I'm going to ask you to take
your Bibles and turn back with me to Luke 22. Last Sunday morning,
I dealt out of Luke 22 with verses 61 and 62. Peter had denied the Lord, and
the Lord looked at him. And Peter's remembrance of what
the Lord had said to him, and of course, the great conviction
that Peter was under, he went out, the Scripture says, and
wept bitterly. But this evening I'd like to
go back and deal for a few minutes before we have the Lord's Supper,
with verses 31 through 34. And this is the commission, the
revealing, the revelation from the Lord of what was going to
transpire. Let's read verses 31 to 34. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon,
Behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you
as wheat. But I have prayed for thee, that
thy faith fail not. And when thou art converted,
strengthen thy brethren." And he said unto him, Lord, I am
ready to go with thee both into prison and to death. And he said,
I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day. before
that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me." Let's pray
together. Our Father, this evening, how
thankful we are. Oh, for the privilege to be able
to assemble together, to assemble ourselves together, to hear your
word. Lord, we thank you. for the privilege
that we have to pray. But Lord, to know that you pray
for us, interceding for us, help us this evening. We pray for
these, our brethren, that have been mentioned. We thank you,
Lord, for your mercy toward us. Pray for your guidance and peace
and comfort. We ask you now, forgive us where
we failed you, for Christ's sake. Amen. I'd like for us to consider in
this conversation that which the Spirit of God has been pleased
to teach us from the conversation that our Lord had with Peter
that preceded Peter's fall and the Lord's look. Here's the first
thing that we know from this conversation that our Lord had
with Peter. First of all, we have an adversary. The Scripture says, verse 31,
the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired you. As I said last Sunday, to have
is actually not in the original. Satan hath desired you. that
he may sift as wheat. Behold. Simon, be aware. Simon, understand. Marvin, know. Every one of God's regenerated
sheep, Satan does not know who the sheep are. But when the Lord
calls them out of darkness, He knows who they are. Behold, Satan
hath desired. There's an amazing thing that
I realized that I had not realized. As I was looking through these
words and looking the definitions up, I realized that that word
desired, there it means to ask. To beg. Craved. And what the Lord has told Peter
is this. Satan has asked permission. Satan has begged permission from
me. Satan has craved to have you. Satan hath desired to have you
that he may sift you as wheat." Now with that thought, I want
you to turn, hold your place right there and turn with me
back to Job chapter 2. You know this passage of Scripture,
but I want to show you something and try to make good on what
I'm saying right here. Job chapter 2, verses 1 to 3. Verses 1 to 3. Again, there was
a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before
the Lord. And Satan came also among them to present himself
before the Lord. And the Lord said unto Satan,
From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord and
said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up
and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan,
Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like
him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth
God, and escheweth evil? Now listen to this. And still
he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movest me against
him, to destroy him without cause. Even though you entice, even
though you attempt to persuade. That's what the word movist means.
Even though you movist me. Even though you prick at me to
destroy Him without a cause. He maintains His integrity. The Scripture sets forth back
in our passage, Back in Luke, the Lord revealed to Simon, Simon,
Simon, Satan wants you. He's desired to have you. He's asked permission from me that he may sift you as wheat. after he was converted, and I'll
deal with that in just a few minutes. Not regenerated, but
converted. Said in 1 Peter 5.8, now here's
the very one that Satan desired to have. The same one that Satan
enticed the Lord, moved against the Lord, begged permission of. The Scriptures reveal that Satan
can do nothing without God's permission. The Word of God's
sheep, He's God's Satan. He's God's devil. But Peter was
the one that wrote in the epistle of 1 Peter 5.8, Be sober, be
discreet, be watchful, be vigilant, be awake, because your adversary
the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour. That came from Peter. the very
one that Satan desired to have, and he was speaking from experience.
