[00:00:01] Speaker A: Thanks for tuning in to the Met Church podcast. Here at the Met, we are all about connecting people to God and one another. If you have any questions or want more information about what's happening here at the church, then head to our
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[00:00:24] Speaker B: Good morning, Met Church. You guys sound amazing. I heard you singing like a bunch of angels back in the back.
I was like, wow, what's going on out there? How we doing this morning?
Good. Isn't it a good thing that we serve a God that will never fail?
Amen. So we've been looking in our series at the Lord's Prayer, and I don't know about you, but for me, the Lord's Prayer was something that I learned a little later in life. You know, I probably heard it when I was little but never paid attention. But I went to a school where most of my friends were Catholic, and so when we would go and we would pray before a game, which we did, no matter who you were, what church you went to, we got together and we prayed before football, before basketball, and before baseball games. So the Lord's Prayer became something that I learned and I knew. But just because I said the words didn't mean I really understood what the Lord's Prayer was trying to teach us.
And I don't know if that's the same with you. I don't know where you grew up or maybe what church you grew up in, but it may be something that you said all the time later on in life. I was on staff at a very liturgical church, and a part of the liturgy was we would say the Lord's Prayer anytime we got together.
But I don't know about you in this series, but I have learned some things that I think can be helpful to apply to my life. And my prayer is, I hope you have too. But even this morning, as we talk about a pretty tough topic, that it's something that we can hear God's intention behind the words he told Jesus to tell his disciples when they asked him, lord, how do we pray?
So whether you're familiar with this or not, let's take away something from the Lord's Prayer this morning. In the last few weeks, we have seen a shift in the Lord's Prayer go from who God is and what we want from him to us having please making pleas towards God. For instance, a couple weeks ago we saw the plea of provision. When we asked God, give us today our daily bread.
Not just asking God for provisions, like with food and the things that we need to survive on a daily basis, but if you think about it, Jesus is the bread of life.
So it's also us asking God to provide us with the spirit of him, the Holy Spirit that can be with us, to not only provide for us, but to help us through everything that we go through. And then the week after that, we saw the plea of pardon.
Forgive us of our debts, Lord.
Forgive me where I've failed you. Forgive me where I have turned from you. Forgive me of my transgressions. Forgive me of my sins.
And this morning, we're going to look at the plea of protection.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. So I thought what we could do this morning to get on the same page is that we could read the Lord's Prayer together.
And so I'm gonna read it. We're gonna read from the screen. So we're on the same page, the same version. Cause I know some versions are a little different, but we're gonna read it together this morning. So if you would read this with me after this manner. Therefore, pray.
Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and. And the glory forever. And people said, amen.
It was a late night.
It was past midnight, and the garden was quiet. But inside, a storm was raging.
Jesus was kneeling alone on the ground at Gethsemane. His friends, those closest to him, were nearby, but they were sound asleep.
The immense pressure of this situation made Jesus actually sweat drops of blood.
The cross was looming in the distance, and temptation was stirring at the heels of Jesus.
And in this moment, what does Jesus do?
He prayed.
This moment, the night before, Everything unraveled is a window into the weight of the words that he once told his disciples when it came to praying.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
See what Jesus asked his disciples to pray each day.
We saw him live out in his darkest hour.
We may not be surrounded by olive trees and Roman guards, but we do understand what it's like to be in a quiet moment before a battle that we didn't choose. And it's called temptation.
Sometimes it screams at us.
Sometimes it's in a whisper.
Sometimes we don't even know what it is until it's wrapped around. Around our hearts. And Jesus knew it better than anyone. He lived in a world of temptation, but yet he never gave in.
Hebrews 4:15 tells us this.
For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
This verse tells us that temptation is something you're gonna face, and the temptation is not sin.
If you're tempted, that's not you sinning. It's when you give in to the temptation.
We see it growing up. I remember watching TV shows, cartoons and movies. And we see this moment in our lives where you have the devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other.
The devil, crude and snarky and doesn't care about anything.
And then you have the angel sitting there, floating all white, halo, sweet, kind, full of wisdom.
But yet the choice in the middle is up to us.
So what are some temptations that you and I face on a daily basis that we can talk about out loud so we can realize that we are all on the same page? Here's a few of them. First one. Temptations of the heart.
This is bitterness, pride and envy. Here's what I want you to do. As I say, these temptations, if it's you, I want you to stand up. No, I'm just kidding. Don't. I don't want you to do that.
But I do want you to think about this. Keep it within you, okay? Keep it in, you know, you know, the things that tempt you. Second thing, temptations of the tongue.
