Rise and Pray

We have seen Jesus have the passover meal with His disciples. Predict who was about to betray Him and that the disciples would leave. Now he is going to the the garden to do the thing that always seems to refresh Him. Pray.

Luke 22:39-46

Prayer

v.39

Prayer Was Regular

Jesus we see getting away from the crowds on a regular basis.

Here it says that it was customary for Jesus to got the the mount of olives and pray.

Psalm 46:10 Tells us that we are to be still, in the midst of the turmoil, and know that He is God.

He has the power to deliver, and the power to bring us through, either way. He is God.

How’s your prayer life?

Do you pray before meals? Bed? Throughout the day?

1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to pray without ceasing.

Someone once asked Charles Spurgeon “what is more important, praying or reading the bible?”

Charles answered, “What is more important, breathing in or breathing out?”

Prayer Is A Protection

v.40

Jesus is telling them they must go to the Lord to gain strength for their trials and temptations.

It is not in our strength that we conquer, it is the strength of God that we can endure.

That is why in the Lords prayer He tells us to pray, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil!

Prayer is to be prior to the situation.

To many times we don’t think to pray until we are well into a situation.

Do we pray for the preservation of God in us leading up to any point?

If you are a Godly person, tribulation will always drive you to your knees. I want to be the type of person who is on my knees even in the good times.

My youth group had a saying growing up. It’s hard to stumble when your on your knees.

Sometimes God Says No

We can be hurt or offended when God tells us no.

Do we realize that the Father told Jesus no?

Don’t think that because you’ve prayed for something God’s answer has to be yes.

If it is outside His will, the answer will be no.

The answer is yes when our will is lined up with His will.

Even though Jesus knew it wasn’t within the will of God, Jesus still prayed for it.

God wants us to pour out our hearts to Him. Sometimes what we ask for isn’t in line with His will.

But when we pray, establishing that line of communication, it brings us closer to God.

It is always important to end with, not our will, but God’s be done.

God’s Will

First article of the Westminster confession.

Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully enjoy Him forever.

Our life isn’t about doing our will, but doing what will glorify God.

Sometimes it is through our suffering that God is glorified.

That was about to be the case of Jesus, and millions more to follow throughout the millennia.

Do you have the strength to pray for God’s will in your life?

Understanding that this means we will have to pick up our cross to follow Him.

The most joyful place to be, is in the midst of the will of God. Even if that means you are going through trials.

Facing God’s Wrath

v.42

Jesus refers to the cup

Isaiah 51:17

Isaiah 51:17 ESV

17 Wake yourself, wake yourself, stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath, who have drunk to the dregs the bowl, the cup of staggering.

Jeremiah 25:15

Jeremiah 25:15 ESV

15 Thus the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.

When we look at a cup, this is a symbol of the wrath of God.

Jesus isn’t nervous about death. That isn’t the cup that He is speaking of.

He’s nervous about facing the wrath of the Father.

To satisfy God’s indignation of God against sin. The wrath of God must be poured out on that sin.

All sin will be punished. You will either drink the cup for your own sin. Or, through faith in Jesus. Your sin can be drank by Him.

The cup which Jesus was about to drink, was the cup of wrath for our sin.

Remove This Cup

v.42

Do we understand what Jesus is asking for?

If there is a way, besides drinking the wrath of God, let it be.

If but there wasn’t another way, this is why Jesus had to do it.

Jesus’ death should be enough proof that He is the only way, if He wasn’t. He wouldn’t have drank the cup.

People want to roll the dice on whether there is a hell. They don’t understand how horrible hell it.

Sweat Blood

A real condition called hema-toe-hi-drosis where a person under great stress can sweat blood.

This is becasue the area around the sweat glands has a network of blood vessels. As the anxiety passes the blood vessels dilate to the point of rupture and the blood is pushed into the sweat glands. Then when the person sweats it is mixed with blood.

Jesus, who knows all things. Who fear was not in His vocabulary. Who knew how horrible it would be to face the wrath of God, sweat drops of blood becasue of the stress that was coming over him knowing what he was about to face.

If the creator of all, who actually knew how horrible hell would be (this is what hell is, facing the wrath of God for all eternity) was anxious about facing it, what make anyone else think they are strong enough to face it?

Jesus faced God’s wrath so we don’t have to. If you have Jesus as your Lord, you don’t have to face the agony of hell.

Rise and Pray

What I do believe we see is a chiasm or a sandwich.

Jesus extorting them to rise and pray, lest they enter into temptation.

The outside, points to the inside.

I do believe the temptation that Jesus was facing was the struggle to do the will of God.

The temptation being to flee.

I believe that He was exhorting them to stay the course.

1 Timothy 6:12 says, “fight the good fight.”

Will we be those who stay the course.

We are called to rise and pray, to the God who is all powerful, and will keep us through the trials of the enemy.