The Gospel of Luke in our Bibles, chapter 22, verse 31. Luke 22, 31. Jesus speaking now. He begins, Simon, Simon, Behold, Satan has demanded permission, actually that is better rendered, asked permission, to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. But he said to him, Lord, with you I am ready to go both to prison and to death. And he said, I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know me. And he said to them, When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you? They said, No, nothing. And he said to them, But now whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one. For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in me. And he was numbered with the transgressors, for that which refers to me has its fulfillment. They said, Lord, look, here are two swords. And he said to them, Enough of that. It is enough. Lord, as always, we ask that You give us understanding as we look into what we know is Your very Word, inspired by Your very Spirit. We pray that You will give us understanding of Jesus' words here. And Lord, that we will be transformed thereby. In Christ's name, Amen. Well, if you've read this passage in Luke, you kind of get the feeling that Luke is just giving us a portion of a broader conversation, a broader event. And in fact, we're going to see that's true. Matthew and Mark also have accounts of portions of this, although not all of it. Luke has now arrived at the conclusion of his account of Jesus and the Twelve in the upper room. And this is, remember, the night before Jesus offered Himself on the cross. They'd eaten the final Passover meal. Jesus had instituted the Lord's Supper. And He had an announcement for them. One of you is going to betray me. Now, throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus had taught that in Him the kingdom of God had come unto men. That's the message He was bringing. His disciples believed Him. And they believed that one day Jesus would come into His kingdom and be a king. But before Jesus and the Twelve had come to Jerusalem, going all the way back to their time in Galilee, He told them He was going to Jerusalem to be crucified. At least three times in Matthew's gospel. Once in Luke. And two days before the Passover, on Tuesday, Jesus had told them that at Passover, He would be handed over to the Romans for crucifixion. That's why He came into the world. To lay down His life for His friends. This was all according to God's eternal plan of redemption of a people for Himself. Remember, He created people to glorify Him. And Jesus was coming to Jerusalem to go to the cross willingly. I lay down my life. No one takes it from me. I have authority to lay it down. I have authority to take it back up again. Now despite the fact Jesus had said these things to the disciples often, it seems they did not fully register with them. They didn't seem to accept that he was going to soon die on a cross. Matthew 16, 22, remember? Peter argued with him. Never shall this happen. He says, Get behind me, Satan. Matthew 17, when he told them this, they were deeply grieved. And in Luke 18, 34, took the twelve aside in verse 31, said to them, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all the things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. Well what's that mean? Well, he goes on. For he will be handed over to the Gentiles, he will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, and after they have scourged him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again. Those statements are pretty clear, aren't they? But look what verse 34 tells us. But the disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them. They didn't comprehend the things that were said. So we have to understand, even as Jesus is telling them these things, meaning is hidden from them. And they were not comprehending what He was saying. Now Luke also tells us, and we saw this last week, that on this night before He died, what was on the minds of the eleven was which one of them was going to be greatest in His kingdom. Here was Jesus on His final night with His closest friends. about to lay down His life for them. And here they were jockeying for high position in His kingdom. So we saw last week pride and covetousness had taken hold of the disciples. And Jesus said to them, The one who is greatest among you must become like the youngest, the leader like the servant. He was saying that one who is truly great will always show his greatness, not by putting himself above others, but by putting himself beneath others, in service to him and to others. So Jesus had taught them that faithful service in a lowly place is itself true greatness. And he's the best example. He came down from heavenly glory, humbled himself, and lived an obedient life, even obedience unto a cross. And he told them in verse 28, despite their failings, You are those who have stood by Me in My trials, and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, the grace of God. And you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Look, if we all had to live sinless lives in order to have a heavenly blessing, none of us would