LUKE 22:31-32
INTRO
As you walk with the Lord you will begin to realize your call and purpose in Him. It’s a beautiful thing to walk with Jesus and watch His powerful plan unfold in your life. Walking and working for the Lord is a disciplined and regimented effort that should never be taken lightly; as it is a privilege to wear His name at whatever cost it accounts to our lives. That’s why Jesus said that “if any man desired to come after Me to first deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.” If you are a person of purpose I don’t want you to be ignorant to the fact that satan desires to have you that he may sift you as wheat. He desires to destroy you by the tedious, time consuming and systematic process of sifting or shaking apart.
We must realize that in serving the Lord that there will be difficulties, distractions, disturbances, and discord that will strategically place themselves in the path of our faith. We must recognize that the fight is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and spiritual wickedness that sit in high places. They’re fighting against the fervency of our faith. The enemy is terrified of your Position [replacement]—Purpose [warfare]—Praise [weapon]—Power [tongue].
I. Simon, Simon, behold, satan hath desired to have you—Jesus called Simon Peter out and told him that satan desired (asked) to have him. Satan wanted to destroy Peter’s ministry before it ever got started because he peeped into the potential of Peter’s future and saw what he would be doing for God. Satan wanted to crush Peter like a grain of wheat. He hoped to find only the chaff of his existence and blow it away. But Jesus assured Peter that his faith, although it would falter, would not be destroyed. It would be renewed, and he would be converted. God never lets the enemy loose on you….
He wants to do you the same way in that he has peeped into your future and he has seen the glory of God on you and he fights you where we are to keep you from where you’re going. He wants you that he may destroy you. If he can knock you off of the path that was set before you by God he can destroy you by the sifting process. Satan desires to have you because he hates you because he can’t stop your POSITION so he attacks your purpose and praise to nullify your power. 1st, he tries to stop your purpose with distractions and then stop your praise by disturbances. (Jobs) praise revolutionized how we view suffering.
II. That he may sift you as wheat—Satan knew he couldn’t just outright destroy Simon because he was so close to Jesus (abide in the shadow of the Almighty). So he accused Simon before God and asked for permission to sift him and destroy his faith and shut his mouth by shaking him violently. Sifting is tossing the wheat up and the chaff which has no real substance and is lighter than the wheat will blow away. Satan wanted to use this process on peter; not realizing that God uses the same method in dealing with people of purpose. God tosses us up and the things in our lives with no real substance blows away. The enemy thought if he just destroyed Simons praise he would destroy his power and altar history Your purpose, praise and power are so impactful that the enemy launches an all out attack against them.
III. But I have prayed for thee—But notice the prayer of the Lord for Simon Peter. He didn’t pray for the sifting process to be cancelled; or for the Simon to have an easy path; but rather He prayed for his faith not to fail him. Simon (unconverted) would not have become Peter (Church) without the sifting process because it produced discipline, so it was very necessary. Likewise in our lives we will not be who God has called us to be until the trying of our faith produces patience, and the patience once it is made perfect would cause us to stand even in the fire. God’s prayer isn’t to give you an easy path but that your faith stands up.
IV. That thy faith fail not—the devil attacked the faith of Simon because he knew that without faith it’s impossible to please God. He wants you us to serve God by what we see and not by faith. Real faith doesn’t fail….make sure your faith is on Christ; all other ground is sinking sand, my hope is built on nothing less….
WE WALK BY FAITH—Simon’s faith would ultimately change the face of Christianity because of the depths of his journey from faithlessness to faithfulness. Simon’s journey from Simon to Peter symbolizes our Christian walk including the sifting process. He was called by Jesus then he was sifted by the enemy;
The process had such an effect on him that even though he followed Jesus, he followed from a distance, close enough to see Him but too far to fellowship with Him. He warmed himself at the fire of the enemy; then he denied the Lord three times when he was at his low point. Often times the breakdown comes before the breakthrough. Peter was unable to verbalize his love for Jesus—the enemy almost won but there was a sound. I hear the sound of faith.
V. And when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren –Acts 2 Pentecost. 3 Gate. 9 Dorcas. 10 Cornelius