Will my Faith Fail

I'm going to ask you to take your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Luke. Luke chapter 22. Luke 22. As I was trying to prepare for this evening, I struggled on where to go. And my heart landed upon this passage of scripture when the Lord was speaking to Peter and was just telling him what was getting ready to happen. And Peter, like all of us, foolishly thought himself to be more able, more capable than the Lord knew that he was not able. And the Lord told him so.

And as I read this passage, I'm going to read in Luke 22. And I want to look at verses 31 to 34. As I look at this this evening, I'm going to ask all of us, pray and ask the Lord right now, Lord, cause these words to truly be a blessing to me. Because I'm telling you that every believer can enter in to what's going on here.

The Lord said to Peter, Luke 22 verse 31, the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I've 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 thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. Now, that had to be a very, very shocking and very humbling word to Peter. Peter was chosen of the Lord to be an apostle. The Lord taught him the gospel. That was, you've heard me say, that was one of the evidences that all the disciples, the apostles heard the gospel, learned the gospel from the Lord.

And I I got to looking at that passage today, and this is the title of this message, Will My Faith Fail? There's not a person in this congregation that doesn't pray that same thing. Will my faith fail? Let me say this. If it's faith that was born in the heart of our carnal flesh, it will. It will fail. But if it's faith that was given from above, it's not going to fail. The Lord is going to keep us kept by the power of God through faith. The gifts of God are without repentance. That means God doesn't give them and then take them away.

And here the Lord is speaking to Peter. And he told him, he said, Peter, Simon, Verse 31, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you. I've read that again today, and I thought to myself, you know, this battle that we're going through right now is a whole lot more personal than we believe it to be. The Lord told Peter, Satan has desired to have you. He got his eye on you. He's desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. He wants to do you in, Peter. But I prayed for you. And I think to myself, Lord, the wonder of the thought that you would pray The Lord told Peter, he said, I've prayed for you. I've prayed for you.

And my mind is lost when I think about the wonder of the omniscience of God. That you mean to tell me that he would know, personally know, a worm like me? Someone like me that sees myself not to have even since to get out of the rain that God Almighty would be pleased to set his affection and care for me and pray for me personally. I can't even enter into the thought of the myriads, myriads of people in this world that the Lord knows personally and prays for. He ever liveth to make intercession for his people. But here's what I know from this passage of scripture. Satan has desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat.

Now, beloved, we have an adversary. We have an adversary. Look at the wording. Look at the wording of the Lord, verse 31. The Lord said, Simon, Simon, Simon, Simon, behold. Take note of this, Simon. Grasp hold of what I'm about to tell you. Behold. Take a good look at this. Satan has desired to have you. Satan has longed after you. to deceive you. Be aware, understand. Beloved, listen to me.

We that know the Lord, in truth, be advised. Satan knows who we are. Now that the Lord has called us out of darkness and has saved us by his grace, And has seen he goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. And he knows where we are. He knows, he knows we're meeting tonight. He's aware how all these things can be.

I don't know, but I know this according to the word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ has said in his omniscience, Satan has desired the Lord knew Satan's desires. He knew Satan's thoughts. He desired. Satan hadn't hidden anything from the Lord. And the Lord graciously is telling Peter, behold, Satan has desired to have you. He's desired to have you. Now let me tell you what that wording means when it says he's desired. He has asked. He has begged. He has craved to have you. He has asked the Lord. Satan can't do anything without the Lord's permission. He's a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, but he's the Lord's roaring lion. Almighty God rules in heaven and earth.

Nobody, nothing, moves him he doeth as he will satan has craved to have you and sift you as wheat but not only do we have an adversary that we need to be aware of be aware let me let me inform you according to the word of god right now You know that, according to the Word of God, that there's spirits in this world.

As the Lord is telling Peter what's going on around him, I'm quite aware that we're not alone in this building. Somebody said, well, I don't see anything. I get that part of it. But I can tell you, according to the Word of God, that we have an adversary. an adversary.

And just as Satan desired to have Peter and sift him as wheat, we have an adversary. Doing his best right now to distract us from all things. Why in the world did I think about something that I did 25 years ago just then? that has nothing to do with tonight, where did those thoughts come from? From this old depraved and evil man that dwells within me that I can't get rid of as long as I'm in this world?

And here I am wrestling. There's a battle going on. Satan's desired to have you. 1 Peter, I'll read this to you, 1 Peter 5, 8. Be sober. Be vigilant. That is, be discreet, be watchful. Because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour. Consider that the attitudes that go through your mind, the thoughts that you have, let me tell you where they're from.

They're from an old heart. that just absolutely has no desire to serve God. They come from these insinuations that are around us. Satan has desired to have us until God calls one of his own out of darkness. Satan doesn't know who the Lord's sheep are. He doesn't know who they are. He's not omniscient. The Lord knows. I know my sheep. I know them. And when God calls them out, it's evident.

