Sifting The Saints
Luke 22:31-34
November 22, 2020
As you know we are currently in the Upper Room, where Jesus has been preparing the disciples for His soon coming death and resurrection.
While our main focus has been the text of Luke’s gospel,
We have looked at the other gospels a little too so that we can better piece together the events of this night.
• After the cryptic instructions to finding the room
• Jesus and His disciples gathered where they began their Passover meal.
• During the meal Jesus got up and washed their feet.
• Jesus then instructed them about serving and loving one another.
• He then took bread and wine and instituted the Lord’s Supper
• After this event Jesus announced that there was a traitor in their midst
• First a discussion occurred as to who it would be
• They all denied that it was them, even Judas.
• In that commotion Peter asked John to ask Jesus who it was
• Jesus during that time confronted Judas, who took the sop and left
• None of the disciples thought anything of it, since now they were in a debate as to who was the greatest.
• Jesus addressed their debate and we learned what true greatness was.
• Then Jesus (LAST WEEK) commended the remaining disciples for staying with Him and promised them reward.
This has been then events of the night in that upper room.
And THIS MORNING we come to ANOTHER TRAGIC ANNOUNCEMENT.
Just a few moments ago Jesus announced
That there was a traitor in their midst.
Now He will announce that all of them will scatter from Him.
Matthew and Mark present near identical accounts:
Matthew 26:31-32 “Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP OF THE FLOCK SHALL BE SCATTERED.’ “But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”
Jesus there quotes:
Zechariah 13:7 “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, And against the man, My Associate,” Declares the LORD of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; And I will turn My hand against the little ones.”
Both Matthew and Mark show particular interest to the fact that
The denial of the disciples was prophesied in the Old Testament.
In part to demonstrate the horror of the crucifixion
And the reality that Jesus would suffer alone for our sin,
It was determined that all the disciples would flee.
The prophet Zechariah prophesied it.
But Luke’s gospel takes a different approach to this event.
Luke is quite fond of making sure you see behind the scenes
And the work of the enemy in all of this.
• It was Luke who showed us earlier in chapter 22 that Satan entered Judas as part of causing the betrayal.
• And now Luke wants you to see his role in the sifting process.
We know that Satan already owned Judas.
• He was using him as the traitor who would betray Jesus to the authorities.
• But it is apparent that Satan was not content with simply Judas;
HE WANTED THEM ALL.
The objective of Satan is to cause every single follower of Christ
To deny Christ and fall away from the faith.
He is a liar – He is a thief – He is a deceiver – He is a tempter
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…”
Satan seeks to drive a wedge between God and His children in any way possible.
• He will tempt you to sin…
• He will accuse God of injustice to you…
• He will accuse you of sin before God…
He will use deception, temptation, persecution, and any other means necessary TO SEEK TO DESTROY the followers of Christ.
And yet, the remarkable truth is that he has a 0% success rate
Oh, he wins his small battles here and there, even as you see here,
BUT HE NEVER WINS THE WAR.
Those whom Christ saves, He saves forever.
Later on this very night
Jesus will give His famous High Priestly prayer for the disciples.
John 17:11-12 “I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. “While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.”
Jesus said none perished, except for Judas
And that was only for the fulfillment of Scripture.
John 6:38-40 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
Those whom Christ saves He saves forever.
BUT that doesn’t keep the enemy from attacking.
WHY? Why attack if you can’t win?
• Because he doesn’t know who the elect are.
• Satan doesn’t have access to the Lamb’s Book of Life.
His objective is simply to shake everyone in order to
Try and knock loose the imposters who are hanging by a thread.
In this way, Satan actually UNKNOWINGLY DOES THE WILL OF GOD.
Remember John 15?
John 15:1-2 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.”
John 15:6 “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.”
Jesus will never lose one His own,
But at the same time no one who simply says “Lord, Lord”
Without truly trusting in Christ will be saved.
Or consider what John the Baptist said about Jesus.
Matthew 3:12 “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Jesus will sift out the wheat from the chaff.
And one of the ways we see false and fruitless branches removed
IS ACTUALLY THROUGH THE SIFTING OF SATAN.
Satan attacks them all in hopes of removing the redeemed,
All he ever succeeds in doing is weeding out the chaff.
BUT YOU SEE THAT even though it ultimately fulfills God’s purpose, SATAN SIFTS in hopes of stealing back the redeemed of God.
