Full Surrender

“Full Surrender”

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Today, I want us to go in our mind with Jesus and his disciples as they leave the upper room and go to the Garden of Gethsemane. Luke gives us the briefest account of what takes place in the garden of Gethsemane the night that Jesus is betrayed and arrested. When you read these verses, you see Jesus in a different light than anywhere else in the Gospels. Everywhere else you see Jesus in the Gospels he is absolutely fearless and courageous.

· In the wilderness temptation Jesus is

Un-intimidated in the face of Satan’s temptation.

· In his hometown, he is unmoved when the mob tries to kill him.

· In the midst of the storm, Jesus calmly stands and calms it.

Everywhere else in the Gospels you see Jesus is fearless, bold and courageous.

However, in the garden of Gethsemane we see Jesus overcome with agony as he prayed, and faced his death on the cross. It is hard for us to comprehend what is taking place in the garden of Gethsemane.

As we look at what happens in these verses, we ought to be filled with a deep reverence and a sense of awe!

The words God spoke to Moses should come across our mind: “Take off your shoes from your feet, the place where you stand is holy ground”.

This is one of most sacred scenes in all of the Bible. As we look at the scenes that unfold before us in the garden of Gethsemane we are reminded that Jesus was not forced to die on the cross by his father. Jesus had a choice; Jesus said, no man takes my life, I lay it down myself. Everything that takes place in this garden on the last night of Jesus life on this earth before his death on the cross shows us that Jesus was in total control; and that he was making a full surrender of his own free will.

There are four scenes that take place in the verses that are before us today. And in these four scenes we see Jesus as he fully surrenders to the will of God, to go to the cross to die for us.

Scene #1:

1. Jesus Enters the Lonely Garden.

V:39-41.

After the Lord’s Supper, Jesus and his disciples leave the city of Jerusalem, go outside the walls of the city across the kidron Valley to the slopes of the Mount of Olives, to the garden of Gethsemane.

As he crossed the brook in the Kidron Valley it would be red with blood from all the Passover sacrifices in the Temple.

Jesus must have thought about how his own blood would be poured out on the ground before another day ended.

The Garden of Gethsemane is on the slopes of the Mount of Olives facing the city of Jerusalem. There are olives trees planted on the slopes of this hill. The traditional site of the garden of Gethsemane, has some 8 olive trees that are over 1000 years old, some believe they date back to the time of Christ, their massive trunks are knotted, and gnarled. That place it is considered the garden of Gethsemane.

The word Gethsemane means, oil press. Because in that garden there was olive press, for pressing the oil out of the olives. There Jesus is going to be crushed as he faces the cross. This was the place where Jesus was known to go with his disciples to pray. It was in that garden that the greatest struggle on earth took place! It was in that garden that Jesus fought his greatest battle, the submission of his human will, to the divine will of God. We cannot comprehend what took place in that garden.

But we can ask God to give us an holy appreciation for the suffering Jesus endured for us!

Jesus entered that lonely Garden of Gethsemane knowing full well he would be arrested that night, go through a mock trial and the crucified the next day; but he entered that familiar place anyway.

The entire bible is the story of 2 gardens:

The Garden of Eden and the Garden of Gethsemane. In the Garden of Eden, Adam face the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and said to God not your will, but my will and plunge the human race into sin.

In this garden the last Adam, the Lord Jesus looked toward another tree, and said to God in prayer, not my will, but your will be done for the redemption of the human race.

Like Jesus, we were put here on this earth to seek the will of God. Every day as followers of Jesus, we are faced with the decision of doing our will, are doing the will of God. The only way we are going to resist sin, and surrender to God’s will, is to be people of prayer. Jesus went to this garden with 11 of his disciples, Judas had already left. Jesus goes there that night to pray. Luke tells us this was,

V:40-“The Place” This was the place that Jesus regularly went to spend time in prayer to his father. Do you have a place that you go to the spend time with God in prayer? Could you take me to:

“The Place” you pray? You need a place you can go to and pray. It might be your closet, the bathroom, the living room before anyone else wakes up, the kitchen table; but you need a place that you go to pray, and surrender your will, to God’s will!

