Steven Furtick - The Prayer That Repairs
Thank you, Lord, for breath in my lungs today. Thank you, Lord, for waking me up this morning. Thank you, Lord, for feeding me. Thank you, Lord, for keeping me. Thank you, Lord, for loving me.
God is so good. I want to call your attention to a few things. Remain standing for one moment. We’ll be beginning our Elevation Nights tour very, very shortly. Let’s clap our hands and thank God for that. I want to see you if you’re near Fort Worth, Texas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Toronto, Canada; Detroit, Michigan; Hartford, Connecticut; Newark, New Jersey; or Washington, D.C. Go to elevationnights.com. Limited tickets are available. That’ll be Tuesday, February 25, through Thursday, March 6. I can’t wait to see you. We will be singing all kinds of songs, and we’ll be preaching and be sharing in God’s presence together, and I’m grateful. I also want to let you know that that song we were just singing, «I Know a Name,» is available anywhere you stream music, so you can get it and sing it and just walk around the house, singing the name of Jesus. Sing it off-key, on key. Sing it loud, soft. Whatever you’ve got, just call on his name.
I was reading in the Psalms this week where David said, «When I kept silent, the attack continued». I think that’s what the Devil wants to do sometimes is shut us up inside of our own heads and our own minds. So, even just all y’all that sit there in church and don’t sing anything, you’re missing out. «Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it,» saith the Lord. I’m going to give you one more chance to praise him before I move into this word today. Now, today might just be the most important day we’ve ever been here, because this is our first sermon of our official twentieth year of ministry as a church.
I want to share with you something from Luke, chapter 22. As you find that in your Bible or just fasten your eyes on the screen for a moment and I call your attention to it, I want you to just get in your posture like you would get in if something important was about to happen in your life. Just your physical posture, your emotional posture, if something important was about to happen in your life. Even if you’re watching this at home or even if you’re watching this in a… I don’t know. You might not even have made it out of the bed today, yet I want you to just get in the posture that you would get in if something important was about to happen in your life. Listen to this in Luke, chapter 22, verses 31-34. This is Jesus speaking.
«'Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. [In fact, he has asked to sift all of 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…'» «I’m ready. Let’s go». «'I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.' Jesus answered, 'I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.'» Very heavy text, but let’s focus on verse 32 for a moment one more time. «I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers».
I want to talk to you about prayer for a few moments today. I want to speak to you about prayer for a few moments today, but not just generic prayer. I want to speak to you about a specific prayer for your life. The title of my message today is The Prayer That Repairs. As we talk about it today, I believe the Lord would do a deep work in your soul. Will you pray with me one more time? Father, fix it. In Jesus' name, amen. You may be seated. Y’all like that. «Father, fix it». Somebody shout, «Lord, fix it»! Yeah, put it in his hands.
Now, I don’t always share with you why I picked certain Scriptures that I want to preach, but if it’s helpful, I do. Today, I think, is one of those occasions where letting you know why I selected this text may help you receive it a little bit better. I want to help you hear the voice of God more in your daily life. I want to help you tune in to God’s voice when he talks. I don’t want you to be confused by all the noise that’s surrounding you and never really get to know the God who made you. I said a whole lot in that one sentence. I don’t want you to be so confused by the noise that’s surrounding you that you never know the God who made you and never know his voice. Jesus said one time, «My sheep know my voice, and they hear me». But it’s hard to hear from God with so much noise all around.
So, I was going through my Bible, thinking about how great it would be to begin this twentieth year of ministry in our church to show you about different people who heard from God, different people God spoke to. It happens all through the Bible, so it’s kind of hard to narrow down. I thought it would take me 20 more years to preach every time God spoke to somebody. Then I came across an interesting selection of Scriptures of seven times that God spoke to people in a special way, seven times where, either in the Old Testament or the New Testament, God, the Holy Spirit, or Jesus spoke to somebody and said their name, not once, but twice. I thought it was interesting. It reminded me of how sometimes you have to do that to get your kids' attention.
You know, if I say, «Abbey? Abbey!» the second one is because your Gracie Abrams is way too loud upstairs and you can’t hear me talking over it. If I say, «Graham. Graham!» it means «I don’t care that you can’t pause your video game. Get down here right now». Especially if I say your middle name. Your middle name is like a cussword. If I have to call your middle name, that means you have slipped to the point that we have resorted to having to say the second part of your name to make sure you understand. What’s your middle name, Dave? Dave Rick. So if they said, «Dave Rick Oreck,» it’s trouble.
In the same way, I wonder, are there times where God has to get his children’s attention, so he has to speak in such a personal way because something so pivotal is happening that he doesn’t want them to miss it? I have a feeling there are a few thousand under the sound of my voice today who need to hear the voice of the Lord in this season of your life because this is a pivotal moment for you. I’d like to remind you of something about pivotal moments in each of our lives. They’re not big, but they make all the difference. To illustrate, I want y’all to zoom out with the camera and show how quickly I can pivot, almost where you didn’t notice.
I’ve used this to illustrate before, both in leadership and in life, how sometimes you can make a small adjustment, but if I were to make this small adjustment in my stance through pivoting on my back foot and to walk that way, the number of steps I took would multiply the importance of the decision I made to pivot. What I mean is it doesn’t make much difference as long as I’m up here, but the longer I walked in that direction, I would end up in such a different destination, all because of a pivot.
