1 00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:03,360 Have you ever been pushed beyond your breaking point? 2 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:09,800 Some of you are the kind of people, I'm tempted to say crazy 3 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:14,000 people, who train for and run marathons. 4 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:18,040 You start by running 6 miles, 8 miles, 10 miles. 5 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:23,240 You get up to 12/15/16. Somehow you have this big giant 6 00:00:23,240 --> 00:00:28,400 leap on the day of the race where then you run 26.2 and 7 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:32,880 whether in the training or in the race itself, you are 8 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:35,440 constantly pushing through barriers you thought you 9 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:39,200 couldn't make it through, whether physical, mental, 10 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:42,440 emotional. You hit a breaking point and 11 00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:46,040 somehow you keep going. That's very admirable. 12 00:00:46,480 --> 00:00:51,360 It's not for me. My idea of running is a very 13 00:00:51,480 --> 00:00:58,440 occasional 5K. That's plenty more of us, more 14 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:02,480 of the time get pushed past our breaking point. 15 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:07,880 Not by something you try to do, but by something that happens to 16 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:10,400 you. Something you didn't want, 17 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:16,440 something you didn't ask for, something you didn't choose, and 18 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:22,240 something you would gladly unchoose if you could live long 19 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:25,760 enough. And it is only a matter of time 20 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:29,360 before you encounter a trial that pushes you past your 21 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:32,600 breaking point. What used to get you out of bed 22 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:35,440 in the morning does not do it anymore. 23 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:39,240 What used to motivate or encourage you no longer seems to 24 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:41,800 help. You're coming apart of the 25 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:46,840 seams. Emotionally, physically, maybe 26 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:52,080 spiritually, The trial is beyond your strength to endure. 27 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:56,880 You're being crushed under its weight. 28 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:03,560 When you get pushed past your breaking point, what do you do? 29 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:10,919 What can you do? This morning we continue our 30 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:15,400 series in the Gospel of Mark with Chapter 14, verses 32 to 31 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:17,280 42. If you don't have a Bible, you 32 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:19,200 can feel free to raise your hand and someone will bring you one. 33 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:21,040 And if you don't have a Bible at home, you can read. 34 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:22,880 Feel free to take that home and read it. 35 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:27,200 It's a gift from us. Our passage tells us about the 36 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:30,040 last night of Jesus's earthly life. 37 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:33,480 In the passage just before this one, which we studied last week, 38 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:40,160 Jesus confidently predicted his death, and his disciples equally 39 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:44,040 confidently predicted their undying loyalty to him. 40 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:51,960 But in our passage, Jesus gets pushed to and beyond his 41 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:56,320 breaking point, and both his resolve and his disciples 42 00:02:56,320 --> 00:03:00,720 resolve seem to crumble. But there's an absolutely 43 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:05,800 crucial difference between how Jesus responds to the trial 44 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:11,240 ordained for him and how his disciples respond to the trial 45 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:14,320 ordained for them. What is that difference? 46 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:21,240 Please follow along as I read Mark 1432 to 42. 47 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:29,560 And they went to a place called Gethsemane. 48 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:35,880 And he said to his disciples, Sit here while I pray. 49 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:43,000 And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be 50 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:50,560 greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, My soul is 51 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:56,680 very sorrowful, even to death, Remain here and watch. 52 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:01,120 And going a little farther he fell on the ground, and prayed 53 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:04,840 that if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 54 00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:13,640 And he said, ABBA, father, all things are possible for you. 55 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:22,480 Remove this cup from me yet not what I will, but what you will. 56 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:25,720 And he came and found them sleeping. 57 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:28,560 And he said to Peter, Simon, are you asleep? 58 00:04:29,840 --> 00:04:36,800 Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not 59 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:42,320 enter into temptation. The Spirit indeed is willing, 60 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:48,680 but the flesh is weak. And again he went away and 61 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:53,840 prayed, saying the same words. And again he came and found them 62 00:04:53,840 --> 00:04:59,160 sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not 63 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:04,960 know what to answer him. And he came the third time and 64 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:10,720 said to them, Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? 65 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:16,800 It is enough. The hour has come. 66 00:05:17,840 --> 00:05:20,800 The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 67 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:29,360 Rise, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand. 68 00:05:33,840 --> 00:05:37,320 The first 3 verses of our passage set the scene in the 69 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:39,640 garden. They show us that Jesus is 70 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:42,040 greatly disturbed and troubled, and he's going to retreat to 71 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:44,080 pray. That's verses 32 to 34. 72 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:49,800 Then there are three cycles of Jesus retreating to pray and 73 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:53,360 then returning to his disciples. The first one is told in the 74 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:56,360 most detailed. That's verses 35 to 39. 75 00:05:57,280 --> 00:06:00,320 The other two cycles are told much more briefly. 76 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:05,640 What's going on here? What Jesus faced in the Garden 77 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:09,160 of Gethsemane was his greatest trial yet. 78 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:12,120 It pushed him past his breaking point. 79 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:17,720 And yet he passed the test. How? 80 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:22,000 Here's the point of our passage in one sentence. 