Worship In All Seasons

Title-

Worship In All Seasons

Passage-

Matthew 26:36-46

Introduction-

What is worship?

There are a lot of quaint definitions for worship

A lot of them I feel fall short of what worship is

Worship is not just the 10:30-11:30 Sunday morning time slot

Worship is not just singing…not just prayer, Scripture reading, not just our giving...

William Temple gave us a great definition of worship....For worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose.

Far too many definitions of worship would not fit the account of Jesus praying in Gethsemane

Yet in that Garden Jesus was worshipping.

Main theme-

This passage ought to...

fill our hearts with His praises.

It should make us want to lift holy hands to praise Him.

It should make us want to rejoice in songs and shouting.

It should fill us with a desire to worship and exalt Him!

It ought to also show us that even in trials, difficulty, and suffering we are still worshipping

Transition-

What happened there in the Garden that is due our praise and worship?

How does this passage direct our worship?

Worsip is not just

I.  Matthew 26:36  IT WAS A WORSHIP UNDER PRESSURE

(Ill. The name of this garden was “Gethsemane”. It probably belonged to a friend of the Lord. While it is famous in our day, and still exists just outside the city of Jerusalem, in the Lord’s day it was probably a small garden enclosed by a wall and guarded by a gate.

        It was a place Jesus often visited with His men, . Gethsemane seems to have been a refuge for the Lord. “Wont”…accustom

It was a place where He could find solitude from the crowds and ministry that occupied His life.

It was a place where He could go to find a private moment to commune with His Father.

It was a sanctuary from the attacks of His enemies. It was a place of refreshment from the long days of ministry.

        The name Gethsemane is Aramaic in origin.

The word means “Olive Press”. Gethsemane was, and is, a place where olive trees grew and produced their fruit. The olives were collected, placed in a press and the precious olive oil was extracted from the olives under intense...pressure.

        Jesus and His men arrive at Gethsemane. He leaves eight of the disciples at the gate to the garden. He takes Peter, James and John with Him and they go deeper into the garden.

        Why were these men singled out? It seems that they were the leaders among the group. They would see and hear things that would serve them as the led the other disciples in the future. Jesus gave these three a time of special ministry so they could be used to help others to grow. By the way, the Lord still does that today!

        He will put some of His people into situations where they can see, hear and experience things others can’t imagine. He does it so that He might use them to teach other about the power of His grace and sufficiency, Ill. Peter – .

        On this night, our Lord would enter the “Olive Press” and the oil of grace and submission to the Father would be extracted from Jesus’s life.

For Jesus, the garden of Gethsemane would be a place of intense pressures. Our text tells us about some of the pressures He faced that night.)

A.  There Were Internal Pressures – The very language of these verses reveals the truth that Jesus Christ is in a time of intense emotional and spiritual trial.

· He Was Sore Amazed – This phrase means “to be struck with terror.”

Jesus knew what was coming, but as He looked into the cup He was about to drink, He was astonished and overcome with horror.

No other human has ever experienced such anguish in their soul.

· He was Very Heavy – Speaks of a condition of “great distress and anguish.”

· He said My Soul Is Exceeding Sorrowful – This phrase literally means “to be overwhelmed with sorrow.” We get our word “periphery” from this word and it means “to be surrounded”. Jesus was “surrounded by overwhelming sorrows”.

· He said Even Unto Death – This phrase means that Jesus was “at the point of death” as He prayed in Gethsemane. It is possible for a person to die of anguish alone.

        The Word of God is telling us that Jesus was overwhelmed physically, emotionally and spiritually by what He experienced as He entered the Garden of Gethsemane that night. Think about the pressure the Lord was experiencing.

        He knows He is about to suffer intense physical pain.

He knows that He is about to become sin on a cross.

He knows that He is about to be judged by His Father.

He knows that, for the first time in eternity, there will be a disconnect in the fellowship He has enjoyed with His Father.

He knows that He will be abandoned by His nation, His followers and His Father.

He knows that He is about to be tried, rejected and condemned to death by the very people He came to save.

He knows that the most powerful human government on earth is about turn its cruelty upon Him.

        The thoughts of what He is about to endure literally overwhelm His mind and heart. It was a time of extreme internal pressure.

Praise God that He endured the physical, spiritual, and emotional trials and made it to Calvary so that we might be saved.

B.  There Were External Pressures – When we read this account of the Lord’s suffering in Gethsemane, he records this: “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground,” .

As He prayed, He did so with such intensity that the capillaries in his forehead began to burst. Sweat and blood mingled together and dropped to the ground.

        While Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, the body He lived in was a frail human body just like ours. His body knew weariness, it felt pain, it got hungry, sleepy and tired. It was just a body.

As Jesus prayed that night, the physical, emotional, and spiritual pressures that came upon Jesus were almost more than His body could handle. But, He did handle it! He survived the agony of Gethsemane and He made it to Calvary where He died for our sins!