My oldest son Elijah, my middle son Graham, and my youngest Abbey are all here today with us. We’re all happy. We’re all happy because Elijah is home from college for a minute. We’re happy because Abbey stays happy. We’re happy because Graham is on the second row with his buddies who are back-to-back state champions in the sport of wrestling as of yesterday. (He asked for that shout-out, and I did it.) My oldest son Elijah was asking me recently about someone he follows on social media. It’s not a very big personality, so don’t try to guess who I’m talking about, but the person is minor-league famous. They made a big statement or commitment to Jesus Christ, and then they went back on it. They went back on it after about two years of being very extreme. The person was a very worldly personality, and then they became a very godly personality.
When I say «godly,» I don’t mean like you’re supposed to be, where you’re receiving the grace of God and growing in the grace of God. They were telling everybody why they were better than everybody else for those two years. The moment I saw them begin to boisterously declare and boldly infer and proclaim that they would never sin in these ways like other people do ever again, and they would never struggle with what other people struggle with again, I told my son Elijah, «Watch out for the big swings, because anytime you see something swing that far this way… Guess what? Newton doesn’t have to be here to tell us it’s got to come back. Be careful for the big swings». I began to tell him that even though it’s sad that this person was in the faith and now publicly says, «I reject the faith…»
Even though they said that, that doesn’t mean the faith you have is invalid. It just means you need to think steps, not swings. Sometimes, when it comes to hearing God’s voice and knowing God’s voice, you’ll see people who swing really hard and really far. «God spoke to me, and I’m never going to wear pink again». «Why are you never going to wear pink again»? «Because the Lord told me that purple is the color of royalty». It’s like, «This is a little extreme for you to be eliminating colors from your wardrobe». «God spoke to me, and I’m not going to drink out of any plastic bottles. I’m going to take Communion every morning at 4:00. I’m going to do it at 4:00 a.m. I’m going to work out at 3:00 a.m. I’m going to pray at 2:00 a.m., then I’m going to read my Bible at 3:00, and then I’m going to take Communion at 4:00, but I’m not going to take it out of a plastic cup, because that’s bad for the environment. And I’m not going to wear pink; I’m going to wear purple, because it’s the color of royalty».
When I see somebody swinging that hard in anything, a diet or discipleship, it scares me a little bit. Sometimes I think a step is better than a swing. Don’t get me wrong. Dramatic decisions happen in the presence of God…these moments where we say, «I’m leaving Egypt»; these moments where we say, «I’m no longer going to live in this compromise»; those moments where we say, «I’m stepping into this with my whole heart»; those moments where we say, «I’m burning the bridges behind me, because I can’t keep playing with this».
Those moments are important, but think steps, not swings. Think pivots, those little moves in your life that can lead to great purpose. I try to build my 10 minutes of my sermon that I start with well enough that if you had to leave, you would have already gotten something worth coming out in the rain for, and I think you just got it, yet we haven’t even touched this text. The tension in this text is difficult for me to communicate to you through just reading the four verses I selected. This moment in Jesus' life is pivotal. He’s going to the cross. It’s the Thursday before the Friday where he will die, and as such, he’s preparing (hold that word)… He’s preparing his disciples for what they will face, yet there’s really no way to prepare them for the loss of his physical presence.
There’s really no way for him to prepare them for the pressure of watching him die like a criminal. There’s really no way to prepare them for the soul searching that will happen when they watch him laid in Joseph of Arimathea’s grave. There’s really no preparing them for this, so he has a meal with them, the Passover meal. It was a Jewish tradition, but Jesus was using it for a different purpose. As he gets ready to serve the bread, he breaks it at the table, and as he gets ready to serve the wine, he pours it, and he says, «This is symbolic of what you’re about to watch happen». He’s preparing them. As he pours the wine, he says, «This is my blood poured out for you, the blood of my covenant».
As he breaks the bread, he says, «This is my body broken for you,» and he feeds them. For a moment, if you were just to look in on this scene without any knowledge of the background or without any knowledge of what’s coming next, you would think this is a very happy moment, because the Bible says Jesus looked at his disciples during this and said, «I’ve been looking forward to sharing this meal with you». In fact, he says, «I’ve eagerly anticipated sharing this meal with you». «I have eagerly longed for this moment with you». There at the table, the Bible says, Jesus and his disciples reclined.
So, if we were to just walk in and watch the scene cut out of sequence on mute, we would think this was a family meal, but it’s now commonly known as the Last Supper, because it’s the last time they’ll eat with him like this. Think about everything that’s happening at the table. Jesus is sharing with them that he’s about to suffer. So now put the two together…supper and suffering all at the same table; Jesus and Judas all at the same table; the bread and the breaking all at the same table; the wine and the pouring all at the same table. On one hand, this is a happy moment for Jesus. «I’ve looked forward to sharing this with you. I’ve looked forward to this moment. I came for this moment. This is the moment I was sent».