be there. And the apostles were no different. They believed deeply that Jesus was the Messiah. And though they still thought as earthly men and were taken into sin, they were at times prideful men. By God's grace, an inheritance had been laid up for them in heaven, in His kingdom. And at that point, they didn't understand. They did not understand what was happening. They didn't understand the things that were about to occur that night and three days later, and certainly not seven weeks later at Pentecost. Now in verses 31 and 38, our passage this morning, Luke tells us of two more things that Jesus said that night to the eleven after Judas had already left to betray Jesus. Now Luke just tells us what Jesus said to Simon Peter. He said, verse 31, Simon, Simon. These are those words of closeness and love and concern. This double repetition of a name that is used only in almost every case for those who are closest to Jesus or to Yahweh. Simon, Simon. Behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat. Now this is not unlike what we read in Job. Satan came before God and asked permission to tempt Job. But Jesus said, I've prayed for you that your faith may not fail, and you, once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. When we read the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, we learn that Jesus' prediction of Simon Peter's denial of Him was actually part of a broader discussion where Jesus told all of the eleven that they would all scatter then. Matthew and Mark placed the whole discussion after Jesus and the eleven had left the upper room and were now at the Mount of Olives. Now there's some question about that because Luke and John, it isn't all that clear. But I want to read you Matthew chapter 26, verse 30. And here's Matthew's account of what is the same incident. Matthew 26, 30. After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And then Jesus said to them, You will all fall away because of Me this night. For it is written... And then Jesus quotes from what we know as Zechariah 13, verse 7. For it is written, He said, 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. So he had said that to all of the eleven. And it's here that Peter begins to interject. Peter said to him, Even though all may fall away because of you, I will never fall away. There is proud Peter. Jesus said to him, Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny me three times. And 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, Matthew tells us. And so does Mark. In fact, the only difference between Matthew and Mark is that Mark speaks of a rooster crowing twice. And when we read Mark, it's the second crowing of the rooster that Peter is convicted by. But the point is, when we read Matthew and Mark, we learn that it was not only Peter who Jesus said was going to abandon Him that night. He told them. Now think about this night. He said earlier, one of you will betray Me. The rest of you will scatter. Peter, you're going to deny Me three times. Only John, by the way, would be standing nearby as Jesus was dying on the cross. And Our Lord said to them, knowing He was going to die on the cross in a matter of hours, He said, but after I have been raised, I'll go ahead of you to Galilee. He made plans for their meeting after His death. You have to wonder, given what we've seen about the apostles, to what degree, if at all, any of these words had registered with them. This was at least the fourth time Jesus had told them he was going to be killed and raised back to life. Now Luke, as we've seen, is only focused on Simon Peter here. Not on the narrative involving the rest of them scattering. And he's focused on Jesus' prediction that Simon would deny him. And Simon Peter's response to Jesus. And when we read Luke's account in light of Matthew and Mark, it seems that after Jesus had warned the disciples that they all would scatter, Simon Peter responded, claiming he would never do such a thing. It's there that Luke picks up his account. Peter reacted and responded as we've come to expect. With you I am ready to go both to prison and to death. Jesus said to him, Peter, I say to you... He calls him Peter for the only time in Luke's gospel, right here. Peter meaning rock. ...I said to you, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know me. So he dresses Simon Peter by this Simon-Simon intimate address at first. But now he calls him Peter to remind him he's supposed to be a rock. In this repetition of his name, he reminded Simon of his love and concern for him, even as he told Simon of the crime he was about to commit against him. The only way I think we can begin to get a grasp on The character of Jesus is to imagine if we knew somebody was going to call the cops and have us arrested that night. Could we speak to them with this kind of love and intimacy? This is a character that is of God's alone. Satan, and the NAS and King James, has demanded permission to sift you like wheat. But the sense is, and many of the other versions have the word asked, because Satan is in no position to demand anything of God. Nor are we. So the sense is, Satan has asked