C.  There Were Pressures of Demonic or Satanic Oppression – There isn’t necessarily biblical evidence to support this, but I will share with you what I believe. It is my opinion that Jesus was under satanic attack in Gethsemane. I believe that Satan was trying to so overload the Lord Jesus with suffering that he would cause him to die right there. This may be why we see an angel sent from Heaven to strengthen the Lord during His time in Gethsemane, .

        Contrary to popular opinion, Satan did not want Jesus to go to the cross. I have heard preachers say that Hell rejoiced when Jesus died. Nothing could be father from the truth!

Satan knew that Calvary was the ultimate goal of the Father.

Satan knew that, at Calvary, Jesus would defeat sin and Satan.

That is why Satan had been trying to stop the cross ever since man sinned in the Garden of Eden.

That is why he tried repeatedly to corrupt the bloodline from which the Messiah would come.

That is why he moved Herod to kill all the babies in Bethlehem when the wise men came looking for the King of the Jews.

That is why Satan tempted Jesus to take the crown by bypassing the cross.

        There were external pressures. Jesus Christ was victorious in Gethsemane and overcame the devil so that He might go to the cross and die for our sins.

  First It Was A Worship Of Pressure…second...

 II.  Matthew 26:37-38    IT WAS A WORSHIP OF PRAYER

PLACE OF PRAYER

(Ill. Jesus leaves eight of His men at the gate of the garden. He takes three deeper with Him into the garden. He tells these three, Peter, James and John, to wait for Him and to “watch” while He goes to pray. The word means “to give strict attention to something.” These men were to keep their eyes open for trouble, and they were to pray with Him, and probably, for Him as He prayed, v. 38.

        Jesus went deeper into Gethsemane to pray. I want to look at His prayer for a few moments today.)

A.  The Object Of His Prayer – Jesus fell to the ground and began to call on His Father.

He addressed Him first as, “Abba”. This is an Aramaic term that is equivalent to our word “daddy”. It is a word of intense intimacy.

        In Him, we have the same privilege! Paul said in , “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” Through Jesus, we have the same privileges that Jesus enjoyed. We are brought into a place of absolute intimacy with the Father!

        As Jesus prayed He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me...” When you read this prayer, do not think for an instant that Jesus is trying to get out of going to the cross. He was born for that purpose, “Jesus answers Pilot that “to this end I was born.”. He was the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”, . No one was forcing Him to go to the cross. He told the Pharisees, “I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father,” .

        If Jesus wasn’t praying to avoid the cross, what was He praying for in the garden that night? In Matthew’s account He records the Lord’s words as follows, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me,” . It is possible that Jesus was asking the Father if accomplishing salvation another way was a possibility. It is almost as if He prayed, “If there is another way, let Me do it that way.”

        Think about it, Jesus is about to become sin on the cross, .

For the first time in eternity, He will be separated from His Father, .

He will be forsaken, abandoned and judged by His Father.

Thoughts of drinking that most bitter of cups must have overwhelmed the mind of the sinless Son of God! That “cup” represented all the wrath and hatred of God against sin. That “cup” symbolized the fullness of the holy wrath of God that was about to poured out on Jesus.

        While the knowledge of all that He was about to suffer physically must have terrified the mind of Christ, He was not afraid of the pain of the cross. However, the very thought of becoming sin, and being judged and abandoned by God was horrifying to the sinless Son of God.

B.  The Oppression Of His Prayer –  The text suggests that Jesus prayed to the Father three times in the garden. Each prayer probably associated with a time of satanic attack. It took the devil three times to exhaust himself on the Mount of Temptation; it appears that he made three efforts to stop the Son of God in Gethsemane. I praise the Lord that Jesus prevailed!

                The text suggests that Jesus prayed to the Father three times in the garden. Each prayer probably associated with a time of satanic attack. It took the devil three times to exhaust himself on the Mount of Temptation; it appears that he made three efforts to stop the Son of God in Gethsemane. I praise the Lord that Jesus prevailed!

B.  The Obedience Of His Prayer – As Jesus concluded His prayer, He expressed absolute obedience to the Father’s will.

He did not want to be separated from His Father.

He did not desire to experience His Father’s wrath.

He did not want to become sin, but He was willing to do it because it was the Father’s plan for His life.

        The words “I will” and “Thou wilt” let us know that this was a true time of testing for the Saviour. While Jesus was sinless and unable to sin, He faced a time of severe temptation, . Just as He had on the Mount of Temptation three and one-half years earlier, He won a great victory by remaining submissive to His Father’s will.

(Note: Let me stop here and say that I thank the Lord He prevailed in Gethsemane. He could have walked away from us that night. No one was forcing Him to die. No one was forcing Him to become sin for us. No one was forcing Him to do what He did.

        He did it willingly!

He did it so that we might have a way to be saved.

He did it so that when a lost soul cried out to God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ the Saviour, there would be salvation available.

He did it because He loved us, ; ; .

He did so that we would not have to go to Hell.

I am thankful that He endured the pain and paid the price so that we might be saved!

        Have you believed on Jesus?

