LUKE 22:31-34 PARTS OF A TRIAL2014 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Luke 22:31-34 Parts Of A Trial

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2014. So we want to start out this morning with a quick survey. If you could just by a show of hands indicate if you've ever gone through a trial. Go ahead and raise your hand. Anybody? Anybody?

We've all gone through trials, right? We all go through them and none of us like them. But we know the scriptures and we know that the word says trials are good for us. And so even though we all have them and we don't really like them, we understand that, well, James tells us in James chapter 1, consider it pure joy, which is, you know, hard for us to do. But we know that that's what the Bible says. And we know that that's what the Bible says.

That trials do a work in us. And Romans, or Paul tells us in Romans, that we should glory in our tribulations because it produces in us good things and patience and faith and long-suffering. And these things are worked in us

Now as we look at our passage this morning, we're looking at a trial or a forewarning of a trial that Peter is about to go through. And I think it's important for us to dwell on this and consider this because there's a lot of misunderstanding about trials. And it's not real hard to come across bad doctrine regarding the trials that we face. There's a lot of times that people say,

Think or believe that trials are punishment from God. That they're going through some kind of difficulty or affliction or they're in some kind of condition because God's angry and he's trying to get back at them and make them suffer.

But that is not at all what the Bible declares. That is not at all what the Bible talks about. Trials are something completely different than that. Some people connect trials to their works. And so, you know, if I'm not doing that good, then I have lots of trials. But then if I am doing good, then I'm not supposed to have trials, right? You know, if you're a good Christian and you're reading your Bible, then things aren't supposed to be hard. That's what some people think. Of course, it's hard to live that out because...

you all experience trials, no matter how good you're doing or how bad you're doing. It's something that we face. As we look at this passage, the Lord is telling Peter to prepare for this trial that he's about to go through. And as he does, it gives us great insight into what's really happening behind the scenes or in front of the scenes, but what's really happening within a trial. Now, as I talk about trials this morning,

I want to make sure that you understand. When I talk about trials, I'm talking about any kind of difficulty, affliction, discomfort, disease, any kind of temptation or struggle with sin. The idea of trial or temptation or testing throughout the New Testament, it's based on just a couple words and they're used interchangeably.

And so one sentence or one verse, it might be translated temptation. The next sentence or the next verse, it might be translated test or trial. And they're kind of used interchangeably and intertwined that way because they're the same basic concept.

A trial, a temptation, a test. It's all the same basic thing. The same people are at play or at work in the midst of these situations. And that's what we need to understand. And so if you're dealing with an issue where you're struggling with sin, you're trying hard not to give in to some sinful desire,

That's a trial. You could also call it a temptation or a test, but it's all the same basic thing. Or if you lose your job and you're really struggling with your finances and you're not sure how that's going to work out, that's a trial. If you are diagnosed with some condition and now you have this disease and you're trying to figure out, am I going to survive or how is this going to work, that's a trial. If you get a flat tire, that's a trial.

if you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, that's a trial. You get the point. It's like whatever we're going through, whatever afflictions or difficulties that we face, it applies to this word trial. And biblically, you could look at the example of David seeing Bathsheba and the, you know, the struggle with his sinful nature there. That was a trial or a temptation or a test.

Moses, as he was responding to the thirsty people, and he responded in anger and struck the rock. It was a test, a trial, a temptation for him.

You could look at the account of Job and how he lost everything and endured great affliction. It was a trial, a test, or a temptation. And so as we talk about trials this morning, that's what we're talking about. All of those things that we face, those struggles with sin, those difficulties that we face, and it's based on these words that are used interchangeably throughout the New Testament. Well, as we talk about trials today,

We need to understand there's a lot going on in a trial. It's not super simple. There's some complexity to it. And there's a lot of different aspects in play. And so what I'd like to do is just spend some time breaking it down so that we can understand the different parts that are being played. There's four parts that we'll be looking at this morning.

Satan's part. He has a particular role that he plays in the trials that we face. But then you have God's part or the Father's part. And he has a part to play, a role that he fulfills in the trials that we face. Jesus has his part. And then finally, you and I have our part in the trials that we face. And these are happening. These are going on.

in every trial that we go through. So whatever temptation you're experiencing, whatever issue you're experiencing, whatever affliction or discomfort, whatever it is that you're going through, these are the different parts that are going on or the different things or people that are involved in the trial that you face. And so we're going to start out looking at Satan's part. Satan's part in our trials is the part of the adversary.