81 00:06:23,280 --> 00:06:30,680 Submissive prayer is how Jesus passed his greatest test for you 82 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:37,520 and how you can pass your greatest tests for him. 83 00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:45,560 I'll say that again. Submissive prayer is how Jesus 84 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:54,280 passed his greatest test for you and how you can pass your 85 00:06:54,280 --> 00:07:00,640 greatest tests for him. In our passage, both Jesus and 86 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:03,320 his three closest disciples are being tested. 87 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:08,280 For both Jesus and his disciples, this is a preview of 88 00:07:08,280 --> 00:07:14,000 a still greater test to come. He passes, they fail. 89 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:19,080 How did Jesus pass his greatest test for you, and how can you 90 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:21,560 pass your greatest tests for him? 91 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:25,640 We'll walk through the passage in five parts to answer that 92 00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:34,120 question .1 the test, the test. We see the nature of the test 93 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:38,840 and its impact on Jesus in verses 32 to 34. 94 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:43,240 Look again at verse 32. And they went to a place called 95 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:48,280 Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, sit here while I 96 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:51,240 pray. This is just after the Last 97 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:55,520 Supper, same night Jesus and his 11 remaining disciples are on 98 00:07:55,520 --> 00:07:58,360 the Mount of Olives and they go to a garden or an olive Grove 99 00:07:58,360 --> 00:08:03,920 called Gethsemane. John 18 two tells us that Jesus 100 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:05,400 often went here with his disciples. 101 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:08,240 Presumably he went there regularly so that he could pray 102 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:11,120 privately, just as he's going to do now. 103 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:14,920 And so Jesus leaves the bulk of his disciples behind and retreat 104 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:17,360 some distance to pray in private. 105 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:25,720 Verse 33 And He took with him Peter and James and John, and 106 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:28,240 began to be greatly distressed and troubled. 107 00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:32,840 So we learn more detail. He left 8 disciples further off 108 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:35,440 and brought the remaining three with him. 109 00:08:35,919 --> 00:08:41,039 Why these three? One reason is that He 110 00:08:41,039 --> 00:08:43,280 deliberately formed them into kind of an inner circle. 111 00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:47,080 He granted these three even deeper, more privileged 112 00:08:47,080 --> 00:08:49,600 revelation of Himself at a couple of times in the Gospel. 113 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:54,520 It was these three disciples who saw Jesus's glory revealed on 114 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:58,480 the Mount of Transfiguration. It was these three disciples, 115 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:01,720 plus Andrew, whom Jesus taught about the destruction of the 116 00:09:01,720 --> 00:09:05,120 temple and his own second coming throughout chapter 13. 117 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:14,440 So He is going to give them yet one more intimate revelation of 118 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:19,640 His glory as He allows them to overhear His private prayer to 119 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:22,840 the Father in His darkest hour yet. 120 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:26,960 But there's another reason He brings along these three. 121 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:30,160 There's something these 3 disciples have in common. 122 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:35,120 Just a few verses ago Peter proclaimed, Even though they all 123 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:39,560 fall away, I will not. And he said, if I must die with 124 00:09:39,560 --> 00:09:45,120 you, I will not deny you. 4 chapters ago, at the end of 125 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:50,640 chapter 10, Jesus asked James and John, are you able to drink 126 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:55,240 the cup that I drink or to be baptized with the baptism with 127 00:09:55,240 --> 00:10:00,160 which I am baptized? And they said to him, we are 128 00:10:00,720 --> 00:10:06,040 able. Peter, James and John are 129 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:13,080 confident in their ability to suffer with and for Jesus. 130 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:19,440 They are confident they can handle whatever trials Jesus 131 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:25,800 lays on them. So Jesus takes them aside to 132 00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:30,640 show them what faithfulness to the cross is going to cost him 133 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:35,440 and what faithfulness to the cross is going to cost them. 134 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:42,200 As Matthew Henry puts it, it is fit that they who are most 135 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:49,240 confident should be first tried, that they may be made sensible 136 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:56,440 of their folly and weakness. Peter, James, and John singled 137 00:10:56,440 --> 00:10:58,440 themselves out by their confidence. 138 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:03,440 So Jesus singled them out for testing. 139 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:10,080 The end of verse 33 tells us that Jesus began to be greatly 140 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:13,280 distressed and troubled. This is strong language. 141 00:11:13,720 --> 00:11:19,360 Jesus is disturbed, alarmed, astonished, frightened. 142 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:26,440 He is not emotionally composed. He is not stoically confident 143 00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:30,400 and detached. He's troubled in the very depths 144 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:34,600 of his heart and soul. In the beginning of verse 34, 145 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:38,000 Jesus himself tells the three disciples how he's feeling. 146 00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:41,320 My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. 147 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:44,360 The Greek wording of that phrase, My soul is very 148 00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:48,480 sorrowful, closely matches Psalm 42, five, which Carissa read to 149 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:50,840 us a little bit ago. Why are you cast down? 150 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:54,720 Oh, my soul, Jesus soul is cast down. 151 00:11:55,160 --> 00:12:00,920 He has been pushed to and beyond his emotional breaking point. 152 00:12:02,240 --> 00:12:08,200 The question is why? What is it that pushed Jesus 153 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:11,560 beyond his breaking point? He has confidently predicted his 154 00:12:11,560 --> 00:12:13,440 coming death throughout the Gospel. 155 00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:17,000 Just a little while ago at the Last Supper, he predicted his 156 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:20,280 death again. He knows Judas is in the process 157 00:12:20,280 --> 00:12:23,320 of betraying him. He knows that's the divine plan. 158 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:26,640 He's been resolutely marching toward it ever since he set his 159 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:30,040 face to go to Jerusalem. So what's changed? 160 00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:34,040 Why does he hit a breaking point now? 161 00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:41,680 I think the reason becomes clear in verse 36 when he asks the 162 00:12:41,680 --> 00:12:49,160 Father, remove this cup from me. The cup is God's wrath. 