Well, again today, another one of those heart
-to -heart talks. As you well know that we are
now in the study of the sixth chapter of Matthew.
And we've come to that part of the prayer that
Jesus taught us to pray, where he says, lead
us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Now this clause has probably caused more difficulty
than any other part of the entire prayer. And
for many earnest Christians, it has been almost
a stumbling block because they feel, and rightly
so, that God could not lead anyone into temptation.
God could not lead anyone into evil in any circumstances.
And so these words for them seemingly do not
ring true. And it is true. As you and I learned
from our heart -to -heart talk in the talk preceding
the one today. God does not. God... cannot lead
one into temptation. And yet, regardless of how
deeply spiritual you may be or what great spiritual
experiences you may have had in your life, you
will still be tempted as long as you are in this
body of flesh. before this which is mortal will
have put on immortality. And so for this reason,
a number of attempts had been made to recast
the wording. People had felt that Jesus could
not have said what he is represented to have
said, and so they looked for some other phrasing
which they think would be more in accordance
with the general tone of his teaching. There
have been those who have tried to say that in
the Greek original there was something different.
But all of this is absolutely unnecessary. Don't
do one thing with it. Leave it just as it is.
Exactly as Jesus said it. One thing you must
do remember and that is that the lord's prayer
this prayer that jesus taught you and taught
me as a pattern for our praying covers the whole
of the spiritual life everything i know it's
condensed in form and yet nevertheless it's a
complete manual for the development of the soul
and Jesus knew the temptations that you and I
would have. He knew it. And we need to warn young
converts, young Christians, that even though
they have been born again, there will be temptations.
You and I must be conscious of the fact that
The enemy of our soul is very active. And sometimes
I am prone to think that the greater the life
of usefulness for God, the greater will be that
one's temptations. And that is the reason we
must be on guard. And Jesus is telling us that
very thing right here in this pattern for us.
our praying. I repeat again that Jesus knew only
too well all the subtle perils and difficulties
that can and do beset the soul when once the
preliminary stages of spiritual unfoldment have
been tossed. Those who are yet as a comparatively
early stage of development in their spiritual
life do not experience such great difficulties.
They're apt to jump to the conclusion that this
clause is unnecessary. But such is... Not the
case. The facts are these. The more you pray,
the more time you spend in seeking the Lord,
the more sensitive you become, and the deeper
you grow spiritually. And remember, if you are
a healthy Christian, If there is his divine life
in you, there will be a spiritual growth. And
you will grow from babyhood to an adult in spiritual
things just as an infant grows. A daily growth
spiritually just as an infant grows from infancy.
to being an adult. Oh, how well I remember something.
It's as vivid to me as though it just happened
a week ago. Of course, I began the ministry when
I was quite young. Stupid. I was so ignorant
regarding spiritual things. The only thing that...
I really knew about spiritual things, of course,
was being born again, accepting Christ as your
Savior. And I think I told you before that the
first sermon I ever preached was Zacchaeus up
a tree. That was the first sermon I ever preached
in all of my life. And I began my ministry in
the state of Idaho. And I still hear from some
of those precious folk. In Wendell, Idaho, Caldwell,
Idaho, Boise, Emmett. Oh, sure. I preached in
the little Methodist churches, Presbyterian churches,
Christian churches, Baptist churches. But do
you want to know something? After my fifth sermon,
I remembered so well. After I had finished that
sermon and was walking down the road to the little
room where I was sleeping, I thought, now there
isn't anything more in the Bible to preach about.
I have absolutely exhausted the supply. There
isn't another sermon in me. Can't for the life
of me think of anything else to preach about.
I have exhausted the supply. I rolled and tossed
all night. And I thought, I cannot think of anything
more to preach about. A sixth sermon can't be
born. I drained. The supply. Oh, Lansing, how
many hundreds and thousands of sermons I have
preached since then. And, of course, now the
whole thing has opened up so beautifully, so
marvelously, as the Holy Spirit reveals the deep
truths. But do you know the secret? I have grown.
The thing was there all the time. These wonderful
truths that I've been bringing you were there
the whole time. And yet, because of the fact
that I was so young spiritually, just a newborn
child spiritually, I did not see the full depth
of meaning in His Word. I had to grow, and as
I grew, the Holy Spirit revealed the deep truths
to me. And as he revealed the deep spiritual
truths to me, I grew. It was bread to my soul.
