Our epistle reading is from Romans 8, verses 26-35. Hear God's word. The Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is in the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined, He also called. And those whom He called, He also justified. And those whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died, more than that who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? This is the word of the Lord. And our gospel reading and sermon text is from Luke's gospel, chapter 22, verses 24 through 38. Heed God's word. A dispute also arose among the disciples as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. And Jesus said to them, the kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them and those in authority over them are called benefactors, but not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? but I am among you as the one who serves. You are those who have stayed with me in my trials and I assign to you as my father assigned to me a kingdom so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel." Simon. Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you so that your faith may not fail. 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. The gospel of our Lord. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray with me. O God, guide us by your word and spirit, so that in your light we may see light, in your truth find wisdom, and in your will discover peace. Add your blessing to the reading, the hearing, and the preaching of your word, and grant us all the grace to trust and obey you. And all God's people said. Amen. Now I'm sure most of you kids don't remember your baptism. But after we poured the water on your head and God poured his spirit upon you, even though you were too young to understand it, we declared to you what Jesus did to save you and what he was doing for you on the very day that you were baptized. If you've heard it so many times that you have it memorized, maybe you can say it with me. Little children, for you Jesus Christ has come, he has fought, he has suffered. For you, he entered into the shadows of Gethsemane and the terror of Calvary. For you, he uttered the cry, it is finished. For you, he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, and there for you, little one, he intercedes. Now again, you were too young to understand any of that, but it wasn't just because of your age. Anytime someone becomes a Christian, they barely know anything about who God is or what He's done, let alone what the word intercedes means, even if they're a grown-up. Maybe they have the basics, like they're a sinner who can be forgiven their sins by trusting in Jesus's life, death, resurrection, and ascension for them. But even then, most of us haven't even begun to barely scratch the surface of what it means that Jesus saved us, is saving us, and will save us. even growing up in the South, where most of us have heard all of those things before. It wasn't until I was in my early 20s that I came to trust and be thankful that Jesus died for me. Then after a couple of years, it began to sink in that Jesus didn't only die, but he conquered death itself and rose physically from the dead, ensuring that we too would receive resurrection bodies to be with him forever. Now, I'm no less thankful for both of those realities, but over the last several years, I've really come to appreciate not just Jesus's life and death and not just his resurrection, but Jesus's ascension or exaltation to the right hand of God the Father, where he rules and prays for us right now. To know Jesus died for our sins is a great relief. To know that he defeated death by rising from the grave and will one day give us new bodies is pretty awesome, especially if your body is breaking down a bit. But to stop and think that right now, in this very moment, Jesus is ruling in heaven, talking to his Father, and praying for us. Well that gives me hope and a kind of peace and joy that I hope you can learn to appreciate faster than I did. I mean think about how cool it is that right now as you're sitting in your little pew with your crayons or your favorite Bible, ready to take some more notes that Jesus, the perfect sacrifice for sins and the risen king of creation, is right now praying for you. He knows you and all your fears and sadnesses. and all the good and bad things you've ever done and will ever do. And he knows exactly what little bitty OU needs. Whether you're under two foot six or over six foot six. Or anywhere in between, he knows what you need to become the kind of boy or girl or man or woman that he made you to be. And knowing all of that, he turns to God the Father, which is your Father. And he prays that he would give you exactly what you would have asked for if you knew everything he knows. How amazing is that? Jesus is praying for you and for me and for all of us right now. And even when you're not praying, he is. And even when you're too scared or you're too sad or you don't know how to pray, Paul says that he's given you his spirit to pray for you. In our story today, we get a little glimpse of Jesus praying for his followers and specifically the apostle Peter. Even though Jesus was always the perfect friend to Peter, he knows that Peter is gonna get so scared that he's not just going to sin, his closest friend is going to deny ever knowing him. But this will be important for us to remember. Jesus doesn't get mad and hurt Peter just because Peter's gonna hurt him. Instead, he tells Peter he's been praying for him, he tells him what's going to happen, and he tells Peter what he should do after he falls down and gets back up. Even though Peter is going to be faithless for a bit, Jesus is always faithful. And as we transition out of Epiphany and into Lent, Jesus' lonely but steady faithfulness is going to be our theme for the next several weeks. It's