In prayer Jesus was preparing for what was to happen that night and the next day. It was through prayer that Jesus made preparation to surrender himself to death on the cross. Matthew tells us that Jesus left 8 of his disciples at one place in the garden, and took the 3 disciples closest to him, Peter, James and John further into the garden to pray. These were Jesus closest friends, they are carried further into the garden to pray.

Notice what Jesus tells his disciples,

V:40-“Pray that you enter not into temptation”.

What compassion; Jesus on the last night of his life, facing the cross, is thinking about his disciples. Jesus had taught this lesson to his disciples before; he taught them to pray that they enter not into temptation. The lesson is clear, you are going to face temptation; temptation to deny Jesus, doubt Jesus, run away from Jesus; and the only way to keep from falling, is to pray!

We must empty ourselves of all self-confidence, spiritual pride, over-estimation of our own strength, and call out to God in prayer, for his help.

Jesus words are a warning to us to not be caught prayer-less when temptation hits us; but if you will pray, God promises to help you.

The reason there is a garden of Gethsemane in the Bible is to teach us that the way to surrender to God’s will is through prayer. Jesus Christ faced this time of surrender in his life by falling on his face and praying. He is our pattern for facing the difficulties, troubles, temptations that will come into our lives.

-“Call upon me in the time of trouble: I will deliver you”.

-“Is any afflicted? Let him pray.

When Job’s children and property were taken away… He prayed.

When Hezekiah faced the attack from Syria, he prayed.

When Jesus faced this dark hour in his life, he prayed.

Jesus is teaching us how to face moments of crisis in our life! When I face a situation where I have to make a choice to do my will or God’s will; I must pray, or I will not do God’s will!

We are going to face temptation, and if were not praying we will give in to temptation.

Two young people are on a date, they have to decide are they going to maintain their sexual purity are gratify their sexual desires… It is crunch time! Your will…are God’s will?

A husband and wife are having difficulty in their marriage, they have grown cold toward one another. They have to decide are they going to get a divorce, keep their promise to God and stay together and work it out… It is crunch time!

You will never put God’s will, over your will, unless you are a person of prayer!

The garden of Gethsemane was a place of preparation, and a place of prayer.

Scene #2:

2. Jesus Drinks the Bitter Cup.

V:41-46.

Matthew in his gospel tells us that Jesus fell on his face as he prayed, and that Jesus said, my soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even the death”.

The subject of Jesus prayer was a cup,

V:42-“saying, father if you be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but yours be done”.

As Jesus looked at this cup and what was in it; it struck Holy Terror into his heart! Now the cup that Jesus was talking about was not a literal cup like you hold in your hand and drink from.

He was using it as a metaphor, the cup spoke of something that you would experience. Something He would take and drink down, something he would experience.

Jesus was looking at experiencing something, receiving something; and the thought of it shook Jesus to the core of his being.

Listen to what the book of Hebrews says about this night, -“Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears unto him who was able to save him from death.

Strong crying and tears! What a mystery; we have never seen Jesus like this before.

Jesus the strong son of God is overwhelmed with what he is facing as he looks in that cup.

Were told in that Jesus was sore amazed, and very heavy”.

Jesus was thrown into a terror, absolutely stunned, he seeing something he’s never seen before. Jesus is seized with horror. What Jesus sees in that cup unnerves him. And it’s very heavy, the idea being crushed under the weight of what is approaching.

Jesus has a whirlwind of sorrow circling around in him. Jesus says I’m sorrowful to the point of death… Jesus is in such horrible shape that God has to send an angel to strengthen him, V:43.

But after the angel leaves look what happens,

V:44-Read. If you think if you could just have a visit from an angel, it would make everything better.

Then look at what happens to Jesus; and do not believe that if and angel visited you all your troubles would be gone. Do not believe if you had enough faith everything would turn out roses; that is false teaching. Jesus prayed, Jesus cried, Jesus had a visit from an angel, but he continued to be in agony as he prayed.

The word agony means to wrestle with something, it means to be in a strain. The word agony was used to speak of an athletic contest in Greek.

Jesus was wrestling… He was in agony.

Was he wrestling with God the father? No never, Jesus great desire was to always do the will of God. God said this is my beloved son in whom I’m well pleased.

Was he wrestling with Satan? He never had to wrestle with Satan, he had absolute dominion over him. Well who was he wrestling with?

