"Then Jesus *came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and *said to His disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He *said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me."
And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will." And He *came to the disciples and *found them sleeping, and *said to Peter, "So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, "My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done." Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. Then He *came to the disciples and *said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!"
Good Morning my beloved,
We welcome you to worship in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're glad to have you here with us today. As I had mentioned before, we are extremely blessed to be able to partner with Vanessa Taylor at Go Ye Kids children's ministry in providing printable biblical resources for children, many of them free. Please be sure to thank her and let her know that you heard about her here. We ask you would continue to pray that God will grant us boldness to speak the truth in love, people are responding. All praise and glory to God!
We welcome you to worship in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're glad to have you here with us today. As I had mentioned before, we are extremely blessed to be able to partner with Vanessa Taylor at Go Ye Kids children's ministry in providing printable biblical resources for children, many of them free. Please be sure to thank her and let her know that you heard about her here. We ask you would continue to pray that God will grant us boldness to speak the truth in love, people are responding. All praise and glory to God!
If you knew the date of your death, would it change the way you live? Would you live with more urgency or intentionalality? The truth is, none of us knows what the future holds. Because no doctor in the world holds the power of life and death, not a single one of them can tell a person how long they’re going to live. Only the omnipotent God knows both the beginning and the end, that why He warns us to be prepared, not only for our unknown future, the hour when He will come and gather His people to Himself. It could literally happen before we're finished here today.
Sorrow and suffering has always been a part of the Christian life, sonship does not exempt one from suffering, even the Son of God was not able to escape it. I know this greatly contradicts the ever popular prosperity gospel, that
insists God wants you to be healthy, wealthy and happy. In fact, never has there been a more beloved Son than the chief of all sufferers. Scripture encourages us to bear our sufferings patiently. Christians will suffer as we wait for Christ to return, but none of our suffering is vain. God's love for His children will not prevent a single one from being tried. Our Lord's suffering serves as a model for all the sons of God. The love of God ensures the discipline of all His children, for the holiness of character and the completeness of obedience.
The writer of Hebrews 5:8 tells us, "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered."
As we enter into the sufferings of the final hours of Christ's earthly life, we have to begin with His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, to have a better understanding of how painful His suffering on the cross would be. As we take a look back upon that night before Jesus gave His all for us, let our hearts are filled with love, gratitude and adoration for the greatest gift that has ever been given before or since. I find it deeply saddening that most Christians know more about the details of their favorite political candidate, or their favorite movie or sports team than they do about the Bible, and the truth about His teaching, though I have done my very best to exalt our Lord and glorify His precious name. I've come to realize that even in doing my best, I have still fallen very short. Yet, I am compelled to preach the Gospel that leads to true salvation, not merely the illusion of it.
Charles Spurgeon, one of the greatest, most influential preachers of all time, once so eloquently said, "The same sun which melts wax hardens clay. And the same Gospel which melts some persons to repentance hardens others in their sins"
True godliness causes a man to look deep within himself, convicting him of his own sin and to bow down before Christ, cry out, begging for His forgiveness. While godlessness causes some professed Christians, who have never dared to deeply study Scripture for themselves, much less obey it, to instead bow to the evil of his own conscience, which justifies his sin and obey it, with no consideration of the true spiritual condition of his own soul.
Let us pray
In Jesus' name
Amen
Today's Message: King of kings, Son of Sorrow
Open your Bibles to the twenty-sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew 26:36-46. I
invite you to follow along with me as I read these eleven verses. So, let's open our hearts and our minds
to see what the Spirit of God will say to us today. Matthew 26:36-46.
"Then Jesus *came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and *said to His disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He *said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me."
And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will." And He *came to the disciples and *found them sleeping, and *said to Peter, "So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, "My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done." Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. Then He *came to the disciples and *said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!"
Let's look at verse 36, "Then Jesus *came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and *said to His disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."