to have you. Much as he had asked to have Job, that he may sift you like wheat. Now the words sift you like wheat. I don't know if we've ever done any wheat sifting. But they speak of just this violent shaking of wheat in a sieve. Here, this is clearly a figurative expression. Satan is not going to sift Peter. But here Jesus relates Simon being sifted like wheat to Satan's tempting him in his three denials of Jesus. This metaphor is found only here in Scripture. And it's talking about the great trial that's about to come upon Simon. I mean, think about it. Is your loyalty to the Lord tested? We'll ask that question a little bit later. Is your loyalty to the Lord ever tested? Because his loyalty to Jesus was about to be severely tested. And not only Peter. All the apostles were about to encounter a severe trial that very night. The arrest and death of Christ, their teacher and their Lord. And Peter says, Lord, You can count on me. You can count on me, Lord. Jeremiah 17, 9. Pretty well-known verse. The heart is deceitful above all things. It's exceedingly corrupt. Who can know it? I don't doubt Peter believed every word he was saying. But what it was, was foolish, prideful confidence. A false confidence in himself. And here he refuses to believe what the Lord has said. You notice when the Lord said, I'm going up to be crucified, I don't believe you. Not going to happen. Now he says, you're going to deny me. Not going to happen. You know, one day Peter would be ready to die for Jesus. And he wasn't ready quite yet. Even the apostles had a walk of faith in which they grew. He had this great valley of failure ahead of him that night. On this night, Peter was going to exhibit both pride and fear. What's the proverb say? Pride goeth before destruction. Now as for nine of the apostles, we know nothing concerning their exact whereabouts and actions that night. All we know is that they scattered. We know that John followed Jesus to the cross with Jesus' mother and some of the other women from Galilee. But Peter actually did not flee as the others did. What did he do? He followed along, kind of tried to blend in the crowd, undercover. So when the Roman cohort and the temple police came, Peter had drawn a sword and cut off the ear of the high priest's slave. But when Jesus was taken into custody and led away, here's Peter following along, lost in the crowd. And as I said, you notice in verse 34, Jesus addressed Simon as Peter for the only time in Luke's Gospel. As if to remind him of his duty to the rest of them. To be solid. And this was a duty, folks, that Peter was about to fail. And to fail in a way that shamed him. But we saw here, Jesus also had this word of exhortation for Peter. He says, when you, when once you have turned again, you strengthen your brothers. So look at the grace of God here. Here's this test Simon was going to face. He would fail it. He'd deny our Lord three times. And Jesus said to him, but I have prayed for you. It's a wonderful thing to know Jesus prays for us. We know that He intercedes in our prayers with the Father. He assured Simon of his personal intervention with his father. That yes, Peter would fail this trial, but he was going to come through it with a strengthened faith. And that would be his responsibility, to strengthen the rest of the apostles. Not as a pope, but as a leader among them, along with James and maybe one or two others. And one day Peter was going to be crucified in Rome, upside down. There's a lesson for us here, isn't there? I'm not going to ask for a show of hands, but has your faith ever failed? Have you ever failed to boldly proclaim Jesus Christ? I suspect we've all fallen short at one time or another, in one way or another. And if you have, have you, like Peter, been struck by the guilt of your failure to boldly proclaim Him? And that sense of guilt should lead to a renewed faith and a strengthened faith. This is what happened with Peter. who one day himself was crucified upside down because of his loyalty to, his faith in, and his love for Jesus. When Nero was there with his wicked entourage, Peter stood strong. So sometimes we have to come through these things. I'm not encouraging falling down in our faith. But I'm saying, if you do, repent of it and don't give up. Don't give up. Well, Jesus would soon send these 11 and Matthias and Paul and a couple others into the world as witnesses of His bodily resurrection, which hadn't happened yet. And He had a words of counsel for them. And He begins by referring back to a couple of times He had sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God. Verse 35, He said to them, When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you? ... Well no, nothing. They didn't. Now Jesus was recalling two instances in Luke chapter 9 and chapter 10 when He had sent them out to proclaim the coming of the kingdom of God. Now first he just sent the twelve. And later he sent them among a group of seventy in chapter 10. In this way, he was calling to their remembrance their earlier missions. And we just read, he sent them out with no money. No money belt. No bag. No sandals. And he sent