jesus 00:06:15.379 --> 00:06:24.980 said exactly what he meant. There's not a lost 00:06:24.980 --> 00:06:30.699 word. And the meaning of this, the spiritual 00:06:30.699 --> 00:06:36.319 meaning is tremendous. Don't try to sidestep 00:06:36.319 --> 00:06:39.639 it. Don't try to put words in the mouth of Jesus 00:06:39.639 --> 00:06:47.120 that are not there. Don't try to change the meaning 00:06:47.120 --> 00:06:55.699 of this. He said exactly what he meant to say. 00:06:56.899 --> 00:07:01.660 And what is here in this prayer is exactly as 00:07:01.660 --> 00:07:06.319 it should be. First of all, you've got to remember 00:07:06.319 --> 00:07:09.899 that the Lord's Prayer covers the whole of the 00:07:09.899 --> 00:07:14.339 spiritual life. Condensed, though the form is, 00:07:14.500 --> 00:07:18.360 is nevertheless a complete manual for the development 00:07:18.360 --> 00:07:26.120 of the soul. It covers everything. If all that 00:07:26.120 --> 00:07:35.290 we had, if the only Bible that we had, portion 00:07:35.290 --> 00:07:38.750 as given from the lips of Jesus and that which 00:07:38.750 --> 00:07:42.870 we call the Lord's Prayer, if all we had was 00:07:42.870 --> 00:07:46.410 just these few verses as recorded in the sixth 00:07:46.410 --> 00:07:51.029 chapter of Matthew, we would have enough gospel 00:07:51.029 --> 00:07:58.089 to know how to be saved, how to live a spiritual 00:07:58.089 --> 00:08:04.699 life, for this covers everything. phase of a 00:08:04.699 --> 00:08:10.240 man's life, one's spiritual life. It's a complete 00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:15.339 manual for the development of the soul. And Jesus 00:08:15.339 --> 00:08:22.500 knew only too well the difficulties that can 00:08:22.500 --> 00:08:30.360 and do beset the soul when once the stages of 00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:36.720 spiritual unfoldment have been passed. He knew 00:08:36.720 --> 00:08:43.399 well the temptations in the life of every human 00:08:43.399 --> 00:08:49.820 being. Now, the difficulty with too many people 00:08:49.820 --> 00:08:54.019 is this fact. They feel that after they have 00:08:54.019 --> 00:08:58.720 been born again, after this wonderful experience 00:08:58.720 --> 00:09:05.080 of regeneration, they will no longer have temptations. 00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:08.960 And this is where many a spiritual leader has 00:09:08.960 --> 00:09:16.860 failed. We somehow in our zeal, in trying to 00:09:16.860 --> 00:09:18.440 get men and women to accept the Christ as their 00:09:18.440 --> 00:09:24.960 Savior, paint such a rosy picture of the Christian 00:09:24.960 --> 00:09:32.129 life that the unregenerated feel that when once 00:09:32.129 --> 00:09:34.929 they have accepted the Christ, there'll no longer 00:09:34.929 --> 00:09:38.690 be battles, there'll no longer be temptations, 00:09:38.690 --> 00:09:46.309 all that will have ceased in that wonderful experience 00:09:46.309 --> 00:09:52.190 of regeneration. My friend, believe me when I 00:09:52.190 --> 00:09:58.720 tell you, we'll have temptations. Patience as 00:09:58.720 --> 00:10:04.039 long as we're still in the body of flesh and 00:10:04.039 --> 00:10:09.919 steel on this old earth and as long as the enemy 00:10:09.919 --> 00:10:17.759 of our soul is in the same world. And it's just 00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:22.679 like that. I don't care how deeply spiritual 00:10:22.679 --> 00:10:27.980 you may be. When anyone comes to me, and tells 00:10:27.980 --> 00:10:31.240 me that they have reached such a spiritual plateau. 00:10:32.539 --> 00:10:39.679 They have soared so high spiritually that they 00:10:39.679 --> 00:10:44.440 no longer have temptations. I just smile to myself 00:10:44.440 --> 00:10:49.059 and I think, brother, you're only kidding yourself, 00:10:49.440 --> 00:10:56.080 that's all. You are the only one who's been deceived. 00:10:58.190 --> 00:11:03.950 I don't care who you are, what spiritual experiences 00:11:03.950 --> 00:11:11.269 you may have received, how deep you go in the 00:11:11.269 --> 00:11:17.210 things of God. I would not discredit the fact 00:11:17.210 --> 00:11:22.629 one iota, not for a minute, would I argue the 00:11:22.629 --> 00:11:25.929 fact with you that you are not a saint of God. 00:11:27.789 --> 00:11:36.990 I will agree with you. But I will have to argue 00:11:36.990 --> 00:11:42.370 the fact with you if you tell me that you never 00:11:42.370 --> 00:11:51.970 are tempted. My brother, when one is even as 00:11:51.970 --> 00:11:57.970 spiritual as the Apostle Paul, One of the greatest 00:11:57.970 --> 00:12:04.470 saints that ever lived. When you realize what 00:12:04.470 --> 00:12:08.529 a