As they’re preparing to eat the Passover lamb, he is what they’re about to eat. He is the Lamb of God slain from the foundations of the world. He was prepared for this; they weren’t. He was looking forward to this, but they could not know to anticipate it. Even if mentally they understood it, emotionally they couldn’t comprehend it. So it’s a happy moment, but it’s a heavy moment. Isn’t it crazy how, a lot of times, the heaviest moments and the happiest moments are happening all at the same table? If there’s one thing I could get across to you about life as a follower of Christ, it’s that you would not be surprised to find that sometimes the happiest times and the heaviest times happen at the same time.
See, it’s not like we just have happy seasons and heavy seasons. It might be a season for you where you’re sitting at a table surrounded by all of the things you love, carrying all of the things you must endure. There are times in all of our lives, especially as grown-ups, where we have to learn to take the happiness and the heaviness in the same hour, the happiness and the heaviness in the same seat. Everybody in this room and everybody watching me online has something to be happy about and something to be heavy about. The thing about prayer (I told you I’m going to talk to you about prayer today) is it helps me not to let the happiness hide itself behind the heaviness. It means I can carry heavy situations in my heart and still find happiness in Jesus because I prayed my way through the heaviness to the point that I realized he’s in the heaviness and he’s in the happiness.
In fact, if I could take it one step further, let me tell you why I love Jesus. He is my happiness in my heaviness. He is the one who is seated at the table, and even while the bread is breaking, I know it’s in his hands. That’s why I lift my hands: because I know my life is in his hands. Happiness and heaviness all at the same table. Don’t you see it in your life? Aren’t you a witness of it today? You’ve got that one thing in your life that you’re happy about and proud of and that one thing in your life you don’t really want to talk about, that one thing in your life that you’re right now hoping I don’t mention, that right now if I started listing stuff, you would hope I would skip the thing on the list. I mean, I just got done with Valentine’s Day.
There are a lot of people who come to church on the Sunday after Valentine’s Day kind of bracing for a fight, thinking about, «O God, if he talks about one more time that 'God is preparing somebody for you, and God is preparing you for somebody. God is going to send the right person when you’re ready. Touch three people and say, „Get ready“…' If you make me touch anybody today, they’d better be my husband in about six months, because I can’t take one more sermon while you talk about that thing in my life». Yet there’s a married person going, «I hope he doesn’t talk about how to get along in the house, because…» Watch this. Now I’m going to shift on you. «…she’s not even here with me today. We’re not even speaking right now».
That doesn’t mean you’re not happy anywhere in your life. Just because you’re heavy somewhere doesn’t mean you’re not happy anywhere, and just because you’re happy somewhere doesn’t mean you’re not heavy anywhere. I wonder if he gives me that for a balance. I wonder if the happy things are to lift me up so I don’t quit and the heavy things are to keep me grounded so I don’t get prideful. I just wish for you today, knowing that happiness and heaviness always come in pairs. Walk in Nordstrom and ask them to sell you one shoe for the price of half. See if they’ll do it. See if they’ll sell you one shoe. «No, I don’t really want the left one; I just want the right one». They’re going to say, «Sir, they come in a pair. You’ve got to buy them both».
When it comes to your calling and your relationship with God, you don’t get to pick the right one and leave the left one and pay half price. The happiness and the heaviness go hand in hand. This will help you to understand why sometimes you’re having a great moment, but somewhere in that moment you still feel kind of down, and then you think, «Well, I’m not grateful». No, it’s not that you’re not grateful; you’re just grown up. To be grown up is to take responsibility, and to take responsibility is to be like Jesus; to sit at a table knowing that John, who loves you, and Judas, who will betray you, are both close enough to touch at the same table.
To sit at the table and know that my desire for freedom and my struggle with the addiction are at the same table; to sit at the table and to feast on Jesus, knowing that my hope for my future and my regret about the past are sitting at the same table; to know that my excitement about what God is calling me to do and my fear about whether I’m going to be able to do it are sitting at the same table. Who am I talking to? Come on, let’s have a little table talk today. Into this context Jesus speaks. «Simon, Simon…» He says his name twice.
Now, we’ll do a little quiz. Okay? I’ll let all of those online play along. There are seven times in the Bible that God or Jesus… And Jesus is God. But I’m saying Old Testament where God speaks in different ways or in the New Testament where Jesus would just lean over and tell you because he was physically present. There are seven times (and this is one of them) where someone is called by their name, but they’re called twice. Now, first of all, put your name in the comments real quick, and put it twice. All right? Say your name out loud in the room and say it twice. «Chris, Chris». Say your name out loud and say it twice. «Brad, Brad». Say your first name and middle name like you’re in trouble, like your mama has got a switch. Your mama didn’t break off a switch?
If your mom didn’t break off a switch, that was child abuse. You need a switch sometimes. We need to get back to these switches. I ain’t going to say anything else about it. Touch your neighbor and say, «Get back to the switches». That meant nothing. I’m going to see on the comments. Can you guess one of the others? I’m on YouTube right now live. If you’re watching later, don’t Google it. Do not ChatGPT it. If you ChatGPT my sermon question, you go to H-E-L-L. This is not an open-book test. Just guess. I won’t make fun of you if you get it wrong. That’s right. «Saul, Saul». Not just «Saul»… «Saul, Saul».
