Luke chapter 22 is where we are this evening in our study of the Word of God. Luke chapter 22. We read, beginning with verse 31, we'll read down to verse 34. And the Lord Jesus said this, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." Peter said to Him, Lord, I am ready to go with You both to prison and to death. Jesus said, I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day until you deny three times that you know Me. Christ has just demonstrated the patience of the perfect shepherd. You'll remember we saw last Sunday that these men had been arguing with one another right after the Lord spoke of His betrayal, arguing with one another about who would be the greater in terms of their roles in the future kingdom. In Christ, He could have just sternly rebuked them, but instead He instructed them. brought to my mind the subject matter of this morning's sermon, the way that he dealt with these men, patiently, gently. He was a teacher, and he gives them lessons about true greatness. They're debating about who's going to be the greater. He gives them lessons about true greatness, and he shows them that the way of true greatness is the way of humility. He not only says that, he not only teaches them that, but he models that as he washes their feet But learning a lesson like humility is not just about instruction, it's also about sovereignly designed circumstances. Have you noticed we don't just learn from sermons and Bible studies and personal reading, we learn as the Lord puts us through things that take those words that we hear and that we read and it drives those lessons home to us in the midst of the circumstances in which we're living. These men are going to have experiences on this night that will humble each one of them. It's going to have a special effect on one man in particular. The man whom Jesus addresses right here, Simon Peter. Matthew 26 31 says this, then Jesus said to them, you will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. It's going to be a very difficult night. Our Savior is on His way to His triumph on the cross. The pathway to that triumph is going to be the pathway of sorrow and tears. He is dealt in this room with the sorrow of betrayal. He is dealt in this room with the disappointment of the sinful ambition and immaturity of His disciples. And now in the verses we just read, we see Jesus' triumph despite the weakness of His disciples, weakness that is embodied particularly in this man, Simon Peter. I mean, it's put on display in Peter. It's true of all of them, but it's put on display in him. As I come to a text like this, as I read it this week, you know, you ask questions of the text as you study it, as you look at it. The question that always comes to my mind first is, why? Why is this recorded for us? I mean, the Lord didn't have to preserve His failure for us, but He did. Why is Peter's failure singled out? Jesus says, they'll strike the shepherd and all of the sheep will be scattered. He says, you will all fall away because of me this night. You'll all fall away because of me this night. Each of them will manifest their fear. Each of them will manifest their weakness. I'm sure if you could have a rewind, a redo, and you could have asked these men, if you could have handled this night differently, would you? Would you have? Each one of them would have said yes. They'll act in ways, they'll think in ways, they'll speak in ways that they'll reflect on in the future. They will all wish that it was different. So why is Peter's failure marked out by Christ in a singular way? And then why is it recorded for the rest of time? I think there are multiple answers to that question, but the simple one, the one that's apparent to all of us I know here already, this is recorded for Christ's sake that we might see something glorious about our Savior and it's recorded for our sake. It's recorded for the sake of the church that we would see in Peter something that is instructive to us and something that will be encouraging to us. Peter's failure is going to serve like a stage upon which Christ's glory will be put on display and his failure will serve like a stage upon which our need for God is put on display. Tonight we're going to talk about Christ's faithfulness and our neediness. Christ's faithfulness and our neediness. We are all needy people and we are always needy people. But we need to see that. We need to know that. If we're going to walk in the strength of the Lord, we need to know, we have to know that we need His strength. Do you know that tonight? Do you know that you need the Lord's strength? Do you know that you're needy? That you're weak? If left to yourself, that you would fall away? We're going to consider these verses tonight under four headings. You want to write these down. First of all, we're going to talk about the man who's being addressed by Jesus, Simon Peter, verse 31, the man. Second, we're going to talk about the message. What does Jesus say to this man, verses 31 and 32. Third, we're going to talk about the sincere determination of this man, the sincere determination. Peter expresses something in verse 3 that is absolutely truthful on his part. It's sincere on his part, but he underestimates something. And in fourth, we're going to see the sovereign declaration, the declaration of the Son of God that informs Peter of something that he can't believe about himself. We'll see that in verse 34. So the man, verse 31, the message, verses 31 and 32, the sincere determination, verse 33, and the sovereign declaration, verse 34. Notice first of all, the man, verse 31, Simon, Simon. Let's stop there. Simon, Simon. Some have made a lot out of the fact that Jesus here uses Simon's