Bro Gary Wednesday Evening 3/28/12

Bro Gary Wednesday Evening 3/28/12

Jesus spoke to Peter, “Satan has desired to sift you as wheat.”

I appreciated the short exhortation that Bro Kale brought on this scripture.  Satan will take precious souls into his sifter and shake them around until there isn’t anything left.  He told this in testimony to how his son had a difficult time believing that God could and would forgive him. 

You and I know that this is happening to many young people.  Some know some of the Bible and others believe all the lies of the enemy and have no gospel training.

Luk 22:31  And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

Among the Jews according to the commentators when they are addressing someone that is loved by them or very close to them, they use a very personal term as Jesus did, “Simon, Simon.”

We’ve had many experiences when God came to us with such tenderness.  Some people mistakenly think that God is just waiting to dump them into hell.  This isn’t the God that I know at all.  I’m living proof that God calls and calls again.

Sometimes we are tempted, tested, accused, or have a mind battle and we take it almost as “Well this is just something that I have to get through.”  There are some things that we don’t have to put up with.  Some thoughts we want to replace rapidly with a song or with a burden that we as an individual or as the saints have shared: the burdens for our nation, for other nations, for the family of the family of God.  Evil has been turned against some nations to such an extent that they are in fear at all times.

“Behold…” Jesus was telling Peter, “You need to look at this as it really is.”  When we know that the enemy is working on us, we don’t want to take it incidentally. 

Bro Davis sang the song, “Count me in”; we’ve made the choice, there is nothing to go back to, the empty religion or the entertainment world has nothing to offer.  Without having God, as beautiful as Montana is, it cannot really be enjoyed.  There is nothing attractive away from God.

Thank God Peter got it back together and became a strong preacher and a strong contender for that which the enemy tried to take away.  The same happens to us, we become violent about anything taking our soul away after we gain the victory.

Luk 22:54  Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest's house. And Peter followed afar off.

Luk 22:55  And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them.

Luk 22:56  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.

Luk 22:57  And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not.

Luk 22:58  And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not.

Luk 22:59  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.

Luk 22:60  And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew.

Luk 22:61  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.

Luk 22:62  And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.

Peter desperately failed.  When you are working with someone that has failed they often will blame someone else.  They may have hoped that ‘the someone else’ would be their savior and they wouldn’t fail.  As much as we love each other we cannot do what only God can do.  If we rely on our self or on anyone else, we will end up like Peter.

Peter handled it right.  He denied Jesus three times but when the cock crew, he realized that Jesus knew all and went out and wept bitterly.  This was the right thing to do.

Peter found himself back with the eleven then.

Joh 21:1  After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself.

Peter got it together after he failed.  He was at this sea, Tiberias, and Jesus came along and showed himself.

There are people on lots of different seas tonight.  Some have chosen the sea of sin.  It is a marvelous thing when Jesus passes by.  People find themselves adrift, or riding the waves.  We’ve all known that to happen in individual’s lives.  We all may have, in our ignorance, ridden a wave that, had not God gotten a hold of us, would have taken us out to sea.

There were seven of the disciples there that had fished all night without success.

Joh 21:2  There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.

Joh 21:3  Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.

Joh 21:4  But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.

Joh 21:5  Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.

Joh 21:6  And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.

Joh 21:7  Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.

Joh 21:8  And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes.

Joh 21:9  As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.

Isn’t it wonderful tonight that Jesus had something prepared for them?  Jesus had a very deep instruction that He was going to give His disciples.  Yet before he directly addressed Peter he told them to come and dine.   Jesus had literal fish, bread, and a fire.

Joh 21:10  Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.

Joh 21:11  Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.

Joh 21:12  Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.

Joh 21:13  Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.

Isn’t it wonderful to have Jesus serve us?  I understand being a servant; I wish I understood more.  To think the son of God, getting ready to depart this world, took note of the physical needs of these fishermen that had just come in from fishing.  After He had served them, Jesus said to Peter, “Simon.”  Again the special name was used.

Peter and Andrew were of the first that were called.  Peter was with Jesus from the beginning of His earthly ministry and sad but true Peter failed at a very crucial time.

Perhaps we don’t know what a crucial time this is for Karen and me.  How would we know?  The only way I could know is that I feel very convicted to encourage myself and everyone here.  God knows who you are going to see who you are going to come in contact with. 

He knows when you and I prayed tonight or tomorrow.  We are going to find ourselves with individuals that are going to need to hear what God wants them to hear.  Often times He sends what others need through His servants.  God help me to not fail. 

Our minds have a tendency to categorize things, this or that is important.  With God everything is equally important.  Each soul is equally important to God. 

The night of the betrayal Jesus told Peter that Satan’s plan was to sift him so that he would have no faith left.  The spirit of atheism is strong and alive today and will attack everyone that believes in God. 

Sometimes I am surprised with what the enemy comes to see if I will believe.  Why would anyone want to leave God?  How could anyone that has ever seen a tree question if there is a God?

The enemy will get people in a sieve, an instrument of his design, and will work them over to get them to give up on faith and on God.  What will you get a hold of if you give up on God?  There is nothing else to get a hold of.  If truth isn’t the anchor then you are on a sea.  Every sea that you get on will take you out to sea, never to get back.

The enemy’s plan is to sift you until there is nothing left of faith.  If people lose their faith in God then they cannot even get right with God.

Luk 22:31  And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

Luk 22:32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

The tenderness of Christ to Simon strengthens a conviction in my soul. 

1. He was called by Christ to be a fisher of men when he was a young man. 

2. He was with Jesus all His earthly ministry.  Just because people have been around Jesus and the church, they may have learned a lot, but just because they have been around doesn’t mean that they have gotten their roots down.  We want to dig around them, pray for them, and love them; pour the fertilizer of the word of God on them so that their roots will get down.

3. Peter failed.  There are individuals that we are praying for who have failed God.  Jesus doesn’t want that failure to be final.  God wants to give them a window of time for restoration.  We serve a God that restores and wants to bring back much to them that can be rightly used from their failure.

4. Peter ran to the empty tomb.

5. Peter was with the eleven when Jesus came in and said, “Peace.”  Can you imagine what this meant to Peter?  There is nothing like Jesus showing up.  I had this happen every day this week.  I said, “God I need to see you in the Word of God.  I need an answer from the Word of God.”  Jesus said, “Peace be unto you.”  This is wonderful.

6. Jesus told Peter: “Lovest thou me more than these?”  Peter answered, “I love thee.”  Jesus asked it three times and brought it down serious.  If heaven has a script there will be recorded thousands if not millions of times that that has been asked of servants, “Lovest thou me more than these?”  There is only one answer.  “Yea Lord, I love thee.” 

Whatever season that you are in tonight.  Whatever age you are, the question is, “do you love me more?”  There is only one answer.  Yea Lord I love thee more.”

Thirty years later Peter wrote:

1Pe 1:5  Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

When you have experienced losing or being about to lose something and God gives it back to you, Oh how you cherish it.

1Pe 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

There are some in this audience tonight whose faith is being tried by fire.  If you are not one of those, then enjoy it so that you can remember it when you are walking through the fire.  When everything is without emotion...  There will be times like that.  Other times you may be full of joy and emotion and feel like jumping.  When the jump is gone, when the problems arise that have no help on the horizon, God is still just the same.

1Pe 1:8  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

1Pe 1:9  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

Satan desired to sift you as wheat so that there is nothing left.  Men and women can position themselves so that they cannot get to God.  Without faith it is impossible to please God.

May God challenge every one of us tonight: fight the good fight of faith and lay hold on eternal life.