And I'm telling you, according to this word right here, you think that Peter was just one out of the mass of humanity that Satan desired to have? No. Satan desires to have all of God's sheep, distract all of his sheep. He can't snatch them away from the Lord, but he can distract you. He's got some evil ways, evil. Paul said, we're not unaware of his tactics, of his way. We know how he works. He works on this old wicked heart, insinuating.

I think to myself, how often do I try to pray and I can't even. Why are you trying to pray? Do you think Satan's trying to distract you? Do you think he knows you're trying to pray? How your mind just wanders and stuff like this. Why am I thus? Oh, John Newton, why this evil? Man, why all these distractions that I see? Satan has desired to have you and sift you as wheat.

So we have an adversary. But let me give you some hope here. We have an advocate. We have an advocate with the Father. Back in Luke 22, Verse 21, again, the Lord said, Simon, Simon, Satan hath desire to have you, that he may sift his wheat. But look at verse 32. But. Oh, you've heard me say this before. Aren't you thankful for these beautiful words, but. But.

I have prayed for thee that thy faith Fail not. Believer, do you know why you continue to believe the Lord? Do you know why you continue to be faithful in the faith? You think you're that strong? You think you're that able? You think that you're that capable?

The Lord said, without me, you can do nothing. You can do nothing. Aren't you thankful that the Lord would keep his people? We're kept, I said a moment ago, we're kept by the power of God through faith. The only reason that you have any desire whatsoever to long after the hearing of the gospel, the service, don't you want to be faithful to him?

I want to. And the older I get, the more I realize, Lord, I'm so weak. I'm so frail. I'm so incapable. And I know it. And I'm so prone to forget. I'm so prone to wander. Prone to wander. Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. There's an old man in me that said, I don't want to stay here. He said, well, I can't believe you would say that. Well, believe it. I'm telling you the truth.

That old man is, is there is no change in the old man. There's no change. The old man is still the old man. He's going to be with you until you die. And the resentment that you have before the Lord, toward the Lord, before you were converted, that old man is still there. There's a battle going on and it's not going to be until we put off. this body of death. Until we put off this body of death, we're going to go through this life struggling.

But the Lord said, but I prayed for you. Now, if you think that that's not a comfort to a believer to think right now, the Lord is praying for his people. I've prayed for you. I've prayed for you. I cannot enter into the depth of the importance, the necessity of prayer. I know what the old man thinks. Let me tell you what the old man thinks. Okay. If you say that the Lord has saved us by his grace, we're kept by the power of God. He's going to order our steps. He works all things after the counsel of his own will. He'll never leave us, he'll never forsake us. Oh, what's the need of prayer then? That's the old man.

And I'm telling you right now, I understand that foolish thought. Because that foolish thought goes through my mind too. But it does not change the fact Though I cannot enter in to the depth of the need of intercession, the Lord's intercession toward me, toward his people. Though I cannot perceive the depth of that need, it doesn't change the fact that there is a desperate need that is only fulfilled. It's only granted. It's only given. By the power of God, I've prayed for you. One of these days, by God's grace, we might understand something. But right now, I know we see through a glass darkly. I know we do. It's very dim to us. But we do see. I've prayed for you. I have prayed for you.

I think about the Lord's words in John 17, verse 9. when the Lord was praying for his people. And this is who the Lord prays for. If you think that the Lord prays for everybody without any, you know, distinction or anything, he does not. He prays for his people, only for his people.

So I'm going to ask you, are you telling me that God doesn't pray for everybody? That's exactly what I'm telling you. God doesn't pray for everybody. Well, how in the world do you know that? The Lord said he didn't. John 17, 9. I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine. I'm thinking here is the truth of God's grace. We have an adversary that is out to distract us, to lead us away, to bring about whatever he can within the bounds of the Lord.

When Satan came to the Lord concerning Job, he told the Lord, he said, he said, you got a hedge around, I can't get it. The Lord said, have you considered my servant Job? None like him. Righteous man, he sheweth evil. Satan said, well, sure. Yeah, but I can't get to him because you got a hedge around him. But if you remove your hand. He'll curse you to your face.

And the Lord allowed him to do that. Yes, we do. We do have an adversary. That is held in check by God Almighty. Who sets the bounds on what he allows? Satan to do to distract or try to distract his people. But I'm telling you, it's only within the bounds of God's permissive will. I have prayed for you that your faith fail not.

Beloved, we have a great high priest. God himself. Who prays for his people. And his prayers were always heard. That's what he said, Father, I know that thou hearest me always. And if he's praying for me, if he's praying for you that know him, love him, seek him, I'm telling you, God hears him. That's why we were praying a few moments ago. I was thinking about Brother Neil when you prayed, thanking God that he would hear our prayers and praying for us. If he's praying for us, God's going to hear him.

