Sermon for Sunday, Aug 2, 2026 at Unionville Presbyterian Church (BPC)
and
Sermon for BPC Synod
Directions from moderator Rev. Carl Van de Merwe:
Theme “Prayer Shaped by the Gospel.” Our messages for Synod will come from Matt. 6:5-14. Lord willing you will be preaching at the memorial service on the second evening of Synod. I am asking that you will specifically focus in your preparation for your sermon on the conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer. I chose the following title for this session: Prayer Shaped by the Gospel: All for His Glory!
Old Testament Text:
[Jeremiah 15:19-21 ESV] 19 Therefore thus says the LORD: “If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth. They shall turn to you, but you shall not turn to them. 20 And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, declares the LORD. 21 I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.”
New Testament Text:
[2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 ESV] 1 Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, 2 and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. 4 And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.
Gospel Text:
[Matthew 6:7-13 ESV] 7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
SermonText:
[Matthew 6:13 ESV] 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
[Matthew 6:13 KJV] 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Introduction:
I would like to introduce a new word into your vocabulary. And I know that it will be a new word for you, because … I made it up. Or rather my twin brother made it up. The past tense of preach — so he contends — is “prutched.” I am honored to be up here today as it has been some years since Synod at Cape Canaveral that I last had the privilege before you to have “prutched.”
The text for the sermon is Matthew 6:13.
There we find the ending of the Lord’s Prayer.
Therein we find A PLEA AND A DOXOLOGY.
And there we find that it is ALL for HIS Glory!.
This is the end of the Lord’s prayer. A prayer Jesus himself is the author of.
This is “A PRAYER SHAPED BY THE GOSPEL” because only with the Gospel can we have hope to not be led unto evil. And because of the Gospel we give praise unto God.
And as many will know, there is a textual issue (a variant) in this text. And I believe it ought to be addressed from the outset. In the English Standard Versions the verse says just, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” but the King James Version says “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM, AND THE POWER, AND THE GLORY, FOR EVER. AMEN.”
Though my personal Bible is an ESV, I’ll be preaching on the longer version (from the King James translation), and I want to briefly note why. There are 3 reasons why I have chosen to preach on this longer version.
1. First, whether or not the longer version is original, its theology is sound. Who can doubt that (God’s) is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory? (Who can doubt That He holds supreme authority, has power over all things, and deserves all praise?) Surely this is good theology.
2. Then, I’m preaching from the longer text because it comports with our Standards. The Shorter Catechism and the Larger Catechism each employ the longer (or full) version of Matthew 6:13 in their questions about the Lord’s prayer. And the Westminster Confession says that the Holy Scripture of the Old and New Testaments has “by God’s singular care and providence [been] kept pure in all ages.” And it is that longer version of of the text that has been known throughout the ages.
3. And finally, I’m preaching on the longer version of Matthew 6:13 because the esteemed Rev. Carl Vandemerwe has asked me to. So if you prefer the shorter version, you can take it up with me later, but know that Carl has my back, as does William Twisse. So I feel I am in very good company.
So we have the “longer version”:
[Matthew 6:13 KJV] 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Again, there are two basic parts to this verse.
First there is A PLEA UNTO GOD
Second, there is a DOXOLOGY.
The catechism calls for the former “the sixth PETITION of the Lord’s prayer.”
And it calls the latter “the CONCLUSION of the Lord’s prayer.”
These are indeed good descriptions, but even more, these two parts of the verse are “A plea and a doxology.”
I. A Plea
The plea unto the Lord is this: “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” [REPEAT: “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”]
This opens up many questions.
What is meant by temptation?
Why would God lead us into temptation?
And how does God deliver us from evil?
A. Temptation
The word “Temptation” in the Greek is πειρασμός (peirasmos).
The KJV always translates the as “temptation,” but the meaning can also be a “trial” or a “proving” of a man.
Now, that trial or temptation can be of different sorts.
There are THREE types of trials or temptations:
1. There are external temptations to sin. (Which come from the sinful world around us, and from the Devil)
For example, Matthew 4:1: “The Jesus was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.”
2. Then, there are internal temptations to sin. (Which come from our sinful nature)
For example, James 1:14: “each person is tempted when lured by his own desire.”
