When the Spiritual Battle Intensifies
Notes
Transcript
Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
33 But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”
34 Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”
35 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?”
“Nothing,” they answered.
36 He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. 37 It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.”
38 The disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.”
“That is enough,” he replied.
Introduction
Introduction
Christ is about to be taken to the cross and crucified.
He knows what is approaching. He knows the intensity of the battle that lies ahead. Think that, in just a little while, Christ will be praying on the Mount of Olives, sweating drops of blood agonizing over the pain, suffering, and torment that He is about to endure as His Father’s wrath is poured out against Him.
As He thinks about this, He is not consumed by thoughts for Himself at this present time. Rather, He continues to think about His disciples, and to prepare them for this time during which these events will unfold.
Jesus is still concerned to prepare and train His disciples for the challenging road that lies ahead.
As we consider these words of Jesus to His disciples, and some of the interactions that they have with one another, there are significant lessons that we must learn from them. What the disciples would be facing, and the manner in which they would be responding, and some of the things that were to take place as a result or consequence of Christ’s crucifixion are very relevant to us.
The hours following these interactions between Jesus and his disciples would be the darkest in all the history of the world. All of the greatest atrocities in the course of human history combined cannot compare with the depths of the darkness in Christ’s betrayal and crucifixion. This was the Son of God. This was God made flesh, that would soon be put to death. It was significant.
Behind all of the human hands at work to bring about this great atrocity of putting the Son of God to death was a spiritual battle being waged. This was not merely the plans of man. This was the work of the evil one. The people behind what would unfold were in a real sense under the control of the evil one, and they moved and acted as he would tempt and influence and persuade them to follow the sinful desires of their own hearts.
This was a spiritual battle on the go. And let us be sure, the disciples were yet to see how dark this battle could become, and how they would end up responding.
As we consider this text, then, let us consider our own lives in the context of the world in which this spiritual battle continues to rage.
Even in the context of our own lives, we may often think that what we’re going through, or the challenges that we’re facing, or the hardships that are being experienced, are purely physical. We do need to remember, however, that there is more going on than merely the physical appearance of things. There is a battle being waged in the Spiritual realm.
Those in this world who are yet dead in their sins, or said to be following the ruler of the kingdom of the air (Eph.2:2). And Paul clearly tells Christians where the true battle in this world lies.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
The title of the sermon is, “When the Spiritual Battle Intensifies.” For practical purposes, we could say that this refers to the times when the going gets tough. When life becomes difficult. When everything seems to be going against you. This is not merely a physical reality. There is a spiritual struggle and battle on the go.
This is a battle for your heart....
This is a battle for your faith… an effort to draw you away from trust in Christ and His promises.
In those times, what do you think about, what do you remember through those times?
There are five things from our text that I believe are important to remember when the spiritual battle intensifies.
When the Spiritual Battle Intensifies, Remember...
1 …Remember Your Saviour’s Concern for You (v.31)
1 …Remember Your Saviour’s Concern for You (v.31)
The text before us begins in a striking manner as Christ declares to Peter that Satan had his sights set on Peter, and that he was looking to bring him low.
31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.
A few things are important from this particular verse.
Firstly, perhaps not of great significance, but certainly it seems to have significance. That is, that Jesus calls Peter by his original name - “Simon.”
You will recall that Simon’s name was changed to “Peter” by Jesus himself.
Why did Jesus now call him “Simon?” There may be a number of reasons for this.... the most likely is that Jesus is conveying to Simon the fact that in and of himself, he is weak and frail. He is a needy man. He doesn’t have inherent strength, contrary to what Peter himself is going to say of himself.
The name “Peter” means “Rock,” and he was given this name at a time when Jesus said to him that on this “Rock” (that is the confession as Christ the Son of God) the church would be built. At this particular time, as the Spiritual battle was about to intensify, Peter would certainly not be acting as a rock. He would not remain steadfast. In this sense, it confirms that the name Peter was not really so much about him as it was about the Lord that He professed - Jesus Christ.
More to the point here, we must notice that Jesus repeats his name twice. This is a means of demonstrating familiarity or closeness of relationship. A was a means of conveying endearment. As Jesus repeats his name twice, it demonstrates the deep concern and care that Jesus had for Simon Peter.
This is the kind of care that Jesus has for all of His children. He has a deep concern for each of us. Consider that Christ laid down his life for each one of His own, chosen people. Yes, He did that in broad terms of the church. But He also did that for each individual that would be known as His child.