What is Saul doing that’s so important that he has to get named twice, called by «Saul, Saul,» not just «Saul»? He’s riding on his horse, going to persecute Christians, and Jesus is about to turn him into Paul. You ever heard of Paul? You ever heard of Philippians 4:13 Paul? «I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me». Well, before he was Paul, y’all, he was «Saul, Saul». He called his name to get his attention. He knocked him off his horse to get his attention. He blinded him with a light to get his attention. He restored his sight and gave him a vision, and the gospel came to the Gentiles because it was a pivotal moment. «Saul, Saul». Put it in the chat. «Saul, Saul». What else y’all got? While y’all are guessing, touch your neighbor and say, «Better call Saul».
What else you got? Guns N' Roses? Oh, «Moses, Moses». I’m worldly. Pray for me. «Moses, Moses». That’s right. «Take off your shoes, Moses, because you’re about to pivot. Take off your shoes, Moses, because the place you stand is holy. This is a pivotal moment, Moses. This is a personal moment, Moses». When God calls your name once, that’s personal. When he calls your name twice, that’s pivotal. When he calls your name once, it’s powerful. When he calls your name twice, it’s a pattern. There are some of you under the sound of my voice, and God is trying to get your attention. He is repeating patterns in your life. It’s not just that you keep seeing Range Rovers on the road so you think you need to buy one. It’s deeper than that. God keeps sending you the same message different ways.
«Saul, Saul». «Moses, Moses». Have you got another one? «Samuel, Samuel». That’s my favorite of them, because this is when he was learning to hear God’s voice and he was a little boy. Some of you, since you’ve been a child, God has been calling you, and he keeps calling you. Some of you even spent half of your adult life running from the God that was calling you when you were a little kid. And he kept calling, and he kept calling, and he kept calling. «Samuel, Samuel». He had to come back to him and say it again, because the first time he thought it was the voice of his mentor Eli. So he said it again. «Samuel, Samuel». Y’all got another one? «Martha, Martha».
I didn’t think anybody would get that. Did you get that, Nicole? Nicole, Nicole. Martha, Martha. Luke, chapter 10, talking about, «Martha, Martha, you’re worried and distracted. You keep trying to do dishes while your sister Mary is having a devotion. Martha, Martha». I know why he said her name twice, because she wasn’t listening the first time. She was too busy running the vacuum cleaner. «Martha. Martha! Martha [middle name]! I want to spend time with you. I want to be with you. I don’t want you to just run around so consumed by what you can do for me, so I’m going to say your name twice, because I’m more concerned about your person than your plans».
What’s another one? Well, that one doesn’t count. I guess that makes eight. «My God, my God». But it’s technically true, because when Jesus was on the cross, he was God. So, God said to God, «My God, my God». But I didn’t prepare that one. Is that Orangeburg in the house? Is Orangeburg in the house? Orangeburg, Orangeburg. I’ve got so much family in Orangeburg. I do. The one I really struggle with is «Abraham, Abraham,» because that’s where God called Abraham and said, «Go to the place I will show you,» and then when Abraham set out, he didn’t give him the exact GPS pin. You know how sometimes you just feel like you’re taking a step? Not a swing, just a step. When he called him, he called him, «Abraham,» but then he called him to do something very difficult.
Now, sometimes in your life God will call you to give up something you love. Usually, when we come to God in prayer, we ask him to take away the things we don’t like anyway. See, prayer is two ways. It’s not just me talking to God; it’s me listening. When I was taught to pray, I was mostly taught to pray a prayer list. So I start naming all the things I want God to do, like I’m giving him his checklist for the day and the date I need him to do it by. But prayer is not just listing; it’s listening. Sometimes what God says is hard to hear, when he said, «Abraham, Abraham».
Now, in this specific case, God had called Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac that he waited 25 years for. He tied him down, and he was going to plunge the knife in obedience to God. Just as the knife was raised, there was a pause that led to provision. God said, «Don’t lay a hand on the boy. There’s a ram in the bush. You passed the test. I didn’t want you to kill your son; I wanted you to trust me». And he sacrificed the ram instead. At that pivotal moment, just before Abraham was about to do it, God said, «Abraham, Abraham,» and he called it twice.
Now, I think we ought to go through all of these over the next few weeks in church, each of these times…"Abraham, Abraham»; «Moses, Moses». I didn’t even tell you about «Jacob, Jacob,» but I will. How he was going to Egypt to see his son Joseph that he thought was dead, and he had so given up on Joseph being alive that he had resigned himself to the despair. God had to call his name twice, «Jacob, Jacob,» to tell him that Joseph’s own hands would close his eyes, that «The thing you thought was dead is very much alive». I said, «The thing you thought was dead was very much alive». I said that the thing you thought was dead is very much alive. «Jacob, Jacob».
Today, we find ourselves in a pivotal moment for Jesus, in a pivotal moment for an apostle named Simon Peter. Don’t you wonder why, in Luke 22:31… I’m almost there, Holly. Holly, Holly. I’m almost to the part that inspired me to get up and preach this text. As Jesus is speaking to all of the disciples, telling them, «I must suffer»; while he is telling them, «You are going to rule one day»; while he is preparing them for what the cross and the kingdom will be, he pivots his attention from the entire table, the Twelve, to one man. When he calls his name, he says (verse 31, Luke, chapter 22, right back where we started), «Simon, Simon…»
Question: Does Simon have another name? What’s Simon’s other name? Talk to me out loud. Shout it like you’re mad at him. Why, «Simon, Simon»? Why not, «Peter, Peter»? In this moment of pivotal and necessary instruction for the disciples, and specifically Peter, Jesus does something very interesting. To really tease out of the text the truth that is lying just under the surface, go back to Luke, chapter 6. In Luke 6:12–16, the author Luke, with meticulous detail, tells us, «One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray…» What did he go to do? To pray. This is at the very beginning of his public ministry. He goes to pray, and he spent the night praying to God.