And he always prays according, the Lord Jesus, according to God's will, because he's God. He never prays for anybody select, those that he's everlastingly loved. He's always loved. The Lord said, Jeremiah, I've loved you with an everlasting love. There's never been a time before we were born in our mother's womb before God created this world. The Lord knew his people. Here's the third thing. We have an adversary. We have an advocate. But I'll tell you what I know we need. We need constant correction. We need correction.

Back in Luke 22, Peter said in verse 33, or verse 32, he said, but I've prayed for thee that thy faith fail not. And when thou art converted, and I've told you before, Peter was a regenerated man. The Lord had saved him by grace. God had saved him. But we are in a constant need of being corrected, corrected. I need correction. When my kids were growing up, I can tell you, I loved them. I loved them. But as I told you before, they knew the lines. They knew the lines. If you disobey me, I'm gonna whip you. If it's a mistake, and again, I've told you this, I'll determine whether or not it was a mistake. are just sheer rebellion. I'll make that call. But for rebellion, disobedience, I'm going to spank you.

We need correction. We have an advocate praying for us, but because of that old man that's still in us, we need correction. We need correction. We need, for God Almighty, to keep us in line. I want that, I need it. It's not easy on the flesh, I know that. But I'm telling you, whatever the Lord is pleased to bring us through, whatever he sees fit, some through the water, some through the fire, all through the blood. But I know this, we need to be corrected. corrected. The Lord said in verse 33, said unto him, Peter said, Lord, I'm ready to go with thee into prison and to death.

Peter was so arrogant. He was so self-centered. He was so high-minded. We need correcting. Peter said, I'm telling you, Lord, right now. Now this is the way it is. Now you think of this. You that know the Lord, do you really think, do you really think, in your mind, in your mind, I can tell you what you think, I will not forsake him. I won't do it. I will not do it.

The Lord saved me. The Lord called me out of darkness. I've been sitting under the gospel, preaching the gospel these many years, And I won't forsake him. Be careful. Be careful. Don't you think for one second that it is not within, if God doesn't keep you, that it's not within the reality that but for his grace you will leave. And I will too. Unless the Lord keeps us, we will leave. We will leave. Peter, self-centered, self-righteous. Lord, I'm ready to go with thee to prison, and Lord, if it is your will, I'll die for you. I'll die for you.

Peter needed, like we all do, he needed to be whipped. He needed. The scripture says in 1 Corinthians 10-12, wherefore, let him that thinketh, he standeth, take heed, lest he fall. It's sad to say, but we all believe it. We know this, that God Almighty must keep us by his power. Peter told the Lord, he said, I'm not going to leave you. There's no way I'll leave you. Take heed and be wise here. Take heed and be wise. When you pray, ask the Lord, Lord, keep me. Lord, help me. Lord, don't let me leave. Don't let me leave.

There were many, the scripture says, there's so many of the scriptures, I won't go to them, but I'll just relate a couple that comes to my mind. There was a great crowd of people that followed the Lord. They heard Him preach. Whenever He got to a point where it was just a hard saying to them, they followed Him no more.

And Peter, was asked by the Lord, will you go away also? And by the grace of God, Peter said, Lord, where am I going to go? Now, you that believe, you enter into that. Let me ask you this. If the Lord has revealed himself to you and taught you the truth of sovereign, saving grace, mercy, grace, the thought of you leaving is one of those hard things to have to admit. But let me ask you this. Has there been any that you've known all these years that at one time appeared to be fateful?

And you'd think they'll never leave. They'll never leave. Set under the gospel. How many can you remember that sat and listened to Scott and heard him for years and years and years? And you thought to yourself, well, if there's anybody that won't leave, I guarantee you that'll be them. But in time, something sadly appeared to be so. They didn't want to be here anymore. Now, just think about it. Peter told the Lord, he said, I'm ready, I'll die for you. I'll go to prison for you, Lord. Whatever you want me to do, I won't leave. But I'm telling you right now, listen to me.

If God doesn't keep us, I'm telling you, you'll find an excuse, and it'll make sense to you. It'll make sense to you. Well, Marvin doesn't, you know, I don't know. One time I, I don't know, maybe one time I kind of believed what he was saying, but I don't know, it's just gotten to a point, I can't go along with that anymore.

If God doesn't keep us, I'm telling you, That's what the Lord told Peter. Peter told him, I'll go to the death for you. And the Lord told Peter, verse 34, he said, I tell you, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day before thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. Now, let me ask you this. Aren't you thankful that we have a friend that would be honest with us. If the Lord was not honest with us, when the Lord told Peter, Peter, I'm telling you, the rooster's not gonna crow twice before you deny me three times that you even know me. And Peter, even then, denied it. No, I won't. And the next thing that happened, Some little woman came along and said, I think you were with him. I saw you. No, I don't know the man. And I think, can it be so?

