Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

I am continuing my theme on Spiritual warfare, I hope and pray you are gaining some insight and wisdom from theses messages.

I am sharing this topic with you because it is important, we need to know how to live in front of God and yes we need to beware, it is dangerous in the world.

More dangerous than a growing population of bears, of criminal activity and all happens in this world.

The devil is here, he is one who seeks to destroy, to devour God’s children.

His goal is to ruin us, make us ineffective and hopeless.

Remember what Peter said about the devil in

Friends, you are getting this straight from the horses mouth if you will, if anyone knew the dangers and power of the devil, it was Peter.

Satan had been after him, after Paul and James and those other faithful men and women of God.

And I know that was then and this is now.... but do not be deceived, Satan is still at work, He is still prowling hoping to catch us weak and off guard.

We must stand firm.

We must stand in the Lord’s power and strength and not our own.

So this morning I want us to go to the night of Jesus arrest, just hours before his crucifixion.

Lets find Luke chapter 22 and we will move from there today...

Begin at verse 31...

Now here is what I want you to take home today as we consider the idea of the enemy is after us...

1. Satan is Always Seeking.....

My friends this fact is one truth I have mentioned to you over and over again these past few weeks.

Satan is always on the move and he is always lurking, stalking, in pursuit of prey… namely the body of Christ.

You, those sitting in the pews next to you, me and our church leadership…

Please believe me, .

Satan seeks to harms those who are a threat to him.

Please believe me, .

Now, consider Job, we have

Now think back with me, do you remember looking at over the past few weeks.

tells us....

Do you remember looking at over the past few weeks.

tells us....

We saw it with Job,

“...One day when the son of God were coming to present themselves before the Lord, Satan came with them.

God asked Satan about his whereabouts, Satan told him he has been going up and down, back and forth across the earth, literally he was looking for people to prey off of...... in search of a victim....

And when God asked him about Job, what do you think about him,ole boy...

Satan, said “...does he fear you for no reason...., Haven’t you protected him and all that He has… and then he brings a accusation.... take it all away and that little birdie will sing a different song....

Remember Satan, his very name means accuser.

And so God allowed it… Satan could touch him but not his life....

That is probably the most well known example of Satan as the accuser, as a thief, as one seeking to hurt, discourage and ruin the children.

But here, in this passage we see He has targeted another person, Peter.

Jesus said in verse 31 “Simon, Simon… Satan has demanded to have you, to sift you like wheat…”

Now think with me about what is being said my friends,....

A. First off, make no mistake about the matter, Satan has asked for you.

The truth here is that Satan will single a person out who is a threat to him and his dominion in the lives of others.

Satan knows Peter is a threat.

Now bear with me, Satan is not omniscient, he is not all knowing.

That is the attribute of the God, not of an angel, or fallen angel in the case of Satan.

He doesn’t know just how much Peter will be used by God in the days to come, especially the day of Pentecost.

Satan just knows he is a threat

Satan will single you out.

He did it to Adam and Eve, He has done it to Daniel, he has done it to Jesus in the wilderness, and now he is trying to come against Peter.

B. Secondly here, Jesus says Satan has demanded to have you…

Make no mistake about it, Satan has approached God the Father asking, demanding for Peter, His desire is to ruin Him.

The word here for desire/demand depending on which translation you read has one full meaning to it.

He has demanded to test you and he has obtained permission....

And make no mistake about it, I think Satan is after them all, but most especially Peter.

II cor 2

Now my friends, why might God allow Satan to temp you, or put you to the test.. Remember what I have said over and over again these past few weeks, God allows us to come to impossible battles in this life that he might be glorified through it.

C. Thirdly, along with that, Jesus tells Peter that Satan’s desire is to sift him like wheat.

Sift, we understand that term, it means to separate, to pull apart.

On the threshing floor, the wheat was whipped with a whining fork, it was used to separate the wheat kernels from the chaff, the outer hull of the wheat, once it was done they chaff could be fanned away, gathered up and thrown into the fire.

The true wheat was all that was left.

Satan seeks to separate, to tear Peter apart to drive him away from the truth, to make him ineffective.

Church, Satan’s goal is to make you ineffective, to make you unqualified to serve, to be used by God.

He will do it if you are not careful.

Satan is seeking...

Let me ask you a question, can you identify ways that Satan has tried to worm his way, sneak his way into your life?

If you can, you better make those areas of your life matters of prayer, asking God to help seal up those passage ways so Satan cannot get into your house, your life, your marriage and yes your walk with God.

You have to make this a priority in your life.

Now this takes us to my second thought today...

2. Jesus Prayed...

Here is the most beautiful thought in this entire passage, Verse 31 “...I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail.”

In the midst of what is said in this conversation, do you think it encouraged Peter to know the Master had prayed for him?

I think so...

Now understand with me, the prayer here that Jesus speaks of , is not a one time action.

It is not referring to the idea that Jesus knew of Satan’s desire and request and then started to pray for Peter...

Now that is not what is meant at all… So what does it mean.

It says that He has continually been in prayer with the Father for these men, that God would protect them and keep them along this difficult road to the cross and the days that lay after it.

Listen my friends, Jesus is a prayerful person.

And there is so much about prayer that we can learn at the feet of Jesus.

Let me share a few thoughts with you about the praying Savior.

A. He taught his disciples to Pray.. , the disciples having witness the prayer life of the Savior, asked Jesus to teach them to pray… and so he did, bringing to them the Lord’s prayer and the rich pattern of prayer that would forever change their lives.

B. Jesus prayed for His disciples and those who would believe in the days to come… While in the upper room before Jesus and his disciples head out to Garden of Gethsemane, we find Jesus praying for them.

we find him in his high priestly prayer… let me share three verses with you to remind you of the love Jesus had for those he prayed for...

Jesus Prayed

B. Jesus prayed for His disciples and those who would believe in the days to come… While in the upper room before Jesus and his disciples head out to Garden of Gethsemane, we find Jesus praying for them.

we find him in his high priestly prayer… let me share three verses with you to remind you of the love Jesus had for those he prayed for...

C.

He Prayed for His enemies , while hanging on the cross… as the people hurled insults and vile words at the Savior, Jesus prayed “Father, forgive them they know not what they do...” .

and while there is so much more that we could say about Jesus and his prayer life, think of this one last thought here....

D. He is now praying for us… As you look at this passage, Jesus is far different that all who were before Him, he is not prevented by death, nor does his office ever cease to be, not at all.

Jesus is our great high priest who continually makes intercession for us.

His hope and is His desire is that we shall over come, and be imitators of himself.

Walking in the victory of the Lamb, sharing the kingdom of God with those around us.

But until we see Jesus, he is always at the right hand of God, always making intercession for us.

He prays for us....

Jesus prayed for Peter, why He knew this would not be his end, He knew this was not the final chapter in Peter’s life.

yes, it is sad to see this great disciple fall away in fear and deny Jesus.

But friends please know that these were difficult days, He didn’t plan on denying him… No His plan was to die with him.

But fear has a way of taking the wind out of our sails...

And remember, Satan is the master of using fear against us.

But there is good news my friends, we have a Savior who loves us, who has lifted us up and when we do not know how to pray… the Holy Spirit is there, He is always with us and He prays for us...

Our mind might be laden with fear, our present condition not knowing what to do our how to pray, we have an advocate with the Father, his Holy Spirit.