THIS MORNING WE GET A PICTURE OF THAT.
• It is actually a picture quite similar to what we read in the first few chapters of the book of Job.
• We get evidence of a conversation between Satan and God regarding the legitimacy of the faith of His elect.
• But as you will notice, there is not a shred of doubt from the Lord as to what the end result will be.
But let’s examine this passage together this morning
And learn a little bit about when Satan seeks to sift the saints.
4 things
#1 THE SOURCE OF SIFTING
Luke 22:31
The statement here is clear.
“Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;”
The process of sifting wheat was a two-part process.
First the farmer would take the wheat and thrash it.
• Typically he would spread it all out on a floor and beat it with flail so as to
loosen the wheat grain from the stalk and the hull.
Secondly the farmer would winnow the grain.
• He would take a winnowing fork and throw it all in the air so the wind would
blow away the chaff and the heavier grain would remain.
This entire process was known as SIFTING
And Jesus tells Peter and that
This is what Satan has demanded permission to do to them.
Incidentally the word for “you” in the verse is PLURAL.
• Satan is not just demanding permission to get at Peter, but at all of them.
• It might be more accurately translated “Satan has demanded permission to sift you all like wheat;”
SATAN WANTS TO THRASH YOU.
That is to say, he wants to put you on the floor
And beat you to loosen anything that might come free.
AND SATAN WANTS TO WINNOW YOU.
That is to say, he wants to toss you around and let the wind blow over you
To see if there is anything in you that is real and weighty and heavy.
You may notice that the word “permission” is actually italicized which means it is not actually in the Greek text.
So most literally it simply says that “Satan has demanded to sift you”
I suppose translators add the word “permission” because they do not want
To give the impression that God is required to do anything Satan wants.
The word for “demand” is EXAITEO (ex-i-tay-o)
It can be a request, even a begging request, or it can be a demand.
It can be used in a POSITIVE SENSE as in someone begging for pardon,
It can be used in a NEGATIVE SENSE as in a demand to hand someone over for arrest or torture.
It is best to see this in a legal sense.
• God is the righteous Judge.
• He always judges in righteousness.
• Satan is the prosecuting attorney.
• He is out to condemn the defendant.
In a just and legal system the prosecuting attorney
Has the right to cross examine the witness.
That is what we see here.
Satan is only demanding justice
Which God is obligated by His own holy nature to grant.
IN SHORT, Jesus has now revealed that Peter and the rest of the apostles are about to be cross-examined.
They are about to be put through the ringer and tested
By a skeptical adversary to see if they are really genuine or not.
We’ve seen this before.
Job 1:6-12 “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” Then Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nothing? “Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. “But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.” Then the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.”
• That was another peak into the spiritual realm where we see this sort of transaction take place.
• Satan is there doing the same thing in regard to Job that he does for the disciples.
• He is demanding right to put Job through the ringer to see if his faith is really legitimate or not.
Job passed the first line of interrogation with flying colors.
He praised and blessed God.
And then Satan approached God a second time.
Job 2:1-6 “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD. The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.” Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. “However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face.” So the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.”
It is Satan threshing and winnowing; ultimately sifting Job
To determine if his faith in God is legitimate or not.
Later in his epistle, Peter teaches us this about Satan:
1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
Satan doesn’t know who the elect are.
He doesn’t know whose faith is legitimate.
And so he seeks to sift.
Those who ARE NOT real are sifted out as fruitless branches.
Those who ARE real will never be removed for the Lord will not let them go.
In fact, if you follow the analogy of the vine and the branches
All the sifting of Satan produces in their life is more fruit since sifting from Satan only produces pruning which in turn makes the vine even more fruitful.
BUT YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT IS OCCURRING HERE.
• Satan is out to sift the disciples.
• He goes before the Judge and wants the right to cross-examine.
I’ve always imagined when Jesus said this to Peter
That Peter must have been shocked at Jesus’ next statement.
The Source of Sifting
#2 THE SURVIVAL OF SIFTING
Luke 22:32a
Incidentally he calls Peter “Simon” any time Peter looks more like the old man than the new and in this room Peter is brimming with pride and is much more of a Simon.
So Jesus tells him that Satan has demanded to sift them.
I’m sure Peter hoped Jesus would have said next, “But I told him to get lost, so you guys just stick with me.”
But that’s NOT the answer.