163 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:53,360 The cup is the judgement of God against all the sins of His 164 00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:56,560 people. The cup is not merely death, but 165 00:12:56,560 --> 00:12:59,800 suffering the wrath of God against sin. 166 00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:05,480 Here, in His agony in the Garden, Jesus begins to have an 167 00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:10,840 anticipation of what the cross is going to feel like. 168 00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:16,000 He begins to sense, to feel, to experience just how horrific his 169 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:17,840 sacrificial death is going to be. 170 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:22,880 He begins to feel the weight of what the sin laid on his 171 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:26,320 shoulders is going to do to him. And it undoes him. 172 00:13:27,560 --> 00:13:32,240 It crushes him. Jesus is distressed not by 173 00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:36,960 anything that has happened, but by what he knows is going to 174 00:13:36,960 --> 00:13:40,160 happen. The Scottish theologian Donald 175 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:42,040 McLeod to put this point beautifully. 176 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:47,560 He said what? When Moses saw the glory of God 177 00:13:47,560 --> 00:13:50,840 on Mount Sinai, so terrifying was the sight that he trembled 178 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:53,920 with fear. But that was God in covenant, 179 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:58,480 God in grace. What Christ saw in Gethsemane 180 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:07,920 was God with the sword raised. The wonder of the love of Christ 181 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:12,320 for his people is not that for their sake he faced death 182 00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:17,280 without fear, but that for their sake he faced it terrified. 183 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:22,720 Terrified by what he knew and terrified by what he did not 184 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:27,040 know, He took damnation lovingly. 185 00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:35,880 And so with the weight of of that coming sin bearing 186 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:41,600 sacrifice beginning to grind him into the ground, Jesus begins to 187 00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:44,680 withdraw, to pray. And he tells his disciples in 188 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:51,000 verse 34, remain here and watch. When he says watch, he means 189 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:54,600 that they're to remain spiritually alert through 190 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:56,120 prayer. They're to stay awake 191 00:14:56,120 --> 00:14:58,480 physically, take that for granted, but they're also to 192 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:01,400 stay awake spiritually, to be watchful. 193 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:05,560 They're to watch out for their own souls and watch over their 194 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:09,360 own souls. In his hour of greatest need, 195 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:11,800 Jesus relies fundamentally on God. 196 00:15:12,080 --> 00:15:16,640 That's why he retreats to pray, but he also enlists the help of 197 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:22,080 his closest followers. Matthew 2638 tells us Jesus said 198 00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:29,800 remain here and watch with me. And verse 34 Jesus tells his 199 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:32,880 disciples my soul is very sorrowful. 200 00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:37,800 Note the next phrase even to death. 201 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:47,760 Jesus is saying that his inward sorrow is severe enough to kill 202 00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:50,920 him. The weight of grief he is under 203 00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:55,360 could undo him, not just emotionally, but physically. 204 00:15:56,160 --> 00:15:59,040 One other evidence of that we see in Luke's account, Luke 205 00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:05,360 2244, reports that during his prayer, Jesus sweated out drops 206 00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:11,400 of blood. Jesus is sad enough to die from 207 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:18,680 it. Have you ever been so sad that 208 00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:25,080 you thought it might kill you? Or an experience right next door 209 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:27,240 to that. Have you ever been so 210 00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:31,160 overwhelmed with grief that you would have preferred simply to 211 00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:36,400 die rather than to bear whatever was crushing your soul? 212 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:39,040 I don't necessarily mean that you were suicidal, not wanting 213 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:41,080 to kill yourself, not intending to kill yourself. 214 00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:44,800 Just that you were so sad that some part of you would have 215 00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:48,680 preferred non existence to having to keep going through 216 00:16:49,560 --> 00:16:56,480 what you were going through. Brother, sister, if you have 217 00:16:56,480 --> 00:17:01,080 ever been that overwhelmed with sorrow, if you are that 218 00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:11,440 overwhelmed with sorrow right now, come join your Savior in 219 00:17:11,440 --> 00:17:17,040 the garden. See what he suffered, See what 220 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:21,040 he endured. See how he responded. 221 00:17:22,359 --> 00:17:28,200 Jesus has been there, and he passed that test. 222 00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:33,120 Here at his greatest test, Jesus proved faithful. 223 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:37,840 If you have been sad enough to die, or sad enough that you 224 00:17:37,840 --> 00:17:43,760 wished you were dead, Jesus has suffered sorrow that great and 225 00:17:43,760 --> 00:17:47,160 greater. Jesus has suffered darkness that 226 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:52,280 deep and deeper. No matter how far down the well 227 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:56,560 of sadness you find yourself, Jesus has been there and He's 228 00:17:56,560 --> 00:18:02,280 been down deeper. He endured it all for you, and 229 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:06,320 He endured it all with perfect faithfulness, so that even when 230 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:10,280 the force of his sorrow threatened to RIP his soul from 231 00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:13,960 his body, He entrusted himself perfectly to God. 232 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:17,880 Jesus has been there. He went there for you. 233 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:23,640 He suffered it all for you, and He emerged out the other side 234 00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:26,840 into everlasting life. That's why we can confess that 235 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:30,520 we can draw near to Him, confident that He's been tempted 236 00:18:30,520 --> 00:18:33,880 in every way as we are, yet without sin, and so He can give 237 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:38,320 us grace to help in time of need. 238 00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:42,880 He's been through an even more extreme need, and He endured it 239 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:46,200 faithfully. Therefore, He can help you in 240 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:54,760 your most extreme need. Jesus knows your suffering 241 00:18:55,920 --> 00:18:57,360 better than you know it yourself. 242 00:18:59,840 --> 00:19:06,000 Jesus loves you more than you love yourself. 243 00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:10,680 Your sorrowing soul is safe in His hands. 244 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:18,040 No matter how broken your life seems, it is never beyond 245 00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:24,840 Jesus's ability to repair. Jesus can mend more than you 246 00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:30,920 know. Kids in the congregation, what 247 00:19:30,920 --> 00:19:35,160 are you afraid of? Jesus knows what it is to be 248 00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:38,880 scared. Our passage teaches us that he 249 00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:43,040 was terrified and he faced down the wrath of God, the most 250 00:19:43,040 --> 00:19:46,200 terrifying reality in the universe, so that if you trust 251 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:50,840 in Him, you would have literally nothing to be afraid of. 252 00:19:52,760 --> 00:19:57,480 Jesus was passed what was pushed clear past His breaking point. 