Don't cram for the test!

I don’t know about you, but if there was one thing I always hated as a student, it was tests. But they were inevitable. I couldn’t avoid them. So as time went on, I had to learn how to better prepare for them. The most important thing I learned was not to wait until the night before to start studying.

I had some friends that barely opened their books until the day before the test. And so they spent the whole night trying to cram all this information into their heads. Not me. I’d keep up with my reading and my homework assignments throughout the semester. So when it was test season, it was all review for me.

I can’t remember ever cramming for a test. I certainly never stayed up all night studying for one. I’d have friends all bleary-eyed the day of the test, complaining about not getting any sleep at all. Me? I typically got at least 6 or 7 hours sleep. So by the time I took the test, I was fresh and ready.

Now my point in saying all this is not to brag about what a great student I was. I rarely ever had the best score in my class despite my study habits. And I have little doubt that there were some brilliant students that studied a lot less than I did, and still did better than me.

My point, though, is that it’s pretty tough to succeed if you’re not properly prepared. And proper preparation takes good habits practiced over time. That’s true in life. And that’s particularly true for us as Christians.

Let’s be honest. Many of us struggle with temptation and sin in our lives. And for many of us, when we face problems and trials in our lives, we find ourselves utterly unable to cope with them. Why? Because often times, we’re not prepared for them. And that’s really problematic, because unlike most tests where you have ample warning of when they’re coming, trials and temptations often come with no warning at all. And if we’re not ready, we will fall. How, though, can we be ready? That’s what we want to talk about today. Take a look at Mark chapter 14.

We saw last week Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane. But it wasn’t long after Jesus had finished praying that Judas showed up with Jesus’ enemies to betray him. That must have been a shock to the other disciples. Judas was the betrayer? And at first, Peter looked ready to chop off heads in order protect Jesus. But being a fisherman, and not a particularly skilled swordsman, he missed and cut off a guy’s ear instead (Mark 14:47 John 18:10). But Jesus told Peter and the other disciples, “Hey! Stop it!” And according to Luke’s gospel, he actually restored the man’s ear. It was the last healing Jesus ever performed. And perhaps because they saw Jesus wasn’t going to resist at all, all his disciples fled, including Peter. But probably remembering his promises to be faithful to Jesus, Peter soon returned.

In the meantime, Jesus is led to something like a preliminary hearing at the house of the high priest. And Jesus is literally on trial for his life, but it soon becomes clear that this is not a fair trial. Look at verse 55.

The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they could not find any. For many were giving false testimony against him, and the testimonies did not agree. (55-56)

What’s going on here? Well, the chief priests and the Sanhedrin, which was the supreme Jewish judicial council, were trying to find a charge against Jesus which would demand death. And they were so desperate, they even brought in false witnesses to lie about Jesus. The problem was, the Sanhedrin was trying to at least appear like their decision was legitimate. And according to Jewish law, if you wanted to put someone to death, you needed the testimony of two people (Numbers 35:30, Deuteronomy 17:6). But they couldn’t find two people that could agree on any one charge against Jesus.

And through all the accusations, Jesus is dead silent. He’s not saying a thing. He’s not contradicting the witnesses. He’s not defending himself. He’s completely quiet. And that’s really frustrating to the high priest, because he desperately wanted to sentence Jesus to death. But with the witnesses contradicting each other, and Jesus not saying anything they could accuse him for, it started to look like they would have to let him go. So finally, in desperation, the high priest directly starts questioning Jesus. Verse 60.

Then the high priest stood up before them all and questioned Jesus, “Don’t you have an answer to what these men are testifying against you?” But he kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest questioned him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”

“I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy. What is your decision?” They all condemned him as deserving death. (60-64)

The courage of Jesus is really remarkable when you think about it. Like I said, the high priest could have done nothing had Jesus not spoken. But he chose to speak. And in choosing to speak as he did, not only claiming to be Messiah, but literally claiming to be God’s Son sitting next to the Father in heaven, he condemned himself to death. He knew what their reaction would be. He knew he would be crucified for what he said. And yet, despite all that, he deliberately spoke words that he knew would send him to the cross.

But now we come back to Peter, who’s out in the high priest’s courtyard, probably waiting for Jesus to come out. I have no idea what he was planning to do when Jesus did. And probably neither did Peter. But whatever he was thinking, his thoughts were soon interrupted. Verse 66.

While Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the high priest’s maidservants came. When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.”

But he denied it: “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about.” Then he went out to the entryway, and a rooster crowed. (66-68)

Think about this a minute. Here’s brave and strong Peter. The guy that boasted he would die for Jesus. Scared by a little maidservant. So scared, in fact, that he actually moves to get away from her.

But the problem is the maidservant just won’t shut up. Verse 69.

