Wrecked But Not Totaled

“Wrecked But Not Totaled”

Luke 22.31-34

Though it happened over two decades ago, the events of 9/11 are still etched on our minds. The Falling Man is a photograph of a man falling from the World Trade Center during that horrific attack in New York City. The unidentified man in the image was trapped on the upper floors of the North Tower, and it is unclear whether he fell while searching for safety or jumped to escape the fire and smoke.^[1]

While I am confident all of us view this image with anguish and compassion, I am equally confident that Satan did nothing but rejoice. He is a murderer and takes delight in people plunging to their deaths. He is also an antichrist, and he delights when Christians fall into sin and bring shame to the cause of Christ. And the latter endeavor captures our attention in Scripture this morning.

Jesus and the disciples are gathered in an upper room to share the Passover meal, and in so doing, Jesus institutes the Last Supper. It’s just a matter of hours before Jesus will be arrested and crucified. Then, Jesus predicts one of the disciples will betray Him, which leads to a discussion about the betrayer’s identity. And that leads to an argument among the disciples about who is the greatest. Jesus, probably shaking His head in despair, tells them that the greatest is one who serves.

But then Jesus tells the men that they will one day eat and drink at His banquet table in the future kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. I imagine them looking at each other with glee and thinking, “Man, I can’t wait!” But then the Lord sounds a sobering note that echoes throughout that room and throughout history, and it’s recorded for us in Luke 22.

Luke 22:31–34 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, [32] but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” [33] Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” [34] Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.” (ESV)

NOTE: The “you” is plural both times in verse 31. Then, in verse 32, “you” is singular all four times. The plural shows that all the leadership is in view, though the next verse suggests that the request is primarily for Peter in recognition of his being “first among equals.” Perhaps by exposing Peter, all will lose heart.

From our text and regarding your faith, I have a word of caution and a word of comfort, both a word of warning and a word of warmth.

A word of caution regarding your faith…

CAUTION: is (31)!

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded/desired/asked to have you…!” “Satan has desired to have you—especially you, Peter—he has asked and received permission—to sift you!”

Behind the scenes of life as we know it, there is an evil spiritual enemy, Satan, who is bent on your destruction. Jesus calls him the “prince” or “ruler of this world” in John 16:11, and Paul calls him the “god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4) and the “ruler of the authority of the air” (Eph. 2:2).

He blinds the minds of unbelievers (2 Cor. 4:4) and holds them in his snare until God releases them through the gospel (2 Tim. 2:25, 26). He’s the evil one who snatches the seed of the gospel from human hearts so that they may not believe and be saved (Luke 8:12). He can take life, as with Job’s children. He can ruin health, as with Job’s body (cf. also Luke 13:16). And he can torment with demons (Luke 11:18), provoke evil deeds (Luke 22:3), and cause natural disasters (Job 1:19).

This text gives us a peek behind the scenes of history. For just a moment, the veil is lifted, the curtain parted, and we catch a glimpse of amazing things that are usually off-limits to human beings. In these words of Jesus, we learn about a high-level conference between God and Satan.

If the thought sounds strange to you, it is not unprecedented. Job 1 records a similar scene when it tells us of a day when the angels presented themselves to the Lord, and Satan came with them to stand before God. But there is a crucial difference. In Job 1, God suggests Job as a suitable target for the devil; in our text, it is Satan himself who desires to “sift” Peter like wheat.

“SIMON, SIMON!” not “Peter, Peter!” Jesus gave Simon the name ‘Peter’ in accordance with his calling to be an apostle (Mark 3.16). Perhaps this signals how grave the danger will be. Growing up, I can recall a handful of times when my dad called out, “Jeffrey!” And when he did, I knew I’d better pay attention and do what I’m told!

The Lord gently says, “Peter, you are a rock only when you rely on Me, not yourself. You think you’re a rock in yourself, but Peter, you are about to fall.” Simon Peter will never be able to say that he was not warned.