I heard Brother Henry say one time, you never really know anything
until you experience it. You don't know. And here was
Peter, speaking obviously under divine inspiration, but speaking
from experience. When Peter said, be sober, be
vigilant, be watchful, be discreet, Be aware, be awake, be looking. Satan walks about seeking whom
he may devour. Consider his attempts to cause
you to fail, to cause you to fall. Whenever we find ourselves
with our attitude, riled up. I mean, there's an old man in
us. And Satan is a crafty devil. Consider where that attitude
comes from. The enticement, the attempt to
cause God's people to fall. Satan is ever ready to entice
God's people to cause division not only among the brethren,
but also rebellion against God. Be vigilant. Job 2.4 says, and
Satan answered the Lord and said, skin for skin, Yea, all that
a man hath will he give for his life, but put forth thy hand
now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee
to thy face." You lay your hand on him. Let
me lay my hand on him. Let me touch his flesh. Let me
bring him down with your permission." And he'll curse you. He'll curse
your face. We have an adversary, and he's
wily. He's crafty. He knows how to
entice. He's been doing it a long time. Behold, Satan hath desired you,
that he may sift you as wheat. Here's the second thing I know.
We have an advocate. Verse 32. The Lord says, But I have prayed for thee, that
thy faith fail not. I noticed when our Lord spoke
there, He said, I have prayed for thee. Something had happened in the
past. I know that our Lord was ever
in communion with His Father. And many of His prayers are recorded
Not all of them. Sometimes the scripture says,
and he rose early in the morning, went off by himself, went into
the mountain, got alone, communed with his father, prayed. And
he, as it is recorded, prayed how we ought to be diligent in
seeking our Lord, ever mindful of the blessing of the Lord's
intercession on our part, mingling His merit, His worthiness with
the prayers of the saints as they are presented before the
throne of God, accepted on His behalf, for His behalf. But I
know this. John 17.9. Turn with me there
again. Hold your place in Luke. Look
at John 17. John 17.9. He told Peter, Satan has desired
to have you as if you were wheat. But I have prayed for thee. Now, if you were to read, and
we won't read it for the sake of time, chapters 13, 14, 15,
16. Chapter 17, it begins, and I
want you to notice how it begins. Our Lord was speaking with His
disciples. He was teaching them of His upcoming
going to the cross, going back to the Father. In verse 33 of
chapter 16 of John, it says these last words as He was speaking
to His disciples, these things I have spoken unto you. He's
talking to His disciples. These things I have spoken unto
you that in Me you might have peace. In the world you shall
have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world."
These words spake Jesus and lifted up His eyes to heaven. Now His
disciples are listening to what He said. His disciples have just
been spoken to by the Lord Jesus Christ, and now the Lord lifts
up His eyes to heaven and says, Father, the hour has come. Glorify Thy Son that Thy Son
also may glorify Thee." No record that the disciples were ever
gone, left. They listened to this prayer. But I want you to look especially
at verse 9. I pray for them. I pray not for
the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me, for they
are Thine. I pray for them. I pray not for the world. I'm not praying for everyone
without distinction. Who is he praying for? But for
them which thou hast given me, for they are thine. Our Lord,
the Great High Priest, always prays according to the will of
the Father. This is the Father's will, that
of all which He has given me, I should lose nothing. Raise
Him up at the last day. His prayers are always heard,
for He always prays according to God's purpose. He always prays
according to God's will, God's pleasure. He ever liveth to make
intercession for the saints, for His people. According to
John 17.9, He never prays for any but His elect. I pray for those that you've
given me out of the world. He prays only for those that
He has everlastingly loved. He prays for those chosen by
God, redeemed by God, and eventually called by God. And His disciples listened to
Him when He prayed. Listened to Him as He interceded
for them. He listened when the Lord said
in verse 8 of John 17, I've given unto them the words that thou
gavest Me. They've received them. They've
known surely that I came out from thee. They believe that
thou didst send Me. Look at verse 6. Can you imagine
the disciples listening to the Lord pray these words? I've manifested
thy name unto the men which thou gavest Me out of the world. Thine
they were. Thou gavest them Me. They have kept thy word. Hear Peter heard the Lord Jesus
say, they are faithful. They are faithful. These are
faithful men. Back in Luke 22, Satan has desired to have you
sift your wheat, but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail
not. May the Holy Spirit remind us,
cause this blessed thought to be brought back to our heart
afresh. We have an Advocate. Peter would
fail. Peter would stumble. Peter would
fall. Thanks be unto God that we have
an Advocate that prays for us, that our faith will not go away. Fail. Temptations are going to
come, but God's people, their faith remains totally, exclusively
because of His intercession. I've prayed for you. Here's the
third thing I know. We have an adversary. We have
an advocate. The third thing I know, we have
need of correction. We're proud people. Pride. That manifestation of that indwelling
sin. Be careful. Be cautious about
your thoughts concerning your own ability to faithfulness.
