The Prayer in the Garden

How y'all doing this evening? It's good to be back. In the Lord's House. I missed y'all Sunday.

I'm glad I'm feeling better.

I don't know if I look any better, but I feel better.

You have your Bibles. Please turn to Luke chapter 22. Luke chapter 22.

sometimes, it's kind of hard to figure out what you want to speak about another Pretty sure waiting leak and tell you that a lot of times you want to speak what's on your mind, but that's not always the wisest thing to do. Bright. and just I know we've been going through Joshua, how that Wade continues that. And a lot of ways, this message will tie into the next chapter and Joshua when we get to see where They took things. They weren't supposed to take.

and because of that, Got little get defeated.

This last song We sang that last verse it says, when facing death, where can I go? In a text, we're going to be here in just a minute. We'll see. Jesus and agonizing prayer.

Cuz he knows what's coming.

And where does he go? He goes to the Lord in prayer. Luke 22. Starting verse 39.

Coming out, he went to the Mount of Olives as he was accustomed and his disciples also follow him. When he came to the place, he said, then pray that you may not enter into temptation.

And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw and he knelt down and prayed saying, father, if it is, your will take this cup away from me. Nevertheless not my will, but yours be done then, an angel appeared to him from Heaven, strengthening him and being in agony, he prayed more earnestly than a sweat became, like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. When he rose up from prayer and you come to the disciples, he found them sleeping from sorrow. Then he said to them. Why do you sleep? Rise and pray that you enter into into temptation and while he was still speaking behold the multitude and it was called Jesus and he was who was called you this one of the twelve went before them and Drew nearer to Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said to him Judas. Are you betraying the son of man with a kiss? When those around him saw, what was going to happen, they said to him Lord, shall we strike them with a sword? And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right here. But Jesus answered and said permit, even this And he touched his ear and healed him, then Jesus said to the chief priests captains of the temple, and the elders had come to him. Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs when I was with you daily in the temple? You did not try to seize me but this is your hour and the power of Darkness. Let's pray. You have a father, we come to you this evening father's, we still your word father father, I pray that you just Magnify yourself through this teaching tonight. Father, your words not mine father and it's a message that you want us to hear father one that we can take. The truth.

Father, just be with me as we speak and the clarity voice and feels for your spirit. This evening, father, Jesus name, I pray. Amen. Sonar text Jesus and the disciples are on the brink of the biggest tests and their lives before the night was over, Jesus would be betrayed and arrested and nailed to the cross by the next morning and the disciples would be scattered fearful confused. And Peter openly, the nine, the Lord. I want you to think, if you can, about verse 14, verse 46, Jesus comes to them. He says, pray that you may not enter into temptation, so keep that in in your mind as we go through, if you will You see, Jesus was prepared and he passed this text, not just because he was the son of God, because he was obedient Son of God.

The disciples were unprepared and we seen that they fail. So here's an observation that can be made about the text. If you didn't know who Christ was and you come up on the scene to an outside Observer, it would seem that the disciples were prepared for the test of that awful evening. And that Jesus was not We know that the Disciples boasted of the strong commitment to follow Jesus, their claims were to follow him, if it meant that they would go to prison, even to the point of death. And it seems, they were not troubled at all, but they did what they were calm enough to sleep.

But Jesus look like an emotional wreck. And was saying that Jesus was extremely distressed and troubled. because it was,

Luke 22 verse 44 tells us that he was in so much Agony that his sweat became like drops of blood. And from the outside looking in one would think that the disciples were ready and that Jesus was falling apart that remember, this is just an observation and observation from the outside, looking in the person to make. Think they got everything figured out. But we know that this officer but observation is wrong.

If you're familiar with this text, you know that the disciples were about to fail horribly. As I was going to go to the greatest trial that anyone has ever gone through. And Jesus is going through it. And he does this victoriously. So what made the difference, what made the difference prayer made the difference? You see one of the most important things that we can do, as true Christians is to pray. Why is it that? Why is that so important? It's important because the kind of prayer that we see demonstrates from Jesus, is the kind of prayer that doesn't ask for things that we want. but for the things that God wants us to do,

if we do not pray, as Jesus prayed, we will fall into temptation. Remember verse 40 and verse 46, pray you'll fall into temptation.

The disciples fail. So what am I getting at? Jesus told the disciples pray that you may not enter into temptation Jesus. Jesus gives only two options in this commandment pray or enter into temptation. Pretty clear. We remember how Adam fell and Temptation in the garden. Why did he fall? He done this on his own. He knew what God told him, he is being tempted, but he took it upon himself to see what was going to happen, instead of falling at God's feet.