When the maidservant saw him again, she began to tell those standing nearby, “This man is one of them.”

But again he denied it. (69-70)

It only gets worse from there. Continuing in verse 70.

After a little while those standing there said to Peter again, “You certainly are one of them, since you’re also a Galilean.”

According to Matthew’s gospel, what apparently gave Peter away was his accent (Matthew 26:73). But the final blow was that according to John’s gospel, one of the people that was there at Jesus’ arrest recognizes Peter because it was his relative that Peter had attacked (John 18:26). And at this point, Peter really loses it. Verse 71.

Then he started to curse and swear, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about!” (71)

The Japanese translation and some English translations say that Peter was calling down curses on himself if he was lying. But the Greek is not as clear. And some Bible scholars think Peter did something far worse: that he was actually calling a curse down on Jesus. Whatever the case, look at what happened next.

Immediately a rooster crowed a second time, and Peter remembered when Jesus had spoken the word to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept. (72)

Two people. Both under extreme pressure. And Jesus was under the much greater pressure. But it was Jesus who stood strong in the midst of the storm and Peter who wilted. Why?

Well, the easy answer would be, “It’s because Jesus is God’s Son and Peter’s just a human. Of course Jesus would stand strong and Peter would fall.” But that answer is too simplistic. It’s too simplistic because though Jesus was fully God, he was also fully man. And he fully felt all the pressure Peter faced, and much more. How do know? We saw it in the garden of Gethsemane last week.

Remember Jesus’ emotional state when he got to the garden. Mark tells us in verse 33, that he was deeply distressed and troubled. And he tells his disciples, “I am deeply grieved.” You could translate that, “I am swallowed up in sorrow.” He is so distressed, he literally falls facedown to the ground as he prays (39). And He’s praying, “Father, I don’t want to do this. If there’s any possible way, don’t make me have to do this.”

This is not someone who’s calmly facing the cross. He’s literally being torn apart emotionally. He’s in fact, praying what he once told his disciples to pray (Matthew 6:13-14). “Lead me not into temptation, lead me not into this horrible trial. Deliver me from this evil that confronts me.” Again and again, he’s praying this to the Father.

But this was not a mere last minute cramming for the test. This had been Jesus’ practice throughout his life. Day after day, night after night, he had gone alone to be with his Father. Praying for strength. Praying for protection. Praying for leading. But above all, praying his Father’s will be done in his life.

In doing so, he found strength for his daily life. And now he found strength for his greatest trial. But even so, the agony was near unbearable. According to Luke, as Jesus prayed, drops of sweat like blood were falling from his brow (Luke 22:44). But when the trial came, Jesus was ready. And he stood strong.

What was Peter doing while Jesus was praying? He was sleeping. You see, he too was emotionally drained, as were the other disciples. Luke tells us that they were utterly exhausted from their grief (Luke 22:45).

But failing to pray left them spiritually vulnerable. So Jesus warned them, “Stay awake and pray so that you don’t fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14:38)

You know, somehow, when Jesus said, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,” I’d always thought he was specifically talking about our struggles to stay awake and pray. But as I read this again, it struck me that Jesus is almost certainly talking about our struggles when it comes to facing trials and temptations. Many of us like Peter have hearts that want to follow Jesus. To do the right thing. But when the trials and temptations hit, we fall flat on our face. Why? Because in ourselves, we’re weak. We can’t face these things in our own strength. That’s why we need to be praying. That’s why we need the daily practice of prayer in our lives.

Three times, Peter had the chance to pray to prepare himself for the trial to come. Three times he failed. And three times, he ended up denying Jesus when the pressure was on. But the failure was probably not just the failure of one night. It came from a failure to practice a life of prayer for the three years he had been with Jesus.

So what do we get from all this? How much are you practicing a life of prayer in your life? How often do you pray as Jesus did? Seeking God’s strength? Seeking God’s leading? Seeking God’s protection in times of trial and temptation? And most of all, seeking God’s will?

The problem with a lot of us is that the only times we pray like that is when we’re in trouble. A trial hits us and we weren’t ready for it. And now we find ourselves totally unprepared to face it, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. Truth be told, many times we don’t even know how to pray. We don’t know because we haven’t been practicing.

So many of us wonder why we’re so weak. Why we always seem to give into temptation. Why we always seem to fail when tests and trials come. The answer is simple. Jesus gave us the answer. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. And unless we are constantly plugged into Jesus, walking with him moment to moment, day to day, seeking his wisdom, seeking his strength, leading, and protection, we will fall.

You see, this moment to moment conversation with God, this moment to moment living with God we’ve been talking about this past year, is not just a feel-good part of the Christian life. It’s not just so that we feel God’s love in our lives more, though that will happen. Moment to moment conversation with God, moment to moment living with him is a necessity for us. We need him. Because as Jesus said, without him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). And that’s especially true when trials and temptations come. We can’t face them in our own strength.