253 00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:02,520 Why? So that He can be all you need 254 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:06,320 when you are pushed past your breaking point. 255 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:11,360 Whenever God's Providence. Has pushed you clear past what 256 00:20:11,360 --> 00:20:16,840 you can handle. Come to Jesus for help. 257 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:24,080 Verse 34 ends of the command watch while Jesus goes off and 258 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:26,480 prays. They have to remain spiritually 259 00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:29,640 alert. Jesus has set an exam for his 260 00:20:29,720 --> 00:20:32,360 disciples. He's given them a test. 261 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:37,960 Watch is a test for them, and the whole experience is a test 262 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:42,040 for him. Why does it take place in a 263 00:20:42,040 --> 00:20:45,920 garden? Because Jesus is the second 264 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:50,160 Adam, the last Adam, the true and better Adam. 265 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:57,000 Adam failed to obey in a garden. Jesus passed the test of 266 00:20:57,000 --> 00:21:02,000 obedience in this garden. Jesus succeeded where Adam 267 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:04,160 failed. Next question is how? 268 00:21:05,080 --> 00:21:10,080 Point #2 The submission The submission. 269 00:21:10,760 --> 00:21:14,360 We see Jesus submit to his Father in verses 35 and 36. 270 00:21:17,240 --> 00:21:23,640 Look at verse 35. And going a little farther, He 271 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:26,240 fell on the ground and prayed that if it were possible, the 272 00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:31,240 hour might pass from him. Jesus retreats a short distance 273 00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:34,000 away from the three disciples to pray. 274 00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:39,280 Note his posture. He fell to the ground. 275 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:43,800 A normal ancient Jewish prayer posture was either standing with 276 00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:48,680 raised hands or kneeling. Jesus instead falls flat on the 277 00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:52,640 ground. The weight of the cross is 278 00:21:52,640 --> 00:21:57,560 already beginning to crush him. He's so burdened he feels like 279 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:01,480 he's going to die. What can he do under such 280 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:04,000 weight? Only one thing. 281 00:22:05,720 --> 00:22:08,800 Pray. That's all Jesus can do. 282 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:12,760 And when you're past your breaking point, all you can do 283 00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:15,520 is pray. When it seems like there's 284 00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:22,880 nothing you can do, prayer is the one thing you must do. 285 00:22:24,960 --> 00:22:29,560 Jesus asks that if it is possible, the hour might pass 286 00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:31,840 from him. Note that even in this request, 287 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:35,240 he's submissive. He says if possible, if it's 288 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:39,600 God's will, if there's any way in keeping with God's will, he 289 00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:44,400 prays that he will not face down what he is facing down right now 290 00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:47,520 by asking that the hour might pass from him. 291 00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:51,440 He's asking if there is any way in which God the Father will 292 00:22:51,440 --> 00:22:56,520 permit him to escape the cross. And then we get the request in 293 00:22:56,520 --> 00:22:58,520 his own words, repeated in verse 36. 294 00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:03,000 And he said, ABBA, Father, all things are possible for you. 295 00:23:03,880 --> 00:23:08,800 Remove this cup from me, yet. Not what I will, but what you 296 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:11,960 will. Note that Jesus begins by 297 00:23:11,960 --> 00:23:14,280 acknowledging God's infinite power. 298 00:23:15,120 --> 00:23:19,160 All things are possible for him. So again, Jesus is not asserting 299 00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:23,520 His will over God's. Instead, he's asking if there is 300 00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:27,400 any other way for the plan of salvation to be fulfilled 301 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:33,640 besides his going to the cross. That's why he speaks of the cup. 302 00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:38,440 This cup in the Old Testament cup can have happy connotations 303 00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:42,000 of celebration, joy, blessing. It can describe the measure of 304 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:45,320 joy and prosperity that God assigns to a person. 305 00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:51,480 But it also frequently refers to God's wrath poured out in 306 00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:55,160 judgement, a cup that makes people stagger. 307 00:23:56,240 --> 00:24:00,560 Jesus is about to raise this cup to his lips, and he can already 308 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:05,040 anticipate how infinitely bitter it is going to taste. 309 00:24:05,520 --> 00:24:09,360 So he asks if there's any way for him not to have to drink it. 310 00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:16,080 Note that Jesus isn't giving up on being his people's savior. 311 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:18,960 He's not trying to contradict God's plan of salvation. 312 00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:21,840 He's not saying big mistake here, let's call the whole thing 313 00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:27,440 off. Instead, he's asking if there's 314 00:24:27,440 --> 00:24:32,520 any other way for the same end to be achieved by different 315 00:24:32,960 --> 00:24:35,400 means. What's the answer? 316 00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:46,920 No, there is no other way. That's what God's silence 317 00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:50,720 throughout the passage is going to show. 318 00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:55,360 That's what Jesus rising to meet his hour in verse 41 is going to 319 00:24:55,360 --> 00:24:58,440 show. If sinners are ever going to be 320 00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:03,840 saved, the only way is through the sin bearing self sacrifice 321 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:09,640 of the Son of God. God did not have to decide to 322 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:13,600 save any of us. God would have been perfectly 323 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:19,920 just to condemn every human being to an eternity of torment 324 00:25:20,240 --> 00:25:25,520 as judgement in hell. God is perfectly righteous, and 325 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:28,840 as much as our hearts resisted, as much as our minds rejected, 326 00:25:29,120 --> 00:25:31,520 the penalty for our sin is infinite. 327 00:25:31,880 --> 00:25:34,160 The punishment for our sin is infinite. 328 00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:38,320 What we deserve from God is only to be rejected by Him, 329 00:25:38,520 --> 00:25:45,720 condemned, punished, separated. God was under no obligation to 330 00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:49,800 save anyone, and yet from all eternity, He freely chose to. 331 00:25:49,800 --> 00:25:52,920 He freely purposed to because He's infinite in mercy. 332 00:25:53,040 --> 00:25:59,120 He's rich in mercy. Given that God freely decided to 333 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:03,160 save an innumerable company of people from every tribe, tongue 334 00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:07,800 and nation, how could that take place? 