Satan is the one who is against you. He is, we call him many times, the enemy because, well, that's what he is. He is our enemy. And I think the thing to highlight in this is that Satan is really the only one who is against you.

Now, I of course understand he has his demons and they're on his team, but I'm referring to them collectively as Satan. And I would say that you need to understand Satan, his demons, they're the only ones who are against you. We have one real adversary, one real enemy. We get confused about that sometimes because of the people that are in our face, the people that are around us, and we begin to think that they're the enemy.

But people are just manipulated by Satan, used by Satan. They're not the actual enemy. Paul the Apostle in Ephesians 6.12 tells us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places.

He says,

Now that's important to understand because that also means that God is not against you. Satan is your real enemy. It's not God who's against you. It's not the people around you who are against you. It is Satan who is the adversary. And as your adversary, he comes against you with a desire to destroy you.

He desires to bring complete destruction into your life. And we can see that in verse 31 here in our passage, where it says, the Lord said, Simon, Simon, indeed Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat. And so Jesus is talking to Peter and he says, hey Peter, you need to know about what you're going to go through. You're about to enter into this trial and

And I want to warn you about it. There's going to be a sifting that takes place in your life. What is it like to sift wheat? Well, here's a quick look at a picture of two guys sifting wheat. And so you get the picture, right? They have this, it's called a sieve. And so they would, you know, put the wheat in there and they're going to shake it up. They're going to toss it around. They're going to mix it all up so that all the bad stuff

gets separated and the good stuff remains. That's the idea here. As Jesus is talking to Peter, he says, this is what's going to happen to you, Peter. You're going to be shaken up. You're going to be tossed around. You're going to be, you know, afflicted with all of this turbulence to see if there's anything good left once it's done. Satan desires to shake you up.

He desires to toss you around. To see if there's any substance that is left. Now, his objective in all of this is to get you, to get me to give up. He's going to do the sifting. He's going to do the shaking. He's going to toss us around. He's going to do everything he can. But he can't push us away from God. He can't eliminate our relationship with God. He can't remove the connection to God. The only thing that he can do and what he's trying to accomplish is

is to get you to give up in your relationship with God. So he's shaking you up. He's tossing you around, trying to convince you, you should just give up. You should just walk away. You should just forget this whole relationship with God thing. That's what Satan desires. He desires to destroy you. And so Jesus tells Peter,

Satan is wanting to bring this into your life. He's asked for you. Now, when Jesus says he's asked for you, the you there is actually plural. And so he's telling Simon, it's not just Simon who's involved in this, but Satan is going to be sifting the disciples.

And later on in the next verse, then Jesus is talking directly to Peter. But he's saying this sifting doesn't just apply to Peter. This is something that we all experience. And so at the beginning of service, when I do a survey and say, raise your hand if you've ever experienced a trial, we all raise our hands because, well, Satan desires to destroy you. He desires to sift you.

To try to prompt you or convince you to give up. Peter tells us in 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 8. Be sober. Be vigilant. Because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion. Seeking whom he may devour. Satan is looking for those people.

He's looking for those who are alone. He's looking for those who are vulnerable for an opportunity to devour them like a lion. He desires to destroy you. He hates you. And he's looking for any opportunity he can get to bring that destruction. And so he has this desire. And he's looking around. When he finds a good victim, the next thing he does...

is he goes to ask permission. That's the next part about Satan's role as the adversary. On the one hand, he desires to destroy you, but on the other hand, he's not able to do just whatever he pleases. He has to go ask permission to do the things that he desires to do. Again, in verse 31, the Lord said to Simon, or the Lord said, Simon, Simon, indeed, Satan has asked permission

Satan asked for Peter. He's limited in his authority. He's limited in his power. And so he has to ask before he can do something. Now this parallels what we saw happen in the book of Job. In Job chapters 1 and 2, you see this situation where God is asking.

Looking at Job and saying, Job is a righteous man. He's upright. There's no one who walks with me like Job does. But as Satan comes into the presence of the Lord, he challenges God regarding Job. And he says, you know, Job only loves you because you've protected him. You have this hedge of protection all around him and his household and everything that he has. And that's why he loves you.

