Ministry Assurances

Passage that will be considering
is in the bulletin with plenty of place for notes. We find ourselves. In very nearly the place where
the disciples and the Lord would have been that passion week as
we approach Passion Week, This would have been the triumphant
entry as has already been shared. We have been studying the passage
for some time now, and we come into that. Preparation for the
cross and those final hours together. And the interesting thing is,
as exciting as we look back on this now, we certainly look back
with different eyes than what the apostles were looking at.
But we look back at the fact that our price was paid there
by Christ on the cross. But for the disciples, for the
particularly the twelve apostles, this was a particular low point. You might recall that they had
already been informed that the temple was going to be destroyed
and that they were going to be persecuted. And all in all, this
is not exactly what the apostles had in mind. It isn’t what the
bulk of Christ’s disciples had in mind. They had in mind a political
ruler that was going to take over somebody who was going to
take control, somebody who was immediately going to begin to
reign. Not someone who was going to
go to a cross, And you might recall also that
here in the upper room, in a very solemn Jewish festival, the feast
of the Passover, where very solemnly Jews would look back at what
God had accomplished on their behalf. But even that was solemn. And in those opening verses of
Luke 22, Jesus essentially recounted for them this feast. And as Luke records, all of hell
was against the Lord Jesus from that point forward. The devil
himself had unleashed his minions against Christ. Judas was already
given over to the preparation of giving Christ to the cross. And if that wasn’t disappointing
enough to the apostles, knowing that one of them was of that
number, Jesus institutes another feast that drives home the point. Jesus introduces the Lord’s Supper. That essentially drives home
the point that his body and his blood were about to be given
up for them. As good as that sounds to us
now, to the apostles, they just were reeling. And if that weren’t bad enough,
I want you to pick up in verse 24. Where it says that amazingly,
in the midst of all of this solemnity and Christ preparing to go to
the cross for us, It says there arose a dispute among them as
to which one of them was to be regarded the greatest. As I shared
with you last week, not only did Jesus rebuke that thought
and in a very real way correct them and challenge them that
their thinking was essentially like the world’s, that they were
seeking more to be like earthly kings than servants of God. Jesus did something at the end
that had to drive the spear right through their hearts. Jesus got
up from the midst of these two solemn feasts. The feast of the
Passover and the institution of the Lord’s Supper. And Jesus
got up and took a basin of water and went one by one to wash the
disciples feet. They had to feel utterly worthless. If they had any conscience at
all, they had to absolutely grieve at the very thought that they
had entertained, that one of them could be great. And I think
it is so much like the Lord, that instead of a further rebuke,
instead of dwelling upon the issue, what Jesus immediately
goes to is not how bad they are, how low they
are, how worthless they are, but the great value that they
were to Him personally and the great privileges that were promised
to them as servants of Christ. Look, if you would, beginning
at verse 28. You are those who have stood
with 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 the kingdom. And you will sit on thrones judging
the 12 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, 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 me three times that you know me. And he said to them, When I sent
you out without money, belt and bag and sandals, you did not
lack anything, did you? They said no, nothing. And he
said to them, but now whoever has a bag, a money belt is to
take it along. Likewise, also a bag. Whoever
has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one. For I tell you that
this which is written must be fulfilled in me. And he was numbered
with the transgressors. For that which refers to me has
its fulfillment. They said, Lord, look, here are
two swords. And he said to them, it is enough. And there they are in the upper
room. likely discouraged, likely bewildered, still processing
the whole end time scenario that Jesus laid out, beginning with
the destruction of the temple, complete with their own persecution,
now smarting from the rebuke over the issue of who is the
greatest. And what does Jesus do but to
turn to them, to give them assurance, encouragement, What Jesus provides
here in the midst of this passage or throughout the passage is
what I’ve entitled ministry assurance. Promises that Jesus gives to
the saints who are in the service of God. Having rebuked them already
for raising the question of greatness and precedence among themselves,
a subject so crass at a time so unthinkable, We saw last week that they had
raised the question repeatedly. They even raised the question
of who was the greatest just immediately after the transfiguration,
another unthinkable moment. But this moment was beyond all
others. This was their lowest of low.