335 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:11,760 Was it kind of like there's a range of options here and you 336 00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:13,680 could sort of go for, you know, like you're buying a car. 337 00:26:13,680 --> 00:26:16,280 There's kind of like the, you know, there's the deluxe option 338 00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:19,000 with all the fanciest technology and seats that warm and 339 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:20,520 whatever. And there's the kind of like 340 00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:24,200 bottom dollar option, you know, where the door still opens and 341 00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:26,520 shuts manually like it used to when I was a kid? 342 00:26:27,360 --> 00:26:29,880 Is there a range of options laid out here that God could have 343 00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:31,800 just picked and choose from to save people? 344 00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:38,920 What our passage is teaching is that only the Incarnate Son of 345 00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:44,400 God bearing the weight of God's wrath on the cross as a 346 00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:48,280 substitute for His people, as a sacrifice for his people, only 347 00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:51,960 Him giving his life in place of ours, only Him suffering the 348 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:55,360 death we deserved, only Him suffering the wrath we deserved. 349 00:26:55,520 --> 00:26:58,120 That's it. That's the only way to be saved. 350 00:26:58,120 --> 00:27:03,280 That's the only way God himself could accomplish your salvation. 351 00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:11,200 Jesus himself received that news as the silent answer to his 352 00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:14,800 prayer. Only one way to be saved. 353 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:19,720 So if someone says to you, aren't all religions basically 354 00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:22,160 the same? Aren't they all trying to go to 355 00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:28,120 the same place in the end? Gethsemane says there's only one 356 00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:30,480 way. There's only one way to be 357 00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:33,520 saved. There's only one God like this. 358 00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:37,600 There's only one fully accurate diagnosis of our problem, that 359 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:40,240 it's our sin incurring God's wrath. 360 00:27:40,240 --> 00:27:42,720 That is the most fundamental issue we all need to deal with. 361 00:27:43,160 --> 00:27:48,960 And who is a God like this? Even if you say you believe in 362 00:27:49,120 --> 00:27:51,640 one God, OK, And maybe it's shared in common with these 363 00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:57,400 other religions. Who is the God who himself comes 364 00:27:57,400 --> 00:27:59,880 to earth to bear the weight of his people's sin? 365 00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:05,640 Who is the God who ordains his own self substitution for the 366 00:28:05,640 --> 00:28:10,440 purpose of self sacrifice, so that all who trust in him would 367 00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:15,880 be saved free and clear forever? No other religion claims that. 368 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:22,800 No other religion offers that. Only Jesus praying in the garden 369 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:29,200 and submitting to his Father's will, not my will, but yours, be 370 00:28:29,200 --> 00:28:34,400 done. Not only that, but only Jesus 371 00:28:36,280 --> 00:28:42,360 bore the wrath, drained the cup, submitted to death, and then 372 00:28:42,360 --> 00:28:46,560 emerged out of death out the other side three days later 373 00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:52,000 victorious. No other religion gives you 374 00:28:52,040 --> 00:28:56,160 that. Only Jesus rose from the dead in 375 00:28:56,160 --> 00:29:00,320 the middle of history to prove the truth of all He said, to 376 00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:04,800 prove the worth of his sacrifice and offer you eternal life if 377 00:29:04,800 --> 00:29:06,600 you will turn from sin and trust in Him. 378 00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:13,640 Because Jesus drained the cup of wrath for you, by faith, you can 379 00:29:13,640 --> 00:29:15,560 drink the cup of rejoicing with Him forever. 380 00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:19,960 Because Jesus submitted to death for you by faith, you can have 381 00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:25,040 eternal life with Him forever. Because Jesus suffered hell for 382 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:29,840 you by faith, the joys of heaven can be yours forever. 383 00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:39,600 In Gethsemane, Christ suffered God's abandonment in an 384 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:41,720 anticipation of what he'd suffer on the cross. 385 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:45,920 What he faced in that garden is what you'll never face if you 386 00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:48,560 trust in Him, because He faced it for you. 387 00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:54,000 Not how Jesus addresses God in prayer as ABBA Father. 388 00:29:54,680 --> 00:29:56,840 ABBA is the Aramaic word for Father. 389 00:29:57,320 --> 00:30:00,320 It's a respectful form of address, but it's also uniquely 390 00:30:00,320 --> 00:30:03,960 intimate. It was not a typical way for 1st 391 00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:06,520 century Jews to pray. It's not that nobody prayed like 392 00:30:06,520 --> 00:30:09,520 that, but it was distinctive of Jesus to pray like this so 393 00:30:09,520 --> 00:30:12,440 often. Not a normal way for Jews to 394 00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:19,160 pray, but it is how all who trust in Christ get to pray by 395 00:30:19,160 --> 00:30:21,040 offering himself force on the cross. 396 00:30:21,840 --> 00:30:26,720 Jesus made his Father our Father in Romans 815. 397 00:30:26,720 --> 00:30:30,960 In Galatians 46, Paul preserves these exact words of Jesus, ABBA 398 00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:36,920 Father as the prayer. Every Christian gets to pray. 399 00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:41,120 Every Christian has intimate access to God in prayer. 400 00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:45,800 Every Christian has the guarantee that God will hear and 401 00:30:45,800 --> 00:30:47,800 answer our prayers. Why? 402 00:30:48,760 --> 00:30:50,800 Because of the obedient sacrifice of Christ. 403 00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:57,320 Because Christ submitted himself to God the Father in prayer. 404 00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:00,600 Look again at the end of verse 36. 405 00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:11,520 Yet not what I will, but what you will, not my will, but yours 406 00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:16,200 be done. Jesus is God the Son Incarnate. 407 00:31:16,880 --> 00:31:22,520 He remains truly God even after becoming truly human. 408 00:31:23,080 --> 00:31:27,360 He possesses both the divine nature and a human nature. 409 00:31:28,200 --> 00:31:32,880 This means he has both a divine will and a human will. 410 00:31:33,560 --> 00:31:38,000 The human will naturally desires life. 411 00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:41,440 Life is our natural good, our most basic good. 412 00:31:41,840 --> 00:31:44,800 It is the good without which you don't have any other goods. 413 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:47,520 Even if part of you is so sad you wish you were dead, it's 414 00:31:47,520 --> 00:31:51,200 because you would actually find that preferable to what you're 415 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:56,320 going through right now. To be a human being is to desire 416 00:31:56,320 --> 00:31:59,280 and seek and preserve your own life. 417 00:31:59,440 --> 00:32:05,320 Unless there's something higher, deeper, better you're willing to 418 00:32:05,320 --> 00:32:11,000 put even above life itself, it's natural to preserve your own 419 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:15,840 life. It's supernatural to be willing 420 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:20,640 to lay down your life for the sake of some higher, greater 421 00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:24,480 good. That's essentially what's going 422 00:32:24,480 --> 00:32:29,280 on in Jesus prayer. As a human being, he sinlessly 423 00:32:30,080 --> 00:32:34,600 fears death. He sinlessly shrinks from the 424 00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:38,760 prospect of suffering God's wrath as a human being. 