But if you take all that away, then he will curse you to your face. Now here's Satan being, you know, in his role, the adversary. He's against Job. And he's accusing Job before God. He's saying, Job doesn't love you. Job won't walk with you. Job is just in it for the benefits, for the blessings. And Satan says to the Lord, let me at him. Let me prove it to you. Let me take everything away.

And you watch, he'll curse you to your face. Well, it tells us in Job chapter 1 verse 12, that the Lord says to Satan, behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not lay a hand on his person. And so the Lord responds to Satan and says, everything he has, I'm giving you authority over that. But you can't touch Job himself. The Lord says,

gave the authority, set the parameters, and said, this is the limit. This is how far you can go. You can't go any further than this. And so you can see that Satan asks for permission to test you, to bring these kinds of trials. He has to ask for permission, and he cannot overstep that.

The permission that is granted. God sets the parameters. He sets the limits. He says, here's the boundaries. You can only work within this frame. Now, in the next chapter, in Job chapter 2, Satan comes before the Lord again. And he says, hey, Job didn't curse you to your face when I took away all his stuff. But if you let me touch his body, skin for skin, then he will curse you to your face. And he'll turn away from you.

And so God says, okay, you can afflict his body, but you can't take his life. And so again, Satan asks for permission and God sets the parameters. Here's the boundaries within which you can work. Satan has to ask permission for whatever he does. And so as we consider the trials that we go through,

The struggles with sin that we have. The difficulties that we face. We can understand. Satan's part in all of that is. Well he desires to use those things. To push us away from God. To bring destruction in our lives. But at the same time. He can't do everything he wants to do. He has to ask permission. Before he can bring these things upon us. Whatever temptation you face. Satan asks permission.

To attempt to stumble you in that way. Whatever affliction you face. He asks permission to bring it upon you. Because he hates you. And he wants to destroy you. And again his objective is to get you. To give up on God. And so he'll do the best shaking he can. The best tossing around he can. Because he's trying to get you to give up on God. Well.

That's the gloomy part of our trials. But the rest are not as gloomy because now we go on to the second part of their trial, which is God's part. And God's part in our trials is, well, he has the part of authority. God, the Father, is involved in all of the trials that we face. There's nothing that we go through that the Father is not involved in and having authority over it.

He is the authority over all things. Over all things in you, in me. He has authority over Satan, as we saw in Job. He has authority over all things. And so, God's part as the authority in our trials, well, the first thing you need to understand is that God allows trials.

This flows right out of what we were just talking about in the book of Job. Satan asks permission before he can do anything. It's the father he's asking permission of and it's the father who allows him and sets the parameters and the boundaries for what he can do. Here in Luke chapter 22, Jesus tells Peter, Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat. Who is Satan asking this of? Who's he talking to?

He's talking to the Father. He's asking God for permission to sift Peter and the rest of the disciples as wheat. And like in Job, where God said, all that he has is in your power, he gave the enemy permission with boundaries. In the same way, the Father gave Satan permission with boundaries on what could be brought into Peter's life.

God gave permission. He set the limits. And when that wasn't effective, when taking away all of his stuff and his kids and everything didn't cause Job to curse God and Satan came back and asked for more permission, more authority, God allowed it once again and set the parameters, set the limits. Here's how far you can go. Here's the limits within which you can work. You can touch his body, but you have to spare his life.

God allows trials. He allows temptations. He gives permission. Now this can be really difficult for us to understand sometimes. This can be really difficult for us to accept or to grasp hold of sometimes. Especially when we're in the midst of great pain or difficulty or agony.

Because it's real hard for us to understand. How could God allow this? How could God be part of this thing that is happening in my life? And it's difficult for us to accept. But even though that it's difficult for us to accept, that doesn't change the fact that this is what the Bible declares. This is who God is. This is the way that God works. Pastor Chuck would always say, don't lose faith.

what you know for the sake of what you don't know. In other words, you're going through great difficulty and you're wondering, why God? Why am I going through this? Well, you can get so consumed with the why that when you give up on God, you walk away from God because you can't understand why he would allow this in your life. Pastor Chuck says, don't do that. That's holding on to what you don't know and losing what you do know. No, hold fast to what you do know.