This is Jesus preparing to go to the cross and all they can
think of Is who is who is the greatest? And Jesus has already
rebuked them for that. Rebuked them not only by his
words, but rebuked them by his actions. But Jesus immediately
turns. And graciously shows them that
with ministry, there are privileges. There are abundant privileges
in ministry, and Jesus wants to point those out to them particularly. First of all, The promises to
the saints who are in the service of God, the first one that we
find in Luke 22, verse 28 and following. Is the promise of
eternal fellowship and service. Look again at verse 28, where
it says, you are those who have stood by me with my with me in
my trials, and just as my father has granted me a kingdom, I grant
you. Jesus was as magnanimous to them
as the father was to him. That later part of that phrase
where he tells the disciples they will sit on thrones judging
the twelve tribes of Israel, there were going to be almost
unimaginable privileges bestowed on these apostles. But that little
phrase that sentence there at the end is an echo A repetition,
a reiteration of something that Jesus had said earlier in his
ministry. And the mere hint, I believe,
when they heard those words took them back to that scene. And they likely would have would
have reminded the apostles of the even greater subject that
Jesus addressed there. And so if you would, keep your
finger, please, in Luke 22, but I want you to turn to Matthew
19. In Matthew 19, we have that phrase
very similarly spoken, but in a completely different context. In Matthew 9, pick up, if you
would, in verse 27. Did I say Matthew 19? Verse 27. We’re Peter and who else but
Peter to ask this question? The one who is so much like us
that we’re able to smile when he speaks because he says what
we’re all thinking, doesn’t he? Then Peter said to him, Behold,
we have left everything and followed you. What then will there be
for us?” Peter goes on behalf of all the
apostles. Some had left their fishing boats. Some had left their calling as
fishermen. Some had left public office in
the case of Matthew. James and John had left their
parents. Peter had left his home and his family. Many others as
well. They had made sacrifices and
yet there were there were those that said that they really didn’t
leave much of anything at all. As one said, a few boats and
fishing nets were probably the whole amount of their worldly
goods. So what did they really leave? But the bottom line for
them, it was true what Peter said. A poor man’s all, as one
said, is as precious to him as the rich man’s palace. And in
giving up everything for Christ’s sake, the man makes the greatest
sacrifice. So when Peter says we’ve left
everything, he wasn’t speaking out of hyperbole. He wasn’t exaggerating. They had left. Even what little
they had, they had left all. And Jesus said to them, truly,
I say to you that you have followed me in the regeneration. And I
take this to mean not by way of salvation, but in the resurrection
when we are taken to heaven in the regeneration, when the Son
of Man will sit on his glorious throne. You also shall sit on
the twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And
everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father
or mother or children or farms, for my name’s sake, will inherit
eternal life. But many who are first will be
last and the last first. Hudson Taylor said one time,
the great missionary, he said that he had never been able in
his entire life to make a sacrifice for God. Because every time he
gave up anything in the name of God, God returned to him tenfold. Jesus says here that you are
going to get back. You are going to get back tenfold. Having left all to follow me,
having left all to pursue the ministry, you are going to have
a return on investment. And the bottom line in this little
section is that there is a promise of eternal fellowship and service,
even if there was nothing else. For the saints to enjoy that
throughout eternity, for the apostles to be reminded of that
one promise, it is enough to have fellowship with God throughout
eternity, to have the privilege of serving Him throughout eternity,
regardless of what capacity. In the apostles case, they were
promised some kinds of thrones and some kind of dominion. But
it is work. It is service that they are going
to be asked to render, just like you and I, some people have a
kind of a wacky notion of heaven as if they’re going to be very
large, overstuffed couches with multiple clickers, right, where
you just sit and casually Relaxed throughout all eternity. That
is not heaven. Heaven is a picture of service,
continued ongoing service to God and the service of worship. Go back, though, to verse 28
and what a gracious assessment of his followers. Who were so
often faithless, right? So often weak and ignorant and
self-centered. For Jesus to say to them, you
have stood with me by my trials in the midst of all that has
gone on. You’ve stood with me. At the same time, it shows how
bad the rest of the so-called followers were. That if these
followers were judged as being faithful, how bad were the rest?
