And Lead Us Not Into Temptation,
But Deliver Us From The Evil One
Matthew 7:6-20
6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”
Day 1
And Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From The Evil One
Start your day by praying: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Ask the Lord to help you say no to any temptations and sins that you are battling right now.
O holy Father in heaven, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Lord, You know the temptations I will face today even before they happen. Help me to say no to temptations and sin today. I am weak, but You are strong. Transform my heart as I seek You and study Your word. Thank You for Your love and mercy! Thank You for Your truth that sets me free.
In the previous lesson, we learned that God’s will for us is to forgive others as Christ forgave us. When people sin against us, it hurts us and can cost us a lot. If we don’t forgive them, it costs us even more and it robs us of being forgiven by Christ. Our unforgiveness keeps others in our debt. In order to be free ourselves, we need to set our debtors free. Unforgiveness is one of the traps of evil we should avoid at all costs, and we need to be delivered from it.
In this lesson, we are going to see some of Satan’s schemes and temptations to lead us away from living a holy life in the sacred Kingdom of God. It is my hope that we come to understand the danger of giving in to temptations and living in sin. In light of this danger, we must also understand the importance of deliberate prayer: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
What is Sacred
What are some temptations you are facing right now?
Our lesson about temptation starts with these words of Jesus:
Matthew 7:6
“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”
Jesus tells us that we must not throw what is sacred, our pearls, to dogs or pigs. To describe the concept of sacredness, Jesus uses the image of pearls. Back then, pearls, often called “the queen of gems,” had far greater value than they do today. Pearls were symbols of wealth and power. Romans prized pearls above all other gems. Historian Suetonius wrote that the Roman general Vitellius financed an entire military campaign with one of his mother’s pearl earrings. In another document, Pliny, the first gemologist, records that two pearls were worth an estimate of 60 million sesterces, or 1,875,000 ounces of fine silver ($9,375,000 with silver at $5/ounce).* Pearls were very rare and hard to find.
[*Information on pearls taken from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/history-pearls/.]
In other places in the Bible, we find additional imagery related to pearls. Jesus uses the parable of pearls to describe His Kingdom.
Matthew 13:45-46
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
In telling this parable, Jesus wants us to grasp the immense value of His Kingdom. The merchant who found a pearl of such great value went out and sold everything to buy it!
Try to imagine the worth of God’s Kingdom. What value does His Kingdom have in your life?
God’s Kingdom is worth far more than anything we can have on this earth, more than any treasure or pearls. It is worth selling everything for. It is the only thing that has real and true worth and value.
When we enter into God’s Kingdom, we become the partakers of God’s wealth and come under its value. We become children and heirs of the one and only true King. Belonging to God’s Kingdom is finding and obtaining the pearl Jesus is talking about in His parable! It is finding the most precious eternal life, and it is the only thing worth living for!
Jesus calls those who understand the value of His Kingdom to give up everything they have for it. He calls us to go to the furthest extent and die to ourselves, giving up our former ways of life so that we can fully live this new holy life in His Kingdom. Jesus, who paid the highest price of redemption for us, is asking us to pay the price of holiness.
Matthew 10:39
Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
Galatians 5:24
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Matthew 10:38
Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
Matthew 16:24
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
When we enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we act upon that understanding.
What steps have you taken to live a holy life in God’s Kingdom? What did it cost you?
We have been washed clean from our sins and set apart for the Lord as His holy people and holy citizens of God’s kingdom. As our Heavenly Father is holy, so we His children are holy. We are called to continue to live in His Kingdom in that reality of holiness.
Ephesians 1:4
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
Ephesians 1:18
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.
1 Thessalonians 4:7
For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
2 Timothy 1:9
He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.
1 Peter 1:15-16
15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
Hebrews 12:14
Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
2 Peter 3:11
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives.
What is Unclean
Pigs in Jewish culture were unholy and unclean animals. People were forbidden to consume their meat or touch their carcasses (Deuteronomy 14:8). Wild and stray dogs were considered unclean as well. Dogs ate and cleaned up anything dead or licked the blood on the streets or in the fields. They were dangerous and destructive. To call someone a dog was a bad insult. To be thrown to or eaten by dogs instead of having a proper burial was a form of the most humiliating death and devaluation. Those who were called and considered to be dogs in the Bible were obstinate sinners, Gentiles, enemies, false teachers, dumb and covetous ministers, and fools; they were described as unfaithful, covetous, wicked, and fond of blood. Look up some of the examples: Deuteronomy 23:18, Psalm 22:16 and 20, Proverbs 26:11, Isaiah 56:10-11, Philippians 3:2, 2 Peter 2:22, and Revelation 22:15.
