“Don’t Get Caught in the Sifter”
Luke 22:31-34
By: Pastor
August 26, 2018 – SN
When God repeats a name He is trying to get their attention.
This is right at the crucifixion of the Lord when this portion of Scripture takes place.
If you are not careful you will look at the failures and faults of others and forget that you can fall into the same trap if not worse.
- Due consideration of sifting – v.31
What does it been to be sifted? Sifting is a breaking down.
What is the evidence of being sifted?
- You will follow afar off – v. 54
If you are walking away from God, you are being sifted by the devil.
If Satan was not afraid of Peter, he is definitely not afraid of you.
- Sat with the wrong crowd – v. 55
Peter began being comfortable with those not comfortable with God.
He was around the wrong crowd.
You need to get around those that desire to serve God and that love God.
Be careful of who you hang around.
- The destroyer
The devil desires to have you.
He is upset that you have a new Master.
- The devil desires to control you.
If you are saved you cannot be devil possessed, but you can be controlled by the devil.
The devil can control you.
- The devil desires to crush you.
The devil is not satisfied with just controlling you, he wants to crush you as well.
He wants you to look like the world.
- The deliverer – v. 32
Jesus prayed for Peter.
- Power
In this verse you see how personal the Lord gets with Peter – the Lord prayed for Peter.
Jesus’ prayers have never been hindered. They will always be heard and answered.
Jesus is not stopping the devil and his work, but He is praying to strengthen Peter and that his faith would not fail.
Satan will not quit, he is not going away.
- Stability – thy faith fail not.
Peter did not lose his faith.
Jesus gave him a compliment that in this verse that Peter did have faith.
- Peter has potential in his life.
Peter says to others you do not have to do what I did.
He could help those that had fallen.
How many times do you magnify the sins of tohers.
Your little things are big things to god.
Just because you are still in church, still at home, or still married does not mean anything.
You believe like Peter that you are more ready than you are; you really are not that ready for anything the devil throws at you.
You get overconfident in your strength you forget you need God just to follow Him.
Peter didn’t believe it could happen to him.
Jesus knew Peter had been sifted because of his denial, his following afar off, and his adapting to the wrong crowd.
- Divine revelation – v. 34
Sifting happens quickly and cruelly.
Peter’s sifting was going to happen that very day that Jesus talked with him.
When the devil makes you a fool, he does it in a big way.
Following afar off, getting away from God, is when the sifting begins in your life.
The things of God are not important any longer. Reading your Bible and praying is no longer important to your life.
Peter later became a great preacher but it was because when he went wrong he acknowledged it and got it right.
The little things are what will sift you.
The devil desires to have you, to sift you to, to destroy you.
Don’t be so confident that if cannot happen to you because it can.
You are no match for the devil on your own.