not uncommon to spend the forty days of Lent contemplating our own sin and suffering in order to help us greater understand and appreciate and anticipate Easter Sunday. And we'll sort of be doing that, but we'll be doing that by considering the various angles of Jesus' faithfulness on that final day of His earthly ministry. Now it might seem disproportionate to spend 40 days thinking about one day, but I hope that by catching a glimpse of Jesus's faithfulness, you'll come to see while basking in an eternity of Jesus's presence won't feel long at all. He really is that glorious. Now it's been several weeks since we stepped out of our normal walk through Luke's gospel, but because the last few months of Jesus's ministry had been so combative and heavy, We wanted to take Christmas and Epiphany to step back and remind everyone of the magnitude of what Jesus had come to do. So that you could see first, the absurdity that anyone would reject his gracious offer of salvation. Second, why his followers might have been confused. And now third, the lengths to which he was willing to go to accomplish that mission. And hopefully you've been encouraged to be reminded of the good news of God's grace and mercy and multi-generational love in remembering his promises, in hearing the ordinary people's prayers, and in sending his son to take on flesh to become the king of jubilee that God's people had been waiting for for so, so long. As we come back into the flow of the story and considering now that His disciples had all of those same longings and expectations and remembering that they had seen Jesus perform so many signs and miracles that only confirmed all of their hopes and dreams were coming true, well then it's a little easier to understand their confusion and responses even on that final night. If Jesus was the promised king, they all expected him to be. Well then, their belief that he was going to have no problem ushering in God's glorious kingdom where they would reign as 12 captains over his kingdom courts actually makes sense. After all, even on the last night, even after they'd been wrongly understanding what greatness was going to mean in the new kingdom, Jesus reconfirmed that they were still going to be great. Now he corrected their false understandings about what leadership would look like in his kingdom, but he still goes on to praise these guys for their faithfulness in verses 28 through 30 and promises to give them special places at his kingly table where they would rule over Israel. Despite their misguidedness, Jesus seems to thank them for their loyalty and promises to reward it. Y'all are those who have stayed with me in my trials. And I assign to you as my father assigned to me a kingdom so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on the thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. I mean, what would have you thought? with a commendation and a promise like that from Jesus, who has day in and day out for three years been displaying his power over Satan, sin, and even death, who has been proving himself to be Lord of creation by calming storms and feeding thousands of potential troops with a few scraps of bread, and who has been proving himself wiser and godlier than even the wisest religious leaders of the day, Well, it's not hard to see why these guys thought they were all about to be ruling and reigning together with Jesus very soon. And Jesus knows this about his guys. And so, like a good leader, he tempers their expectations and prepares them for the upcoming battle. A battle that was going to both end sooner and last longer than they could have ever imagined. They are going to be reigning soon, but it's not going to be in the way they imagined, at least not right away. And it's not going to come without a fight with visible enemies, sure, but also with invisible ones. In verse 31, Jesus turns to his chief disciple, Peter, and gives him a heads up. that despite everything they've witnessed, there's been more going on than meets the eye. And there was still a long road ahead for all of them, but especially for him. According to Jesus, with images of our Old Testament lesson from Job, no doubt in the background, Satan, who has been going to and fro on the land, tempting Jesus, so pressing, willing victims, and seeking more people to devour, at some point had come back up into the heavenly courts again. While Satan knows the Father has already offered up His Son to be tested, Satan apparently makes an additional request, not just to have access to Jesus, but to come after Jesus and his brothers. The English isn't quite as clear, but Luke records a scene that likely sends chills down everyone's spine because Satan has requested to have not just Peter, but all of them. Simon, Simon. Satan demanded to have y'all so that he might sift y'all violently like wheat. And then perhaps making eye contact with his friend. But Peter, I've prayed for you. I have prayed that your faith may not fail. So when you've repented, when you've turned again, strengthen your brothers. Because you're all going to need it. Now, it's not uncommon to look down on Peter's response to his Lord as being filled with a sort of prideful presumption, but I'm not convinced that's the case. These aren't guys with soft hands whose greatest life struggle was to try and spend less time playing video games or watching YouTube. These are dudes who, for the most part, dare I say it, are rednecks. who in their minds have been through three years of a combination of boot camp and seminary and again in their minds are ready to go to actual holy war. Anyone who's been about to face a sketchy situation with a band of brothers knows what it's like to feel the tension in the air. Knows what it's like to make eye contact with your brothers and to acknowledge the very real life-threatening dangers you're