"I Have Prayed For You That Your Faith May Not Fail!" Luke 22:31,32

Midweek Lenten Vespers 3   by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert             6-March-2024

Lenten Theme: “The Lord’s Prayer In The Light of Christ’s Passion!”

Sermon Text: Luke 22:31,32

 Sermon Theme: ‘I Have Prayed For You That Your Faith May Not Fail!” I. God’s Will Is Good And Gracious! II. Satan Seeks To Rob You Of God’s Word and Destroy Faith. III. The Father Strengthens and Keeps Us As His Own!

I.N.R.I. After the Last Passover on the way to the Mount of Olives, Jesus warned His disciples that the Shepherd would be struck and His sheep would be scattered. It was what God the Holy Spirit had written a half millenia before through the prophet Zechariah of the Messiah being fulfilled in Jesus. Mar 14:29-31 Peter said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be." (30) Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times." (31) But he spoke more vehemently, "If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And they all said likewise.”

    Proud Peter, certain of himself, of his commitment to Jesus, of his strength, of his fearlessness - everyone else might turn tail and run - not Peter - the Rock - would stand. The test came - Judas Iscariot, one of their own, led over a 120 Roman soldiers and Temple guards betraying Jesus into their hands. He greeting Jesus with a kiss of friendship - the sign marking Him - the Shepherd to be struck. Simon Peter was bold, ready to fight to the death, he drew his side arm. Well trained with his weapon he aimed for a kill - a strike to the jugular. Instead his sword glanced off Malchus’ helmet slicing off his ear. Moments before Jesus rebuked Judas for betraying him with feigned friendship. Now He tells Peter to holster his weapon. Soldiers wielding swords only bring death. Those who take the sword die by the sword. Jesus’ kingdom would not come through a bloody rebellion, but through a bloody King sacrificed for our sin. The Father’s good and gracious will is that His only begotten Son, the holy innocent Man, drink the full cup of God’s just wrath for every sin ever committed by mankind.

     In Gethsemane Jesus prayed, “Father, not My will, but Yours be done.” It is His prayer from eternity following the Father’s will that He take on our flesh to become our Brother to rescue us from all sin, from death, and from the power of the devil. It is under Christ’s cross we learn to pray the 3rd Petition - ever hearing our Savior’s Word echo: “ ‘I Have Prayed For You That Your Faith May Not Fail!”I. God’s Will Is Good And Gracious! II. Satan Seeks To Rob You Of God’s Word and Destroy Faith. III. The Father Strengthens and Keeps Us As His Own!

I. Walking towards Gethsemane Jesus warns Peter Luk 22:31 And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. “Simon, Simon” our Lord uses Peter’s old name. “Simon” his Hebrew name derived from the word to “listen” to ‘hear.” Simon is to listen closely to Jesus’ Word. Cling to His Word in the hours and days ahead. In less than 24 hours Jesus would be betrayed, arrested, beaten, tried, sentenced to death, crucified, and He would die. If Simon trusted in what he saw, felt, experienced it would seem that the devil won - Jesus lost. Simon listen - pray the words Jesus taught you to pray - “Our Father, Thy will be done!”(LSB.pg.324 3rd Pet. W.D.T.M?)   Learn under the cross - God’s will is good and gracious! Especially when it seems foolish to your thinking and feeling. Jesus taught His disciples that He was carrying out the Father’s good and gracious will. What is the Father’s will? The Holy Spirit preached through the prophet

Ezekiel, “Eze 33:11 Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live...' Jesus preaches: Joh 6:40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day." Paul echos our Savior’s Word, “1Ti 2:3-4 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, (4) who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” The Father wills to recreate us in Christ Jesus freeing us from sin and its desires, 1Th 4:3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;”

   “We ask God for grace, strength, and aid that we may begin and accomplish the works of repentance, belief, and amendment of life.”(Chemnitz) God’s good and gracious will is done without our prayers, but here we beg the Father to accomplish it among in us. Listen to His Word - be a true “Simon”.

II.  Who opposes the “good and gracious will” of our Heavenly Father?

Jesus warns Peter: Luk 22:31 And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.” Satan is opposed to the good and gracious will of God. The devil has been a murderer and liar from the beginning. He does evil from his own resources. He is the father of lies intolerant of truth. Evil, lies, sin, desires, corruption, and death are the devil’s weapons by which he holds children of Adam captive.  

    Satan is a creature. He was an angel created without sin by God during the first six 24 days of the existence of all things. The devil rebelled against his Creator and sought to usurp God’s good and gracious will. He lead a third of the angels in his rebellion. They lost their coup and were cast out of heaven - hell and its fire was prepared for their eternity. Satan desired to sift Peter as wheat - he wasn’t allowed to do it unless the Father’s good and gracious will permitted it - didn’t you catch that..”Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.” Remember Job in the Old Testament. Satan desired to sift him also, but the Lord God limited how far the devil could chasten Job. The devil is like a chained vicious dog - he can only go as far as the Father’s good and gracious will allows. (LSB.pg.324 3rd Pet. H.I.T.D?)

     Satan desired to sift Peter as wheat. Wheat was thrown in the air enduring a violent beating. It is what takes place now in the machinery of a combine. To a kernel of wheat it looks like death - torn from its resting place on the stalk, chopped, beaten, losing all its protective husk - it seems the end has come. The unholy three seek to sift us as wheat. The devil, the world, and our sinful nature. Try to beat God’s Word from our ears and the Holy Spirit from our hearts. By upheaval they would rob us of faith and tear us from God’s Kingdom - away from our baptism - to be cast into the fire of hell.

III. With might of our can naught be done...soon is our loss effected. These enemies are real. We cannot face them with our own reason or strength. We may be bold as Peter - but soon we deny Jesus - our flesh and our heart fail. Our spirit is willing but our flesh - oh how weak and cowering. Where is our hope? Luk 22:32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."

   How did Jesus pray for Simon? “Our Father...Thy Will be done!” (LSB.pg.324 3rd Pet. H.I.T.D?) God’s good and gracious will is done when He strengthens and keeps us firm in His Word and faith until we die. The devil will beat you. The world will mock you as worthless wheat thrown in the air. Your flesh will fear that you are losing all things. Take heart! Sifting of wheat doesn’t destroy it - it frees it from its dead stalk and worthless husk - that it may be gathered up into God’s garner for eternity.

    Jesus prays for you. The Holy Spirit explains in Romans 8: Rom 8:31-34 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (32) He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (33) Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. (34) Who is he who condemns? 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.” Jesus prays to Our Father to keep us by the Holy Spirit in His Word and faith until we die. His good and gracious will is done! He prays - we cannot fail in Him. Rom 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (36) As it is written: "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE KILLED ALL DAY LONG; WE ARE ACCOUNTED AS SHEEP FOR THE SLAUGHTER." (37) Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. (38) For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, (39) nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” He works all things for our eternal good - for He has chosen us in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world - He called us in Holy Baptism. He preserves us in His Word and Faith by the Holy Spirit “In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true. “ Amen.