If you have your bulletins, the scripture portion is written there on page 9, the outline is on pages 10-11. This is the word of our Lord. Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail, and you, once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. But he said to him, Lord, with you, I am ready to go both to prison and to death. And he said, I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know me.
And he came out and proceeded as was his custom to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples also followed him. And when he arrived at the place, he said to them, pray that you may not enter into temptation. And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and he knelt down and began to pray, saying, father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me, yet not my will, but yours be done. Now an angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him, and being an agony he was praying very fervently, and his sweat became like drops of blood falling down on the ground. When he arose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow. And he said to them, why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation. While he was still speaking, behold, the crowd came and the one called Judas, one of the twelve was proceeding there, and many approached Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said to him, Judas, are you betraying the Son of man with a kiss? And when those who were around him saw what was going to happen, they said, Lord shall we strike with the sword, and one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear, and they had kindled the fire in the middle of the courtyard, and it sat down together, Peter was sitting with them, and a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the fire light, and looking intently at him said, this man was with him too, but he denied it, saying, woman, I do not know him. A little later, another saw him and said, you are one of them too, but Peter said, man, I am not. After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist saying, certainly, this man also was with him, for he is a Galilean too. But Peter said, man, I do not know what you are talking about, immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. Our Lord Jesus taught us to pray, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. I know we learned to pray, but deliver us from evil. I think the NIV and the New King James have it right. Deliver us from the evil one. I believe that is what the Greek is intending to imply. I believe those were the words of our Lord Jesus in teaching us to pray. I think about Tatum's testimony, and thank you, Tatum, very much. Well done. It really shows us what temptation is like, doesn't it? We never know when it is going to come in the particular case. It came because of Tatum's giftedness. She is a great student. She studied hard for years to get to the place where she would get not just scholarships for school, but full scholarships for school, very talented, very gifted, and very disciplined and studious about her studies. And the very area of her strength and diligence and commitment is the very area where temptation came into her life. That is not way for us, isn't it? We are mindful of 1 Corinthians 13. No temptation is overtaken you, but such as common to man. God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able but with the temptation provide a means of escape that you may be able to endure it. And her testimony again, what an awesome thing that her mom made her feel bad. Way to go, Maryland. What an awesome thing that her shepherding elder would shepherd with tenderness, just try and set up a time to talk. And that amazing, that's all it took. Hey, we need to talk about this. And the Spirit was already at work. Keep in mind, by the way, shepherding elders, there were rants and raves and anger. First thing was, thank you very much, how blessed am I that you would speak into my life. But it came.
As we look at this passage this morning, as we look at this petition, I'm using the passage kind of as a guide, but I'm not exaggerating the Luke 22 passage, but there's just so much there. I thought it would be a good place to go. I want you to keep in mind as we look at the text this morning or look at this passage that temptation comes in all sorts of ways. We never know when it's going to come. It can come in the middle of crisis, kind of a crisis experience when it was Peter, by the way, who grabbed the sword and off came the servants ear. John's gospel tells us that he was tempted to take things into his own hands to use his strengths, his abilities, his way of handling things. Was the rebuked by Jesus? No, no, don't do it that way. It was a time of crisis for Jesus, wasn't it? He knew what was coming. He's praying. He's just really struggling with what's before him. Talk more about that. But it also comes in times of ease. It's in the sitting by the fire, nervous, sub-tight, yes, but an easy time that the servant girl, the servant girl, says something to him, I swear, I don't know the man. And then that the way temptation happens. It's a while later before someone else says something. And before you know it, another hour is passed in your third betrayal. Comes in crisis, comes in easy times. It comes when you're ready for it. Who could be more ready than Peter? You're going to Satan's demanded to sit you like weach. You're going to deny me three times. Peter, pray. Pray that you don't enter into temptation. He was ready for it. Kind of. Temptation comes in our own homes. It comes from our friends, our co-workers. It comes when times are going