He knows the number of hairs on each of our heads. He cares for His children!
7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
God cares greatly for His children.
Beyond this, notice also at this point that Jesus knows the circumstances and situations that either are presently, or will in due course afflict His disciples. These are not things that would take the Lord by surprise.
In the buildup to this occasion, as Peter and the other disciples were walking with the Lord, and as they were participating together in the Last Supper, they would have had no idea what was coming their way. Not so with Christ. In fact, Jesus tells the disciples at least something of what has been taking place in the spiritual realm as Satan has been making demands, probably before God.
You recall the account of Job… Satan, the accuser, comes before God, and God presents to him his servant Job - righteous and upright among the men of the earth. And this interaction unfolds between God and Satan, with Satan eventually being granted permission to afflict Job.
Now, we don’t know the details of the present circumstances and the interactions that may have taken place, or what was said. However, it is clear that there was some form of interaction. It is said in verse 31 that “Satan has asked to sift you...” There was a request made.
The word in the original language is not nearly so gracious and kind as the NIV renders it. The word really means, “Demanded.” That’s the way in which certain translations have translated it. It is a strong demand made. It is an insistent demand that Satan has made.
One thing I need to point out at this stage is that the “you” in that sentence (at least at this point) is plural. In other words, Satan’s demand was not directed at Peter alone, but at the disciples as a group. Satan was making a demand against the Disciples of Jesus.
The fact is that unbeknownst to Peter and the other 11, Satan was pulling out all the stops to have them brought low.
The text tells us that he wanted to “sift [them] as wheat...”
What would happen with wheat is that it would be shaken violently in a sieve, in order to separate the wheat from the chaff. The picture is that Satan wanted to violently shake the disciples through a peculiar trial in order to have them abandon their faith in Christ.
Before moving on, keep in mind the point that I would like to make here is that Jesus is not unawares of what is approaching the disciples. He knows the trial and the hardship that is going to come upon them. He knows how great the demand is that is being made. He knows the battle being waged in the spiritual realm for his disciples.
He is aware!
And he’s well aware of our own lives. He’s aware of your present struggles, and He’s aware of the struggles that you are yet to face in the days to come. He’s aware of the extent, of the intensity, of the complexities involved. He’s aware. And He cares!
When the Spiritual Battle Intensifies…
2 …Remember Your Saviour’s Intercession for You (v.32a)
2 …Remember Your Saviour’s Intercession for You (v.32a)
At the start of verse 32 we read…
Luke 22:32 (NIV84)
32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail...”
Not only was Jesus aware of what was to unfold in the coming hours, but he’s taken action for the benefit and good of His disciples. He’s prayed for them - already before any of this begins to unfold!
Now, the “you” in this verse is singular. In other words Jesus directs his attention from the planned attack on the disciples to addressing a word of encouragement to Peter in particular.
This doesn’t mean that Jesus didn’t pray for His disciples as a group. John 17 records the wonderful prayer of Jesus on behalf of His disciples. The prayer recorded in John 17 was actually prayed this very same night in which all of these events were unfolding. Notice some of the prayers of Jesus for His disciples...
9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.
11 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.
15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
Jesus prayed for His disciples, and I would suggest that His prayers for them would have been frequent and fervent.
But in this particular instance, Jesus is seeking to encourage one disciple in particular, namely Peter. We don’t really have an explanation for why Peter was singled out in particular, and we want to avoid too much speculation. But the fact is, Peter was going to be faced with his own failure in a very poignant manner. Perhaps Jesus recognised this… perhaps Jesus recognized that Peter was the leader, and He was going to remind Peter of his responsibilities, and so simply sought to bring particular encouragement to the disciple that would actually disown Him.
Now, notice the prayer for Simon. “I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail...”
The prayer of Jesus is that Simon’s faith would persevere, and not fail.
Immediately, we need to consider what is about to unfold. Simon is most certainly about to deny Jesus three times. Jesus himself acknowledges this just two verses down.
This is very important for us to note.
We must recognise that the prayer of Jesus would not have been ineffective. James 5:16 says that “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective...” Here is the only perfectly righteous man to have walked the face of the earth. His prayers would have been effective! Keep that in mind - there was nothing ineffective in the prayers of Christ!
Now, we know that when Peter is going to be asked if he’s one of the disciples of Jesus, he’s going to deny it. He’s going to deny Jesus three times in fact. And the question that we need to ask here is, was that not a denial of the faith?