Satan is vicious. As we think about how vicious Satan is, and as we see him attacking Peter and the other ten, let’s be reminded of the nature of his attacks…

(1) Satan’s attacks are (and potentially )

“Satan has demanded to have you, that he might sift you as wheat…” Don’t think of a small kitchen utensil that cooks use to sift flour or powdered sugar over some dainty dessert gently.

In biblical times, wheat or other grain was sifted through a large sieve or strainer. As it was shaken violently, the dirt and other impurities that clung to the grain during the threshing process would separate from the good, usable grain. In sifting Peter and the other disciples as wheat, Satan’s goal was to crush them and wreck their faith.

Using today’s English, Jesus might have said, “Satan desires to rip you to shreds or tear your head off!”

As with his accusations against Job, Satan is not only the accuser, as though his only aim is to detect faithlessness; instead, he instigates faithlessness! He provides opportunities for failure. He’s always active in resisting God’s plan and God’s people.

I like the way John Piper captures the significance of this imagery: We can imagine a picture like this: Satan has a big sieve with jagged-edged wires forming a mesh with holes shaped like faithless men and women. What he aims to do is throw people into this sieve and shake them around over these jagged edges until they are so torn and weak and desperate that they let go of their faith and fall through the sieve as faithless people, right into Satan’s company. Faith cannot fall through the mesh. It’s the wrong shape. And so as long as the disciples hold to their faith, trusting the power and goodness of God for their hope, then they will not fall through the mesh into Satan’s hands.

(2) Satan’s attacks are

He’s always in attack mode. He’s always striving to oppose God and the advancement of His kingdom. And as the ocean’s waves continue to pound the shore, so do Satan’s attacks against God’s people. He attacks us over and over with temptation. He did so with the Lord Jesus in the wilderness. One temptation was not sufficient, nor was a second. Three vicious, satanic temptations were put before Christ.

Scriptures say that even Jesus was ‘tempted in all points’ just as we are. Satan’s attacks are never outgrown. We are perpetually confronted with them until the day we die.

(3) Satan’s attacks are (to everyone)

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man….

Don’t try to tell me you’re being tempted like no one else. It’s simply not true! Don’t try to tell me, “If you only knew how I’m being tempted, you’d understand…” I do understand because I’m tempted just like you are!

(4) Satan’s attacks are (by God)

Satan is God’s Satan. He’s on God’s leash. He’s under God’s control. There are not two Superpowers; only one: GOD (Isa. 46.9-11)! When God allowed Satan to attack Job, He set parameters. He set boundaries. “You can attack him, but you can only go so far.” Job 1:12 records part of the conversation: “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.”

A second word of caution regarding your faith…

CAUTION: You are (33-34)!

Have you ever heard a light hissing sound coming from one of your tires? You look at all four of your car or truck’s tires, and they all look sufficiently inflated. Then, you shrug your shoulders and think, “Ah, it’s no big deal.” However, it can be a big deal! The most dangerous issue caused by driving with low tire pressure is a tire blowout. Under-inflated tire sidewalls flex more than usual and cause heat to build up. When on the freeway, where you aren’t stopping frequently and where your tires aren’t cooling off, they can overheat and blow. And that can be bad news.

Sometimes, it seems as if professing Christians have blowouts, right? You hear of a prominent pastor or a pastor’s wife getting involved in a grave sin. You hear about a well-known evangelist being involved in profound immorality or some other spiritual leader being an alcoholic. These ‘blowouts’—these massive failures that shock other believers—are always preceded by ‘slow leaks.’

Peter’s failure is undoubtedly listed under the “major blowout” category. However, it happened because of what I’m calling some “slow leaks.” Let me show you three “slow leaks” that can lead to a spiritual “blowout.”

: thinking you’re than you are

The disciples had just been arguing about who was the greatest.  In John 13:37, Peter said he would lay down his life for Christ. In Luke 22:33, Peter declared his willingness to go with Jesus “both to prison and to death.” A jail cell or a cold hole in the ground…it makes no difference to me. I’m ready for both. Take my freedom and then take my life; I’m not forsaking my Christ!