«When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor». There’s a sandwich here, because if you go back to verse 14, the first one it names is «Simon (whom he named Peter)». This is a very curious conflict as we study the text, because if Jesus named him Peter and it’s recorded in Luke, chapter 6, and if he’s referred to as Peter all throughout Luke’s gospel, then why, at the most pivotal moment in his life, when Jesus turns his attention from all the Twelve at the table to focus on the one and to give a personal word, does he not address him as «Peter, Peter»? That would be the way to build confidence in the one you call.
«Peter, Peter, don’t forget to remember, when we get to the cross, you’re the rock. Don’t forget to remember, when we get to the cross, you’re the one. Don’t forget to remember when we get to the cross how I helped you walk on water. Don’t forget to remember when we get to the cross how I called you by name. Don’t forget to remember how we fed 5,000. Peter, Peter, Peter». But he doesn’t say «Peter» twice. He doesn’t even say, «Simon [middle name] Peter». He says, «Simon, Simon». So, let’s look at the cast of characters for a moment, shall we? You’ve got Simon, you’ve got Satan, and you’ve got the Savior. I believe verse 31 really describes where a lot of our church is at today all over the world. I don’t mean our church just in this one room; I mean our church all over this world.
Verse 31 says, «Simon, Satan has asked to sift you». So what’s about to happen… Let me set it up for you. Over the next night, over the next few days, it’s going to be Simon versus Satan, and spoiler alert: Simon doesn’t win. As a matter of fact, when it comes to the most crucial moment of Simon’s life, when he will deny Jesus Christ, he does not only deny his power; he denies the relationship altogether. He says, «I don’t even know him». Jesus looks him in his eyes and says, «Simon, Simon, Satan asked to sift you». The answer that we would expect from Jesus if Satan asked to sift…
And let me just slip in here: he doesn’t get to do it without permission. Whatever the Devil does to you, he had to go through Jesus to do it. So, even if Jesus didn’t do that thing for you, it had to go through Jesus before it got to you. Which means sifting is a process of separation. We don’t sift that much in our daily lives, so maybe we can’t really imagine this, but this word used for sift, when he said, «Satan desires to sift you…» This is the only time that word is used in the whole Bible, because it is a shaking so violent it’s only used one time. It’s shaking out the stuff that shouldn’t be there to leave the stuff that will produce the bread that can feed. I was interested in the fact that Simon Peter was a fisherman and Jesus is sifting a fisherman.
I thought it was a mixed metaphor until I remembered that Jesus told Peter «Feed my sheep» in John 21. That makes me think he’s trying to turn a fisherman into a shepherd, and before a fisherman can become a shepherd… Before somebody who catches fish can become somebody who feeds sheep, there must be a sifting. Sometimes the sifting in your life is a sign. It is a signal that this is a pivotal moment, that God is changing the season and the stage of your life, and before the season shifts, there is a sifting. The interesting thing about the sifting (y’all, I’m so full of this word to preach for somebody) is it doesn’t say Jesus sifted Simon; it says Satan sifted Simon. No matter who sifted him, the one who sifted had to get permission to do it.
So, it means that even if I’m being attacked by the Enemy, even if I’m being attacked by anxiety, even if my body is under attack right now… The attack didn’t have to come from God for the grace to be received by faith. It means, simply put, this sifting season in your life is only that…a season. News flash: the more gifted you are, the more sifted you must be. Why «Simon, Simon»? Why not «Bartholomew, Bartholomew»? Why not «Judas, Judas»? Why not «Philip, Philip»? Why not «Nathanael, Nathanael»? Why «Simon, Simon»? This is the critical thing for you to understand. Oh, if you could understand this, you wouldn’t be like, «Why am I getting picked on? Why is my life so hard? Why is this happening to me»?
It would still be heavy, it would still be hard, but you would understand this simple principle of the kingdom, and it’s this. The reason he pivoted to Peter in this moment and called him Simon is because Simon was the most significant one sitting at the table. The reason he was singled out to be sifted is because he was singled out to be significant. This sifting in my life… What is it about? What is this sifting about? In a sifting season, you will notice your motives are exposed. In a sifting season, you will notice that fake friends are exposed. In a sifting season of your life, you will notice that dependencies are exposed. In a sifting season of your life, you will notice that things that used to work don’t work anymore, and you will wonder, «Is this the end»? Yet, to think that this is the end when you’re still sitting at the table and Jesus knows you’re going to be preaching on the day of Pentecost is to miss the message of the gospel.
I don’t think the disciples knew the pressure Jesus was under. While he’s busy breaking bread and pouring wine, he’s preparing his heart. They really didn’t see it until he knelt in the garden of Gethsemane. I’ve got to tell you about Gethsemane, because Gethsemane was the place of the olive press, but it was also the place where the Savior prayed. In Gethsemane, he prayed something very powerful…two prayers. He prayed, «Father, if it’s possible, take this cup from me». Write this down in your notes. That’s called the prayer that prevents. Sometimes prayer prevents. Sometimes in the Bible we see somebody pray, and what was going to happen didn’t happen because they prayed. It’s important that we pray and plead the blood of Jesus over our lives, because there are some things your prayers can stop. There are.