all about to face without speaking a word. And knows the genuine devotion every man feels in that moment. The shared sentiment in that moment is no matter how bad it gets, I'm not going anywhere. If everyone else falls, even if it means there are only two of us left, I'm not abandoning my brother. I think that's more of what's going on here than just some young, brash wannabe running his mouth and making empty promises. We read ourselves into these stories too much. Peter loves his brother. He's seen Jesus's strength and power. And he knows God's habit of conquering his enemies when Israel has a faithful leader. And so there's no way he's gonna abandon this guy. It's in that moment on the precipice of battle, Peter really is willing to go to prison and even death for his soon to be king. But Jesus knows that despite his friend's best intentions, his friend will fall before being lifted up. Jesus knows that in the valley of the shadow of death, Peter would so fear evil that he wouldn't only abandon his friend, Peter would deny even knowing him. Not once, not twice, but three times, and not after being threatened or tortured by one of the Pharisees' henchmen, but simply after a slave girl merely mentions his possible association with Jesus. He so quickly falls apart. Now we'll consider that betrayal and Jesus' response as the betrayed one more in a couple of weeks, but this morning I want us to consider the fact that Jesus, knowing what was coming his way, knowing that he was on the precipice of facing down the greatest temptation and suffering that anyone has ever faced, and knowing from eternity past that Peter, This man whom he had done so much for was going to deny, even knowing him, still praise for him. And no doubt, not just for this one occasion. The same Jesus who the writer to the Hebrews says upholds the universe by the word of his power while holding up the entire universe Jesus has always been and would continue to pray for this first century, short-sighted, frightened Jewish fisherman. I mean, sure, now he's the Apostle Peter. Now everyone knows him as the rock upon whom Jesus chose to begin constructing his church, but back then, At least as far as everyone else is concerned, Peter is just another guy in his late 20s who had gotten mixed up with this Jesus guy and his band of would-be world changers. And if it was like any of the would-be revolutions before, once the leader is dead, his followers would go back to living their normal, quiet life, back to being oppressed by the powers that be and ashamed they thought they could ever do anything about it. But this leader was different. I mean, sure, he would die. And sure, his followers would be scattered, but that wasn't going to be the end of his story. This leader would accomplish his mission to take over the world, and knowing that he was going to do it through guys like this, this leader, like no other, prays effectual prayers for his followers. If it hadn't been for Jesus's prayers, Peter's faith not only would have failed then, it would have stayed failed. And if it wasn't for Jesus's prayers, still, your faith, my faith, all of our faiths would fail, and Jesus's world-changing mission would fizzle out like all the others before and since. But Jesus prays. And because Jesus's prayers are more powerful than Satan's, the man's, Peter did in fact repent and return and strengthen his brothers such that Peter became exactly the man Jesus saved him to be. A man whose faith was made stronger and more humble, albeit a faith formed necessarily through suffering. You can almost imagine Peter remembering this last night with Jesus when he penned these words to the suffering saints who had been run out of Jerusalem and scattered all over the empire. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God. so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties upon Him because He cares for you. Be sober-minded. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. We actually draw on this when we pray that last phrase over our new members. Did you catch it? May the God of all grace, who called you unto his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, and strengthen you. To him be the glory forever and ever. Beloved, I know that you all love Jesus. and are genuinely committed to try to stick by his side through thick and thin. But make no mistake, there will be days and weeks and sometimes months and years where your faith might be shaken to the core. You're gonna face enemies from within and enemies from without. And to draw on another apostle, you do not only wrestle against flesh and blood, but against rulers and authorities and cosmic powers of spiritual forces of evil. Your life really is a fight to the death. And if you think having to fight when it feels like death means Jesus doesn't love you or that you can win all those battles on your own strength and in your own wisdom, you're in more danger than you could imagine. Trusting in your own strength, you cannot and will not win. But when you remember who Jesus is, When you remember what He's done for you and what He's doing for you right now in praying for you, you can be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might. The Lord of the universe who is right now upholding everything by the power of His word is praying. Not just generic prayers for the high and mighty, but he's praying for you. You, right now, that your faith in all your trials wouldn't fail. Notice, he didn't pray that Peter wouldn't suffer or experience fear. or feel shame for his failures. Jesus prayed that despite his wavering faith in the midst of those trials, that Peter's faith wouldn't fail, but would be made stronger such that he could in turn strengthen others. These are his prayers for you. Not necessarily that you would be delivered from all suffering, but that your