Sifted
John 6, Jesus declares that He is the bread of life
Why would Jesus compare Himself to bread?
We need food to live – energy, strength, nourishment
We get bread from wheat
John 12:24
Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies,
it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
We become what Jesus was – Bread
We are supposed to be sustenance – source of strength, nourishment
We must be transformed from grains of wheat
Luke 22:31-32
The Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you,
that he may sift you as wheat.
32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail;
and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."
“Exaiteo” Demanded the Test
Wants to prove you will fail and that you are a failure
Sift like wheat – Shake you till you come apart
The only assurance Jesus gives is, “I have prayed for you!”
Notice, Jesus doesn’t pray against our sifting
He allows the “Process”
Jesus says His prayer for Peter is that his faith does not fail
What about me, Lord?
· In this sifting process there will be some failure
· And there will be some loss
What the Lord is looking at is the foundation of your faith
Remember, God’s won’t allow you to go through a process, unless
1. It makes you better
2. And it gives Him glory
Threshing
Beat the wheat to separate all its parts – the grain and the husk
Painful – as it relates to our lives as Believers
Trials, tribulation, temptations, afflictions
This is a main reason Jesus is praying for our faith
In the face of pain, many people give up
Christians don’t handle pain well – we think we’re exempt
2 Tim 3:12
All who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution
The enemy feed that mentality to create disappointment with God
He intends this process to Shake & even Sever our faith in Him
We say that God won’t put more on us than we can bear…
1 Cor 10:13
He won’t allow us to be tempted beyond what you are able,
He makes a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
2 Cor 1:8
We were pressed (weighed down) beyond measure, above strength,
Insomuch that we despaired even of life.
Job 16:7a, 12
Now He has worn me out;
12 I was at ease, but He has shattered me;
He also has taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces;
He has set me up for His target.
We need to get over this mentality that living for Jesus excuses us from Threshing
If anything, living for Jesus puts us in the crosshairs
Why would God do us like that, or subject us to this?
Because there’s purpose in us
So, Satan has demanded to sift us
With plans to destroy us
Turns the evil to good
God uses it to turn us into someone who will save many lives
Sifting
Constant shaking to separate the grain from the husks berry – Agitation
This sifting creates another issue
At first sight, all you see is the husk & straw & dirt
“Accuser of the Brothers”
Points to the chaff & the dirt
Says that’s all there is to you
Satan tries to condemn you before God
AND, he wants you to CONDEMN YOURSELF
Jesus is still interceding !!!!
Rom 8:34
Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen,
who is even at the right hand of God,
Who also makes intercession for us
God allows the process – to separate the stuff out of your life
There’s substance in there
Winnowing
Use wind to separate the husks (chaff) from the grain
Luke 3:17
His winnowing fan is in His hand,
and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor,
and gather the wheat into His barn;
but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”
The scripture is consistent in referring to chaff as people – “tares”
Psalm 1:4, 35:5; 83:13
Job 21:18
They are like straw before the wind,
And like chaff that a storm carries away.
People of no substance cannot endure storms
Because you have substance, you remain
When the winds die down
Satan has plans to take you out…
God has plans to turn you into life-giving bread
Isaiah 21:10
O my threshed and winnowed one,
I’m what happens when Faith meets failure
Jesus says, I already have plans for your recovery
“When you are converted” – changed
1. Strengthen your Brother
2. Feed my sheep – John 21:15
We think that what we’ve gone through disqualifies us
We mark ourselves by our experiences
We let people label us because of our failures
Jesus says You are not disqualified because of your failure
Now I can use you
The sifting has separated you from what’s not like me
Now you can become Bread – be a source of life and nourishment for others