Unforgettable: Life Changing Encounters With Jesus // Good To Have You Back!
Unforgettable: Life Changing Encounters With Jesus // Good To Have You Back!
Pastor Charlie Weir
An unforgettable person…
Sees you and doesn’t look past you.
Leaves an immediate mark on you.
Becomes a catalyst for ongoing transformation.
Luke 22:31-34 31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” 33 But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” 34 Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”
Teaching Points
1. Satan’s Sifting Intent is Separation. “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.”
Sifting Contexts
· Agricultural: Sifting wasn’t a passive, one-time process. It was forceful, intentional and thorough. God leverages the sifting to make us clean.
· Historical: God sets specific sifting boundaries for each of us.
· Current: No one is exempt from Satan’s accusations.
Revelation 12:10 says “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
Who’s Calling? You can tell who’s talking by their tone.
· The Shepherd’s tone is kind even in correction.
· The Shepherd encourages, instructs and undergirds.
· Satan is accusatory, demeaning and destructive.
· The Shepherd’s tone settles. Satan’s tone disrupts.
Teaching Points
1. Satan’s sifting intent is separation.
2. Jesus’ intercession secures our faith & purpose. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.
Jesus allows sifting as the process to perfection not to destruction.
Teaching Points
1. Satan’s sifting intent is separation.
2. Jesus’ intercession secures our faith.
3. Jesus sees our end from the beginning. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Luke 22:54-62 54 Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. 55 And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. 56 A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.” 57 But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said. 58 A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” “Man, I am not!” Peter replied. 59 About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.” 60 Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” 62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.
The power failure has over us is the illusion of permanence.
John 21:1-19 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So, they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. 5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. 6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. 7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. 15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” 16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” 17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
The fact that we have record of this encounter indicates how much our relational security with God matters to Jesus.
Welcome Godly Confrontation
· Godly confrontation turns sifting from a separation process to a refining process.
· Facing the failure is the best deterrent to failing again. Ignoring spiritual failures sets us up to repeat them. Ignoring spiritual failures gives the impression that they really don’t matter.
· Godly confrontation is the backdrop to experiencing His redeeming grace. Grave is the best relationship cement.
Satan uses confrontation for condemnation and to halt progress. God uses confrontation for redemption and to propel purpose.
Failure is never permanent with Jesus. Satan wants us to live in the breach. Jesus invites us to breakfast on the beach!
1 Peter 5:8-11 8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.