It was already late at night by the time Jesus and the eleven finished the meal in the upper room, the joy of fellowship is over. They make their way through those narrow streets of Jerusalem, through one of the city gates, and across the southern steps of Herod’s temple, down into the Kidron Valley up the Mount of Olives to a beautiful, peaceful grove of olive trees called Gethsemane, which means olive press. Like most olive groves of the day, was probably surrounded by a small wall with a
gate. In order to keep the crowds from disturbing Jesus as He prayed,
His disciples would sit at that gate, as Christ goes off alone. Jesus knows that soon Judas will arrive with the chief priests and elders with the Roman troops from Fort Antonio to arrest Him, He knew how urgently He needed to prepare Himself for the crucifixion with prayer. He knew His disciples needed to prepare themselves for what was to soon come. He had said to all of them, "You will all fall away because of me this night." He had just told Peter that he would deny Him three times and that Satan
had asked to sift him like wheat. He told James and John they would
indeed have to drink of the same cup of suffering.
So, He said to His disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray," then He probably gestured Peter, James and John to follow Him. Now, having heard everything He has just said to them, He would soon be arrested, that they would all fall away "this night," knowing He was going off to pray, it seems like the logical thing to do would be to pray, asking God to give them strength to triumph in everything that would soon happen.
Verses 37-38, "And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He *said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me."
It stands to reason He would take Peter, James and John with Him, they were the closest to Him, the leaders of the group. Jesus confesses to them being so distressed, so overwhelmed with emotion, it could kill Him. The weight of bearing the cross, the loneliness and the impending wrath of God for all the sins of all time and the painful death He would face, even before it takes place, is beginning to accumulate and take it's toll on Him. He wanted them to witness first hand how He faced temptation and how dealt with His own spiritual struggle in what would be the darkest, loneliest moments of His earthly life. In the anticipation of Calvary, He began to be grieved and distressed. This was a very important teaching lesson for them to share with the others, and us, as we face the darkest moments of our lives.
My soul is deeply grieved, it's the word "perilupos," meaning all encompassing, He was literally surrounded by His sadness, drowning in grief. Some Christians think that feelings of deep sorrow and sadness are not Christ-like, demonstrating a lack of faith, I believe Jesus proves that simply
isn't true. Given what He was about to face, the defection of His disciples, the betrayal of Judas, not to mention Peter's denial, the sinless Son of God, Who came to redeem His people is instead rejected by them and would taste death for every man; it's really hard to even imagine all the things that might have grieved Him. Having just warned them about what was coming, He wanted them to pray.
None of us are exempt from grief and sorrow, it's how we handle those feelings that make the difference. I believe it is in those moments we make the greatest leaps forward in spiritual growth, drawing closer to Him, as we learn to stand in complete confidence of God’s faithfulness, believing His promise that He will never leave or forsake us. In the Greek, "never" is even more emphatic than we read it in English, "I will never leave you. No never." If you are truly a child of God, He will never leave you. Do you realize that? What a tremendous Truth! I know I my faith was strengthened during the most difficult times in my life. The truth of the matter is from time to time, we all experience the loss of a loved one or someone extremely close to us. We never know just how much faith we have until we are tried. The good news is, God will not allow you to endure trials longer than is necessary to accomplish His divine purpose in you. The key is to respond correctly, it will certainly be worth it in the end.
Verse 39, "And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will."
Luke says, "He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, kneeled, and began to pray" falling on flat on His face. This is the most humble and submissive position possible. This is excruciatingly painful for Him, enough to cause Him to kneel down and fall on His face in complete submission, asking His Father for strength to endure what lies ahead. Enough to threaten His life, if not sustained by God. You can actually die from extreme distress so great it can cause blood vessels in the skin to burst, it's called hematidrosis. Jesus being fully human, knows first hand what it is like to feel to experience emotional pain so deep, that it literally could kill you. I believe it was the continual increasing sorrow He couldn’t handle and He needed the help of the Father because Satan was trying to keep Him from the cross. He knew He had to die. Notice He ended His prayer with "Yet not as I will, but as You will."