Gossip, lying or exaggerating. I'm a pastor. I've never exaggerated once in my life.
Or anger that lashes out.
Third thing, temptations of the flesh.
This is sexual temptations.
Substance abuse. This is temptation of laziness. Or get this temptation of overworking.
Fourth thing is this temptations of control and trust. That includes worry and fear, manipulation and ignoring convictions.
This is why we need to say, lord, lead us not into temptation.
How many of you have heard of Forest Frank? He's a Christian artist. He's kind of blown up over the past couple years. And he has a song. It's called you'd Ways Better, and it's a pretty popular song. There's a TikTok dance that goes along with it. So how many of you want me to show you how to do the TikTok dance this morning?
Okay.
So it goes like this. You go to YouTube and you search.
You're Base. Better force. Frank TikTok dance, and then you can learn how to do it. So I wanted to read you the lyrics of this song. And it starts like this. It says, When I'm overwhelmed within from the weight of all my sin I need a friend to call my own I need a house to call my home When I'm broken down inside and there's nowhere else to hide I need a place where I feel known can someone help me? Then I hear your reply Bringing teardrops to my eyes Saying I'm not alone and I heard this interview with him, and he's talking about this song, and they're asking him, hey, where did you get the inspiration for your. Like, most of your songs? And he says, well, this one in particular. He said, I was driving down the road and my heart was overwhelmed with temptation.
He said, it was. I was just over. Like, I didn't know what to do.
So I went to the Lord in prayer, and this is what I said. And he said, the Lord turned it into a song. As I was praying to him, he said, oh, Lord, I need you now more than ever.
Yep.
Would you put my heart back together?
Some of you know the dance. You're actually doing it out there.
That's what the Lord's Prayer is.
It's us going to the Lord in humility, saying, God, I don't have the strength to get through this. I don't have the strength to. To get past this temptation. I need you more than ever.
It's us saying, God, I need more of you in my life and less of me.
John the Baptist said it in John 3 when he said, he must increase, speaking about Jesus, and I must decrease.
I don't know if you know this about your life. I can speak on my behalf.
My life is a lot about me.
When I wake up in the morning, I usually think, what am I gonna eat for breakfast? What am I gonna wear?
What am I gonna do with these kids that I have to take care of?
But I begin to ask, what about me? Instead of saying, God, what about you?
He must increase and I must decrease.
So when it comes to this part of the Lord's Prayer, how can we break it down into three parts and be something that we can learn from and something that we can apply to our life? And I think the first thing, if you're taking notes, you can write this down.
The first thing is this. Where we walk.
Where we walk.
It starts off with lead us not.
So where we walk. Obviously, God leads his people.
It's his Character. We see it throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, that he guides and leads his people.
But just because God is leading and guiding you down a path does not mean it's going to be free of temptations, free of trials, free of those things in your life.
No matter what path you go down, you are going to be tempted. You are going to see trials. You are going to face things in this life that are hard.
James 1:2 says this, consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds, because the testing, it produces perseverance.
Perseverance is something that's going to help you become more full. It's gonna help you be more in your faith. It's gonna help you grow your faith. And so next time you face a trial, you've gotten through it before, that perseverance is gonna help you push through.
But sometimes we like to live in the gray.
Sometimes when it comes to temptation, we know where our limits are. But we kinda like to, well, maybe if I get around. And. And it reminds me of the man who loved donuts.
There was a man who loved donuts, and he would go to work every day, and on his route there was a donut shop, and he stopped every day and just filled up.
One day, after a long time, as most of us have experienced, his pants started to get a little more snug.
His blood sugar was a little off, and so he was like, all right, God, I feel it. I know what you're telling me. I need to quit donuts. I'm getting off donuts.
And so he went to a small group at church. It was this group of guys. And he told him. He was like, guys, I feel it. I feel like I've been convicted. I feel like this God wants me to stop eating donuts. And they were like, oh, man, that's awesome. That's gonna be tough. So what are you gonna do? And he was like, well, I've already got a different route to work, so I don't go past the donut shop. And he said, so I think I'm ready. And they're like, well, just remember, if you start getting tempted, go to the Lord and pray. He was like, awesome, I will. So he comes back the next week, and they're like, how'd it go? And he's like, it went great. Victory. Not one donut. And they're like, yeah, good job, man. Next week came back, same thing. Two weeks without a doughnut. And they were so stoked. They're like, man, you're doing awesome. Keep it up. Third Week, he comes back and he walks in with the largest donut they've ever seen.
