[0:00] Turn to God's Word. Of course, two readings. Our first reading is in the book of James. The book of James. In chapter 1.
[0:11] The second reading will be in Matthew, chapter 6. First of all, James, chapter 1. James 1, reading the whole chapter together.
[0:26] Let's hear the Word of God. James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad.
[0:39] Greeting. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
[0:52] But that patience have her perfect work. That you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God.
[1:03] That giveth to all men liberally. And upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven of the wind and tossed.
[1:18] For let not that man think he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted.
[1:34] For the rich in that he is made low. Because as a flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat. But it withereth the grass.
[1:46] And the flower thereof falleth. And the grace of the fashion of it perisheth. So also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. Blessed is a man that endureth temptation.
[2:00] For when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life. Which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God.
[2:12] For God cannot be tempted of evil. Neither tempteth he any man. For every man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed.
[2:25] And then when lust have conceived, it bringeth forth sin. And sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren.
[2:37] Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. And cometh down from the Father of lights. Of whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with a word of truth.
[2:53] For we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
[3:06] For wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart of filthiness, and so fluidity, and naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
[3:20] But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. Could it any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer? He is like unto a man, beholding his natural face in a glass.
[3:35] For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgeteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
[3:56] If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. Pure religion, and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless, and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
[4:18] Turn again to Matthew, of course Matthew 6. I'm reading the Lord's Prayer together from verse 9. Matthew 6 and verse 9.
[4:29] Matthew 6 and verse 9. After this manner, therefore pray ye, our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
[4:50] 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.
[5:02] For vine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. Amen. We could praise the God again for his holy, his perfect word.
[5:14] Let's join together and sing to God's praise once more. This time singing from Psalm 91. Psalm 91.
[5:25] Psalm 91. We'll sing verses 1 down to verse 4 of the psalm. 91 verses 1 to 4.
[5:37] He that doth in the secret place of the Most High reside, under the shade of him that is the Almighty shall abide, I offer Lord my God will say, He is my refuge still, He is my fortress and my God, and in Him trust I will.
[5:54] Psalm 91 verses 1 to 4. The God's praise. The God's praise. The God's praise. Of the Lord have any magari, among the man who is not in the дома, the將 who means, the ab za'er ребят of his sea, the right of his reign, O Lord have any of us not have any good Nik worlds now.
[6:28] I teach at the right. An oath of the Lord my God will save.
[6:43] He is my refuge still. He is my Lord, better man, my God.
[7:00] And in Him Christ I will. A Jew did be, He shall be saved.
[7:19] And here I teachings eso. Thrones chauceró still at' Taos chaucerón no está mixte reading Because I to a 있다.
[7:44] The slayer shall be high in thy brows, Undone this wind shall be.
[8:02] This faithfulness shall be as you have a fellow to thee.
[8:23] Let's turn back to Matthew chapter 6. Matthew chapter 6. We'll find ourselves in the last petition, the last section here of the Lord's Prayer.
[8:39] Matthew 6 and verse 13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
[8:57] I've said it for the last five weeks. Why not the last week too? Just a reminder to us. This is a prayer. We can go home just now. Even your minds just now.
[9:09] You can pray this prayer. You can, tomorrow morning as you wake up first thing, you can turn and you can pray the Lord's Prayer. Word for word as we have it here. And mean every word.
[9:21] It's a beautiful prayer. As we said week after week. It's a framework for prayer. We have that from verse 9. After this manner.
[9:32] Or quite literally, in this way. In this way. Where Jesus is telling us that as we pray this prayer, we do so in this way. Jesus is giving us here a framework of prayer.
[9:47] We've had the privilege, haven't we, of looking section by section. And we've encountered parts of this prayer which are so far beyond us. We've had to dig into the reality of God's will.
[9:59] Of the very, as it were, mind of God. The plan of God. We've found ourselves there saying and understanding very little.
[10:10] And saying that God is God. But we are not. But trusting in him nonetheless. We've found ourselves looking at the kingdom of God. Of God's perfect plan to bring in his people.