well. It comes when times are going poorly. It comes when we're suffering. It comes when we're in crisis. It comes. It comes. I want us to think just a little bit about three sources of temptation and then application this morning. Again, it's kind of a quick thing. I don't regret it though. Good testimony. Good worship in a good word. So pay attention and let's think about this. The first place where temptation comes is from the devil, right? The tempting of the devil. That was true in the garden. Perfect man and wife living in a garden, enjoying life, tending the garden, rejoicing in God's command to be fruitful. To be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and rule over it. And there was the temptation, the temptation, the devil and that serpent twisting the word of God, exciting the desires for something good. And there's a fall. The devil was behind it. The devil was behind it when Jesus at the beginning of his public ministry was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted. By the devil, the devil tested him, the devil tempted him. The passage, if we were to look at either Matthew 4 or Luke 4 would tell us that for 40 days, during a 40 day fast, he's being tempted as he as the second Adam, really, Adam, our first Adam, our first parent Adam, he represented all mankind. And in his fall into temptation, we were all plunged into sin. And received the nature of sinners. The second Adam, that's what Paul calls him in Romans 5, he's in the wilderness, being the substitute, 40 days makes you think about the Old Testament in Israel in the wilderness, 40 years, 40 days fasting brings that food thing into mind and the temptations come starting with, hey, you're the son of man, let's turn these rocks into bread. And three temptations are listed out. And our Lord Jesus doesn't give into him. In this passage, we're told specifically by our Lord Jesus, regarding Peter, he's called Simon, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you as wheat. He's behind it. Praise God for the intercession of our great high priest Jesus, but I prayed for you, Peter. You're going to fail to test, but I've been praying that you won't lose faith like Judas who will hang himself. And when you turn, strengthen the brother, think about how Satan tempted Peter. Peter knew it was coming. Again, Jesus told him, Jesus called him, told him what to do. Pray, pray, verse 40, pray that you enter not into temptation. He comes back after his own praying, praying that he not enter into temptation. And there's the disciples sleeping. And so he wakes them up, he says, get up, wake up, pray that you not enter into temptation. So he knew it was coming. But he knew he loved Jesus. And he did. Oh, he loved him. And when he said, Jesus, I am willing both to go to prison and die with you. He meant it. And he showed that he meant it when he cut off that servants here. He was tempted in an area of his strife. And where he had confidence and where he had warning. But what did he trust in? He didn't turn to prayer. Did he slept through that one? He trusted in his love for the Lord. Listen to that. There's a lot in those words. He trusted in his love for the Lord to save him from temptation. And it wasn't enough. He trusted in his commitment to serve the Lord, to go to prison, to die with the Lord. And his commitment wasn't enough. He's no match for the devil. You're no match for the devil. That's blown away earlier actually two weeks ago, setting this for the daily devotions that are both on the web and out on either your mailbox or on the rack on the wall out there. That's the way it is. Sometimes we're tempted. We know it's coming. We know we're going to face something tough. And we can pray about it. And then in the moment, not see the hand of the devil behind it. And that's what happened here. The devil is in the background on this one, isn't it? Isn't he? Which brings us to point number two, the second source of temptation, the tempting of the world, the tempting of the world. It's the people who come to arrest Jesus when he comes to understand, oh, this is it. This is this is the arrest. It's not going to happen. He's already by the way been influenced by the thinking of the world of how the Messiah will come, how the Messiah will be the king, how the Messiah will kick the Romans out of Israel, how the Messiah will set up the glory days of Israel. He's already, he's already influenced by the thinking of this world. And now when the world comes crashing in on him, he takes out his sword and he handles it according to the wisdom of his own mind. It's the world that comes breaking in and the voice of a servant girl. Oh, you're one of them. Or of the man. He's a Galilean. It's got to be guilty by associations. By the third person guilty. It's the world. We shouldn't be surprised by that. Brothers and sisters, the scriptures are clear. We are commanded. Do not love the world nor the things of this world. For all that is in the world, the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh and the boastful pride of life is not from the father, but is from the world and the world is passing away along with its lust. First John 2, 15 and following Paul after he wrote the gospel out in vivid detail in the book of Romans by the time he gets to chapter, the end of chapter 11, he praises God, right? Oh, the depths of both the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his ways? And he kind of wraps up the glorious gospel with praise and adoration for God. And then he turns to application and says, I urge you, therefore, brethren, to offer your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, right? And