CONVICTED AND SIFTED
[p. 103] CONVICTED AND SIFTED
Luke 5: 1 - 11; Luke 22: 31 - 34
There are few characters in Scripture more interesting, or more profitable to study, than that of Simon Peter. I wish to bring before you at this time two scenes in his life which vividly illustrate God’s ways in grace with sinners and with failing saints.
We have no means of knowing what kind of man Simon was before he became a disciple of Christ, though we may gather that he was a conscientious and God-fearing Jew from the fact that he could say, “I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean” (Acts 10: 14). Nothing leads us to suppose that he was an immoral or irreligious man. He was, nevertheless, a sinner, and Luke 5: 1 - 11 tells us how he came to be convicted of sin.
The Lord Jesus was teaching by the side of the lake, and such numbers gathered to hear the word of God, that they pressed upon Him. Whereupon He stepped into Simon’s boat and — asking him to thrust out a little from the shore — sat down and taught the multitude out of the boat. It does not appear that the sermon took much effect upon Simon, but what happened afterwards wrought a complete revolution in his soul.
When Jesus had left speaking to the people, He turned to Simon, and said, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught”. Simon did not seem to have much faith, for he said, “Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless, at thy word I will let down the net”. No sooner had they done so than the net was filled, even to breaking, with fish; and when they began to gather them in, so great was the quantity [p. 104] that the boats began to sink. To the bystanders it was a miracle to wonder at; to the fishermen it was also a matter to rejoice over; but to Simon’s conscience it brought the light of God’s presence. He became conscious in the depths of his soul that he was in the presence of God, and along with that came the deep conviction of his utter unfitness to be there.
Such an experience has been, or will be, the experience of every human soul. The moment a sinner is brought consciously into the presence of God, he knows he is not fit to be there. Simon cried, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord”. So long as a man walks in his own little circle, and in the light of sparks of his own kindling, he may talk with great swelling words, and have much self-confidence. But let him be brought consciously into God’s presence, and in the soul-searching light of that presence the only thought left in his heart will be, “I am utterly unfit to be here”.
The light of God makes things manifest as they really are. The sinner out of God’s presence may be well-pleased with himself; but the moment he comes into the light, every bit of self-righteousness and self-satisfaction withers up as the moth’s flimsy wing shrivels in the flame. His comeliness is turned into corruption, and all his self-complacent thoughts and feelings give place to the supreme conviction, “I am a sinful man”.
We see a remarkable illustration of this in the life of Job. In moral excellence Job stood head and shoulders above all his fellow-men. His good works were innumerable; his patience has passed into a proverb for all succeeding ages; but he had never truly seen himself in the light of God. Hence we find whole chapters filled with speeches in which he gives an account of his own goodness, and in chapter 27: 6, he declares, “My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go”. But how soon did he change his opinion when the Lord came down and spoke to him out of the [p. 105] whirlwind! When the Lord had finished speaking, “Job answered the Lord, and said, Behold I am vile” (Job 40: 3, 4).
He had seen the Lord, and had seen himself in the light of the Lord’s presence, and instead of talking about his goodness any longer, he says, “Now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42: 5, 6).
Those who have never thus had to do with God cannot understand the self-loathing, and the oppression of conscience which convicted sinners feel. A man in distress about his soul went to a clergyman for advice. The clergyman — himself an unconverted man — was greatly alarmed to witness his anguish of soul, and asked if he had murdered somebody! Job had not been doing anything outrageous. He had neither been stealing, swearing, telling lies, getting drunk, nor anything that men would call evil, but in the presence of God he found himself to be vile. The same effect is produced whenever a sinner is brought consciously into the light of God. He has no longer any excuses to make, or any merit to plead. His mouth is stopped, and he stands guilty before God.
To a convicted and repentant sinner the grace of God is exceedingly attractive. Wherever there is divine conviction there is also divine attraction. This accounts for the apparent inconsistency of Simon, who “fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me”. He knew that he was sinful and unfit for God, but the grace of God attracted him and secured his blessing.
“And Jesus Said unto Simon, Fear not: from henceforth thou shalt catch men”. As soon as Simon took his place as a sinful man in the presence of the Lord, he got a word to dismiss his fears. In the Lord Jesus Christ there is not only light to reveal what man is but grace that delights to meet all man’s need. When a sinner comes to himself in the presence of God, he learns that his wretchedness and need brought the [p. 106] Son of God from heaven to die. This is what the self-righteous man can never understand. It is a mystery of grace that convicted sinners learn at the feet of Jesus.