Nevertheless, in our Savior’s merciful estimate, they were
deemed faithful. They were those who had stood
with and stood by Jesus throughout his earthly trials. As one said, he ignored the many
character defects that these men had exhibited, while others
by the dozen, even by the hundreds, had left the Savior. These had
remained loyal to him. And that’s what Jesus recognizes.
He had asked them repeatedly, do you want to leave also? And
they didn’t. As one said, we know the weakness
and infirmity of our Lord’s disciples during the whole period of his
earthly ministry, we find him frequently reproving their ignorance
and lack of faith. He knew full well that within
a few hours they were all going to forsake him. But here we find
him graciously dwelling upon one good point in their conduct. They had been faithful to their
master. And because of that, Jesus says,
I grant literally I appoint dominion for dominion, I have been granted
dominion in a kingdom and I bequeath it upon you. They will have thrones in the
heavenly kingdom, Jesus says, a realm far more powerful than
any earthly or political kingdom. The word there signifies honor
and dignity and reward and majesty, it was a king’s position. That
they were being given. Christ is going to have a real
kingdom and in that kingdom, the apostles are going to have
a primary place. God had assigned and appointed
and bestowed upon Jesus a kingdom. And Jesus is doing likewise to
his apostles. He’s telling them you will have
a prominent place. Look at the language that he
uses. I grant you that you may eat and drink at my table in
the kingdom. So often. Those times of. heavenly fellowship with God
are spoken of as banquets. It was part of the symbolism
that the Jews used to speak of those days in heaven. Matthew
8 11. I say to you that many will come from the east and west
and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the
kingdom of heaven. Luke 13, 29, they will come from
the east and the west, north and south and will recline at
the table in the kingdom of God. Luke 14, 15, when those who were
reclining at the table with him heard this, he said, he said
to him, blessed be everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom
of God. This was a solemn and a precious
promise of continued fellowship into eternity and beyond. But
beyond that, Jesus says, I’m going to give you a job. I’m
going to put you to work because I’m going to make you kings because
you’re kings, you’re going to judge. In the book of Judges, the judges
were far more than just rulers, earthly rulers, right, that sat
on thrones and wore crowns and and robes. Far more than that,
they were rulers, they were they were those that were in charge
of the kingdom. And Jesus says that just as you’ve
shared trials, you’re going to share joy. And just as you’ve
shared joy, you’re going to share my rule in eternity. As one said, the disciples had
shared in the hardships of the Messiah, they would share in
the glories of his kingdom, they had joined with him in proclaiming
the kingdom to Israel, and they would join him in having royal
power. And there are many verses that
speak of this, although none of them really makes it abundantly
clear exactly what this is going to look like. Mere men, apostles. In a sense, the earth’s rabble. And they’re going to be in charge,
they’re going to sit in some kind of authority. As I said,
it’s a reiteration of a point that Jesus had already made in
Matthew 19, 28, and the apostles knew it. And I’m sure that when
he said it the first time, it resonated. And when he said it
the second time. They almost couldn’t believe
it, that he would reiterate that at that time, judging the 12
tribes. It’s a clear reference to Israel
and her constituent form, 12 tribes, a clear reference to
restored Israel, the total number of the elect of all of Israel’s
tribes gathered together throughout the whole of history. And he
says, and you apostles are going to sit in judgment over them. You know, even that shouldn’t
surprise us that even the apostles. As quirky and even flaky as they
were not unlike us, that the apostles are going to be seen
as judges, because you know what the Bible says, you are going
to be judges as well. That’s what first Corinthians
six says. In fact, we studied this a couple of weeks ago, and
the point that Paul is making there is that we shouldn’t ever
Take a brother or sister to court. We should never march into court,
file a lawsuit against someone who professes the name of Christ.
And here is Paul’s argument. Does any one of you, when he
has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the
unrighteous and not before the saints? He basically says, if
you have a problem, go to the elders of the church, whatever
church. Go to the elders of the church.