Before we answer that question, let’s be honest that his fall was tragic. It really was a serious fall.
However, this did not mean that it was a falling away from the faith. We need to see a moment of weakness as just that - a moment of weakness!! In Peter’s case, there was a severe trial and temptation. In the moment of weakness, there was certainly failure. But this failure did not amount to a rejection of Christ as Lord.
What would ultimately happen is that Peter would be radically transformed, and he would become a bold proclaimer of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He would stand before thousands, declaring that the man they had put to death was the very Son of God. And he would face severe persecution because of that.
Now, this must encourage us also. Sometimes, when we walk through our Christian life and we face struggles, we think that perhaps God has abandoned us. We think that he doesn’t care, or perhaps that He’s forsaken us. We can become extremely despondent.
We may very well wonder in such circumstances if Jesus really is interceding for us! As we look at the example of Peter, we see that the prayer of Jesus was not to remove the intense time of testing from him. The prayer was also not that Peter would sail perfectly through the trial without mishap or shortcomings. His prayer was ultimately that through the trial, and despite the weakness and failures, that Peter’s faith would endure. And endure it did!!
Christ knew what was coming for Peter. He prayed for him, and I would argue that his prayer was extremely effective despite the failure of Peter.
Just applying this to ourselves, we need to remember that Christ prays for us in terms of our every need in this spiritual battle.
If we just go back to the High Priestly prayer in John 17, we find there that Jesus was praying for us, even in that very prayer!!
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,
Since long ago, Jesus has been praying for each one of us. We see this also in Romans 8…
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
As we pray through our own circumstances, our desire to lives that are godly in this world, and the battles that we face as we seek to do that, sometimes intense battles.... the Spirit intercedes for us.
A little further on in Romans 8…
34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, while the trials and challenges of life may be very disheartening at times, and they may seem to overwhelm, and they may even appear to be gaining the victory over you, the reality is that when you are in Christ, your King, your Saviour, the one who paid the penalty due for your sin, is interceding for you, right there in the very presence of God!!!
That is an encouragement!
Thirdly, when the Spiritual Battle Intensifies…
3 ...Remember Your Duty to Serve (v.32b)
3 ...Remember Your Duty to Serve (v.32b)
At the end of verse 32, after Jesus says that he has prayed that Peter’s faith will not fail, He gives an instruction to Peter.
Luke 22:32 (NIV84)
32 ...And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
Immediately, we see here that Jesus knew that Peter was going to fail. He knew the extent to which Peter would fall, and that it would be necessary for a restoration. That’s why He says, “when you have turned back...”
So, the falling of Peter was not a failure on Jesus’ part in terms of His prayer. It was also not the ultimate failure of his faith. Rather, it was a moment of weakness wherein he failed, but through which God would work to bring about a change in Peter’s life, for both his benefit and the benefit of God’s people.
So, then, notice the instruction of Jesus: “…strengthen your brothers!!”
The temptation when you’ve gone through a time of trying and difficulty, perhaps a time where you think that you’ve failed in a very dramatic or serious way (which Peter did) is to withdraw and to hide away. There sometimes remains this lingering sense of shame and guilt that leads to further isolation.
Jesus says to Peter that he has a duty and responsibility to his brothers. He has a responsibility to serve them. Despite this serious fall, he is being called, once he turns away from the sin of denying Jesus, to be an encouragement to his fellow disciples.
Failure, sin, shame etc. is not a grounds for self-isolation and exclusion from the work of serving and ministering to others. In fact, very often, our weaknesses and failures provide the context and the perspective to best serve others. Two reasons for that…
Firstly, through our failures, we are driven to greater dependence on Christ. We realize our own weaknesses and inadequacies. We realise that without the grace and mercy of God, we would have no hope. And so we rely all the more on Christ as we serve others. I’ll touch on this again in a moment.
But secondly, when we’ve gone through those trials and struggles, we have a different perspective on the struggles, and how God’s grace can work through them, so that we are better equipped to serve others in similar situations.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
In Peter’s case, Jesus calls him to strengthen his brothers. They are going to go through this same struggle and challenge that he will face. They are also going to face persecution, suffering, failure. And he will be called upon to strengthen them in their faith.
Robert Stein writes:
Luke Comments
How Peter fulfilled this is seen in Acts by his leadership in completing the number of the disciples to twelve (1:15–26), his preaching at Pentecost (2:14–40), his early preaching and leadership in Jerusalem (chaps. 3–5), and his role in the expansion of the church to Samaria (8:14–25) and to the Gentiles (chaps. 10–11; 15:7–11).
