Why does Jesus want us to pray on a daily basis for deliverance from temptation and from evil? Christians have been praying this prayer for 2,000 years, and will most likely go on praying this prayer for many more centuries. The church is not immune from the effects of evil (whether internal or external) or the temptation to sin or doubt. But the Gospel promises that evil will not have the final word. By making our plea for deliverance from evil, we acknowledge that though we recognize that evil persists in the present, God is ultimately sovereign and we have his protection. He does not abandon us to evil.
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Read 1 John 5:18-20 and Matthew 16:13-20. How do you view these verses? Are they words of comfort?
INTRODUCTION “FOR
THINE IS THE KINGDOM …” The Lord’s Prayer that most Christians know ends in a doxology, or a liturgical expression of praise to God. These words were not originally found in Matthew’s or Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer. However, during the time of Jesus most Jewish prayers ended in doxology. The earliest evidence that a doxology was added to the end of the Lord’s Prayer comes from the Didache, a 1st century liturgical guide. It quotes Matthew’s version of the Lord’s Prayer and then adds the following: “For Thine is the power and the glory for evermore.” A similar practice is found in the earliest copies of the Lord’s Prayer used in the church. How do the final words “for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever” relate to other parts of the prayer, including those we studied in this lesson? Why do you think it is important that we end the Lord’s Prayer in doxology?
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The final petition in the Lord’s Prayer is a request for help during a time of great need. Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer concludes with this appeal to “not bring us to the time of trial” (Luke 11:4). But Matthew’s version, the one most Christians are accustomed to reciting, adds another line asking for deliverance from “the evil one” (Matt 6:13). These requests imply that Jesus believed his disciples to be up against forces that are actively working against God’s kingdom. When we pray not to be led into temptation and for deliverance from the evil one, we are asking for more than just help overcoming our various shortcomings. The scope is much bigger than that. But what does Jesus mean when he refers to a time of “trial” or “temptation”? And what does it mean to be delivered from an evil power? In this study, we will look more closely at these terms as well as what it means to request God’s deliverance from them on a daily basis. While most Christians have learned to pray lead us not into “temptation,” the NRSV translation of Matthew and Luke says “time of trial.” In your opinion, what is the difference between these two terms?