The Protection of Prayer - Pastor Robert Morris

turn to James chapter one and first Corinthians chapter 10 so open your Bibles to James chapter one and thank you so much for bringing your Bibles to church or your mobile phones or whatever it is say however you get to the Bible that's great but James chapter one open your Bibles didn't put a marker at first Corinthians 10 Debbie Nye this last week we're in Guatemala Wednesday Thursday and Friday speaking of the pastors conference but we always try to arrange things so we can be here for different events and Tuesday is least last Tuesday's one of our favorite events the Fall Festival I was told by some of the workers I was too big for some of the rides and that offended me but I we love to actually walk around and meet people we were here from about five till about nine o'clock walking around greeting people meeting people and I'll tell you something humorous that that happened a lot of people because they don't get to see me in person as much see me on the screen when they see me they they say can I have a picture and so sure you know and so I've done that you know probably already 40 or 50 times and then I was talking with some of our members who you probably know we have several athletes ago the church I was talking with Jason Witten and DeMarcus Ware and this lady came up to me and she said just like everyone else again she said Oh pastor so great see she said can I have a picture I said yes I turned sideways she said no no with the Dallas Cowboys yeah so there's always someone a little higher on the totem poles hard for you to believe that the Dallas Cowboys would be higher than your pastor but it's alright it's alright by the way because we do have several that are members of the church here I have been doing extensive counseling the last few weeks so so let's maybe we could also pray along those regards as well all right we're in a series called the Lord's Prayer and we've been talking about the person of prayer and the provision of Prayer and the petition of Prayer the pardon of Prayer this week the title of the message is the protection of prayer that part of the Lord's Prayer is praying for protection and we've been memorizing the Lord's Prayer in old King James so I want us to again like we've done every week say it out loud all of us together to say time all right Matthew 6 verse 9 let's go 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 the glory forever amen and now this week were focusing on the first part of verse 13 and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil and I have to tell you for many years of my Christian walk I did not understand this phrase lead us not into temptation why would we ask the father not to lead us into temptation if he would not do that it's somewhat of a confusing phrase that we have to look at it carefully and look at what the words mean and look at other Scripture as well so I'm going to give us four points today and I'm actually going to give you upfront part of the points and then we're going to fill in the blank as we go along the reason is I want you to get an overview of where we're going because I think it's very important to understand this so here here are the four points and I'm just simply gonna give you part and then we'll fill in the blank as we go along okay first of all we're going to nail down God can't blank and again all fill in the blank in a moment but there's something that God can't do that we need to know all right God can't blank second thing we'll talk about is God won't blank there's something that God won't do because of his character third thing God will link God will and the fourth thing which is extremely important if we will blank and we'll fill in that blank in a moment so God can't God won't but God will if we will all right so here's point number one point number one God can't tempt us is completely totally impossible outside of his nature to tempt us and let me explain because some people think because of the sovereignty of God which they totally misunderstand that they think sovereignty means that God can do anything he wants to do the only problem that is it means sovereignty really means he's the supreme ruler of the universe and it doesn't take him outside of his character I've told you this before but like to help you remind to remind you there are some things God can't do one just to take one of his attributes immutability the immutability of God means that God can't change now the reason God can't change is because if God could change he could get better and God can't get better because he's best he's already perfect so God can't change so there are some things God can't do I'll tell you one that you ought to be grateful for and that is that God can't stop loving you because his he is love he doesn't just love he is love God is love and for God so loved the world not just Christians but the world that He gave His only begotten Son so God can't tempt us now James chapter one is one of the most extensive chapters own temptation so you might want to read the entire chapter later you're collec time this week all right but notice that James chapter 1 look at verse 12 first it says blessed is the man who endures temptation for when he has been approved he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love you I simply want you to notice from this passage that when we endure temptation we are blessed and we're rewarded enduring temptation we're blessed we reward is what this says and this word in dere means to continue to trust through resistance in opposition it means to continue to trust I'm going to continue to trust God even though I'm being opposed and resisted and I'm going through a difficult time right now I'm going to continue to trust God that's how we endure now look at verses 13 and 14 verse 13 says let no one say let no one say when he is tempted I am tempted by God for God cannot be tempted by evil nor does he himself tempt anyone God doesn't tempt anyone but each one is tempted when this is important I said when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed and when you notice here's what happens we're drawn away by a