What is Your Default?

Intro

TV remote- reset the system through specific sequence

- How do we respond to difficult times?

- What’s our default? What settings do we reset to when something unexpected or difficult happens in our lives

o The problem for us is that as humans, our default is our sin nature

o We must be intentional in how we respond to the circumstances in our lives, making sure that we are

- This morning we are going to look at the steps we need to take to reset to the right settings

o What better way to do this than to look at the life of Jesus and how he responded to adversity

- Brief overview of the chapter

o Judas agrees to betray Jesus

o Passover meal- Last Supper

§ Jesus predicts his betrayal, abandonment, and Peter’s denial

§ The disciples argue about who is the greatest

o Prayer on the Mount of Olives

o Betrayal and arrest

o Peter’s denial

o Jesus before the council

- Contrast between Jesus and his disciples

- As we face difficulties, trials, adversity in this life, we must default to the right settings

Practice Humility

A. Who’s the greatest (24-30)

1. Right after Jesus told them that one of them would betray him, they began to argue which one of them would be the greatest

a. “I’m Peter, uh, I walked on water. Let me know when one of you does that, and we can talk about who’s the greatest.”

2. Many times, our response to being accused, threatened, or challenged is to push others down and elevate ourselves

a. Illustration- crabs in a bucket

B. The world is consumed with status and image, but we are called to be different (24-27)

1. Our reaction in Jesus’s situation would probably be… do you know who I am!?

a. Rarely do you see servant leaders, but rather we see entitlement everywhere

b. I deserve this because of who I am or what I’ve done!- imagine if Jesus would have done that- if he didn’t, what right do we have?

2. Jesus took a much different approach

a. Even in his answers before the council- “Are you then the Son of God?”- “You say that I am.”

b. He continually takes the role of a servant

3. Mark 10:42-45

a. Jesus called them over and said to them, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. 43 But it is not so among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

C. Jesus, the very Son of God, humbled himself to the point of death, the most humiliating kind of death!

1. Because he was willing to humble himself, His humiliating death brought salvation and hope to all

- So we’ve seen the first setting, we must practice humility as Jesus did instead of getting wrapped up in our own pride

Prioritize Pray

A. The necessity of prayer

Mind wandered during prayer requests and then someone calls on you to pray- it’s hard to pray if you don’t know what to pray for- we need to be aware

1. The disciples didn’t understand what was about to take place even though Jesus had told them many times

a. Perhaps if they would have understood, they would have prioritized prayer

2. When we understand the reality of God’s plan and our desperate need of him, it should drive us to our knees

3. This is perhaps the most important step, because it shows our dependence on God, we cannot do this without him- he provides the strength we need

a. Even Jesus experienced this- V.43- “Then an angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him.”

B. Pray not to fall into temptation (40, 46)

1. Not a prayer to avoid temptation- we will be tempted

a. Do not be a reactive prayer

b. Be a proactive prayer

2. “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matt. 26:41)

a. Strength to say “no”

C. Pray for God’s will to be done (v. 42)

1. We can get so distracted but what we think needs to happen

2. But our desire, above all else, should be that God’s will be done

3. Imagine if God would have allowed that cup to pass

D. Pray to remain faithful (32)

1. Jesus told Peter at the Last Supper- “I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.”

2. Satan wanted peter to fail- he had already influenced Judas

a. Do not be deceived into thinking that there is not spiritual warfare going on around us

b. When we pursue God and his will for our lives, Satan will be there asking to sift us like wheat- to take us out of the picture

c. “Within Luke (as in Job), Satan is not only the accuser, as though his only aim were to detect faithlessness; rather, he inspires faithlessness. He is the one who supplies occasions for failure, who is active in resisting God’s plan and God’s people.”

3. But we have hope- Just as Jesus interceded for Peter, he is interceding for us, that we will remain faithful

- This prayer for faithfulness leads us into our last setting…

Pursue Faithfulness

A. Jesus remained faithful to the disciples despite their unfaithfulness to him

1. (28-30) He promised that they would not only be in heaven with him one day, but that they would sit at his table and rule from thrones

2. Jesus chose the disciples, loved them, and ultimately sacrificed everything for them

3. Jesus’s words to his disciples reminds us of God’s promises to us- I will never leave you or forsake you (Heb. 13:5)

4. Despite our shortcomings, despite our mess-ups (like we will see in the disciples), God remains faithful

B. The disciples abandoned Jesus in his time of need

1. Judas- betrayal- he walked with Jesus, saw the miracles, heard the truth, but rejected it

2. The rest fled

a. Matthew 26:31- “Tonight all of you will desert me.”

b. Matt. 26:56- “At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled

3. Peter- denial- didn’t want to be associated with Jesus

a. His fear overpowered his faithfulness- fear of others (what they might think, what they might do), fear of death

b. He was so confident that he would even die with Jesus if it came to that

C. God has called us to remain faithful to him

1. Prov. 3:3- Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you. Tie them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.

2. There will be times that we fail- but God is always ready to forgive

a. We will see in the coming weeks how God continued to use these men

b. But they are learning, from Jesus himself, how to respond to difficulty

- And that is my desire this morning, that in looking at the life of Jesus in these final moments before he is put to death for our sin, we will see our own sinfulness, and strive, in his power, to be more like Jesus.

- He has given us this example- what will your default be? Will it be to revert to your old sinful nature, or will it be to pursue God’s way?

So What?

How do we reset to the right settings- how do we respond to adversity the way Jesus did?

- Practice humility

- Prioritize prayer

- Pursue faithfulness