God used Peter profoundly for the expansion of the church. Even after this severe time of testing, Peter would carry out his responsibility to encourage and strengthen the brothers.
A similar approach was taken by David after he sinned with Bathsheba. His prayer of confession is recorded in Psalm 51, and he says as part of that prayer...
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.
He also recognised the need to serve others after restoration.
For us personally, we need to remember that our lives are to be offered up as living sacrifices for Christ, for the Gospel. We are called upon to live lives of service for one another. Even through the most severe trials that you may face, the question is, will you remember your responsibility to serve others beyond the trial?
Your gifting and area of service may not be the same as that of Peter’s, but we’ve all been called to serve one another within the context of the local body. We are to use whatever gifts and abilities Christ has given us to minister God’s grace to others.
Continuing, fourthly, When the Spiritual Battle Intensifies…
4 ...Remember Your Personal Weakness (vv.33-34)
4 ...Remember Your Personal Weakness (vv.33-34)
We’ve already touched on this briefly, but it comes out far more strongly in verses 33-34...
Christ was giving this word of encouragement to His disciples, and particularly to Peter. He was in fact warning them about this intense struggle that was coming. He had quite heavily alluded to the fact that Peter was going to fail, and need to be restored.
As Peter receives these truths from Jesus, however, he still placed a confidence in his own strength and ability.
33 But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”
Peter asserts his own confidence. He tells Jesus that he’s prepared right now to go all the way to death with Jesus. He says that he will go to prison, he will go to death. He will not forsake the one that he claims is his master.
Now, Peter was a bold and a brave man. We need to see that he really did seek to stand by Jesus and defend him. In the Garden of Gethsemane, it would be Peter that would draw his sword and chop of the ear of the High Priest’s servant, even in the face of a large crowd and soldiers that had come to arrest him. He was brave.
Further to this, his own words would ultimately be fulfilled, after the death and resurrection of Christ, where he would in fact go to prison. And tradition has it that he was eventually put to death for the sake of Christ. Ultimately, Peter was going to proclaim Christ in the face of severe persecution. But that would only be by the power and grace of God.
What we find is that Peter was not immune from failure. And this is what needs to be addressed here. We see from Jesus’ response (which we’ll come to in verse 34) that Peter had an over-confidence in his own ability, and thus never understood that he was prone to failure. His confidence put him at risk.
18 Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.
12 Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud,
but humility comes before honor.
When Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers, he warned them of their own potential to stumble and fall. He referred them to examples of history, and told them to remember the Israelites and their sin in the wilderness so that they would not be tempted and fall. Note his words…
11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!
We need to heed that same warning. When we develop an over-confidence in our own abilities to remain standing, we put ourselves at risk. We need to remember that we’re all sinful people, with hearts that continue to be deceptive, even as believers.
Jesus wasn’t fooled by Peter’s show of confidence. The other disciples may have been, but not Jesus.
34 Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”
Now, the time that these discussions take place is in the evening, maybe late evening, early night. This is the night of Jesus’ betrayal. The morning is just a number of hours away. The rooster is going to crow in the morning. Jesus says to Peter, you think that you will stand firm, but within a matter of just hours, you will deny me three times!
Peter wouldn’t even be able to get through a full 24 hour period without denying his Lord that he had just sworn to follow, even to the point of death. Such is the heart of man in its natural state.
As much as Peter wanted to follow Christ and serve Him whole-heartedly, he was still a weak vessel, prone to stumbling and failure.
We need to recognise this in our own lives. While it may be very true that we long to walk after Christ, to serve him and honour Him every day, and never to deny Him, we need to remember that our own hearts are weak and frail. We are subject to temptation and weakness. An over-confidence in our own abilities and strength, or a lack of appreciation of the extents of the potential sin of our own hearts, can have dire consequences.
In a particular Puritan prayer that I was reading recently, it was encouraging to see the honesty that was used in terms of the potential to fall into sin. That prayer read as follows:
Piercing Heaven: Prayers of the Puritans I Need Your Protection
Today I put myself under your protection. Let me make the shadow of your wings my refuge. Let your grace be sufficient for me, and your strength be made perfect in my weakness.
I dare not say, “I will never forsake you, I will never deny you,” but I hope can truly say, “Lord, I resolve not to do it. I would rather die than offend you.”
