Keeping it Real
“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’”
Have you memorized it yet? I bet many of us have. Reciting the Lord’s Prayer morning and evening this past month has been such a great practice for me. It’s honestly becoming unnatural for me to just “jump into” prayer like I used to do. I find myself pausing—pausing to make his name holy, proclaiming Father, it’s your will I want to be done, not mine; God, you rule better than I do. I’m more mindful of my daily dependence on God for my every need. And it has humbled me to recognize just how much I have been forgiven of, and therefore what excuse do I have, to not forgive others?
We’ve reached the last line of the prayer….Lord, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.
Wait, what? Is there a chance that God could tempt us? No. Not a chance.
James, the little brother of Jesus, assures us in the first chapter of his book, that God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. We can trust where he leads us.
I love the honesty of this last line of the Lord’s prayer, Jesus is preparing his followers for reality. Temptation, deliverance, and evil are all very real!
Because when I pray, “Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”, it almost feels like by praying those words, it's gonna be easy, somehow everything is just gonna fall into place perfectly. Right?
But Jesus is saying that the reality of “my kingdom come”—in a sin-stained world, is that you’re gonna face trials, troubles, testings, and temptations. John 16:33, Jesus says “In this world you will have trouble… The “following Jesus” way of life would not be easy for his disciples then, nor his disciples today. It will require denying myself. Followers will face persecution from man and attacks from the evil one. Jesus never sugar-coats the life he’s calling us to imitate.
But here’s the best news of all, the exclamation point of the whole Lord’s prayer–
OUR DAD DELIVERS!
We have a Father who can and will rescue his children from the evil one, the enemy of our souls. The rest of John 16:33, Jesus says, “take heart! I have overcome the world.” He’s already won. Salvation is mine.
Amen.
Donielle Winter
Know Your Enemy
Most of us are acquainted with the parable of the sower. Jesus explained it this way in Matthew 13:37-39: “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom, and the tares are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil.” (Legacy Standard Bible) The Greek words used in verse 39 for the evil one are “tou ponerou” and they are identical to the Greek words used in Matthew 6:13 where Jesus taught his disciples to pray for the Father to deliver us from “the evil one.” So the Lord’s prayer clearly asks God to deliver us from our enemy, the evil one, the devil.
The devil uses many tactics to attack believers. He often sows temptation through worldly desires, lust, and pride (1 John 2:15-16). He frequently flings fiery darts of spiritual attack at God’s people (Ephesians 6:16). One of his favorite tactics is raising doubts about the inspiration, inerrancy and authority of the Holy Bible. His strategy has been effective. A 2020 survey conducted by George Barna for the Cultural Research Institute found that “the percentage of Americans who believe that the Bible is the inspired, true word of God is down more than 21 percentage points since 2000.” (by Tracy Munsil on April 7, 2020, in American Worldview Inventory, CRC).
Christians should strive together to affirm truth and reject error. We must always be on guard for attacks upon the Word of God in whatever form they appear. Such attacks may come from people who claim the Bible is just another book of human writings, scholars who claim that the authors of the books of the Bible are false, or critics who say the Bible is full of errors. We should not be surprised by such fiery darts.
In his autobiography, Just As I Am, Billy Graham revealed that early in his evangelistic ministry, fiery darts such as these brought him to a crisis of faith over the trustworthiness of the Bible. On his knees before God, Billy claimed 2 Tim. 3:16 (KJV) “All scripture is given by inspiration of God.” During that time in prayer, the Holy Spirit gave Billy grace to say “Father, I am going to accept this as Thy Word - by faith!” For the rest of his life, he never wavered in that belief.
May the Spirit of God also fill you with grace to trust in God’s Word under every type of attack. May God grant you the calm assurance that His word is true yesterday, today, and forever.
Pastor Dave Korinek
Questions or Announcements?
The Lord’s Prayer doesn’t have any question marks. Instead of asking questions, Jesus makes statements, or pronouncements, to God.
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 also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Each phrase of the Lord’s Prayer communicates an alignment with God’s desire and work. People can share the same desires and can strive to: honor his name, participate in kingdom work, gather provisions for daily life, extend forgiveness, and avoid sin. Each phrase is an announcement of that alignment, not a question about it.
