₦Sermon 24
LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION
(A Sermon Preached by Rev. Fortune E.C. Nwaiwu)
“And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from all evil”— Matthew 6:13 KJV.
Texts: Matthew 6:12-13; James 1:13; 1 Cor. 10:13
Temptation is an inducement used by devil to weigh down or subdue Christians. Satan uses temptation to cause believers’ faith to be at low ebb. Jesus Christ knows this and He taught us how to put everything in prayers so that we can overcome temptations. Though, temptation is real but our prayer is that let not God lead us into temptation but deliver us from all evils.
What we say or do may be a temptation to us -
In one community, a certain woman was seen muttering curses on her children. She said that her children would not see anything good in life because she had been wrought with grief by them. In the course of time, her children grew up and became nuisance to the society and nothing good was coming on their way because they are children of evil cursed by their mother. And the daughters of the woman were not able to get married because they were being subjected to and lived under the influence of the curses laid upon them by their mother. Later on, the woman was heard during intercessory prayers in a crusade ground that any man who blocks her children’s progress should die - let him die! Die! Die! Die by fire!
A year later, she died. Her pronounced curses laid down upon her children became a temptation that expired her life and brought deterrents to her entire household.
I know that there must be some certain things which would make us or cause us to curse, after all, Jesus cursed a fig tree and it withered. The same curse can be a temptation to you.
The love of money is a temptation to God’s people and his priests. Those priests that love money are often tempted to embezzle church money. This is also applicable to the elders and treasurers of believers who keep church money either in the bank or in their home. It may be a snare to them and they would woefully delve their stealing hand on the money and spend it to solve their personal aggrandizement or problems while the church problems remain unsolved. However, the love of money and our riches is a temptation which we should abhor with great passion because loving money is an indirect decision to serve idol instead of the Living God. This issue of love for money lured Micah to steal his mother’s money, and upon returning it, the mother became so excited and used it to pay a blacksmith to carve an idol for her (Judges 17:1-13).
Our relationships or marriage can bring temptation which we should always pray for God to help us out. Jacob came across a temptation in his life when he worked for Rachel, a woman he loved so much and Laban gave him Leah his first daughter. Though as history of ancient Israel may have it, the first daughter in a family must marry first before other ones. This was at stake at the time Jacob came across Rachel. Actually, Laban was aware that Jacob loved Rachel but did not want to go contrary to the custom of the land and so Leah was presented to Jacob before he would work for another seven years as to marry Rachel, the woman of his heart desire.
Also, Job was tempted by his wife to curse his God and die. In a household, there are some women that are devils in human form. They hate their husbands leaving them behind for ministerial programmes. They only want their husband to stay at home for merriment and pleasures. If a man marries such a woman who does not encourage him to worship God and any money he gives out for church development would cause problems in the family, such a man is facing a temptation and he should always pray that God should deliver him from it.
Greed is another factor that may lead us into temptation. Saul was ordered by God to destroy everything in Amalek including properties, animals and every living soul. But when Saul saw the fatling sheep, goats, silver, gold and other beautiful things, he reserved them for himself. He even spared the life of King Agag, the King of Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:9).
What do we have to say? Can we say that God led Saul into temptation? No! James says: “Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted” for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one”. Thus, it was greed that caused Saul to be tempted which was necessitated by his evil desires. God planned not to lead him into temptation by giving him some instruction which would serve as a guideline to follow. Our problem is always being; we don’t take God’s instructions so serious and so, we get into problem. The problem with Saul is that he wanted to be rich with those fatling cows and gold and silver. They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition (1Timothy 6:9 KJV). Thus, Saul desired to get rich but when he was rebuked by Samuel, he equivocally uttered lies. He said those bleating of sheep and lowing of oxen which Samuel hears would be used to sacrifice unto the LORD (1Samuel 15:15). The fact is that we cannot claim to be wiser than God, our Creator. When we desire to be rich, temptation upon temptation will come on our way. If really Saul had obeyed God’s instruction to put everything in perdition, God would have loved to say to him: Because thou have kept the word of my patience; I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon the entire world, to try them that dwell upon the earth (Rev. 3:10).
Criticizing your fellow human being who does you no harm can also lead you into temptation and destruction. At times temptation is in our ungodly mouths that leak out unscrupulous words on our fellow man. Those that have flippant mouths easily get into trouble. Mirian was struck with a deadly skin disease because of her unjust criticism over a man of God, Moses. We should avoid criticizing unjustly and stop spreading false rumours here and there so that when devil comes into our ways, God will deliver us from him.
————Meditation Point—————
The Most Holy God lead me not into temptation but deliver me from ALL evil like you delivered Paul and Silas from their trial. O Lord of ages past, in the days of my trial, may you draw me nearer to you and set me free. Amen.
LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION
(A Sermon Preached by Rev. Fortune E.C. Nwaiwu)
“And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from all evil”— Matthew 6:13 KJV.
Texts: Matthew 6:12-13; James 1:13; 1 Cor. 10:13
Temptation is an inducement used by devil to weigh down or subdue Christians. Satan uses temptation to cause believers’ faith to be at low ebb. Jesus Christ knows this and He taught us how to put everything in prayers so that we can overcome temptations. Though, temptation is real but our prayer is that let not God lead us into temptation but deliver us from all evils.
What we say or do may be a temptation to us -
In one community, a certain woman was seen muttering curses on her children. She said that her children would not see anything good in life because she had been wrought with grief by them. In the course of time, her children grew up and became nuisance to the society and nothing good was coming on their way because they are children of evil cursed by their mother. And the daughters of the woman were not able to get married because they were being subjected to and lived under the influence of the curses laid upon them by their mother. Later on, the woman was heard during intercessory prayers in a crusade ground that any man who blocks her children’s progress should die - let him die! Die! Die! Die by fire!
A year later, she died. Her pronounced curses laid down upon her children became a temptation that expired her life and brought deterrents to her entire household.
I know that there must be some certain things which would make us or cause us to curse, after all, Jesus cursed a fig tree and it withered. The same curse can be a temptation to you.
The love of money is a temptation to God’s people and his priests. Those priests that love money are often tempted to embezzle church money. This is also applicable to the elders and treasurers of believers who keep church money either in the bank or in their home. It may be a snare to them and they would woefully delve their stealing hand on the money and spend it to solve their personal aggrandizement or problems while the church problems remain unsolved. However, the love of money and our riches is a temptation which we should abhor with great passion because loving money is an indirect decision to serve idol instead of the Living God. This issue of love for money lured Micah to steal his mother’s money, and upon returning it, the mother became so excited and used it to pay a blacksmith to carve an idol for her (Judges 17:1-13).
Our relationships or marriage can bring temptation which we should always pray for God to help us out. Jacob came across a temptation in his life when he worked for Rachel, a woman he loved so much and Laban gave him Leah his first daughter. Though as history of ancient Israel may have it, the first daughter in a family must marry first before other ones. This was at stake at the time Jacob came across Rachel. Actually, Laban was aware that Jacob loved Rachel but did not want to go contrary to the custom of the land and so Leah was presented to Jacob before he would work for another seven years as to marry Rachel, the woman of his heart desire.
Also, Job was tempted by his wife to curse his God and die. In a household, there are some women that are devils in human form. They hate their husbands leaving them behind for ministerial programmes. They only want their husband to stay at home for merriment and pleasures. If a man marries such a woman who does not encourage him to worship God and any money he gives out for church development would cause problems in the family, such a man is facing a temptation and he should always pray that God should deliver him from it.
Greed is another factor that may lead us into temptation. Saul was ordered by God to destroy everything in Amalek including properties, animals and every living soul. But when Saul saw the fatling sheep, goats, silver, gold and other beautiful things, he reserved them for himself. He even spared the life of King Agag, the King of Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:9).
What do we have to say? Can we say that God led Saul into temptation? No! James says: “Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted” for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one”. Thus, it was greed that caused Saul to be tempted which was necessitated by his evil desires. God planned not to lead him into temptation by giving him some instruction which would serve as a guideline to follow. Our problem is always being; we don’t take God’s instructions so serious and so, we get into problem. The problem with Saul is that he wanted to be rich with those fatling cows and gold and silver. They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition (1Timothy 6:9 KJV). Thus, Saul desired to get rich but when he was rebuked by Samuel, he equivocally uttered lies. He said those bleating of sheep and lowing of oxen which Samuel hears would be used to sacrifice unto the LORD (1Samuel 15:15). The fact is that we cannot claim to be wiser than God, our Creator. When we desire to be rich, temptation upon temptation will come on our way. If really Saul had obeyed God’s instruction to put everything in perdition, God would have loved to say to him: Because thou have kept the word of my patience; I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon the entire world, to try them that dwell upon the earth (Rev. 3:10).
Criticizing your fellow human being who does you no harm can also lead you into temptation and destruction. At times temptation is in our ungodly mouths that leak out unscrupulous words on our fellow man. Those that have flippant mouths easily get into trouble. Mirian was struck with a deadly skin disease because of her unjust criticism over a man of God, Moses. We should avoid criticizing unjustly and stop spreading false rumours here and there so that when devil comes into our ways, God will deliver us from him.
————Meditation Point—————
The Most Holy God lead me not into temptation but deliver me from ALL evil like you delivered Paul and Silas from their trial. O Lord of ages past, in the days of my trial, may you draw me nearer to you and set me free. Amen.
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