(Luke 22:31-34)----------------------"THE DAY JESUS BUTTED IN!"
Intro: A shipwrecked man managed to reach an uninhabited island. There, to protect himself against the elements and to safeguard the few possessions he had salvaged, he painstakingly built a little hut from which he constantly and prayerfully scanned the horizon for the approach of a ship. Returning one evening after a search for food, he was terrified to find the hut completely enveloped in flames. Yet by divine mercy this hard affliction was changed into a mighty advantage. Early the following morning he awoke to find a ship anchored off the island. When the captain stepped ashore, he explained, "We saw your smoke signal and came." Everything the marooned man owned had to be destroyed before he could be rescued.
This passage diplays HELP FOR SIFTED SAINTS"!  Nobody wishes for trials or adversity!  But God allows us to enter the furnace of affliction so that He might refine and purify our lives. The most difficult of the adversities we face is that which comes from sin and the attacks of the devil. And in our text, Simon Peter is made to understand the fact that he is about to be tested. He is encouraged in this revelation by the fact that the Lord Himself will take an active part in his trail.  This passage lets us know that we do not have to fail in the attacks of life. We do not have to crawl away in defeat! I want to show you today that even if you have failed, you can still rise from the ashes and salvage what Satan has attempted to destroy. (TOPIC)
"BUT"—conj. that appears in 3819 verses of the bible!  meaning 1. on the contrary; —prep. with the exception of; —n.  no reservations or objections:  
I. (V. 31)- WE HAVE A DETERMINED FOE"Satan Is Determined To Destroy Your Life!"
Jesus is telling Peter that Satan has made a request to have "all" the disciples to test the reality of their faith. The word "desired" means "to demand, to ask for oneself." The word "you" is plural in nature. It is a request for all the disciples. His demand is that he might "sift" them. This is an agricultural term that refers to the savage process of separating the husk of the wheat from the grain. The wheat was crushed under foot, then it was agitated, or thrown into the air. The chaff, or husk, was blown away by the wind and all that was left behind was the good grain. Satan believed that he could crush them, sift them and that nothing would be left but a lost heart. He had already done this with Judas! He believed that he could do it to the rest.
We battle a determined enemy! The bible states that Satan is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour!  He wants to prove that you are a phony!  If you value anything in your life, then the devil wants to destroy it!  (Note: Has a wedge been driven between you and the members of your family?  THE DEVIL IS BEHIND IT!!!   Do you have problems at your church?  THE DEVIL IS BEHIND IT!  Satan will never stop until you fall, or you die!)
If the devil gets his way in your life and you stumble at his attacks, remember this: "No One Sins In A Vacuum!" Your sin doesn't just affect you, it affects everyone around you!  Adam's fall touched us all - Rom. 5:12! David's sin with Bathsheba, 2 Sam. 11, affected him, Bathsheba, their baby, Bathsheba's husband, and the house of David for years to come! You never walk away clean when you choose to walk away in sin!
II. (v. 32) -WE HAVE A DILIGENT FRIEND"The Saints Have A Powerful Ally In Their Corner!"
While all the disciples were in Satan's crosshairs, Peter received the promise of intercession. (Note: "you", v. 31 is plural, but "thee", v. 32 is singular!) I am sure that Jesus was praying for them all, but He spoke especially to Peter, because He knew that Peter was about to take the biggest fall, v. 34. All the disciples failed the Lord that night, Mark 14:50, but Peter went beyond simple failure into the realm of outright denial of any relationship to Jesus, Luke 22:54-62.    Times of testing and failure will come in your life and mine, but in the midst of them, let us take courage in the fact that we have Someone pleading our case, taking our part, praying for us in Heaven, Notice the word "but". Satan may have his devices and his schemes to tempt us and try us, BUT he doesn't have the last word! In the midst of his scheming and planning, Jesus "butts" in to stand by our side until the trial has passed!   Just because you are tempted doesnt mean that you have to fall into sin. Jesus can equipped you with all the resources you will ever need to be able to withstand what the devil throws in your way!
III. (v. 32)-WE HAVE A DISTINGUISHED FUTURE
"No Failure Should be Considered Final!"---Jesus makes it clear that Peter will fall, "when thou art converted", means "when you have repented, or come back to me", but that his fall will not be the final statement of his life. He was going to be restored and he was going to be used of the Lord in a great way. Pentecost, and the great acts of faith of his life.  (People allow their FAILURES to define their life!...and that shouldn't be!)  God has made provision for the cleansing and the restoration of those who fall into sin. Those provisions include Confession, Repentance and Forgiveness. (When we come clean about our sins and turn from them, the Lord will forgive and restore the fallen one to a place of service and blessing, This truth is illustrated in the life of the Prodigal Son and what happened when he returned to his father in Luke 15:11-24.)
But what about when a person walks away from the things of the Lord and goes into sin and stays there?  That could mean that one of two things is true. 1.) They were never really saved, 1 John 2:19. 2.) They are in open rebellion and are subject to the wrath and chastisement o the Lord, Heb. 12:6-12; Rev. 3:19. You see, genuine faith will falter, but it will never utterly fail!  Peter came back because he was saved. (Talked to a couple the other day who had been out of church for years--they asked about coming back to God!)  When Peter was sifted, it was proven that his profession was genuine. There was some chaff, but there was a grain of real faith too!  When a believer falls into sin, those who genuinely love them will seek to restore them, Gal. 6:1-2. They will not condone or support their sinful actions, but they will not abandon them completely either!
IV. (v. 33-34)-WE HAVE A DETERMINATION TO BE FOOLISH!
"Never Say Never!"....When Peter hears this prediction he, in typical Peter style, boasts of his love and devotion to the Lord. He vows to go to prison or even to death to prove his allegiance to Jesus. Peter forgot a very important principle of life, "Never Say Never!" No one in this room is above falling into the snare of the enemy. Only when you are in his sifter can you know exactly what you will do! It is a dangerous thing to rely upon yourself and your ability to withstand temptation and testing...We've all seen someone act in certain ways and we have said, "I would never do that!" Be careful!  You see, you are weakest in the area of your greatest strength! That may sound like a contradiction or a paradox, but it is true nonetheless! When you some to think you have an area of your life absolutely conquered and that sin cannot possibly occur there, you will tend to let your guard down. When that happens you can be sure that the enemy will target you for sifting! If you have the feeling that "It can't happen to me!", you are in danger of falling today!-(Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall!!!)
Conc: Do you know how an Eskimo kills a wolf? It illustrates the consuming, self-destructive nature of sin. First the Eskimo coats his knife blade with animal blood and allows it to freeze. Then he adds another layer of blood, and another, until the blade is completely concealed by frozen blood. Next, the hunter fixes his knife in the ground with the blade up. When a wolf follows his sensitive nose to the source of the scent and discovers the bait, he licks it, tasting the fresh frozen blood. He begins to lick faster, more and more vigorously, lapping the blade until the keen edge is bare. Feverishly now, harder and harder, the wolf licks the blade in the Arctic night. So great becomes the craving for blood that the wolf does not notice the razor sharp sting of the naked blade on his own tongue nor does he recognize the instant at which his insatiable thirst is being satisfied by his own warm blood. His carnivorous appetite just craves more--until the dawn finds him dead in the snow!  Such is the power sin has to destroy our lives. Thankfully, it does not have to be that way. Jesus BUTTED IN!!!