3. And finally there are “trials” or “tests” which God puts us through ultimately for our benefit.
For example: James 1:2: “Count it all joy when you meet trials of all kinds.”
And the trial of the blind man in Johns’ Gospel:
[John 9:1-3 ESV] 1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.
So, we ought to ask, which one or ones of the these are in view in the Lord’s Prayer in the line “lead us not into temptation.” (external temptations?, internal temptations? or trials?)
We know from James 1:13 that “[God] himself tempts no one.] So HE cannot be leading us into external temptation; that is to say, although God is the ultimate cause of all things, He is not the proximate cause of temptation.
Still we ought to plead to God to lead us away from external temptations, saying “do not bring me into situations where I am enticed to sin.”
And the same is true in regards to internal temptations, pleading to God, “do not allow those sinful thoughts to arise within which lead to sin.”
Do not allow these circumstances where I MIGHT sin. That is sanctification – being opposed not only to sin, but even the very idea of sin. Lord, keep your hedge of protection over me; lead me not into temptation. Keep my mind pure, and keep the world’s allurements at bay.
And then the third understanding of “temptation” can also be in view. The prayer asks the Lord to keep us from trials. Why would we not want trials? We know that trials can be useful to grow us, but trials are painful. Even Jesus, when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, first asked, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me,” before He said, “yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt” (Matt. 26:39).
Then also we desire not to have the risk of sinning that is associated with trials. So it is not a prayer that we have a life set apart from all suffering that might grow us, but we are praying for a life set apart from those trials might end in our sinning.
B. Evil
The plea is not only “lead us not into temptation,” but also “to deliver us from evil.”
Many say that this is a parallelism. And perhaps it is. They are similar statements, but they are not identical. The former is to keep us away from troubles, the latter is that we would get out of trouble when it surrounds us. So the first is PREVENTION, the second is ESCAPE.
“Deliver us from evil.”
It may be that “the evil one” (Satan) is in view in the verse, or it might be “evil” in general. Either way, we are praying for escape.
Biblical examples of such escape are twice found in the stories of being brought out BY A BASKET over the city wall. David escaped from Saul via a basket. And Paul escaped from Damascus via a basket. That’s what we sometimes says: “GET ME OUT OF HERE!” Lord, carry me away in your basket; deliver me from evil!
We pray this petition in the Lord’s prayer, but I suppose that we rarely pray it in other prayers. In prayer we adore, confess, gives thanks, and we supplicate (or ask for things). But how often in our asking do we pray to not be led into temptation and to be delivered from evil? But while we often forget to pray that way, we must recognize that it is greatly important to do so. It is our desire to be sanctified, to be made holy, to stay away from evil; to receive from heaven not only pardon but purity.
And it is a plea to God, BECAUSE we are not, on our own, able to avoid evil. The very fact that we pray “lead us not into temptation, but deliver from evil” implies that even Christians do continue to sin by nature and continue to need God to sanctify us.
It strikes me that many sermons on this verse talk about YOU. YOUR TEMPTATIONS and WHAT YOU NEED TO DO. But what does the prayer say? Who is the subject of the verbs “LEAD” and “DELIVER?” The subject is GOD. This is a plea to God to do what we are not able to do. If we could do it, why would we need to pray to God?
The prayer is not “make me stronger than I may go it alone” but the prayer is YOU LORD, YOU LEAD ME, YOU DELIVER ME. WE LOOK TO YOU LORD.
Ultimately, this is a plea of sanctification. Charles Spurgeon says that this plea “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” is sanctification in its negative and positive forms.
KEEP ME AWAY FROM SIN, AND KEEP SIN AWAY FROM ME!
(REPEAT: Keep me away from sin, and keep sin away from me)
That is the plea.
II. A Doxology
While Part A is a plea unto the Lord, Part B of this verse is a doxology praising the Lord – “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
You know “THE doxology” – Praise God from all blessing flow. Now “doxology” in general is a short song or prayer of praise directed to God. It is “FOR HIS GLORY.” (doxa means glory)
The doxology in the Lord’s prayer takes our eyes off of our weaknesses and infirmities and puts them on our savior.