425 00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:44,360 He naturally sinlessly asks to be spared from death. 426 00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:49,920 And yet he also obediently submits that desire to something 427 00:32:49,920 --> 00:32:53,640 higher. He submits his desire to live to 428 00:32:53,640 --> 00:32:56,280 his desire to please the Father and fulfil the divine plan of 429 00:32:56,280 --> 00:32:59,800 salvation. He submits his desire to live to 430 00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:05,080 his desire to obey the Father. He submits his desire to live to 431 00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:11,560 his desire to save you. When he says not what I will, 432 00:33:11,560 --> 00:33:16,040 but what you will, he's saying if this is the only way that he 433 00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:23,000 can save you, he'll do it. And it is, and he did. 434 00:33:24,800 --> 00:33:30,680 It's also important to note that while God denied Jesus's request 435 00:33:30,680 --> 00:33:34,560 that the cup would pass from him, there is a sense in which 436 00:33:34,560 --> 00:33:38,760 he answered Jesus prayer. He did return an answer. 437 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:43,800 Jesus request was denied so that you and I would be saved. 438 00:33:44,680 --> 00:33:48,600 Because he was denied life. We received it. 439 00:33:49,400 --> 00:33:54,040 There's the answer. And yet also Jesus prayer was 440 00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:58,360 answered both with the implicit divine instruction that he must 441 00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:03,000 and will endure the cross, and by the fact that God raised him 442 00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:09,120 from the dead afterward. Because Jesus's request was 443 00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:11,520 denied. Blessings than anything you 444 00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:14,120 could ever ask for are stored up for you in heaven. 445 00:34:14,120 --> 00:34:20,120 And the new creation, God's know, was for the sake of an 446 00:34:20,120 --> 00:34:27,280 infinitely greater yes. So in prayer, when you pray, ask 447 00:34:27,280 --> 00:34:30,600 God for what you know is good. Ask God for what your heart 448 00:34:30,600 --> 00:34:34,440 desires. Ask Him for natural and 449 00:34:34,520 --> 00:34:40,360 spiritual blessings. And then trust that whenever he 450 00:34:40,360 --> 00:34:47,000 says no, it's for the sake of an infinitely greater yes. 451 00:34:48,120 --> 00:34:52,520 Submit to Him. Declare your desires, then 452 00:34:52,520 --> 00:34:57,120 submit your desires, make your requests, and then submit your 453 00:34:57,120 --> 00:35:01,240 request to God's will. Entrust your burdens, your 454 00:35:01,240 --> 00:35:06,840 wants, your desperate yearnings to Him, and then trust that your 455 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:10,880 deepest and truest desires will all one day be more than 456 00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:17,240 satisfied in the new creation. What can you do when you're 457 00:35:17,240 --> 00:35:21,040 pushed past your breaking point? Spiritually speaking, the one 458 00:35:21,040 --> 00:35:24,960 thing you can do is the one thing Jesus did Submit to God in 459 00:35:24,960 --> 00:35:27,280 prayer. When you submit to God in 460 00:35:27,280 --> 00:35:35,400 prayer, you learn by experience to patiently accept whatever God 461 00:35:35,520 --> 00:35:40,240 sends You. Learn to approve what God 462 00:35:40,240 --> 00:35:43,680 ordains you. Learn to bear up under sorrow 463 00:35:43,680 --> 00:35:47,720 because you know God is the one sending it. 464 00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:52,240 You learn to stay afloat when all God's Breakers and waves 465 00:35:52,240 --> 00:35:56,960 crash over you, because you know God is the one sending them. 466 00:35:57,720 --> 00:36:04,200 You learn to sit still, to quiet your heart, to wait for God. 467 00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:10,960 You learn to long for God more than you long for anything else 468 00:36:10,960 --> 00:36:15,000 that God may or may not give you. 469 00:36:17,240 --> 00:36:23,320 Whenever sorrow pushes you past your breaking point, pray until 470 00:36:23,320 --> 00:36:27,440 you can say from the bottom of your heart, yet not what I will, 471 00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:31,200 but what you will. That is how Jesus passed His 472 00:36:31,200 --> 00:36:33,600 greatest test yet, and He did it all for you. 473 00:36:33,600 --> 00:36:39,160 And that is how you can pass whatever tests the Lord ordains 474 00:36:39,480 --> 00:36:41,480 for you. It's the only way. 475 00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:48,120 Which is why when Jesus returns to his disciples, he gives them 476 00:36:48,120 --> 00:36:55,720 .3 the warning, the warning, verses 37 and 38. 477 00:36:58,040 --> 00:37:00,720 As I mentioned, our passage has three cycles of Jesus retreating 478 00:37:00,720 --> 00:37:03,280 to pray and then returning to his disciples. 479 00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:04,920 We've just seen the first retreat. 480 00:37:05,480 --> 00:37:09,880 Here's the first return. Start with verse 37. 481 00:37:11,720 --> 00:37:13,320 And he came and found them sleeping. 482 00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:15,640 And he said to Peter, Simon, are you asleep? 483 00:37:16,680 --> 00:37:23,120 Could you not watch one hour? Jesus pauses his prayer and 484 00:37:23,120 --> 00:37:28,120 returns to his disciples. Because he is motivated by care 485 00:37:28,600 --> 00:37:31,840 for their souls. He comes to them with sharp 486 00:37:31,840 --> 00:37:34,960 words, but all those sharp words are motivated by love. 487 00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:38,720 Even in his hour of greatest weakness and need, Jesus is 488 00:37:38,720 --> 00:37:41,800 going to show his disciples how they can get the spiritual 489 00:37:41,800 --> 00:37:43,920 strength they so desperately need. 490 00:37:44,800 --> 00:37:46,520 Simon begins by questioning Peter. 491 00:37:46,520 --> 00:37:51,840 Simon, are you asleep? This is like God asking Adam in 492 00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:54,560 the Garden of Eden. Adam, where are you? 493 00:37:55,640 --> 00:37:57,880 God knows, but he wants Adam to answer for it. 494 00:37:58,600 --> 00:38:02,200 Jesus knows and He wants Peter to answer for it. 495 00:38:03,080 --> 00:38:07,360 He knows Peter has failed. Jesus question is not for the 496 00:38:07,360 --> 00:38:10,920 sake of his own information. Jesus question is meant to 497 00:38:10,920 --> 00:38:18,000 reveal Peter to Peter. So Jesus here rebukes Peter for 498 00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:21,520 falling asleep, but he's also addressing the other two. 499 00:38:22,280 --> 00:38:25,200 The imperatives Jesus going to issue in verse 38 are both in 500 00:38:25,200 --> 00:38:28,920 the plural. He's talking to all three and so 501 00:38:28,920 --> 00:38:33,040 he exhorts them. Watch and pray that you may not 502 00:38:33,040 --> 00:38:36,400 enter into temptation. The Spirit indeed is willing, 503 00:38:36,400 --> 00:38:39,160 but the flesh is weak. That phrase at the end there 504 00:38:39,160 --> 00:38:42,080 gives a reason for why the disciples need to watch and 505 00:38:42,080 --> 00:38:45,120 pray. It's because they are a mess of 506 00:38:45,120 --> 00:38:48,240 contradictions. Some spiritual part of them 507 00:38:48,240 --> 00:38:53,560 wants to obey Jesus and be like Jesus and be present for Jesus 508 00:38:53,560 --> 00:38:56,880 in his hour of greatest need. But another part of them is 509 00:38:56,880 --> 00:39:01,920 weak, not just physically weak. Jesus is not just warning them 510 00:39:01,920 --> 00:39:04,880 that if you eat a big dinner, you're going to be tired 511 00:39:04,880 --> 00:39:07,640 afterward and drowsy. It goes much deeper. 512 00:39:08,080 --> 00:39:12,600 He's he's Speaking of both physical and spiritual weakness. 513 00:39:13,360 --> 00:39:16,680 And so often our physical weaknesses prey on and exploit 514 00:39:17,240 --> 00:39:18,960 spiritual weakness, and vice versa. 515 00:39:21,480 --> 00:39:27,280 We can't neatly separate the spiritual and physical in us. 516 00:39:27,720 --> 00:39:32,240 Both aspects are weak. Both are prone to failure. 