2017-07-30 Luke 22: 31-34 A Peek Behind The Curtain (1): Failed Faith

A PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN (1): FAILED FAITH (Luke 22:31-34) July 30, 2017 Read Luke 22:31-34 – It’s the Lord’s last night with His disciples. The disciples are arguing about who’s the greatest! Jesus shows them how skewed their thinking is by reminding them in His kingdom, the one who is greatest is the one who serves – an off-the-wall concept from the world’s perspective. Now Jesus takes them a step deeper in the learning process, showing how weak and limited they really are. To do so He takes them behind the scenes for some inside information. A few years ago some NE high school boys let 3 goats loose inside the school with the numbers 1, 2 and 4 painted on their sides. So, of course, school officials spent all day looking for No. 3! Had they only known! It pays to have inside information. And that’s what Jesus is giving here. It is specific to Peter, but it’s applicable to us all. He gives a sneak peek behind the curtains where God and Satan operate as it relates to our lives. This is kind of a mini-Job 1-2. It is convicting, instructive and encouraging. So let’s go behind the scenes. I. The Profane Petition 31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat.” Jesus wants the disciples to know that even as they are having this insane argument, Satan is asking to get his grubby hands on them to put them through his meat grinder. It reminds us that Satan can’t make a move without God’s approval. But God often gives that approval, as he did in Job’s case. Satan is one instrument God uses to test our faith, to see who’s real and who’s not – and to help grow true believers. Now there’s an interesting dynamic here that you can’t see in English. “You” in this verse is plural. “Satan has demanded to have you all – all of you.” But Jesus addresses His comments to Peter. Why Peter? Probably several reasons. First, he is the clear leader of the group. Second, he’s always the spokesman. Third, by his impulsive nature, he is perhaps most vulnerable of all to the schemes of Satan. And fourth, he doesn’t know it yet, but he is going to be the primary test case, so Jesus addresses the group thru Peter. “Simon, Simon” – the dual address for emphasis. “Listen up, Simon. Pay attention. This is important. Simon, Simon.” But, why Simon? Jesus Himself 1 had nicknamed him Peter (Rocky!) So why Simon here? Well, this is Jesus saying, “Simon, here you are again – acting like your old self. Arguing about who’s greatest? You’re on dangerous ground -- walking thru the minefield of your old nature, and you’re about to blow yourself up. Satan’s asking for you. And if you’re not careful, he’s going to have you for luch.” Satan wants to sift them like wheat – the process of tossing harvested kernels into the air so the chaff would blow away, leaving only the grain. In essence, Satan is saying as he did concerning Job – “These guys aren’t real. Just let me at them. Their faith will crumble like a straw house in a tornado. I’ll have them running for cover to save their own miserable skin.” And at first blush, that’s pretty much what was about to happen. They were arguing about who was greatest, and they were about to show there wasn’t a great one in the whole bunch. Jesus words are intended to wake them up to the reality that they have a powerful enemy – one they can’t hope to defeat on their own. It’s the same enemy that’s crouching at our front door. Peter and the disciples were not unique in facing Satan’s desire to wipe them out. Peter learned that. Later he warned in I Pet 5:8, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” He wrote that to believers. We are the ones who are in danger of being eaten alive by a powerful enemy who wants to play with us like a cat plays with a mouse – to sift us like wheat to find out what it takes to get our faith to fail. One method he uses is diversion. He hides by getting us focused on symptoms rather than root causes where he appears as an angel of light. We see our enemy as being secularism in the school system, or those pushing the LGBT agenda, or ISIS or Planned Parenthood or closer to home our godless, profane boss. And those are reprehensible manifestations of a godless society. But they are not the ultimate enemy. The ultimate enemy is the one who gets us to self-righteously campaign against those evils while at the same time getting us to shade the truth here and there, commit murder by harboring bitterness and revenge in our hearts toward those enemies, commit idolatry by coveting what our neighbor has, commit adultery by accommodating a lustful thought life – or, just like the disciples, seeing greatness in ourselves. They thought their enemy was Rome; their enemy was pride! They were already being played. Eph 6:12:“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Satan and his demons are the enemy. They may use all these other entities. But it is the 2 power behind those thrones who is the real enemy. He’d love nothing better than get us