surrendered life Paul must have lived for God 00:12:08.529 --> 00:12:13.990 to have used that vessel and to have given Paul 00:12:13.990 --> 00:12:17.809 the deep spiritual secrets that he gave to him. 00:12:18.649 --> 00:12:24.190 I do not believe any human being was ever closer 00:12:24.190 --> 00:12:29.759 to God. in the flesh than Apostle Paul. And yet, 00:12:29.840 --> 00:12:36.159 constantly, he was reminding us of the temptations 00:12:36.159 --> 00:12:40.740 that you and I would face. And he was constantly 00:12:40.740 --> 00:12:46.980 having a warfare within himself regarding his 00:12:46.980 --> 00:12:52.799 own temptations. Why? Because he was still in 00:12:52.799 --> 00:13:01.200 the body of flesh. Know that. This flesh is still 00:13:01.200 --> 00:13:08.179 corruption. This flesh is still mortal. And you'll 00:13:08.179 --> 00:13:13.419 have temptations as long as there's breath in 00:13:13.419 --> 00:13:18.379 this mortal body, regardless of your deep spirituality. 00:13:21.019 --> 00:13:24.500 I give you a personal word of God is found in... 00:13:24.779 --> 00:13:30.519 James, the first chapter. Let no man say when 00:13:30.519 --> 00:13:37.820 he is tempted, I am tempted of God. Now that's 00:13:37.820 --> 00:13:42.919 exactly what I'm trying to say. This clause in 00:13:42.919 --> 00:13:45.059 this prayer that Jesus has taught us to pray 00:13:45.059 --> 00:13:49.639 has probably caused more difficulty than any 00:13:49.639 --> 00:13:54.840 other part of the prayer because Christians feel, 00:13:54.980 --> 00:13:59.100 and rightly so, that God could not lead anyone 00:13:59.100 --> 00:14:04.519 into temptation or into evil in any circumstances. 00:14:05.879 --> 00:14:09.100 And so they feel that these words do not ring 00:14:09.100 --> 00:14:13.179 true. And this is substantiated in this personal 00:14:13.179 --> 00:14:15.879 word of God. Let no man say when he is tempted, 00:14:16.019 --> 00:14:20.159 I am tempted of God. For God cannot be tempted 00:14:20.159 --> 00:14:26.179 with evil, neither tempteth he, any man but every 00:14:26.179 --> 00:14:32.320 man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own 00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:40.480 lust and enticed as long as he is still in the 00:14:40.480 --> 00:14:46.039 body of flesh as long as this body is still corruption 00:14:46.039 --> 00:14:54.980 there is still the flesh to contend with The 00:14:54.980 --> 00:14:59.919 scripture continues, Then when lust hath conceived, 00:15:00.379 --> 00:15:05.340 it bringeth forth sin, and sin, when it is finished, 00:15:05.480 --> 00:15:12.820 bringeth forth death. Bow me a little closer. 00:15:15.779 --> 00:15:25.399 Temptation is not a sin. Remember? I said the 00:15:25.399 --> 00:15:31.059 greatest saint living today will be tempted because 00:15:31.059 --> 00:15:36.159 the devil is still very much alive. Secondly, 00:15:36.220 --> 00:15:42.340 because that saint of God is still in a body 00:15:42.340 --> 00:15:49.399 of flesh and that flesh is still corrupt, there 00:15:49.399 --> 00:15:55.620 will still be the lust of the flesh. You will 00:15:55.620 --> 00:16:00.000 be tempted, but temptation in itself is no sin. 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:04.259 It's when you yield to temptation that it becomes 00:16:04.259 --> 00:16:11.399 a sin. Don't tell me that you are no longer tempted. 00:16:13.120 --> 00:16:18.139 Look at the very Son of the Living God. And do 00:16:18.139 --> 00:16:22.620 not say that his temptation was not real. Do 00:16:22.620 --> 00:16:25.940 not tell me that he could not have yielded to 00:16:25.940 --> 00:16:35.980 temptation. Remember that he was as much man 00:16:35.980 --> 00:16:42.039 in the flesh as though he were not God. And of 00:16:42.039 --> 00:16:44.000 course, as much God as though he were not man. 00:16:46.440 --> 00:16:53.620 Jesus was tempted by the same devil who tempts 00:16:53.620 --> 00:16:59.179 you and tempts me. But even though he was tempted 00:16:59.179 --> 00:17:05.880 that temptation was not a sin because he did 00:17:05.880 --> 00:17:17.119 not yield to temptation. He was as Perfect as 00:17:17.119 --> 00:17:23.920 though he had never been tempted. Don't feel 00:17:23.920 --> 00:17:27.740 as though you failed God. Don't feel as though 00:17:27.740 --> 00:17:32.119 you have slipped spiritually. Don't feel as though 00:17:32.119 --> 00:17:35.180 you have lost some spiritual experience when 00:17:35.180 --> 00:17:39.839 temptation comes to you. No, my friend. With 00:17:39.839 --> 00:17:43.779 that temptation, Jesus will be there to be your 00:17:43.779 --> 00:17:47.710 strengthener. and you'll receive a reward for 00:17:47.710 --> 00:17:53.009 having overcome the temptation. Amen.