When Trouble Comes
Notes
Transcript
Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed Him.
When He came to the place, He told them, “Pray that you will not enter into temptation.”
And He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, where He knelt down and prayed,
“Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.”
Then an angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him.
And in His anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.
When Jesus rose from prayer and returned to the disciples, He found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.
“Why are you sleeping?” He asked. “Get up and pray so that you will not enter into temptation.”
After finishing the Passover meal, after washing the disciples feet, Jesus left the upper room and led his disciples to the Mount of Olives where they had been spending the last few nights.
As Jesus entered the garden it was the end of a long and difficult day, at the end of a long and difficult week. Probably most of us can identify with that description.
Luke, in his usual abbreviated fashion, describes for us what occurs on the Mount of Olives.
He makes no mention of the eight disciples who were left at the garden gate (Matt 26:36), nor of the three (John, James and Peter) who accompanied Jesus into the grove (Matt 26:37).
Nor does he mention that three separate times during the evening that Jesus comes and find his disciples sleeping.
On the other hand Luke alone tells us of the sweat that drips like blood from Jesus as he prayed.
Luke alone tells us that Jesus told this disciples to pray so that they would not enter into temptation.
It is also true that Luke, more than any of the other accounts, rivets our attention to the soul-piercing anguish that Jesus experienced in the garden.
We find the story in Luke 22, beginning in verse thirty-nine, Luke 22:39-46 this time from the NLT
Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives.
There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”
He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed,
“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him.
He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.
At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief.
“Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.”
There are lessons here about dealing with times of great trouble if we wish to see them. For we can see in this passage an example of what believer’s should do in times of trouble.
I think that first we need to get a feel for the circumstances that Jesus was in.
Mark in his parallel report (Mark 14:33) states that it was at this time that Jesus “began to be troubled and deeply distressed.”
He took with Him Peter, James, and John, and began to be deeply troubled and distressed.
Jesus’ statement to his disciples recorded in Matthew 26:38 helps us to see just how serious this situation was when he said,
Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.”
When Jesus said his “soul was consumed with sorrow to the point of death,” this is not merely an overstatement for effect.
Jesus was literally near death.
Did you know that a person can actually die from grief and sorrow?
I have experienced this in my time with Hospice. I could name people that have grieved so much for their spouse that they grieved themselves to death.
Jesus is in deep agony.
But what is the cause of this agony?
How can we account for the deep agony that the Lord underwent in the garden?
What reason can we give for the intense suffering, both mental and physical, which he endured?
There is only one satisfactory answer. The cause of his agony was our sin.
The cause of so much pain is the sin we have committed and he knew that there was only one way he could offer us forgiveness.
The depth of his agony should give us some idea of our debt to Christ.
Jesus was facing a fear that not only made Him sweat but his sweat actually turned to blood.
In verse forty-four we read, Luke 22:44
And in His anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.
They call this condition Hematridrosis. (He Matt Try Doe Sis)
This is a rare physical phenomenon in which under great emotional stress, the tiny blood vessels rupture in the sweat glands and produce a mixture of blood and sweat.
Take just a moment and think about what you did to Jesus.
Think about how he was thinking of you and knew that he had to bear the weight of your punishment on the cross.
Church we don’t think about this enough.
We get mad and lash out at people we claim to love and then half-heartedly ask for forgiveness.
All the while Jesus was in a garden thinking about it and the weight was so great his blood started to mix with his sweat and roll down his face.
Why don’t you take him seriously?
Why do continuously spit in the saviors face by defying his will for your life?
Why won’t you step up and be the leader that Christ has called you to be?
Why do you continue to run from the call he has placed on your life?
Why won’t you yield to the Spirit when he is moving in this church?
Only you can answer those questions.
Now having seen how severe the trial that faced Jesus I want us to see how he handled those pressures.
First,
When trials threatened to squeeze the life out of Jesus he didn’t shut others out.
When life get really tough we as humans often resort to isolating ourselves, cutting ourselves off from all human contact.
But that is not what we see in the example of Jesus.
Jesus didn’t go it alone, and if Jesus needed others around how much more is that true of you and I.
Jesus knew what he was up against and he took the three people who were closest to him to pray.
When the going gets tough it may be time to get others to help us. There is power in partnership.
They hold us up in battle. They hold us up when we are weak. So when things get tough, don’t shut everyone out.
Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, wrote in Eccles. 4:12,
And though one may be overpowered, two can resist. Moreover, a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
So when Trials Threatened to Squeeze the Life Out of Jesus – He Didn’t Shut Others Out.
But also realize Secondly,
When trials threatened to squeeze the life out of Jesus he didn’t shut his feelings out.
Remember that when Jesus said in Matthew (26:38), “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death” that this was something he said to his disciples.
Jesus was honest about what He was struggling with.
Jesus knew what he was facing and made the decision to share it with those who were closest to Him.
We have to take the risk of asking someone to share our sorrow and pain.
We need to identify someone or a small group of people, that we can invite into our garden of Gethsemane, the time of our deepest sorrow.
That does not mean that you should tell everyone you run into your problems.
Be prayerful and ask God to show you some one that can be a mentor in your life.
But when you have that trusted person, lean on them for support.
In Galatians 6:2 the Apostle Paul reminds us as believers that we have a duty to
Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Christians are to continually (present tense) bear each other’s burdens.
The word “burden” (baros) refers to heavy loads that are difficult to lift and carry.
As it is used here it represents any difficulty or trial a person has trouble coping with.
