Jump Start # 300

  A personal note: We have now reached Jump Start # 300. Amazing. Who would have thought that we would have written 300 of these things. Several congregations are now using these and the number of people requesting our daily devotions continues to grow. We have will soon have a Jump Start website available. The domain name has been secured and the background work is being done. Once it is completed, all of our Jump Starts will be posted and available to read, print or pass on to others. Thank your for your encouragement, for sharing these with others, and above all, for reading these. May God be glorified by these things.

Luke 11:4b “Lead us not into temptation.”

  As we continue looking at the example of prayer given by Jesus, we come to a most interesting statement, “Lead us not into temptation.” Matthew adds to this, “but deliver us from the evil one.”

  Temptation is not wrong in of itself. We know that because Jesus was tempted, yet the Bible says that Jesus never sinned. Temptation is the opportunity to sin. It is Satan’s invitation or the knock on the door. Do we open that door and invite temptation in or do we flee from it?

  Temptation comes in many flavors. It is not a one size fits all. Paul told Timothy to “flee youthful lusts.” I don’t think a person ever out grows temptation nor gets to a point where temptation doesn’t bother him, but through the years temptations change. What tempts a younger person may not tempt a more mature person. Through the years, temptations become less fleshy and more internal. A young man may be tempted to drink. A older man may be tempted with pride and ego. Both have consequences. Both can wreck faith.

  Another aspect about temptation is that it is not the same for each of us. There are so many things that can tempt us. Some would never, ever think about stealing something that didn’t belong to them. Others, have tried that and must fight that temptation. Some are loyal to their mates and wouldn’t dream of being unfaithful, with their eyes, heart or body. Others fantasize and wonder what it would be like. We can be critical of the struggles of others because what they are facing isn’t a temptation for us. But if we looked in the mirror, we’d realize that we have our own struggles and battles.

  Paul told the Corinthians, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.”  Paul uses the word “temptation” three times in this one verse. He tells us many things.

  1. Temptation is common. We can never say, “No one has gone through what I have.” Temptation is common to man. John condensed temptation to “lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and the pride of life.” Most temptations fall into one of those things.

  2. We are not tempted beyond what we are able. It may be 100% but it will never be 101%. We have the promise of the Scriptures for that. Someone might say, “I just couldn’t help it, I had to do it.” No, you really didn’t have to. God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.

3. With every temptation comes an escape hatch. God provides a way out. You have to look for it, but it’s there. Consider Kind David’s adultery with Bathsheba. When he saw her bathing and called for her, his servants said, “this is the wife of Uriah…” Uriah was one of David’s valiant and mighty warriors. Bathsheba was married. Warning signs. Red lights. Escape path opened. David ignored. Temptation led to sin—first in the heart and then in behavior. That is how sin happens. It is born in the heart by temptation. It grows and burns until we act upon it and we have sinned against God.

  Jesus wants us to pray about temptation. Interesting that this statement follows asking God for forgiveness. We wouldn’t need forgiveness if we didn’t sin. We wouldn’t sin if we weren’t tempted. Jesus is gong to the starting point. Temptation. Watch for it. It looms, it lurks, it invites, it knocks on the door of your heart. It reminds you that you deserve some fun and pleasure, even if it is wrong. It tells you that you’ll never get caught, and you usually do. It tells you that God won’t mind, but He does. It tells you that others do it all the time, but that doesn’t make it right. It knocks and knocks and knocks until finally we open the door, and temptation leads us to sin.

  There was a man who fell and broke his arm. He went to his doctor and stated, “Doc, I broke my arm in two different places.” The doctor said, “You ought to stay out of those places.” Good advice. We sing, “Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin..” Pray before you go to work. Pray before you head out with friends. Pray to be strong, pure and remember that you want to go to Heaven more than anything else. Fight, resist, flee those are the words used in the NT to deal with temptation. Don’t discuss it, debate it, nor consider it. Jesus resisted by remembering what God’s word taught. Three times He told Satan, “It is written…”

  That will help you. Fill your heart with God’s word and that word will open doors of escape for you. Peter tells us to “Be holy, like He is holy.” We can. We shall. We must.