defocused on outward enemies while he destroys us from within. I used to work extensively with law enforcement. At one point I was invited to Quantico where the FBI trains agents. They have a little fake town there and during one particularly strenuous exercise, trainees are required to go on a hunting expedition for a criminal. As they walk thru this made-up community they are faced with sudden movements and potential threats that pop up out of nowhere. They must instantaneously determine whether the pop up is citizen or target. What are they learning? They are learning not to miss the real enemy because they got diverted by the wrong thing!! So we must stay focused on the real enemy. We must realize, “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (II Cor 11:14), as he was doing with the disciples by convincing each how great he was. We must battle. Jas 4:7, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” He doesn’t like to be spotted, and he will flee when he is exposed by the Word. Jn reminds us in I Jn 4:4: “for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” Satan is great; God is greater. Satan is seeking to distract, disorient and destroy us. But by God’s power, He can be resisted. But we must not fool ourselves; he is petitioning for us just as he did the disciples. II. The Priestly Prayer So the first glimpse behind the scenes is unnerving. Satan is asking permission to have at us. But I love the next glimpse. “32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.” As Satan petitions, Jesus prays. That’s a good thing to know. In fact, were it not for that, we’d have all been toast long ago. Now, there’s a subtle but meaningful shift here. In v. 31: “Satan demanded to have you (plural)” – all the disciples. But in v. 32: “I have prayed for you (singular)” – you, Peter. “I’ve prayed specifically for you – by name. I’ve got your back.” Does that mean He didn’t pray for the other disciples? Of course not. Read Jn 17:6-19 – words uttered that same night for all the disciples. But He has singled Peter out here as an example. I’ve prayed for you, Peter. So we might think, “Peter sure, but not me. Nice for Peter, but he was an apostle. Of course, Jesus prayed for him. But me – I don’t count that much.” Oh, yeah! Wanna bet? Know what Jesus is doing right now? Rom 8:34b: “Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” Interceding = 3 praying. For whom? “Us.” That’s Paul, yes, but also all the normal, everyday, individual Roman Xns. He’s praying for them. Heb 7:25: “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since (purpose clause, bc) he always lives to make intercession for them.” Listen, our very salvation hangs on the fact that Jesus prays for us. You say, “Okay, generally, but by name? Come on.” Man you are stubborn!! Yes, by name! Isa 49:16: God speaking: “Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” By name, Beloved. He’s praying – for you – by name. If that doesn’t send goosebumps down your spine, you’re hopeless! I can remember hearing Mom and Dad pray for me a time or two. It was life changing. But Jesus – is praying – for you! He’s got your back. And it’s a good thing He does. Now, look what Jesus prays for – and what He doesn’t pray for. 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.” He prayed that Peter’s faith not fail. But He did not pray that he not be sifted. He didn’t pray that, did He? He didn’t pray that He not be tested. Remember, we’ve seen before that every difficulty that comes into our lives has multiple players. Each is a πειρασμος (temptation or testing), each intended by Satan as a temptation to bring us down; each intended by God as a test to build us up. Our response makes the difference. But God does not remove every test. He did not remove Job from a huge test. He did not remove Saul from David’s life for 13 years of testing. He did not spare His own Son from 40 days of testing in the wilderness, nor from the ultimate test of the cross, and He did not remove Peter and the apostles from this test. But He prayed their faith would hold. Prayed they’d pass! Tests of faith are a gift from God, Beloved. How do I know? The Bible says. Turn Phil 1:29, “For it has been granted to you (graced –a precious gift twofold gift) that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.” God gave me the gift of faith to believe in Him – I love that. He equally graced me with the gift of suffering – being tested for His sake. Adversity always has a purpose – to grow us! Just like Peter. “I’m not praying the circumstance away; I’m praying your faith holds. Think that’s a clue how to pray?! I’ll tell you this – whatever sifting is yours today -whatever pain, irritation, frustration, failure, disappointment, or perplexity is intended by God for your good and His glory. Not for comfort – for glory! On Jan 25, 1949, the US Senate chaplain, Peter Marshall awoke with severe chest pain. An ambulance came, but Peter insisted Catherine stay home and get little Peter off to school. But within minutes the phone call came. Peter