Lay out your case. Let your friends speak his mind.
And let the decision be in the hands of the elders. Or do you
not know that the saints will judge the world? You, too, are
going to be given a job in eternity, and part of that is going to
be the judgment. Do you not know that the saints
will judge the world, that the world is judged by you? Are you
not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? He says
the stuff that you deal with here on Earth is puny compared
to what you’re going to deal with in eternity. Do you not
know that we will judge angels? I mean, get your head wrapped
around that one for a minute. You know, as they all come flying
in and set their harps in a corner one by one, they’re going to
come before you and you are going to pronounce judgment on them.
That’s what it says. How much more Paul says in matters
of this life should be, should you be competent to judge? In this particular judgment of
the world by the representatives of the Lord Jesus. The part that
is allotted to the 12 apostles is Israel, at least in part.
We don’t know how much else they will judge. And it isn’t even
possible to get our head wrapped around with a little detail that
is provided exactly what is meant. But this much is true. The 12
are figured in in some prominent way That they will have some
high position, a position of dignity and honor, a position
of respect. That not only will they have
fellowship with Almighty God through eternity, but God is
going to employ them, put them to use in His good service. As one said, however difficult
it may be to determine wisely the full meaning of these expressions,
yet certainly we may infer from them that there are particular
marks of glory, some peculiar and eminent degree of glory with
which the apostles of our Lord will be honored above all other
Christians. And God will do likewise for
you. God is going to honor your efforts. God is going to bless
not only in the here and now, but God will In part to you, as you have rendered
to him, God will judge. God will bless your efforts in
the here and now, and God will return to you a portion of that
in eternity. Secondly. There were promises
in that upper room that were given to the apostles. Promises
that trickled down by proxy to us as well. These are ministry
assurances. The Lord is encouraging his apostles
in the midst of perhaps their lowest moment of all. The second promise given to saints
in the service of God, not only a promise of eternal fellowship
and service, but secondly, a promise of sustained faith and even restoration. Sustained faith and restoration.
For this, I have to have you turn, if you would, to John’s
Gospel, to chapter 13. There is a portion of dialogue
that took place there in the upper room that Luke didn’t record,
and I believe Luke’s dialogue fits in immediately after this.
In John chapter 13, we pick it up. Where Jesus says in verse 33, Little children, I am with you
a little while longer. You will seek Me. And as I said
to the Jews, now I say also to you, where I am going, you cannot
come.” Now, Jesus continues, as you can see. He continues
to speak. I don’t think Peter heard any
of it. Because all Peter focuses on is that little phrase at the
end. Where I am going, you cannot come. Pick it up in verse 36.
Simon Peter said to him, Lord, where are you going? I mean,
you’re going someplace we can’t follow you. What do you mean?
Where are you going? Jesus answered where I go, you
cannot follow me now, but you will follow later. Peter said
to him, Lord, why can I not follow you right now? I will lay down
my life for you. Please take your Bibles and turn
back to Luke. I will lay down my life for you,”
says Peter. Boasts Peter. Decries Peter. And immediately following, I
believe those words, Jesus responds, Simon, Simon. Behold, Satan has
demanded permission to sift you like wheat. By calling him Simon
instead of Peter, Jesus reminds him of his humanness, doesn’t
He? He reminds him that he’s weak. He reminds him that he’s
a mere man, that with regards to his own powers, he is not
Peter the rock on which the church would be established, but a mere
helpless human being. But when he says Simon, Simon,
we’ve all gotten that, haven’t we? You know you’re in trouble, right?
You’ve shamed yourself. You know that you’re being called
into account for something in particular. Ronald, Ronald. I’ve heard it many times. Simon, Simon. Jesus so mercifully
and graciously calls out to him. Peter had possibly, in fact,
likely been a part of the discussion about who was the greatest. And
then he makes this boast that he is ready to charge to the
hill with the Lord, to be taken alive and even put to death for
the sake of Christ. But Jesus knows the real score.
