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"Watch and Pray"
Introduction: In Psalms 63:6 we read, "When I remember thee upon my bed, and mediate on thee in the night watches…"
In Luke 11 our Lord is teaching His disciples how to pray. In the last phrase of verse 4 He said, "And lead us not into TEMPTATION; but deliver us from evil." I want you to notice that statement, "Lead us not into TEMPTATION." This prayer petition is similar to David's in Psalm 141:4, "Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity." The petition is "Do not permit me to be tempted."Now please follow me closely, as I want to make five statements related to temptation.
First: God does not temp us. In James 1:13 we read, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempted he any man;.."
Second: Satan does tempt us. In Matthew 4:1-3 we read, "Then was Jesus led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil."
Third: God sometimes delivers us to Satan for temptation. In I Corinthians 5:1-5 here is the the story of a man who was living in sin with his step-mother. In verse 5 we read that God said, "To deliver such as one unto Satan for the destruction (or the defilement) of the flesh, that the Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."
Fourth: God limits Satan's ability to tempt us. We read of this in I Corinthians 10:13 in the phrase, "Who will not permit or allow you to be tempted above that you are able." God does put a limit on Satan's ability to tempt us.
Fifth: God can keep Satan from tempting us. In Revelation 3:10 we read, "Because thou has kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation…"
Now, in light of the previous five statements:
Does God tempt us? NO
Does Satan tempt us? YES
For Satan to tempt us, God has to do what? "DELIVER US TO SATAN"
Does God limit Satan's temptation? YES
Can God keep us from temptation? YES
Now we come to the question, “Under what condition will God keep Satan from tempting us?” I believe the answer to that can be found in our Lords' experience in the Garden of Gethsemane. Please turn to Matthew 26 and follow as I read verses 36-43.
“Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. (37) And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. (38) Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. (39) And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. (40) And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? (41) Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (42) He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. (43) And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.”
Would you please notice again verse 41, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into TEMPTATION; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." So, what keeps us from temptation? WE ARE TO WATCH AND PRAY. It is not just praying, but it is watching and praying.
So you ask, what is watching and praying? When Jesus came with His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane, it was night time. They had come from the upper room, where Jesus had helped to prepare them for the WHY of His going back to heaven. Remember among many things He said, "Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God believe also in me, I promise to prepare a place for you and I will return for you." Now, our Lord comes to the agony of the Garden. Notice again verse 38. “Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.” Notice again verses 40-41, “And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? (41) Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
This was a rebuke to Peter. Only a little while ago Jesus had warned the disciples that before the night was over they would all be offended and would leave him. Now to WATCH was a special duty of that hour for the disciples. PRAYER would help them to WATCH, and WATCHING would aid them in PRAYING.
They were to WATCH because of the temptations that lay ahead.
Jesus knew what temptations these men would be facing.
He saw how badly they needed to be in prayer. Notice He said in verse 41 "For the spirit (our spirit) indeed is willing but the flesh (our human nature) is weak."
Jesus knew the weakness of the human nature.
He knew their strength would not be sufficient to sustain them.
He knew the Devil would attack at anytime, especially when circumstances have already weakened them.
So the Lord said, "Watch and Pray". In the Jewish night there were two watches.
First watch was from 6:00 PM to midnight.
Second watch was from midnight to about 6:00 AM.
So you are to watch and pray while others are asleep. Watching is a sentinel term; it is a time of standing guard in the night. If you would avoid temptation, you have to pray, but more than that, you have to WATCH and PRAY.
Now why did Jesus ask the disciples to WATCH and PRAY? He knew that right before the cross, where He was about to bear the sins of the world, Satan would again make an effort to entice Jesus to avoid the cross, and die there in the garden. Notice again verse 39. “And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” About to die in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed that the cup of death would pass from Him that night, so He could live to die on the cross the next day.
Now if Jesus had to WATCH and PRAY to avoid temptation, how much more do we need to WATCH and PRAY? Remember what Jesus had taught His disciples in the model prayer, "And lead us not into TEMPTATION but deliver us from evil… (literally the evil one).