The phrase “Give us this day our daily bread,” is not, “Will you please give us bread today?” Instead of asking if God will provide, the phrase states God’s ability to provide and it implies that a person will be content with that provision. The phrase, “but deliver us from evil” is not a hope, a wish, or a request of the Lord. It is an announcement about what God does as people follow his lead (away from temptation). Deliverance is what Christ accomplished on the cross, what believers can experience as they walk in step with him, and what they will enjoy in heaven.
Like all the phrases in the Lord’s prayer, saying “deliver us from evil,” doesn’t mean it happens automatically at that moment. People can bring evil upon themselves or force it on others. When former Dallas Cowboy, and three-time Super Bowl-winning wide receiver, Michael Irvin was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007 he acknowledged before the crowd that he had stumbled a few times in his off-the-field life. In light of the example he wanted to set for his sons, however, he prayed, “God, don’t let me mess this up!” But God does let people mess things up. He does not lead people into temptation, as Jesus accurately announced, but God will let people walk towards it. Humans have freedom and do not have to: honor him, join in kingdom work, seek what he provides, forgive, or walk away from temptations. Living that way serves up a mess of evil.
God desires the purposes Jesus prayed in the Lord’s Prayer. Are your prayers announcements of your alignment with those purposes, or are they questions about it?
Pastor John Riley
Don’t Let Me Be Stupid
In the 1960s/70s, Flip Wilson coined the phrase “the devil made me do it.” Eve had a similar response in the garden when she said “The serpent deceived me, so I ate.” As long as we live we will face temptation. Temptation is an enticement to get a person to act contrary to God’s will. Temptation in itself is not sinful, but the yielding to the temptation is.
WHAT IS GOD’S RESPONSE TO THE TEMPTATION?
1 Corinthians 10:13 says “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And 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 stand up under it.” You are not alone in the battle at all. Perhaps most important, God is with us and offers a way out. We should choose it.
WHAT IS OUR ROLE?
If we prepare, resist, and pray, we will be better prepared to battle temptation. This is planning and structuring the course of your day to avoid what is tempting you. Preparation will have our eyes looking for the way out and not yield to sin. Joseph refused Potiphar’s wife. After refusing several times he ran out of the house. The Lord did show him favor and kindness and was with him. Are we praying daily that He “lead us not into temptation” so that when we face the temptation we have the strength to resist and be ready with a wise response?
Matthew 26:41 says “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Will I continue to do what I want or turn from the temptation? Pray and ask for help.
Years ago a dear pastor friend was sharing his wisdom with a group of us. He said, “If you live your lives with God as the leading role and you as the supporting cast, your choices will be much wiser than if you were the leading role and God was the supporting cast.”
I think of this often and I see how it can even pertain to battling temptation. Our eyes on Him will provide a holy focus in and through the temptation. Satan tempted Jesus but he did not submit to the temptation. Jesus’ response was using God’s Word and so can we!
Learn from Eve - Don’t listen to the lie
Learn from Joseph- Resist
Learn from Jesus- Use God’s Word
Tammy De Armas
EFCC Member
The Expected Battle
I remember saying, ‘Everyone else is doing . . .’ whatever it was I wanted to do. The reply: if everyone else jumped off a cliff would you jump too? Life is full of cliffs and God allows them in our lives sometimes to grow our faith in him and learn to make good choices. We pray “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil” but does that mean we will never be tempted, no. Jesus was tempted by the devil in the desert for forty days. Does it mean that God wants us to be tempted, no, but he allows us to make the choices that might lead us there. He gave us free will. And what if we, even as believers, fall into temptation and sin? We know God can deliver us from evil situations, people, and even ourselves. But yes, there will often be consequences.
If I choose to run with a crowd who jumps off cliffs, I’m putting myself in danger of following them right over the edge. We know the enemy of our souls is orchestrating this scenario behind the scenes, but we play a role because we have choices.
The trials and tests God allows also have a purpose as James says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” and Ephesians 6:12, ”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.”
The last thing we should do as Christians is live in fear of evil cosmic powers. The good news of Ephesians is that Christ is already sovereign over all such powers, we have been delivered from the domination of these powers through Christ, and our role as individuals and the church is to proclaim victory over the dark forces through Christ. We are part of something really big.