them out with power to heal and to cast out demons. And when they were first sent out, They were told to rely entirely on God's provision and His protection. If they welcome you at a house, stay there. If not, just move on. So what was going to be different this time and why? Well, He said to them, But now, whoever has a money belt or a purse is to take it along. Likewise, whoever has a bag or a leather pouch or a wallet. And whoever has a sword, a makaron, which is actually a short sword or a dagger. You'd use it for cutting the throat of an animal you were offering in sacrifice, for example. Whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one. Only Luke has this narrative. But why this change in the instructions? Well up to this point, over the past three years, the disciples had depended entirely on Jesus. They learned a lesson of absolute trust in Him. All their enemy's hostility was directed at whom? At them? No. It was directed at our Lord. But that was going to change. And soon. Next morning, Jesus would be crucified. And though He would rise on the third day, in just a few weeks, He would depart the earth and return to His Father in heaven. You have to wonder what those ten days were like between His departure and the coming of the Holy Spirit. To have been with Jesus bodily, personally, three years, and now He's gone. Now He's gone. During those three years, Jesus was preparing them for their mission. To go out into all the world to testify of an event that hadn't happened yet. His resurrection. And to take the gospel of forgiveness of sins and eternal life through faith in Him. And His death on the cross, which also hadn't happened yet. So now, He's telling them, you've got to be preparing yourselves for what is soon going to be your mission. And yes, you're going to be under God's care. And you're going to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. But I'm not physically going to be with you. After I depart, you will have to fend for yourselves. You're going to have to provide for yourselves. And the hostility of my enemies is going to be directed against you. You're going to become objects of persecution. Remember, in the upper room as recorded in John, if the world hated me, know that the world will hate you too. Calvin puts Jesus' instructions this way. He says, "...until now you've had an easy and prosperous condition, because I wanted to treat you gently like children. But the time has now come when I must employ you in labor like men." So Jesus said to them, this time, when you go out into the world, you're to be prepared. And he says you're to take money and a bag. And if anyone has no sword, again, closer to a knife, sell your coat and buy one. Now we read this and we figure, unless circumstances show us otherwise, that Jesus is speaking literally here. Some believe Jesus is speaking literally here. And they may be correct. Others believe He was speaking metaphorically, symbolically. But whichever way one takes Jesus' words here, the message is essentially the same. They must prepare themselves for the mission which He was about to send them. Because He would no longer be there in person. God would send His Spirit to them to teach them and to guide them. He would empower them to work miraculous works. But at the same time, Jesus was warning them. that they're going to meet with great trials, with great troubles along the way, as all believers will. They'd be met with fierce attacks and persecution from all those who hate Christ. He wasn't calling them to armed conflict with those who would oppose them. He was warning them of the very difficult time they were going to face in their mission. And in verse 37, seemingly by way of explanation, Jesus said to them, For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in me. And he was numbered with transgressors, for that which refers to me has its fulfillment. So he tells them again, referring back to Isaiah 53, 12, that he's about to be killed and as a convicted criminal. He quotes these words of Isaiah 53, 12, confirming that in chapter 53 of Isaiah, Isaiah was writing about Him. And not only in chapter 53, by the way. And look what he says. And that which is written must be fulfilled in me. You see, if the Bible says this is to happen, this must happen, then it happens. It will happen. And this is one of the blessings of having the Old Testament fulfilled in so many ways in the New Testament. When we read the New Testament, we can have this assurance that what is written there will be fulfilled when Christ returns. It is being fulfilled in part right now. That which is written must be fulfilled in me. I am to be the fulfillment of this prophecy of Isaiah written 700 years ago. That's why He came. To die for the sins of all who would believe in Him. This was His purpose in coming. To die as a sinless substitute. Because there was no other sinless man. For the sins of His people. And then to rise back to life overcoming death. Death is the wages of sin. So what is Christ showing us in this passage? Well, first of all, we know God always providentially cares for His people. Look at the birds