Jesus says, “but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail;”
Jesus tells Peter that the request was granted.
• You guys are all about to be sifted.
• You guys will be threshed and winnowed by the enemy to put your faith to the test.
But you’ll notice that there is SUPREME CONFIDENCE here from the Lord
That these men will survive.
Not because the disciples are strong
But because “I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail;”
Never underestimate the importance or the power
Of the intercession of Christ on our behalf.
Christ does not pray prayers that don’t get answered.
He always prays according to the will of the Father and is always answered.
When He prays that your faith won’t fail…it won’t fail.
This is such a confidence for the church.
Hebrews 7:23-25 “The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
Jesus isn’t just able to save, but is able to save forever.
Because He lives to make intercession.
This is security here.
TURN TO: ROMANS 8:28-39
Of course we begin with the sovereign prerogative of God.
(READ 28-30)
• That everyone He foreknows ends up glorified.
• He doesn’t lose anyone in the process.
• In short, if God wants you saved, you are saved and saved forever.
• There is no evidence of someone who gets foreknown, predestined, called, justified and then unjustified. God glorifies everyone He justifies.
And that is what prompts Paul’s great statement.
(READ 31)
• I mean, if God wants us saved, who can stop Him?
And then Paul begins to flesh it out a little more.
(READ 32-39)
Do you see all those reasons?
(32) Do you really think God would go to the extent of giving His own Son for your salvation and then renege on the offer?
(33) Do you really think Satan can undo your salvation since God knew you were a sinner when He justified you in the first place?
(34) Can Satan really make an accusation stick when Christ paid for your every sin and sits right next to the Father reminding Him of that?
Nothing can undo what Christ has done.
That is the point. Christ is praying.
Satan is asking to do his worst to try and pull the disciples away And Jesus doesn’t even break a sweat.
He has never lost one of His own, and He never will.
Satan is about to find out with the disciples
The same thing he found out with Job.
The relationship between God and His children cannot be undone.
The source of sifting, the security of sifting
#3 THE SERMON OF SIFTING
Luke 22:32b
I call this the sermon because when this is all over
It was supposed to inspire a sermon in the apostles.
“when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
In short, the only thing Satan is going to be able to accomplish
Is to prove your faith legitimate.
You aren’t going anywhere.
You’re going to have a rough couple of days, but you’ll be back.
And when you come back,
You’ll have a message of hope and encouragement for your brothers.
We don’t see the message here, but the rest of the New Testament certainly bears that encouraging word out.
TURN TO: 1 PETER
This book could almost be called “The Encouragement of Peter that he learned after being sifted by Satan”
Namely because Peter is writing this to persecuted believers.
They are also being sifted.
But notice, right out of the gate the encouragement that Peter gives.
(1:3-7)
• Peter acknowledges that they are suffering various trials.
• He sees that life is hard.
• But Peter also knows that trials are necessary, because they prove faith.
And you’ll notice that Peter, like Christ, isn’t the least bit worried that one single true believer is going to fall away.
• He tells them in verse 5 that they are “protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the las time.”
• They aren’t going anywhere.
• All this trial (this sifting) will do is prove their faith and cause them to rejoice.
Peter learned that first hand.
TURN TO CHAPTER 4
(READ 4:12-14)
Did you catch it there?
Peter said that this suffering isn’t strange.
What is the purpose? “for your testing”
You’re being sifted.
And when you pass the test…well that’s the best news you’ll ever get.
(14) “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”
• Satan won’t be able to separate you from God.
• Satan won’t be able to pull you away.
• All Satan will be able to do is prove that your faith is real.
And Peter is still not finished.
LOOK AT CHAPTER 5
(READ 5:6-11)
Peter also learned a valuable lesson in his sifting didn’t he?
He learned the importance of humility.
(Incidentally, if you studied through Job with us
You’ll know that Job was also confronted for his pride)
It was Peter’s pride that God crushed and pruned during his sifting.
And part of Peter’s encouragement to his brethren is to let go of pride.
(6) “humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God”
And then listen to Peter talk about sifting and how it works.
We already read verse 8 about how Satan prowls around to sift and devour.
But look at Peter’s encouragement.
(READ 9-10)
• Trust God and resist him (don’t take the bait)
• Know that other brothers are accomplishing this same thing – you aren’t alone
• And after the sifting is complete, God Himself will restore you.