Please listen carefully, unless you WATCH and PRAY you will be taken in by the devil or by the world or by your own sinful human nature. And before you know it, you will backslide like Peter who slept, while he should have WATCHED and PRAYED.
Let me ask you what temptations you face on a daily basis? Oh, to be sure there are temptations abounding, as someone said, "I don't have to go seeking temptations, they find me." Remember this, "Temptation will strike at our weakest moment at our strongest point." Those who think they cannot wander will be the first to lose their way. I Corinthians 10:12 says, "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."Remember the big three:
The flesh, our old lustful human nature, which lurks inside us,
The world, with a lifestyle that leaves God out, and
The devil, the god of this world who blinds men eyes to the truth of the gospel, and who is alive and well upon Planet Earth.
Let's repeat again…
God does not temp us.
Satan does tempt us.
God allows Satan to tempt us.
God limits Satan's ability to temp us.
God can keep us from Satan's temptation, and
All this is done by WATCHING and PRAYING!
Would you please turn with me to James 1 and follow me as I read verses 13-15.
“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. (15) Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”
Now follow me in reverse order. At the bottom is death.
What brings DEATH? It is sin. (Romans 6:23)
What brings SIN? It is lust.
What brings lust? It is temptation.
Now the word temptation in verses 13-14 in the verb form means "a solicitation to do evil." A glance at a dictionary will inform us that temptation is "the act of enticement to do wrong, by promise of pleasure or gain." That's right! Temptation motivates you to be BAD by promising something GOOD. Isn't that just like the devil? TEMPTATION IS INEVITABLE! NONE ESCAPES IT!
Someone said, “You will be tempted. The kinds of temptation may change. You have candies for kids, sensuality for the teenager, riches for the middle-aged and power for the aging. The Evil One can bring the changes with greater skill than any advertising agency. He knows our Achilles’ heel. You will be tempted continuously. You will even be tempted ferociously at times."
Now lust in the Bible means wanting something we don't need. Lust is wanting, something that is usually sinful. Remember this:
Temptation brings Lust; Lust brings Sin; Sin brings Death!
Recall with me the story of Achan in Joshua 7 beginning with verses 20-21. “And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: (21) When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.”
This was the Achan who stole the accursed things out of Jericho that caused the defeat of Ai. In verses 24- 25 we have the results. “And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. (25) And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.”
Achan saw, that was TEMPTATION.
Achan coveted, that was LUST.
Achan took, that was SIN, and in verse 25
Achan DIED!
Same old story – he was tempted, he lusted, he sinned and he died. Now go back with me to James 1:13-15.
What brings Death, SIN
What leads to Sin, LUST
What leads to Lust, TEMPTATION
What keep us from Temptation, WATCHING & PRAYING!
That's why I have been saying that prayer is the means God has given to us to come to Him and ASK of Him our needs. Prayer allows us to pour out our souls unto God. Our churches ought to be focused on "LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY." Yet,our churches have become more concerned about:
TECHNIQUES, PERSONALITIES, PROGRAMS, METHODS, and How To Do books!
We have become so busy with meetings and committees that in the midst of all this "RELIGIOUS COMMOTION" we have not learned to pray. We have not learned to really pour out our hearts unto the Lord, begging and pleading for our needs and for the needs of others. Oh, how we need to learn to pray, to ASK and SEEK and to KNOCK.
We need soul winners; moreover we need praying soul winners.
We need preaching; moreover we need prayer anointed preaching.
We need godly teachers; moreover we need praying teachers.
We need Godly workers in all areas of the ministry; moreover we need praying workers.
We need Godly Moms and Dads; moreover we need Moms and Dads who will WATCH and PRAY.
We need God's people to be enrolled in the SCHOOL of PRAYER, to learn what it is to WATCH and PRAY.