[10:24] Across the world. Across the centuries. That he has his people. He will save his people. He will bring his people in.
[10:36] Then we came very much down, didn't we? Looking at daily bread. Looking at the daily reality of sustenance in our life. What it is to be fed and be clothed.
[10:47] To trust that God cares even for the small, as it were. The small daily things in the lives of his people. Last week we saw the prayer to forgive us our sins, our debts.
[11:02] The reality of us Christians. That we still sin against the Holy God. Every time we ask that he would forgive us. We are reminded of our own smallness. Our own sinfulness.
[11:14] But more than that we are reminded as to his goodness. His love. His graciousness. His mercy. Here we come to the end of this prayer.
[11:26] And Jesus ends. By teaching the disciples to pray for something. Which we perhaps wouldn't end our prayers with. Lead us not into temptation.
[11:40] But deliver us from evil. I fear that every week we've said the same thing. That there's so much to say here. We can but only give an overview.
[11:50] Because there's so much we delve into. As with the rest of the prayer. Every word we could just mine it for all it's worth. And go into the depth for all it's worth.
[12:03] But this is a prayer. This is a practical prayer that Jesus gave the disciples. He is here teaching them how to pray. And if we leave this place tonight.
[12:13] With all the knowledge. And all the precise theology around this topic. Then perhaps not a bad thing. But we haven't left this place. Learning what God's word is here teaching us.
[12:27] We're supposed to leave this place tonight. With God's help. Having spent time in his word. Our goal. Our hope. Our aim. As it is the goal and the aim. For the whole of our last few weeks together.
[12:39] Our last five weeks together. Is to leave this place. Having a better idea. How we might pray. How we should be praying. Jesus here.
[12:51] He ends his teaching to the disciples. On a very. Very. Serious. Note. A very. Very. Serious.
[13:02] Note. And we can do as we've been doing. The last few weeks. To take it section. By. Section. Until here. The first section. And together.
[13:13] Where Jesus. Teached the disciples. To pray to God. Lead us not. Into. Temptation. Lead us not. Into. Temptation.
[13:25] Perhaps. Dear brothers. Or sisters. And dear friends. Also. You've prayed this prayer. Hundreds. Thousands. Of times. I don't know what the mass would be in your life.
[13:36] Those of you who are older. Have perhaps prayed this prayer. Many. Many. Hundreds of times. And you've prayed this exact phrase. Many. Many. Hundreds. Of times.
[13:47] The question is. Have you ever stopped at this phrase. And think it's a strange thing to say. It's not a strange way to word it. What do we mean?
[14:00] Or why do we ask. That God would not lead us. Into temptation. It's not a surprise here. I'm sure. For any of us. That this is a section of the Lord's Prayer.
[14:10] Which has caused much discussion. And. Indeed. To some. Honest Christians. Some confusion. Some worry. At times. What does it mean.
[14:22] For God. Not to lead us. Into temptation. We read together. We'll get back to this. In a second. At length. We read together. In James.
[14:33] We're reading a wee second. In 1 Corinthians. Here we have. A reminder for us. That God. This is from. College. It's not my quote. I can't remember.
[14:43] Which little lecture said it. But God. Doesn't speak in verses. God. Doesn't speak in verses. We have to remember. That. That the verses. And chapters. They are useful.
[14:53] They are helpful. But they are man-made. The verses. And chapters. In our Bibles. Are not inspired. Not inspired at all. But they are helpful. They are useful. And we thank God.
[15:04] For them. They are useful for us. But as we read. This prayer. As a full prayer. It helps us. To understand. A wee bit more. And to unravel. What's going on.
[15:14] In these verses. The issue is. If it's not clear. To us. The issue is. How can we say. In one hand.
[15:25] God. Lead us not into temptation. If. On the other hand. We say. That God. Does not tempt anyone. How do these two things.
[15:36] Go together. We read in James. If you have your Bibles. Still there. Please turn back to James. If not. We'll just read it. Together. Anyway. But we read in James. And chapter one.