Little did he know that he would keep that promise in a few years. But not on the night he made it. As he uttered those words, his moment of greatest personal failure—the blot that 2000 years cannot remove from his record—his threefold denial of Christ was less than five hours away.

He thought he was better than anyone else.  He went a step further in Mark 14:31 when He even contradicted what Christ told him: “But Peter insisted emphatically, ‘Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.’”  

We need to be on guard against pride in our lives: 1 Corinthians 10:12 Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. (ESV) 

A second “slow leak” that can lead to a spiritual “blowout” . . .

: Disregarding against

Matthew 26:31 [[This is the same context as Luke 22. Jesus has just revealed that there’s a traitor in their midst, and his name is Judas. Jesus then institutes the Lord’s Supper, after which they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.]] 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.’” (ESV)

Peter utterly disregarded this warning. Just listen to his response…

Matthew 26:33 Peter answered [the Lord], “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” (ESV)

You can see here a combination of arrogance and negligence. Peter foolishly thought he was better than all the other disciples and felt Christ’s warning was irrelevant to him. Folks, warnings against sin always have relevance!

If you disregard a “wet paint” warning sign, you might get paint on your clothes and ruin them.

If you disregard a “slippery when wet” sign, you might lose your balance, hit your head, and sustain a concussion.

If you disregard a “do not enter” or a “one-way only” sign, you could experience significant bodily harm.

But if you disregard the Bible’s warnings against sin, you could ruin your reputation. You could be forced to resign from your position. You could lose your family!

Hebrews 2:1 Therefore [[because of Christ’s superiority and therefore the validity of the gospel]] we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. (ESV)

Do you really want to drift away from biblical truth? From the Lord Jesus Christ? Then please don’t disregard warnings against sin!

A third “slow leak” that can lead to a spiritual “blowout” . . .

: not yourself to withstand

On the same night of Peter’s collapse—just hours before his three-fold denial—listen to what Jesus pleaded with him and the other disciples to do…

Luke 22:39–40 And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. [40] And when he came to the place [[i.e., the place where He had previously gathered on numerous occasions for prayer and discipleship with His chosen twelve]], he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (ESV)

In Luke 22:45, we see Peter falling asleep instead of doing battle in prayer. In verse 46, Jesus tells them that prayer can keep them from temptation: “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” Without prayer, there’s no power to fight. If you don’t stay in communion with the Lord, you are far more susceptible to sin. Temptation is not as invincible when you ‘stay on your knees’ asking the Lord to help you overcome.

Now, let me offer you a word of comfort regarding your faith. Again, this word of comfort is addressed only to those who know the Lord Jesus as their Savior…

COMFORT: Jesus you with (32a)

Luke 22:32 …but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.

“I have prayed for you.” Wow. How comforting and encouraging is that! Jesus knew exactly what Peter was going to face. He knew Peter would deny Him. And with that knowledge, the Lord Jesus prayed that Peter’s faith would not be crushed and obliterated. Note: Jesus didn’t pray that Peter would escape temptation. He prayed, instead, that Peter’s faith would not fail while Satan sifted him. In His wisdom and sovereignty, the Lord allows us to be “sifted.” He allows us to meet with terrible failure because, in the process, He teaches us some lessons that we cannot learn any other way. By nature, we are all too confident in our flesh, and it is only when we fall that we begin to realize how weak we really are, which drives us to trust more fully in the Lord’s strength.

Jesus prays for His children now just like he did for Peter then!

Romans 8:34 …It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

I’m confident He is praying that your faith will not fail. I believe He’s praying for me that my faith will not fail.

Hebrews 7:25 Therefore [Christ] is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Again, when Satan attacks believers, he loves to attack your faith because faith links you with Christ and all the benefits of your salvation. If the evil one can sever your faith, he has cut the connection by which you lay hold of God’s grace and power. That’s why the devil invariably goes after the jugular vein of your faith.

It is relatively unimportant to Satan whether you are healthy or sick, rich or poor, famous or insignificant; what he wants is to sift your faith. If he can do it by suffering, he will try that; if he can do it by wealth, he will try that. He couldn’t care less what works as long as something does to destroy your faith.

