“satan has desired to sift you as wheat…I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail.”Luke 22:31-32

Jesus uses an illustration Peter could understand- the sifting of wheat was a Violent process… the only thing standing between us and satan is…the Intercession of Jesus!

 

THE WARFARE IS REAL- WHETHER WE KNOW IT OR NOT!  

Satan, not one of his foul demons, but himself wanted to undertake the task of sifting Simon {Peter} as wheat. The process of sifting is a violent, rigorous endeavor and Jesus said, “Simon, Simon…” twice he calls him by name to draw his attention to the danger, the seriousness of what satan wants to do namely, ”…satan has demanded to sift you as wheat….” And the ultimate goal he was after, was that Simon, and indeed all the disciple’s “faith” would fail, and would prove not to be genuine, but a sham, false faith and the shaking would prove they were a bunch of fakes. satan had to get permission concerning Job, the demons had to get permission to go into the swine. They are under the authority of Jesus Christ. They are not co-equal- or like two heavy-weight boxers trading punches hoping to knock out the other or wear them down into submission. No! God is God. He is the ultimate authority. Jesus is God and He is the Head over the seen and unseen realm. Simon-Peter was unaware of the great demonic target he was. But Jesus knew. He related it to Simon, who was convinced he was “invincible” even telling the Lord, he would go to prison with Him or even dying for Him. He was unaware of his own treacherous self, which is in all of us but for the grace of God is, – self-preservation! Not all the creeds or promises we make are sufficient without the LORD Jesus intervening and interceding for us. “Apart from Me you can do nothing.”{John 15:4}. Do you believe this? For it is true. But “I can do all things through Christ who infuses me with strength,” {Phil 4:13} Is also true. Lean to my own self, equals- failure in the spiritual realm. Derive and depend on the Lord Jesus and I have sufficient strength.

Simon “overestimated” himself! Jesus speaks to him of  spiritual realties, because he cannot see, sense, he over rules Jesus, with his great confidence in his own sinful flesh, by declaring “I am ready,” to go to prison or even to die with and for the LORD!  The adjective “ready” is  the Greek hetoimos, and means “ready, prepared.” Simon was convinced he was up to the task and was confidently so. We must all beware of trusting ourselves and ignoring what the LORD says! Pride goes before a fall. We need to have a healthy distrust of ourselves and a deepening dependence upon the Spirit of God and the Word of God!

SELF DECEPTION; Simon did not understand the seriousness of what was said nor did he understand himself. This was the beginning of his failing. He believed he, in and of himself was more than able for satan. His self assurance, pride, spiritual blindness to what was happening in the unseen realm was manifested in his great boast of allegiance based on his, “I can do” attitude. “But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!”- {v33}. He addresses Him as Lord, master, and makes this great momentary proclamation- “I am ready”- whatever about anyone else, as for me “I am ready”. I am up to the task, “You can count me in,” say it as you like, but you get the point, self-assured. The greatest danger in the spiritual struggle is SELF! Self- reliance, self-exaltation, self the root of all our problems is self! Self is what sent Jesus to the cross! Selfishness-Pride- Independence from God. The self assurance that ignores, or does not take God serious in what He says. –Jesus addresses Simon with the truth, the reality, that his self assurance, his dependence upon himself is DEFICIENCY! Jesus said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.” -v34.

PRIDE is what causes us to fall, Self- sufficiency- is our spiritual DEFICIENCY! — “Pride goes before a fall.” He would deny the LORD, under pressure, his faith faltered. He was trusting in himself, and failure is always the end. But thank God it was not fatal for Simon, nor for you, Or me!

 

HOW DID JESUS DEAL WITH SATAN?

He did not rebuke him. He did not sent satan away from Simon and the disciples. He could have done either and more but He chooses to PRAY. He met satan with PRAYER! In Matthew 4 when Jesus was being tempted He met him with THE WORD OF GOD, as He responded to each temptation, “IT IS WRITTEN!”- He knew the Scriptures and used them as “the shield of faith- against the fiery darts.” -Here He meets satan’s request with PRAYER for Simon! So we see two of our weapons in the spiritual ream are, “The Word of God and Prayer!”