Icing, sprinkles, the works. Not only is he carrying the donut, he's got donut all over his face, crumbs all over his shirt. I mean, this dude's a mess. He walks in and their reaction was, oh, like they knew. And they said, man, what happened? He's like, all right, guys.
I was going to work. My new route was closed down, so I had to go my old route. And when I got close, I started praying. Cause I knew I'd be tempted. And said, all right, God, I'm coming to you.
And I'm just gonna. I'm gonna pray boldly here. And Lord, if I get to the donut shop and that space right in front of the door is open, I know it's you telling me I can have donuts again.
And they were like, well, what happened?
He said, well, I got to the donut shop, and after I went around the block eight times, you would never know what happened. That spot was wide open. And I knew it was the Lord saying, it's donuts again.
Isn't that so true to us, though, how we like to bend and curve things to meet our needs. When sometimes it's very clear what God has told us to do.
The thing is, it's not about rerouting the map.
It's about rerouting your heart.
Cause you're gonna face temptations no matter what road you take.
But as I say that, I want you to know as Christians, and I'm trying to teach my son this in life is you wanna be proactive with things, not reactive.
Now, you gotta be reactive sometimes. Cause you don't know what's coming. But you need to try to plan out as best as possible of the scenario so you can make sure everything's taken care of so you don't have to deal with being proactive. You with me?
And so, as a Christian in our faith, I think that's true with us. Especially when it comes to temptation. We need to be proactive. Setting things in place that can help not solve the problem. Cause no matter where we go, it's gonna be there. But that can help us with some boundaries in our lives and some things spiritually that we can do that can help us when temptation is coming.
And so I want to give you some of those this morning. Because you need to know that temptation doesn't start with a fall.
It starts with a step.
So the first thing you can do is guard Your environment, guard your environment.
Avoid trigger zones. Whether it's a place, a person. Amen. Anybody, or a situation that pulls you towards temptation.
Proverbs 4:14 says, do not enter the path of the wicked. Avoid it and do not go on it. What are you willing to do to get away from temptation?
As I think about that, I'm reminded of Joseph.
And Joseph, if you remember, he was sold into slavery.
He worked for Potiphar, and apparently Joseph was a really good looking guy. And Potiphar's wife kind of took notice and so she was very aggressive, very forward and crossing lines. And so she would come onto him and she would have some advances and he would say, nope, I'm not doing this.
I'm not gonna do that to my master. No way, no way, no way. And then one day he comes in and she grabs him by the cloak and won't let him go. Hangs on, makes another pass.
And what does he do to get away from this? He turns around and sprints out the door and goes running. She's sitting there holding his cloak.
Now, when I first read this a while back, I wasn't sure what a cloak exactly was back then. So I'm sitting there thinking, man, this dude would rather go streaking in the streets than, than to sit there.
But I think a cloak was an outer covering. So I think he was good. But the point is sin, temptation was there and it had a grip on him, literally.
And he turned and he ran to do whatever he could so that he wouldn't give in to that temptation. And I believe that is awesome. So guard your environment.
Second thing is filter what you consume.
We live in a digital age and you have access to everything you want or need or don't need at your fingertips. And the thing about all this is there's a lot of good in that, but there's also a lot of evil and a lot of bad.
So I wanna encourage you to set time limits and have apps on your phone that can help keep you from that.
Time limits on things that are gonna make you sit and watch. And I know this is true. We watch, we like, we get envious, we get a little jealous. We're like, man, they're so much better than me, man, I wish I had that, man, I'm not as good as you with me.
Set limits on things that are gonna pull you towards that. If not, just not do it at all. How crazy would it be?
And would you be willing if you just got rid of all that if it was something you really, really struggled with, are you willing to say, you got me in a grip, I'm going to take off and sprint the other way. I don't need any of this stuff. That would be such a bold move.
The thing is, you know your temptations. You know the things you struggle with, you know the things that you deal with. Are you willing to do what it takes to keep those things from getting a grip on you? So filter what you consume. Philippians 4. 8 says, Whatever is pure, think about these things.
Next thing is this. Practice rhythms that fill you spiritually.
Practice rhythms that fill you spiritually. Daily time in the Bible and daily time in prayer.
Think about this. Jesus was fasting 40 days, 40 nights. He's in the desert. Satan comes and tries to tempt him, and he tries to twist the words of the scripture and turn them against Jesus. But because Jesus knew the word of God, he used that as a weapon to put the devil down, to defeat the devil. To say, no, I know what you're saying is not true. Here is the truth.
It's the sword. It's your weapon. God's word can help you when you come into battles with things of this world.
So make sure you're spending time Sabbath and rest. These are so important.