Marshall, 46, had died of heart failure. In To Live Again, Catherine describes the days of anger, despair, fear and self-pity that followed. She blamed herself 4 for not doing more. She blamed God for taking him when she needed him. But one day she realized God often comforts us, not by coddling our self-pity, but by rebuking it: “God’s comfort doesn’t walk on tiptoe as in a sickroom; it marches. There is steel in its backbone. The word “comfort” is derived from the word fortis—which means strong. I opened my NT and found there exactly that concept of comfort: “Discipline always seems for a time to be a thing of pain, not of joy; but those who are trained by it reap the fruit of it afterwards. … So up with your listless hands! Strengthen your weak knees! God was asking me to grow up, to take a new step toward maturity.” That’s why Jesus prayed for strengthened faith, not changed circumstances. They failed the first stage, but they eventually got it right, not because they were great but because God is. The priestly prayer is always for faith to see us through whatever adversity God gifts us with. Then we have God’s promise in Rom 8:18: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” With a great Savior’s praying for you and a great Father answering, wherever you are is a good place to be. III. The Prideful Pronouncement But Peter wasn’t with it yet. 33 Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” Amazing. Think of the context. Jesus has just told Peter Satan himself is asking to shake him up. He Himself is praying that Peter’s faith not fail. That would’ve had my attention! But not Peter. wonder Jesus calls him Simon! Peter, operating in his flesh: “Don’t you worry about me, Jesus. Listen, I’m ready. Prison? Death? If that’s what this means, I’m there.” You can’t fault his spirit; can’t fault his commitment; can’t fault his intention. But he’s got a severe dependence problem. You’d have thought he’d have learned his lesson the time he caught nothing all night, but the Lord overloaded him next morning (Lu 5:4-6). You’d have thought he would’ve learned when the Lord asked His disciples to feed the multitude. When they couldn’t, He fed 5,000 out of nothing (Mt 14:16-20). You’d have thought Peter would’ve learned his lesson when he and the others couldn’t heal the demonized boy in Lu 9:40-42, but one rebuke from Jesus and the demon was gone. You’d have thought Peter would’ve learned when he walked on water while looking at Jesus, but sunk when he tried it on his own (Mt 14:28-31). You’d have thought by now that Peter would have learned – “I’m helpless without Jesus.” But some of us are slow learners, aren’t we?! And so we get Peter’s prideful pronouncement. “Don’t you worry about me, 5 Lord. I can take care of myself – and you, too. Don’t you worry. I can do it.” But he couldn’t do it – and neither can you. Conc – We’re all slow learners. Remember when David fought Goliath? What courage. But remember what David told him? I Sam 17:47b: “For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.” David had skill with his sling, and he used that skill. But his trust was in God – not the sling! But a few years later when Saul, out of jealousy, was making a habit of trying to pin David to the wall with his spear, David forgot the source of his strength. He went into hiding, but everywhere he went, Saul had spies. Running out of places to go, he arrived at Nob without food or weapons. Ahimelech, the priest, gave him bread from the temple. Then David asked about a weapon. I Sam 21:9 And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here.” And David said, “There is none like that; give it to me.” So, here he is, about to trust for his defense the sword of the giant he killed by trusting God. It gets worse. A spy reports David’s whereabouts, so I Sam 21: 10 “And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath.” Gath! Ring a bell? Home town of Goliath. So now David is trusting for protection in Goliath’s sword and Goliath’s hometown. This can’t end well. And it doesn’t. King Achish figures out this is David, so I Sam 21:12: “And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.” Not the same boy who killed the giant, is he? He now fears man instead of God. He now trusts self instead of God. He only gets out of this by feigning madness until Achish says, “I’ve already got enough nutcases at court. Get him out of here.” David is at rock bottom. Why? Failed faith. But God brought him back. How? It was about this time that David wrote Psalm 42. Look at v. 3: “My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” Ever feel that way? Perhaps you feel that way today. What do you do? What did David do? V. 5: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation 6) and my God.” When David got his eyes off self and back onto God – when he again claimed him as his God and his salvation, things began to clear. And so for us. Behind the scenes, the Savior is praying that your faith not fail. Stop looking at the circumstances. Start looking at Him. Let’s pray. 6