When Moses prayed to God, God said, «I am not going to wipe out the Israelites, even though they sinned, because you prayed, and it prevented it». Moses said, «God, if you wipe them out, it will defame your glory». God said, «I’m going to do what you asked, and I’m not going to kill them because you asked». You can pray things for your children. You can pray things for your friends. You can pray things for those you love. You can pray things for your own life. But Jesus came to drink the cup, so the Father didn’t take the cup away. So, after he moves past the prayer that prevents, he moves into the prayer that prepares.
There is a prayer you can pray that will prepare you. There is a prayer you can pray that God would enlighten you. There is a prayer you could pray that God would show you the doors to go through. There is a prayer you can pray before you leave your house in the morning. There is a prayer you can pray in the bathroom at the office before you have to come back out for the next meeting. Sometimes you’d better dead-bolt the bathroom door and tell the Lord, «Please clean out my mouth. Please cleanse my thoughts. Please help me go back in here. God, give me a supernatural smile, because I hate every single one of these people».
There is a prayer you can pray that will prepare you. Sometimes we miss it because (I’m going to just be honest) we don’t really give the day to God. We just get caught off guard by the day. You just get caught off guard by the fact that your back hurts when you get out of bed. Your back hurts every day. Just pray about it. Get up, do a stretch, and pray. Pray and prepare. There is a prayer that prepares, so Jesus moves into that prayer next. He prays, «God, if it’s possible, take this cup from me». But God does not remove the cup, so then he says, «Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done». What’s that? That’s the prayer of preparation. It’s the prayer that gets him ready. It’s the prayer some of you have to pray right now.
«God, this is going to be hard what’s coming up next. It’s going to be heavy what’s coming up next. This is not going to be easy what I’m walking into. I’m going to have to walk into this knowing it’s going to be painful and it’s going to be costly. There is no easy way around this. I’m just going to have to go through it. So, God, prepare me». Like Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus. «Strengthen me in my inner man that the eyes of my understanding may be opened so I can understand the inheritance I have in him, so that when I’m up against the impossible demands of this situation, I have a supply to draw from and a resource to reach for so I’m prepared for this.
So, when Goliath gets up in my face tomorrow, even though I don’t even know his name yet, I know a name that is greater than a giant that can bring him down with a single stone, because I’ve been killing bears, I’ve been keeping sheep, and I’ve been killing lions, and I’m prepared for this. As a matter of fact, that’s why I had to come in church today, even though the rain was pouring sideways». I don’t even know what was happening, but the Lord dumped a bucket of rain sideways out of heaven. That’s the meteorological explanation for today. Some of y’all had to come anyway because, «I came to prepare for the fight I’m in for the season I’m stepping into, because I’m being shaken right now». But «Upon this rock I will build my church». Somebody shout, «God, get me ready»! «God, get me ready. I don’t know what’s coming next, but, God, get me ready».
It’s the prayer that prepares. But then… Sit down. My sermon is about the prayer, not that prevents, not that prepares, but the prayer that repairs. This is for all of you who weren’t ready for it. This is for all of you who didn’t see it coming. This is for all of you…Simon, Simon…who hit a point in your life, and you didn’t pray about it. See, the thing about Jesus' words in this situation, when he says, «Simon, Simon,» that is so meaningful to me is when Satan asked to sift him as wheat, Jesus didn’t tell him, «No». Even standing on the eve of Peter’s disappointment, Jesus prophesies his destiny. Look at verse 32, please. «When you have turned back, strengthen your brothers». When. Not if…when. Not if you turn back.
Jesus knew in that moment there would come a point in your life, a pivotal point, when the pressure would be too great, when the future would be too uncertain, when you would not be able to do it like you used to do it… He said, «In that moment, when you turn back…» Not if you turn back…when you turn back. He knew there would be a moment where you would pray and say, «God, fix it. I made a mess of this. I have made a complete mess of this. Fix it». That’s the moment he has been waiting for. When my kids were very small, I made up a little lie. You can judge me for it. Anytime they would get hurt and they would come to me about it, I would tell them, «Oh…» If it was a minor injury. If it was a major injury, «See your mom». If it was a minor injury, I’d say, «Don’t worry about it. I can fix it».
Whatever was hurt on their body, I would pretend like I knew how to fix it. I’m talking when they were very small. So, «My elbow hurts». «Oh, come here. I’ll fix it. I went to elbow school». «Oh, your big toe hurts? I went to big toe school. I went to pinkie toe school also, but big toe school is the one you need right now. Big toe school is what you get». «Oh, your ear hurts? I went to ear school». If it was a minor injury, I’m telling you, every time, it would work. Every time, they’d stop crying. One time, Graham looked at me and said, «You went to a lot of schools».
