234: Jason Hensley - Exhortation: Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:13

   Welcome to good for selfie and talks. I’m Levi and I’m Chris and I’m Brian, thank you for joining us this week. On this podcast, we select one taco week to help us get the Bible in our daily news feed. We post a new episode of the start of each week with a short intro before. Hand to kind of set the stage for the talk. You’re about to listen to and now let’s talk more about this week’s talk

2. 0:50

   for talk this week. We’re listening to an excitation that was given my brother, Jason Hensley in September of 2021 and in his excitation, which he takes from The account of the Lord’s Prayer in Luke chapter 11. So if you’d like to read through the Lord’s prayer before hand, that’s the passage that he is pulling from primarily, brother, Jason is looking specifically at one of the lines in the Lord’s Prayer where Jesus instructs us to pray that God lead us not into temptation. And his expectation is sort of breaking down that passage and kind of almost the Paradox that is created by that account. Looking at the It Parts in scripture talking about how God is not able to tempt us, but also that we were supposed to be looking for, and asking for God to work, on our lives, to help us to grow to better reflect God’s character. And to follow after the example of Jesus. So, I found this to be a really encouraging excitation helps to put better context in about how we should view, what we’re going through in our lives and also, what we should be asking for and looking for in our walk because we know that our lives will be continued.

3. 2:00

   In pushed to try to not be like our fleshly desires been, instead be more like the example that Jesus set forth. So I found this to be a really encouraging excitation. I enjoyed listening to it, I hope that you will as well, and that you will find it to be an encouragement to you in your walk. So with that, I will turn it over to brother Jason Hensley for his extrication, The Lord’s Prayer, lead us not into temptation.

4. 2:24

   Good morning everyone. So we at we were just looking at Luke Chapter 11, Even with the Lord’s Prayer and that’s what we’re going to talk about today. Specifically, I want to look at that phrase at the end of the prayer, specifically, at the end of Luke here where it says in verse 4 lead us, not into temptation, that’s Luke 11 and verse 4.

5. 2:49

   So exhortation today will be about that phrase. The ending of The Lord’s Prayer here in Luke. And we’re just going to ask a few questions to try and understand what exactly. Exactly is going on. I mean, the, the Lord Jesus tells us to pray this prayer. Now, this is how we are supposed to pray.

6. 3:09

   And yet, I feel like we learned the prayer. Maybe we say it regularly, But this last phrase is really a bit challenging to understand. You can read through the rest of it. Your kingdom come at, that’s pretty simple. You want the kingdom to come a prayer for bread? I pray for forgiveness, those those are straightforward and they make sense the prayer lead us not into temptation. It’s a little more tricky.

7. 3:40

   You might think, well, why don’t we all want to avoid temptation but I think that’s true. But it presents a few questions. And that’s what we’re going to attempt to understand. We’re going to ask some questions and attempt to find answers in this exhortation. So here’s the first question. Do you remember a verse from James?

8. 4:06

   It goes something like this. Let no, man say when he is tempted. I am tempted of God. For God himself, cannot be tempted with evil. Nor does he tempt any, man? That’s James, 1 verse, 13, James 1:13. So, James tells us right away. God does not tempt anyone. So, I think that’s kind of the first question. You know, as we come at this in verse 4, the Lord Jesus says, pray to God that he will not lead you into temptation. And yet, James tells us well, don’t worry because he won’t So how about that?

9. 4:44

   Are we supposed to pray for something that is not even going to happen? What does that mean? So we’re going to spend a little bit of time trying to understand. What does it mean lead us not into temptation? That’s the first section here that we’ll look at. The second thing then becomes well. If we do work on this premise that God will lead us into temptation.

10. 5:09

    You know, if we figure out what’s going on with James. then why would a loving God lead you into temptation? I think that’s the second question. So that’s the second thing we’re going to talk about. So how does God lead us into temptation if James says he doesn’t and then if he does lead in to Temptation then how is that a loving father? How does that work?

11. 5:37

    And then finally if we finally get to that point of saying well, okay, it is loving to lead us into temptation. Why are we then asking not to be led into it? You know if we come to this conclusion, well Temptation makes me strong temptation is good. I want it shouldn’t we then end the prayer with and please lead me into temptation so I can get better.

12. 6:05

    That’s definitely not what it says. So what exactly is happening? So we want to understand how does this fit with James, right? What actually is being meant by leading into temptation? Why does a loving God lead into temptation? And Why are we being praying? Why are we praying to be led out of it.