1 Corinthians 10-12 says, Wherefore, let him that thinketh, he standeth,
take heed. lest he fall. The Apostle Paul had entered
in how the Jewish fathers had enjoyed God's great favor and
blessing when they had left Egypt. They were led through the wilderness
to the land of God's promise. Once you turn to 1 Corinthians
10, I just want to read this account. of what had happened. 1 Corinthians 10. Within that body of physical
Israel, it was proven in time that not all of them were the
true spiritual Israel. They all came out of Egypt. Now,
listen to the revelation of God's Spirit through the Apostle Paul.
Brother and I would not that you should be ignorant. How that
all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through
the sea, and were all baptized under Moses in the cloud and
in the sea, and did all eat the same spiritual meat, did all
drink the same spiritual drink, but they drank of that spiritual
rock that followed them, that rock was Christ. But with many
of them God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the
wilderness. Now these things were for our examples, to the
intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted
neither be idolaters, as were some of them. As it is written,
the people sat down to eat and drink, rose up to play. Either
let us commit fornication, as some of them committed and fell
in one day, three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt
Christ, as some of them also tempted him, were destroyed of
serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured
him, were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened
unto them for examples, and they were written for our admonition,
upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore, let him
that thinketh, he standeth, take heed. lest he fall. Let us take heed. May the Lord
give us wisdom here. I know this. The Lord shall surely
keep His people. The Lord will keep His people.
But let us remember that our strength is not in ourselves. It's not in our knowledge. It's
totally in the Lord Jesus Christ. Fear. Be not high-minded. Romans 11, 20. What we ought
to say, Lord, if you keep me, I'll be kept. Lord, if you settle
my feet, my feet will be settled. Back in Luke 22, when our Lord
told Peter, I prayed for thee that thy faith fail not when
thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. Peter said, Lord,
I'm ready to go with thee both to prison and to death. I'll
die for you. Lastly, from this passage, we
learn this. We have a friend that will always
be truthful. to us, his people, for our good. In verse 34, the Lord said, I
tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day before that
thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. Proverbs 27.6 says,
faithful, supportive, to the building up, faithful, or the
wounds of a friend. A friend, a true friend, one
that truly loves you, will be honest with you. He'll tell you
the truth. And you know, honesty is not
always the most pleasant thing to hear. Someone says, well,
I always want you to be honest with me. Well, I bet you that
there are situations that somebody might ask a question and they
want you to lie to them to make them feel better. Does this look
good on me? A friend will always be honest
with you. Not to hurt you, not to discourage
you, but to support you. To build you up. Truly be a friend. The Lord mercifully revealed
to Peter his frailty. Man by nature thinks that he
will not fall. And pride comes before fall.
Everybody else will fail you, but I will not forsake you. I'll die for you. The Lord exposed
the evidence of Peter's need of an advocate, of a Savior. Peter, while you're telling me
everything that you're ready to do, I'm telling you that the
cock shall not crow this day While you're telling me right
now, it's not going to grow this day before that thou shalt three
times deny that thou knowest me. You think the first time
when he denied the Lord and said, I don't know Him, that it would
have arrested him to such a point to where he would have said, Lord, forgive me. Lord, forgive
me for that. But the second and the third
time was easy, if not easier. Easier. Scripture says, in other passages,
he cursed. Cursed. Out of nowhere. But the blessedness of our Lord's
mercy is revealed back, and I purposefully left the last part of verse 32
out. When the Lord said, I prayed
for thee that thy faith fail not. And listen to this. And if thou art converted, is
that what he said? When you're converted. when you're
converted. When thou art converted, strengthen
thy brethren. When you're turned about, when
you're brought to see, you're needed. When I reveal to you
what you are in yourself, when I look at you, when thou art
converted, When you're brought to some knowledge of yourself,
strengthen, make sure, hold up, stand by your brethren when you are converted. Peter, when you see your brethren
falter, when you see them stumble, Peter, you consider yourself.
you consider what you did. When I bring you to an understanding
of your true need, you remember this, I pray for you, that your
faith fail not. A believer's hope is totally
built, based, founded upon his mercy, his strength, his intercession,
His power, His will. Lord, teach us afresh of our
need of You, for Christ's sake.