then verse 2, he says, do not be conformed to this world. There's a hint, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what the will of God is. So the scriptures are pretty clear how we are to face this. You know, Jesus faced temptation from the devil, not only in the wilderness, but the devil was looking for an opportune time when Luke tells us at the end of the temptation and the wilderness in chapter 4 that when he had finished all his temptations, he didn't say, oh, this is fruitless, I'm leaving. He said, I'll wait for an opportune time. I'll be back. And remember, it's Peter. Oh, Peter, he plays such a critical role. I thought about that was singing it as well with my soul. Just anyway, Peter gives the profession in, I think it's Matthew 16, you are the Christ, the son of the living God. And Jesus says, wait a go, Peter, you're absolutely right. Now, you need to know that the son of man is going to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things and be rejected by the chief priests and elders and will be crucified dead and buried. But he'll raise on the third day. And Peter pulls Jesus aside and says, by no means. God forbid it. This will not happen to you. Jesus and not being tempted by this world too well. Well, you remember what he said, don't you? And the King James get the behind me, Satan, tempted by the world. Even our Lord was tempted that way for us. Third way that we are often tempted is by our own desires. And here I quote James 114, but each one of us, but each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. You know, as I, as I thought about this, throughout my profession as a pastor. I always thought, you know, Jesus was tempted only externally. That is, he was tempted by devil who came and brought external temptation and by the world like Peter, because that's external. But Jesus is pure and holy and undefiled and without any blemish or sin in his heart. How could he possibly be tempted internally, right? I thought that several times. I was kind of struck by something in this passage though. Satan has come back to tempt at an opportune time. He keeps telling the disciples, pray that you enter not into temptation. And what does our Lord do? Praise, and is it an easy prayer meeting for him and the Lord? No, he's an agony as he prays. There's a temptation going on when the writer of Hebrew says that our great high priest, our Lord Jesus Christ was tempted in every way that we are yet without sin. It includes even an internal desire. Think about this. What does he pray? He says, Father, if you are willing, let this cup pass. Don't make me drink it. Yet not my will, but thy will. Your will be done. What's his will? What's Jesus' will? What's he mean when he says not my will, but your will? What does he want? Do you think he's afraid of the soldiers that are coming to arrest him? Do you think he's afraid of the trial he's about to face? Do you think that he's afraid of the beating and the pulling out of the beard and being spit on and mocked and all? Do you think he's afraid of the Romans and the crucifixion? Yeah, I think that stuff is not easy. I'm sure it was hard on our Lord, but I don't think that's what he's referring to. I think if that's all it was, he would have said, I praise the O God that you are so glorious, and I will do your will without question. I love you. Amen. That would have been it. But when he says, let this cup pass. What's the cup? Do you know how it's talked about in other places? Whether it's the book of the revelation or the book of Ezekiel, what's the cup? It's the cup of the wrath of God. What he doesn't want to face is God's displeasure. He doesn't want to face the displeasure of wrath of God. This blows my mind. He's so holy and so pure that he's willing to do all that the Father says until it comes up to saying, Father, be displeased with me. Let me be sin on their behalf so that I may suffer the wrath of God that he has a problem with. Isn't that amazing? We are tempted by hunger and overeating and sex in our sex drive and entertainment and pornography and we're tempted by all sorts of desires that well up in our hearts. We're familiar with what Jesus said from the heart comes adulterism, thefts, murders and all these kinds of things because we think that way. We hold grudges, we want revenge, we think about fantasy, vacations and all sorts of weird things and our desires will lead us astray often because sin is resident in our heart. We have a high priest who can sympathize with our weakness. One who is tempted in every way, yet with us. So what do we do? What do we do? We're no match for the devil. We're sinners by nature. We lust for things that are not right or good things that are right in the right way but not the way we're lusting for them. What do we do? Jesus gives us some pretty good hints, doesn't he? Let me start with this one. Number one, you must be born again. This is just critical. It's critical in the church. It's not enough to be religious. It's not enough to sing hymns of praise. It's not enough to read your Bible and memorize scripture. It's not enough to serve in the church. It's not enough. There's no power in that. You might find power in the church but it's not in your service. It's in him who empowers you to serve. You must be born again. It's the power of the gospel. It's the power of that reconciled relationship with God. It's the power of God in you. Christ in you, the hope of glory. It's there. You must be born again. You must come to God on God's terms, which is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Be reconciled to me through Christ. Let him be your