Jesus was wrestling with drinking that cup.

Jesus was wrestling with himself because of what was in that cup and what it would cost him to drink it. Were told in, V:44-“Jesus sweat as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground”.

Doctors describe this condition as ''hematidrosis''. It is very rare, but very serious. What happens is that emotional distress becomes so great that capillaries beneath the skin can literally burst.

And you actually start spilling blood from your sweat glands. His heart rate was off the charts. His blood pressure was out the roof.

Gethsemane! Oil press! Crushed!

On the night that it was cold enough to build a fire Jesus is sweating and mingled with his sweat is his blood.

The cries, the anguish of Jesus was so intense, that the disciples fell asleep from sorrow, V:45. They absolutely couldn’t take it. Jesus had Peter, James and John close enough to hear what was going on, and that’s why we can read about it, because they heard it and wrote it down. Never get the idea that Jesus was afraid to die. What Jesus feared was not death… but a cup.

You say Pastor Eddie, What was in that cup?

What was in that cup that would make the son of God; who cast out demons, who healed the sick, who raise the dead, who walked on water be shaken physically, emotionally, and spiritually?

Let me tell you what was in that cup, that astonished the holy son of God, that made his blood turn to ice water, that made his soul exceedingly sorrowful even to death, that an angel had to come and rescue him.

· The filth of sin was in that cup.

In that cup was the sins of every person who has ever lived, or ever will live. The Bible tells us that in order for Jesus to save us, our sins were placed upon Jesus, and he died for them.

-“For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him”.

-“who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree…

In that cup, was my sin and your sin; every immoral thought, every wicked deed, every hurtful, hateful thing. Your sin was in that cup!

In that cup was every horrible thing that has ever been done on planet Earth. Every rape, every murder, every immoral act, was in that cup.

Hitler's gas ovens were in that cup. Every greedy desire, every covetous look, every lustful thought, every filthy word was in that cup. Now imagine the holy lips, of the holy son of God drinking down the sins of all mankind! Jesus drank the bitter cup of my sin and your sin! He never sinned. But he was made sin for us, he carried that sin to the cross.

You may not understand what sin is, but Jesus Christ knew what sin is. Jesus had seen sin turn angels to demons and men to beasts.

Sin is a clenched fist in the face of God. Jesus knew when he drank that cup, he would be numbered with the transgressions. He whose name is holy, would become sin. The reason we do not recoil from sin as we ought to recoil from it is because we do not understand the horror of sin the way Jesus Christ understands the horror of sin.

The filth of sin was in that cup.

But something else was in that cup:

The wrath of God was in that cup.

In the Old Testament we read of the cup of wrath being poured out. Jesus knew that the punishment, not of some sin, but of all sin, would be upon him. When Jesus took my sin and your sin, God the Father treated Jesus as he would any guilty sinner. Jesus looked in that cup and saw the wrath of God against sin. Jesus knew that he was going to suffer the forever fires of hell.

Jesus was going to receive the full force of God's wrath and Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God was going to be separated from God on that cross. Jesus Christ suffered an eternity of hell on that cross.

He paid all of the sin of all of the people for all time.

If that doesn't move your heart, your heart is harder than a rock.

Jesus looked in this cup with absolute holy fear, and asked if there was some other way, but silence from heaven said, there is no other way. So in great love, Jesus took that cup and drank it dry!

We learn that Jesus did not have to die, he chose to die. The Lord Jesus willingly said, not my will but yours be done. Had he said no, not a one of us would be saved; but would be separated from God in hell forever.

It was because Jesus suffered, bled and died on that cross for pour sins, that you and I can be saved.

He takes my sin. He drinks it down. I take his righteousness. I drink it in. Isn't that wonderful? Jesus won the victory in the garden of Gethsemane as he surrendered to the cross of Calvary. You and I will never come to the place of full usefulness as a Christian until we have a Gethsemane where we humbly say, Lord not my will, but your will be done. Jesus said if any man come after me, he must deny himself… It is not easy to say no to our desires, our wills, and surrender to God’s will, but it is the only way to spiritual victory.

Scene #3:

3. Jesus Receives the Betrayers Kiss.

V:47-48.