Are you saved by His grace?

Has His death become your death?

Has His blood washed away your sins?

Do you know Him as your Saviour?

You can! If you will come to Him, He will save you and change your life and eternity. Come to Jesus and receive Him into your heart today!

  This account in the garden Was A Worship Of Pressure, It Was A Worship Of Prayer

 II.  It Was A Worship Of Prayer

III.  v. 37-41     IT WAS A WORSHIP OF PRIORITIES

PLACE OF PRIORITIES

(Ill. As Jesus prayed in the garden that night, two sets of priorities are being played out. These priorities reveal the contrast between the sinless Saviour and sinful men.)

A.  The Priorities Of The Master – Jesus had one overriding, overarching priority in His life.

He lived to do the will of His Father. When He was twelve years old, He said, “Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?” .  Later, He said, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work,” . And, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me,” .

        The cross of Calvary and the death of Christ on that cross was never in question!

Jesus came to this world to die for sin and sinners and that is what He did. His Father’s will was all that He lived for! He completely fulfilled the Father’s plan on Calvary, . That is a truth we can all rejoice in today!

B.  The Priorities Of His Men – While Jesus is praying and wrestling with the greatest load any man ever tried to carry, the disciples are asleep. Jesus commanded them to “watch”, but they are tired and they all fall asleep. They sleept through the greatest spiritual struggle the world has ever witnessed.

                These men had the privilege of watching the Great High Priest of Heaven as He approached the Father in the Holy of Holies. They had a privilege no other men had ever enjoyed, and they slept through it all! What a tragedy!

        Our Lord’s priority was the will of His Father.

Their priority was themselves and their own needs.

        Be that as it may, it still does not excuse them from sleeping when the Master said to “watch”. The fact is, they really didn’t believe all the things He told them about His betrayal and His death. They probably thought He was being dramatic, so that went to sleep.

        Jesus returns and finds them asleep. When He does, He speaks to Peter. Notice that He calls him “Simon”, v. 37. This was Peter’s old name. It means “to hearken, or to listen”. Peter hadn’t listened to the Lord and he wasn’t acting like the new man Peter. He was acting like to old man Simon. He wasn’t acting like “the Rock”. Peter had just boasted that he was willing to die with Jesus, v. 31. Now, he can’t even stay awake while the prays for one hour.

        Jesus warns His men to be watchful and prayerful because a time of temptation and trial is coming their way and they will need spiritual help to make it through that time of testing. Little did they know how soon that prediction would be fulfilled.

        Jesus goes away to pray twice more and each time He returns, He finds them still sleeping.

This passage teaches us that His men walked under a different set of priorities than He did.

He lived to fulfill His Father’s will, they lived to gratify themselves and to meet their own needs.

        The lesson from this passage is clear. Jesus achieved victory because He was diligent in prayer. He leaned on His Father and His Father gave Him the victory. His men leaned on themselves, and when their time of testing came, they failed, v. 50.

        If we want to enjoy victory in our times of temptation and testing, we must learn to lean on the Lord and His power.

As long as we lean on self, we are doomed to fail.

When we let the old “Simon” within us control us, we can expect nothing but failure in our Christian lives.

But, when we surrender to His power and His control in our lives, we will be successful as we live for Him and walk in His will.

        The disciples followed a predictable pattern in their lives. Look at it.

· They were self-confident, v. 31. They thought they could stand in their own power.

· They slept, v. 37. They were indifferent to the evil around them and they lacked true moral and spiritual vigilance.

· They were tempted, v. 50. They were called upon to think of themselves first and to rebel against God’s plan for their lives.

· They sinned, v. 50ff. they depended on themselves and ignored the power of Satan and they fell into sin. No believer is a match for the devil!

· They experienced disaster, v. 50ff. Just as temptation that is not faced in God power leads to sin.

Sin that is not confessed and cleansed away leads to spiritual tragedy!

· Don’t think for a minute that the same thing can’t happen to any of us! The same pattern will manifest itself in our lives when we walk in the power of the flesh. We must stay close and clean if we would avoid becoming a spiritual shipwreck!

Conclusion

I thank the Lord for this glimpse into the events in Gethsemane. What a joy it is to know that our Saviour fought all the battles for us and that He prevailed every time!

        If this passage demands anything from us at all, it demands our worship. When we think of all that He endured for us that night, it should drive us to our knees in worship, It should fill our hearts with His praises. It should make us want to lift holy hands to praise Him. It should make us want to rejoice in songs and shouting. It should fill us with a desire to worship and exalt Him!

        If we are like the disciples this passage should cause us to awake out of our sleep and get busy for the Lord. This is an hour that calls for action, it is not a time for God’s people to sleep.

        If you are not saved today, the sight of the Saviour suffering in Gethsemane should cause you to want to come to Him to be saved today.

        Has He spoken to your heart today? If He has, allow the Holy Spirit to work in your heart.

Love Him! Praise Him! Adore Him! Believe Him! Receive Him!

Worship Him!