The Last Hours  April 1, 2007 – Palm Sunday

The Last Prayer

When God says “No”

What do you do when God says no?  Some people get mad.  Some stomp their feet and rage at the forces of the world. 

In the movie Forest Gump, Lt. Dan hauls his legless body up the mast on a rope and bosun’s chair in the middle of a terrible squall.  There at the top of the mast as he swayed in the wind and the lightning flashed shook his fist at the thunder and challenged God to take him on.

Some curl up and quit.  They become fatalists who while they are not angry they are also not engaged.  They simply stop caring.

Jesus’ last prayer was an appeal to his father from the deepest part of his existence.  And God said No. 

Everything has been building to this moment in time.  From his baptism in the river Jordon, his three years of ministry, healing, teaching, and training his disciples, everything has converged on this day, this hour, this moment.

Perhaps it was the fact that Jesus was alone.  The disciples were there with him but they didn’t get it.  They were still looking for a kingdom of men.  And while Jesus prayed they went to sleep. 

Perhaps it was the sheer weight of the sin of humanity that Jesus was preparing to bear upon his shoulders.

Perhaps it was simply death that was imminent.  Death, the separation of the soul from the body – that moment that the light goes out of the eyes and the warmth leaves the skin.  Death, when nothing can bring you back.  The finality and severity of the closure of life – not only physically, but of the mind and the heart. 

There is a separation of the soul from God.  When Jesus hung on the cross the sky grew dark, the earth was in agony, and the temple veil was torn from top to bottom. 

This is what Jesus faced – alone.

Look at his prayers that night in the garden.  He prayed three separate times.  The gospel writers give us the gist of his three prayers. 

The First Prayer

“Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Mark 14:36

Can you hear the tone of his voice?  He cries out, Abba.  This is the most intimate of titles for a father.  It is the Aramaic way of saying, Dad, or daddy.  It is the voice of a child reaching out to the all powerful and all knowing one.

When I was a little boy my dad could do anything.  He was the smartest man in the world.  He had the funniest stories and he could throw a football better than Milt Plum. (For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about – Milt Plum was the quarterback of the Detroit Lions in the early 1960’s.  When I was a boy they could actually beat up the Green Bay Packers once in a while.) 

This is the voice of Jesus here.  Daddy, Take this thing away from me!  It is a horrible thing that is being required.

Noah was able to save his three sons, his wife and their wives.  Noah’s ark carried animals of all kinds and varieties and mankind was saved.  There must be another way to save the world.  Do it daddy!

Abraham faced it when he took Isaac and tied him on an altar.  Abraham had his knife lifted and ready to plunge down into the very heart of the son of the promise when God relented and Isaac did not die. 

God can relent again.  There must be another way for human kind to be saved.  Do it Daddy!

Yet, I will do what you want me to do.

And then he went back to his disciples – who went to sleep while he prayed.

Can you feel his disappointment and his agony?  Can’t you at least stay awake and pray with me a little?

The Second Prayer

“…My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Matthew 26:39b

I’m told that there are five stages in grief. 

The first four stages are denial, anger, bargaining, and depression. 

Jesus, praying in the garden experienced all of these emotions and feelings.  Jesus was grieving his life in the Garden of Gethsemane that night.

This second prayer has a different feel to it.  In the first prayer recorded by Mark Jesus was wanting a way out.  Daddy – fix this.  In this prayer recorded by Matthew we see the honesty of Jesus when he says, “I don’t want to do this thing, if there is any other way… but if I must I will.”

His prayer went from “Daddy fix it so I don’t have to do this thing, I will if I have to but I don’t want to.” to “Father, Is there another way?  If there isn’t then ok, I’ll do it”

Then he went back to pray again and there were drops of sweat

Luke tells us that it was at this point that he sent an angel to strengthen him

The Father’s Love

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

When God says no, there is always a reason

When God says no, the reason is always a challenge requiring much of us.

When God says no, he always gives the strength for the challenge.

This is the crucible.  This is the moment of decision.  The actual crucifixion is not where the battle was begun.  It started here when Jesus was on his knees seeking the strength to do God’s will.

There is always a crucible of decision.  A moment when you are completely alone and no one can make the decision for you. 

It was true for Jesus in the garden and it is true for you.  Jesus put it this way

The Crucible of Decision

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it…”

Matthew 16:24-25

Let us step away from the garden where Jesus prayed for his life.  For a moment, Let us think about our own lives. 

Each of us has a time when they are in the crucible of decision when they decide to take up the cross and follow Jesus.  And if we are honest – we enter the garden more than once in our lives. 

For me the first time was when I was nine years old.  The second time was when I was sixteen years and I was at Rock Lake Christian Assembly.  And there have been many other moments when I’ve been alone with God in the garden – broken, bashed, and bleeding. 

When we left Beavercreek eight years ago to come to Michigan I spent some time in the garden alone with God. 

The Will of God for your life is not always easy.  If it were easy and if your faith always produced health and wealth then churches would be filled with jet setters with low blood pressure and low cholesterol.     

Make no mistake – it is often difficult and hard work to follow God’s will for your life. 

But there is always a reason.  God has something good and great in store for you. 

The Will of God for your life will require much of you.  Our God is not a namby-pamby sort of God.  He is an awesome God and he has high expectations, aspirations, hopes, and dreams for his kids!

God sent me here to minister to you and with you and believe me when I say that this is a good thing because this is a great church.  In fact, there is no place like this place any where near this place!

The Will of God is always accompanied by his strength and help – if you come to him ahead of the battle in prayer.  If you go into the battle without his help – it’s on you.

The last stage of grieving is acceptance.

Listen to the very last prayer of Jesus when he went back for the third and final word with his father.

The Final Prayer

“My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

Matthew 26:42

Jesus had gone back to the disciples to find them asleep again.  He expressed his anguish and then he went back to his father. 

Do you hear the difference in this final prayer? It’s as if Jesus is saying, “I understand there is no other way.  I’m ready to do your will.  Let it be done.”

Do you remember the fourth airliner on 9/11? 

Let’s Roll

Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

Matthew 26:41-42

The word’s “Let’s Roll”, came after there were cell phone calls home, after there were whispered suggestions about how they could resist, after the final “good-byes” were said or thought.  It was only after all was ready that the crowd of passengers rushed the cockpit.

Jesus is ready.  The temptation to stand down was decided and Lucifer, the angel of light lost an important round.

It was all because Jesus kept his eyes on… us.

You are the reason…

I am the reason…

We are the reason that Jesus surrendered his will to his father.  This was the only way to save us from the certainty and finality of death.

I want you to hear it this morning.  Hear it with your ears and with your heart.  Right now, I want you to bow your heads and close your eyes.  Look now in your mind to this night and the prayer of Jesus just before he entered into Gethsemane.

Listen to the prayer of Jesus

Ron Peters reading John 17 Prayer of Jesus.

Let us stand and worship our savior.  While we worship in song won’t you make your decision to surrender your will to him?  He surrendered his will to the father for you.  Now it’s your turn.  Now it is your time.