So how do we prepare for these expected spiritual battles? We want victory but sometimes the greatest move is no move at all. (Be still and know that I am God) We can prepare by being obedient, praying without ceasing, studying His Word, in other words putting on the whole armor of God. (Ephesians 6:10-20) The Lord will give us what we need but victory may not happen in the way we expect it so that people will know it is the Lord. Jesus never lost a battle and he never will. The evil in this world will not prevail forever, so be encouraged, friends.
Lord, help us to be prepared for spiritual battle by knowing our enemies’ tactics, putting on your armor, praying constantly, and giving you the glory. Amen.
Deb Hill
Exec. Admin. Assistant
The Last Word
Series: Teach Us To Pray | Text: Matthew 6:13
Speaker: Pastors Josh Rose & Esteban Tapia
January 28, 2024: On Sunday, Pastors Josh Rose and Esteban Tapia completed our recent sermon series on The Lord's Prayer, Teach Us to Pray. This last message in the series is called The Last Word.
(If you attend the 9am service in the Chapel, please refer to this sermon outline for Pastor Tapia.)
Return to the Cross
“and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Matthew 6:12
Many of us will remember the horror of what happened on October 2, 2006, in an Amish one-room school in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. A mentally ill, suicidal man entered the school room and shot 10 school girls before shooting himself. Five of the girls died and this peaceful quiet religious community became the center of the nation’s focus, not only on the event but what happened subsequently. The Amish community forgave the shooter on the same day this occurred. They forgave not only in words but in deed by providing a meal for the family of the shooter. At the funeral service for this man, forty Amish showed up to love, nurture, and live out forgiveness. Money that poured in from around the world was given to the shooter’s family. The Amish response completely mystified and astounded the secular world. Sociologists came to do a study on why the Amish could forgive something so tragic, to find out that they live a life adhering to forgiveness because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
They understand the magnitude of that cost for the sin of the world. “...forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32
That does not mean forgiveness is easy. Many of the Amish community have forgiven, but still deal with emotions that may not have caught up with the action of forgiveness. But forgiveness is ingrained in their character and to stay angry will be corrosive…so they return to the cross.
If we choose not to forgive, what are we saying? Could we be saying that Jesus’ shedding of His blood and the breaking of His body is not enough; it isn’t sufficient sacrifice for forgiveness to occur? John Walvoord, professor at Dallas Theological Seminary says this about the Matthew 6:12 passage:
“Though God’s forgiveness of sin is not based on one’s forgiveness of others, a Christian’s forgiveness is based on realizing he has been forgiven. Personal fellowship is in view in these verses. One cannot walk in fellowship with God if he refuses to forgive others.”
You and I must return to the cross and remember. Remember that ‘we were yet sinners’ when He died for us, remember what the cost was for us to be forgiven, remember when we received that forgiveness.
Meditation: Read slowly, prayerfully through Ephesians 4:32 and Matthew 6:12. What does the Holy Spirit impress on you? Is He telling you to ‘Return to the Cross’? How might that free you to deeper fellowship with the Lord?
Francie Overstreet
That Which is Owed
Car, rent, mortgage, 2nd mortgage, credit card, college, dental work, and furniture are all things I have been, or am, obligated to make payments on. Debts. “and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” – Matt 6:12
Why did Jesus teach us to pray, “Forgive us our debts” instead of Forgive us our sins?
The Greek word for sins is hamartia and the Greek word for debt is opheilé. This verse uses opheiléma (that which is owed.)
In the Roman era, people who couldn’t pay debts were enslaved by their creditors or imprisoned until they, or other people on their behalf, paid off the debt. There were no declarations in chapters 7 or 13 bankruptcy available. But Jesus prays that what we owe might be wiped away in the same manner that we wipe away what other people owe us.
Paul encourages believers to “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” – Rom 13:8. The word “owe” in that verse is the same Greek word as debt, opheilete. Jesus used that word in John 13:14, translated as “ought” or “should.” After washing his disciples' feet he says, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.”
Love is intrinsically involved in the forgiveness of debts. Love (forgiveness, service, sacrifice) is a debt that can only be paid in full by giving one’s whole life. That is the example Jesus sets for us to follow. Think about a debt you ought to lovingly forgive today.