That he was Jesus the last Adam. He resisted Temptation and overcame the enemy in the Garden of Gethsemane. How did he do it in prayer? If we want to overcome the trials and temptations that hit us, we must learn from our Lord, how to pray as he prayed. And I know we talked about praying a lot but it is so very important.

There are two ways we can look at this. When test or Files come away a trial is either a test or it is a temptation as Christians. A trial can be a test that strengthens us Or Temptation. That brings us down every trial that we face is either a test of our faith or a Temptation that can be used to cause our faith to fall. It all depends on how we handle it. And what is a trial? What is a trial?

Is it finding money on the ground and keeping it? When, you know, you need to turn it in. Good be right. Is it an opportunity to make ourselves look better at the cost of someone else looking bad? That's a trial, right? Could it be that our morning didn't go the way we planned it cuz we plan the perfect day. Whatever the case may be. Whatever the case may be. Prime trial can be defined by anyting. That doesn't fit what we want to go through Ryan. Good or bad. Anything that's unexpected.

James 11314 tells us that God does not tempt anyone to evil, but rather we are tempted. When we are carried away and enticed by our own sinful desires. One thing we must remember is that we can never blame God for our own Disobedience and send we can never do that. Scripture also tells us that God test his servants. You see it all through scripture from Genesis to Revelation is there you'll find a bunch of the songs that they would rise. Satan tries to use the trials, we encounter to bring us down and God wants to use them to strengthen and establish ties. He uses test to refine us to strengthen our faith to deepen, our love for him and to teach us to obey him. No matter what the cost, the same trial can be either a temptation to sin. If we go to the flash or a test to strengthen us, if we walk in the spirit,

How easy is it for us to walk in the spirit? It's hard, isn't it? It's not in our nature. Sometimes it seems like many Temptations hit us all at once and when the world and the Flesh and the devil. Doing all out Blitz on us. That puts us in a bad place spiritually, right? no matter what we do, we're hit with another and another and another And we want to take care of things our way, right?

This hour that Jesus and disciples face was under the power of Darkness. I read that verse 53. Satan Wonder destroy God's Plan of Salvation by tempting. Jesus to avoid the cross, the Jewish leaders representing the world wanted to get rid of Jesus. So they so that they could continue and their place of power and prestige. There were internal temptations, that Jesus faced that made the cross represents a bull to him. The disciples rest with fear and confusion. So this was an extremely intense trial for Jesus. Jesus is our example how to endure the disciples are are negative examples of what to avoid. So how can we resist temptation?

What Jesus prayed and resisted Temptation. This is how we can resist temptation. We have it right here before our eyes and these few short verses. There's a great mystery here as to how the Son of God could be so distressed and troubled to the degree that even he needed the ministry of an Angel.

We do know that Jesus endured a severe, emotional, physical, and spiritual trial there in the garden. Evident in our texts, We must understand that Jesus is deity is undiminished and that he is fully human all in one person. He is two Natures are neither mixed nor diminished. And our text Jesus is dead. He comes through by showing him to be in command of everything, even the details of his arrest, Judas, did not take Jesus by surprise. Jesus knew he was coming. Is the band power is seen in his merely touching the servants ear and healing. It could you imagine seeing that?

He could have struck dad all of his enemies if he had so choosing to do so. But his Humanity comes through in the agony, he endured in the garden. As he contemplated bearing, our sins and look here, Jesus prayer life stems from his perfect Humanity.

You're going through the Sunday school lessons. We went through. Jesus was led by the spirit. Led by the spirit is always in prayer led by the spirit.

We need to look at prayer this way. Prayer is the language of dependence. The pain is somewhat, the dependence of our heavenly father who we know supplies our every need

So that mind a few things about Jesus's prayer, in the garden that we can use to strengthen our prayer life. We see that Jesus Paid out of a great sense of need. How many times we played out of great sense of need? Jesus was weak and he knew he was weak. So we prayed fervently. And if you think that sounds like heresy to say that Jesus is week, I would say that's heresy to deny, that Jesus was weak. Because tonight is to deny his Humanity. Many people today denied. Jesus deity by being afraid to affirm his Humanity as something that we can understand how he's fully God and he's fully man.

Hebrews to 17 States. It like this, it says he had to be made like his brethren in all things that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest and things pertaining to God. Although Jesus did not have a sin nature as we do. And that's was not tempted by his own sinful lust. He was tempted in all things as we are yet without sin, That is the mystery. That us weak humans. Cannot wrap their minds around. We like to understand everything as much as possible, Right?

Now, this was not the only time that Jesus was weak and needy. He came to this. He came into this world as a newborn baby right baby. That is weak and defenseless how needy is a baby. Pretty needy, got to feed them change their diapers. Clean them, keep them out of cat food. You can have the food right candies, learn how to stick things in my sock, it already.