Yeah, we don't know why. God doesn't always tell us why. Very rarely He tells us why. He does what He does. But here's what we do know. We know that God is good. We know that God loves us. We know that He will work together for good all things for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. So there's a lot of things that we can hold on to about God that we know God

And we need to grasp hold of those things, especially when we're faced with things that we don't know and we can't figure out. There's a saying that I really like. It's that nothing comes to you except through the filter of God's love. And that's an interesting concept to consider. You know a filter, like if you're filtering water, you pour the water in through the filter, the water comes through the filter, and all the gunk and all the junk comes

stays in the filter and only what comes or only the pure water comes out of the filter in the same way god has a filter over your life and whatever you face whatever you encounter has to first come through the filter of god's love so that whatever is not good for you whatever is not best for you whatever is not you know the best part of uh of his plans and and eternal plans for you

That stuff stays behind. The only thing that makes it through are the things that God can use for good in your life. And that's real hard for us to understand sometimes because we can't figure out the good in it. But God has it figured out. Nothing comes to you except through the filter of God's love. And so God allows trials and temptations to

But that doesn't mean that he abandons you. No, instead, in the midst of those trials and temptations, God strengthens you. Notice what Jesus says in verse 32 to Peter. He says, But I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail. And when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren. So, Peter, you're about to be sifted. You're going to be shaken up. But Jesus says, I've prayed for you. Now, who's Jesus praying to?

He's praying to the Father. He's asking the Father to help Peter to not lose faith. That his faith would not fail. The Father is at work in this trial that Peter's about to go through. And he's helping Peter so that his faith would not fail. Now, as we talk about this trial that Peter experiences, I think that sometimes we get distracted sometimes.

By Peter's denial of the Lord. Because that's not the real battle. That wasn't the real sifting that was going on. That was just part of it. That was just the beginning. When you look at the flow of these verses, Jesus tells Peter, you're going to be sifted. But I've prayed for you that your faith isn't going to fail. And then Peter in the next verse, verse 33 says, what are you talking about Lord? I'm ready to die for you.

I'm not worried about my faith failing. I'm not worried about that. I'm ready. I'm ready to go to prison. I'm ready to die for you. And then Jesus tells him, he just gives him an example. Peter, you think you're ready, but you're going to deny me three times before the rooster crows tonight. So you misunderstand your own strength, Peter. You misunderstand your own commitment level to me. And that's not the big issue.

Jesus just gives that as an example to him. The real sifting happens, the real battle takes place after Peter denies Jesus. Remember that Jesus died upon the cross for all sin. The price for sin has been paid. That wasn't the issue. That one denial, that

That was just the beginning. Then the real battle started because Peter, when he realized, he ran out. Remember it says that he wept bitterly and ran out after he denied the Lord that third time and the rooster crowed. And that's when the real battle started. The real battle was, now Peter, you've denied the Lord. You've messed up. You've fallen. Now what are you going to do? Are you going to get back up

And get right with God and go forward and pursue right relationship with God and what God has called you to. Or are you going to keep on running away? That's the real battle. And see, that's what the enemy wants to use. The sin that we get ourselves involved into, that sin is just the leverage that Satan tries to use to get us to give up.

And he brings all kinds of condemnation. Yeah, you denied the Lord. Yeah, you messed up. Yeah, you did this. You did that. And he bullies us with that sin. Again, his objective is that we would give up. He can't take it away. He can't take away our relationship with God. He can't force us to not walk with God. So he just does everything he can. He uses this leverage to apply pressure on us and say, yeah, you are a scumbag. Yeah, you're

You are barely a Christian. Maybe God doesn't even love you at all. Look at what you did to try to get you to say, oh man, I guess I better not even try to go back and get right with the Lord. That's his plan. That's what he wants. And so that's the real battle. Satan uses pain in our lives. He puts the pressure on us. Look at how much pain you're going through. Why would you think God would let you go through all that pain? Maybe he doesn't love you at all. Maybe he doesn't care about you. You should just walk away from him.

He uses that as leverage. That's the real battle. After we've fallen, after we've messed up, in the midst of the trial, that's when the battle happens. And Jesus says, I've prayed for you, Peter, that your faith would not fail. And so God is at work in Peter's life, strengthening him. And we see that although he messed up, his faith did not fail because later on, he's with the Lord. And he goes forward in what God had called him to do.

And so God is at work in strengthening Peter. When you struggle with sin, God has strength for you. When you are in the midst of pain, God has strength for you. When you get that bad news, God has strength for you. Think about it in the life of the Apostle Paul. Remember he had in 2 Corinthians 12, he talks about that thorn in the flesh. And it was painful. He didn't like it. It was agonizing. And so he prayed to

And there was three times or three seasons of prayer that he just really spent time with the Lord. Lord, please take this away from me. And remember God's response in 2 Corinthians 12, verse 9? God told Paul, my grace is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in weakness. God says, I've got strength for you. Where you don't have strength, where you're weak, I have strength. And my grace is sufficient.

