That's what I said, I did request those first two songs and I was almost kind of scared to request a song because the last time I requested a song he made me come up here and sing it with him so I didn't know but but those two songs that were first played are two of my favorite songs and I will get a little bit more into that here in a second.
But first just to introduce myself, my name is John Hoffman. As you've heard I am an apprentice here, one of five that are currently going through the apprenticeship and I've been coming to Christ's family, it'll be a year next, next week.
So prior to that I was a police officer down in Griffin, Georgia for a number of years and for the first 21 years of my life I was an atheist.
I didn't believe in the possibility of the existence of a God and I was one of those that would say there should be no prayer in public schools and take the Ten Commandments out of the courthouse.
And then God was so gracious that he opened my eyes and granted me repentance and has made me a new creature in him.
Since then I left law enforcement because I was convicted that I had made an idol out of my career and I came up here to Cleveland to Truett McConnell College to study theology.
And my roommate's the one that brought me to Christ's Family Church and the first time I walked in I just thought to myself,
okay, gotta go, gotta go, there's too many college kids.
But this last year has been incredible and one of the main reasons, one of the main things that God has used this last year in my growth and my walk with Christ has been a lot of college students.
I have grown so much and I have come to love many of you.
And so I'm very thankful to be here at Christ's Family and I am honored and privileged to be given this opportunity this morning.
And so with that I invite you to open up your Bible to Mark chapter 14.
Mark chapter 14 as we continue our verse-to-verse exposition as Nathan has been so faithfully leading us for the last while.
We come now to Mark chapter 14 and last week we saw how the Last Supper was taking place.
And today we will start right at the end of the Last Supper scene.
And so our text for this morning is going to be Mark chapter 14 verses 26 through 42 verses 26 through 42.
And beginning in verse 26, God's inerrant and infallible word that is sharper than any two-edged sword and is active and living reads to us as such.
And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
And Jesus said to them,
You will all fall away for it is written,
I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.
But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.
Peter said to him,
Even though they all fall away, I will not.
And Jesus said to him,
Truly I tell you, this very night before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.
But he said emphatically,
If I must die with you, I will not deny you.
And they all said the same.
And they went to a place called Gethsemane.
And he said to his disciples,
Sit here while I pray.
And he took with him Peter and James and John and began to be greatly distressed and troubled.
And he said to them,
My soul is very sorrowful, even to death.
Remain here and watch.
And going a little farther,
he fell on the ground and prayed that,
if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
And he said,
Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.
Remove this cup from me, yet not what I will, but what you will.
And he came and found this sleeping.
And he said to Peter,
Simon, are you asleep?
Can you not watch one hour?
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.
The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words.
And again he came and found them sleeping,
for their eyes were very heavy,
and they did not know what to answer him.
And he came the third time and said to them,
Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?
It is enough.
The hour has come.
The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
Rise, let us be going.
See, my betrayer is at hand.
Let's pray.
Father, we thank you for this time together, Lord.
And Lord, we thank you for Christ,
for what he has done for us.
Father, as we look at this night,
where this huge battle was fought in the garden,
and Lord, I pray that we will all walk away with something today.
Lord, that we will be further conformed to the image of Christ.
Lord, that your spirit will work, will fall.
Father, on us, in this place.
Father,
I just, I thank you for this opportunity.
And I pray that you will speak through me, Lord.
That you will work through me this morning.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Here's Mark Twain, the popular author and humorist.
Christ in the 1800s who once said,
the two most important days in your life
are the day that you are born
and the day that you find out why.
And I would certainly agree that there is some truth to that statement.
However, allow me to propound the reason why every one of us was born.
For the reason is the same for you as it is for me,
as it is for the person that is sitting next to you,
as it is for the seven billion plus other people living here on this earth.
For the reason why every one of us was created
was that we may worship the one true God.
A.W. Tozer,
a pastor and author from the early 1900s,
writes in his book,
The Purpose of Man,
quoting,
God's supreme purpose in making man
was to have somebody capable
to properly and sufficiently worship him
and satisfy his own heart.