I don't care who you are, the temptations in your life are stronger than you are. The devil is going to temp you at your strongest point in your weakest moment. You are not going to have the victory over TEMPTATION, LUST and SIN until you learn to WATCH and PRAY.
If I have to keep from DEATH, I must keep from SIN
What brings Sin? Lust
What brings Lust? Temptation
What keeps me from Temptation? WATCHING & PRAYING
That means I must WATCH and PRAY while others sleep. That means in the wee hours of the morning while no one else is awake, you are pouring out your heart and soul to God. It means in the early morning before time to get up, you are spending time on your face before God:
Pleading for the power to serve,
Begging for the needs of others,
Agonizing over your needs before God, and
Pouring out your soul for deliverance from lust and temptation and the evil one.
Here we go again:
Top step TEMPTATION,
Next step LUST,
Third step SIN,
Fourth step DEATH!
Now,
If I don't want to DIE, then I must not SIN.
If I don't want to SIN, then I must not LUST.
If I don't want to LUST, then I must not be TEMPTED.
If I want to avoid TEMPTATION, then I must WATCH and PRAY!
Folks, let me show you where most of you live. I believe you live between TEMPTATION and LUST (between the top two steps).
You go places you shouldn't go. You know it’s wrong, but you go there anyway.
You watch video and cable shows that are immoral. You know they are lustful, but you watch them anyway.
You justify the sin of drinking alcohol or listening to Rock music, even the so-called Christian Rock or Country and Western, which is just one step from the secular Rock and Roll.
You hang around people whose lifestyle is worldly. They live in sin by compromising with the world. They are unsaved or maybe worldly and even carnal, but you still hang out with them.
You fellowship with people, even "Christian people" whose doctrines, convictions, and principles are not in keeping with this Book. You justify it in the name of love and in the name of fellowship.
You walk with those people, even Christians, who are critical, who tear down instead of building up. Do you remember what Psalm 1:1 literally tells us? "Happy is the man who WALKETH not in the COUNSEL of the UNGODLY, nor STANDETH in the way of SINNERS, nor SITTETH in the seat of the SCORNFUL."
You may ask,“Pastor what is wrong with a social drink once in a while? Well, not only are you in disobedience to the Word of God, but you are at the level of TEMPTATION, just one step away from LUST.
You may ask, “Preacher what is wrong with listening to Christian Rock music? My friend you are just one step away from the temptation of listening to the world's Rock music. Find me a contemporary Christian singer or musician who has taken "Godly music" and put the worldly rock beat to it, who has not gotten caught up in the lifestyle of worldly music.
We live in a hooked generation. The devil has thrown out the bait and we have fallen for it. Unfortunately, what he has not done is spelled out the FRUSTRATION, the REMORSE and the FAILURE of being hooked. O' how I wish I could walk good folks across this platform to share their testimony of how they constantly walked between TEMPTATION and LUST and before long, sin over-took them. Remember, the devil:
Shows you the cigarette, but not the cancer.
Shows you the drugs, but not the blown minds.
Shows you the alcohol, but not the broken homes.
Shows you the glamour of sex, but not the haunting memory.
Shows you the saw dust size faults of others, but not the totem pole size faults in your eye.
Shows you the glories of telling a story, but not the scandal or heartache it carries.
The devil is always showing you the "Front Door" of sins, but never the garbage brought along with death at the "Rear Door."
Have you ever heard this statement, "Christians never have any fun?" That's interesting because:
In my Bible I read, "The wages of sin is death."
In my Bible I read, "The soul that sinneth shall die."
In my Bible I read, "then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."
Reading those scriptures, it would seem to me that the world's crowd does not have much fun because they are "DEAD IN TREPASSES AND SIN." The world and the devil has nothing to offer that will last. That's why I remind you again of what Jesus said, "That I have come to give you life and to give you life more abundantly."
Let me pause here and say some of the things I have just said might seem hard to you but I believe if we are going to step back into old fashioned morality and righteous living, I have got to keep preaching up here and you need to keep on WATCHING and PRAYING with me or else the next generation will not know the God of our generation, the God of the Word of God.