My grace covers the sin. My grace covers the doubts. My grace covers all the bitterness that you got. But you got to come to me and be weak and I will be your strength. And so in the midst of your trials, God strengthens you. Well, there's one last thing that God does in the midst of our trials. And that is that he provides a way of escape. And this comes from 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13.

There the Apostle Paul tells us, no temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man. But God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it. And so Paul tells us there, the temptation that we face...

is not rare. It's not unique. It's common to man. So there's nothing that we face that other people don't face. Now that doesn't mean every person experiences exactly the same thing, but that our trials, our temptations, we're not alone in them. There are other people who experience those same things. But then he goes on to say, God is faithful.

And he won't allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but instead will also make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. Now, again, this word temptation, this word also in other places is translated test or trial. These are, you know, the same concepts. And so it applies to when we're struggling with sin or when we're in a difficult spot, when we're in a hurtful or painful situation.

The Lord tells us, whatever you're going through, you're not alone in it. Not only that, but God provides a way out. He makes a way of escape. You do not face any trial where God has not provided a way out. He always provides a way out. He says, God is faithful. He won't allow you to be tempted. Nothing that you go through is going to be more than you are able. Now,

The idea here is that, you know, more than you're able to handle with God, in right relationship with God, on our own, you know, there's a lot that we can't handle. But with God, as you walk with him, there's nothing in your life that you're not able to endure. He says, God's faithful to provide a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. Notice that.

When we think of a way of escape, we're hoping for, you know, take me out this way so I don't have to go through that trial. But a lot of times, God says, I'm going to give you a way of escape. It's going to be a tunnel through the trial. And you're going to be able to bear it. You're going to have to go through it, but you can bear it. There's a way of escape. I'm with you. My strength is made perfect in weakness. You can handle it. It's not more than you are able. And so God provides a way of escape.

So Satan has his part in our trials. God, the Father, has his part in our trials. Thirdly, we find that Jesus has his part in our trials. And the part that Jesus plays is that of the advocate. He is the one who is on our side. Satan is the accuser. He's the adversary, the enemy. He's against you. Jesus is the opposite. He's your advocate.

He's your defender. He is your supporter. As I was thinking about Jesus in this way, I was reminded of these commercials I used to see when I was a kid. And I think they're still on, but you guys remember Larry H. Parker? And people are like, Larry H. Parker got me 2.3 million, you know, and all those things, right? But one of the catchphrases is, we'll fight for you, right? Call Larry H. Parker. We'll fight for you. I don't know why I'm advertising for you.

Jesus fights for you. That's his part in your trials. That's his part in your temptations. Jesus is your advocate. He's fighting for you. He's defending you. He's supporting you. He's on your side. And so in that, as Jesus as our advocate, it starts with him praying for us.

Just as he told Peter in verse 32, he says, I have prayed for you. Jesus prayed for Peter. You're going to be sifted, Peter. Satan's asked for you, but I'm praying for you. I'm praying that your faith would not fail. And Peter's faith did not fail. Again, he messed up. He denied the Lord. He sinned, but his faith didn't fail.

If we take it to mean that when he denied the Lord that was a failure of his faith or his faith failed, then we kind of have to conclude that Jesus' prayer wasn't answered. I prayed that your faith wouldn't fail, but then his faith failed. Well, what good is it for Jesus to pray for me then? No, no, no. There's a bigger picture. Again, that was just one example. The real battle was not the denying, but it was afterwards, after he failed, after he messed up, what then would he do?

Jesus already paid the price for sin upon the cross. And so it's not so much that we fell into sin. That's not the real battle. The real battle is afterwards. Now what are you going to do? Like the Proverbs tells us that a righteous man falls seven times, but then gets up to keep on going. And that getting up to keep on going, that's the real battle. Are you going to get up or are you going to give up? Jesus is praying for you today.

That your faith would not fail. That you wouldn't give up, but that you would get up. That you would get back in the fight. That you would get back in right relationship with God and get back to where he wants you to be. Jesus is praying for you even when you mess up or maybe especially when you mess up. He's your advocate. He's fighting for you. He's praying for you.