This is very important, He’s not asking to avoid the redemptive plan altogether, in perfect obedience, He's asking if there's any other way to accomplish it other than to drink the cup of God’s full wrath against all sinners. Even though the thought was more than He could bear, He's willing if God wills it. In spite of what we often hear today, God's Holiness demands that He punish sin. Christ did not become a sinner as some have suggested, He drank the cup of wrath, bearing the judgement of the sins of humanity. We can pray to God, asking Him to spare us from something we don’t want to go through, however, God will not remove something that has a divine purpose or is intended to transform you. We can pray asking for grace to help in our time of need. The anguish Jesus is experiencing is contrary to His soul, something He's never felt before, but it has a divine purpose!
There is tremendous power in prayer! When we pray, God opens doors, stills storms, restores relationships, and renews strength. God did answer His prayer, not by removing the cup, but Luke tells us by God sent an angel to strengthen Him, preparing Him to continue forward with the divine plan of redemption, resting in the perfect will of His Father. Knowing there was no exemption for suffering made for our Lord, I believe should encourage us to bear our sufferings patiently. Try as we may to avoid suffering, only when you’ve experienced suffering firsthand, going through your own trials, discovering for yourself what God says is true about His sustaining grace, are you better equipped to offer real help to others who face deep distress.
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, "For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we
look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not
seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which
are not seen are eternal."
Verse 40, "And He *came to the disciples and *found them sleeping, and *said to Peter, "So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour?"
They may have been very tired, it had been a long day. But I believe it's more reasonable to see it as they were indifferent, confident they could handle this, a complete lack of awareness of their desperate need for God's help to face what was coming. They had much to pray about, for themselves and for Jesus, Who, by the way, told them He would soon die. I don’t know about you, but if I’m struggling over some great spiritual conflict, that battle takes over and I'm wide awake. Sleep in nowhere to be found. I'm not one of those people who can escape a crisis with sleep. I believe when you're facing a spiritual struggle, you pray until the grip of that crisis is loosened. William Cowper, one of the most popular poets and hymn-writer of his time rightly said, "When we don't pray, we quit the fight. Prayer keeps the Christian's armor bright. And Satan trembles when he sees. The weakest saint upon his knees."
Many today fail to recognize their need for dependence on God in prayer, the command to pray with and for others. In the face of temptation, desire and determination are not enough, we need God's grace not allow us to fall into a test that is beyond us. Satan desires us to do whatever we want to fulfill our own satisfaction, he'll try anything to divert us from obedience to God's will. If Jesus needed to pray for God's will to be done, what makes you believe that you're strong enough to resist Satan's temptation?
In verse 41, He literally spells it out for them, "Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." He knows they cannot do it on their. And neither can we, it's important to recognize how desperately we need Him in the midst of temptation. Until you learn to depend on God, in prayer, you can't succeed in battling sin and temptation. If you overestimate yourself, I assure you, you're going to fall. I suppose at Peter, James and John falling asleep, after all, they also fell asleep at the transfiguration. When Jesus was battling the greatest temptation of His life, He wasn't sleeping, He was praying with everything He had in Him. Prayer is primary ingredient to overcoming any battle.
Verse 42, "He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, "My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done."
Jesus, facing the reality that He will soon suffer, still wanting to be obedient to the will of the Father, goes off to pray a second time, praying for God’s will to be done above all else. We can all learn from Jesus here, even though your spirit may be willing, good intentions aren't quite good enough when your flesh is weak. When temptation was at it's peak, Jesus prayed and found the strength to overcome His spiritual battle, the disciples failed to pray and they didn’t have the spiritual strength. They were overpowered by the natural. Some of you might wrestle with worry and anxiety, you can give yourself all the pep talks in the world and soon you realize, you can’t control it for very long. Only God can give us the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.