desire we have and then the enemy jumps on it and tempts us the enemy is the temperature the Bible specifically calls him the tempter but I want you to notice what when he comes to tempt us it's when we're drawn away by a desire and that desire may not even be such a bad thing but if we take our eyes off of God and we're going to focus somewhere else immediately Satan notices that and then he jumps on and begins to tempt but God doesn't tempt us Satan is the tempter and we're tempted when were drawn away by some desire now this this word drawn away is again to turn aside so when we begin to look another way in our family the guy's like meat we like meat we're just we just like meat you know that's kind of our favorite thing give me an extra portion of meat the girls like sugar you know give me a dessert what are we having for dessert give me an extra portion of dessert now they're there they're good they're disciplined about it but that's just kind of wait it is well I just happen to notice that my little granddaughter who's two years old has already inherited this and she just she just like sugar she just she loves sugar they have to you know she sets her sometimes and they say no you have to eat before your cake and she just thought she just cries and cries you know but that's the only way we can get her to eat sometimes it's the promise cake well the the the fact my son was keeping the two children born a girl and and his wife was that life group our daughter loved and our little daughter our little granddaughter fell and hurt herself not bad though but she just began to cry and cry and mom wasn't there and that made it worse and and he just couldn't he's I couldn't get her quit crying he said and then I remembered he said I went and got a piece of candy she stopped just like that it's it's a matter of focus you know what are you focusing on and what happens is when we begin to turn our focus towards something that's when Satan comes and Satan is the tempter God is never the tempter let me show you a few scriptures on that Matthew 4 verse 3 now when the tempter came to him that's when he said if you're the son of God turn these stones into bread command these Stones become bread notice Satan is called the tempter first Thessalonians 3:5 less by some means the tempter had tempted you so God is never the tempter Satan is the tempter and what he does is he takes sometimes and actually a good desire and then he tries to tempt us in that good desire not long after I started the church a few years after I started the church the church began to grow and and and my responsibilities begin to grow outside the invitations you know helping the body of Christ begin to grow things like that and I got very very busy and all of a sudden I realized I was beginning to be bombarded with impure thoughts that I had not been attacked with for years it seemed and it just seemed to be overwhelming well obviously I talked to Debbie about it I talked the elders about it and that's the best thing to do when the under attack is to be accountable to people but we were having a men's retreat I remember and I talked to Jimmy Evans Jimmy Evans was speaking our men's retreat and I said Jimmy I'm just all of a sudden it seems like I'm bombarded and just overwhelmed with these thoughts and what do it's not my heart but I'm being attacked this area and I'll never forget he sat there for a moment and then he said to me how much golf are you playing and I was kind of he you know he did he not hear what I said I mean it's I don't I'm not following the correlation you know between sex and golf you know I don't understand what he's saying to me and she said well what do you mean he said how much golf are you playing I saw I'm not playing any golf I don't have time to play golf anymore he said that's the problem they said you have a god-given desire for fun and because you're not taking time to rest and refresh and to have fun Satan is tempting you with counterfeit fun and yet you have a god-given desire to that God gave us to refresh matter but you I don't know if you've ever thought about what the word recreation it comes from it means recreate God wants us to recreate ourselves he wants us to have to relax and enjoy ourselves and not work all the time and he said to me you've got to and you got to start doing something again for fun or the enemy is going to jump on a god-given desire and turn throwing by the way when you use the word counterfeit can I give you a definition I've thought about that maybe you never thought about this seeing is counterfeit joy that's what seeing this we're not receiving the joy that we should from the Lord and from the things the Lord has provided so Satan comes along and tries to counterfeit all of us like sheep have strayed away though your sins are like scarlet I will make them as white as I am and forever yours so number one God can't tempt us here's his number two God won't mislead us God won't mislead us now notice this is saying lead us not into temptation why would we ever pray for God not to lead us into temptation if God wouldn't lead us into temptation in the first place but first of all you have to understand the word temptation because it's actually translated different with different words throughout the New Testament and it does have a broader meaning than just temptation right there in James 1 look at verses 2 & 3 my brethren count it all joy when you fall into various trials notice the word trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience now let me explain this to you this word trials is the exact same Greek word in Matthew 6:13 let's translate temptation it has a broader meaning than what we understand it means a temptation or a trial or a test and would God ever lead us into a trial or a test can I tell you this yes he would because the trying of our faith causes us to grow and develop character for us to be able to fulfill the destiny God has for us God but God would only do it for our good and when we talk about this lead Assad nation here's what happens when God leads us into trial you got to know that the tempter is there to try to tempt you in that trial and God