Hebrews chapter 7, the author of Hebrews there is talking about how Jesus lives forever and how that makes him a much better high priest because, well, then he ever lives to make intercession for you. That's Hebrews 7.25. It says he's able to save to the uttermost. He's able to save you to the very end because he always lives to pray for you.

And so in the midst of your trials, whether it be a struggle with sin, a difficulty, a pain, affliction, Jesus is praying for you. Another thing that Jesus does regarding our trials is he warns you. Now he warned Peter here in verse 31 when he says, Simon, Simon, indeed Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat. He says, I've already been praying for you. Even before I've warned you, I've been praying for you. But now I need to warn you.

I need to let you know there's some affliction ahead. There's some sifting ahead. And I want you to be able to prepare yourself. Now for you and I, we can understand from John chapter 16 verse 33, Jesus said, you will have tribulation. And so generally speaking, you've been warned. Jesus told us, expect tribulation.

Expect it. Expect problems. Expect difficulties. Expect pain. Expect temptation. It's going to happen for my followers, Jesus said. And so generally we can understand we have been warned. But also, just like Jesus spoke directly to Peter and warned him about the affliction or the sifting that he was about to go through, I would suggest to you that as you walk with Jesus,

as you have a personal walk with him and you're spending time with him, he is going to be warning you as well. He's going to be preparing you for the battles. Now, I don't mean that Jesus is going to always tell you what's around every corner. He's going to give you the blueprints. There's never going to be any surprises. That's not what I mean. But here's what I mean. It's amazing to me how many times we are in the midst of a trial.

And then there's this verse that just stabilizes us. There's this passage. There's this truth that's just like we're able to hold on to it. And you think back, where did this verse come from? Oh yeah, the Lord was ministering this verse to me two weeks ago.

I didn't really understand what it meant then. I didn't understand why it was so important, why he was highlighting that in my heart so much. But now, in the midst of the trial, I understand better. He was preparing me. He was warning me. And so God is at work in this way. Jesus is warning you, many times without us even knowing, by giving us what we need in preparation for what he knows is around the corner.

And that's why it's important to continue to spend time with the Lord. Because he prepares us for those things that we're about to go through. Well, the final thing that Jesus does in his part of our trials is he invites you back. He tells Peter, you're going to be sifted. I've prayed for you that your faith should not fail. Verse 32, and when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren. Before Peter messes up,

Jesus makes sure that he knows he's welcome back. He's welcome to come back. He's saying, Peter, you're going to mess up and you're going to be sifted. You're going to deny me three times before the rooster crows. But when you return, when you turn back, you're going to be wandering a little bit. But when you turn back, come back to me. Return to me. This is such a beautiful picture to follow.

If you follow the account of Peter throughout this passage and then ongoing in the next couple of days, you have here in verse 31, Jesus is praying for Peter. In verse 32, he's warning Peter. Then Jesus is arrested. Peter denies the Lord. The rooster crows. He runs off into the night weeping bitterly. And then Jesus is crucified.

Three days later, he is resurrected. And there's some ladies who go to the tomb. They find the tomb empty. An angel is speaking to them and says, Jesus is risen. And they tell the ladies, go tell the disciples and Peter. This is in Mark chapter 16, verse 7. Now, the angels are not saying Peter's not a disciple anymore. So tell the disciples and then tell Peter too, who's not a disciple. No, he's saying, emphasizing, make sure Peter knows.

He singles out, he highlights, make sure Peter hears this news, Jesus Christ is risen. And so although Peter had denied the Lord, God's making arrangements to make sure that Peter knows he's alive. He's resurrected.

Well then, at some point later, on this same day that Jesus resurrected, Jesus and Peter have a one-on-one meeting. They spend some time together. We know this from Luke chapter 24 verse 34, where the two guys who were on the road to Emmaus when Jesus appeared to them, they come back to the disciples. They say, hey, we saw Jesus. He's revealed himself to us. And he also spent time with Peter.

So Peter's also seen the Lord. And then it was a little bit later on that evening when the Lord appeared to the gathering, the 11 of them, or really the 10 of them, who were in the room at the time because Thomas was missing. But the beautiful picture here is Jesus making sure Peter knows, you're welcome to come back. Making sure Peter knows, I've resurrected. He's a priority. He even spends time with him on that day that he resurrected. He's making sure Peter, you have every opportunity.