Can it be that that is it within the realm of possibilities that I would leave, that I would tell a congregation of people that I've been with for these 26 years 23 years 24 almost I would be would it be could it be possible That I could just come and just tell you I just don't want to do this anymore Y'all go your way Hope the best for you Is it possible that that could be?

I'm telling you right now according to the Word of God if God doesn't keep us you'll leave you will leave and those that left This is what scripture says They went out from us. Why? Now this is hard because I know that there's some that's within all of our families that we love and we do love them. We love them. They went out from us. Why? Because they were not of us.

If they had been with us, the scripture says surely they would have remained. They would have been here. If God kept them, they'd be here. if the Lord kept them, if God kept them. The Lord has called his people out of the darkness of sin and unbelief.

He's given them a new heart. But that old man is still there. There's four kinds of people with this I'm going to close. Four kinds of people. I want you to turn with me as I close. To Matthew chapter 13. Turn with me to Matthew 13. There's four kinds of people in every congregation. To what extent, what percentage, I don't know. But I can tell you that this is according to the word of God. Matthew chapter 13. I want to read. A few verses out of this. Starting in verse 1.

The same day went Jesus out of the house and sat by the seaside. A great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship and sat. The whole multitude stood on the shore. And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow.

Now here's this sower, spiritually speaking, this is the Lord Jesus Christ himself. I know he uses means, he uses pastors, but to the fullest extent, here's the Lord. The Lord sends his pastors. A sower went forth to sow. Verse four, and when he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside, And the fowls came and devoured them. Now, here's the way it is. There's some people that hear the gospel and it just, it has no effect on them at all. No effect. Just, you know, okay, I came because I guess I needed to. I don't know why. But do you want to go back? No, not really. I don't want to go back.

Some seed fell by the wayside. And the fowls came and devoured them. And then some fell among stony places where they had not much earth. And forthwith they sprung up because they had no deepness of earth. And when the sun was up, they were scorched and withered away.

And what happens is some hear the message of the gospel of free grace. Now, this is the truth of the gospel. Here's the Lord speaking, and he's speaking not of those that are just going to church. I'm talking about people that are listening to the gospel, a sower. Picture of Christ or his preachers, and they're preaching the gospel. They're not preaching some false. I'm talking about people that hear the gospel.

Now you think about it. Some that all of us know, first of all, has heard the gospel preached, and they show no interest in it. They just know, I have no interest in coming. Then some hear the gospel, and it appears as though that there's life. They spring up quickly. You think there's some hope here. I'm hoping that they'll come back, you know.

But because there was no deepness of earth, because they weren't settled by the Spirit of God and grounded in the truth, when the sun came up, when there was any kind of distraction, heat, whatever, whatever comes up, there's always a good reason in their mind why I don't I'm just too doggone busy. You realize, I'm just too busy. When the sun was up, they scorched, because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and I've told you before, thorns that have been cut down, and it looks like good ground, and I can tell you because of the way it's written right here, that's why it's saying, fell among thorns, And when the thorns choked them out, when the thorns sprung up, when they came up and became evident, that was thorns in there.

It choked out the word. This one, to me, goes right along with the second one. They're just all together. When there's things that are more important, it chokes the word out. Now they claim to be believers. I believe five points of Calvinism. I've talked to people that could just argue with, when I say argue, I mean give a good verbal confession. Let me say it like this. They wouldn't go to an Armenian church for nothing. I say, no, I believe the gospel. I believe five points of Calvinism. I'm not going to that church over there, that free will, I'm not going there. But they're so busy, they've got so much stuff that they gotta do, the thorns of this world chokes it out. I'm coming, I am coming, I'm coming.

You say, Marvin, you're being just a little bit too honest. Let me ask you this, am I being any more honest in these scriptures? No. What happens is they sprung up quickly. There appeared to be life there. They'll talk the talk. But when these thorns spring up, things that prick, things that distract, things, whatever it is, they withered away. Oh, but look at verse eight. But other fell into good ground and brought forth fruit, some hundredfold, some 60, some 30. He who has ears to hear, let him hear, let him hear.

Back in our passage, here's where I started all this, and I'll end with this. Back in Luke 22, verse 31, The Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I've prayed for thee that thy faith fail not. I've prayed for you.

When these distractions come, when things that are so, you think, so important, that they're more important than hearing the gospel, be careful, be careful. I know, I know. I know that there's situations, I know that, I know that. But be careful, be very, very careful. But I've prayed for you, that your faith fail not. And when you're converted,

Will my Faith Fail

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Will my Faith Fail

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