of the air. They neither toil, yet God provides for them. How much more will He provide for His people? God always providentially cares for His people while we're in the world. But that doesn't mean we don't make diligent use of the gifts He's given us and the abilities He's given us. It doesn't mean we're not good stewards. And it doesn't mean that we're going to go through this life with no discomfort and no hardships. I mean, that's what he's talking about to the eleven here. God works all things together for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. But that does not mean He fulfills our every earthly desire or that life in our earthly pilgrimage is always going to be pleasant and easy. The very opposite is the case. And if somebody tells you that Christ promises you earthly riches and an easy life, he's lying to you. Christ said the gate is small and the road is narrow that leads to life. And there are few who find it. Paul wrote, Philippians 129, For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake. That's what the Bible teaches us, folks. Because the focus of all things is not us. It's Christ. All things to be summed up in Him. He's the focus of all things, not us. And He was about to suffer that night. And all of us, including His apostles, are called to share in His afflictions. And the apostles did suffer greatly. They scattered that night, but they suffered greatly. All but John were executed in horrifying ways in most cases, as they took the gospel into the remotest parts of the earth and laid the foundation of Christ's church. They were still under God's providential care, but God's not saving us for life here. He's saving us for a mission here and for life and glory later. The apostles, their circumstances were changing. They were now the leaders. The leaders of the mission of the church. Without them, no church. They laid the foundation of the church. And their road was going to be a difficult one. And you know, we pray for the sick. We pray for people who are suffering. The Bible tells us to do that. But understand, Jesus did not ask His Father to spare Peter and the eleven these trials they were about to face and would soon encounter when they went into the world. What He was doing was trying to prepare them to face their trials, to face their hardships, which would be many, and to be always trusting in Him. Every time we trust in Christ through a trial, our faith grows. He wanted them to be looking ahead to heavenly glory, not earthly pleasure. The heavenly glory that awaits all who believe in Him. When we think back to the times Christ sent them out in pairs. Sent them with the news that was going to be gladly received. He told them, proclaim the kingdom of God. And in Israel, they thought that meant the kingdom of David would be restored. They were incorrect, but they liked that message. They were looking forward to that message. And they were given, the disciples, power to heal and to cast out demons to authenticate their message. And so that message would not only be received by many, it would be welcomed by many. That was an easy message to hear, particularly with the authentication of supernatural works. But now look at the message they're going into the world with. After Christ's death, their message is going to be that this convicted seditionist, this man, a crucified convict, God had raised him back to life. And Jesus didn't appear to unbelievers, remember. And that the only hope for any man was to trust in this convicted, crucified convict in his death on the cross as the payment for your sins. That was their message. And it was a message that would be rejected by many. The Jews would react with hostility. Remember how Peter reacted when Jesus told him, I'm going up there to be crucified. And Peter said, absolutely not. Well, many of the Jews would react with hostility at the idea, as Peter did, that their Messiah would be crucified. Their Messiah could never be crucified. So it was a stumbling block for them. The Greeks would think this whole thing was foolishness. They had their own spirituality, like so many today. People make up their own spirituality and people say, boy, she's really spiritual. But to those who are being saved, the gospel message is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. And that's the message they're going out with. And they will be rejected many times. So these men would soon be filled with the Holy Spirit and would courageously go into the world. Very different men than scattered that night. And they would take the one and only message of hope for humanity, the gospel. Well, given what we know about the apostles up to this point, we can only wonder how they heard these words of our Lord. He'd repeatedly told them what lay ahead for Him they hadn't understood. Now He was speaking to them about what lay ahead for them, their lives, their work, after He was gone. In a matter of just a few hours, they were going to begin to understand. Jesus was arrested and taken away. And as He hung the next morning, dying on a cross, So there's a question I've left hanging out here. Was Jesus telling the