To come back. To be in right relationship with God. And this is how Jesus works. He always invites you back. He always does. Even when you've messed up. Even when you've denied the Lord. Even when you've questioned or doubted. Or when there's been that bitterness or that anger. He always invites you back. There's nothing that you could do that would end His invitation to you to come back. To return to Him.

Now Satan, again, he uses that sin, that pain, those things, he uses it as leverage to try to apply pressure, to try to get us to run away, to not turn back. But Jesus is always there with his arms open saying, return to me. He's inviting us because he paid the price for sin upon the cross. He's not trying to get back at us. There's no punishment that he's trying to inflict us with. He's inviting us back to him.

And so that's Jesus's part. He prays for you. He warns you. And he invites you back. Well, now we come to the last part of the trials. And that is your part. Your part. First of all, you have a role to play in these trials as what I would call the defendant. You're the one being attacked by the adversary, the devil. And he's coming against you.

And so what do we need to do? Well, Jesus, first of all, tells us you need to heed the warning. You need to... Remember, he gave Peter the warning in verse 31. But we see from verse 33 that Peter did not heed the warning. He says, Lord, I'm willing, I'm ready to go with you both to prison and to death. Jesus said, you're going to be sifted like wheat. And Peter said, no, I'm not. I'm going to go with you to death. He...

He didn't think he needed the words that Jesus was sharing. Why are you telling me this, Lord? I'm ready to die for you. I know where I'm at. I know my commitment level. And Jesus says, no, you don't. As an example, tonight you're going to deny me three times. That's when the real battle will begin, Peter. Come back to me when you're done with that and strengthen your brethren. You see, our part is to heed the warning. The Lord warns us.

specifically, he warns us. But there's a lot of times that we don't really heed the warning. You know when he prompts your heart, you really should spend time with me today. And you go, oh man, I got this appointment, I need to get over there and we disregard the warning. And then we're unprepared for the events of the day, the attacks that come.

We need to heed the warning. The Lord wants us to recognize how much we need Him. And I think many times in our lives, the failures that we encounter are part of the way the Lord reminds us, you need me and you need to spend time with me. You need to be serious about your relationship with me and not just that I'm some side issue or on the back burner. But I need to be first in your life.

And when we've fallen, when we've failed, it's a reminder of that, that we need the Lord, that we need to heed the warning. And as we take heed to the warning, the second thing that we need to do is to watch and pray. A few verses later, as Jesus goes with his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray, in verse 40, he tells Peter, James, and John, "'Pray that you may not enter into temptation.'"

And then Jesus goes on to pray by himself. But he tells them to pray that they would not enter into temptation. You guys need to be in prayer, Jesus says. There's some sifting that's coming. And you need to be prepared. So pray. In Matthew chapter 26 verse 41.

It's the same account there in the garden. Matthew gives us a little bit more details where Jesus says, Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. He says, The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. You're willing, Peter. You're saying, I'm committed to you. I'm ready to die for you. But you're not aware of how weak your flesh is. And you're going to fall apart when a little girl asks if you know me. Watch and pray.

This is how we take heed to the warning. This is how we prepare ourselves for the battles ahead. Whether it be struggles with sin or trials and afflictions of various kinds. We need to watch and pray.

We need to spend time with the Lord. And as we do, as we are prepared, then we can be victorious. We don't have to make the mistake like Peter did and deny the Lord. We have opportunity in that to let Him be our strength. And in our relationship with Him, He gives us victory over those trials that we face. However, you're still human. And so...

You can, facing a trial, take heed to the warning, watch and pray and spend time with God and be victorious. And that's awesome. But I guarantee you, there's going to be another trial and you're going to mess it up. Because we're human. That's what we do. So it's best to have victory. But when you don't have victory, well, here's the part that you are to play. Here's what you are to do. You are to be repentant. When you do mess up, when you do fall into sin,

When you don't handle the trial well, the part that we're to play is the part of the repentant person. Jesus said to Peter in verse 32, I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail. And when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren. So here's what we need to do when we've messed up like Peter did. We need to return to Jesus. Be repentant.