[15:49] James. And chapter one. We have. Verses 12. And verse 13. James. James one. Verse 12. Blessed is a man. That endureth temptation. For when he has tried.
[16:00] He shall receive. The crown of life. Which the Lord. Hath promised to them. That. Love him. Something very important.
[16:12] In this verse. See. Here. That the word. We have. For temptation. Is the same root word. We have here. For the word. Thried. We see it here.
[16:24] In the first few verses. Even. Of James. Verse 2. My brethren. Count it all joy. When you fall. Into diverse temptations. Or. When you face.
[16:36] Varying. Trials. When you face. Varying. Trials. The same root word. Here. We could pray in this prayer.
[16:46] The same thing is being said. Lead us. Not into trial. Lead us. Not into trial. James. Verse 12. Verse 13. Tells us. With verse 13.
[16:58] Let no man say. When he's tempted. I am tempted of God. For God. Cannot be tempted. With evil. Neither tempted he. Any man. The Christians here.
[17:10] Know this. We know this ourselves. That God. Does not tempt. Satan. Tempts. Our own sin. Leads us to temptation. And James covers that. God does not tempt. So what do we pray?
[17:21] What are we saying to our Lord. Our good father in heaven. When we say to him. Lead us not to temptation. What are we actually saying there? We are saying. Quite simply.
[17:33] Quite clearly. Lord this day. Lord this week. This month. This hour. Please. Please don't allow me to face.
[17:43] Any temptations. To face. Any trials. See. See. We could. Go on. The next hour. Or two.
[17:54] And ask all the questions. And delve into all the details. What it is. Where God leads us. And God's will. And God's purposes. And how he leads us. And how he guides us. And his providence towards us.
[18:05] And we can delve into these things. And there's. There's space. And there's time. To delve into these things. But see. This here is not Jesus teaching providence. Not teaching.
[18:16] How God works out his plans. And lives as people know. This is Jesus teaching his disciples. A practical prayer. This is not the time for us. To go into the depths of these things.
[18:28] This is a practical prayer. And Jesus is teaching us. To pray very practically. As we come to God. Lord. Please this day. Please this hour.
[18:39] Please keep me away from temptation. Please keep me away from trial. See first and foremost. This is recognizing. Our weakness. As we pray.
[18:50] Lead us not into temptation. We are praying. And we are reminding ourselves. That we are so easily tempted. We are so easily led into temptation.
[19:01] When the trials come. When hardships come. If we're honest. So many of us. That so many times. We begin to buckle. And to fall. And to fail so quickly.
[19:12] We saw it this morning. Didn't we? We saw it this morning. As we saw Peter. The second. The second. He is without Jesus. For some time. He goes back into the old ways of things.
[19:25] As we heard this morning. Same for us. Isn't it? Dear brother. Dear sister. How quickly. You and I. How quickly. We find ourselves falling into sin. The second. The second. We face temptation.
[19:37] Even as temptation. We think we've somehow beaten. Or got over. We face it. And we fail. Face it again.
[19:48] And we fail again. We come face to face. With a trial. In our lives. And we find ourselves. Just buckling. So quickly. Under that trial. As we pray to the Lord.
[20:00] Lead us not into temptation. We are acknowledging. We are reminding ourselves. How easily. And how quickly. We are tempted. We pray this. Because we need.
[20:10] To pray it. The Christians here. That we will. We will happily. Not happily. We will. Honestly. At least admit. That we are so easily tempted.
[20:21] We who know our saviour. Who love our saviour. Who have been taken. From death. To life. From darkness. To light. We still grieve.
[20:33] Do we not? We still grieve. Of the reality. That we fall. And fall into sin. Here's what we're saying. Where verses. Aren't inspired. Because verse 13. Leads directly.
[20:44] In the Greek. From verse 12. As we said last week. The original text. Is this one. Bunched up. A bit of text. There's no spaces. There's no punctuation.
[20:55] Forgive us our debts. As we forgive our debtors. And. The and there. Is very important. That connects. The two thoughts together. And lead us. Not into temptation.