given name. He doesn't use the name that Jesus gave him. When Jesus said, you are Peter. So you could describe it by saying he uses his pre-Christian name, if you want to say it that way. And some have made a lot out of that. They say that what Jesus is subtly indicating is Simon, you are thinking now You're about to behave later this night in a way that is like your old self. This is the pre-Christian Simon. That's what they say Jesus is subtly indicating here. I think that's making way too much of that name. The fact is you can find places in the gospel accounts where Jesus is talking to Simon, addressing him as Simon after he gave him the name Peter, addressing him as Simon when Simon is not doing anything wrong. It seems in fact that Jesus most of the time referred to Simon Peter as Simon. So I don't think there's some, you know, subtle message here that you're thinking like your old self. I don't think that's the point here. But there is something significant here and that is that you have a double direct address. He addresses Simon, and in doing so, he repeats his name, Simon, Simon. Why does Jesus do that? What does that indicate? Well, it indicates pathos. It indicates feeling on the part of Christ. We express things like this. We don't usually do it with a double direct address. We don't usually repeat one another's name, but what we may do is put a word in front of the name like, oh, oh son, listen to me. or Oh John, or just put the name in there. You use the word oh to indicate feeling, passion. Peter is an object of Christ's affections. He loves Peter. Peter is an object of Christ's pity. Jesus knows what is coming. He's telling Peter what is coming. And I don't have any doubt in my mind whatsoever that Jesus grieves for Peter. Christ knows the end. He's going to, in the very same context where He talks about Peter's failure, He's going to talk about Peter's future, which is going to be a productive one, a God-honoring one. So Christ knows the whole picture, yet I believe He still ached for Peter and what was about to take place. Peter's an object of Christ's training. Greater wisdom hurts for the lessons that have to be learned the hard way. Every parent knows what that's like when you can see one of your children heading down a pathway that you know is going to be very difficult for them, and you can try to get through to them in a million different ways, and yet they're not listening? How do you feel about that? You've traveled that same dead-end road. You know where that ends up. You know the pain they're headed for. with perfect wisdom, infinite wisdom. He knows where Peter is going and he knows what Peter is going to feel and I don't have any doubt but that he hurt for Peter. Simon, Simon. So this indicates feeling. It also indicates seriousness. This double direct address, whenever you find it, in the Word of God and when you find it in Luke, it always indicates something serious. For example, Luke 8.24, and they went and woke him saying, Master, Master, we're perishing. And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves and they ceased and there was a calm. Or Luke 10.41, but the Lord answered her, Martha, Martha, you're anxious and troubled about many things. Or when Jesus grieved over the city of Jerusalem. How did he say it? Luke 13, 34, Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it. How often when I've gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings and you were not willing. Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem. So this is a serious matter. Christ indicates that by that double direct address. Christ feels for Peter. Again, he indicates that by the way that he addresses him, Simon, Simon. What is Christ doing? He is initiating this. He is singling Peter out. Out of all the disciples, they're all going to fall away on this night. They're all going to experience weakness and awareness of their weakness on this night. So why does he single Peter out? Well, because he has a very significant role to play, Peter does, both in the present and in the future. He has a unique role among the 12, and he has a unique role When it comes to the future of the church, the early life of the church, Christ is giving this man attention because this man has a unique role to play. We live in a day that struggles with that idea. Struggles with the idea that sovereign God chooses particular people for particular tasks. Have you noticed that? We live in a day of egalitarianism. Everything is equal. Everyone is equal. At least that's the theory. I've noticed the people who advocate that, they usually are selective in their application of that principle. Everyone's equal as long as it goes the way they want it to go. That's what you find in a fallen world. That tends to be selective. But in theory, you see, everyone's to be treated exactly the same. And that means that distinctions are obliterated instead of appreciated. Distinctions are obliterated whether the obliteration measures up to the truth or not. For example, you have men and women in our society right now who are being put in roles that they may not be equally fit for just from the standpoint of physical strength. Talk about a combat role, you talk about a law enforcement role. We have men and women being put in the same situation though they are different. Why? Why does society do that? Because we can't handle the truth that God made men and women different. So we just pretend that the differences aren't real. We just pretend that the differences aren't by design. That's just one example. There are many in our society right now where that's going on. We obliterate gender distinctions. We obliterate even differences in terms of