When Faith is Failing
Notes
Transcript
When Faith is Failing
When Faith is Failing
31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
33 And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.
34 And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.
The Battle is for YOU
Satan wants to destroy you
31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
The Lord is pulling for you
32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
The Battle is for Souls
Jew - Peter was the Apostle to the Jew
Gentile - Paul was the Apostle to the gentiles...
13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
male /female
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
black / white
young / old
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
The Battle can be won
The war has already been won - we have read the end of the book
we have read the last chapter
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Victory is available - but not guaranteed
32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
The Lord prayed
We have to respond
when thou art converted
convert - not saved -
greek word that means to revert...
to go back to what was before -
Peter - though he was still geographically where he was supposed to be, he was not spiritually where he was supposed to be.
we can be in church
we can be respected and have a title - but that does not mean that we are spiritual
His following testimony shows that He felt that everything was ok -
The Lord looks at our heart… He can see the weaknesses in our faith...
But the reality is, that others will eventually see outwardly the condition of inward parts -
all the disciples
all who know scripture see that Peters faith was not as strong as he thought it was… He denied the Savior
Warning Signals That Our Faith is Failing:
Long before we quit church
Live a lascivious lifestyle
We allow some of these things to have control in our lives - and our faith is failing - it hasn’t FAILED, BUT it is FAILING… PROCESS DOWNWARD.
Pride
33 And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.
I am OK
Pride is a core sin
We all have it
we all have to battle it
Denial
I am ready…
not accountable
did not receive the instruction
Do we receive instruction / correction?
It is natural to fight - stand up for self...
It is spiritual to receive instruction and correction and then to seek the soul to make the necessary changes
Comfortable
No need for change
No need to search the soul
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: Try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.
When God speaks - we need to respond...
Peter thought his faith was ok - but it was in the process of failing
31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
When Faith is Failing...
How’s our faith???