That’s what Peter learned that night when he failed so miserably. That’s what I learned pretty early on in my Christian life. Like I mentioned a few weeks ago, for a long time, I couldn’t admit to my friends I was a Christian. I remember one time being with my friends when I was in junior high school, and for some reason, one asked, “Are any of you Christians?” And he went on to talk about how he thought Christians were stupid for what they believed. And my tongue was just stuck in my mouth. I couldn’t say a word. I wasn’t prepared.

Living a life of prayer and dependence was something I had to learn over the years. And as I have, it’s helped me through different family issues I’ve had to deal with over the years, from the time I was a teenager up until now. It’s helped me through a time of burnout in ministry. It’s helped me through losing my job and struggling financially for years. It certainly helped me in dealing with the death of my dad. Am I saying I handled each circumstance perfectly? Not at all. I made many missteps along the way. But what I can say is that through all my mistakes and emotional and spiritual dips, I was ultimately able to make it through each test.

But these are not tests we can easily get through if we haven’t been practicing prayer in our lives. These are not tests that you can simply cram for. They’re tests that you need to be preparing for throughout your life. So my question is: how prepared are you? The night Jesus was arrested, he told Peter, “Satan wants to sift you all like wheat (Luke 22:31)” Satan wants to do that with each one of us. Are we prepared? You can only be prepared if you’re watching and praying.

But what does that look like, exactly? What does it mean to watch and pray? When it comes to preparing for trials and temptations, I think a lot of it is watching your heart. Being aware of where your heart is moment to moment, day to day. And as you see issues arising in your heart, pray.

Can I make a suggestion: when you’re taking time to decompress from the day, turn off your smartphone and all your electronic devices, put away anything that can distract you, and just talk to God about your day. It’s best if you can do it in a quiet place, but the important thing is you do it when you’re alert. You might do it when you’re driving home, or riding the train home. You might do it when you’re taking a shower or a bath. You might do it if you’re eating dinner alone. I usually do it after my wife and daughter have gone to bed. But take time to decompress with God. And as you do, ask these questions.

First, “What happened today? What was going on in my life? What good things happened? What bad things happened? What temptations did I face? Did I handle them well? How were my relationships today, with my family, my friends, my coworkers, the people at church? Were there problems or issues today? And what was I letting into my heart and mind today? What was coming in through TV, through the internet or social media?”

Second, “What was going on in my heart through all these things? How did my heart respond? Why did it respond that way?”

Those questions are especially important when we notice our hearts weren’t right. “Why did I feel so upset? Why was I so anxious? Why was I so frustrated? Why did I act as I did?”

Then pray. “Father, what do you want me to do? Where do I go from here?” That’s the hardest question, isn’t it? And that’s why you need to be into God’s word. Because unless you know God’s word, it’ll be hard to hear God’s answer.

So what do you do if you’re a young Christian and don’t know God’s word so well? Well, go to God's people who do. But the most important question to ask is not, “What do you think I should do?” The most important question to ask is, “What does God say my heart attitude should be in all this?” You see it’s when we understand our hearts, and where God wants our hearts to be, that we find out what God wants us to do. But if we don’t understand our hearts, and if we don’t understand the kind of heart God wants us to have, we will never know what to do. So be alert. Be alert to where your heart is. And be alert to where God is saying you need to lead your heart.

Finally, pray, “Father, I surrender to you. Your will be done.” One point about praying, “I surrender, your will be done.” This isn’t an attitude of resignation. This isn’t simply saying, “I give up. You do something.” “I surrender. Your will be done,” means, “God, I choose to do things your way. I choose to believe your way is best. Now help me to do what you’ve told me to.” That’s the attitude Jesus had. That’s the attitude we need as we face the trials and temptations in our lives.

And the thing is, as you practice watching your heart and praying this way at the end of each day, it will start happening more throughout the day. It truly becomes a moment to moment, day to day practice of watching your heart and praying. I do this almost automatically now.

I wonder, how would that night in Gethsemane and in the high priest’s courtyard been different for Peter had he been watching and praying like Jesus had told him to. The truth is, I’m not sure. You see, it would have been like Peter cramming for the test. But to stand the test requires not a one-night cram session. It requires consistently practicing a life of prayer and dependence on God. So if you haven’t been doing that, I encourage you: start now. Don’t wait for the moment of crisis to start praying. Make it your practice now so that when the time of crisis comes, you’ll be ready. And even if you should fall, and we all fall, you’ll find the strength in Jesus to get back up again. Let’s close today with a prayer of David. And I encourage you: let this be your prayer of daily watching and praying.

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns.

See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way. (Psalm 139:23-24)