faith would be preserved and strengthened through suffering such that you'll be able to offer your testimony of Jesus' faithfulness to others when their faith is wavering in the midst of trials. Take great comfort in this wonderful truth. Jesus is praying for you. Even more in those moments when you forget this and have no idea which way is up or what to say, even if you could manage to lift your eyes to heaven, you can take comfort in knowing that Jesus has poured out His Holy Spirit on you and He too is praying for you even when you can't pray for yourself. Isn't that the comfort Paul offered in our epistle reading? The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. He who searches hearts knows what is in the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Beloved, this isn't some proof text for speaking some private, unknowable, angelic prayer language. This is the promise that when your heart is so afraid and your bones are in such pain that all you can do is roll over and groan and cry dry tears, you're not alone. Even then. When your pain is too deep to even utter your own prayers, the Spirit of the Almighty God is praying for you. Can you even begin to fathom that? The wonder of all the people in all the world in every moment The risen Son of God who is at the right hand of God the Father has given you his spirit to pray for you. Again, not necessarily that God would keep you from ever feeling any fear or sadness or pain ever again, but that he would keep you through it all. So that then you, having been kept by Christ through suffering, once you've regained your footing, will be able to offer others that same comfort with which you've been comforted. Christ knew what you were going to go through before you went through it. And he knew that at times your faith was going to look like anything but faith. But by his spirit, he's with you in it, he'll be with you through it, And he's praying for you even now, if you're in it. Beloved, knowing that in Christ you have such a great intercessor, such a great king, such a great high priest, and knowing that you're in a kingdom of priests and have such a great privilege to be able to intercede for others like Christ has interceded for you, do not live below your privilege and merely pray that God would alleviate all of your temporary discomforts. So often our prayers are limited to delivering us or our loved ones from suffering. And that's not wrong, but what if in addition to praying that, you added that God would use whatever particular trial may be to work in you and them a greater faith. so that you and they might greater glorify God in your newfound strength that can only be forged through suffering. The person next to you is not your enemy. And even if they were, you'd be called to pray for them too. Your spouse or your kids or boss or governor may make life harder on you at times, may make you feel more lonely, may make you feel like they've abandoned you. And it makes sense that your initial reaction may not be, I want to pray for that person. But if you say you want to be like Jesus, and I know you do, then see your story in the prayer life of Jesus. Let this story motivate your prayer life for yourself, sure, but also for others who, like Peter, seem to have turned their back on you. Others, making your life hard is no reason not to love them and pray for them. I'm sure you parents have no problems praying for your kids, even though they sin against you all the time. But what about your spouses? Your church leaders? Even the wicked leaders who rule over you? Are you, in following our Lord's Day model, praying for these people, even in when they're not giving you exactly what you want, when you want it, and how you want it? Husbands, Peter assumes you're going to be praying for your wife, even if and when she isn't doing everything exactly how you think she should be doing it. Husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers for her may not be hindered. So fellas, instead of not communicating to your wife and then getting upset at her for not doing the things that you want her to do the way you want her to, talk with her. Dialogue with her, listen to her, get to know and understand her, and then pray that the Lord would help you be the kind of husband that could help your wife become the kind of woman he made her to be. A woman who helps you fulfill God's mission to raise up godly children, who will grow up to raise up godly children, who will eventually raise up godly children that will see the mission of Christ fully accomplished. Ladies, especially if you've gone longer than a week without renewing covenant with your husbands, Are you obeying Paul's command to be praying for your spouse, especially in those moments where your lack of intimacy makes him vulnerable to weakness? Paul's exhortation for couples is that they are not to deprive or defraud one another. But if they agree to not engage in that particular act for a limited time, which may be referring to a certain time of the month, well then their purposeful actions during that period of time ought to be filled with prayer so that the same Satan who requested to sift Peter wouldn't sift them. Do not deprive one another except perhaps by agreement for a time that you may devote yourselves to prayer, but then come together again so that Satan may not tempt you. Now my point in using those two brief examples is not so much as to point out that part about husbands needing to live with their wives in an understanding way or wives to live with their husbands in an understanding way. My point is that as men and women who know you desperately need Jesus's prayers for you, who know Jesus is in fact praying for you in your weakness, and who know you have been given the Holy Spirit to pray for you when you are so weak you can't pray for yourself, well, you