Sermon notes from Sunday 30 April 2017
Luke 22 verse 23 - 32
"And the Lord said Simon, Simon behold Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat." verse 31
These words came after a dispute among the disciples. There was a strife in that inner circle. The disciples had pledged to follow the Lord but a dispute arose amongst them about who was the greatest. Jesus was on his way to Calvary yet all they could think of who was the greatest. It came after a time of fellowship. They were sharing the Lord`s supper. We need to be careful because the enemy can come in so easily. He will come in through the back door. Here was one of the Lord`s closest friends that Jesus said of him "Satan have desired to have you."
There is the reality of the devil. Many deny such a person today. That is when the devil is at his most dangerous, when he gets you into thinking that there is no such a person as the devil. See the Lord speaking to Peter words of endearment not rebuke. He wanted Simon to keep on his guard. They tell us today we live in a more enlightened age, that the Bible is not what it is or supposed to be. The devil is out to deceive. Ezekiel points back to the days of Satan`s creation "Thou wast perfect." There amongst the angelic host he had the most beautiful voice but there came a day when he tried to be above God. Jesus is speaking here of someone who is real. Someone who can plan and manipulate. The apostle Paul spoke of a real devil. People say they believe in an evil influence that makes people do things they wouldn`t normally do. It is Satan who is the master planner. Ephesians speaks of a battle in the every day realm. Not a plague but a real battlefield. This letter was written to people who had trusted Christ as Saviour and Lord. He spoke to them of the Christian warfare that is available. An armour we need to have on that is able to stand against the wiles of the devil. "Wiles" means tactics Satan the devil will bring before us. We need the full armour if we are ever going to stand against attacks. Paul pointed to the devil as a real person. Peter proved the reality of the devil when called upon to take the side of the Saviour. He said "I don`t know him." What a statement. 1 Peter 5 verse 8 "your adversary the devil." Not the evil influence, a mythical person. The danger is for us to get over acquainted with this evil influence rather than think of him as a real person. In Revelation 20 verse 2 "and he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan and bound him a thousand years." This is the future we are talking about. One day Satan will be bound, cast into the bottomless pit for a 1000 years. Jesus will reign on this earth because Satan will be bound. He will bind Satan himself. Revelation 20 verse 7 "and when the thousand years are expired Satan shall be loosed out of his prison." He will once more be on the earth, out in the nations of the earth again. Verse 10 shows the final overthrow of the devil. "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." That is the reality of the devil today.
The role of the devil. Jesus said "Satan hath desired to have you." It was as if he was drawing him into his bosom. The only reason he wanted to do that was to destroy him. The devil still wants to do that today. "That he may sift you as wheat" is using the language familar to all - threshing. The chaff was separated from the good seed. That is what the devil wants to do to you, he wants to ruin your life, to take away the good leaving nothing. The deceitfulness of Satan. Paul spoke of "we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities." When Jesus told his disciples that he must suffer and be put to death Peter said "not so." The Lord told him "get thee behind me Satan." He recognised the spirit working behind Peter. We wrestle with an enemy that doesn`t show himself. We are in a warfare today. Just because someone tells you something or calls you all the names of the day that is not our battle. Our battle is behind the scenes. If you are not saved Satan will do all in his power from coming to the cross, stop you from recognising him as Saviour and Lord, that you must come and bow the knee and trust him as Saviour. As a child of God he will try to bring you down, destroy you. He will bring a person before you, a situation before you, a group of friends and coax you into saying this is the right thing to believe in. All the time he wants to bring you down. The Lord cast Satan out of heaven and he came in the guise of a serpent. He pointed Eve to the tree they were told not to eat from. He told her that when she ate of it her eyes would be opened. Eve ate and gave to her husband and sin entered into the world as a result. Paul spoke to the Corinthian church of the subtlety of false preachers. 2 Corinthians 2 verse 13 - 15. Jesus said "except a man be born again of the Spirit of God he cannot be see the kingdom of heaven."
The request that is made. Satan had to make this request, he couldn`t just attack him. Satan wanted to have all the disciples. He wants to have the complete church of Jesus Christ. Thank God Jesus said "I will build my church and the gates of hell will never come against it."
The rebuke Satan received - verse 32 "but I have prayed for thee." Satan had a measure of success. Peter walked afar off when Jesus was arrested that night. He came before the fire on that night and the maid asked him if he was one of Jesus` disciples. Peter replied he was not. Peter came back to the Lord and he strengthened and encouraged the other disciples in the work. As a child of God let us be on our guard today. We are kept by the power of God through faith. Have we put on the armour of God today? None of us are beyond the attack of the enemy. We should fight in Christ`s strength alone.
No comments:
Post a Comment