Sermon Summary
We continue our journey through Luther’s Small Catechism and we arrive toward the end of the Lord’s Prayer with the following petitions: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” This is a big, huge, intense prayer tucked right inside a prayer we speak on autopilot every week in worship and perhaps every day in our homes. It is not fun to ponder the existence of evil…or the Evil One himself. How can we stand up to temptation? What does God do about evil? Pastor Smith explores these biblical themes in this sermon, shares what God does in response to temptation and evil, and encourages us to pray even more fervently for Jesus to return to once and for all deliver us from evil.
Sermon Notes:
Things get real when you realize the devil is real.
The worst thing that can happen to you is that your faith in God is destroyed.
Temptation vs. testing–what’s the difference?
The goal of temptation is to destroy your faith.
The goal of testing is to strengthen your faith.
When you realize that this world is not going to get any better, then you follow up your “lead us not into temptation” prayer with “deliver us from evil.”
When we pray for God to deliver us from evil, there are at least three different ways God can answer this prayer:
He can rescue us from whatever evil is currently threatening us.
He can remove us from all evil threats by taking us to Himself upon our death.
He can return in glory on the Last Day and put an end to all evil.
What does God do for us in response to the temptation and evil we face in this life?
Discussion Guide
Describe a time when you finally realized a threat/situation/problem was real (your own “things just got real” moment). How did you feel? How did you immediately respond?
Why is it so hard to accept that the devil is real? What difference does it make if you believe the devil is real and active in this world?
How can you tell if you are being tempted or tested?
What can we learn from Jesus in His own experience being tempted by Satan?
When you pray “deliver us from evil”, how are you hoping God will answer that prayer? Is it comfortable for you to pray for the Last Day and the return of Jesus? Why or why not?