Some of you are being tempted by internet pornography, you know you shouldn't be watching it, but no matter how you try to resist, you find yourself clicking on things you shouldn't be seeing. You're determined to honor God but you keep falling into sin. Pray! And continue to pray until the desire for pornography is replaced a new affection for God's Word. We have no power on our own to resist Satan's devious tactics, we need to cry out, "Lord, help me! I can't do this alone." Through the power of prayer, I have witnessed God strengthening many people to overcome temptation of just about every kind. It's worth mentioning, in Jesus' first temptation He turned to the Word, and in the second greater temptation He turns directly to God in prayer.
In verse 43, we see "Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy."
If it were not for the word "again," we might draw the conclusion that they never woke up. It is now well into the night, surely they're tired, celebrating the Passover, the institution of the Lord's Supper, hearing of betrayal, learning that they will all fall away, abandoning Him, it's a lot for anyone to handle. However, this is the most grief-filled moment that Jesus has experienced
on this earth and His followers can’t even stay awake long enough even after He had given them a warning, to pray with and
for Him. Listen, if you want triumph over temptation, keep your eyes open and keep praying. Pour the Word of God into your life. That’s how you deal with spiritual battles, just like Jesus. The disciples were indifferent to the nature of the spiritual battle and the power of Satan, who is going to tempt them, they were unprepared and fell into sin, rejection and denial. Victory belongs to the vigilant.
Verse 44, "And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more."
He's asking if there was any other way to redeem His children, even though He already knew the answer. Jesus is illustrating the need for dependence in prayer. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Paul instructs us to "Pray without ceasing," that you may not enter into temptation. Don't place your confidence in the flesh. Some have suggested that Christ is in sorrow because He will soon die, however, there are many times His life has been in danger, and He showed no fear. From the beginning, Christ knew that His life mission was come to save each one of us by dying on
a cross and suffering for our sins, that we might be forgiven. Only the sinless Son of God, the perfect Lamb without spot or blemish, could be hung on the cross for the sins of the world. Let us never forget this picture of the lonely and troubled Christ as He faces death, committed to doing the Father’s will.
Look at verse 45, "Then He *came to the disciples and *said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners."
They still couldn’t stay awake and pray for Jesus. Shocking, isn't it? It kind of makes you want to ask them, "Are you that weak? How can you be completely unaware what you're about to face? Are you so wrapped up in your own self-pity that you're indifferent to what He's going through?" You can really feel His frustration with them, so He probably said that emphatically. "Behold, the hour is at hand ," is in the present tense, meaning His time has come to be "betrayed into the hands of sinners." If you're not aware of what's going on around you, the enemy is going to catch you off guard. That's why Paul says in Ephesians 6:11, "Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil." No matter what circumstances you may face in your life, Christ promises to live in us, by His Holy Spirit, that we might never be alone. Keep your eyes fixed on Christ.
That brings us to verse 46, "Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!"
Get up, the time is now, the hour of redemption has come. The one who betrays is at hand. What we see here is the power of Christ over Satan, He has overcome temptation with strength, now He's ready to deal with this head on.
In Closing..
What we need to learn from our Lord's example is, that the only way we can wrestle against and overcome temptation, is on our knees, in communion with the Father, in prayer. Only then can we be courageously ready to face the power of Satan in the strength and the invincibility of the Father. If you're unable to overcome sin and temptation, you're not depending on God, your problem is not desire, your problem is you're dependent on self-willpower. Eventually, you will fail, because Satan is going to keep coming after you, and all it takes is one more straw to break the camel's back.
Keep watching and keep praying. Keep fighting whatever battle you're facing in prayer. Come to God in prayer, even now and ask Him for victory in Christ’s name.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Copyright © 2019-2023 All Rights Reserved
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Copyright © 2019-2023 All Rights Reserved