In the Mosaic law, something that was unclean could not be used to worship God, could not be used in corporate worship, and was not fit to be offered for sacrifice. No unclean thing was to enter the Lord’s temple. By defining what was clean and unclean, God called His people to separate themselves from an unholy life and to be holy as He is holy (Exodus 22:31).
Leviticus 10:10
“You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean.”
The people of Israel entered into the holy covenant with the Lord but slowly started to go their own ways; they strayed so far that they worshiped foreign idols and turned their backs on the Lord. In Ezekiel 16, the Lord charges His prophet to confront His people about their detestable practices. He reminds them of how they used to be despised and deprived and then recounts how He rescued them and made a covenant with them. They became His people, His precious possession. He made them clean, adorned them with costly jewels, and made them beautiful.
Ezekiel 16:9-14
9 “‘I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you. 10 I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put sandals of fine leather on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments. 11 I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck, 12 and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen. 14 And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
But His people turned away from Him and prostituted themselves with other gods. By doing this, they took the precious jewels of their covenant and love relationship with the Lord and threw them to the dogs and pigs.
Ezekiel 16:15-19
15 “‘But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by and your beauty became his. 16 You took some of your garments to make gaudy high places, where you carried on your prostitution. You went to him, and he possessed your beauty. 17 You also took the fine jewelry I gave you, the jewelry made of my gold and silver, and you made for yourself male idols and engaged in prostitution with them. 18 And you took your embroidered clothes to put on them, and you offered my oil and incense before them. 19 Also the food I provided for you—the flour, olive oil and honey I gave you to eat—you offered as fragrant incense before them. That is what happened, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
In His jealousy, the Lord gave Israel to her lovers. Israel would be ruined and torn to pieces by them.
Ezekiel 16:39-40
39 “Then I will deliver you into the hands of your lovers, and they will tear down your mounds and destroy your lofty shrines. They will strip you of your clothes and take your fine jewelry and leave you stark naked. 40 They will bring a mob against you, who will stone you and hack you to pieces with their swords.”
Israel ended up in ruin and taken to exile. But in His mercy, God spared the remnant and eventually brought His people together. He gave them the Redeemer, Jesus Christ, to save them from their sins and bring them into a new covenant (Ezekiel 16:60-63). This new covenant in His Kingdom is also offered to us today. The same principle of holiness is carried over to the New Testament and applies to us today. Jesus calls us to live spiritually pure lives and to be holy, separated unto Him.
With what or with whom have you been prostituting yourself?
Jesus defines for us what is clean and what is unclean:
Matthew 15:11
“What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
Matthew 15:18
18 “But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”
Unlike in the Old Testament where certain ceremonial practices and sacrifices had to be performed for the cleansing of sins, Christ purified us with His sacrifice once and for all. Unlike in the Old Testament where engaging in certain practices (like eating particular animals, eating with unwashed hands, having contact with diseases and corpses, etc.) was considered unclean, today we deal with spiritually unclean things that are sin.
Worshiping anything but the living God, practicing sin, and doing evil was always what defiled God’s people; it is what defiles us today. Jesus wants us to be clean from such things and not fall into the temptations of evil. The way we know we are prostituting ourselves with “pigs and dogs” is if we are worshiping anything else but our Lord and are giving into the temptations of Satan by doing works of darkness.
As we enter into God’s Kingdom, Satan will try to tempt us away from the sacred life. He wants us to reject obedience to Christ. Satan tempts us to continue to live as we did in the kingdom of darkness and he desires for us to deepen in our sin. This is why we need to pray “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.”
Where have you been tempted to live in disobedience to Christ?
What sins are more attractive to you than the Kingdom of Heaven?
What things do you find yourself worshiping today?
Jesus is calling us to live under the authority and status of His Kingdom–to live according to the will of heaven by doing the works of God and putting away the works of our flesh and sin. Because we are His precious children, He wants us to become like Him. If He is the King, then we are royals now! We all know that if you marry into a royal family here on earth, your way of life has to change and you must adapt to the royal ways. This is true, and much more so, when we are adopted into our Heavenly Father’s family!
Jesus warns us to not throw away our “pearls.” We must not reject living a holy life and then side with Satan by doing the works of darkness, or we will end up destroyed. If we continue as adulterous children in our sins, we will find that Satan is waiting to ruin us and tear us to pieces.