[21:06] We are sinners. And because we are sinners. We so easily. And so quickly. Fall into temptation. God.
[21:17] Does not tempt. James tells us. That. James 1. And verse 13. Again. And verse 14. Verse 14.
[21:28] We're reminded. God. Does not tempt. Verse 14. But every man. Is tempted. When are we tempted? When he is drawn. Away. Of his own lust.
[21:38] And enticed. And so on. Even our own circles. Our own history. I'm sure we ourselves. Have heard it said. We blame.
[21:49] The satan. We blame the devil. For things. Dear brothers. Dear sisters. He need not be blamed. We. In of ourselves. Are quite capable. Of falling into temptation.
[22:00] We of ourselves. Are more than capable. Of falling into all our own lusts. Our own sins. Our own failings. And shortcomings. We're quite capable. And quite able. To our own shame.
[22:11] Of sinning. There's times. And situations. Yes. Where he may be involved. But that is not the norm. The norm. As we see here in James. Where we.
[22:22] Each one of us. Because of our desire. And our. Our sin nature. The Christians here. Will agree with us. That we find ourselves. As Paul says.
[22:33] Does he not. We find that the old man. Still there. The old man. Still fighting in us. Wanting to get out. Wanting to do his thing. Or her thing.
[22:45] Their thing. That sin nature in us. That seeks to. To rebel. Again and again. As we pray to God. Please lead us. Not into temptation.
[22:56] Please lead us. Away from situations. We will face temptation. Lead us away. From situations. We will face. Trial. And pain. And be tempted. Please keep us away.
[23:08] From situations. And people. And circumstances. That will lead us to sin. We pray that. And we acknowledge. That we are weak. But with that.
[23:19] We acknowledge. That he is not. We pray this. Understanding. That he is able. To actually answer. This prayer. You can answer.
[23:30] This. Prayer. 1 Corinthians. And chapter 10. 1 Corinthians. And chapter 10. And verse. 13.
[23:41] Of that chapter. 1 Corinthians 10. And verse 13. Where we are told. There hath no temptation. Taken you. Such as common to man.
[23:53] But God is faithful. Who will not suffer you. To be tempted above. What you are able. But will with a temptation. Also make a way. To escape. That you may also.
[24:04] That you may be able. To bear it. God is faithful. Who will not suffer. You to be tempted. Above.
[24:14] That you are able. But will with a temptation. Also make. A way. To escape. 1 Corinthians. 10. And 13. The Christians here.
[24:27] Will know this ourselves. We will face temptations. And trials. And issues. And we will find ourselves. Being drawn back into the world. And when we fall.
[24:40] And sin. And find ourselves. Then coming to God. In repentance. When we come and ask God. As we do in verse 12. To forgive. Our debts. We look back. Don't we.
[24:50] We often look back. And see how we sinned. And see how we fell. And we see. But we didn't have to do that. Dear Christian. We are free. From the shackles of sin.
[25:02] Yes. We will sin. We are not perfect. Not. Not actively perfect. We have been declared righteous. Declared perfect. Yes. But in our lives. And who we are.
[25:13] We are still fighting that old man. We are still fighting that sin. But God assures us. That as his people. There is never a situation we are in. Never a temptation we face.
[25:25] Never a sin or a trial we are faced with. That God has not provided for us. As it were. A way out of that sin. And if all else fails.
[25:37] As we face temptation. As we face sin. The Christian. We have something that those around us. Do not have. We can. And we must. At that moment.
[25:49] Bring it to Christ. To the foot. Of the throne of grace. We're what? What do we find at the throne of grace? Help. Mercy. Grace.
[26:01] When? When does God give us mercy? When does God give us that grace? That help the most? In time. Of need. Dear Christian.
[26:12] This week. This evening. This day. As the weeks go on. As the days go on. When you find yourself being tempted. And facing. Trial. Trial. Bring it to the Lord.
[26:24] And trust that he is faithful. That he is faithful. As we're told here. In 1 Corinthians. Chapter 10. That God is faithful.
