Lead Us Not Into Temptation

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King James Bible Study[Mark 8:34  And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]

Date: Tuesday, November 09, 2021
Chapters: Mark 14, Luke 22
Message: Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Hello My Friend,

Please bear with me, there is a lot of Scripture to cover today. So, I was talking with one of my associates, he is kind of dealing with the same situation as I am at work. He is also the last person that I would have thought to know Christ as their Saviour. It is so imperative that we do not judge a book by its cover, but that is a message for another day. Our conversation came to my mind as I read this passage, [Luke 22:31-32  And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:  32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.].

Jesus literally has His disciples everywhere, I mean, in the least expected places. In fact, I watch a news program where the guy literally says the Lord’s prayer at the beginning of the show every day, and he was saying how people are trying to stop him from doing that. We may be tempted and tried, and there are times when we are not going to be so strong in our faith because Satan does desire to sift us like wheat, but Jesus is right there, sitting at the right hand of our Father, praying for us, [Romans 8:34]. How incredible is that? Of course, once we are saved we are always saved, that is unless we never truly believed, which is why Jesus tells us that only those who endure to the end will be saved, [Matthew 24:12-13  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.  13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.]

As we continue in the reading of the Gospels, Mark and Luke also give the account of Jesus desiring to eat one last meal before His passion, which happened to be the Passover meal. While He was arranging for the meal, the chief priest’s and scribes plotted how they could have Him killed. Well, much to their surprise and joy, here comes Judas, [Luke 22:1-6  Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.  2  And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people.  3  Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.  4  And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them.  5  And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money.  6  And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.]

[Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot,] You see, Satan cannot get into the soul of one believer of Christ, but that does not stop him from sifting us like wheat. It is only those with a pure faith in Christ and a pure heart for God that Jesus will pray that our faith in Him never fails. Jesus was well aware of Judas and his heart, Satan cannot enter into the soul of one person who has a heart for Christ. Now, the very next day, Jesus sent the disciples to go prepare for the Passover meal, He had a specific place in mind.

[Mark 14:12-17  And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?  13  And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him.  14  And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?  15  And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us.  16  And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.]

[and they made ready the passover.] When I read this I could not help, but think about the wedding feast that all Christ’s saints will enjoy, and it would not have been possible if Jesus did not actually become the Passover lamb for His believers. Yes, it is truly interesting that all this took place during Passover and after the Passover meal, but think about what the Passover feast represents. It was a day to remember when the Israelites were still captive in Egypt, God sent the death angel that would take all the first born in the land. If they wanted to spare death in their home they needed to kill a lamb, take the blood, apply it to the doorpost, roast the lamb, and eat it. When the death angel passed by their homes, he only passed over those homes if he saw the blood upon the doorpost, [Exodus 12:1-28]. Jesus is that Passover lamb, He is the flesh that we eat and the blood that we drink spiritually for our soul to be saved from death. And this is exactly why Jesus had the communion with the disciples.

[Luke 22:14-23  And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.  15  And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:  16  For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.  17  And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:  18  For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.  19  And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.  20  Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.  21  But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table.  22  And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!  23  And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing.]

[With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:] As I was reading these chapters it occurred to me that Jesus knew that shortly after they left that room that He was going to be captured. I find it interesting that the disciples were wondering just exactly which one of them were capable of betraying Jesus. I mean, who would be so bold to ever attempt to betray Jesus. Well, that conversation literally had them bickering at each other over who would be the greatest in the Kingdom, which Luke accounts to.

[Luke 22:25-30  And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.  26  But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.  27  For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.  28  Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations.  29  And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;  30  That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.]

[Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations.] There is two kinds of temptation, [Temptation; One; An experiment, attempt, trial, proving; an adversity, affliction, trouble: sent by God and serving to test or prove one’s character, faith, holiness. And two; an internal temptation to sin; of the condition of things, or a mental state, by which we are enticed to sin, or to a lapse from the faith and holiness.

When we say the Lord’s prayer, which says, [Luke 11:2b-4 Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.  3  Give us day by day our daily bread.  4  And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.], Jesus is not talking about the temptation of sin, rather of adversity. The enticement to sin comes when we take our eyes off Christ through the adversity, [James 1:12-14  Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.  13  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:  14  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.]

And there is not one faithful, saved, born again Christian, that does not face the temptation of adversity, if Jesus faced it, so will we, [Matthew 10:24  The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.]Of all the disciples, why was Satan able to get to Judas? Well, the truth is, he was probably desiring to sift all of them like wheat, but Judas was unlike the rest of the disciples, who truly believed that Jesus is the Christ. This was all the ammunition Satan needed to bring him to want to betray Jesus. However, watch what Jesus says to them as they were headed out.

[Mark 14:26-31  And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.  27  And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.  28  But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee.  29  But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I.  30  And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.  31  But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.]

[All ye shall be offended because of me this night:] There is also two kinds of offending, [Offend; One; To cause dislike or anger; To put a stumbling block or impediment in the way, upon which another may trip and fall; Two; To cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey.] As strong as our faith is, there are times when we do get offended, and I am not talking about doubting our salvation, I am talking about enduring those temptations. We get scared or worried that we are going to get hurt, and therefore, we end up trying to handle things on our own rather than trust God. Jesus knows this, but He also knows our heart, which is why He does not leave nor forsake us, [Luke 8:48  And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.]

