Not My Will, But Yours

1. The Hook

— In 1762, Jean Jacques Rousseau published Émile, one of the most influential books ever written on education and child development. In it, he argued that children should be carefully nurtured and guided as they mature. Yet Rousseau later admitted that he had sent his own children to a foundling institution rather than raising them himself. For centuries, critics have pointed to the disconnect between what Rousseau taught and how he lived. We expect people to practice what they preach.

— Sometimes as parents we fall to this same concept of not practicing what we preach

A father tells his son, “Put your phone away and pay attention to people when they are talking to you.” Yet throughout the evening, the father is scrolling through his own phone at the dinner table.

A mother tells her children, “Watch your attitude.” Yet they regularly hear her complain about neighbors, coworkers, and family members.

Parents tell their children, “Tell the truth,” “Be respectful,” “Control your temper,” and “Be kind.” But children are often quick to notice when Mom and Dad fail to do those same things.

One parenting expert observed that children are far more likely to imitate what parents do than obey what parents say.

In other words, children learn from our example before they learn from our instruction.

Most parents eventually discover this truth: the greatest lessons are not taught from the mouth. They are taught from the life.

That principle is not only true in parenting. It is true in leadership, friendship, and discipleship.

Jesus understood that. He did not merely tell people to deny themselves. He denied Himself. He did not merely tell people to take up their cross. He took up His cross. He did not merely tell people to submit to the Father’s will. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He helped see what submission actually looks like.

When we come to Mark 14, we are not simply listening to Jesus teach about submission. We are watching Him live it.

2. The Context

Remember back in Mark 8:34–38 “34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.””

3. The Text

Mark 14:32–42 “32 And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. 34 And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” 35 And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” 37 And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. 41 And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.””

The Stress of Submission (32-34)

Greatly distressed - Luke 22:44 “44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

ILLUSTRATION:

It is June 5, 1944. You are a young American soldier packed shoulder to shoulder with dozens of other men inside a landing craft crossing the English Channel. Your destination is Normandy, France. Tomorrow morning will be D Day. The water is rough, the air is cold, and very few men are talking. Some stare silently into the darkness. Others check their equipment for the tenth time. A few are writing what may be their final letters home. You know what is coming. In just a few hours, the front ramp will drop, and you will run directly into enemy fire.

You do not know exactly what will happen once you reach the shore. You do not know if you will make it off the beach. You do not know if you will ever see your family again. Your heart is racing. Your stomach is in knots. Fear grips every part of your body. You are stressed beyond anything you have ever experienced.

Now imagine something even more overwhelming. Imagine knowing every detail of what is about to happen. Imagine knowing exactly when you will be betrayed, exactly when you will be arrested, exactly when you will be beaten, mocked, and crucified. That is where Jesus is in Mark 14. The cross is no longer months away. It is no longer weeks away. It is only hours away.

The Struggle to Submit (35-38)

The Hour

John 12:23 “23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”

John 17:1 “1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,”

The cup

Mark 10:37–38 “37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38 Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”

Yet not what I will but what you will

Not what I want.

The Acceptance of Submission (39-42)

4. The Application

As we leave Gethsemane tonight, it is easy to admire Jesus. It is easy to be amazed by His courage, His love, and His submission. But Mark did not record this scene merely so that we would admire Jesus. He recorded it so that we would follow Jesus.

The truth is that every one of us will eventually find ourselves in our own Gethsemane.

Maybe it is a marriage that requires forgiveness when you would rather hold a grudge.

Maybe it is a temptation that must be resisted when your flesh wants to give in.

Maybe it is a command of Scripture that you know you need to obey, but you have been delaying for months or years.

Maybe it is a difficult conversation, a sacrificial decision, a call to serve, or a call to surrender something you have been holding onto.

At some point, every disciple must answer the same question Jesus answered in the garden: “Will I choose my will, or God’s will?”

What makes Jesus different from every teacher who has ever lived is that He practiced what He preached. When He told His disciples to deny themselves, He denied Himself. When He told His disciples to take up their cross, He took up His cross. When He told His disciples to follow God’s will, He followed God’s will.

The road to Calvary began with three words: “Not my will.”

And if we are going to follow Jesus, our discipleship must begin with those same three words.

Perhaps the greatest question we can ask ourselves tonight is this:

What area of my life still belongs to me?

What have I not surrendered to God?

What am I holding onto that God is asking me to place in His hands?

Because true discipleship begins when our prayer becomes His prayer:

“Not my will, but Yours be done.”

5. The Invitation

Let’s pray.