Just remember it is not spirituality but pride that make a person want to “go it alone.”
So when Trials Threatened to Squeeze the Life Out of Jesus He Didn’t Shut Others Out And He Didn’t Shut His Feeling Up.
But also realize Third,
When trials threatened to Squeeze the life out of Jesus he didn’t try to do it his way.
Many years ago Elvis Presley recorded a song entitled “I Did It May Way,” considering how his life ended, in pill induced stupor, alone on a bathroom floor, I find that song immensely sad.
Yet many people today still try to escape from their fears in such ways.
Some seek it at a bar or in a bottle, where they can drown their fear in a mind-numbing drink but their fear is only put on hold.
Some go to a secular counselor but find that they can only give them earthly solutions.
Some read a self-help book but find that what has helped others does not drive the fear out of their lives.
Some people look to other people to solve their fear only to find that they may have the same fear or a worse one in their lives. But there is another possibility.
The Psalmist says (Psalm 50:15)
Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”
The apostle James says (James 5:13),
Is any one of you suffering? He should pray. . .
In today’s text we see an individual who faces trials by turning to God.
We see a person who reveals his intense emotions to God in prayer.
All of his emotional distress was laid before the Father on the altar of prayer.
Jesus did what we all must do whenever we are faced with great pain or great trials, we must pray. Whether we find ourselves in a hospital room, the courtroom, or the funeral home, these are moments for prayer.
What if you see someone in Walmart that you know is struggling with something great, do you just let them walk by, or not approach them, or listen to them and leave them by saying you’ll pray for them and go home and never think about it again.
When did the saints limit their prayers to just at home behind closed doors?
Whenever we see a need we need to be quick to pray for that need immediately. Don’t wait.
I don’t care if its in the middle of the department store, work, church, during the sermon, it does not matter. When the Holy Spirit prompts you to pray, you do now!
Only God knows what that prayer will do.
They may be prayers of agony and despair, but your heavenly Father will hear you.
Jesus takes his pain and his need to God in prayer.
When Jesus needed something he immediately went into prayer.
He didn’t allow the problem to show him how big it was, he reminded the problem how big God was.
We must beware of the danger of brooding sullenly over our wounds.
When we are caught up in the busyness of life we neglect to take time to go to God in prayer, but when trials are severe they force us to our knees.
In verse forty-four we are told, Luke 22:44
And in His anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.
The Greek word is agonia means intense anguish.
He was in agony, “the Greek word is used of someone who is fighting a battle with sheer fear.”
Not that he was fearful, but he was battling fear. Fear wanted to take hold and Jesus was having none of it.
I want you to notice that the Lord received an immediate answer to his prayer, but in a somewhat unexpected way.
Then an angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him.
God did not remove the “cup” but he sent an angel to minister to his son.
Rather than telling Him how he could avoid the cross, God sent an angel to feed and encourage Him.
Jesus is not spared the trial, but what is supplied is the strength to face it.
He is not lifted out the trial but given the strength and encouragement to go through it.
So when Trials Threatened to Squeeze the Life Out of Jesus – He Didn’t Shut Others Out. He Didn’t Shut His Feeling Up. He Didn’t Try To Do It His Way…
When trials threatened to squeeze the life out of Jesus he decided to be obedient.
In second half of verse forty-two we read, “… nevertheless not my will, but Yours be done.”
Jesus had prayed that if there was any other way, that mankind could be saved from their sins, that was his desire, but only if it is within His father’s will.
But greater than his fear, greater than his loathing for the task ahead, was his overriding desire to please God the Father.
The greatest possible good is to do God’s will whatever the cost!
If you are in a crisis of obedience it is all right to tell God of your reluctance, it is not as if He doesn’t already know. Just make sure that to do what he tells you to do in spite of your reluctance.
It’s a terrible to thing to find out the people that you counted on disappointed you.
Verse forty-five tells that at last Jesus got up from praying – how long He struggled in prayer is unknown, but it was late.
When he went out to his disciples he found them sleeping, again.
The gospel accounts in Matthew and Mark tell us he did so three times during the evening of prayer (Matt 26:40,42,45).
Only Luke tells us that the disciples were “sleeping from sorrow.”
It would seem that the disciples have begun to understand what lay ahead for Jesus and they were overcome with sorrow.
Anyone who has suffered deep depression knows that with that depression comes an inordinate desire to just “sleep their problems away.”
It has been and exceedingly long day both for Jesus and the disciples, but the day is just beginning.
The Lord’s final admonition to His disciples to pray. (v. 46)
In the original Greek, it is present tense.
In this context he is suggesting that their prayer is to be an ongoing commitment to pray as opposed to a single moment of prayer.
“Why are you sleeping?” He asked. “Get up and pray so that you will not enter into temptation.”
Closing Thoughts
For those of you who may at this moment be in the most difficult trial of your life, I want to ask:
Have you brought loved ones and trusted friends in to help or have you isolated yourself?
Have you honestly expressed your feelings or do you believe that you have put on a false front?
Have you taken your problems to God and have you asked others to pray for you as well?
Finally, are you being obedient to God’s leading in your life or are you using the difficulties in your life as an excuse to run from God?
Only you and God can answer these questions.
I am going to open these alters up right now.
If you have a need, come now. I don’t want you to wait.
I want to pray for you. Your brothers and sisters want to pray for you.
Most importantly God wants to take that burden from you today.
Won’t you come?
PRAY