When Jesus went into the house of Zacchaeus, the people “murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner”. He replied, “The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost”. The Great Physician came not to go through the mockery of pretending to heal those who were well, or but slightly indisposed. He came to undertake and accomplish the cure of those whose case was desperate, and beyond all other aid. Simon took his place as “a sinful man”, and immediately the Saviour of the sinful said, “Fear not”. Oh! the sweetness of the gospel of the grace of God! The light of God discloses my sin; the grace of God provides an all-sufficient Saviour for me in the Person of His Son. I can only stand astonished in presence of the holiness that brings all my sins to light, and the infinite grace that puts them for ever out of sight.
That this grace of God might “reign through righteousness” it was necessary that the Lord Jesus should die. “It behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24: 46, 47). And now that He is risen and glorified, the divine proclamation runs, “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13: 38, 39).
“But”, says one, “I am such a sinner!” Then you, at any rate, are called, for Jesus says, “I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”. And again He says, “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out”. Oh that you would come to Him just as you are, and receive the forgiveness of sins which is proclaimed in His name!
[p. 107] Mark the effect of the grace of God upon Simon. “When they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all and followed him”. The grace of God had come to them in a Person, and that Person henceforth became everything to their hearts. The One who said, “Fear not”, also said, “Follow me”; and in glad response “they forsook all and followed him”. Other things were not worthy of a thought in comparison with Him. This is the legitimate effect of knowing the Lord Jesus as Saviour. When He says, “Fear not”, the burden is gone, and the One who removed it acquires a place of supremacy in the affections. When conviction of sin has been deep and real, and the Lord Jesus is known as the One who has silenced all accusations and removed all fears, He becomes everything to the soul that thus knows Him.
I have heard of a slave who was being carried by sea to some market to be sold. An English merchant on the same vessel noticed and pitied him, and finally determined, if possible, to set him free. On inquiring the price, he found it would take all the profits of his voyage to redeem the slave, but he paid down the money, and the poor creature became his property. The slave’s eyes burned with anger when he heard what had taken place. Said he to the merchant, “Are you an Englishman, and a lover of liberty? Have you not even pretended to pity my miserable condition? And now you buy me for your slave!” “Yes”, said the merchant, with tears in his eyes, “I have bought you, but now I set you free; you are at liberty to do as you like”. The ransomed slave fell at his feet, and cried, “Master, I will follow and serve you as long as I live”.
This illustrates the effect of redemption being fully known. Every saved one will bear me out in this, that when the grace of God and redemption in Christ Jesus was first realised by them, that blessed One had a place in their hearts before and above everything else. We heard His “Fear not”;
we rejoiced in His call, “Follow me”; and we felt that we wanted Him to take captive every affection of our hearts, and reign without a rival there. This is the divine effect of GRACE being known in the believer’s heart.
Another scene in Simon’s history now claims our attention (Luke 22: 31 - 34). The deep and humiliating experience of weakness and failure through which he passed in the high priest’s house was a sifting never to be forgotten. The details are, no doubt, well known to us all. I do not dwell upon them. You remember the self-confident spirit that boasted, and the presumptuous daring that slighted warning, and ventured to its fall. You have seen weakness that quailed in the moment of trial before a scoffing maid, and you can understand the anguish of the poor disciple’s heart as he “went out and wept bitterly”. A human biographer would have drawn a veil over such a scene and let it be forgotten. Not so the Spirit of God. One of the few things that God has seen fit to record in all the four gospels, is the story of Peter’s denial of the Lord. Why is this? Is it because God loves to recall the failure of His saints? Nay, verily; but because Peter’s fall was used by divine grace to bring about a great and needed change in his estimate of himself, without which he could never have been a pillar in the church or a strengthener of his brethren.
There was with Simon, as with us all, a degree of self-confidence which needed to be broken down. In his case it was the self-confidence of an ardent and devoted nature, and of one whose true affection for the Lord carried him into danger and temptation. But “the flesh profiteth nothing”, and Simon had to learn this as sifted by Satan.
There are two ways in which we may discover the worthlessness of the flesh — we may be winnowed by Christ, or sifted by Satan. John the baptist spoke of the coming Messiah as One whose fan was in His hand, and who would thoroughly purge His floor. I do not now go into the meaning [p. 109] of this as applied to Israel, but simply call your attention to the fact that Christ winnows, whereas Satan sifts. The effect of winnowing is that the chaff is driven away, and the wheat remains. In the presence of the Lord, and in subjection of spirit to Him, we may learn what the flesh is in communion with Him. This will make us very distrustful of ourselves, and lead us to walk in self-judgment, and in result the flesh will be practically displaced. But if our wills are allowed to work, and the natural self-confidence of our hearts does not find itself rebuked in the presence of the Lord, we must needs (like Simon) be sifted by Satan, and learn by painful experience the lesson we have failed to learn in communion. When Satan sifts, it is not to get rid of the chaff but of the wheat. He would like every grain of wheat to fall through, so that the sieve might be full of chaff. He would like to make it appear as if there was nothing of God in the saint.