natural talents and abilities. You know, in our educational system, everyone has to basically get the same grade. Everyone has to arrive at the same place. We just can't acknowledge that there are differences. Wonder why that is. Well, in the case of lost men, it's because of a rebellion. There's resistance to authority and to the rights and freedoms that belong to that authority, the right to make distinctions, the right to assign different roles and responsibilities, the right to create a structure for the purpose of function. These things are denied. These things are assaulted by our world. And sadly, sometimes that same attitude finds its way into the church. The priesthood of the believer, the brotherhood of all believers, is used in a sinful way to deny that God has the right to make choices. You see, true humility is not saying everyone is equal in every way. True humility is saying, God, You have the right to make distinctions among us, to assign roles and responsibilities to Your people. That's Your right to make us different. That's Your right. And the fact of the matter is, sovereign God chooses people for particular tasks, and Christ had a particular task for Peter. God uses people in the way that pleases Him. He assigns to people unique roles and responsibilities, authority, influence. God loves us all, but we're not interchangeable parts. We're not all gifted the same. We haven't all been prepared the same. We don't all have the same experiences. We don't all have the same calling. He's not assigned all of us the same role or responsibility, and that is his right. It's his right. And you know what? That mindset, that understanding ought to play down in our thinking all the way to the point of the way that God deals with us individually. Do you ever think, God, why me? Why are you dealing with me this way? I look at other people, seems like you don't deal with them that way. Well, my friend, he has a unique plan for you. And it's his right to deal with you any way that he chooses. Instead of resenting that, we ought to rejoice in that. Instead of resisting that, we ought to humbly bow to our sovereign God's right to make of each one of us whatever it is he pleases. The Bible teaches this. Spiritual gifts, for example, are assigned as God is pleased. First Corinthians 12.11, all these are empowered by one and the same Spirit who apportions to each one individually as He wills. Spiritual gifts are assigned as the Lord wills. First Corinthians 12.18 says, but as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them as He chose. You hear that? As He chose. Here were the Corinthians battling with one another at times over the gifts and over their particular role and design in the life of the church. And the Holy Spirit through Paul is telling them, listen, you're arranged the way God wants you to be arranged. That's His choice. And there's an order to these gifts by God's sovereign design, 1 Corinthians 12, 28. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. I mean, there's an arrangement in terms of functional emphasis. in the life of the church. All gifts are not equal in that sense. They're all interdependent. They're all necessary. They're all for the glory of God and for the health of the church, but there's still an order to the gifts and an organization to them. That's by God's design. And if you have the right heart, you love that. You submit to that idea. You rejoice in the thought, Lord, you can do with me whatever you please to do with me. And we as a church want to embrace the priority and the order that you've set forth in your church. That's what we want to do. So we have an example of that here. Christ has made a choice, hasn't he? Out of all of his disciples, out of all those who are following him, he made a choice of 12, just 12 for a unique role. And then out of those 12, Jesus clearly dealt with three in a way that was very different. the inner circle as we described them, Peter, James, and John. And then out of those three, Jesus clearly dealt with one in a way that was unique, and that was Peter. And that was his right because Christ knows best. Christ has chosen these men. They're his men. This is his church. He can do with them what he wants. So they're all going to express weakness on this night, but he has singled out Simon, Simon, Simon. Simon, I'm talking to you. What was his message? Behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you've turned again, strengthen your brothers. Jesus wants Peter's attention. That word behold is not a throwaway word. Look, listen, it's meant to arrest attention. Simon, pay attention to what I'm telling you. And then what follows is to the glory of Jesus because Jesus now is giving Peter information that you can't acquire by natural means. He's giving him information that you can't just get through observation. You know, human observation. Jesus is telling Simon something that Satan has demanded. Now who can know what Satan has asked for except God? Who can know about Satan's desires and his plans except God? Christ is giving Peter access to what only God could know. What has Satan demanded is just an intensified form of a word for making a request. It doesn't mean that Satan commands God in any sense, but much as we see in the book of Job, you know, he makes accusations and following up those accusations, he makes strong statements. What would happen if you allowed this God? And though we may not recognize the distinctions that God makes, we may be slow to recognize that or to acknowledge that, Satan's not slow to acknowledge it. I mean, he realizes there's a strategic role for Simon Peter. He realizes that. So that Simon becomes a focal point