[26:36] And he will not suffer you to be tempted above what you're able. But will give you that way of escape. That you may be able to bear it. He is a faithful God. A kind God.
[26:47] As you pray to the God who loves you. Who calls himself your father. To the one who calls you. Dear Christian. His precious child. As you pray. Lead me not.
[26:59] Lead us not. Into temptation. You mean that prayer. And trust. That he is able to accomplish. To work out that prayer. In your life. You will fail.
[27:11] I will fail. You will fall. I will fall. You will sin. I will sin. We keep praying that prayer. Trusting and knowing. That God. Is able. And willing.
[27:24] To lead us not. Into temptation. The way that carries on. Lead us not into temptation. That's asking of course God. To lead us away from.
[27:35] Our sins. To keep us safe. From falling. And from stumbling. Into sin. But then we see. There is. Much more. Than that.
[27:47] Taking place. As we finish. This prayer. But deliver us. From evil. Deliver us. From. Evil.
[28:01] Here we see something else. Taking place. In the first half. We pray that God. Would deliver us. As it were. Would rescue us. Would keep us safe. From ourselves. From ourselves. As James tells us.
[28:13] From our lusts. From our sins. From our failing. Our falling. Here we go from. Internal. To external. Isso.
[28:33] From evil. To a Christian. The very famous quote. From C.S. Lewis. Although he says himself. He didn't come up with it. But he says where he got it from.
[28:45] He heard it himself. That the greatest trick the devil has ever played on mankind. Two tricks. On one side the devil. Allows us to never think about him.
[28:58] That he. He pretends. Or he makes it that we pretend. Or we think he doesn't exist. The other trick the devil plays. Is that we think about him too much.
[29:10] All we think about is. Is who he is. And his schemes. When we come to end our prayer. We are reminded as to the reality of evil. The reality.
[29:21] Of evil around us. The evil that faces. The Christian. Day by day. Hour by hour. And minute by minute. And the truth is.
[29:33] As we come to read this verse. We shouldn't be uncomfortable. But we should be reminded. That we. At this moment. Are facing this reality. We sit here just now.
[29:43] And we're here because it's. Part of our weekly worship to our Lord. We're here because we long to be here. To worship God. Those of us. Who know the Lord. We're here. As part of our pattern.
[29:54] But we might. And we perhaps have. Lost sight. That right now. This very moment in time. As you sit here. As we worship God together here.
[30:06] Around us. And as it were beside us. There is spiritual warfare taking place. And I fear as Christians. We have lost sight of this reality.
[30:18] Those that have gone before us. Even those who I knew well. Who were. Quite private. And quite quiet. But they were able. And willing.
[30:28] And capable. Of talking about. Spiritual realities. They didn't kid themselves. That these things. Weren't real. Dear friends. Scripture is not silent here.
[30:39] Scripture is very clear. That we are facing. Evil. Around us. Day. By day. Day. By day. Day. That's made so clear to us.
[30:51] In Romans 8. Romans 8. Where Paul is of course making up. This final glorious gospel. Proclamation. But he talks about. Who he faces.
[31:01] Or who as Christians. We face. Or what we face. Romans 8. And verse 38. He says this. For I am persuaded. That neither death.
[31:13] Nor life. That we understand. That we grasp. Nor angels. Nor principalities. Nor powers. Nor things present. Nor things.
[31:24] To come. We'll go back to that in a second. Neither death nor life. Angels. Principalities. Powers. Here Paul is reminding.
[31:37] These Christians. He's writing to in Rome. That they are facing. Not just the physical enemies. Who will persecute them. And seek for death. But they are facing.
[31:48] Fallen angels. Principalities. And powers. These three. Phrases all have the same root. They're all speaking about. Spiritual enemies. Dear Christian.
[31:59] At this moment. You are facing. A spiritual enemy. There is evil. At this moment. Seeking to what? Kill. Steal. And destroy. That is the mission.