13. 6:26

    So those are the three things that we will consider this morning. Well, first of all, I think it’s helpful to note that this word here for temptation is its multifaceted. And this is one of the things that I love about. Looking at biblical languages words, mean, multiple things, right? It’s just like English, you know, or any other language that words have multiple meanings. So this word, you might not be surprised to know that it actually means Temptation, there’s one of the meanings. He’s so you can see, you can take a look at different places that it’s used in the New Testament. And it very clearly means to be tempted as in want to do something bad.

14. 7:06

    So one example for you is Matthew 4 verse 1, you don’t have to go there but in Matthew 4, verse 1, that’s Jesus Temptations, right? He was led into the Wilderness to be tempted of the devil as what it says there. Matthew 4 verse 1. So, real, Temptation, legitimate Temptation. Hebrews 4:15 Hebrews 4:15.

15. 7:27

    Do you remember that one? We have not a high priest who cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was tempted in all points like as we are right? So this is Jesus Temptations again, real legitimate Temptations to sin. So means Temptation, the nice thing is, that’s not the only meaning of the word.

16. 7:50

    So the word also has another possible meeting and you know generally you figure this out with context, right? So here’s another one of the meanings. Let’s go over to Deuteronomy chapter 8.

17. 8:04

    So, Deuteronomy 8. Now, obviously the Old Testament is in Hebrew, not in Greek, but if you look at the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament Deuteronomy 8, you’ll find the same word that the Lord used in his prayer.

18. 8:22

    So Deuteronomy, 8 verse 2. Deuteronomy 8 verse 2. This is Moses on the edge of the promised land essentially rehearsing to the Israelites, everything that they went through as they were preparing now to go in So in Deuteronomy 8 verse 2, here’s the other meaning of the same word, temptation, Deuteronomy, 8 verse 2 says, and you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness that he might humble.

19. 8:58

    You testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his Commandments or not. So, what’s fascinating about this word is that it could be temptation as, in trying to, you know, having the possibility of doing something bad. Or it could mean tempting like not tempting testing. Could mean testing like refining, right?

20. 9:24

    And so, that’s what we see here in Deuteronomy. You have to figure out, which is, which based on the context. So, I would suggest that considering since James says, God doesn’t tempt anyone with evil. We can probably say, okay, well, Well. When we pray lead us, not into temptation. That were actually praying lead us not into testing.

21. 9:49

    So that’s an interesting concept, though. Lead us not into testing because that leads into the next question. Why would a God who loves us test us? Anyway, what’s the idea there? And, you know, I think it’s a fairly standard answer but we want to build on it. If you’re still in Deuteronomy Notice that God explains why he tested them.

22. 10:16

    Let’s skip down here to verse 5. So we’re in Deuteronomy 8 now in verse 5. So he said I tested you and he explains why in verse 5. He says no. Then in your heart, that as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you We talked about this a lot, so I recognize I’m not, you know, presenting anything that.

23. 10:42

    Wow, that’s totally changed my outlook on everything but I think it’s helpful to back up and not just ask. Well I’m not just say Okay so God tests us because he’s a father and it’s disciplining us to help us grow. But it’s helpful to actually think about What that means.

24. 11:08

    I would imagine that. When you have tested or discipline your children, you generally don’t do it saying ha ha ha. That’s what you get? Yeah, something along those lines or that’s what you deserve or man, I hope this one crushes you, right? We don’t, we don’t typically think this. Hopefully, and I think what’s astonishing is that there are times perhaps when we are not, maybe as sympathetic as we should be. And yet, when we look at scripture and God presenting himself as his father, who is disciplining us, there’s this emotional side of him.

25. 11:53

    That’s involved in our testing. That I don’t think we often consider its come over now to Judges chapter 10. I think that this is just to me, this is one of the most phenomenal aspects of the way that God displays himself to us. Take a look at this. This is judges 10.

26. 12:11

    And we’re looking now at the oppression of the Israelites after their unfaithfulness. Judges chapter 10 and we’re going to read verse 16. And I want you to listen for God’s emotions regarding Israel’s discipline. It’s only shows up a few times but I think when it does it’s very powerful for us. So Listen for God’s emotions over Israel’s discipline. This is judges 10 and verse 16.