Let me share a second word of comfort about your faith…

COMFORT: Jesus you (after , 32b)

“…I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again…” (ESV)

“Once you have turned again (i.e., turned back to the Lord in repentance).”

Peter’s actual denial is recorded in Luke 22.54-62. A servant girl sees him sitting in the firelight and says, “This man also was with him.” Peter denies it and says, “Woman, I do not know him.” And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of Christ’s disciples.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” About an hour later, someone else declared, “Certainly, this man also was with Jesus.” But Peter said, “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Picking up in verse 60, we read… And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. [61] 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.” [62] And he went out and wept bitterly.

As bad and sad as this picture is, Peter’s weeping bitterly is a good thing. How so? Because he is no longer arrogant. He’s no longer self-confident. Instead, he’s broken. He’s ruined, as it were, but not beyond repair. He’s wrecked but not totaled.

2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

A person with worldly grief is sorry they got caught. A person with godly grief is sorry they grieved God. Peter sees the look in Jesus’s eyes, knowing he had betrayed him on three different occasions, and it ripped open his heart and his tear ducts. He’s a broken man. And he’s broken because He knows he has broken His Lord’s heart.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Let me share a third word of comfort about your faith…

COMFORT: Jesus you to (32c)

“…I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

Simon’s fall was terrible, very bad; it was tragic. Unconscionable. Yet, once it had occurred, Simon must make good use of it. He must use it to strengthen his fellow disciples.

So, our text prophesies Peter’s iniquity and promises his recovery!

Not IF, but when! “When you have turned again—because I know you will—I want you to get back in the ring and fight the good fight. I want you to learn from all this, from your massive failure, and use it to strengthen your brothers.”

There is an essential principle at work here. A broken bone often becomes stronger after it is healed. Something in the healing process actually strengthens the break point. The same thing is true of our failures. God can touch our broken places and make us stronger than we were before. Though we fall repeatedly, and our faces are covered with the muck and grime of bitter defeat, by God’s grace, we can rise from defeat to march on to new victory. That’s what happened to Peter.

Here’s the proof: Peter did far more for Christ after his fall than before. Before his fall, he was loud, boisterous, and unreliable; afterward, he became a faithful and flaming gospel preacher. Before, he was a big talker; afterward, he talked only of what Jesus Christ could do for others. He was still Simon Peter, but he was becoming more and more like Christ. He had been sifted by Satan but restored by Jesus.^[2]

On that first Resurrection Sunday, the angel told the surprised women at the tomb, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here…. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you” (Mk. 16.6-7).

Nobody is better at using failures than Jesus. Peter is proof of that, and so am I! And if you’re buying Satan’s lie that you’re useless to God because of your moral failure, your embarrassing denial of Christ, or any other kind of failure, know this: God’s grace is greater than your sin! His mercy is greater than your failure!

AND THEREFORE…failure doesn’t have to be final. That’s one of the best lessons we can learn from this episode of Peter’s life; it wasn’t the last chapter of his life, and failure doesn’t have to be the last chapter of your life.

Let’s face it. We’re all broken people. Some of us just hide our brokenness better than others.^[3] Some of you have failed in your marriage, your business, or your friendships. You have failed by not telling the truth, by not being honest, or by taking something that didn’t belong to you. Not unlike Peter, some of you have denied knowing the Lord, and you’ve heard your own “roosters crowing.” Your conscience has been disturbed during this sermon.

My dear friends, just because you have failed in the past doesn’t mean you’ll be a failure forever. You may have “wrecked,” but you aren’t “totaled.” Repent of your sin and ask for the Lord’s forgiveness. Allow the Lord to bathe you in His grace and mercy. Cry out to Him and ask for restoration.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Falling_Man ↑

2. Adapted from Ray Pritchard. https://www.keepbelieving.com/sermon/why-god-allows-good-men-to-fall/ ↑

3. Ray Pritchard. https://www.keepbelieving.com/sermon/1999-06-06-faithful-to-the-fallen/ ↑