[32:12] That's his slogan. That is the mission statement. Of Satan. Of the evil one. Kill. Steal. And destroy. That is what his aim is.
[32:23] Day. And night. All the time. That is all he wants to do. Is kill. Steal. And destroy. To disrupt the gospel work. In your life.
[32:35] In this community. We can't for a second forget. That we are truly facing. Evil. This very evening. When you go home.
[32:45] To your own homes. When you go about your daily business. Around you. That is waging. A spiritual warfare. Again. Our forebears. Were so much. Happier to discuss these things.
[32:57] I feel. As in our modern age. We've. We've lost sight. As to the reality of it. The Puritans themselves. And those before them. The early church fathers. Were so open.
[33:09] And happy. To discuss these things. We see. And we know. That. In our modern age. That times have changed. Perhaps. That. That Satan.
[33:21] He presents himself. Of course. We know it. As an angel of light. He is smart. To a Christian. He is smarter than you. And smarter than I. He is smart. He presents himself.
[33:32] In our day. In a way. That will work for him. He presents himself. In different parts of the world. In ways. That will work there. But a part of this world.
[33:43] Where witchcraft. Is real. We think. Oh. Silly. That's silly. But a place in this world. Where those. Who call themselves. Witches. Other names.
[33:54] That they call upon. Dark powers. To do things. Which really do take place. Of course. There are many frauds. And many fake people. We know that. Mediums.
[34:04] And witches. And everything else. But there are those. Who work these powers. To a Christian. We must be understanding. Of that. It's in our own culture.
[34:15] Isn't it? It's in our own culture. In the days gone by. There are those. Who would see things. Who could do things. Who could. Who could sense things.
[34:26] These people weren't liars. They were genuine. We have hundreds of stories. Of those. And this is not a time. Or place to go into it. You know yourselves.
[34:36] The stories. And the accounts. Of those who have gone before us. Of those in our own villages. The second sight. And so on. And so on. You could see things.
[34:47] And know things. And so on. We live in a spiritual reality. And it's to our own shame. That we forget that. And just as we pray.
[34:57] That God would deliver us. From temptation. We also pray. He would deliver us. From evil. The truth is. Brothers and sisters. That by yourself. And by myself. We have no power.
[35:08] Against these creatures. Against these things. Against these principalities. These rulers. Against Satan himself. And in all for ourselves. We have no hope.
[35:19] We have no help. That's why we pray. So clearly. We pray. Deliver us. See.
[35:31] For all the reality. Of the spiritual world. All the reality. Of a darkness. That fights against us. And the gospel. Day by day. And minute by minute. We're not to be frightened.
[35:42] Dear Christian. Not to be frightened. In the slightest. Because we. Are praying. To the one. Who can. Who does. And who will. Deliver us.
[35:55] Deliver us. As we pray to God. Deliver us. From evil. We're reminded. Of at least three things. We're reminded. First of all. Of course.
[36:05] As to his power. Over even the darkest. Of evils. We see that. In the book of Job. That. That even Satan. In his. In his. Biggest.
[36:16] And best. Displays. Of his. Power. Even then. God. Reigns. Supreme. God. Reigns. Supreme. Even Satan.
[36:27] Himself. Has no power. Only as God. Allows him. And there's much. Mystery in us. For that. Much mystery. That's mystery. We cannot touch.
[36:38] Scripture doesn't. Give it to us. It's not ours. To delve into. But we. We are told. That. That even. That the darkest. Of evils. That God has power.
[36:49] Infinite power. Over these things. These are all. Created creatures. Satan. And his. Fellow. Fallen angels. All these powers. And principalities. They are all.
[37:01] Created creatures. Who themselves. Who themselves. Are. Under. And will one day. Be fully destroyed.
[37:12] And sent into hell. By God. Deliver us. We're reminded us. There's power over evil. We're also reminded.
[37:23] Towards that final day. When all is done. When the day of judgment comes. When as it were. Hell is. Is truly opened.
[37:34] Who. Is hell. Or who. Was. Hell. Prepared for. First and foremost.
