And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called 'Benefactors.' "But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. "For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves. "You are those who have stood by Me in My trials; and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." But he said to Him, "Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!" And He said, "I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me." (Luke 22:24-34)
We live in a time that is marked by tremendous pressure. This not by accident but by design. There is contest for the will of man. All of us, myself included and perhaps because of the leadership position, the most, will be sifted. What are we being sifted about? Self-interest, self-will.
Peter and the disciples, in this interaction, are in conflict over leadership, the ability to inspire and lead others. Peter is the leader in many ways among the 12. He is the one who is on the Mount of Transfiguration wanting to build a Succah.
Peter is the one who received the revelation directly from the Father that Yeshua is the Messiah! He has a prophetic clarity and an ability to see and hear in the Spirit.
So, this is the one who will be sifted.
In many ways, Peter is Job. He is the blessed one whom Satan is challenging God for. Why? Leadership potential. Peter, responds to the challenge as any of us would, by declaring his loyalty. What he doesn’t realize and what we will ALL have to deal with in the days ahead is his and our self-interest, our self-will.
You see Peter, and us who see, only see in part. The part we see through is the part of our childhood, the part of our old life. The Apostle Paul said it this way:
When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1Co 13:11-13)
We have a childish perspective that the Lord wants to transform into an adult perspective, of laying down our self-will, our self-interest. This is a hard thing to do. For Peter it was impossible.
So, when Yeshua was being led to the cross and Peter’s association with Him was being examined a second death had to occur simultaneously wit the death of Yeshua, a death of Peter’s self-interest.
You see, the Lord has chosen well. he chose Peter, the rash evangelist, the prophet, the visionary, the influencer for the demonstration of the death of self-interest. Peter, like us has to come face to face with his own ugliness.
I faced some of mine night before last. Here I was the anointed leader, caught up in self-interest. I came face to face with an ugliness in myself as I prepared for this weekend. You see the Lord will NOT allow to preach a message, He has not dealt with you on first. SO, I awoke to my own selfishness. I saw that I will meet my needs, in my way. YUK,YUK!
So, in the middle of a sleepless revelation I repented and surrendered again to a new death in the Lord. I realized that to move the next level of leadership, a new level of death had to occur to this ugly thing that lives in me that wants to exert my influence.
So, Peter came to his waterloo of self-interest.
Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant-girl came to him and said, "You too were with Jesus the Galilean." But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are talking about." When he had gone out to the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and *said to those who were there, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." And again he denied it with an oath, "I do not know the man." A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Surely you too are one of them; for even the way you talk gives you away." Then he began to curse and swear, "I do not know the man!" And immediately a rooster crowed. (Mat 26:69-74)
This is a picture of the test of self-interest that we will deal with in these days. We will all face the sifting of Peter as we increase in leadership and our desire, legitimately to stand with Him.
The voice of the world’s leadership, the search for power, the voice of survival will challenge our true identity in Him.
Now, with Peter this black and white. His elf-interest is magnified by the cross. As the return of our Lord draws near, our self-interest will be magnified as well. Will we pass?? What is the key??
Well the obvious answer is do not deny the Lord. But in actual fact, How will we be tested. I believe the test will be in how we treat the “least of these”.
"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. "All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' "Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' "Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' "Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
(Mat 25:31-46)
You see our partial love, our childish nature will be tested by how we deny the Lord in treating other people. Now, I am not saying there wont be those who actually have to publicly deal with denying the Lord. BUT according to this scripture, I will be judged in how I treat the least of these. And I will be judged on the basis of sheep and goats. The sheep are His and the goats are NOT. So, I and you will be held accountable for how we tree those that are His. How will we know?
Well look at John 21
After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way. Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter *said to them, "I am going fishing." They *said to him, "We will also come with you." They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing. But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. So Jesus *said to them, "Children, you do not have any fish, do you?" They answered Him, "No." And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch." So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved *said to Peter, "It is the Lord." So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish. So when they got out on the land, they *saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread. Jesus *said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have now caught." Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus *said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples ventured to question Him, "Who are You?" knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus *came and *took the bread and *gave it to them, and the fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead. So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus *said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" He *said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He *said to him, "Tend My lambs." He *said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" He *said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He *said to him, "Shepherd My sheep." He *said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus *said to him, "Tend My sheep. (Joh 21:1-17)
You see Peter is now being restored. How? By taking his focus of self-interest and putting it back on the sheep and the lambs. These are the ones the Lord puts in our lives who have been put their by His voice. Our provision will come in this as well. If we surrender to His voice and treat the least of these as He would, we will have the glorious privilege of fish and fire and eating with Lord at His table. It is time to repent for self-interest and ask Him afresh to show us how to get back out there and feed and tend His lambs, His sheep, the least of these.
The sheep of the Lord hear His voice. they are being drawn to you. BUT they are His. SO they will require His Spirit in us to minister His Love to them Each sheep is unique, a wanderer, and so needs special instruction prophetically given by the Master. Our call is to love them, to open up the flow of His love.