Roger

Jump Start # 299

Luke 11:4 “And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.”

  We continue our journey through the model prayer, the prayer that Jesus taught. The prayer began with praising God for who He is. He is hallowed. His name is hallowed. The prayer looked forward to the fulfilling of God’s promise of a kingdom. Then it moved to simple things like, asking God for daily bread.

  Now, the prayer quickly turns to the delicate, difficult and important spiritual concept—forgiveness of sins. As one asks God for the daily bread, he now asks God for forgiveness. To walk through this life with food in the body but with sins in the heart is a wretched way to journey. It is God who forgives.

  Jesus noted in this request that we are asking God to do what we have done—granted forgiveness. It is an interesting word that Luke uses, “everyone who is INDEBTED to us.” That has a financial sound to it. It is as if they owe us something—and they do. Jesus often defined sin like a debt (cf. Mt 18). When you sin, you owe. You owe much. Making things right comes to our mind. Owing an apology would help matters. The act of forgiveness is to “release” what is owed. The debt is forgiven. Nothing is owed. The balance has been paid by grace. Jesus expects us to forgive. How can we ask God to forgive when we haven’t forgiven?

  In Matthew’s account of this model prayer, we find Jesus adding some commentary to what He showed in the prayer. Of all the elements of the prayer, there is only one that He returns to and that is forgiveness. Matthew writes, “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions” (Mt 6:14-15). Not only does Jesus expect us to forgive others, but our forgiveness from God is conditioned upon how we treat others. Our failure to forgive will result in God’s refusing to forgive. How can we expect God to forgive if we won’t?

  When the crippled man was lowered down through the roof before Jesus as He was teaching, the first thing the Lord said was, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” The friends brought the crippled man to Jesus to heal his legs. He left with more than that, a healed heart. Forgiveness is based upon grace. It is a second chance. It is generated by love and hope for the wrong person. God does not owe us forgiveness. He doesn’t have to forgive. This prayer reminds us that we are to “ask” for forgiveness.

  The result of forgiveness is a clean heart and a new start with God. It means God hasn’t turned His back and thrown in the towel on the guilty. When the prodigal headed home, His father saw him and raced toward him with love and acceptance. The Father had been looking. He’d longed for the day his son returned. He didn’t beat him, lecture him nor make him spend the night in the barn. He was forgiven. The son owed nothing.

  One thing about grace and forgiveness—they don’t make a lot of sense. We live by the motto of “if you do the crime, you do the time!” Or, we think, after you have paid everything back and made everything right, then I’ll forgive you. What is there to forgive after the debt has been paid back and made right? Is that how God treats us?

  Paul told the Ephesians to “forgive one another, just as God in Christ Jesus has also forgiven you” (Eph 4:32). We have been hurt by others and we have ourselves hurt other people. We need to forgive and we ourselves need to be forgiven. It seems that some forget that. They can be so critical and judgmental and harsh on those who have hurt them, but indifferent to their own sins.

  Can you forgive others? Can you let it go? Do you always have to remind them of what they did? Do you say things like, “I’ll never get over it,” or, “I’ll never forgive.” What then do you expect God to do to you? Are you so different?

  Forgiveness is something that we need to work on. The failure to forgive kills families, destroys churches and leaves our hearts bitter, sour and hateful. This is not the way God wants us to live.

  We need forgiveness and we need to forgive others. We are to ask God for our forgiveness and we are to extend forgiveness to those who owe us. This is God’s way. This is what God wants. Easy? Never. Possible? Always.

  Nothing is more Christ like than forgiveness. A person can be generous without being godly. A person can be kind to the hurting. But for the wounded to offer forgiveness, that’s a characteristic of God.

Roger