Let me go one step further. When you WATCH and PRAY, you won't tempted to buy that new item that will increase your payments to the point you can’t pay the bills and still tithe. So you choose to work over time for extra money. But now you are not free to attend with your family all of the church services that encourage you to WATCH and PRAY.
When you WATCH and PRAY at night you will not be tempted to watch filthy TV shows where you secretly lust in your heart for some other woman or some other man.
What I am saying is if you get up and get on your face before God to beg and pray and WATCH and PRAYin the night watches, I believe what the Word of God is telling us is you'll come to avoid wrong desires and wrong decisions. Let's hear it again:
If I don't want to DIE, then I must not SIN.
If I don't want to SIN, then I must not LUST.
If I don't want to LUST, then I must not be TEMPTED.
If I want to avoid TEMPTATION, then I must WATCH and PRAY!
For our young people to keep themselves pure and clean and righteous, so that one day they will meet at the wedding alter in all their loveliness and purity, they need to get out of bed and fall before God and WATCH and PRAY.
Beg God to keep them HOLY and PURE and CLEAN and Alert to WRONG DESIRES and WRONG PEOPLE and WRONG DECISIONS, as well as pleading with God to keep them alert to the perfect Will of God to avoid Satanic temptation.
Parents, Moms, Dads, and Grandparents do you want to really protect your children and grandchildren from the temptations and the lusts that lurk in the world? Then get out of bed and pray for your kids and grandchildren at night. I mean literally slip out of bed, get up while they sleep and WATCH and PRAY. They face TEMPTATIONS and WORLDLY PRESSURES to conform that are much more powerful than they are to resist.
Please don't be deceived to think that just because you bring them to Sunday school, and perhaps you have them in C-club or the youth group activities that they will turn out OK. Oh, PLEASE DON'T BE DECEIVED!
We have got to live in Godly ways before them.
We have got to WATCH and PRAY.
We have got to set some standards and live by those convictions.
We have got to build RULES and BOUNDARIES into their lives.
Someone said, "Until you lose your will to the will of God, you will never be able to discern the will of God. Until you lose your own will, you will have a will, and with that will you will lust." That's why we read and quote Romans 12:1-2 so often and plead with you to follow it.
Until you come and place yourself on the altar, and let the mind of God operate in you,
You will have a will, and
That will will be tempted, and
That temptation will lead you to lust, and
That lust will lead you to sin, and
Before you know it, just like Peter of old who slept while he should have WATCHED and PRAYED, you, like he, will backslide.
Our Lord's admonition, which was more of a rebuke to the disciples, now becomes a challenge to you to WATCH and PRAY, Walk with GOD during the night hours.
Do as David said in Psalm 63:6, "When I remembered thee upon my bed and meditated on Thee (speaking of the Lord) in the NIGHT WATCHES." We must do as the Lord said in his prayer instruction to the disciples. We must pray, "Lord lead me not into temptation but deliver me from the evil one."
WATCH AND PRAY YOUR WAY THROUGH!
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If God has spoken to your heart, after reading the sermon “Watch and Pray” why not right now talk to God about what He has spoken to you.
Do you have the assurance that one day you will go to heaven? If you have no assurance that you know Jesus Christ, then I trust you will decide to accept Him as your personal Savior. The Bible tells us in
Acts 16:31, “…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…”
Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
This prayer is here for those who need to ask Jesus to be their personal Savior: “I do want to go to Heaven. I know I am a sinner, and I do believe Jesus Christ died for me. I realize I cannot buy this great salvation, nor can I earn it. Knowing Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave to pay my sin debt and to purchase my salvation, I do now trust Him as my Savior, and from this moment on I am completely depending on Him for my salvation.”
If you made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior let me know? Please send an e-mail to, pdmikBBM@aol.com and I will send you some literature that will help you in your Christian life.
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In His Amazing Grace,
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