already knows that but he's saying to us pray for protection during this time pray for leadership pray for guidance as a matter of fact watch this exact phrase out of scripture Matthew 4 verse 1 then Jesus was led up by the spirit into the wilderness now watch this to be tempted by the devil that's an amazing Scripture what who led Jesus the spirit where did he lead it into the rivers why did he lead him there here's what it said to be tempted by the devil what it means is God led his own son into a time of trial and test but Satan is sitting there waiting for him and God knows yes so why would he do it well two reasons number one he did it for the good of his son because Luke 4:14 says in Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit he came out stronger after he went through that time of testing and trial but here's the main reason he did it do you know why he did it for our good God led his own son to pass the test remember he didn't lead him into fail he led him into succeed he knew would succeed and that his succession would be a benefit to us let me show you how it blesses us Hebrews 4:15 for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses we don't have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin and then Hebrews 2:18 says for in that he himself has suffered being tempted he is able to aid those who were tempted did you know that Jesus can help you through temptation I do you know want you in the life because he went through have you ever thought about asking Jesus how to overcome lust see we don't somehow think about that but he was tempted with lust he was tempted with pride he was tempted with unforgiveness he was tempted in all points and because he was tempted he can now aid us and he sympathizes with us that's what's great about Jesus it's not like we go to him and say Lord I'm being tempted again he says you weenie you know I mean your watch is wrong with you he straightened up no you know what he says he said I understand I know what it's like to live in a fallen world I know what it's like to have the hordes of hell come against you I understand what it's like to be tempted I understand in other words we can talk to Jesus about our temptation most time we don't want to tell him here's what we think and we think well if I don't tell him he won't know he knows you can tell him I'm being tempted in this area and you can also say how did you overcome this because we have a high priest who can sympathize with us notice by the way where he was tempted he was tempted in the wilderness in a dry place and he was led by the spirit there did you also remember that the cloud represents the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament and that God led and here's what he even called him he said I led my son Israel into the wilderness he didn't lead them now he didn't wanted to stay forty years by the way he read Deuteronomy 1 it said it was only eleven days journey but Israel took 40 years to get there there's only 11 days journey but Israel took 40 years to get there okay let me show you this scripture about why God led them into the wilderness Deuteronomy 816 says who fed you in the wilderness with manna which your fathers did not know that he might Humble you that he might test you to do you good in the end if God ever leads you into trial here's one thing we know about God it's to do us good instead of all things work together for our good see for us to understand Matthew 6:13 it has to be congruent with other scripture this is something we need to understand we can't just say well what does this mean lead us not well we have to go to James 1 to understand God would never tempt us God doesn't tempt us and he always does it for our good can I kind of remind you of something I told you a while back but let me just remind you um I seem to be known for making complex things simple people say that to me a lot you help you you don't make it simple well tell you why it's because God has to make it simple for me to understand it so he makes it simple and I understand it then I tell you how I understand it you know another comment I hear quite a bit is people say our children love to listen to you what's because we're on the same level okay we're just right right there together we're just communicating really easily okay all right so so let me say something real simple but I hope you hope you never forget this because this is what we have to remember when we're trying to interpret Scripture right okay listen anytime you read something in the Bible that you don't understand now listen to me carefully don't ever forget this thing all right anytime you read something in the Bible that you don't understand it's because you don't understand did you get it hey here's the point there's nothing wrong with this book there is something wrong with our understanding that's why we have to renew our minds and not be conformed to this world but to be transformed by this work so when like when I read that Freid lead us not in temptation I would think well why would I pray that until I understand and begin to look at other scriptures and here's the next one that's very very important this one has to be included with James 1 and that subscription first Corinthians 10 let me give you point three here's 0.3 God will deliver us God will deliver us through temptation if we'll allow him to all right first Corinthians 10 I don't know if you put a marker there but just first Corinthians 10 look at verse 13 just as important as James chapter 1 no temptation no temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man but God now watch God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you're able that's one great promise here's the second one but also but with the temptation will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it two of the greatest promises in Scripture here's the first one God will never allow me to be tempted above that which I'm able what a great promise secondly he will with every temptation make away escaped in other words God will deliver me if I let him deliver me Paul said this way say Timothy for 1718 I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion