September 20, 2023
Author: Pastor Mark Bauer
September 20, 2023
“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
Matthew 26:41
Well, in this section of Matthew we’re reminded that this takes place
on the night in which Jesus was betrayed and after the Passover meal
and after Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, Jesus and the disciples
went to the place called Gethsemane. They entered the garden of
Gethsemane and here Jesus prepares himself for what will be taking place
later that night, his betrayal, his arrest, his trial, his sufferings,
his humiliation, and ultimately then the next day his death upon the
cross. As he enters the garden he then seeks to go to a separate place,
or more private place in the garden where he can then pour out his
heart in prayer and as he goes to that separate location he takes with
him Peter, James, and John. He opens up his heart to them and shares
with them his great burden. He says to them my soul is very sorrowful
even to death. Remain here and watch with me. Jesus asked them to
watch with him and then he goes off a little distance from them and
there he prays knowing that the cup of God’s wrath is before him that he
must drink it and so he prays to his Father—my Father if it be possible
let this cup pass from me, nevertheless not as I will but as you will.
Then he returns to his 3 disciples the ones whom he asked to watch with
him and he finds that they are sleeping. Then Jesus speaks directly to
Peter and he says these words to him which we read in verse 40. “So,
could you not watch with me one hour?” Verse 41 “Watch and pray that
you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but
the flesh is weak.”
So, what I would like to do this evening as
we prepare our hearts is to briefly consider this exhortation to Peter
to watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. In these
words of Jesus Peter is first exhorted to watch, to be alert, to be on
guard, to be watchful for temptations and these temptations may come in
various forms. They may come from what I would describe as internal
temptations that arise from our own sinful inclinations. James 1:14
says each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own
desire. We can be tempted by our own internal desires—desires of the
heart. We can be tempted by heart desires that lure and entice us. It’s
language that gives us a sense of being drawn as it were into a trap.
In Galatians 6:1 it speaks there of a person being caught in temptation.
So, we must be watchful, we must be on guard because our hearts and be
deceitful and the desires of our hearts can lead us into
temptation—temptations that can trap us and ensnare us in sin. As James
then warns us, he says then desire when it has conceived could spur us
to sin. So we must be watchful of internal temptations, our own hearts’
desires that can lead us and draw us into sin.
But, also we need
to be watchful for what I would describe as external
temptations—temptations that come upon us as a result of external events
or circumstances. In 1Peter 5:8 the church is told to be sober minded
and watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring
lion, seeking someone to devour. Our adversary the devil is seeking to
destroy. His schemes and desires are clever and they differ for each
person. Think of the example of how he attacked Job and we see that his
attacks against Job were designed to tempt Job to curse God and Satan
uses external events as he seeks to tempt Job. Satan first destroys all
of Job’s possessions and his wealth. He then goes on and destroys all
of Job’s children. Satan then is relentless and he continues his
attacks and then he goes after Job’s physical health and actually
attacks his health. Then Satan even uses a loved one, his wife to tempt
him and she tempts him to say curse God and die! Satan uses all these
external forces to tempt Job. Although Job was tempted he did not sin!
In all of this, Job did not sin or charge God wrongfully! So I say we
need to be watchful not only of internal temptations but also of these
external events, these things that can tempt us to sin. Well
temptations, we know that they will come. Jesus warned his disciples
and he warns us in Luke 17:1 saying that trials are sure to come. There
is a certainty that trials and temptations will come into our lives.
So, knowing that temptations to sin are certain to come, what then shall
we do? Well then, going back to Matthew 26:41 Jesus tells Peter and
tells us what we must do. We must pray to God for help. First of all I
suggest that we need to pray for help to watch, to be alert, to be on
guard, to be watchful for those temptations that may lay before us as we
go about our daily lives. Also, for temptations that can be hidden as a
snare or a trap to cause us to sin. We need to pray to God to see the
evil and the sin that is hidden in temptations.
I was looking
through a book titled “Into His Presence—Praying with the Puritans”. In
that book it gives a number of prayers of the Puritans and I would just
like to reference a portion of one of those prayers from Thomas Boston
that I think answers this sense of praying for help to watch. Thomas
Boston’s prayer says this “Lord God when the devil presents the bait,
show us the hook. When the devil presents the golden cup, show the
poison hidden inside. When the devil presents the sweet pleasure of
sin, show us the misery that will follow. When the devil presents the
profit of yielding to sin, show us the wrath that comes from committing
it. When Satan promises the soul honor and profit, give us eyes to see
the shame and loss he delivers. Strengthen our resolve that we keep the
greatest distance from sin and not play with the golden bait held out
by Satan. So therefore, I suggest that knowing that the temptations to
sin are sure to come and certain that they will come, one thing that we
can do as we are exhorted by Jesus is to pray to God for help to watch,
to be alert, to see the sin that lies beneath the temptations that we
may encounter each day. But also, I would suggest that as we pray to
God for help we should pray to God for help to avoid the temptation
itself. As in the Lord’s Prayer in given in both Matthew 6 and Luke 11
Jesus teaches us to pray these words in our prayer “…lead us not into
temptation…” We’re to pray that we are spared from or kept from
temptation. As we pray for God’s help in this and as we are
watching and seeking to see the sin that lies within the temptation we
should also be praying for wisdom and prudence to avoid the temptations.
Also that God would grant us grace to obey the warnings given to us in
his word and pray for the Spirit’s help that we might take steps to
steer clear of temptation. One man described it in this way. Knowing
our patterns and our proclivities to a particular sin we need to avoid
unwise contacts. We need to flee youthful passions so we should pray
that God would give us wisdom to flee the youthful passions. Likewise
in Romans 13:14 it says “Make no provision for the flesh to gratify its
desires” so we should be praying that we make no provision for the flesh
to open up ourselves to temptation whereby we might sin. But also, we
see in the Proverbs often times the encouragements and warnings of a
father so we should pray that we heed the warnings of God our Father
found in his word and seek to obey those warnings. Just as the father
warns his son about the forbidden woman and says keep your way far from
her and do not go near the door of her house. As we look through God’s
word and we see his warnings and we see his law we need to be praying
God help me to obey, and avoid these temptations so that I might not
sin. So we should be praying that God would not lead us to temptation.
Pray for God’s help to have wisdom and help to avoid the temptations
that are sure to come.
But then thirdly I’d say, we need to
also pray to God if we find ourselves in the midst of temptation. God
is wise and knows how to rescue us out of temptation. As Peter reminds
us in 2Peter 2:9 he says then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly
from trials. God knows how to rescue us. But not only does he know how
to rescue us, even more glorious God is merciful that he will rescue
us! He provides us a way of escape when we encounter trials. In
1Corinthians 10:13 we’re told no temptation has overtaken you that is
not common to man. God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted
beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the
way of escape that you may be able to endure it. So then, knowing we
will encounter temptations and if we find ourselves in the midst of
temptations I would say that we need to heed Jesus’ exhortation and pray
that God would show us the way of escape and that he would give us help
to flee, to escape from that temptation so that we might not sin. So,
knowing that each and every day temptations are sure to come I would
suggest that we need to obey this exhortation from Jesus to watch and to
pray that we may not enter into temptation. May God even help us to be
alert, to be on guard and to watch and to see the hidden sins in
temptation. Also, we know our weakness and to acknowledge our great
dependence on the Lord and pray to him for help that he might even allow
us to avoid temptation that we not be led into temptation. But then,
if we find ourselves in the midst of temptation pray to God for help.
Pray that he would rescue us and show us that way of escape.
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