Satan leads the self-confident saint into temptation, overthrows him, and then says, “There now, a fine Christian you are, to have done a thing like that! After the profession you have made, too, and the way you have talked! Did you not even say you never could do a thing like that? And now you have done it! It is clear you have been nothing but a hypocrite all the time you were pretending to be a saint!”
Then he will shift his ground a little and say, “Now you see it is no use trying to be a Christian. You have tried, and this is the end of it. Instead of being happy you are more miserable now than before you were converted. You had better give it all up, and enjoy the world while you have the chance”. So Satan uses the saint’s failure to lead him, if possible, to despair of Christ. But God uses it to teach him distrust of self. And it is exceedingly precious to see how the Lord deals in divine grace with the failing one.
“I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not”. God will have self-confidence broken down, but He carefully sustains the souls of His saints, so that, while a fall breaks self-confidence,
[p. 110] it is not suffered to destroy confidence in Him. The intercession of Christ secures this, that however great the failure of a true saint may be, his confidence in God never wholly fails.
“The Lord turned and looked upon Peter”. If the question were to be put round amongst believers, “How is a failing saint restored?” not a few would reply, “By repentance and confession”. Quite true! so far as our side of it goes, but there must be something to produce repentance and confession, and nothing will do that but the active love of the Lord Jesus Himself. Restoration begins with Him — “He looked upon Peter”. Oh, what a Saviour is ours! The very failure and sin which is our shame brings us to prove His unfailing love, for it is written, “If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2: 1). Before confession, before repentance, there is the activity of His grace.
Is my reader a backslidden and worldly believer? The eyes of your Saviour and Lord are upon you now. In all the tenderness of that love which carried Him to the cross, He is looking upon you from the glory. Yes! your denied and dishonoured Lord loves you still. May the warmth of His matchless love thaw your ice-bound heart! “And Peter went out, and wept bitterly”. Backslider, remember from whence thou art fallen, and repent!
The Spirit of God has drawn a veil over the experiences of Peter during the three days that elapsed between the denial and the resurrection. His faith, sustained in answer to the prayer of the blessed Intercessor, did not fail. He remained with the brethren, but the anguish of his spirit must have been great. The Lord is faithful and He loves His own too well to spare the discipline and correction that they need. But our hearts may well adore the wisdom and the grace in which He watches, as the Refiner of silver, the furnace in which they are tested and purified. He will have all the [p. 111] dross purged away, but He watches with the solicitude of divine love lest the precious metal should receive injury in the process.
When the poor fornicator at Corinth had been brought to self-judgment and repentance, the saints were besought to forgive him, and comfort him, and to confirm their love toward him, lest he should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. It appears to me that the same gracious love dictated the message of Mark 16: 7, “Tell his disciples and Peter”. What an assurance of unabated affection! A special message, by name, from the risen Lord to Peter! Surely that message, while it reassured the penitent heart, must have broken it afresh by its tenderness of love!
“The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon” (Luke 24:34). This scripture makes it plain that before Jesus met with His disciples, or had been seen by the ten, He granted a private interview to Simon. The believer’s confession of sin is not for the ears of the world, nor does the Lord throw open everything to the gaze even of his brethren. Many things have to be exposed in public, simply because we have not had to say to the Lord in private about them. A heart beating, as Peter’s did, with true affection for the Lord, could not rest without having all out with Him. And in many cases these disclosures and confessions would remain a personal secret between the Lord and our hearts.
But confession is not restoration, though it is essential to restoration. We are not restored by confession, but By THE LORD, and in John 21: 15 - 22 we see the manner of His gracious acting for Simon’s entire restoration.
In the first place Simon was probed to the depths of his heart to discover whether his self-confidence was effectually destroyed. Three times had he denied his Lord, and three times a searching question, in different forms, was applied to him. “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? You once professed greater love than all, Simon;
is it so?”. Ah! he was now “converted”; he dare no longer boast; he can only say, “Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I have affection for thee”. “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?” No longer, Do you love Me more than these? but, Do you love Me at all? Peter replies, “Yea, Lord thou knowest that I have affection for thee”. “Simon, son of Jonas, hast thou affection for me? After what has happened, can you say you have affection for Me?” Peter was grieved (”sorrowful” ) and said unto Him, “Lord, thou knowest all things: thou knowest that I have affection for thee”. He could no longer trust his own estimate of himself, and he referred the whole matter to the One whose estimate he had learned to trust in preference to his own. The sifting and its consequences had done their work. Self-confidence was broken, and replaced by confidence in the Lord.
Then he got his commission, “Feed my lambs ... Feed my sheep ... Feed my sheep”; and received a promise that even in death he should glorify God. And as the gospel record closes, on that very shore where first he heard the words, “Follow me”, three years and a half before, he hears again from the lips of the risen Lord, “Follow me”; and yet again with increased and personal emphasis, “Follow THOU me”. May that parting word come home to all our hearts with power.