ought to take advantage of the privilege you have to be able to intercede for the people you say you love the most. especially during the times when you know they're at their most vulnerable to the wiles of Satan. And, like Jesus, even when you know they're going to hurt you again in the future. I'm thankful and I feel comforted and strengthened when I receive texts or notes that y'all are praying for us. And I would ask with the Apostle Paul that you would continue praying for us so that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored as has happened among you and that we may be delivered from evil and wicked men. And I'm thankful to be a part of a kingdom of priests who week in and week out, strive to obey the apostolic command to offer up supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. being a people who are being prayed for by our priest king. Let us be a kingdom of people who likewise pray. Use the gift of this Lenten season to consider your own frame, your own weaknesses, your own fears, your own tendencies to fall into sin, and your own very real dangers. And take comfort from knowing that even though your failings are why Jesus went to the cross, he did it while praying for you. And he prays for you still. And then knowing that the only way you have survived your trials is because you've been sustained by Jesus's prayers and his people. Likewise, you turn and pray for all men everywhere according to the will of God, even men and women who in their moments of weakness turn their back on you from time to time. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Let's pray. Our Father, we have heard wonderful things out of your word. We praise you for revealing Christ by promise and shadow in the Old Testament and for revealing him as the fulfillment of all these things in the new. Give us your spirit so that we might understand these words and the fullness of your truth as you have revealed it to us in the person and work of Jesus, who with you and the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory, both now and forever. Amen. Amelie is from Hebrews chapter 7. Hear God's Word. Those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath. But this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said it to him. The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind. You are a priest forever. This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number because they were prevented by death from continuing in office. But he holds his priesthood permanently because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. This is the word of the Lord. Speaking to Jesus, being our great high priest who even now makes intercession for us, Westminster Shorter Catechism question and answer 25 is as follows. How does Christ execute the office of a priest? Christ executes the office of a priest in His wants, offering up of Himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice and reconcile us to God and in making continual intercession for us. We're going to spend more time meditating on the aspect of Christ's willing and perfect sacrifice next week. But as we come to our Lord's table, I just want us to pause again and consider what's going on right now as we come to eat with Jesus and His people at a table unbound by time or space. in our lackadaisical church culture that distorts the meaning of words like love and grace, justice and mercy. We're so used to marching in church doors wearing whatever we want, having acted however we want, and thinking we can do whatever we want on the Lord's Day. every other day, never stopping to consider the infinite gap that necessarily exists between such a perfect holy God and sinners who would receive so many blessings, and yet do so as unthankful brats, so quick to forget who God is, suppress His truth in unrighteousness, and take for granted the infinite debt of gratitude we have toward him. Even in our story today, we're like, oh yeah, Peter got scared, said he didn't know Jesus. But he's Jesus, I mean, so of course he forgave him, and well, of course he forgives me. Jesus is eager to pay our debts and forgive us our sins. And yes, that's true. Jesus is eager to pay our debts and is eager to forgive our sins, and He's eager to eat with repentant sinners even now. But, beloved, do not ever make Jesus' eagerness to forgive you as your deserving His forgiveness. And please, do not, having been such recipients of amazing love and mercy, come to this table, receive the life and prayers of Jesus for you week in and week out, and then go back out there unchanged, unmoved, unwilling to love and pray for those who regularly sin against you. As you come to this table, as you receive the love of God for you in the body and blood of Jesus, and as you come knowing that even now as He is seated at the right hand of our Father and is now in heaven praying for you always and right now, let these means of grace transform you into someone who would turn into a grace, a means of grace for others, for the glory of God and the life of the world. Amen. For I received, nope, Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the same night that he was betrayed, took bread. Let us give thanks for the bread. We do not presume to come to your table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your many and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up crumbs under your table, but you are the same Lord whose character is to have mercy. Thank you, gracious Lord, that our sinful bodies are made clean by Christ's body and our souls washed through his most precious blood so that we may evermore dwell in him and he in us. Amen. When he had given thanks, he broke it and said, Take, eat, this is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. These are the gifts of God for the people of God. Receive them as such.