Jesus comes back to his disciples, finds them asleep again, and says, pray lest you enter into temptation. Oh the kindness and patience that Jesus Christ has with us! The book of Matthew tells us that Jesus had to wake them up three times, but he kept doing it. He knows that the moment of temptation, to run away, to deny him is coming and they need to be praying.

And while the words are coming out of his mouth were told in, V:47, that Judas came leading a group of people to where Jesus was, to betray him.

Can you imagine what Jesus must have looked like when Judas led that group into the garden? Can you see him? His face is covered with blood and dirt. Red blood and black dirt on his face. His heart is broken.

Judas one of the 12, who had experienced the miracles, the messages and the friendship of Jesus Christ was a leading this band to where Jesus was.

Judas chose a kiss to identify Jesus.

The kiss of Judas lips, reveals the hypocrisy in his heart.

Judas had traveled along when Jesus for three years, but he was not saved, he had never given his heart to Jesus. He had followed Jesus not for who Jesus was, but for what he could get out of Jesus.

Judas kissed the door to heaven and went to hell. What a sad story is the life of Judas.

-“Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful”.

The crowd that came with Judas is identified in, V:52-“the chief priest, captains of the temple, and the elders…

And these Temple police, and soldiers were armed with swords and clubs.

Judas steps from the crowd to kiss Jesus, which was a customary greeting in that day. But notice what Jesus says to Judas, V:48-“Judas betrayed thou the Son of Man with a kiss?

Jesus called Judas by his name, Matthew even says he called him friend. It’s as if Jesus was giving him one last chance to repent. Jesus also reminds Judas that he is the “son of man”, the title that meant that Jesus was the Christ, the son of God.

Jesus is saying to Judas can’t you see what you’re doing, you are betraying the Christ of God. Jesus knows the pain of having a close friend betray him.

Jesus can sympathize with you no matter what you experience, because he has already experienced it.

Scene #4:

4. Jesus Rebukes the Useless Sword.

V:49-53.

In this last scene we see, Peter fighting, and Jesus yielding. We’re told that when the disciples saw what was happening and that Jesus was going to be arrested, one of them asked “shall we pull out the sword”. Remember they had already had the sword conversation and Jesus told them it was not the time for physical swords, but they didn’t get it. Jesus doesn’t have time to give an answer before Peter grabs the sword and cuts off the right ear of the high priest servant Malchus. .

True to form Peter is impetuous, and rushes to do something, even if it’s the wrong thing.

Why does Peter do this? Because he was passive when he should have been active, now he is active when he should have been passive.

Jesus told him to pray that he would not enter into temptation, but he was passive instead of active and fell asleep. Now when he should have been passive, he becomes active and pulls out a sword and tries to cut someone’s head off.

Peter had slept when he should have been praying, now is fighting when he should be surrendering. When a crisis comes into your life and you have not been praying, you will always respond incorrectly.

Peter was using the wrong weapon, and fighting the wrong enemy. Enemies are not flesh and blood, and we cannot defeat supernatural enemies, with carnal weapons. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds. Two mighty weapons in our arsenal, our prayer and the word of God!

Jesus reaches down and picks up that guys right ear, and sticks it back on the side of his head.

The Church down through the centuries has responded just like the disciples did this night, fight or flight. This is the last miracle that Jesus performed before his death on the cross. I wonder after Jesus that man’s ear back on, if he didn’t whisper in that ear and say, I love you, I forgive you, and I will save you if you will trust in me. Jesus could have called 12 legions of angels, instead he lovingly healed the ear of a slave and then presented his hands to be bound. Jesus last words before leaving the garden were, V:53-Read. Jesus knows that the hour, of darkness had come.

The hour when sin, Satan, death and hell would do their worst against the son of God. But behind the hour of darkness, was the hour of God, the hour that Jesus would die for the sins of the world.

And there in that darkness Jesus was the Victor!

A savior that triumphs in his darkest hour can deliver you in your darkest hour! When it seems that everything is out-of-control, God is in control!

Jesus went to that lonely garden, drank that cup of sin, received the betrayers kiss, that you might know His great love and salvation.

When I look at these scenes in this garden, it makes me want to do two things:

#1. I want to hate sin. #2. I want to love Jesus.