517 00:39:33,440 --> 00:39:37,800 The better you know yourself, the better you will know your 518 00:39:37,800 --> 00:39:41,080 own weakness. The better you know yourself, 519 00:39:42,440 --> 00:39:49,000 the better you will understand just how little it takes to push 520 00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:54,520 you past your breaking point. So what's the solution for a 521 00:39:54,560 --> 00:40:02,400 willing spirit but weak flesh? Where can you get the strength 522 00:40:02,400 --> 00:40:06,840 you need? Only from God and only in 523 00:40:06,840 --> 00:40:10,880 prayer. Prayer is how human weakness. 524 00:40:11,200 --> 00:40:15,800 Turns into divine strength. Prayer is how God pours his 525 00:40:15,800 --> 00:40:19,680 omnipotence into your feeble flesh. 526 00:40:20,680 --> 00:40:27,040 The only adequate solution for your weakness is God's strength, 527 00:40:27,720 --> 00:40:31,600 and the only way to get that strength is through prayer. 528 00:40:32,240 --> 00:40:35,160 So Jesus says, watch and pray that you may not enter into 529 00:40:35,160 --> 00:40:37,280 temptation. What temptation? 530 00:40:38,080 --> 00:40:40,720 Well, of course Jesus teaching is true in general. 531 00:40:41,520 --> 00:40:44,040 This is one of the key dynamics of the Christian life. 532 00:40:45,040 --> 00:40:48,680 Being watchful in prayer is how we refuse to let temptation suck 533 00:40:48,680 --> 00:40:52,400 us in and take us captive. But Jesus also has something 534 00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:56,120 specific in mind. In the last passage we studied 535 00:40:56,120 --> 00:40:59,880 last week at the Last Supper, Jesus has just predicted his 536 00:40:59,880 --> 00:41:05,640 death and their desertion. When he is put on trial and then 537 00:41:05,640 --> 00:41:08,720 crucified, his disciples are going to flee from him in an 538 00:41:08,720 --> 00:41:15,000 attempt to save their own hides. Jesus is going to suffer the end 539 00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:16,880 time judgement in his own person. 540 00:41:17,760 --> 00:41:21,520 When he does, it's as if the end time tribulation is going to 541 00:41:21,520 --> 00:41:25,600 come looking for his disciples, hunting them down 1 by 1. 542 00:41:26,520 --> 00:41:31,080 When Jesus undergoes his final Test, his disciples will be 543 00:41:31,080 --> 00:41:35,160 tested like they've never been tested before, and they will 544 00:41:35,240 --> 00:41:42,920 fail. But here in verse 38, Jesus is 545 00:41:42,920 --> 00:41:47,640 teaching them ahead of time. This is how you can pass the 546 00:41:47,640 --> 00:41:51,160 coming test. This is how you can endure the 547 00:41:51,160 --> 00:41:54,880 coming trial. This is how you can escape from 548 00:41:54,880 --> 00:41:59,320 the coming temptation. He's showing them the way to the 549 00:41:59,320 --> 00:42:02,520 life raft. He's showing them the means by 550 00:42:02,520 --> 00:42:06,200 which God is ready and willing and able to deliver them from 551 00:42:06,200 --> 00:42:10,080 their temptation. But they have to make use of 552 00:42:10,080 --> 00:42:16,320 those means. Prayer is how you enter the 553 00:42:16,320 --> 00:42:23,480 lifeboat that delivers you from the shipwreck of temptation. 554 00:42:25,520 --> 00:42:31,320 In the garden, Jesus prays and perseveres. 555 00:42:32,640 --> 00:42:37,400 If the disciples do what Jesus did, they will have spiritual 556 00:42:37,400 --> 00:42:43,120 strength to endure. But he prays and they sleep. 557 00:42:44,560 --> 00:42:55,200 He endures, they fail and flee. Watch and pray that you may not 558 00:42:55,200 --> 00:43:01,400 enter into temptation. One of the great effects of 559 00:43:01,400 --> 00:43:05,600 prayer is that it changes you in the very moment. 560 00:43:06,160 --> 00:43:10,200 If you're weak, pray until you get new strength. 561 00:43:11,640 --> 00:43:16,520 If you're discouraged, pray until God shines some ray of 562 00:43:16,520 --> 00:43:20,400 encouragement into your soul. Try praying through a Psalm. 563 00:43:20,920 --> 00:43:24,320 You might find that the darkness a Psalm often begins with 564 00:43:24,840 --> 00:43:26,600 resonates with where you're at right now. 565 00:43:27,400 --> 00:43:29,840 Keep reading through the Psalm. Keep praying through the Psalm 566 00:43:30,040 --> 00:43:33,800 until the hope that arises in the Psalm resonates with your 567 00:43:33,800 --> 00:43:39,440 soul just as much. If you're doubting, pray until 568 00:43:39,440 --> 00:43:44,200 God strengthens your faith. If you're overwhelmed with 569 00:43:44,200 --> 00:43:50,600 sorrow, pray until God lifts at least some of the weight from 570 00:43:50,600 --> 00:43:57,000 your soul and replaces it with a sense of His presence and His 571 00:43:57,000 --> 00:44:01,560 peace. Watch and pray that you may not 572 00:44:01,560 --> 00:44:07,400 enter into temptation if you are in a prosperous, relatively easy 573 00:44:07,400 --> 00:44:11,200 season. You need to solidify habits of 574 00:44:11,200 --> 00:44:15,520 private prayer now. You need to make private prayer 575 00:44:15,520 --> 00:44:18,200 a load bearing part of your life now. 576 00:44:19,000 --> 00:44:24,920 You need a solid structure of private prayer in place so that 577 00:44:24,920 --> 00:44:30,080 you can keep at it when God unexpectedly adds some 20 ton 578 00:44:30,360 --> 00:44:33,080 trial. Pray now. 579 00:44:35,480 --> 00:44:36,600 You're going to need to pray later. 580 00:44:39,480 --> 00:44:41,640 Why should you devote yourself to private prayer? 581 00:44:42,480 --> 00:44:46,240 To confess your sin, to receive God's strength and place of your 582 00:44:46,240 --> 00:44:49,960 weakness, to pour out your soul to your loving Heavenly Father 583 00:44:49,960 --> 00:44:56,080 whose ear is always open to you, and to have communion with the 584 00:44:56,080 --> 00:45:00,040 God who loves you and who is saving you. 585 00:45:01,360 --> 00:45:07,040 The more spiritually mature you are, the more spending time with 586 00:45:07,040 --> 00:45:12,120 God alone will be like spending time with a close friend. 587 00:45:13,400 --> 00:45:18,320 Do you yearn to be with God through meditating on His word 588 00:45:18,800 --> 00:45:23,200 and praying? Do you want to be with Him like 589 00:45:23,200 --> 00:45:26,360 you want to be with an intimate friend who you don't get to see 590 00:45:27,000 --> 00:45:33,840 enough? Ellen Lakshmi Gora was born in 591 00:45:33,840 --> 00:45:37,520 India in 1853. After her mother died when she 592 00:45:37,520 --> 00:45:39,920 was an infant, she was adopted by English missionaries. 593 00:45:40,040 --> 00:45:42,360 She was raised in England, and when she was an adult, she 594 00:45:42,360 --> 00:45:44,320 returned to India as a Christian missionary. 595 00:45:44,920 --> 00:45:48,480 She wrote many poems that got used later as hymns. 596 00:45:49,360 --> 00:45:51,840 One of them is a poem about communion with God, which she 597 00:45:51,840 --> 00:45:55,240 titled My Refuge. It's become known as a hymn with 598 00:45:55,240 --> 00:45:57,720 the title In the Secret of His Presence. 599 00:45:58,440 --> 00:46:01,120 Sandra McCracken recorded a beautiful version of it 20 years 600 00:46:01,120 --> 00:46:04,840 ago that holds up well. Here's the first verse in 601 00:46:04,840 --> 00:46:10,200 Mccracken's version in the Secret of His Presence. 602 00:46:11,320 --> 00:46:17,680 How my soul delights to hide. Oh, how precious are the lessons 603 00:46:18,960 --> 00:46:25,360 which I learned at Jesus side. Earthly cares forever vex me 604 00:46:26,760 --> 00:46:33,680 while my trials lay me low. But when Satan comes to tempt me 605 00:46:35,480 --> 00:46:47,320 to that secret place I go. How can you endure when God 606 00:46:47,720 --> 00:46:49,760 pushes you past your breaking point? 607 00:46:51,560 --> 00:46:55,240 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. 608 00:46:56,560 --> 00:47:02,080 Go to the secret place with your savior. 609 00:47:03,360 --> 00:47:08,640 Stay there, wait there. Jesus prayed 3 times. 610 00:47:09,760 --> 00:47:16,520 You can manage that too. Keep praying even when it seems 611 00:47:17,440 --> 00:47:27,720 like God isn't listening .4 The silence, the silence. 612 00:47:28,800 --> 00:47:31,080 That's what we see in verses 39 to 40. 613 00:47:32,320 --> 00:47:35,360 These two final points will be brief because Mark's narrative 614 00:47:35,360 --> 00:47:40,760 moves much more quickly after. As I've mentioned, the first 3 615 00:47:40,760 --> 00:47:43,480 verses set the scene. We have these three cycles of 616 00:47:43,520 --> 00:47:46,200 Jesus retreating and returning. Here's the second one. 617 00:47:46,240 --> 00:47:47,880 Mark goes much more quickly here. 618 00:47:48,120 --> 00:47:53,440 And in this second cycle of retreat and return, the dominant 619 00:47:53,440 --> 00:47:58,800 note is silence, verses 39 and 40. 620 00:47:59,280 --> 00:48:02,480 And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. 621 00:48:03,880 --> 00:48:07,240 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were 622 00:48:07,240 --> 00:48:11,760 very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. 623 00:48:13,200 --> 00:48:15,840 In terms of what Jesus did. All we know is that he prayed 624 00:48:15,840 --> 00:48:18,120 the same thing, made the same request. 