for what Satan is wanting to do. You say, where do you get that from? Well, I want you to notice something in verse 31. Satan demanded to have you, you see the you there? It's plural. That he might sift you, that's plural, like wheat. but I have prayed for you, singular, that your faith may not fail, and when you, singular, have turned again, strengthen your brothers. Satan has a plan that involves sifting all of you, but I prayed for you, Peter, Why? Because this sifting work that Satan has in mind has Peter as a focal point. It involves the whole group, but there's something specific about Peter. That's why Jesus prays for Peter in a specific way and addresses this to Peter in a specific way. This is not the first time Satan has made Peter a focal point. Matthew 16, 23, but he turned and said to Peter, get behind me, Satan. You're a hindrance to me. If you're not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man. What does Satan want to do with them? To have them. To have a certain influence over them. For what purpose? That he might sift you like wheat. Talking about that process by which the wheat was separated from the chaff. That he might shake these men. He desires to test them. He desires to shake them. He desires to stress them. He desires to divide them. You remember the book of Job, Chapter 1, gives us a glimpse into the sort of conversation that would occur when something like this happens. Job 1 verse 6, 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 have you come? Satan answered the Lord and said, from going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it. And the Lord said to Satan, have you considered my servant Job, that there's none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil? I just want you to take note, we'll talk about this more in just a moment, but notice who initiates the attention being placed on Job. It is God. This is a part of God's plan for Job. Then Satan answered the Lord and said, does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house, and all that he has on every side? You've blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.' And the Lord said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your hand." You can have him to this end for that purpose. He's in your hand, only against him do not stretch out your hand. So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. And after that first round, when you come back to chapter 2 verse 1, it says this, 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. And the Lord said to Satan, From where have you come? Satan answered the Lord and said, From going to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it. And the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you enticed me against him to destroy him without reason." Then Satan answered the Lord and said, skin for skin, all that a man has he will give for his life, but stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh and he will curse you to your face. And the Lord said to Satan, behold he is in your hand, only spare his life. So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. I don't know what the conversation was like about these disciples. I don't know what the conversation was like about Peter. But I know this, Satan is wanting, he's asked for permission to sift these men like wheat. And there's something specific that involves Peter so that Jesus tells Peter, I have prayed for you. We see Satan's request. Now set your attention for just a moment on the Lord's request. Verse 32, but I have prayed for you. And the I there is emphatic. I have prayed for you. It's encouraging, isn't it? Our prayers have the promise of God's answer whenever we ask in accordance with God's will. Well, the Son of God always asked in accordance with God's will. That means if Jesus says he's praying something for you, it's done. He always asks according to God's will. So when Jesus prays for something, it's done. I've prayed for you. What have you prayed, Lord? That your faith may not fail. And when you've turned again, see, already anticipated is his recovery. Already anticipated is his repentance. Already anticipated is the future. When you return, when you've turned again, strengthen your brothers. Peter will be preserved. He's going to be tested, he's going to be sifted, but he's going to be preserved. I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. That cannot mean that, Peter, I've prayed for you so you won't fail. If it meant that, then Christ's prayer wasn't answered because Peter denies Jesus three times. What he means is your faith won't fail in the ultimate sense. You will not fall away from me in the ultimate sense. You're going to persevere even through this, Peter. Daryl Bach had this to say. He said, Peter's failure will be a failure of nerve, not a heart denial of Jesus. The remark is a note of reconciliation before the fact and pictures how God offers total forgiveness. He knows our failure and still extends His hand graciously to the believer who trusts Him. It does speak, though, of the power of the temptation, doesn't it? I mean, if Jesus has to pray for Peter that his faith not fail, then what happens to Peter if Jesus doesn't pray this? Do you know that our continued belief in the Lord Jesus Christ is due to the ongoing preserving power of God? I mean, if not for the faithfulness of our God, if not for the power of our God, if not for the ongoing intercession of our Savior, our faith would not persevere. Peter, I've prayed for you that your faith will not fail. But more than that, when you've turned again, strengthen your brothers. You're headed for something, and on the other side of it, we sang about it tonight, what