27. 12:41

    It says so they put away the foreign Gods from among them and serve the Lord. And he became impatient. Over the misery of Israel. Isn’t that fascinating? It doesn’t say he became impatient over there, unfaithfulness because in fact, it says, they turn to him. And what we see is that it says God is looking at them and and he gets almost antsy, you know, over I want to save them.

28. 13:16

    Now, that’s what the ESV says, impatient. If you have a King James, you might see the word grieved. And I would actually suggest. That’s probably more. That’s closer to what the Hebrews getting at it. It’s a fascinating. Kind of word. It’s used to refer to, like, cutting wheat. Shortening wheat. It’s used in regard to Reapers.

29. 13:39

    In fact there’s actually one place I believe it’s an Isaiah where it’s used to mowing the grass. So, the the idea here is that, it’s like, you have, you know, your breath of patients and keeps getting smaller and smaller and smaller. And here, God is. Right at the end, saying I gotta help them.

30. 13:55

    I gotta help them. Isn’t that awesome to think of God like that? I this is the this is the emotion of God in regard to our testing and so he asked how could a loving God tests us? and I think we could actually frame the question in a different way in terms of Wow.

31. 14:18

    How could a god like that test us. This is what we’re seeing is he actually goes through pain as he watches are testing. This is brought to us. I think even stronger. If we go over to Isaiah 63, If you go to Isaiah 63, consider this.

32. 14:40

    Isaiah 63. This is the story of the Israelites in the wilderness again and this is Isaiah’s rendition of it. And notice again. How it describes God and God’s emotions. Sighs a 63 and we’re going to read verse 9. Well actually, let’s go back to verse 8, Isaiah 63 verse 8. So this is again, looking at the Israelites in the wilderness.

33. 15:07

    It says here in verse 8 for, he said, surely, they are my people children, who will not deal falsely and he became their savior Now, think about this next line. in all their Affliction, he was afflicted, That’s the god that we worship isn’t. Isn’t that astonishing that this is telling us that when they were in Egypt, when they were suffering and God wanted to deliver them that when the whip came down, God felt that he felt that pain and he was watching and he was hurting over what was going on.

34. 15:51

    So when we think How could a loving God? Bring this testing? I think instead when we realize what scriptures telling us about God, We should actually stand back in awe. That here is someone who is suffering over the pain of all of his people and their suffering. And yet, he goes through that with us. Because of how much he loves us.

35. 16:24

    Now, I think that’s really brought home to us if we turn over now. To John Chapter 11. Now, this is about the Lord Jesus, and not God, but I just, I had to put this in because I think it’s so good. John 11, do you remember the shortest verse in the Bible? This is the one that, you know, in Sunday school, you always tried to whenever you had to memorize a verse, you go up and say this one. Well, it has such a powerful context to it. That I think sometimes, at least for me, I always thought of that as the short verse that I tried to memorize. So, you know, we miss kind of what’s going on here. So if you’re at John 11, this is the resurrection of Lazarus. And think about what this shows us about the Lord Jesus says, John 11 and verse 5.

36. 17:14

    John 11 and verse 5. The Lord Jesus has now been confronted by Mary and Martha. They said the one whom you love is sick. They’re asking him common and heal Lazarus. So in verse 5 it says here. Now, Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

37. 17:35

    Here’s something that’s very interesting about the Greek. Now you might want to just add this in, if you don’t have it already as a note but where it says, their Jesus, loved Martha that word for love, it’s in What’s called the imperfect tense. So what imperfect means is it means that something that’s not complete.

38. 17:54

    So generally when you’re translating, you would translate the imperfect as something that’s continuous. So if I were translating this verse, what I would have said was now Jesus was loving Martha and her sister and Lazarus. I were thinking about the love of God and going through these things for us and that’s about what John, that’s what John’s about to show us. So he says Jesus was loving Martha and her sister and Lazarus and he tells us that because what Jesus is about to do isn’t going to look like love

39. 18:28

    so he says, Jesus was loving Martha and her sister and Lazarus, so, He didn’t go. So he didn’t go to heal Lazarus. In fact, he waited two days. And so we’re supposed to read all of this, in light of Jesus demonstrating his love. And so, if you were to read this and think, wow, that’s callous and his friend needed him, he was dying.

40. 18:58

    John again, presents. How Jesus felt about this? So now we’ll come to our shortest verse. Look at verse 32, John 11 32 it says now, when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet saying to him, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

41. 19:25

    When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. Isn’t that beautiful? He sees that and it specifically says when he saw her weeping He loves her. And he knew that this was what he had to do because of that love.