625 00:48:18,280 --> 00:48:21,240 He apparently received no immediate answer the first time, 626 00:48:21,520 --> 00:48:26,440 so he tried again. Prayer #2 Still no answer in the 627 00:48:26,440 --> 00:48:30,960 face of the desperate request of God the Son. 628 00:48:31,200 --> 00:48:36,600 Heaven remains silent. And then Jesus returns to the 629 00:48:36,600 --> 00:48:40,000 disciples and finds them sleeping again. 630 00:48:41,000 --> 00:48:44,680 They're failure #2 and note that they're also silent. 631 00:48:44,840 --> 00:48:47,800 They did not know what to answer Him. 632 00:48:48,080 --> 00:48:50,480 They have no good reason for their failure. 633 00:48:50,640 --> 00:48:54,840 No excuse to offer. This is precisely what Jesus 634 00:48:54,840 --> 00:48:57,960 warned him against back at the end of chapter 13 when he's 635 00:48:57,960 --> 00:48:59,440 talking about his personal return. 636 00:48:59,880 --> 00:49:05,320 Verses 35 and 36 Jesus says therefore stay awake, for you do 637 00:49:05,320 --> 00:49:08,000 not know when the master of the house will come in the evening 638 00:49:08,000 --> 00:49:10,000 or at midnight, or when the rooster crows are in the 639 00:49:10,000 --> 00:49:13,200 morning, lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 640 00:49:14,160 --> 00:49:17,320 Jesus is teaching that He himself will return personally 641 00:49:17,600 --> 00:49:20,840 at a time none of us know, so we as Christians need to stay awake 642 00:49:20,840 --> 00:49:23,400 at all times. The only way to do that is 643 00:49:23,400 --> 00:49:27,920 through persistent prayer. Jesus return to his disciples in 644 00:49:27,920 --> 00:49:32,120 the garden is a preview of his final return. 645 00:49:33,080 --> 00:49:36,920 He found them asleep. Will he find you asleep? 646 00:49:38,240 --> 00:49:41,480 If he does, there will be no excuse. 647 00:49:41,480 --> 00:49:46,960 You can offer him in that hour. If you're not a believer in 648 00:49:46,960 --> 00:49:52,040 Jesus, what reasons would you give for not believing in Him? 649 00:49:53,640 --> 00:50:00,240 Are you confident those are really reasons, or are they more 650 00:50:00,240 --> 00:50:07,360 like excuses? When you start to realize the 651 00:50:07,360 --> 00:50:15,040 poverty of your excuses, you're a huge step closer to receiving 652 00:50:15,040 --> 00:50:20,360 the riches of Christ. So the disciples failed Jesus 653 00:50:20,760 --> 00:50:24,840 again. What should you do when you fail 654 00:50:24,840 --> 00:50:26,880 Jesus? Repent. 655 00:50:27,920 --> 00:50:31,040 Confess your sins. Receive his forgiveness again. 656 00:50:31,320 --> 00:50:35,640 Trust in the fullness of his sacrifice in prayer. 657 00:50:35,640 --> 00:50:39,200 Seek from Him the strength He supplies for renewed obedience 658 00:50:39,800 --> 00:50:42,440 in prayer. Seek a fresh resolve to obey Him 659 00:50:42,640 --> 00:50:47,040 no matter what it costs you. Which brings us to the last two 660 00:50:47,040 --> 00:50:49,080 verses. Our final points .5. 661 00:50:49,680 --> 00:50:53,320 The resolve. The resolve. 662 00:50:54,600 --> 00:50:58,240 In verses 41 to 42, we see that as a result of His submissive 663 00:50:58,240 --> 00:51:03,480 prayer, Jesus rises to meet his fate with perfect renewed 664 00:51:04,080 --> 00:51:07,440 resolve. Look at those two verses 41 and 665 00:51:07,440 --> 00:51:10,000 42. And he came the third time and 666 00:51:10,000 --> 00:51:12,520 said to them, Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? 667 00:51:12,520 --> 00:51:14,520 It is enough. The hour has come. 668 00:51:14,840 --> 00:51:18,240 The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 669 00:51:18,440 --> 00:51:24,200 Rise, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand. 670 00:51:26,640 --> 00:51:30,120 Notice that this implies a third cycle of retreating to pray and 671 00:51:30,120 --> 00:51:33,360 return, but Mark doesn't explicitly mention the prayer. 672 00:51:34,120 --> 00:51:35,360 Jesus prays again, but they're not. 673 00:51:35,360 --> 00:51:39,640 There's no answer. Or rather, Jesus knows the 674 00:51:39,640 --> 00:51:43,040 answer. The answer is that the cross is 675 00:51:43,040 --> 00:51:47,640 the only way to save his people. The answer is that he must drink 676 00:51:47,760 --> 00:51:50,240 the cup. His circumstances haven't 677 00:51:50,240 --> 00:51:52,600 changed. His path ahead hasn't changed. 678 00:51:53,760 --> 00:51:58,480 But he has. He now rises from prayer, 679 00:51:58,640 --> 00:52:03,720 resolved to meet his fate and fulfill his mission, as Calvin 680 00:52:03,720 --> 00:52:06,800 put it. By these words, he declares that 681 00:52:06,800 --> 00:52:10,520 after having prayed, he was furnished with new strength. 682 00:52:12,360 --> 00:52:17,960 When Jesus says it is enough, he's saying that the time 683 00:52:17,960 --> 00:52:20,880 allotted for the disciples test is over. 684 00:52:21,920 --> 00:52:24,760 Time's up. Pencils down. 685 00:52:26,120 --> 00:52:27,720 Pass your blue books to the front. 686 00:52:29,200 --> 00:52:35,040 Whatever is in that packet is what you will be graded on. 687 00:52:37,360 --> 00:52:40,600 What grade will the disciples get A zero? 688 00:52:41,440 --> 00:52:45,320 An F? They failed to pray and so they 689 00:52:45,320 --> 00:52:51,480 failed Jesus, which also means they're going to fail the test. 690 00:52:51,960 --> 00:52:58,240 It's coming, but not Jesus. Jesus sees his betrayer coming 691 00:52:58,400 --> 00:53:02,000 and rises to meet him. Jesus sees his betrayer coming 692 00:53:02,160 --> 00:53:05,440 and tells the disciples to get up with him. 693 00:53:06,200 --> 00:53:13,000 I'm going, you come with me. Jesus is resolved. 694 00:53:14,240 --> 00:53:19,120 Note that in verse 35 Jesus asks that the hour pass from him, and 695 00:53:19,120 --> 00:53:23,400 here in verse 41 he says the hour has come. 696 00:53:23,880 --> 00:53:29,480 The hour came and the man came who could meet the hour? 697 00:53:29,560 --> 00:53:34,720 The only man who could meet the hour came, and part of what 698 00:53:34,720 --> 00:53:38,960 enabled him to meet the hour was that prayer he just prayed. 699 00:53:41,400 --> 00:53:45,120 Jesus didn't receive from God the answer he sought, but he did 700 00:53:45,280 --> 00:53:51,040 receive the strength he needed. Jesus will now endure being 701 00:53:51,040 --> 00:53:53,840 handed over to death. He will be delivered into the 702 00:53:53,840 --> 00:53:56,600 hands of sinners, and he will become sin for us. 703 00:53:56,680 --> 00:54:00,800 He will become a curse for us. He will take God's judgement on 704 00:54:00,800 --> 00:54:05,160 himself and exhaust it. Jesus prayed until he was 705 00:54:05,160 --> 00:54:08,880 resolved to submit to all that God ordained for him. 706 00:54:09,280 --> 00:54:17,520 So you pray until you're resolved to submit to all that 707 00:54:17,520 --> 00:54:24,720 God ordains for you more often than any of us would like. 708 00:54:26,040 --> 00:54:32,160 What God ordains is that you be pushed beyond your limits. 709 00:54:33,080 --> 00:54:35,360 God knows where your breaking point is. 710 00:54:35,360 --> 00:54:36,600 He knows that better than you do. 711 00:54:37,480 --> 00:54:43,680 And in his mysterious sovereign wisdom, he decides where and 712 00:54:43,680 --> 00:54:47,200 when and how to push you over that line. 713 00:54:48,720 --> 00:54:52,400 He knows what it'll take to break you, and in His wisdom 714 00:54:53,520 --> 00:54:59,480 there are times when He ordains that you be broken. 715 00:55:01,480 --> 00:55:06,560 But the breaking you have to endure is very different from 716 00:55:06,560 --> 00:55:11,600 the breaking that Christ endured on the cross in the garden. 717 00:55:12,680 --> 00:55:17,840 And on the cross, Christ was broken by divine wrath. 718 00:55:18,760 --> 00:55:21,120 It was the weight of divine judgement that threatened to 719 00:55:21,120 --> 00:55:23,880 break his soul and that would break his body. 720 00:55:26,080 --> 00:55:28,720 But what breaks you if you're in Christ? 721 00:55:30,040 --> 00:55:34,360 It's only God's design to sanctify you. 722 00:55:36,200 --> 00:55:41,000 It's only God's intent to conform you to the character of 723 00:55:41,000 --> 00:55:46,240 Christ. It's only God's purpose to 724 00:55:46,240 --> 00:55:51,920 prepare for you an eternal weight of glory beyond all 725 00:55:51,920 --> 00:55:57,880 comparison. What is God doing you doing when 726 00:55:57,880 --> 00:55:59,280 He pushes you past your breaking point? 727 00:56:00,440 --> 00:56:05,200 He's teaching you to submit to Him in prayer. 728 00:56:06,880 --> 00:56:11,200 He's teaching you to be able to say from the bottom of your soul 729 00:56:12,080 --> 00:56:16,880 what air my God ordains is right. 730 00:56:18,480 --> 00:56:28,300 Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we praise you 731 00:56:28,300 --> 00:56:31,300 for your grace. We praise you for the wisdom of 732 00:56:31,300 --> 00:56:35,900 your plan of salvation. We praise you for enabling your 733 00:56:35,900 --> 00:56:41,540 Son to endure drinking the cup for us. 734 00:56:42,580 --> 00:56:45,300 We pray in Jesus name, Amen.