You're here, so congratulations. You've already got one step going. But I want to encourage you to be faithful and. And your attendance, even if it's here. Awesome. We'd love to have you. If it's at another church, awesome. Be faithful there.
Don't just be faithful, but be a part of the church. We're in this together. So wherever you go, if you go here, awesome. Serve, give. Figure out ways that you can help share ministry and be a part of ministry. If you go somewhere else, do those same things.
God has a purpose and a plan for you inside the church. And we do this thing together.
So make that a practice rhythm. And then also rest. I don't know about you, but when I'm tired and I'm hungry, I'm not safe to be around.
I know that's a lot of us. It's like our brain doesn't work the right way.
And so I want to encourage you, take care of yourself. Get rest. Okay? Make sure that your body. Cause here's the thing, you can go, go, go, go, go.
You're gonna get rest one way or the other because your body's gonna stop one day. It's just gonna say, I've had enough. Don't get to that point. Get plenty of rest. And then the fourth thing is this.
Rely on the Holy Spirit.
Rely on the Holy Spirit. That's where your strength and power comes from. Beating temptation isn't about strategy.
It's about surrender.
It's about surrender. Galatians 5:16 tells us. But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Think about that for just a second.
If you walk by the Spirit, you won't give in to the desires. Why?
Well, if you're walking by the Spirit and you're thinking about God, you're praying to God, you're saying, God, what do you want for me today? If those are your thoughts, you don't even think about that other stuff because you are consumed by God and what he wants for your life.
So those. Those big temptations that you used to fall into become small because your God is so much bigger. We are not strong enough on our own. And when we start thinking that way, we need to know that. And, guys, this is a lot on us, too.
That's our pride.
And the Bible is very clear that pride comes before the fall.
So don't let our pride get in the way.
Boundaries don't limit your freedom.
They protect it. So let's set some healthy boundaries in our faith. The second thing is this.
First was where we walk. The second is what we face.
The next part of the verse is into temptation. But I want to clarify something first. God does not tempt us.
That is not from God. James 1:13 says, Let no one say, when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God. For God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.
So while God may lead us down a path where temptation may be around, it's the journey that we go on that reveals the true heart inside. And we see that with the Israelites when they are brought out of slavery, taken into the wilderness, God was leading and guiding them clearly by fire and by clouds, by smoke. I mean, they could see him leading them.
He's not the one that changed their hearts. Their hearts were always that way. And it was the journey that revealed what was going on inside.
And although God allows us to be tempted or be tested, he promises to keep us from any testing that is greater than anything we can handle.
First Corinthians 10:13.
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.
God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability.
But with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it no matter what you're going through.
No matter what trial, big, small, no matter what testing you feel like is going on in your faith, no matter what temptation is there in your life, I want you to know that God is enough to get you through anything.
Not only will he show up and go with you to get through, he says, you're not gonna deal with anything that you can't handle with me.
And on top of that, I'm gonna give you a way out of everything you go through.
So whatever you're dealing with, whatever you're going through, know that this is a season.
And what do we know about season?
They change.
And with God, you will get through whatever you're dealing with. Right now, nothing is bigger than the God that we serve.
So we pray this petition, not out of fear, but out of humility.
Father, I don't trust myself.
Father. I am not enough. But, Father, I trust you with all that I am. And you are more than I will ever need.
The third thing is this. Who we follow.
Who we follow.
Deliver us from evil. Or like the version we read earlier, the Greek translation actually says, deliver us from the evil one.
See, evil isn't just a force or an idea. It's a kingdom in opposition to. To God and everything he is doing. And it has a leader, and his name is Satan.
Jesus believed in a real devil. Why? Because he saw it. He saw his work clearly. He saw his work firsthand in the wilderness where he twisted the truth. He saw it in crowds he healed because they were filled with demons. He saw it in the heart of Judas, who in the end, betrayed him.
Satan actively seeks to draw believers, you and me, away from God and away from God's truth.
Listen to what Peter says about Satan. First Peter 5, 8.
Be of sober spirit.
Be on the alert.
Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.
It doesn't matter. Your bank account doesn't matter your age, your gender, where you live in this world, you don't have to go looking for temptation because it already knows your address.
It knows where you live.
It knows where you struggle.
Now, I want to be careful because you don't want to give the devil too much credit. But he's pretty good at what he does. But here's the difference.
He's not God.
He's not omnipresent, meaning he can't be in more than one place at one time like God can. So God is very present here right now. He's here.
The spirit of God is here. The spirit of God is also in other churches around the world, all at the same time.
Well, Satan, the person of Satan, can't physically do that.
He's not omniscient.
He's not all knowing.