John tells us in 1 John 1.9 that if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This is what we need to do. When we've messed up, no matter what it is, he's paid for it at the cross. He hasn't removed the invitation. He's still inviting us back, but we need to be repentant and come to the Lord and confess and say, Lord, I've sinned. That's his requirement. We must return to him. And when we do,

He's faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He wipes the slate clean. No matter what it is, no matter what you've done, no matter how bad you might think it is, when we return to Jesus confessing, we're forgiven. When we come to Jesus and say, well, Lord, I did this, but it's only because she did that and she said that and then he made me do that. And so it's their fault. Well, that's not confession. That's not returning to Jesus.

But when you return to Jesus and say, Lord, yeah, I see the weakness now. I do lack strength. I have messed up. He forgives. And you have full relationship with God once again when you return to Jesus. It's amazing grace that He has given to us. And so when we've fallen, our part is

in these trials is to be repentant. But there's another thing that we need to do as well, based on what the Lord told Peter in verse 32, and that is we need to strengthen the brethren. He says, when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren. Our tendency in the midst of trials and soon after the trials is to be really consumed with ourselves.

And everybody we talk to, we talk about our difficulties and hardships and all the sufferings we've gone through. And we're just really focused on ourselves. And I think Jesus gives us some insight here as he gives this instruction to Peter. Peter, when you come back, you're going to be tempted to not talk to anybody because, well, I can't talk to them because they know what I did and how I denied the Lord. I mean, they've heard about that. There's stories. We don't really think that they're true. But there's stories that when Peter would walk by that,

People would make the sound of a rooster. Sounds like something we would do, but don't know that people actually did that. But you can imagine Peter would be like, I can't minister to anybody. What can I say to them? I can't strengthen them. I messed up. Jesus says, no. No, when you come back, yeah, you messed up, but strengthen the brethren. Take your focus off of yourself. Stop being consumed with yourself and help somebody else.

Help others to be victorious because you know what it's like to go the other way. So help them to not go that way. Help them to overcome. Help them to be strong. Be their support. Come alongside those who are in need. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians chapter 1 that God is the God of all comforts and that he comforts us in our tribulation.

So that we may comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort that we ourselves have received from God. So God comforts you in your trouble. He's your strength. But not just for your own sake. Don't be so selfish with that comfort that he's given to you. No, God comforts you so that you can turn around and comfort somebody else. And so when you have returned, when you've messed up, but you're coming back to the Lord, very important, you need comfort.

To invest in other people. You need to give yourself. And to share your story. To share. Not so people can. You know. Feel bad for you. But you need to do it in a way. You can help other people. Stand strong. And be prepared. For the battles that are ahead. And sometimes we don't like to do that. Because. Well. We weren't very good at it. But again. Remember that God says. My strength is made perfect in weakness. And when we're open. To share with people. We're not.

Even in the things that we haven't been successful in, God is able to use that to bring great comfort and strength to the brethren. And so we need not just to spend time on our own or not just, hey, it's just me and Jesus. That's all I need. No, you need to also get engaged with the people around you. Strengthen them and help them that they would overcome. Well, this morning we get to conclude our service together with the time of communion. And the worship team is going to go ahead and come up and prepare it.

You know, God gave us communion. The Lord gave us communion as a reminder for what he accomplished for us at the cross. And it ties right into what we're talking about today because the reason why Jesus has this open invitation is because of the cross. Because he paid the price for all sin. So we have access to God no matter what we've done. And so Jesus gave us the bread. And he said, this is my body. I want you to remember that my body was broken for you.

He gave us the cup. He said, I want you to remember, this is because my blood is shed for you. And so do this in remembrance of me. And so this morning as we partake of communion, the ushers are going to hand out the bread and the cup and you can hold both portions and seek the Lord. I would ask you to spend time with the Lord as they lead in this song. And if you are not in the midst of a trial currently, well, it's a good time for you

To watch and pray. To spend time with him. To heed the warning. And just enjoy this time with the Lord. And remember what he has done for you. Or if you're on the other side of the trial. And you've messed up. This is an opportunity for you. To return to Jesus. To grab hold of the bread and the cup once again. And say yeah. I've messed up Lord. But thank you for your grace. Thank you for your work upon the cross. And I receive. I partake of communion.

Saying, yes, I believe what you've done for me and I receive your forgiveness. I confess my sin to you. So if you're before the trial or after the trial or in the midst of the trial, the answer is the same. We need to spend time with Jesus. So let's take this time and reflect on what he has done for us. Anytime during the song, you can go ahead and partake. As you've spent that time with the Lord, enjoy communion with him. Let's worship.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.