Pastor John Riley
Make the Right Choice
The word forgive means different things to different people. Someday when I feel it, maybe I’ll forgive him/her unfaithfulness. How many people do you know who still haven’t gotten over a broken relationship/heart? Years later, they are still talking about the wrong done to them. The danger is, they are completely unaware of the damage to their souls and every other relationship because of it. A fight over the parents’ estate, the hatred felt towards someone who hurt their child, or any injustice in life we face we just can’t forgive–or think we can’t. Lord, are we expected to forgive someone who not only hasn’t asked for it but doesn’t deserve it? Surely we can’t be expected to forgive someone who stole our business, or worse, a drunk driver who caused an accident and killed a family member.
When we don’t choose to forgive someone because we long for them to experience our pain and we long for justice, it becomes a lingering debt that just keeps growing in our hearts. The pain doesn’t go away, it gets worse. What do I mean by “choose?” I mean tell God and then if possible the person you forgive them, whether they’ve asked or not. Not because you “feel” like it but because God requires it, and why, because He loves us. He wants us to have his peace and joy in our lives, which is impossible where there is a bitter root of unforgiveness.
Start praying for the person you choose to forgive. Prayer is powerful. The Lord unleashes his power and you begin to see the person as God does, someone worthy of grace and mercy. Forgiveness doesn’t always mean restoration of a relationship but it does mean healing in your heart. You aren’t required to be best friends with someone who has done great harm. You might have the boldness to speak to the person and offer grace, and maybe even share that you are praying for them. Does that seem impossible? Nothing is impossible for God and he wants the best for us! And our debtors!
Our Father heals any situation or relationship when we humble ourselves before him and remember that he forgave us a lifetime of sin or wrongdoing at the cross and pours out his grace and mercy daily because he loves us. What does he expect us to do? Take a deep breath, tell him how you honestly “feel” and ask for his help, and then choose to forgive. Forgiveness is a process, not a magical moment. Maybe you’ve buried that bitter root so deep you’re not even aware of it anymore. Today ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any unforgiveness in your heart and pray . . . Create in me a clean heart, Oh God, and renew a right spirit in me.” Psalm 51:10
Deb Hill
More Bread, Please….
When my youngest son was about 5 years old, he remarked, “I don’t know for sure what heaven will be like, but I know there has to be bread there.” He said this while savoring a piece of hot, buttered French bread, fresh from the oven. I nodded, really hoping he was right about that one.
There’s something about bread…sourdough, croissants, biscuits, yeast rolls, bagels, cornbread, banana bread ... fresh bread is a comfort food in a class of its own.
Ever had a piece of bread that appeared fresh, only to find out it was very very stale? Gross, right?
Sadly, fresh bread doesn’t stay fresh for very long.
Remember back in Exodus, after Moses led the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage, through the Red Sea? God provided for them. He gave them a form of bread they named Manna. Every day this honey-sweetened wafer bread would fall from the sky, enough to feed more than a million mouths! The day before Sabbath, their day of rest and worship, they were instructed to collect a double portion. But the other 5 days they were to collect only enough manna for that 1 day. If they collected extra, Exodus 16 tells us, it would stink by the next morning and be full of maggots. Lovely. You learned quickly to follow God’s instructions.
What was God teaching his chosen nation? He was training them to trust him. They had been looking out for themselves, trusting no one else for the past 400 years. There’s not a lot of security when all you’ve known is a life of slavery. Instructing the people to gather food every day, but only a small and set amount, forced the Israelites to put their trust, all of their hope, in a God they were just getting acquainted with. Relying on themselves felt right. Relying on an invisible God seemed risky. Would he keep his word? Would he remember us? Would he forget or be late? Would he run out?—even just once? It took trust. It required obedience. It’s faith that God wanted.
Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it is impossible to please God.
God didn’t want their confidence to lie in their ability or their abundance. He wanted them to want Him. God the Father wanted to sustain their every need, every single day.
Guess what? He hasn’t changed. When we pray, “Give us today our daily bread” it’s a reminder for us that we need to need Him—today, and every tomorrow. God, we need your presence, your spirit, your wisdom, your peace. Please give us what we need Lord, We need you, Lord.
Every
Single
Day
Donielle Winter