It fed my soul. I developed. I grew spiritually.
Just as a baby grows when it is given the right
food. First the milk. And then food a little
more substantial. And then it isn't long before
the... potatoes and the meat, and then it isn't
long before the youngster sits up on the side
of his dad and says, Daddy, I want steak, just
like you're eating. That's it. The secret is
growth. And it is crude. Those, my friend, and
these are facts that i'm giving you the more
you pray the more time you spend in meditation
the more sensitive you become to the spirit and
if you spend a great deal of time working on
your soul in the right way you become very sensitive
this is excellent this is marvelous but like
everything else in the universe it works both
ways the more sensitive and spiritual you become
the more powerful and effective are your prayers.
The better work you do for him, the more you'll
be used of him, and you will advance in spiritual
things. But for the same reason, you also become
susceptible to forms of temptation that simply
do not be set... those at an earlier stage when
it comes to their spiritual growth in the spiritual
life if like that there has been a stage in your
life in my life just as i felt that i had exhausted
the supply there wasn't another sermon to be
preached i had drained the supply after my fifth
sermon. Also in my life, I felt that I had surrendered
everything to God. In those early years, if someone
had told me that I was not completely surrendered
to him, I would have wept bitterly. But as I
look back now, it was... Some of self and some
of him. Later in my life, there came that time
when it was less of self and more of him. Today,
I can take you down a road. In a certain town,
in a certain state, it's a dead end street. But
my friend, it was the opening of the greatest
day of my life. When walking down that dead end
street that day, I surrendered. everything, body,
soul, and spirit to heal. I remember it. The
tears streaming down my face. A full surrender
for the first time in my life. It was none of
self and all of him. But with that surrender,
came a responsibility. A great responsibility.
It was when I made that full and complete surrender
to him of everything that the Holy Spirit took
the empty vessel. And that's all that he asks.
If the only vessel that he's looking for All
golden vessels or silver vessels. He never in
a thousand worlds would have chosen me. You just
don't realize where I came from. Nothing. Nobody.
Stupid. Really no natural talent. Not really.
It isn't golden vessels. It isn't silver vessels.
It's empty vessels. The word says he uses the
weak thing, the base thing, the things that are
not white, that no flesh should load in itself.
That's one thing you'll not share with any human
being. That's the glory. feels what we surrender
to him. I had no real ministry, not really, until
I walked down that little road, that dead end
street, and surrendered to him everything. And
I became an empty vessel. And he filled that
empty vessel with the Holy Spirit. But with that
feeling, a responsibility that was so tremendous
that many a time since, I've looked up and almost
wished I was back again as a small -town girl
in Concordia, Missouri. But watch it! The...
greater the yieldedness, the greater will be
the responsibility that is ours. And along with
it, the greater will be the temptation. It's
like that. As we advance, new and powerful temptations
await us on the path. They're there. Every turn
of the road, there's temptations. There's temptations
to work for self -glory. There are temptations
for personal honors and distinctions. There's
a temptation for material gain. I'm just laying
bare my soul to you. Watch it. There's temptations
to allow personal preference to hold sway. There
are temptations to take the advice of folk in
the world that you feel are so much better educated
than you and that perhaps have a greater knowledge
and perhaps greater wisdom. in dealing with a
thing than yourself. And yet, when one is called
a god, one is to look to him, the one who's called
you, for wisdom, for guidance, for leadership.
And it's just like that. I repeat. one becomes
susceptible to forms of temptation that simply
do not reset those who are less spiritual or
less used of God. And I think the worst temptation
of all is the temptation to spiritual bigotry.
That's so easy. All the deadly sin of spiritual
pride. spiritual bigotry. I'm just telling you
why Jesus included this part of the prayer that
he taught us to pray. Great knowledge brings
great responsibility. greater the knowledge,
the greater will be the responsibility. And the
responsibility misused brings terrible punishment.
Don't create the stand in my shoes. Please do
not. There's one thing I am very aware of. And
that is, if I misuse that which God has given
to me, my judgment, my punishment will be far
greater than the judgment of one to whom this
great responsibility had not been given. One's
knowledge of truth is a sacred... trust and must
not be violated. Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil. Amen.