Even as a full grown, man. Jesus was often very hungry and thirsty and he was so tired, that he fell asleep in the back of a boat in the middle of a storm.

When's the last time we fell asleep in the middle of a storm?

He was thirsty enough to ask the Samaritan woman for a drink at the, well, he was hungry enough in the wilderness that the devil tempted him to turn those stones into bread. On more than one of the cape on more than one occasion.

Jesus was moved to tears showing us that he had normal human emotions. They suffer, the pain of rejection, both of the nation and from his friends and of course, Jesus suffered physical pain and death itself on the cross. So, what was it that led Jesus to be in such Agony in the garden? We can't fully enter into what Jesus faced here. And as we do, so we enter here on holy sacred ground. The thought of death itself must have caused Jesus. Great agony. Again, we can see this depicted in our text death is God's curse on this Fallen World. It's an ugly, reminder. The fact that we are subject to sin and the judgment So, what goes through your mind when you think about your own death?

How do you think you would feel knowing what you had to go through before that death happened? He knew every bit of it. I knew what it felt like before he felt it. He didn't want it. Not The Human Side. Jesus is Agony was the looming realization of what it would mean for him. The sinless Son of God, when were the father from eternity to Bear, the sins of his people on the cross, Isaiah 53:6 States, but the Lord calls than Equity of us all to fall on him. Of us all to fall on him. Paul says it like this, he made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in him. So here's a litmus, litmus litmus litmus, here's a way you can test yourself.

That's what I get for trying to be smart. Smarter than I am. Anyways. A litmus test. There we go. There's a litmus test. We can use determine how holy we might think we are. If you can watch sin on TV or in a movie without being affected by it, you're not far along from holding in holiness.

To hear the lord's name taken in vain to view, sexual morality or violence should make us draw back in horror. Last week, Grey's Anatomy bunch of people watches. Good show right, great show the whole show was devoted. The, how disgusted, the writers of that show, we're upset with the fact that the Supreme Court overturn Roe versus Wade.

In that show, they brought high school kids in and have the doctors give sex education. Very detailed educational how to pleasure themselves, this is on broadcast TV. Don't condoms and contraceptives up to him. Know, once did they say abstinence Not once.

And how people can watch that. I have no clue. It made me sick.

So what do we do for the sake of entertainment? What kind of sand do we condone or approve of for the sake of entertainment?

Being perfectly. Holy Jesus would have been utterly horrified at the thought of being defiled by sin.

All this time of all, this is going to come on here.

He was about to be forsaken by God, the Father to your Gods off of Wrath against Sinners, as he was made sin on our behalf.

So we can see that part of the agony, right? I hope I can understand it just a little bit.

Jesus knew that the full Fury of Satan's the main and darkness would be Unleashed on him as he went through this trial. And as he hung on the cross, Jesus was aware of the intense battle that he would shortly face. You see, was out of this great sense of need, that Jesus prayed, even sold our awareness of our own great needs to drive us to pray. And every situation, Jesus prayed intimately to the father address God as father.

And verse 42. You can read Matthew, 26:39 and 42 of him repeatedly calling God. Father, Mark 14:36 as he caught. He cried, Abba, Father. Jesus instructed us to pray to. God is our heavenly father. Why? Because he is our father.

Even so we have that access to the Sovereign creator of the universe as his children, through faith in Christ, we can draw near knowing that he will welcome us as a father, welcomes his children.

There's some great beautiful pictures and in the Bible on the father, right? Was he the father welcome in his Wayward Son? We see a father, his son. Damn daddy, where's Daddy? Where's the lamb?

Fathers protect, that's what we're designed to do, protect and lead and teach. Our Father, the ultimate father provides everything. And we are to pray for him. Intimately. Jesus prayed, honestly, he presents his desires before the father. I thought saying it's alright to lift a bunch of Demands and what you want to the father, though I will let it go for you. It never went well for me but he presents his desires. He's presenting his heart.

Even though Jesus new God's Eternal decree, which included his dying on the cross for our sins, his Humanity trembled from the thought of being the father's wrath. So he prayed afraid, if you are willing, remove this cup from me and Luke greatly condenses The Narrative here in the end, the other synoptic gospel gospels report that he prayed it repeatedly and find that Mark 14:36 + 39. The fact that he first fell to his knees and then on his face shows, the intensity of feeling that Jesus was expressing his prayers. He was very emotional

You see Jesus is not covering up the intensity of his emotions trying to look spiritual or by being calm and unaffected know. He pulled out his so honestly to the father even to the extent of asking that somehow, if possible God's Eternal decree be altered Calvin, put it like this. He asked a question of how Christ could ask for something and possible that God would alter his decree by sparing Jesus from the cross. He says that Jesus like are like other Godly Believers in a time of strong, emotion was not contemplating the secrets of Goddard lit or deliberately inquiring as to what is possible to be done, but was carried away by the earnestness of his wishes, he Compares it to Moses and Paul when they both asked God, to blot them out of his book of life, he says this, therefore was not a premeditated prayer of Christ, but the strength and violence of grief, suddenly Drew this word from his mouth to which he immediately, added a correction. The point for us is to pour out our souls, honestly before God, knowing that he cares about how we feel. And saying that we know that Jesus pray, submissively seeking the father's will above his own. So after asking that the cup of suffering could be removed, Jesus quickly added Very quickly added yet not my will, but yours be done.