[37:45] The devil. And his angels. As we pray. Deliver us from evil. We're reminding ourselves. This does not last forever. The day is coming.
[37:55] And is soon approaching. When God will show his love. And his goodness. Show his sovereign power. And will destroy. Will destroy. Eternally. And place into hell.
[38:06] Eternally. All the evil. Of this world. The devil. And his angels. All his principalities. And powers. Which have waged war. Against him and his people.
[38:17] From the start. The day is coming. When their end will be. We're reminded. As to his sovereign power. Over all of creation.
[38:30] There is no time just now. And this is not the place. For us to delve into stories. And to our own accounts. But dear Christian. Can I assure you. Dear brother. Dear sister. If you know what it is.
[38:42] To face this spiritual evil. And indeed I know. There are many here. Who will know this themselves. To face that spiritual darkness. Those times. When you feel the oppression.
[38:54] Of the enemy around you. Or beside you. This week. This night. Be assured. Be assured. As you worship the Lord.
[39:04] You are worshiping the one. And the only one. Who can. Who will. Deliver you. Who will. Deliver you. The only one.
[39:17] Who is able. To take the power. Of evil. Which hangs over you. And to remind you. That he has you. We read from Romans 8.
[39:29] Where Paul. Of course. Reads. And reminds. The listeners. Of his day. Of his principalities. His powers. His angels. In verse 38. But how does Paul.
[39:40] End this section. He says. For I am persuaded. That neither death. Nor life. Nor angels. Nor principalities.
[39:51] Nor powers. Nor things present. Nor things to come. Nor height. Nor depth. Nor any other creature. Shall be able.
[40:01] To what? Shall be able. To separate us. From the love of God. Which is in. Christ Jesus. Our Lord. Dear Christian.
[40:12] As you pray. To the Lord. As you pray. To your Father. In heaven. Who hears you. As you pray. For protection. This new week. Pray.
[40:22] First and foremost. For. That. Your own sins. And your own lusts. Your own weaknesses. That God. Will keep you. Safe. From your own falling. As we said.
[40:33] We might blame. The devil at times. As James reminds us. We have enough ability. Ourselves. Enough sin. Ourselves. To cause our own downfall. He need not be included.
[40:46] Pray first and foremost. That Lord. That the Lord. Would. Keep you from falling. Would keep you from sinning. Then remember to pray. He would deliver you. Keep you safe.
[40:57] From the evil. That's around you. And you pray that. Without a single. Shiver of fear. God knows you. He will keep you. His power.
[41:09] Is more. Than the assembled. Whole army. Of darkness. Itself. The devil. And his angels. Together. Are creatures. Are created creatures.
[41:21] The Lord. Is full control. Over all that they are. And all that they do. Even they. Even they. Fall under his sovereign power. Dear Christian.
[41:32] Have hope. This day. Have hope. This evening. Have hope. This new week. As you face trials. And temptations. As you face. The reality of evil. In your life.
[41:43] And evil in the world. As you face. Perhaps the darkness. Being. Around you. That sense. Of evil. One's presence. You're not on your own. He has not left you.
[41:56] But you are able. You are able. As your saviour. Tells you to do. To pray this prayer. And lead us. Not into temptation. But deliver us.
[42:07] From. Evil. Such is the love. Of God. To us. As his people. Dear everyday Christian. My own personal prayer.
[42:18] Is that we leave this place. After these few weeks. Together. And look at this prayer. Yourself. In your own life. Look at this prayer. Perhaps as a family. Or as a couple. If you're believers.
[42:29] Look at this prayer. Yourself. On your own. And see. How you might. Incorporate. This prayer. Into your life. Knowing that you pray. To a. A good.
[42:40] Loving. Father. In heaven. Who knows you. Who loves you. Who cares. For your prayer. Itself. As you pray. You're praying.
[42:50] That his kingdom. Would come. That his kingdom. Would grow. As you remember that. You pray for those. Who you love. Who as of yet. Don't know the gospel. That they would come in.