I went to ear school, eye school, hand school…every school. I went to every school. Even though I didn’t really have the competency to fix it, their faith made them feel better. I didn’t even really have the ability to fix it. Just their faith that I could was enough to make the pain go away. If I, as a father with no ability to fix it, can make my kid better just by telling them I went to school, how much more can your Father, who didn’t just go to school; he started the universe (ity)? How much more can your Father, who knows how he put you together, who knows how he made you, who knows your temperament, knows your personality, knows your background, knows your insecurity, knows your résumé, knows your «hope nobody finds out abouts,» knows everything you carry on the inside of you, call your name and say, «Simon, Simon»?
«I see who you were, I see who you’re going to be, and I stand in the middle to let you know that Peter is how I see you and Simon is how I found you. For the next night, you are going to be in a Simon state of mind. You’re going to deny me, Simon, Simon. You’re going to betray me, Simon, Simon. You’re going to let me down, Simon, Simon, but when I look at you, I still see Peter, because that’s the name I gave you. That’s the name I called you. That’s the name I chose for you». Now help me preach. Tell your neighbor, «He knows your name». He knows your name and your other name. He knows your name you bring to church and your other name you’re taking home. He knows your name.
«Simon, Simon». Just to remind you that he will speak to your Simon until you see your Peter again. Praise break! What I’m trying to say… Watch this. Simon is what you’re acting like. Peter is what God called you. The two are a pair. Everybody say, «Pair». Like boots, they are a pair. Like earrings, they are a pair. Like gloves, they are a pair. So, when Peter doesn’t prevent it, when Peter doesn’t persevere through it, when Peter isn’t prepared for it and Simon sinks low, watch what happens next. Jesus said, «I prayed for you, Simon».
So, if this is Simon’s faith versus Satan’s attack, Satan wins. But apparently, this is not a fight between Simon’s faith and Satan’s attack; this is a fight between Satan’s attack and a Savior’s prayer. And this is not just any prayer. This is the prayer that re-pairs. This is the prayer not that you pray, because sometimes you can’t pray, and sometimes you don’t pray, and sometimes you didn’t pray. This is not the prayer that prevents, because Peter went on to deny Jesus, but when it doesn’t prevent and it doesn’t prepare… Jesus says, «I’ve got a prayer for you. Not the one that you pray; the one that I pray when you are acting like Simon but I know you to be Peter».
It is the prayer that re-pairs. The prayer that reminds you who you really are; the prayer that reminds you what he really spoke; the prayer that calls you back to the essence of his Spirit and his presence, away from the dictates of your flesh; the prayer that brings you back to your right mind; the prayer that, like the Prodigal Son, says, «How am I starving to death when my father has enough food to feed an entire household and every employee? I will arise and go back to my father». «I will re-pair you. I will bring you back into alignment. I am praying for you. I am pairing you». Because as long as Jesus is your prayer partner, your prayers are going to get answered. It is the prayer that repairs. Chris, come here. Chris, Chris, come up on the stage.
How many of y’all think that Chris lifts? How many of y’all think Chris lifts? Chris, Chris lifts, lifts. As he is lifting, the Lord gave me a very specific picture of this to make it make sense. When he is lifting weights, he is hopefully lifting more weight than he can successfully complete repetitions for, which is called lifting to the point of failure for hypertrophy so he can have muscle gain. When he is lifting weights, to the average eye, it appears that he is building muscle, but that is not technically true. He does not build muscle when he lifts weights. He builds muscles after he has lifted weights to the point of failure and goes home. While he is lifting weights, not only is he not building muscles; he is actually doing the opposite in that the muscle fibers are tearing, little micro-tears that are tearing the muscle fibers.
So now he’s got a tear in there. So, when he goes home, his body starts talking to itself, saying, «We’ve got to do something about this. Did you see what he just put us through? He made us curl 60-pound dumbbells today. He made us do six, seven, eight reps. Last time we only did nine. Today he made us do 10, and he barely got there. He struggled, and he couldn’t get the last one». Since he got to that point and started shaking, and started shaking… Three of y’all are listening to my sermon, so I’ll preach it for three. Since he got to that point… Because this is the prayer that repairs. Since he got to that point and started shaking and couldn’t do another one and dropped the weight, then the body sends a signal to itself. It starts sending out satellite cells to the torn fibers with the little micro-cells. (This is all the stuff I went to school to learn about. I went to muscle school too.) The body says, «We’ve got to send more cells to build that back».
Now I know what Jesus meant in verse 32. Put it on the screen, please. He said, «I prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail». But it did. No, it didn’t. It didn’t fail; it was broken down to be built back up. After you finish that lift… (Why did y’all take my verse down? Give me my verse back.) «I prayed that your faith would not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers». This is the prayer that repairs. It’s that after you have been broken down, after you were surprised what came out of yourself, after you made the mistake, you say, «God, strengthen me through this». Jesus says, «All right. I’m already praying for you, and I’m already sending satellite cells all to your torn muscles, all to your broken heart. I’m already sending new cells, but I’m not just going to build it back; I’m going to build it back better».
On the other side of this night, Peter will go on to preach the first sermon that was called a sermon in the New Testament church. I’ve got to think that while he was shaking, he didn’t feel very strong. I’ve got to think that while he was shaking, while he was sifted, he felt like «This is it». But Jesus said, «Peter, this is not about your prayer, Simon; it’s about my prayer». As long as you keep thinking it’s about your faith versus Satan’s attack, you will always feel weak. (Chris, Chris, I’m done with you. Come on back down.) But the moment you realize this is not Simon’s faith versus Satan’s attack; this is Satan’s attack versus the Savior’s prayer… The prayer of repair is his prayer. He’s saying, «I see you, Simon. I see you, Peter. I am re-pairing you. I’m reminding I’m going to use you».