Did not all of that happen to Peter?
He learned didn’t he?
And as a result of his sifting, not only will God prove his faith,
And prune his pride, but God will also use him
To encourage other believers in their sifting process.
That is the sermon of sifting.
And it should have ended there,
But Peter’s pride comes to the forefront so Jesus gets specific.
Source of…Security of…Sermon on
#4 THE SPECIFICS OF SIFTING
Luke 22:33-34
It is clear that PETER DEFINITELY UNDERSTOOD
What Jesus meant regarding sifting.
Peter knew that Satan was about to attack
And that the attack was ultimately meant to remove the false disciples from the true ones.
And JUST LIKE the conversation earlier in the night
The disciples immediately GO INTO DEFENSE MODE again.
Remember when Jesus said there was a traitor
We first got a discussion and then a dispute about greatness.
Now, when Jesus announces that sifting is coming
They all flex their spiritual muscle again.
Matthew 26:33-35 “But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Peter said to Him, ” Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” All the disciples said the same thing too.”
Mark’s gospel adds that “Peter kept saying insistently” that he would not deny.
John 13:36-38 “Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.” Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times.”
And of course that falls in line with what Luke records here.
“Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!”
In short, Jesus just said that Satan was going to sift them
And the answer of the disciples was a hearty, “Bring it on!”
I’m not afraid of prison
I’m not afraid of death
There is nothing that he can do to me
He can try, but he will fail
And certainly that was Peter,
But the other gospel accounts tell us that was all of them.
To which Jesus announces:
(34) “And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”
• Not only will you run from prison and death…
• Not only will you deny Me…
• You will deny Me 3 times before the sun even comes up.
What we have on display here is clear and evident pride.
It is self-sufficiency
It is self-reliance
The same pride that caused them to say, “I am the greatest”
Is now at work in their assurance that
They can endure anything the devil would throw at them.
Of course you know what is coming.
JESUS IS RIGHT.
• They’ll all run.
• Peter will deny 3 times.
• Peter will even deny before a slave girl and call down curses upon himself.
THEIR PRIDE WILL FAIL THEM.
It brings to mind the warning of Paul:
1 Corinthians 10:12 “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.”
And it certainly helps us understand why when Peter wrote his epistle to the suffering church he reminded them of the importance of humbling themselves before God as they sought to resist the devil.
BECAUSE SATAN WILL USE YOUR PRIDE AGAINST YOU.
But here is where you need to make sure you understand it accurately.
Satan sifted the disciples.
They all ran, Peter did deny 3 times.
DID SATAN WIN?
And the answer is a resounding NO!
Yes, the disciples fled…
Yes, Peter denied 3 times…
Yes, Friday was a rough day for them…
But what did Jesus say up in verse 32?
“when once you have returned…”
Where do we find them by Sunday evening?
• They are once again in the upper room with Jesus worshiping Him.
• We certainly remember the end of John where Jesus reinstated Peter and told him to shepherd His sheep.
What do we learn about the disciples?
They were genuine wheat.
• Weak wheat? Yes
• Fickle wheat? Yes
• Overconfident wheat? Yes
• But wheat none the less
They were a branch that needed pruning,
But they were a fruitful branch none the less.
And while Satan hit them, he DID NOT conquer them,
And he was NOT ABLE TO sever them from Christ.
Such is the security of the relationship between Christ and His own.
John 6:39 “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.”
John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”
I have always loved the Westminster Confession’s statement on security of the believer.
I. They, whom God hath accepted in His Beloved, effectually called, and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally, nor finally, fall away from the state of grace: but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.
II. This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father; upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ; the abiding of the Spirit, and of the seed of God within them; and the nature of the covenant of grace: from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof.
III. Nevertheless, they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins; and, for a time, continue therein: whereby they incur God’s displeasure, and grieve His Holy Spirit, come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts, have their hearts hardened, and their consciences wounded, hurt and scandalize others, and bring temporal judgments upon themselves.
They recognized that true believers can struggle and have trials and moments of failure, but they will never fail totally and they will never fail finally.
Such was true of the disciples.
• They were sifted, and though they had a rough day, they returned and served God the rest of their lives.
The lesson for you and me today is this:
• Satan will also sift you and me, and God will allow it and use it.
• Those who are truly in Christ will never be lost, those who are not will fall.
• So TRUST CHRIST
Hebrews 3:12 “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.”