Jesus knows the truth. Jesus knows how the evening is
going to unfold. Simon, Simon, Satan has demanded
permission to sift you like wheat. This must have been at once immediately
a humbling and a frightening statement. Because if you’re in the service
of Christ. You don’t even want Satan to
know your name, do you? You don’t want him to even be
aware of who you are. You don’t want him focused on
you, and much less you don’t want him targeting you There are two extremes that are
often seen with regards to the devil, and I think Peter was
caught up in one of them. There are two extremes, one is
disbelief and indifference, as if there might be a devil, he
might be out there, and if he is, that’s OK. I’m kind of impervious
over here because I have a cross on. And then there is the opposite
extreme preoccupation and presumption. And, you know, where you think
that you’re going to go in and wrestle with the devil and you’re
going to tell him what for. Right. Two extremes. One writer said it this way,
there are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can
fall about devils. One is to disbelieve in their
existence. The other is to believe and to
feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves
are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician
with the same delight. That’s what he calls them. Charles Hodge said the Christian
conflict, the devil. Is not only real, it is difficult
and dangerous. It is one in which true believers
are often grievously wounded in multitudes of repeated believers
entirely succumb. It is one also in which great
mistakes are often committed and serious loss incurred by
the ignorance of its nature and of the appropriate means of carrying
it on. In other words, there are some
that are just foolish with regards to how they approach the devil
himself. Men are apt to regard it as a
mere moral conflict between reason and conscience on the one side
and evil passions on the other. They therefore rely on their
own strength and upon resources of nature for success. That in my physical stature,
I can outlast and outlive and overmatch the devil himself. He said the source of strength
is not in nature. As we have superhuman enemies
to contend with, we need not only superhuman strength, but
divine armor and arms. The weapon of our warfare is
not natural, but divine. In other words, without God’s
help, you are hopeless against the devil. Hopeless. It doesn’t
matter what church you’re a member of. Satan, the devil himself, The
opponent of none other than the Lord Jesus Christ and his followers
had already asked for and received a measure of permission to submit
all of the disciples to a severe test. Now, we don’t know we don’t
have anything else other than what Jesus alludes to here. We
don’t have any idea how that conversation went. Jesus alludes
to it and says that, look, The devil came and he asked for permission
and to a degree he was granted. Here’s how it happened for Job. Now, there was a day where the
sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan also
came among them. The Lord said to Satan, from
where do you come? Then Satan answered the Lord
and said, from roaming around on the earth and walking around
in it. The Lord said to Satan, Have you considered my servant
Job? But there is no one like him on the earth, blameless and
upright man, fearing God, turning away from evil. Then Satan answered
the Lord, Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not made a
hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every
side? You have blessed the work of
his hands and his possessions have increased in the land. But
put forth your hand now and touch all that he has. He will surely
curse you to your face. Then the Lord said to Satan.
Behold, all that he has is in your power only do not put your
put forth your hand on him. So Satan departed from the presence
of the Lord. You ask me how it works. I don’t
know. But that’s an interesting passage. To know that in the
spiritual realm, the devil himself interfaces with God on some level. And he came back again, mind
you, in Job. Just as in Job’s case. God allowed
Satan this liberty, but always within bounds. The evil one doesn’t
have. The free or unlimited right to
act against the faithful, but he must always submit to the
overruling and permissive authority of God himself. The problem was was Peter. Peter
in his confidence. And in his confidence, this is
one of his most perilous moments on Earth. J.C. Ryle said about this scene, there
is something very awful in this expression. It shows us that
the devil is often desiring to accomplish a ruin and striving
to accomplish it while we know nothing of its doings. Because
he is invisible. On the other hand. There is something
comfortable in the expression. It teaches us that Satan can
do nothing without God’s permission. He works in chains. I love that. He works in chains. Now, Peter. Peter took this warning
and not only did he live through it, as we’ll see in a moment
and in the weeks to come, but I believe this lesson immediately
was burned into his mind. You mean the devil knows who
I am? You mean not only does the devil
know who I am, you mean he’s coming after me? No wonder Peter would write later,
because he lived it. He lived it in technicolor, be
of sober spirit, 1 Peter 5, 8 and 9. Be on the alert. Not only
be sober, be aware that it could happen. Be on the alert that
it looks to happen. Your adversary. It isn’t just
that the devil is against God. It’s not just that the devil
is against the apostles. It’s not just that the devil
hates Christianity. The devil is against you. Your
adversary, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone
to devour, he means you no good. I mean, I went to the Cheyenne
Zoo the other day, down in the springs. And it was tough, you
know, some of the settings, you had to really look. You could
find a lion, you could pick him up eventually, but not this lion. And from the looks of him, you
know, I’d have gotten in the cage with him, over there, laying
back, sound asleep in the warm sun. Not this devil, not this
lion. Because the image, the illustration
breaks so far down. That there ought to be another
word for this kind of lion. The earthly lion and the spiritual
lion, the earthly lion is a night predator, you can pretty much
predict when he’s going to come out. And you might even think
to go in the cage during the day. But the spiritual lion, the devil
himself, he goes about whenever he wants, anytime. That earthly lion can be satisfied. We were told on the tour that
once the lion eats, he can lay back for weeks. The devil is
never satisfied and he’s constantly looking for someone to devour.