So if you think something right now, he doesn't know what you're thinking. God does, but he doesn't. But as soon as you speak, as soon as you act, as soon as you do those things, you. He's very aware. Not because he is everywhere, but because he has an army. He has an army of demons that work with him and work for him. And they are everywhere.
See, you and I are in a battle.
We are in a spiritual battle.
And the army that we are going against is very crafty, and they're very good at what they do.
And there's a bunch of them, and they have these massive weapons, fully loaded, aimed right at us as Christians, ready to take us out.
I picture just bullets of temptation just firing all over the place just to see what will we give into.
And even though this is a massive army and it seems like a lot when you're like, man, battle, this is. Whoa, that's intense.
These major weapons. Wow, that's crazy. I don't know. I want you to Hear this. Isaiah 54:17 says, no weapon formed against you shall prosper.
See, God already has the victory.
When Jesus went to the cross, not only did he conquer death, but he conquered sin. Sin.
And he stepped on the devil's head.
And if you are a follower of Christ, I want to tell you this morning, you're already on the winning team.
But as long as you and I are still on earth, we are still in battle because there's still souls to be won for the Lord.
And this battle is life and death because it affects every eternity.
So we need to be prepared. We don't need to be scared.
We got God.
Nothing Satan can do can harm us because it will not prosper against us. Because I follow the real leader.
I follow the truth, the way, and the life, and that's the battle that we are in. So as we approach this battle, what should be our thoughts? How can we get motivated when we know this is out there and we have to deal with it? If you think about it, one of the big questions that everybody asks, no matter what you believe in this world, is, what am I here for?
Everybody asks that, what am I here for? What's the purpose? And I believe as Christians, there's another question that we should ask every day that can prepare us. And it's very similar, but it's a little different. It Says this. Instead of, what am I here for? Why don't we start asking, who am I here for?
Who am I here for?
Because asking that question puts your heart turned in the direction of Jesus, puts our heart in the right place.
It's showing humility, saying, this is not about me, but God, this is about you and what you want.
And today I'm asking that you fill me in, that you show me that you let me feel, that I know you're with me, that I can feel your strength. Cause in my weakness, you are made strong.
And humbly, I come to you, God, to say, who am I here for? I'm here for you and the plan that you have for my life.
So how do we do that?
I got a challenge for you. It's not crazy. I'm not gonna ask you to get up and run two miles every morning because that means I gotta do it, and I ain't doing that right now.
But I'm gonna ask you for this next week.
Every morning when you wake up, I want you to say the Lord's Prayer.
Just say the Lord's Prayer.
And when you say it, I want you to think about what you're truly saying.
You're saying, God, I am not enough, but I know you are, God. I cannot deal or handle the situations, the things in my life, but I know you can.
God, in humility, I come saying, I need you more than ever.
Would you put my heart back to together?
And putting our hearts back together starts with putting our eyes on the author of our salvation. And that is the Lord Jesus Christ.
I want to end with the verse following a verse that I read earlier when I Talked about Hebrews 4:15. And it talks about he can sympathize with our weakness because he was here in a world of temptation and. And never gave in. He lived it without sin.
And then the verse continues. In 4, 16, it says, Therefore, because of what Jesus has done, therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may have mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
This week, wake up, say the Lord's Prayer.
Pray for that mercy, for that grace that we will need sometime throughout our day in our time of need. And there's only one person that can feel that, only one person that can give us that strength. And that is our Heavenly Father.
So let's go to him this week, humble ourselves, and let's say, God, I need you more than I need myself.
Let's pray.
Father. God, we are so grateful.
Not for my words. But your words, God, for your scripture. That is the truth.
God, I pray that this week, God, even starting today, as we leave this place, we're going to already start to face temptations. God, we're going to face trials with. We have things that are looming over our lives. God, I pray that in every moment, beginning from the time that we wake up to the time we go to sleep, God, I pray that we are seeking you, that we are turning our face to you, God, that we show you the respect that you deserve and hallow be your name. God, we pray for your kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. God, we do pray that you forgive us of our sins, which we know you do. But God, we ask continually, God, forgive us for the sins of that day.
And God, we pray that you lead us not into temptation, but God, you reveal yourself, God, because we know that you've already delivered us from the evil one. But God, we pray every day as we battle that you continue to do that for us. We love you so much. We thank you for loving us. Thank you for providing. Thank you for protecting God. It's in your name that we pray. Amen.
[00:37:20] Speaker A: Thank you so much for tuning in today. If you have any questions or prayer requests, please contact us by visiting metchurch.com so that we can follow up with you this week. We look forward to seeing you next week.
