Luke 22:31-32

Driving home: Every believer has need of every believer. Every believer has need of everything that Christ has to give.

A quotation from an unnamed servant of God, 'Every believer has need of every believer. Every believer has need of everything that Christ has to give,' used to introduce the theme of mutual dependence and Christ's comprehensive provision.

A servant of God, ministering to his own people several generations ago, said to them, in the midst of a sermon that he preached, dealing with the theme that we will be considering this morning, every believer has need of every believer. Every believer has need of every believer. Every believer has need of every believer. Every believer has need of everything that Christ has to give.

1:54 - 2:21 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He provides a detailed exposition of the passage, covering its setting (the Last Supper, disciples' contention, Jesus' foreknowledge of their desertion), its substance (Jesus…

The imagery of sifting wheat to separate it from chaff is used to explain Satan's intention to violently agitate the disciples, potentially to prove their faith is not real.

Simon, no longer the rock, but just Simon, I have a concern for you. And all of your fellow disciples, because Satan has desired or asked to have you in order that he might sift you as wheat. And the basic concept of the imagery that our Lord uses is this. The sifting of wheat, to separate the wheat from the chaff, was a concentrated almost violent agitation so that the wheat could be separated from the chaff. And that's the basic concept. And to build a whole string of ideas upon the imagery is exegetically unsound. What our Lord is conveying is this. Simon, Simon, Satan has desired you and y...

19:41 - 20:45 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He provides a detailed exposition of the passage, covering its setting (the Last Supper, disciples' contention, Jesus' foreknowledge of their desertion), its substance (Jesus…

The interaction between Satan and God concerning Job's integrity in Job chapter 1 is cited as a parallel to Satan's request to sift the disciples, showing God's sovereign permission over Satan's actions.

companions. He has asked that he might bring you to the chaff. And he has asked that you into a situation of concentrated and unusual agitation and testing. And the thought could be with the idea to prove that you are nothing but chaff. That your attachment to me is no more real than the great multitudes who once followed me. And then I began to speak of eating my flesh and drinking my blood. But many went back and walked with me no more. Whatever this request of Satan was, obviously there are overtones of the book of Job and chapter 1, where we find this interaction between Satan and God hims...

20:45 - 21:42 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He provides a detailed exposition of the passage, covering its setting (the Last Supper, disciples' contention, Jesus' foreknowledge of their desertion), its substance (Jesus…

A quotation from a preacher's sermon, 'The Autopsy of a Failure,' explaining Peter's fall: 'he was talking when he should have been listening. He was sleeping when he should have been praying. And he was warming himself by the sinner's fire.' This illustrates the reasons for Peter's denial.

Is the sequel to this? Well, you know the sequel well, most of you, if not all of you. Peter does deny the Lord. As a dear preacher whom some of us have recently heard on tape in a sermon called The Autopsy of a Failure exegetes why Peter fell in this time of crisis. He said he was talking when he should have been listening. He was sleeping when he should have been praying. And he was warming himself by the sinner's fire. And that's exactly what happened. And you'll remember the very Peter who says, Look, Lord, I'm ready to go both to prison and to death. The Lord says, Peter, I don't question...

26:52 - 27:53 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He provides a detailed exposition of the passage, covering its setting (the Last Supper, disciples' contention, Jesus' foreknowledge of their desertion), its substance (Jesus…

The story of Jesus' look at Peter coupled with the rooster's crowing, leading to Peter's immediate and bitter repentance, illustrates the power of Christ's word and Spirit in restoration.

And Peter did deny, and denied with increasing vehemence in the midst of his fears of his own life being taken as he saw the seriousness of the intention of the religious leaders and the unprincipled Roman leadership to actually put his Savior to death. But then you remember our Lord looked at Peter, and that look coupled with the crowing of the rooster. Under the blessing of the Spirit of God brought Peter to an immediate, deep, and thorough repentance. And the Scripture says, he went out and he wept bitterly.

27:53 - 28:37 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He provides a detailed exposition of the passage, covering its setting (the Last Supper, disciples' contention, Jesus' foreknowledge of their desertion), its substance (Jesus…

David's year-long period of unrepentance after his sin with Bathsheba is contrasted with Peter's quick repentance, highlighting the relative speed of Peter's restoration.

He was turned again in a matter of minutes from his denial, or just a couple of hours from his initial denial. Unlike David, who went on for almost a whole year, held in the grip of the sifting, that he experienced when he looked out from the rooftop and saw Bathsheba, and followed the horrible impulses of his baser nature. Here, Peter is turned again in a relatively quick fashion. And the Lord formally restores him by the shore of Galilee in one of those post-resurrection appearances when, having denied his Lord three times, three times our Lord, elicits from Peter the affirmation of his love...

28:37 - 29:39 Read in full sermon

The point: Love the Savior and obey Him, jealously guarding your heart, knowing His prayers are always effectual.

An extended quotation from Bishop Ryle's 'Expository Thoughts on Luke' is used to underscore the miracle of a believer's perseverance, attributing it directly to Christ's intercession and His ever-living presence.

Listen to old Bishop Ryle commenting on this passage,

54:44 - 54:48 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Using Bunyan's allegory of the fire and oil, Martin illustrates how Christ's secret, constant work of sending the Spirit nurtures and revives grace in believers' hearts…

John Bunyan's allegory from 'Pilgrim's Progress' about the fire on the wall that burns brighter despite water being thrown on it, because oil is secretly poured from behind, illustrates how Christ's unseen work sustains grace in believers despite Satan's attacks.

Bunyan understood this, didn't he? Remember the House of Interpreter kids? Remember that strange scene there was a wall and there was a fire at the bottom of the wall and on one side of the wall there was a man throwing water on the fire. But instead of the fire going out, it kept burning brighter and brighter.

57:26 - 57:47 Read in full sermon

Driving home: You are a monument of the efficacy of the intercession of the Lord Jesus.

Martin shares a personal anecdote about feeling 'in the sifting rack' as a young man, experiencing 'gales of satanic oppression,' and how God graciously brought him through, attributing his perseverance to Christ's intercessory work.

When I mentioned that incident Wednesday night of the man who heard me preach 42 years ago when I was only 17 or 18 years old, one of the things that struck me was that I was not a man. One of the things that struck me was that I was not a man. One of the things that so moved me was to look back and think of all of the fruit of the intercessory work of my faith. All of the places in my life where I felt indeed that I was in the sifting rack.

63:04 - 63:31 Read in full sermon