 

JESUS IS PRAYING – “I have prayed for you…”

NOTE– satan DOES NOT have the authority to seek to devour Simon. He has to get permission from the LORD. Just as satan, had to have permission to attack Job, and the demons asked for permission to be cast into the swine, they and satan are not All Powerful. Satan is a created being,a fallen creature, who is opposed to God, His people. – by the way the word “SATAN” means, “Adversary.” He is opposed to God and to God’s people. Jesus prays for Simon against this despicable, diabolical onslaught satan desires.

JESUS PRAYER FOR SIMON?

“ …I have prayed that your faith does not fail.” Why did he pray that? Because the core issue was Simon’s “faith.” To attack his faith in Jesus. To seek to devour him and expose him as a fake! Satan’s desire is to tempt you away from trusting, relying on Jesus! Jesus prays his faith may not fail.”

The verb “fail” (Greek ekleipo) is interesting. Its basic meaning is “fail, give out, be gone,” and here means “to cease as a state or event, ‘fail, die out.’ ” Sometimes it is used of a race dying out, of bankruptcy, or as a description of an eclipse of the sun. So Satan has demanded to sift and shake the disciples, but Jesus has prayed to the Father for Peter especially, that his faith won’t die out. “- {Ralph F Wilson.}

Jesus has prayed in the past that Simon’s faith would not fall apart!

WHAT IS SO IMPORTANT ABOUT FAITH?

1. – Faith PLEASES God. “…for without faith it is impossible to please God.{Hebrews 11:6}.

2. – Faith GLORIFIES GOD. – Abraham believed God could give him a child even in his later years, we read “…Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,  being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” -{Romans 4:20-21}.

     When you look to the LORD JESUS by faith, in dependence upon Him completely, in God’s evaluation you please and Make much of Him in glorifying Him! You were created to glorify Him-{Isaiah 43:7} but because of sin we all have failed to do so. But when we realized our sin against God and repented by turning to Him and away from known sin and submitted our lives to Him and by faith looked to Jesus to save us from the wrath of God, the penalty for our sin as our Savior and LORD- Master to rule over us we entered into new life – The desire to love Him, not out of fear of punishment but out of love for Who He is. We desired to serve Him out of gratitude not out of drudgery. Not to say that, we do not have to battle against the world system, satan or our own selfishness, but God who began a good work in us will complete it.{Phil 1:6}. We now are to do “…whatever you do, do for THE GLORY OF GOD.” {1 Cor 10:31}.

 Faith is attacked through a thought of doubt ABOUT God, His Promises, His saving and sustaining you, by having you look at yourself and not to Him, or with a temptation to sin. The attack is on our mind to get to our faith and unsettle us. Where as we know Faith pleases God and Glorifies him when He is the Object of our faith! “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”  {Rom 10:17.} How are we then to live our lives? “The just{those whom God declares right with Him based solely on the merits of Jesus} shall live by faith.”{Romans 1:17}- Faith is motivated to trust because of the Love of Jesus Christ.-“The life I live, I live by the faith of the Son of God who LOVED me and Gave Himself up for me.” This faith is anchored in a  Person – “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.” -{ 2 Timothy 1:12}.

So where our faith is anchored and whom our faith is in -is imperative and that is the warfare- the attack on our mind to undermine our faith in a PERSON- The LORD Jesus. Faith Pleases, Glorifies, is motivated by the Love of Christ! So the attack on our thought life to undermine our faith, ultimately it is a direct attack on who? God!

JESUS IS PRAYING AND- RESTORING

Here we see a wonderful lesson for us all. JESUS Offers- HOPE- to us, in spite of knowing all about us!

The LORD Jesus knew Simon-Peter’s faith would falter, he would deny the Lord, but it was not fatal, as he came back to Him. How wonderful we have an INTERCESSOR and an ADVOCATE- Jesus the Righteous {1 John 2:1}.