eleven to go out and buy swords? They seem to have thought so. Because they immediately seem to have begun looking around for swords. And apparently someone obtained two swords. Whether he had them or whether he saw them in the upper room or who knows. But one of them said, Lord look, here are two swords. But he didn't say, great, we're on our way now. He said, that's enough. Enough of that. And that was the end of the conversation. So as I read the arguments of the commentators, those who say Jesus was actually telling the eleven to go and buy swords, and those who believe He was speaking figuratively, I kept coming back to this thought. I almost wanted to take a pause and give everybody a couple of minutes to think this through. What's the evidence in the Bible? But here's the question that kept coming back to me. Is there anything in Jesus' teaching over four Gospels that would lead us to think He was telling His disciples to go out into the world with swords and engage in knife fights with their enemies? Is there anything in the book of Acts that would tell us that's what they did? I believe our best indication of Jesus' meaning here is found in His reply. They said, look, Lord, look, here's two swords. He said, that's enough. His response certainly did not mean two swords will be sufficient. I mean, if they were going to have to go out with swords and engage in combat, they're going to need more than two swords. What He meant was, enough of this kind of talk. All Christians, brethren, should know, as Paul taught, that our warfare is not fought with swords. Our warfare is spiritual. Nowhere in the New Testament, nowhere is there a word about the apostles engaging anyone with a sword except Peter cutting off the high priest's slave's ear. And Jesus said, Peter, stop it and put the ear back. So I want you to turn to Ephesians chapter 6 and hear what the Spirit of God declared through Paul. Ephesians chapter 6, we'll begin in verse 11. This is about Christian warfare. Put on the full armor of God so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. And look at these words. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood. It looks like that to us because Satan and his demons are working through people. But our struggle, Paul says, is against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Not against flesh and blood. Therefore, Paul says, take up the full armor of God so that you will be able to resist in the evil day. And we're in it. And having done everything to stand firm. Stand firm, therefore. And then he gives us five weapons. Having girded your loins with truth. Truth. And that's why when we evangelize, we don't set aside the source of truth, the Bible. Having put on the breastplate of righteousness. That's a declaration we've received from God. having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, and finally the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. That's our sword. This is the armor of the believer. The apostles would face human enemies, but they would also face, more to the point, a spiritual enemy. Our enemy is a spiritual enemy. Jesus told Peter that Satan had sought to weaken his loyalty and his faith in Jesus. And for a time, Peter failed. All believers today face the same enemy. Satan will try to persuade you to doubt the Word of God as he succeeded in persuading Adam and Eve. He will try relentlessly to persuade you to doubt your faith. He's trying, folks. He'll seek to weaken your faith. He'll seek to tempt you, to draw you into thoughts and conduct that God has told us is sin. He wants to take as many to hell with him as he can. And Paul says here that it is the Word of God that is your greatest weapon against Satan. And he calls it the sword of the Spirit. And don't think Satan is not real. That's his lie. Jesus said Satan is real. He's talking about him right here in this very passage again. And if you believe in Jesus, you know Satan is very real because Jesus said he is. So Jesus' warning to be prepared for the onslaught from Satan and from the world and from our own sinful desires, as we've seen on Wednesday nights, applies just as much to us as it did to Simon Peter and the apostles. Our hope Our only hope for deliverance from eternal hell is Jesus Christ, in whom all things will be summed up for all eternity. And so we must look to Him and to His Word every day as we walk through this life. Well, let's take a moment. Take these words of our Lord into our minds and hearts this morning and let's ask Him to give us an appreciation of our sins. Of our own failing to proclaim Him. And an appreciation of His mercy and then let us each examine Himself and then we will gather at His table. Lord, we are so, so blessed to have this assurance that we can lean on you in every circumstance, that we know that even the difficulties and trials of this life are for our good, that nothing occurs outside of your will. And Lord, that you have prepared great, blessed, wondrous glory for us who trust in your Son. And so, Lord, I pray we will go from here this morning just filled with the joy of knowing You. In Christ's name, Amen.