The more we live in holiness and worship our God, the more we will see darkness fighting for our souls and the more we will pray: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
What does it mean to live a holy life? Give some examples.
Consider the several scripture passages below.
1 Corinthians 3:1-3
1 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?
1 Corinthians 3:11-18
11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise.
1 Corinthians 5:1-7
1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? 3 For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. 4 So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord. 6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are.
James 4:1-10
1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us ? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.”
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
Hebrew 2:12-13
12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
The Bible talks over and over about the true danger and consequences of sin. We are constantly reminded to live a holy life. Always remember that we have a holy God who, through His Holy Spirit, gave us everything we need to live a holy life–He sustains us in the life He calls us to.
Think about sin in your life and temptations you are giving in to that defile you and put you in danger of being torn to pieces. What action are you willing to take to say no to sin?
Day 2
And Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From The Evil One
Start your day by praying: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Ask the Lord to help you understand how precious His Kingdom is and place real value on the holy life He has called you to. Pray that the Lord will open your eyes to sin and impurities sneaking into your life. Ask Him to help you so that you will not live in ignorance and throw away your calling to live a holy life.
Heavenly Father, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Lord, Your Kingdom is precious. It is a pearl of great price! Teach me so that I may grow in understanding this. Help me to place the highest value on living a holy life before You. Open my eyes to any sin that is sneaking into my life today….
Matthew 7:7-12
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
Jesus urges us to not fall into the temptations of Satan; we must not engage in the sin and impurities of our former life. It is crucial for us to say no to temptations, but we must also be intentional to move forward in our new life and grow in holiness.
Jesus gave us a completely new life. We undergo a change that is not just seen externally but goes deep, to the very essence of life. The life of condemnation and death is exchanged for an everlasting life. We become a completely new creation. This new life calls for new decisions and for a new way of living–living in freedom from the oppression of sin and in right relationship with the living God. We believers become His redeemed household that is fully geared toward the affairs of His kingdom.
Luke 4:18-19
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
1 Peter 2:9-10
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
How well do you know your Heavenly Father?
Has God’s Kingdom become your home?
Do you act as a child of God who fully belongs to His Kingdom, or do you act as an occasional “visitor” in His Kingdom?
As we live in this new relationship with our Heavenly Father, Jesus commands us to ask, seek, and knock. These commands show us that we have to find out about and become familiar with this new life. Jesus also promises that everyone who actively asks, seeks, and knocks will receive, find, and have doors opened. Our Father has prepared everything for us to thrive in our new life!
To assure us of His promise, Jesus uses the example of earthly parents/guardians who provide good gifts for their children so that the children can thrive. He points out that despite how evil we are, we know how to give good gifts to our children and we care for them because they are ours.
How much more will God, who is truly good in His nature, who paid the highest price for our adoption to His sonship, give us the best gifts to help us thrive and grow in holiness in His Kingdom? Jesus says there is no comparison between earthly parents and our Heavenly Father. We can’t even fathom what His excellent fatherly goodness and care are like. If we can trust and count on the goodness of our physical parents, how much more should we fully trust the goodness of our Heavenly Father when it comes to nourishing our souls!
What good gifts are you expecting from your Heavenly Father? Do you trust that He knows what gifts are best for you?
What are we supposed to ask for and seek? What are the good gifts that our Father gives us to grow in a holy life? Jesus gives us the answer:
Luke 11:13
If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Our Father is giving us His Holy Spirit! He is giving us Himself, all that He is! We can live the holy life only because we have received the Holy Spirit. As a matter of fact, we cannot live a holy life without the Holy Spirit. He is fully available to us, and He sustains us and causes us to grow in this new holy life.
John 14:26
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
John 15:26
“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.
Romans 5:5
And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Romans 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:19
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.
2 Timothy 1:14
Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
Do you recognize the Holy Spirit as a good gift from your Father, or are you rejecting His gift by suppressing and ignoring the Holy Spirit?
Ephesians 4:30
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
The Holy Spirit is the one who guides us into holiness, teaching us about the holy life. He encourages us when it is hard to obey Him. When we are attacked by evil, He defends us. He corrects us when we stray and sin, and He brings us back. The Holy Spirit connects us to our Heavenly Father and reveals to us His holiness.
The Holy Spirit who sealed us for eternal life is now transforming us and finishing His good work in us until the day that Jesus returns to take us home.
Is the Holy Spirit your primary guide in living a holy life day by day?
How is the Holy Spirit essential when we face temptations?