the enemy means for evil, what does God do with it? He turns it for our good. Turns it for our good. Peter, on the other side of this, you're going to be a strengthening influence for your brothers. Not only the other apostles, but the church. Brothers in the widest sense. You're going to strengthen them. What does that mean? Robert Stein said this. He said, in the New Testament, this verb frequently describes the process of helping someone grow in the Christian faith. How Peter fulfilled this is seen in Acts by his leadership in completing the number of the disciples to 12, his preaching at Pentecost, his early preaching and leadership in Jerusalem, and his role in the expansion of the church to Samaria and to the Gentiles. Peter, on the other side of this, I've prayed for you, on the other side of this, you will be an instrument for the spiritual growth of God's people. Isn't that amazing? that Jesus would choose the one who would demonstrate such weakness to be the instrument by which brothers would be strengthened. He's going to take the one who demonstrates weakness and use him as an instrument of strength. It's a good reminder that our failures, when we repent of them, they become a point from which we can be used by God to help other people grow. Are you allowing the Lord to make the best use of your failures? I mean, have you turned from them? Have you repented of them? And on the other side of your repentance, are you looking for the opportunities and the ways that God may now use you as an instrument for someone else's strength? That's the kind of thing that our amazing, sovereign, loving God can do with us. So there's the message. We see the man, the focal point of a particular temptation, The focal point of a particular purpose on the part of Christ. Christ is going to use this man in a singular way. That's His right, that's His choice. Simon has been selected for this, not just unique privilege but unique testing. Not just unique privilege but unique pressure. I mean, the Lord prepares us for what He means to do with us. Peter had to learn something about his weakness. He had to learn this to be useful. And so Christ tells him in advance what's coming. and what the result of it, the outcome of it will be. How does Peter respond? Notice his sincere determination. Verse 33, Peter said to him, Lord, I'm ready to go with you both to prison and to death. What is he saying? I cannot imagine that this is true. I cannot imagine that there's anything here It's true that I'm going to fail in such a way as you've described. Because Lord, don't you know how much I love you? Don't you know how I feel towards you? Don't you know what I'm ready to do? Lord, if they take you to prison, I'm going. Lord, if they kill you, you're going to have to kill me. Did Peter mean that? Dear ones, did he mean that? He really believed it, didn't he? Really believed it, really meant it. In fact, he will eventually fulfill his pledge. In Acts 5, you'll see him in prison. In Acts 12, you'll see him in prison. And church tradition tells us that Peter was martyred for Christ. That they crucified him upside down because he refused to be crucified in the same way as his Lord. He felt he was not worthy. Sometimes people pick on the statement itself, you know, as if Peter was boasting. You find similar statements to this. For example, listen to Acts 21 verse 13, then Paul answered, remember he's on his way to Jerusalem, people are urging him not to go. And he answered, what are you doing weeping and breaking my heart for I'm ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. What's he saying? I'm ready to go to prison. I'm ready to die for the sake of Christ. Same kind of statement. Problem is not in the desire. The problem is not in the sincerity of it. The problem is not even in the statement itself. The problem is that Peter is not really listening, is he? When Christ tells him in advance what's coming, it's a warning to Peter. Much like we talked about with Judas, Jesus tells Judas what is coming, but nonetheless He appeals to him. Nonetheless He gives him space for repentance. Nonetheless He alerts him. Very much the same thing here. Peter is being alerted and yet he cannot conceive that that kind of failure is within him. That's the problem. Are you capable of this kind of weakness? Do you think that your perseverance is explained by your strength? Or do you know that you're as capable as Peter was of denying that you even know Jesus? So we see the Sovereign Declaration, verse 34, Jesus said, I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day until you deny three times that you know me. That's fulfilled later in this chapter. We'll just read it tonight. We'll look at it later. But look at verse 54. Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house, and Peter was following at a distance. And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, This man also was with him. But he denied it, saying, Woman, I do not know him. And a little later someone else saw him and said, You also are one of them. But Peter said, Man, I am not. And after an interval of about an hour, Still another insisted, saying, Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean. But Peter said, Man, I do not know what you're talking about. And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed, and the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him before the rooster crows today, You will deny me three times. And he went out and wept bitterly. You see, there's the instruction of humility, but then there are the sovereignly designed circumstances whereby we learn just how true the words are. It's a hard lesson, but in the hand of sovereign