42. 19:49

    And so verse 34, he said to him, where have you laid him? They said to him, Lord come and see Jesus. Wept. This is not just the shortest verse in the Bible. This is the picture. Of how the Lord feels our pain. This is the picture of Jesus was loving Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

43. 20:14

    This is what it looks like. So that as we ask, how could a loving God tempt us, that we realize, oh, he’s suffering too.

44. 20:30

    He’s actually going through suffering because he’s a loving. God. He loves me enough to suffer. For my growth. So then that creates the final question. If we recognize that God is loving and God’s love is demonstrated in him suffering with us, shouldn’t we just pray, please leave me into testing because I know that through this testing, I’m going to grow.

45. 21:05

    I’m going to get better, I’ll be stronger. Now, I mean, maybe that’s the ideal. But let’s go over to Luke 22. This is a the last chapter that will be in because I think in Luke 22, we see a bit of a case study of what it looks like when we have that attitude.

46. 21:28

    That attitude of, you know, Bring it on, I want it. Whatever It Takes, I’m gonna, I’m gonna get better, I’m going to grow from this. There’s 22 is the story of The Last Supper, I want to. I want to set it up for us a little bit so that we can have a bit of a picture as to.

47. 21:47

    I think what Luke was trying to get us to see in this event. Do you remember how the location of the last supper was found? It’s Kind of a Funny Story and Jesus came to Peter and John and said, I want you to go find the room and they said, okay, how how will we know? And Jesus said, well you’re going to look for something. You remember, what it was?

48. 22:10

    You’re going to look for a man carrying a pitcher of water on his head and you’ll follow him around. Have you ever wondered? You know what is going on there? Like couldn’t Jesus have said oh you’re gonna go down that street, you’ll turn right? And then left and there it is like Do you ever give directions?

49. 22:29

    That way, just wait at the intersection. So you see the green car go by with one broken taillight and then follow it right? Like that doesn’t make any sense. What was Jesus doing? I think number one, you know, it wasn’t a normal thing. Generally for men to carry water, you know, throughout scripture. It’s typically the women that are carrying water that you see. So, that was kind of an unusual thing, so it would have been a little bit of a, you know, saying like look for the car with flames on the side or something like that. But But I think at the same time, it was here’s somebody who’s willing to do something that they probably don’t normally do.

50. 23:06

    He tells that to Peter and John now out of all the disciples, I think if you were going to have an argument as to, which disciple was the greatest, it could have been between the two of them. You might be thinking hey that’s a little bit of, you know, inference there. But do you remember at the end of the Gospel of John, where Jesus says to Peter, when you’re old?

51. 23:29

    They will take you to where you don’t want to go and he said this signifying the way that Peter was going to die. Do you remember what Peter says after that? It says Peter turned around and looked at the disciple whom Jesus. Loved probably John and he says Lord. What will happen to him?

52. 23:48

    You can almost see, there’s this this like rivalry of what you said, that’s what this is, how I’m gonna die. What about him? and Jesus says, if I want him to live till I come, what’s that to you?

53. 24:02

    And so, Jesus stops the Rivalry. But I like to think he sent Peter and John here because these were the two. These are like the two disciples who would have said, you know? Oh well, he chose me obviously. I don’t know why he chose you, you know, it could have been this rivalry as they went.

54. 24:18

    And he says you know who what you’re going to do? You’re going to follow A man carrying a pitcher of water. This is first hint. Number one, this is going to be about humility. Now, the other thing that’s interesting about it is they follow him to the place of the last supper. Now, presumably as they got there. The man would have taken this pot off his head. I don’t think he was carrying it around all day. He would have taken it off of his head and he probably would have put it down at this place.

55. 24:44

    and so, Peter and John knew where there was a pot of water. You might think? Okay. Why is that matter? Do you remember the first thing that happens at the Last Supper everyone comes in and they’re all waiting. Because when you went into a room after coming from outside, you remember, what was supposed to happen? You were supposed to have your feet washed. So everyone sitting there wondering who’s gonna do this, there’s no servant here.

56. 25:15

    So one of us has to, and everyone’s looking around and you can imagine imagine Peters thinking. Well, haha, I’m not going to write. I am the greatest disciple or John thinking the same kind of thing. I’m not going to and yet there were two disciples who knew where there was a pitcher of water. Because those were the disciples that needed. To Humble themselves.