Through the Holy Spirit, our eyes are opened to the holiness of God and the life He has prepared for us. The unclean things of darkness become utterly worthless and disgusting to us. God’s Holy Spirit takes His rightful place in us and is working on our behalf.
We are not the only person on this journey of holiness. Believers, the body of Christ, are called to live a holy life together. In this reality of a holy life, we can relate to others in the way that God commands us. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we see and treat other people with the love and care we learn from Him.
Matthew 7:12
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
When we do to others what we would have them do to us (which means that we do good to others), we not only walk by the Spirit but also avoid the temptation of doing evil to others.
Read the following scriptures. Make notes on how they are speaking to you personally. What are some practical ways you can obey the Holy Spirit and love others in action?
Galatians 5:13-25
13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
1 Peter 2:2-3
2 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
Day 3
And Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From The Evil One
Start your day by praying: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Pray that you would be aware of the Holy Spirit as He guides you and helps you to live a holy life.
Heavenly Father, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, will You please guide me and help me to live a holy life today? Give me sensitivity to be aware of Your work in my life throughout the day.
Matthew 7:13
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
What does it mean to enter through the narrow gate? Have you entered through it?
The gate into the eternal life of God’s Kingdom is simple and unchangeable. It is through Jesus Christ.
John 10:9
I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.
There are no other gates that give us access to eternal life. Eternal life comes exclusively through believing that Jesus Christ is the living God who came to save us. By professing faith in Him and entrusting ourselves to Jesus, we enter the small gate and continue on the narrow road that leads to eternal life.
Satan’s deepest hope is for us to miss this very crucial truth that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. If we don’t take the narrow gate that leads into God’s Kingdom, we are left with the broad gate that leads to destruction. There is no third option. The broad gate is the entrance to a broad road. On that broad road of destruction, there are many ideas of life and “salvation” offered to us. Some of them look “shiny“ and good, very attractive, and self-achieving. There are also ideas of life that are very oppressive and beat us down to achieve what we hope to be our salvation. The broad road contains all kinds of ideas to suit our own preferences.
What things are distracting you from the narrow road that leads to life?
The Bible teaches us that Satan is a deceiver and liar. We can conclude that what is offered by the kingdom of darkness on the broad road is also a lie and a deception.
On the broad road, we are deceived to think that we can be lords of ourselves: we can choose whatever we think is best for us and whatever we think will bring us the best results now in this life and even after. Ideas of “salvation” and “right” living are multiplied each day. We find things that work for us at a given moment and define them as the truth. Since we want to be left alone with our “truth” and think that we are right, we are ready to be “tolerant“ with other people’s “truths.” (“If he likes to call a red light green, it is his choice!”) Consider the “trustworthiness” of all of these ideas. You must consider your own ideas if they are founded in your own subjective preferences while on that broad road.
We need to be careful that what we consider to be truth is not just something that we like and form an opinion about. We cannot take what feels good and right to us and then label that opinion as “truth.” Truth is or is not. That is why the truth can only come from one source.
Do you believe that there is absolute truth? Why or why not?
Give some examples of absolute truth.
Listen to this conversation between Jesus and Pilate:
John 18:37
“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.”
John 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
What about Jesus would make you believe that He is the only way to heaven?
Notice that Jesus didn’t say “I am a truth.” He said “I am THE truth.” Our beliefs do not change the truth. Whether you believe Jesus’ words or not, He is still the Truth. Whether you believe that gravity exists or not, gravity still exists. If you deeply study the Bible and look into the life of Jesus and His teaching, you cannot but conclude that He is who He says He is–the Truth. I beg you to seriously investigate and seek Jesus until you truly find Him.
Do our beliefs define the truth or does truth stand outside of our beliefs?
Why should we believe that Jesus defines absolute truth?
Look into your own life. Where/how did you form your own truths? Do you need to replace them with the truth of Jesus?
What is the significance of the prayer “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” when it comes to the broad and narrow gates?
Day 4
And Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From The Evil One
Start your day by praying: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Pray to fully believe that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. If you have followed your own ideas of life, come to the Lord now!
Heavenly Father, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Help me to fully believe that Jesus is the ONLY way, the only truth, and the only life. Guide me in Your truth and teach me from Your Word today. Change me and transform me by the renewing of my mind.
Matthew 7:15-20
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”
Whose ideas are you following?
How can you train yourself to know the truth of God so that you are able to recognize what is false?
Satan’s temptations that lead us on the broad road are often presented to us by false prophets, people who are subject to darkness but are disguised in “goodness.” If we believe in God, then anyone who preaches a gospel other than the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a false prophet. Sometimes this is obvious to see, but sometimes it is not so obvious.
