Rev. Dale Critchley
04/20/2019
Children’s Sermon
Catechetical point: What is “temptation”? (Lead me not into…) Have you ever been tempted?
Message: We are tempted all the time, and we often fail, but God still loves us. He forgives us because He sent Jesus to pay for our failures on the cross.
Creamed like Wheat
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Text: (Luke 22:31-34) “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the cock crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
I.Introduction
A.Since we’ve been in Iowa, we’ve learned that one thing seems fairly constant: wind
1.It seems there are more windy days than not
2.And that wind can really blow things around—How often do you see garbage cans where they’re not supposed to be?
B.And something else Iowa has, like any other place in the world, is sinners
1.And sinners, like empty garbage cans, are easily blown around
2.We end up in all kinds of places we’re not supposed to be
3.And no matter how immune you think you are to certain kinds of sin
4.Be aware that God knows you better than you know yourself
5.And He knows you’re a sinner
6.Just like St. Peter in today’s text
II.[Jesus said,] "Simon, Simon, Hey, Satan has requested to sift you like wheat."
A.In Jesus’ day, wheat was sifted from the chaff by the wind
B.So Jesus is saying here that Satan wanted to sift Simon Peter: to test him to see whether he’s wheat or chaff
1.Note here that Jesus is calling him “Simon,” not “Peter (The Rock)”
a)Because even though Peter believed in Jesus
b)He tended to be a lot more wind (hot air) than grounded
c)He was Jesus’ closest companion, yet he was the first to betray Him when the chips were down
d)And Jesus knew that would be the case
2.Has Satan ever sifted you? How did you do?
a)When the pressure was on to choose God’s will over sin, what did you choose?
b)Did you stand firm and say, “It is written…” like Jesus did when tempted?
c)Or did you take the easy way, going with the flow?
(1)Turning your back on God
(2)And ignoring your neighbor’s need for you to show a Christian witness
d)Too often, it doesn’t even take pressure—we just like the easy way
e)Or we don’t have Scripture memorized well enough to be able to say, “It is written.”
3.So did God give Satan permission to sift Simon?
a)Yes, and Simon failed miserably
b)But God also knew that He could use that failure to strengthen Simon
c)And in fact, Peter, along with the other apostles, did indeed become the rock upon which the church was built
d)Their teachings have been handed down through preaching, teaching, and catechesis
III.But I have prayed about you that your faith not fail, and you, when you have turned, establish your brothers.
A.Jesus prayed for Peter that he not fail, but he failed anyway
1.So deeply does sin corrupt, that with all God has given us, we still sin
2.Even though you have been washed clean in Baptism, given the Lord’s Body and Blood for your forgiveness and reassurance, and heard the declaration of freedom from sin
3.Even though you’ve been grounded through your catechesis so you don’t get blown around
4.You still keep going back to that sin
B.But Jesus knew Peter would fail, so He included in the same sentence words about his repentance
1.Because He refused to give up on Peter
a)Not because Peter deserved a second chance
b)But because Jesus died for forgive Peter’s sin
2.Because He knew God could turn Peter around
a)And He did
b)After the resurrection, Jesus forgave Peter and commissioned him to shepherd Jesus’ flock
c)And Peter became the pillar of the church that God intended him to be
3.God hasn’t given up on you, either
a)Even though you don’t deserve a second chance, either
b)Jesus died for your sins, too
4.And He has turned you around
a)Because the faith that He gives, because it is from God, is strong, and it’s being strengthened even now as you hear the Gospel
b)And that faith daily brings you to repentance
c)And He intends to use even you to uphold the church
(1)Maybe through church work
(2)But for most of you, through fulfilling your God-given vocations, your callings, wherever that may be
(3)And by sharing Christ’s love with both your actions and by telling the Good News about Jesus
IV.But he said to Him, "Lord, with you I am ready to go, both to prison and to death."
A.Peter was nervous about getting singled out, so he brashly promised to even die for Jesus if it were necessary
1.And he probably believed it
2.But being willing to die for Jesus means being able to live for Him, too
3.That means daily picking up your cross and following Him
4.It means stepping outside your comfort zone if need be for the sake of your neighbor’s salvation
B.Are you willing to make that claim?
1.Most people, when asked what would be the last thing they’d be willing to give up, they say, “Family”
2.But the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart
3.Have you loved God with all your heart? Are you willing to give up everything else for God if called to do so?
4.Or do you have other idols that prevent you from that: family, location, friends, what-have-you
5.That is pure and simple idolatry
V.But He said, "I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until thrice you will deny knowing Me."
A.You know you’ve done it
1.You’ve had the opportunity to tell someone about Jesus, and you changed the subject
2.When you talk to other Christians, you talk about everything but Christ
a)You talk about family, the news, the weather—anything but Christ
(1)And it would be so easy to do, and excellent practice to prepare you to share your faith with unbelievers
(2)You could talk about the service during fellowship time, or share an insight you gained in your devotions this past week
(3)When you talk about something that happened to you, you could talk about how God helped you through it or how He made a good thing possible
(4)If you enjoyed a hymn we sing today, you could even talk about why you like that hymn
(5)Parents, you could put a catechism in the car or the dinner table and discus a part of it each time you go somewhere or sit down to eat
(6)But usually, it’s more like you’re avoiding talking about God
b)In essence, you’re saying, “I don’t know the man!”
B.And even though you’ve denied Jesus, He will not deny you
1.When Jesus hung on the Cross, God the Father denied Him
a)His “beloved Son, in Whom [He was] well pleased
b)But on the cross, the Father turned away from His Son in disgust
(1)Because on the cross, Jesus became your sin
(2)And God hates sin
(3)So Jesus was forsaken—God the Father said of His Son, “I don’t know the man.”
(4)All He saw was our sin.
2.But because Jesus was forsaken, denied on the cross, God will never forsake, deny you
a)He has taken away all of your sin and made you His beloved son in whom He is well pleased
b)Though you promise to be loyal and fail, He was loyal to the end
c)And through Baptism, He has made you a new creation, not blowing away in the wind, but resting safely in the Father’s hand in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Now the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Page 1 of 5