Don’t you think for one moment that when you get to this point you’re going to always be «Peter, Peter». At best, you’re going to be «Simon Peter,» and sometimes you’re «Simon, Simon». But don’t you love to know that the Savior prayed for Simon? That just hit me, man, that the Savior prayed, «Simon, Simon». Stand to your feet so I can pray for you. The prayer that re-pairs. See how me and Holly are standing together like this? We’re a pair. We’re a couple. That’s a visual illustration for you and Jesus. If any of you would want to come after her, you would have to go through me. You might be able to do it, but I promise you I’ll pick up a chair, and if the chair didn’t do it, I’ve got three state champions on the second row and a full security team.
I want you to know I would do everything in my power to keep you from getting to who I’m paired with. You keep thinking you are paired with people, so when people leave, you think it’s over. You are a joint heir with Jesus. In the book of Hebrews… I’ve got to give them Hebrews 7, babe, because they’ll think Jesus just prayed for Simon, but they won’t believe he’s praying for them. In the book of Hebrews, chapter 7, verse 25, the author says, «Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them». What does it mean that he’s interceding? He is standing in your shaking place, saying, «If you want to get to them, you’ve got to go through me». That’s Jesus speaking.
Now, there is the prayer… (Graham, help me down from this chair.) There is the prayer that prevents, there is the prayer that prepares, but I have a feeling I’m speaking to a few people online today, and even a few in the room, who prayer didn’t prevent it. Prayer didn’t prepare. Like Simon, Simon, you are going through something right now, or you’ve been through something, where you need the prayer that re-pairs. The prayer that re-pairs is this: «Lord, if everything else goes away, if everything else is sifted, don’t let this trial take my faith». Because if my faith doesn’t fail, I can make it. If my faith doesn’t fail, I can come back from this. If my faith doesn’t fail, I can get resourceful. If my faith doesn’t fail, I can reach out. If my faith doesn’t fail, I can pivot. So, just like the Savior prayed for Peter, we want to right now pray for you, those of you who are «Simon, Simon». «Oh, I followed him at a distance. Oh, I let the pressure get the best of me».
This is the prayer that re-pairs. This is the prayer that brings you back to God. Right now, I believe there are many here today who have never made the decision to make Jesus the Lord of your life. I want to lead you in a prayer right now. This is the prayer not only that re-pairs, but this is the prayer that saves. The Bible says if you will call on the name of the Lord, you will be saved. He knows your name, and now it’s time for you to call his name, the name of Jesus. There is no other name in heaven or on earth or under the earth by which man must be saved. It is in this name.
So right now, if God is speaking to you and you realize in your heart, «This is my day to come to God; this is my day to give him my life,» I want you to pray this prayer with me out loud and repeat after me. If you mean this with your heart… The Bible says that if you confess your sins, he will forgive you of all unrighteousness. So right now, if you’re ready for a new beginning, I invite you to pray this prayer with me.
Heavenly Father, I am a sinner in need of a savior. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world, and today I make Jesus the Lord of my life. I believe he died that I would be forgiven and rose again to give me life. I receive this new life. This is my new beginning.
Throw your hand up on the count of three if you prayed that. One, two three. We celebrate you. That’s amazing. Let’s clap a little louder, please. Let’s welcome these into the family of God! Can you give the Lord a praise if he spoke something to you today? Amen. I think we’re going to do another one next week. Another one. I don’t know. It’ll be Abraham, Abraham; Moses, Moses; Jacob, Jacob… Let’s take a church vote right now in the comments. Which one do you want next? Make some noise if you want Abraham, Abraham; Moses, Moses; Jacob, Jacob; Martha, Martha; Saul, Saul; Samuel, Samuel. It’s a close call. We’ll have to come back and see. All over the room, people are receiving orange Bibles at each of our campuses. Let’s thank God for every new beginning. Praise the Lord. That’s so good.
One more thing I want to tell you before our campus pastors take it. I got such a good illustration today of this message that I thought I would give you as a take-home. It was raining really hard today in Charlotte. The rain, as I mentioned earlier, was coming so hard and coming from such a strange direction that even in my back room there was water that came under the doors. Now, these are good doors. These aren’t cheap doors. It’s not like we have a budget crisis at the church and we have to put some weak doors. They just weren’t prepared for what came in in that direction, so they didn’t prevent it. They weren’t prepared. They didn’t prevent. There’s water on the floor. (I hope they cleaned it up while I was preaching, but I didn’t slip.)
The thing about it is, as silly as it would be for me to never come back to church again because the doors didn’t stop the water from coming in, that would be how ridiculous it would be for you to let some stupid storm keep you from fulfilling what God has for your life and for your family. So, what am I going to do? Close down the church? Never come again? No, we’re going to fix the doors this week, because if they didn’t prevent and they didn’t prepare, we’re going to re-pair them. So, I call you back to your right self. I call you back to your right mind. I call you back to your childlike faith. I call you back to your sincere spirit.