God, it would be a good lesson. For after Peter returned, he would be used by God to strengthen his brothers. What do we have here? We have a lesson about means, don't we? God works through means? God is sovereign, He does what He wills, but He works through means. He works here through the means of prayer. Was the prayer of Jesus for Peter necessary? Was it necessary? Oh, it was necessary. Does God work through the means of prayer today? You think it's necessary that we pray for each other? You think it's necessary that we pray for our families? Do you think it's necessary when you see a brother or a sister, a husband or a wife, a child going astray, does prayer matter? Do we get on our knees as if it matters, as if the Lord uses it, as if He works through it? And aren't you grateful tonight that when you don't know how to pray, the Spirit of God intercedes for us with words in a way that words can't express, with groanings, can't be uttered? I mean, He intercedes for us and then we have our great High Priest interceding for us always. How safe are we when we're prayed for like this? But make no mistake about it, our prayers matter. It's a means that God uses. And does God work through the means of warning? You know, have you been feeling strong lately? Perhaps even looking upon others who have wandered or they're struggling and you think to yourself, I would never do that. I'm not capable of that. Oh, you are capable of it. You are. Do you believe it though? Do you know that? So that you would hear verses like this and be awakened to your neediness, right? Christ's faithfulness, our neediness. Lord, without you, I can't stand. Jesus said, for without me, you can do nothing. Nothing. We have a lesson about means. We have a lesson about temptations. I am so thankful that God regulates all my temptations. From the vantage point of God, testing. From the vantage point of Satan, temptation. God doesn't tempt us, but He limits the activity of Satan. Satan cannot do one thing in my life without divine permission, not one. And God promises that He does not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear. Pass the test. There's always the opportunity to pass the test. God guarantees it. So will we rely on Him through the tests that we may pass them? We have a lesson about perseverance. The faith of a genuine believer is indestructible. If you've been saved, your faith will not be extinguished. That is due to the nature of your faith. It's real. It's God-given. It's the result of new birth. But even more than that, it's due to the one who's granted it and the one who watches over it, the one who keeps us there. I can't walk away from Jesus because Jesus is holding on to me. We will persevere even despite at times crushing failures. When we weep bitterly, even then, if indeed the Lord has saved us, we are safe in the hand of our sovereign God. Our faith cannot be extinguished. And finally, we have a lesson about future purposes. Peter was a man of natural leadership abilities. I'll bet you wherever Peter had lived his whole life, he was always the leader. You ever known someone like that? Doesn't matter what they were involved in, they just were natural leaders. That was Peter. And he was a man of strong passions, and he was a man of natural courage and natural strength. The guy only had the personality for that. I mean, he was a fisherman. He was a man's man in that day and time. But he had to learn a lesson that those natural abilities by themselves were insufficient for what God was calling him to do and for what God was going to use him to do. God's the author, not only of the spiritual abilities you have, he's the author of the natural ability, so it's no wonder that those two things fit together and work together. But when we begin to rely on those natural abilities and forget how needy we are, how dependent we are, then the Lord allows us to feel just how insufficient those natural abilities are. so insufficient they can actually lead to your failure when you rely on them. Peter had to become a man of humility. He had to become a man of dependence. He had to learn a new kind of strength. And for that, he had to know just how weak he was. I trust you celebrate with me. I trust you worship the Lord with me. When I realized that he has the same kind of purposes in mind for us, None of our sorrows is wasted. None of the roads that we head down, none of them is meaningless. As we sing about tonight, our sovereign God works all these things together for His glory and for our good because He has made us, by His own sovereign free choice, He has made us the objects of His saving love. That's something we can rest in, isn't it? When it's hard, when it's sorrowful, But on our pathway to triumph, it's a road paved with tears, disappointment, hurt. Isn't it good to know? The Lord is on His throne. His purposes are good. And His work in our lives is right on track. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we do rest in these truths. We're so grateful that You allow us to learn from Your work in Simon's life. that you ordained that your church would be strengthened out of his weakness, and then Lord, out of the strengths that you would produce in his life following this failure. Lord, you purposed it. You not only allowed it, you ordained it for your glory, for his good, and for ours, for our sake. So Lord, let us tonight not waste these things, Take these things into our minds and hearts. Receive them. Learn from them. Walk in these truths. Lord, help us to trust you when we don't know what's going on. Help us to be in a place where it's enough for us to know that you know what's going on. We ask for this in Jesus' name. Amen.