[43:01] To the kingdom. You pray for your daily bread. You pray. That he would sustain you. Day by day. He would carry on. Keeping you. Looking after you.
[43:12] Showing his ongoing love. Towards you. You pray for forgiveness. Of your own sins. Whilst doing that. You remember. That you dear Christian.
[43:23] You must forgive those. Who have sinned against you. As hard. As that is. And you close your prayer. You close your time of prayer. Remembering. That you worship a God.
[43:34] Who unlike you and me. Who is not frail. Who is not feeble. We worship a God. Who is able to keep us from sin. Keep us from stumbling. A God.
[43:45] Who then. Even more than that. Is able. To deliver us. To keep us safe. From the evil that surrounds us. To one day. One day soon. Take us home.
[43:56] To be. With himself. Let's bow our heads now. Word of prayer. Lord. To come again. Lord. Before you. We do ask. You would make these truths.
[44:07] To be so clear to us. So clear to our lives. We ask. As your word. Tells us to ask. You would keep us. From. Sin. Lord.
[44:18] You lead us. Not. Into temptation. Lord. Lead us away. From. Our own. Sins. Our own. Pet sins. To our shame. Lord. Lead us away. This day. We ask. Of this week. From the temptations.
[44:29] And trials. Which we will face. Keep us. Focused on you. Serving you. Loving you. And we also ask. Just now. At this very moment. You would deliver us.
[44:40] From evil. Lord. We are so aware. At times. Even this moment. Of the dark forces. Of the evil one. As he seeks to kill. And steal. And destroy. As he seeks to disrupt.
[44:51] Even this. Gospel message. This evening. Lord. We ask. You would again. And again. Thwart all his plans. And he would have. Lord. No one here. You would bring.
[45:02] Your gospel light. Into his darkness. You would shine. That gospel light. Into the places. Into the hearts. Even this. Community. Where he has done. So much.
[45:12] Destructive work. Over the years. Lord. That you would. Bring your light. And your love. And your care. You would bring. Your cleansing power. To those homes. And to these individuals. Lord.
[45:23] We would see. Your gospel. Reign supreme. We would see. Your name. Praise in this place. Lord. Take us home. We ask in safety. Or bless this new week. To us. Help us. We ask.
[45:33] Even as we come. To sing. Our final item of praise. To do so. Of hearts and minds. And set. On worshipping you. I sing all these things. In and through. And for Christ's.
[45:44] Precious name's sake. Amen. Let's conclude. By saying to God's praise. From Psalm 116.
[45:55] Psalm 116. This simple. But such beautiful. Glorious psalm. Of God. Hearing us. And caring for us. And loving us.
[46:07] Psalm 116. Verse 1. I love the Lord. Because my voice. And prayers. He did hear. I.
[46:18] While I live. Will call on him. Who bowed to me. Is here. Of death. The cords. And sorrows. Did. About me. Compass round. The pains of hell. Took hold on me. I. Grief and trouble found. Upon the name of God.
[46:30] The Lord. When did I call. And say. Deliver thou. My soul. O Lord. I do thee. Humbly pray. God merciful. And righteous. Is. Ye gracious.
[46:40] Is our Lord. God saves. The meek. I was brought low. He did me help afford. O thou. My soul. Do thou. Return. And to thy. Quiet rest. For largely loath.
[46:52] The Lord to thee. His bounty. Half. Expressed. Psalm 116. Verses 1 to 7. To God's praise. I am the Lord.
[47:08] Giant house. humility. The Lord who is terenf 꿈ings on earth.
[47:21] Amen. I'm the Lord who is terenfusions on earth. O dolom. In Him. Taken. Thank God shows seat torir.
[47:32] to be is here oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh I call and say,
[48:34] Give me the love of my soul, Lord. I will be only there.
[48:53] 8 You teach me the love, Lord.
[49:17] I was not alone, he lived in an hour.
[49:29] O God, my soul, do not return, and do not find my air rest.
[49:50] For I give, O the Lord, to thee, his power to thee hath expressed.
[50:09] The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, with you now and forevermore. Amen.