and the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for his heavenly kingdom what a great prayer to pray 2nd Peter 2:9 the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations I'm glad he knows how because I don't but what's great is he does he knows how to deliver me out of every temptation and he'll make a way of escape that was every temptation I can bear it but my part is to pray this is what Jesus was trying to tell us the disciples said Lord teach us to pray and he said when you pray pray after this manner and he tells us something to pray about and one of the things that we are to pray about is protection from the evil one every day protection and success over temptation every day in other words we say god I know it is your will that you don't tempt anyone but I know there's your tempter but I know that it is your will to provide a way of escape with every temptation and you'll never allow me to be tempted above that which you able so if I'm tempted today or if I'm in a trial and the enemy comes after me Lord I trust you and I'll be looking for that way of escape because I know you're going to provide it for me but if we don't pray we're in trouble because he teaches us to pray ah before I was founded Gateway I was an elder at another church called Shady Grove Church in Grand Prairie and the great church and we were doing elders retreat every year just like we do here at Gateway and we would pray and worship and talk strategically about the next year but we'd also take some time to have some fun play golf or do something like that well one year we took a ski vacation and went snow skiing and several the elders were just really excited because they liked to ski a lot I'm good at skiing but I don't do it a lot and so I thought well I'll just I'll stay back and help this one guy who had never skied and he was just learning and so I was helping him and after several hours on the bunny slope I encouraged him let's let's go to the green slope it's I'll take you the easiest one and so when I was trying to get in there he kept falling he actually fell in the line and it was like dominoes he knocked everybody over in the line but anyway we finally got up to our edge I said now when the chair comes around you got to go fast you got to just you got to go really fast you got to scoot up real fast and of course when the chair came around and then it was our turn you know I went and he just you know just fell right there just you know and I thought well you know he'll catch the next chair so I have to kind of turn you know to make sure and get the chair like this what you got to do and when I said what what I didn't see though was a woman skied up real fast and and sat down beside me in the chair and I didn't plan that it just happened you know and so we're going up and all of a sudden this woman just outright she starts talking a little bit then out she just outright says would you like to come to my room tonight it was like that and you know I was I was just shocked and I said I'm married and and she said well so am i and but when you told let the Lord delivering you I just all of a sudden I heard myself say well I'm married to a man and a woman hey hey uh she she kind of scooted you know a little farther and she said really and I said yes I'm married to a beautiful woman named Debbie and a wonderful man named the Lord Jesus Christ and and then you know I mean she couldn't go anywhere so I just witnessed her I mean she brought it up right so God will make a way of escape with every temptation alright here's number four if we will pray this is our part God will do his part if we do our part that's what Jesus is trying to tell the disciples you you've asked me how to pray I'm telling you to pray every day for provision I'm telling you to pray every day for God's will I'm telling you to pray for forgiveness and to forgive others and I'm telling you you better pray for protection from the evil one and in the old King James it says evil in the Greek it would be better translated most of your newer translations say the evil one you have an enemy who's coming after you and especially during times of trial he's gonna tempt you better be praying if we will pray now in in most of the series well I think every message I'm not sure but I've shown you kind of an Old Testament parallel passage let me show you the parallel passage in it basically what Matthew 6:13 is saying lead us and deliver us that's the two points of it lead us and deliver us now let me show you this Old Testament parallel passage I believe it is psalm 119 verse 133 direct my steps by your word in other words lead me and let no iniquity have dominion over me deliver me direct your steps by your word direct my steps by your word lead me and let no iniquity have dominion over me directly now remember again Jesus telling the disciples you need to pray because temptation is there let me show you another time tells them almost the exact same thing and this is in the garden of gethsemane Matthew 26:41 he said watch and pray lest you enter into temptation watch and pray lest you enter into temptation the second part is actually very well known little phrase the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak but we need to make the first part just as known the way you overcome temptation is you pray and that's what Jesus teaches through the Lord's Prayer and then one other verse John 17 many people call this the Lord's Prayer and Matthew 6 the model prayer because it's the pattern of Prayer John Matthew 6 and the Lord's Prayer he Jesus is the prayer Jesus actually prayed in John 17 you can call him either one it doesn't matter to me but I'm just showing you it when Jesus himself prayed in John 17 look what he said verse 15 I do not pray that you should take them out of the world in other words keep them from trial and testing but that you should keep them from the evil one it's the exact same thing Lord I'm not praying that you would not lead them into trials and testings or take them out of the world but I'm praying you'll deliver them from the evil one a few years after we started the church pastor Preston who's