I noted previously that this “part b” is at least theologically sound, even one might doubts its proper existence in the text. We can confidently say it is theologically sound, because a near identical statement is made in 1st Chronicles:
[1 Chronicles 29:11 ESV] 11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.
The only difference between that text in 1st Chronicles and our text in Matthew’s Gospel is the order of that which is the Lord’s. In Chronicles we have “power, glory, and kingdom” whereas in Matthew we have “kingdom, power, and glory.” Either way, all the same theological points are evident.
And what do these three things (kingdom, power, and glory) mean but that God is sovereign.
a. Kingdom
In this Kingdom of God, God is King. He is THE sovereign. And he is sovereign. Of course this isn’t to limit God’s sovereignty to Heaven, for he is sovereign everywhere.
b. Power
His is the power. There is none like him. It is not a struggle between God and Satan; not in the sense of a competitive fight. It is a completely one-sided match. God’s is FULLY the power. He is in control. He is sovereign.
c. Glory
And His is the glory. All glory belongs to God for he ALONE is sovereign. He alone is the glorious in His nature.
How fitting that this prayer ends with giving glory to God, which is our chief end. We ought to conclude more of our prayers with a doxology. It praises God, and puts all the prayer in context, and we understand that HE IS ABLE to answer our prayer.
We plea unto God “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” and we KNOW that He is able to answer because HIS is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory. This is a prayer of confidence in God who is sovereign over all things. We are weak, but He is strong. And so we are confessing His omnipotence every time we pray this prayer, all to His glory.
And we pray “Amen” in agreement and surrender to the Sovereign Lord of the All.
What else can we learn from this ending of the Lord’s Prayer. What applications or “improvements” can we make of it. Or, how does this prayer “shape” our prayer?
Application 1: Appeal to God in the War against Sin.
The more a person is sanctified — or the more we are draw close to God — the more we can see our sin. The new believer knows the basics of the Ten Commandments. The mature Christian knows that His thoughts are sinful; even when He doesn’t act on them. And coming closer to God, we see just how sinful we truly are.
An old minister [Alexander MacLaren (Scottish Baptist)] said this: “a pardoned man has to struggle daily with the bitter relics of his old self, to wage war against evils the force of which he never knew till he tried to resist them, against sins which were all sleek, and velvety, and purring, as long as he fondled and stroked them, but which flash out sharp claws when he would fling them from their dens in his heart. Forgiveness does not at once conquer sin, and forgiveness leads to deeper consciousness of sin.”
How then can we — sinful people — fight against evil and temptation?
Indeed we should strive against evil.
But even more we should reach out to God in this battle; appeal to Him. For HIS is the power to conquer and to keep us from evil.
Know this: You are not alone; you have God to aid you when tempted by sin.
Our battle against sin often seems like a lonely battle. It is me vs. the world. It is me vs. myself with no one to go to.
But indeed we have someone to go to. We ought to go to the Lord.
That is an encouragement: go to the Lord.
As the hymn says: “Jesus knows our every weakness, take it to the Lord in prayer.”
Application 2: We Learn here how to conclude a prayer.
How to conclude a prayer.
There is a great series of comedic videos online about “How to Speak Minnesotan.” And one is about the “Minnesota Goodbye.” Perhaps, a similar “Goodbye” exists in other parts of the country and other cultures. When you visit someone, you must announce your departure far in advance of actually leaving. And you make the move multiple times before actually leaving. You say “I really should get going” but then you stay for a while longer. And on the “Minnesota Goodbye” the hosts ask you to stay the night, and even though you’ve been there a long while they say, “I wish you didn’t have to rush off,” and they give you food to take with you when you leave, and they follow you to the car and talk with you as you’re starting it up, and they stand outside and wave as you drive away. Well, it is a funny scene, and perhaps culturally there is some benefit to such care.
But when it comes to prayer, there is no need to to keep circling around. You ought to land to the plane. And we learn how in this prayer: “for yours is the kingdom, and power, and glory, forever, amen.”
End your prayer with an appeal to the glory of God! That is a great way to end.
We end our worship services with a doxology! Let us end our prayers with one as well.
And our sermons as well.
So I’ll end with this doxology: Praise be to God, and to God be the Glory, great things He has done.
Let us pray.