June 25, 2013
Luke 22:31-32 says this, "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."
When Jesus walked the earth, He knew all too well about the fierce powers of evil. Satan came with every weapon in Hell to sift Christ's disciples ... and he came and tempted Jesus as well!
I don't think we can even imagine the great conflict that rages in the Spirit realm ... or how determined the enemy is to destroy disciples like Peter. ... In fact, he has painted a target on the back of every believer who's heart is fixed firmly on following Jesus.
Now, at some point in our Christian's walk, we will cross over what I call the "Obedience Line" ... the time when we finally decide to 'go all the way' with the Lord. ... when we realize there is nothing in this world that holds us and we determine to obey God's Word in all ways ... and at all costs. ......
And the minute we cross that line ... the moment we enter into a life of 'obedience' and dependence on Christ ... and determined never to go back ... we set off every alarm in Hell! ... Why? ... We now have become a legitimate threat to the 'kingdom of darkness' ... we have become the enemy of every evil power and principality. ... Count on it! ... Afflictions , floods and trials will come as fiery tests of faith.
Remember, verse 31 said "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat." ... It is here Jesus introduces the subject of how the enemy seeks to sift God's people. ... Sifting means to be shaken and separated like grain by sudden trials of life ... through the agitation of events and situations that shake our very foundations. ...
In Christ's day, grain workers used a sieve just before they sacked the harvested grain. .. First, they shoveled wheat into a square box covered with netting. .. Then they turned the box upside down and shook it violently! .. The grit and dirt would fall through the netting until only the wheat kernels remained.
..... Jesus was saying to Peter ... 'Satan doesn't think your faith is real. .. He thinks when he puts you in the sieve and shakes you, your faith is going to fall to the ground as worthless refuse.'
But wait! The Lord had just promised Peter he would have a fruitful ministry. ... Luke 22:29-30 says, " .. I confer on you a Kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." .... Christ was making an incredible promise to His disciples. ... Think of what Jesus was telling them ... not only would these men become vessels of Christ's glory, they were going to be given a seat at the Lord's table to enjoy close company with him. ... They would rule and reign as princes near the seat of power!
But little did Peter know that while Jesus was speaking these precious promises to him, Christ's heart was in prayer for him. (verse 32) ... Christ sees where we cannot in the spirit world ... and He saw Satan at the Father's throne, accusing Peter and asking permission to get his hands on him. ... The devil wanted to do with Peter as he had done with Job. ... His accusations could have been something like this ... "Your Jesus calls this man Peter a 'rock' ... He says he's going to build His Church on the kind of faith Peter has ... He wants to make this man a 'foundation stone' of a body of new believers. ... But I say this Peter is no rock! ... He's just the opposite ... chaff - unworthy to be a vessel for your glory. ... Let me shake him .. put him to the test ... He won't last! ... His faith is going to fail."
Here's a fact: Satan cannot sift any true believer except by permission from God ... and he seeks to sift ONLY those who threaten his work. ... So why did Satan desire to sift Peter now .. at this point? ... Why was he so anxious to test him?.... Here's why. ... For three years, Peter had been casting out evil spirits and healing the sick. ... Satan heard and knew what God had planned for Peter. ... In fact, those past three years were going to be nothing compared to the greater works he and the other disciples would eventually perform. ... Satan had heard Jesus promise them another baptism ... this time with Holy Spirit power ... and that caused the devil to shudder and tremble!
Another fact: Satan always goes after the tree with the most potential to bear fruit ... and somehow, Satan knew this man Peter was 'set apart' to bear much fruit. ... He knew that God was going to give him power and authority that would be used greatly against his own kingdom of darkness. .... Having already pulled down Judas, Satan now thought he saw a measure of weakness in Peter also ... something he could build on to make Peter's faith fail.
Now Peter wasn't aware of any glaring weakness in himself. ... Here was his testimony, in so many words ........ "I've had three great years of the best possible training in the world ... I've been around and have experience ... I've seen demons flee ... I've moved crowds toward the Father ... I've grown so much ... I'm not the man I was three years ago ... I'm ready to GO ALL THE WAY!!!
Now think about what's happening here ... for any discerning believer, Jesus' warning would have been surprising. ... It would have given them pause to reflect and take stock of their heart. ... But NOT Peter! ... It didn't shake his self-confidence in theleast! ... The Lord was trying to wake him up to the danger just ahead, but Peter didn't seem to hear a word He said. ... But we know that Peter was in grave danger ... only hours away from committing an awful sin. .. Yet he went confidently on his way, boasting in essence ... "I'm ready ... I won't fail ... If anyone is going all the way with the Lord, it's me!"
