Nevertheless

Matthew 26:36-46

I preached a sermon back in June from Matthew 6:10 “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” This is the prayer taught by Jesus, but He taught it to us for this prayer to be our heart, our desire!

This is not an easy thing, it is not an easy road! The conflict seems to be with the fleshly nature that pulls our desires away from God’s will, which is nothing of the flesh, it is only spiritual! We will read in a moment about this very truth!

It is one thing to say that I desire the will of God and it is another to live it out! Whatever it is, I am good with it! We have seen that in a lot of fellow saints, the way lived before trouble come and then when trouble comes, their response of faith/trust in the Father’s will.....living out their trouble in a faith that nothing is out of control and that this is the Father’s will!

Peter tells us in his letter: 1 Peter 2:21 “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:”

We sure have a great example to follow........let’s read of that example........Matthew 26:36-46........

As there are many powerful scenes in Scripture this is very powerful scene in my view.....The Garden of Gethsemane......

Jesus praying in agony.........

That this cup (cup of God’s wrath) would pass from Him!

Who could blame Him???!!!

That cup was rightfully ours to bear for eternity! Only God could bear it and live!

But more than that Jesus had done nothing against His Father to deserve this wrath!

Separation from God was not what He desired at all.......He bore it for us all....all that have sinned!

The agony of even the thought of what He was about to face, was extreme!

His capillaries busted and Jesus’ sweat became as drops of blood, in Luke’s acct.

The resolve.......the Father’s will over His pain and suffering!

The love for the Father

The love of the Father

The will of the Father…John 6:40 “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

This was why Jesus came and He knew this and this was above all things on this earth!

Remember when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by satan?

In the 3rd temptation satan told Jesus ......Matthew 4:8–11 “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.”

Jesus desired nothing of this world only to serve His Father!

You see that here in this garden......again at His weakest in body, just as He was in the wilderness, resolving to be good with the Father’s will!

There seems to be conflict and controversy with praying, “Nevertheless, let Your will be done”

I have heard the arguments for and against this type of prayer!

This takes away from the truth of what is being said here........

Jesus’ prayer does not imply that there is a conflict with Him and the Father. Rather, it graphically reveals how Christ in His humanity voluntarily surrendered His will to the will of the Father in all things.....so that there will be no conflict between the Divine will and His desires as a human.

Human desires (Fleshly/worldly) most of the time conflict with God’s will.....they are always at odds.......

Our desire must be the Father’s will, even in our own life!

The argument seems to be that if we pray for something and then say “nevertheless, let Thy will be done” that we nullify our ask!

However, the discussion/question should be.....Do we not want the will of God?

Jesus revealed to us that this was His life, to say and do what the Father has given Him....

If He is our example, shouldn’t it be our life too?

1 Corinthians 2:14 “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

The things of God, the will of God seems foolish to the natural man.....we sometimes get lost in the natural.......maybe even when we pray we do not know exactly what is going on, but we get lost in our natural state......

We have been studying in Romans on Wed. night......A couple Wed. nights ago we read from Romans 8.......It is a powerful chapter full and rich!

Turn with me there.....as I was preparing for this message, the thought of the Father’s will and our will, the battle that rages within ourselves over our will and His.....I know it is a battle because of the arguments made over that kind of prayer!! What I would call the “Nevertheless Prayer”!

You know, we love to get on our soap boxes and point the fingers all over the place, but we forget one thing and it is what Jesus said in the garden to the disciples when they couldn’t stay awake.......the Spirit is willing and the flesh is weak............If all of humanity would agree in their hearts to that truth, we would all would voluntarily submit to the Father’s will!

I am thankful that the Spirit remains willing while my flesh is weak!

Romans 8:12-27.........

The apostle then turns to a third source of comfort, namely, the abiding of the Holy Spirit in and with the Lord's people. He uses the word "likewise" to intimate that in the same manner as hope sustains the soul, so does the Holy Spirit strengthen us under trial.

“The text speaks of "our infirmities," or as many translators put it in the singular-of "our infirmity." By this is intended our affliction, and the weakness which trouble discovers in us. The Holy Spirit helps us to bear the infirmity of our body and of our mind; he helps us to bear our cross, whether it be physical pain, or mental depression, or spiritual conflict, or slander, or poverty, or persecution. He helps our infirmity; and with a helper so divinely strong we need not fear for the result. God's grace will be sufficient for us; his strength will be made perfect in weakness.”

I think, dear friends, you will all admit that if a man can pray, his trouble is at once lightened. When we feel that we have power with God and can obtain anything we ask for at his hands, then our difficulties cease to oppress us. We take our burden to our heavenly Father and tell it out in the accents of childlike confidence, and we come away quite content to bear whatever his holy will may lay upon us.

I believe Paul is speaking in this passage of Scripture of the promise and hope that we do have in Christ.....it is not of this world......creation is even expressing their groanings for being in this fallen world........the believer also groans for the time when our redemption is complete......

However, there are times and will be times that I will suffer........

Suffer because of the state of fallenness......

Suffer for Christ’s Name sake............

In those times of suffering I get weak and I seem to not see the Father’s will but my own, but I know from this, the Spirit makes that intercession for the saints according to the will of God