Jesus warns us to watch out for false prophets and tells us that we can put them to the test. We can recognize and test them by their good or bad fruits. But how do we watch for this? If we know the fruit of the Holy Spirit and the reality of our Father’s Kingdom, we will not have a hard time recognizing false prophets immediately. To be able to recognize the perverted truth, we need to know the real truth that is defined only by God.
It is crucial for us to know the Word of God. Reading the Bible is not an optional thing if we really want to know what God’s Word is so that we are not deceived by the message of false prophets. The Holy Spirit is the one who helps us to understand God’s Word. We will not be able to distinguish between false prophets and the voice of the Holy Spirit if we don’t make an effort to look deeply into God’s Word. Please make a habit of reading the Bible every day, asking the Holy Spirit to teach you and help you understand what you read. Do not stop once you have read the Bible the whole way through. God’s Word is a living Word that can never be exhausted. Keep reading it and be nourished by it until the day you die! By knowing His truth and doing His will every day, we will produce and know the good fruit of His Kingdom.
It is easy sometimes to fall into the temptation of disregarding God’s Word. We think that we are not able to understand the Bible, or that it is a mystery, or that it is a “fat” and ancient book, or that we are not readers or experts, etc. Yet we don’t feel the same way when we have reading material that interests us, or when we are desperate to find important information.
I have a friend who had fear about and difficulty in reading the Bible. We prayed for the Holy Spirit to help her and we prayed “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” We also took a challenge to read the New Testament in a month. A miracle happened! My friend was able to testify in front of our church congregation about how she read through the New Testament and now she is reading the whole Bible. She talked about what a change this made in her life!
I was very fortunate to be taught very early in my life the importance of God’s Word. When I was seven years old, my parents gave me the Bible. It was the most exciting gift I ever received! I treated it as my best treasure. I was so proud of it, and I could not go to sleep if I didn’t read it. But only by reading it did I discover what a true treasure it really was. I was only seven, so I understood it in the way of a child as the Holy Spirit taught me. In every season of our life, the Holy Spirit will be there to teach us appropriately. It is never too early or too late to make a habit of learning God’s Word. The Holy Spirit will meet us and teach us every time we give Him the opportunity.
There are times when I fall into the temptation of doing other things rather than looking deeply into God’s Word. Sometimes days pass by. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit is there to call me back. God’s Word also produces a hunger in us that is a very helpful reminder to go back to God’s Word. These times of wandering away show us the importance of praying “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
***
In thinking about this lesson today, please take a moment to go on your knees before our Lord Jesus, who can deliver you from the temptations of this world and the evil one. Start by asking, “Our holy Father in Heaven, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Look into your heart and see if you have truly repented and surrendered your life to Christ.
Is Jesus’ grace on the cross truly enough for you, or are you following your own ways of salvation?
Are you willing to enter His Kingdom today, live according to His Holy Spirit, and allow Him to be your Lord?
Are you willing to undergo the life of transformation that He has prepared for you?
If you are living in His Kingdom, ask yourself where you are distracted by the ways of darkness and doubt.
Where in your life is it hard to not give into temptations?
Where do you lose sight of the precious Kingdom of God you belong to? Stop hesitating and begin to truly explore what His Kingdom is all about. Make your home in His Kingdom as it is supposed to be.
Ask our Lord through His Holy Spirit to help you hold on to your precious “pearls” and live a life worthy of His Kingdom. Start to do His will today.
***
In this lesson, we learned how to pray “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” as we reflected on the Sermon on the Mount. There is much more to learn about this line of the Lord’s Prayer through continued study of Jesus’ sermon. By looking at the complete teachings of Jesus in the gospels, we could learn even more–we would never exhaust the layers of meaning of this prayer.
My hope and prayer for you is that you would continue to learn how to pray “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” by obeying Christ and living in fellowship with Him and our Father in heaven. Only in our true fellowship with God can we learn How to pray.
BIBLE STUDY
INTRODUCTION
Your Kingdom Come
Sermon on the Mount
Bible Text, Matthew 5-7
Lesson 1
Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed Be Your Name
Lesson 2
Your Kingdom Come
Lesson 3
Your Will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven
Lesson 4
Give Us Today Our Daily Bread
Lesson 5
And Forgive Us Our Debts, As We Also Have Forgiven Our Debtors
Lesson 6
And Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From The Evil One
Lesson 7
I Am Invited.
What Is My Response?
ALL LESSONS
Your Kingdom Come
Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
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