pastoring gateway church Scottsdale asked me what what has shocked you the most about planning a church and I said to him the warfare just like they meet less of the spiritual warfare Satan hates local churches look at all that local churches do for the kingdom of God and I was not prepared for the amount of warfare that that I've encountered now let me tell you how the Lord showed me how I had to up my prayer level even in the very beginning the very first vacation that we ever took after planting the church we had to near head-on collisions driving on vacation with our the whole family in the car driving on the road had like a truck coming toward us and and and right when we got right there apparently this car behind the truck couldn't see us came over in our lane we had to go off the road to miss the car and it had and twice not just once twice that was also the vacation that Debbie told you about about a month ago where James our son almost drowned in a whitewater rafting trip and then when we got back we were riding around the block my daughter Elaine and Debbie and I on bicycles and Elena I decided to race home and we were going very fast and we still don't know to this day what happened but all of a sudden my will just turned sideways and I hit the pavement broke bones was not had no helmet on should have but didn't hit and was knocked unconscious and and had a very severe accident one of our pastor friends in the Metroplex when he heard about it he said Robert I was praying for you that morning that morning he said I saw you riding a bike and he said it was just shocking to me because you were going along riding a bike and a lion came from the side and knocked the bike out from under you and he said you are going to have to up your prayer life because you're under attack and that's when Debbie and I prayed and said God what do we do and the Lord gave us the idea of asking some people who were close to us to become intercessors for us that they would pray for us every day and then a few months later I thought well if I need prayer all of our pastors need prayer so it's actually policy Church policy now that if you're a pastor on our staff you have to have intercessors praying for you but it's not just that I rely on them to pray because I'm a disciple and Jesus said when you pray you better make sure to include this in your prayers lead me not into temptation help me not to be tempted when I'm going through the trials that even the ones that you lead me on to Lord and deliver me and protect me and my family from the evil one I want you to bow your heads and close your eyes now once you just take a moment like we do at the end of every message and say God what are you saying to me through this message just take it take a moment no matter which campus you're attending just take a moment right now and say Lord what you say to me am I pray for shuh over my health over my family over my marriage over my finances over my career over the things that God you've entrusted to me am i doing my part I know it's your will to deliver me from all evil to protect me and provide a way of escape during temptation that's your will but god am i praying for your will am i doing my part and we want to pray for you if you're going through a difficulty right now and all of us probably are going through some sort of difficulty but if you need prayer you need someone to agree with you through any area of your life that you're going through right now some sort of a difficulty some sort of a trial or testing or temptation let us pray with you no matter which campus you're attending in just a moment what we're gonna do is we're gonna stand with one more worship song and during that time we ask you to come we're gonna have leaders at the front just come to one of the leaders and say I need prayer you don't have to be a member gateway Church to come for prayer you don't have to be a big back big bad sinner to come for prayer because we all need prayer I need prayer all of our leaders need prayer so if you're going through a difficult and you need prayer in any area of your life and every campus in just a moment will stand and and you just come make your way to the front there'll be other people coming you won't be embarrassed because you'll be the only one and just just to make your way the front and just say I need prayer I need some prayer for something please don't ever be too prideful to ask for prayer and if you're in the second level at South Lake by every exit we'll have people there to pray so you don't have to come all the way down to the front in this sanctuary and in a large sanctuary you can just go toward the exits and there'll be people there to pray for you all right after I pray then we'll stand and when we stand if you need prayer you just step out and come Holy Spirit I pray you'll draw every that needs someone to agree in prayer at every campus in Jesus name Amen I was 19 years old when I gave my life to the Lord and everything changed I didn't have any desire to go back to that old life I wanted to walk with the Lord and learn more about him and some people helped me to learn the Bible and to learn how to pray and to learn about my new life in Christ and that's what we want to do for you I am so excited that you've given your life to the Lord he's forgiven all of your sins and you're on your way to heaven but we need to learn some things now about the Bible about prayer about some basics of the Christian life so that you can be victorious and live for the Lord like I know you want to so we've designed a class called fresh start and I want to encourage you to sign up for this class because we want to help you grow in your walk with the Lord now I love you and I'm so proud of you we invite you to join us each week on the blessed life with pastor Robert Morris experience dynamic Bible based teaching enjoy freedom from the inspiring worship of a gateway worship team it's a time to grow be encouraged and learn how to live the blessed life the blessed life with gateway churches Robert Morris

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Length: 36min 47sec (2207 seconds)

Published: Thu Nov 08 2012