Man fell by sin
and is now failing to carry out that created purpose.
He is like a cloud without water.
It gives no rain.
Like a sun that gives no heat
or a star that gives no light
or a tree that no longer yields fruit.
A bird that no longer sings
or a harp that is silent
and no longer gives off music.
Close quote.
Because of sin entering this world through the fall,
every one of us would be utterly incapable
of ever fulfilling our created purpose
had it not been for one man
who fulfilled his created purpose
for coming to this world
which was to give his life as a ransom
for many.
And because of the atoning sacrifice
of Jesus Christ,
those of us who are Christians,
those of us who are born again
by the power of God's living and abiding word
can now begin to fulfill
our spiritual worship
which is to worship God in spirit and in truth.
And as Christians,
Romans chapter 12 tells us
that our spiritual worship,
more specifically,
is that we may present our bodies
as living sacrifices,
holy and acceptable to God.
To not be conformed to the things of this world,
but to be transformed
by the renewal of our minds.
We are called to live a life of humble submission
to God's will.
To wage war against the desires of our old nature.
To become more like Jesus Christ.
And in our text this morning,
that is what we will discover
as we look at the most important night
in the life of our Lord,
which is in fact the last night
that He lives through
before He gets crucified.
This is a night that is filled with
a variety of emotions.
So much drama,
betrayal,
disbelief,
arrogance,
pride,
fear,
sorrow,
action,
and the greatest war
with the highest stakes
ever hanging in the balance
between two possible choices
presented before the Lord,
Jesus Christ,
on this night.
And as we look at this text before us,
the most important thing
that we all need to walk away with
this morning
is that we all need to be
more like Jesus
in our submission
to God's will.
And for us today,
I speak particularly
of that part of God's will,
which we are told in
1 Thessalonians 4,
verse 3,
which states that
His will is our sanctification.
And so what I mean by
submission to God's will
as pertaining to us
is that we must,
as we are called to do,
work out our salvation
in fear of trembling.
We are to wage war
against our flesh
and the desires therein
and walk in the Spirit.
And in our text,
we will see both
a perfect example
of this type of summation
and the complete opposite.
And so I've divided this text
into four headings,
and the first heading
is encompassed by
verses 26 through 31.
Verses 26 to 31.
And in these verses,
I want you to first notice
Peter's prideful resistance.
Beginning in verse 26.
And when they had sung a hymn,
they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Now, we initially find ourselves,
like I said,
at the end of the Last Supper,
in the upper room.
Mark moves very quickly
through this scenario.
So I just want to give you
a quick glance,
if you would,
at the scene presented before us
through the lens
of the other gospel accounts.
before we go any further.
The amount of emotions
that are running
through the upper room episode
are just profound.
It starts with Jesus
reclining at the table,
telling his disciples
how he earnestly desires
to eat this Passover meal
with them.
They begin the celebrations,
and they are all reclining
at the table and eating.
When Jesus suddenly drops
the bombshell
that he will be betrayed
by one of them.
And as they are discussing
amongst themselves
who that one is,
they begin to argue
over which one of them
is the greatest.
They go from being grieved
and asking Jesus,
or surely not I,
to arguing about
which one is greater.
Jesus then gets up
from supper,
shows them what it means
to be a humble servant,
and washes
the disciples' feet.
Jesus then announces
once again
his soon-to-come departure,
foretells Peter's denial
for the first time this night,
and we will get back to that
because the foretelling
that is in our text
this morning
is the second time
that he foretells
Peter's denial
on this same night.
And after all this,
Jesus expressing
his love for them,
pouring out his troubled spirit
that he will be betrayed.
The disciples' anguish
over the betrayal,
the self-exalting argument
over which one of them
is the greatest,
Jesus washing their feet
and making them feel
as small as they really are,
Jesus giving them
a new commandment,
that commandment being
to love one another
just as he has loved them.