Peter remembered it well. And if it weren’t for the prayer
of the Lord Jesus, Satan is done for. Satan is just a meal. In verse 32, Jesus comforts him
and says, But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.
I don’t want you to fail, Peter. I prayed for you that your faith
may not fail. Jesus did that again for all
of the apostles there in the upper room is recorded in John
17. I do not ask you, he says there
in his prayer, I do not ask you to take them out of the world,
but to keep them from the evil one. And he tells Peter that when
it’s all over, when you’ve been restored, when you’ve been turned,
which tells them that he’s going to have a terrible fall, When
you have turned and been restored again, strengthen your brothers. Peter had no idea what was coming.
But that turning, there’s a hint there. It’s not the turning of
initial repentance, it’s not the turning that brings the salvation,
but is the turning from a temporary lapse, a falling away, a fault,
a stumbling. And his brothers, his fellow
apostles, would likely be reeling and very wounded, not only by
his departure, but bewildered as to what it meant for them
by his apostasy from the faith. Peter would have a great cause
to assure and strengthen his brothers in the days to come,
and we even see a picture of that in John 21, don’t we? All
Peter knows at this point is that the devil is after him.
And that at some point he’s going to be turned or return to the
right path. The mere suggestion that he’s
going to stray from the Lord from the right path is totally
unacceptable, unthinkable to him. It goes against his character,
it’s inconceivable to him that he would forsake his Lord. And
he responds as such. Look at verse thirty three. But
he said to him. That is, Peter said to Jesus,
Lord, with you, I am ready to both go 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. Those verses will come back to
haunt Peter. That statement, that prophecy
that Christ made will come back In full and complete fulfillment. We’ll take those verses up in
the weeks to come. And we’ll take this final point. Up next week. The third promise
to the saints in the service of God is simply this. not only
a promise of eternal fellowship and service, and a promise of
sustained faith and restoration, but the third promise there is
a promise to bless the use of earthly means. An interesting
point that includes money belts and bags and swords. We’ll take
up that point next Lord’s Day. Let’s go before Him in prayer. Our merciful God, we thank you
and praise you. That what this passage shows
more than anything is a an abundantly merciful Savior. Who so loved
us and so bears with us even now. And so lived and loved your earthly
apostles. That even in such a dark and
weak moment as they exhibited in their quibbling over who was
the greatest. You took that opportunity to
give them the greatest example of all of service. Next to the
cross itself. The washing of their feet. And
then courage. And comfort in these assuring
words. Father, we thank you for the
promise that we enjoy. That we who know Christ will
be in fellowship with you and in service of you throughout
eternity. And father, we thank you that
even as the apostles, when we struggle and stumble, even when
we fall. You are willing and able. To
nurse us along. To help us back from being torn
to shreds by the devil himself. and to be restored to you first
and foremost. Lord God, we thank you for your
grace and goodness in our lives. It’s in Jesus name that we pray. Amen. you