As long as we carry around this flesh doubt, fear, and even some unbelief comes across our minds a time or two, who by the way is Satan as well, but Jesus knows what is truly in our heart. You see, while there are times when we are going to be offended, there are also times when we are going to be fighting for our faith, which is what Jesus tells them to be ready for, [Luke 22:35-38  And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing.  36  Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.  37  For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end.  38  And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.]

[for the things concerning me have an end.] We too have an expected end, all of the temptations that we will be face with, both kind, and all of the pain and suffering that comes with them will all come to an expected end, and we will never have to suffer ever again, [Jeremiah 29:11-13  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.  12  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.  13  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.]

I hate the time change, it does not matter if we lose an hour or gain it back, it messes me up. I do not go to bed until after midnight, wake up at three o’clock in the morning, then cannot actually get out of bed when I need to. I did not get out of bed until after six o’clock, and that is super late for me, and I wonder why it takes me until after ten to get these done sometimes. As I was praying I found myself asking God to forgive me for trying to rush my prayers a little bit. Sometimes my words get jumbled, but I think God knows what I am trying to say, and let me tell you, when He wants you to slow down, He will let you know. While Jesus went up to Mount Olives, He went up to Gethsemane and began to pray to His faith, and I can truly relate to the disciples who kept falling asleep.

[Luke 22:41-46  And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,  42  Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.  43  And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.  44  And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  45  And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow,  46  And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.]

[And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.] Can you imagine praying so hard that you sweat blood down from your face? I have had some deep and sorrowful prayers where I truly felt those angels ministering to me, strengthening me. And yes, all Christ’s saints have angels watching over us, ministering to us, giving us strength to endure our temptations. Sometimes, we cannot utter one word to God because we are in such pain. I recall several times when all I do is continually call out His name, and nothing more. God knows exactly what our sorrow is, and is always right there, and with His angels, [Psalms 91:9-11  Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;  10  There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.  11  For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.]

Even though Jesus is God, and capable of doing everything He wants, when He came here He took on a flesh body, making Himself as one of us, even giving up His power, and instilling it solely upon the Father. At this point, Jesus, fully God, yet individually in the person of the Son of God, feels that deep sorrow that we all have when we are faced with temptation. Jesus, He came here for one reason, and that was to be that Passover lamb that would save every soul who believes in Him, and therefore, He was willing to do whatever it took. And now, His passion was about to begin, no sooner than Jesus tells the disciples to wake up, here comes Judas with an army.

[Mark 14:43-50  And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.  44  And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely.  45  And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him.  46  And they laid their hands on him, and took him.  47  And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.  48  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me?  49  I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled.  50  And they all forsook him, and fled.]

[and with him a great multitude with swords and staves,] Really? What exactly were these fools trying to prove? Did they think that they would literally be able to take on Jesus? Of course, that is why Jesus said, [Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me?] Jesus could have knocked each and every one of those fools down with one sweep, but He knew that He needed to be captured so He allowed it. Did you notice what Judas says, [take him, and lead him away safely.] I do not think that Judas realized exactly what they were going to do to Jesus. We learn that later on as he discovers what he did was wrong, and ends up hanging himself, [Matthew 27:5]. No one wants to endure the temptations that come with life, but they are some things appointed to us that we must endure, [Romans 8:28-30  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.  30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.]

[And they all forsook him, and fled.] Now, even though Satan cannot get to a saved soul, that does not mean that he cannot put doubts and fears into us to influence us to go against God. The key to keeping our faith strong so that when Satan does sift us like wheat is to keep our heart perfect toward Christ. Make no mistake, since life is not perfect our heart is not always going to be perfect, but as long as we are faithful, He will never leave nor forsake us. Why? Jesus knows our true faith, He also knows that we are capable of doing some crazy things out of fear. And this is why Jesus knew that Peter would deny Him after He had been taken.

[Luke 22:54-62  Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest’s house. And Peter followed afar off.  55  And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them.  56  But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him.  57  And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not.  58  And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not.  59  And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean.  60  And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew.  61  And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.  62  And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.]

[And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.] Let me tell you, God uses every temptation we face to determine our faith, and that is what He responds to. We are not always going to endure that temptation so well, in fact, we will fail Him quite often, but He knows our heart, and just like He went to Peter and told him to take care of His sheep, He wants us to do the same thing. That is why Jesus places us in the midst of the wolves, He sends us out there to take care of His sheep. Let me tell you, true joy comes when we minister to those who are weaker than we are, [Romans 15:1-4,13  We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.  2  Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.  3  For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.  4  For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. 13  Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.]

Let Us Pray: Jesus, I know that my flesh is weak and my faith is not always strong, I might not always be in Your will, but I do know that You are with me every step of the way. Living in Your will is not always easy, I have to give up some of the things I love, suffer through some things, deal with ungodly people, who say they are Christians, even do some things I do not want to do, but I know that it comes with the greatest rewards. Lord, lead me and guide me, give me Your power, mercy, and grace, keep my heart tender and willing, show me the path You have for me, give me the wisdom, understanding, discernment, and strength I need to endure its temptations. Keep me looking to You at all times so that I can boldly proclaim You are mine, lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from all evil. I pray this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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