So even though Jesus honestly prayed his feelings, he quickly, restrained himself and brought himself to submission before the father's perfect will.

God's will is often the most difficult path for us in the short run, but it's always it always results in the greatest blessing in the long run. If we obey

Jesus, endured by submitting to the Cross. How many times do you want something to be our way? Pretty much all the time. We plan things in our own way. I'm not saying that Jesus. Jesus done this. I'm saying that because of his, because of his Humanity, he is asking for alternative route, if it is possible, if it would be God's Will and that he will be submissive to whatever the father says, I'm sure that each and every one of us want to see. Churches in a common first and condition. Right? We want to wish that God's children were delivered from all of fictions are that all superstitions would be removed from the world today or they wicked men would be done with. So there would be no more war or injury or fighting, right? And these things are right in themselves and we may desire them but it may please God to offer a different state of affairs for us. and so we must submit to his perfect will

We may express our desires to the Lord, as long as we always bow down before his will. Which we may not fully understand. Jesus's prayer was that he was strengthened the father sent an angel to strengthen him than verse 43. I do not know if the angel came with a special message from the father or if just his presence will ensure Jesus of the father's care. Or if he mopped the brow of his head and gave him a drink of cool water to refresh him, but we know he came and ministered to him.

Somehow the angel strengthened Jesus in response to his prayers and when he does, so Jesus prayed he even harder.

Hear the disciples Fall Apart.

Are these remains composed? And in control the situation is not surprised in the least by Judas, but rather confront someone less time, this terrible sin, while Peter swings, the sword, missing his Target, which was the center of the Serpent's head. So he's way off, right? And cutting off his ear, Jesus, he stops his violent response and heals. The severed here, how is Jesus? So calm now,

We know he's praying. And now, we're saying filled with the spirit. I believe.

Well, the armed mob, surrounds him Jesus, confronts the park. Receive the Jewish leaders who easily could have arrested him in the temple. Have they not been afraid of the people than he went peaceably with him. The point is Jesus's prayer before hand strengthen him to endure victoriously, the trials, and temptations that followed and usually we don't pray until after the trial hits. Right hand. Of course, we should pray then but it would but we would be much stronger if we've been praying before hand.

I know people would say, Jesus knew what was coming. What you did? But why was he praying so hard? Why was he tell the disciples to pray that she fall into that fall into temptation? We don't know what's coming. The disciples didn't know what was coming.

That's why we must pray. The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing pray, every waking moment.

All right, I'll get ready to wrap this up.

So hope that gives a new line when we study, or you think about the prayer in the garden. Why pray? The way you did? I hope it helps. You see the humanity? That was in him as a man.

He fought Temptation the same way we do. but he was sinless, we're not He gives us examples to follow. So now we're going look at the disciples just very briefly and I'll be done. In contrast to Jesus. Who was where was great? Need, the disciples did not know what was coming. The disciples were oblivious to the great need. Jesus warned them twice to pray so that they may not enter into temptation. But when they were blind to the real danger, that was quickly approaching. So they failed to pray. If we could only see ourselves as the Lord sees us, we would pray about everything because we will see how truly needy we are about everything. We cannot even draw our next breath without his Mercy. we will not have food on our table for the next meal, if God does not provide I did not make some money to go buy the groceries, to put my refrigerator to cook on my stove for me to eat all that has been provided to me by my Lord. Until we wrap our minds around that. But we fully understand why Jesus was praying the way he prayed.

We cannot serve him unless we rely on his strength as Jesus said. Depart from me, you can do nothing. You see the disciples were operating? On their own field.

They were being spiritual at all. They were allowing the flash to dominate the spirit. They were tired and depressed so they slept rather than prayed. When were tired depressed, it's very important that we pray. Or we will fall into temptation. When Jesus was about to be arrested, Peter started swinging his sword. When Jesus was let away. Although Luke does not recorded. This type has left and fled for their own safety and Peter denies Christ. They were operating under their own understanding. That they've been in prayer was Jesus. Maybe they could have responded better. and in the spirit, So hopefully, that was a help to you this evening.

Do we have any prayer requests at this time? This man.