Root out the corruption from my heart. In an hour of pressing temptation it might sway me to view things in a different light, and so might betray me into the hands of the enemy!
That is a helpful prayer to be praying!
As the spiritual battle intensifies, remember your own personal weakness!!
Fifthly and finally from our text.... When the Spiritual Battle Intensifies…
5 ...Remember Your Saviour’s Provisions (vv.35-38)
5 ...Remember Your Saviour’s Provisions (vv.35-38)
At this point, Jesus asks his disciples a questioning concerning the missionary journeys that they had gone out on during the course of his ministry. You will recall that these are recorded for us in Luke 9:1-9 and also in Luke 10:1-20. And so, he asks them a question based on that time when they were sent out.
35 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?”
“Nothing,” they answered.
That sets the context for the instruction and exhortation that is about to be given. He’s reminding them that they were provided with everything that they needed as they went out, even though they were told to take nothing with them. God was the great provider.
Verse 36 then goes on…
36 He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.
The reality that Jesus is conveying over here is that what they experienced before in terms of the favour of the people during the course of their missionary journeys was not going to be a norm. In other words, that was not something that they would continue to experience indefinitely going forward.
While there may have been a welcoming of them previously, this would change, and they would need to make the necessary provisions for themselves. The hostilities in the midst of the Spiritual battle would continue to face them, and they were going to need to make provisions for themselves in wisdom.
I appreciate the application of this by Philip Ryken to our modern context. He writes this…
Luke, Volumes 1 & 2 Of Moneybags, Knapsacks, and Swords
There is a time and a place to live in total poverty, without any property to call one’s own, but there is also a time and a place to work hard and plan ahead. Today the people of God are living in Luke 22, not Luke 9. Every believer is called to live in total dependence on God for every daily need. But this does not mean that every Christian or every missionary should presume on God to meet their needs out of nowhere every day. It is right and good for people in ministry to make provision for their future needs, while at the same time totally trusting in God.
The strange part, however, is the instruction from Jesus to sell their cloaks to buy a sword. Now, the big question here is, was this a literal sword that he wanted them to buy, so that they could defend themselves? Many have used this verse to support such physical means of defense, even the use of physical force for the advance of the Gospel!!
But if you have a good understanding of the Scriptures more broadly, you will know that this is not what Jesus was advocating!!
In particular, if you look just a little way down in this passage, we find that account of Peter chopping off the ear of the servant of the High Priest. Jesus response was, “No more of this!” (Luke 22:51). No more physical violence or force in terms of the promotion or advancement of the Gospel.
As the Gospel of the kingdom goes forward, it is not with physical weaponry. Why? Because the kingdom of God is not of this world!
4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
The meaning here, then, is a metaphorical one. Again, in the words of Ryken…
Luke, Volumes 1 & 2 Of Moneybags, Knapsacks, and Swords
The sword is a symbol of warfare and conflict. Therefore, Jesus was saying that the time of violent danger had come for him and for his disciples, and that in these perilous times they would need to be gospel warriors, prepared for spiritual battle.
The primary evidence of the intensity of that battle is seen in the next verse....
37 It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.”
Christ quotes here from Isaiah 53, that beautiful passage on the suffering servant, and applies it to himself. He is the suffering servant that will be numbered with the transgressors. He says here that the words that are written about HIM are reaching fulfillment. What is important to remember is that through this fulfillment, what follows just after in Jesus’ quote from Isaiah 53 is the reason for his work...
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Christ was about to fulfill that… bearing the sins of many.
In that sense, when the spiritual battle intensifies, remember Your Saviour’s Provisions for you through His death on the cross. Not only has our sin been atoned for.... paid for in full, but because of this, we know that we have an abundance of riches in Christ - everything that we need for our Christian walk, and more!
32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Now, the disciples still didn’t quite understand. In verse 38, we read their response…
38 The disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.”
“That is enough,” he replied.
Jesus doesn’t argue or even explain at this time what he meant. Rather, he simply says, that is enough!
Application / Conclusion
Application / Conclusion
The Spiritual battle is going to intensify.
There will be times of great trouble and difficulty.
Through this passage, we can gain wonderful encouragement.
Our Saviour Knows and Cares!
Our Saviour Intercedes for us!
Our Saviour Provides for us!
Therefore, endure with and encouraged heart.
Continue to remember your weakness, and trust in His grace and provision.
And as you endure, remember that you are called to serve others, even using your own experience of God’s grace to bring hope and encouragement to others!
Amen.