57. 25:39

    And start washing those feet. And so the Lord does it instead, and you remember the rack, the reaction that he gets from Peter Lord, you will never wash my feet, right? This is this is not how we’re going to and, and you get that that sense of Pride. Again, this is not how we’re going to do it. I’m going to explain it to you.

58. 26:00

    You can’t humble yourself like that. Not okay. But Peters going to be taught. What lead us? Not into temptation, really means. And so here we are in Luke 22 and they’ve just had this dispute after Jesus, washed their feet, right? Everything about this night is trying to get them to realize. You are not the greatest.

59. 26:25

    Recognize who you really are recognize your weakness. And so they have a dispute in verse 24 about who is the greatest. You know, I think it probably had to do with this foot washing thing of you a Jesus do it. You know, you should have done it here. Only mentioned once in the gospels.

60. 26:44

    No, not like that. Just kidding. I don’t think they would have said, obviously the gospels were written by that point, but it I think you can get kind of the idea of what was going on. Ugliness that comes out when when we start to compare ourselves with each other, and so, it’s interesting. Then is after this notice what Jesus says, Jesus turned to them, and he says to them in verse 28, you are those who have stayed with me in my trials.

61. 27:12

    So he’s talking about Temptations, your there through my tests. So he opens up this temptation context now, notice who? He then turns, to next verse 31. He turns to Peter. And he says, Simon. Simon behold Satan demanded to have you that he might sift. You like wheat? But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. So he’s talking about Temptations and he says, you are with me, I needed help in these and he turns to Peter and he says And you’re going to be tempted. And I’m praying for you that your Temptation won’t be too hard.

62. 27:52

    Now if Peter had been praying The Lord’s Prayer, I think hearing about the Lord’s Temptations, hearing, you’re going to have some Temptations in, they’re going to be bad. But I prayed, I think all of those things should have brought back to his mind. Lead us, not into temptation, lead us, not into temptation, you might think maybe.

63. 28:12

    But I think that’s what Christ was trying to get into prey to realize things are hard and you’re going to need help. Now, if that seems like a stretch, Christ actually. Tells that to him a few verses later so I think he’s setting all of this up. Because look, now verse 39. So he’s told us to Peter, you need to be praying that your Temptations aren’t too hard. And so in verse 39 it says he came out and went as it was his custom to the Mount of Olives and his disciples followed him. And when he came to the place he said to them. Do you see it?

64. 28:48

    Pray that you may not enter into temptation? This is The Lord’s Prayer. This is the ending almost word-for-word pray that you enter not into temptation.

65. 29:01

    Now, if you read through the record and you actually compare the gospels, but you find out is that Jesus? He leaves, and he comes back, he leaves, he comes back, he leaves, he comes back. He does this three times and every time, do you know what? He says to them. Pray that you enter not into temptation and you know, it’s fascinating. Is, that’s what he does.

66. 29:26

    That’s what Jesus does. He tells them pray that ye enter not into temptation and then he leaves and do you remember what he says? Father, if you are willing Let this cup pass from me. He says, take me out of this one. Give me a different way.

67. 29:48

    He prays that he won’t be led into temptation. And so I think what we see going on here is what this phrase really means. It doesn’t mean a. I hope that nothing bad ever happens to me. But it also doesn’t mean a yeah, bring it on because I want to get better. It means a recognition of Lord.

68. 30:11

    This is going to be hard. And if there’s another way, I’d love that other way. but, I know that you’re the father who loves me. And who suffers with me? Therefore not my will but yours be done. Which by the way, is another quotation from The Lord’s Prayer? Your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. And so you can see all of this being brought together that I think what Christ was trying to get Peter to see was in fact what he said.

69. 30:54

    The very next time he returned he says pray that ye enter not into temptation pray that you enter not into temptation and then he says he comes back and he sees them sleeping and you remember what he says to the disciples The spirit is willing. But the flesh is weak. I know you want it.

70. 31:14

    I know you got the right attitude. I know you think you can handle it Peter. But you can’t and you have to realize that God will give you what you can handle. He’s the loving father and so as we come and we think about what it means to pray that we enter not into temptation. We see ultimately how Christ live that out. He went into the temptation.

71. 31:48

    But he prayed that God wouldn’t lead him into it. And so for us, it’s an acknowledgement that God is there. That God is in control, that God knows our pain because he’s feeling it too. and that when we are violent into temptation, he brings that to us because that is the one that we need. Thank you for listening to the good christadelphians talks podcast.

72. 32:35

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73. 32:53

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74. 33:16

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