Lord, your king, your master, your substitute in paying for sin, your substitute in being tempted and not giving in, having such a pure heart. It's your only God's favor. It's in Christ. And if you don't have Christ, you don't have reconciliation. You're not born again and you can't please God no matter what you do. You must be born again. But being born again. We just keep doing what we did to get saved, right? We keep crying out to God. We keep telling him, I'm weak. I'm weak. I'm weak. I need thee. Oh, I need thee. Every hour. I need thee. Number two, ask God not to bring you into situations where you are weak and will fall. Oh God, deliver us. Keep us from that. Watch over us. Oh God, you know my weakness. You know my struggle with that. You know how tempted I am to food, to anger, to lust, to pride, to drinking too much, to people pleasing. Put in your own sin. You know where you're weak. Don't put me in those situations where I compromise. And then number three, by the way, number two is pretty much what the catechism told us, right? I asking God to keep us from being tempted. And this number three is the other side. And when we are tempted to deliver us. So ask God to deliver you from falling into sin, where you are tempted. And I really think that's probably what Jesus meant. I may, I don't know if I want this on the microphone or not recorded for all to hear, but I may have to take issue with our catechism on this point. I really think that what Jesus is saying in Luke 22 is pray that you enter not into temptation. It's coming. The crowds are coming. You're going to be by the fire. Satan is demanded to sift you as we it's happening. Pray that you don't fall into the sin. I think that's the primary meaning and how we ought to be praying. Oh God. Don't let me profane your name. If that's what he meant in Luke 22, maybe that's what he means when he teaches us to pray and lead us not into temptation. It's almost the exact same language. And it's consistent with how Paul prayed in in Philippians chapter one, when he's on trial for his life, he's going to stand before Caesar. If he gets thumbs up, he lives. If it's thumbs down, he dies. And he says, I know you're praying for my deliverance. I think it's going to happen that way, because verse 20, chapter one, verse 20, according to my earnest expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in anything. Even though I'm in prison and prison clothes and all these shameful things, I will not be put to shame in anything, but that now is always Christ will be exalted in my body. You can do to me what you want. Beat me, stone me, throw me in prison. It's shame anyway you want, but I won't be put to shame unless I deny Christ. And then I'm ashamed before him. That's the spirit of this prayer. Oh, God, don't let me profane your name. Be exalted in my life. Well, in my body, whether by life or by death, make it in me so that to live as Christ and to die as gain. That's how we're to live on in the flesh. And then finally, keep your eyes on, fixed on Jesus. You know, that's almost an exact quote from Hebrews chapter 12 and verse two. Chapter 11 is the great hall of faith, right by faith, Abraham, by faith, Noah, by faith, all the saints, well, not all the saints, but several of the heroes are mentioned. And chapter 12 starts out, so we have so great a cloud of witnesses, those who testify that God is worth it, that he's true to his word, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses assuring us that our faith is valid and real. Let us also lay aside every incumbrance in the sin, which so easily entangles us and let us run with endurance, the race marked out for us, verse two, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and venager, perfector of the faith, could go on quoting away from that chapter and just take off, but I'll leave it there and just remind you since he himself was tempted in that which he has suffered. He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted. We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but one who was tempted in all things as we are yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. That's it, saints. That's it, brothers and sisters. Our victory over the temptation is fixing our eyes on Jesus. It's coming before him with our prayers. It's trusting in him. We're out of time. I give you stories of my own life how the reason I didn't fall into sin was simply because I had been seeking God that time and I wasn't I wasn't given to the temptation. There's times when we're not given to temptation and there are times when we are and God deliver us in our weakness from those times when we're going to keep us from it. Keep us away from the situation so we're not tempted, but Lord help us seek your face with such grace that the temptation can keep coming like it did on Jesus and we simply do not fall because our eyes are fixed on him. We're fully in love with him and we know that he is worthy of all praise and honor and glory and power. That's where we find victory. Let us pray. Oh Jesus, how unbelievably, unbelievably encouraging it is to know that you knew Peter was going to fall. You knew he was going to deny you. You knew he was going to mess up and you prayed for him as his great high priest and you prayed that he would turn and that his faith would not fail. We want that. O Lord Jesus, pray for us that our faith may not fail but burn all the more brighter so that we see your beauty and majesty and love you with such intensity that it becomes unthinkable. To perform your name by doing our will instead of your own. Oh, help us for we are weak but you are strong. Amen.