Maybe some of you are like Peter right now. ... God has His hand on you ... you've grown in the Lord, and you love Him with all your heart. ... You always have a sure word for your struggling brothers and sisters ... but now Satan desires to sift you. ... You're about to be assaulted by the enemy as you never have before. ...... Peter is our example in this, and God is seeking to drive out any spiritual pride in the hearts of His servants in these last days.
Let us heed the warnings from His Word. ... See here? ... Within 24 hours of his boast to Jesus, Peter became a moral cripple! ... He ended up cursing ... carried away by cowardice ... denying Christ 3 times!
... What Peter did was so evil and wicked he never could have thought it was possible! ... and as incredible has Peter's fall would be, Jesus was NOT going to stop it. ... He wanted to purge this headstrong disciple of a tendency that three years of teaching from the Lord Himself hadn't touched. .. Miracles, signs and wonders hadn't touched it! ... Even Christ's warnings hadn't dug it out! ... Simply, there was nothing left for Jesus to do but let Peter go 'into the fire' ... into Satan's hands and the overwhelming flood he would bring.
Here, Jesus set the example for how to treat our brethren who fall during their sifting ... "I have prayed for you ... that your faith may not fail." (verse 32) ... As I look at this great example of Christ's love, I realize I know almost nothing about how to love those who fail. ... Proverbs 18:24 says, "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." ... Jesus sees both the good and the bad in each of us ... and he concludes, "Satan desires you, but I desire you more!"
... And so the Lord said to His disciples, "Peter, I have prayed for you ..." .... Notice He didn't say "I will pray for you." ... In short, Christ had seen this coming for a long time. .. He probably had spent many hours talking about Peter to the Father ... how He loved him ... how needed he was in the kingdom ... how valued he was as a fruitful friend ...
Now, when Jesus said, "I have prayed for you" ... the Greek for "you" is plural, as in "All of you" ... Jesus was speaking mainly to Peter, but also to all of the disciples ... and to us today! ... John 17:9,11,15 says ... "I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. ... I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name -- the name you gave me -- so that they may be one as we are one. ... My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world." ...
So no matter what you are going through ... no matter what lies ahead of you ... If you have a heart full of love for Jesus, know that He is praying for you! ... Hallelujah! ... Also remember that Jesus didn't pray that Peter would be spared from Satan's sifting. Rather, He prayed ONLY that his faith wouldn't fail. ... and that is Satan's prime target ... our faith! ... In just a few short hours, the enemy brought circumstances into Peter's life that severely tested his faith and love for Jesus.
Remember this for strength ... sifting is usually compressed into a short ... but very intense ... period of time. ... For Jesus, it was 40 days and 40 nights .... Satan came at Him with every deception of darkness. .. For Peter, it was but a few days .. but those days would be the most faith-shaking ... shocking ... and remorseful of his life.
Some of you may be enduring this 'sifting' right now. ... So how are you to overcome it? ... Again, Jesus set the example. ... When He was confronted with the devil's schemes, He overcame them with God's Word! ... Matthew 4:4,7,10 says this ... "It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. ... It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test. ... Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only."
Today, because of the Cross, we have yet another "It is written" ... It is this ... "I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail." ... We can say this to Satan ... 'You may have gotten permission to sift me .. you may attempt to tear down my faith ... but know this! ... My Jesus is praying for me! ... Hallelujah!!
Peter's faith was tested and shaken, and because of self-reliance, he stumbled ... but in answer to the Master's prayer, the roots of Peter's faith hadn't been destroyed ... his faith ultimately DID NOT FAIL ... just as Jesus had prayed ......... And after it was over, I can picture Peter rising up from the ground with the 'Spirit of God' flowing through him ... I see him raising his arms to the sky and crying ... Satan! Be gone!
... I failed my Lord but I still love Him! ... He promised .. in fact, he prophesied that I would come back and be a comfort to others ... that I would be a Rock for many! ... I'm going back now to my brothers and sisters .....
Peter was with the other 10 disciples (Judas was gone now) when Jesus appeared in their midst ... and he was there worshiping when Jesus ascended into glory! ... He was the first disciple to run to the tomb when it was told Christ had risen ... It was Peter who, just weeks later, stood at Pentecost as God's spokesman ... and what a sermon he preached!
People! ... You don't have to fail as Peter did ... but as we read his story, we are to be warned by it. ... If you've failed ... if you've grieved the Lord ... Run into the arms of Jesus! ... and remember ... HE iS PRAYING FOR YOU! ....
Finally, when the sifting is over ... when you come back ... and your faith is stronger ... God is going to use you! ... So don't ever give up on your own faith ... and don't give up on others who fail. ... Satan would never have come against you unless he had seen a glimpse of threat. ... You are the Lord's ... through everything in this life! .... Just rest in His unconditional love for you ...
Until next time,
Red