Jesus knowing Simon-Peter would fail encourages him before he fails so he will know he is not cast off from Jesus, but Jesus has a specific task ahead for him! What grace, love, Hope! “…WHEN YOU HAVE TURNED BACK STRENGTHEN THE BROTHERS.” How tender the Lord is. We see He is Omniscient- All Knowing. He knew what Simon would do, but Jesus gives him hope, after he retraced his steps back to Jesus, Jesus restores ={see John 21} and gives him responsibility in Service For Him, namely “strengthen the brothers.” Who could this be? The other disciples ran from Jesus, locked themselves in a room out of fear. These ones would need to be “strengthened” after their failures also. And when you read 1 Peter and the “fiery trials” that the church were going through Peter was the one who was strengthening them by reminding them of the “fruit” of the resurrection {1 Pet 1:3-9}. In 2 Peter he writes three times, “…I write these things to remind you.” Simon-Peter was reaching out to other believers to “strengthen” their faith as they were under attack from within the congregation, with lies about the LORD. There is hope for you and me too, our countess sins, failures , and yet we can minister to and for the LORD in His service through “strengthening the brothers.” As long as you are breathing you too can Praise God that Jesus is Interceding for you as your Great High Priest. That failure need not be fatal. That you to can pray and through words seek to “strengthen the brothers.” So many ways to do so, email, social media , in person, text, phone call… take hope, choose to be courageous in Him and strengthen the brothers, for Jesus sake!  Jesus prayed for Simon, and KNOWING he would abandon Him, shows such mercy and love by COMMISSIONING him, knowing what he would do- deny Him!

Here we see a wonderful lesson for us all. JESUS Offers- HOPE- to us, in spite of knowing all about us! He COMMISSIONS Simon with a role in His Kingdom work by telling him, when he returns{repentance} “strengthen the brothers!”  

 We too must remember we are all like Simon, at times, thinking too much of our own great strengths, pledges, all while on the sun-drenched beaches of a cool breeze and beautiful sky blue water before us. But it is when the clouds of darkness Of life role in,  and the thunder and torrential rains come and the waves go from still to 50 feet high in the seas as it attacks the beaches and shoreline, when under pressure our false trust- ultimately in our own selves is revealed and we are knocked down and but for Jesus would drown in the circumstances of difficulties in our lives!  We must deal tenderly with one another “gently,” restoring one another. The word “restore” was used of mending nets or of a broken bone. How would you like to be treated if it was your bone? So treat others with gentleness. For all our feet are made of clay. We are all susceptible to having our feet  stumble, our faith falter, but because of Him who imparted faith in us, He will cause us to stand again and walk on with HOPE to DEPOSIT into the lives of others and in doing so “STRENGTHEN THE BROTHERS.”

Luke 22:31-32- Has been my meditation for days- as I go through my own trials, some severe, “But God…” has brought me to these verses.”satan has desired to sift you as wheat…” Jesus uses an illustration Peter could understand- the sifting of wheat was a Violent process… the only thing standing between us and satan is…the Intercession of Jesus, who said, “…I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail.”

SOME TRUTHS TO HELP;

1. – KNOW YOURSELF- SELF RELIANCE can only end in spiritual failure! Under Temptation there is a satanic attack seeking to attack our “faith”- reliance, confident trust in Jesus.

2. – RELIANCE ON THE WORD OF GOD. -We too must forsake trust in self and trust in God’s Word and familiarize ourselves with His Word and respond with, “It is Written…It is Written… It is Written.” Knowing and applying the Word of God, in dependence upon The Spirit of God to help.

3.- REALIZE AND REJOICE- JESUS IS PRAYING FOR YOU You are not on your own or without the Help of His Word which is living, active and sharper than a two edged sword. Rejoice JESUS is praying for your faith not to fail in this time of testing. Give thanks today that Jesus is praying for you this moment and moment by moment, when the trials are severe, great seeking to sever you from faith- dependence upon Him-

He is praying for you that your faith may not fail! Jesus Christ Himself is praying for you… let this be your meditation today, in any and all circumstances you are not alone, you are not abandoned, forgotten, helpless for JESUS IS PRAYING FOR YOU in the great struggle of the battle for your – faith.

In the next message I will show you some wonderful uplifting verse in regards Jesus praying and what He asked of His Father before the cross, concerning His disciples and what He is presently doing for you!

I hope these may be of some help to you in your own times of testing’s, Be encouraged JESUS IS PRAYING FOR YOU…