After all of this,
Jesus comforts them
as he tells them
in John 14, verse 1,
Do not let your hearts
be troubled.
Believe in God.
Believe also in me.
He tells them in Luke 22,
verses 28-30,
You are those who have stayed
with me in my trials,
and I assign to you
as my Father assigned to me
a kingdom,
that you may eat and drink
at my table in my kingdom
and sit on thrones
judging the twelve tribes
of Israel.
He declares to them
that he is the way,
the truth,
and the life.
And he tells them
that from now on
they know the Father
and have seen him
because they know the Son.
He says to them,
Peace I leave with you,
my peace I give to you,
all of this happens
during the Last Supper.
They then sing a hymn
praising God,
and they leave the upper room
and start to make their way
to the Mount of Olives.
The day here
refers to the disciples
in Jesus minus Judas,
who already left
the upper room
shortly after Jesus
calls him out
as the one
who will betray him.
Now it's also important
to keep in mind
that everything
that Jesus teaches
in John chapters 15,
16,
and 17,
which include
the teaching on
abiding in Christ,
using the metaphor
of the vine
and the tree branches,
the working of the Holy Spirit,
and Jesus'
high priestly prayer,
all take place
in between the time
that they leave the upper room
and the time
that they make it
to the Mount of Olives.
And I mention all this
just to show the gravity
and the vastness
and the greatness
of the substance
of the teaching
and the warnings
that they receive
from our Lord
right before
this great spiritual battle
takes place
in the Garden of Gethsemane.
And so after
the high priestly prayer,
they cross the Kidron Valley,
which is on the eastern side
of the city,
and it separates
the Temple Mount
from the Mount of Olives.
And they make it
to the Mount of Olives.
But now before
they reach
the Garden of Gethsemane,
which is on the slopes
of the Mount of Olives,
we read in verses 27 and 28,
And Jesus said to them,
You will all fall away,
for it is written,
I will strike the shepherd
and the sheep
will be scattered.
But after I am raised up,
I will go before you
to Galilee.
This is Jesus
in His omniscience
saying,
This will happen.
And listen to what
the disciples
all said to Jesus
right before,
just a few minutes
before they reached
the Mount of Olives.
In John 16, 30,
the disciples,
all in agreeance,
say to Jesus,
Now we know
that You know all things
and do not need anyone
to question You.
How quickly
they changed their minds.
It's incredible.
And Peter here
reverts to his old ways,
sets his mind
not on the things of God,
but on the things of man,
and drunk in his own
self-exaltation,
notice now Peter's
prideful resistance
in verses 29-31.
Peter said to Him,
Even though they all fall away,
I will not.
And Jesus said to him,
Truly I tell you,
this very night,
before the rooster crows twice,
you will deny me three times.
But he said emphatically,
If I must die with you,
I will not deny you.
And they all said the same thing.
And as I said before,
this is the second time
Jesus warns Peter
of his coming denial.
The first one actually took place
in the upper room
during the Last Supper.
Please turn with me
as we read in Luke chapter 22.
Luke chapter 22.
In verses 31 and 34,
this is in the upper room
during the Last Supper.
And Jesus says,
starting in verse 31,
Simon, Simon,
behold,
Satan has demanded permission
to sift you like wheat.
But I have prayed for you
that your faith may not fail
and you,
when once you have turned again,
strengthen your brothers.
But he said to him,
Lord, with you I am ready to go
both to prison and to death.
And he said,
I say to you,
Peter,
the rooster will not crow today
until you have denied
three times that you know me.
Now there are a few things
I want to point out here.
Behold,
Satan has demanded permission
to sift you like wheat.
The imagery here portrays
almost a violent shaking.
Almost as it's described
in Amos 9.9
where it says,
For behold,
I am commanding
and I will shake
the house of Israel
among all the nations.
as grain is shaken
in a sieve,
but not a kernel
will fall to the ground.
And also,
something else
I want to point out here is,
where else
in Scripture
do we see Satan
demanding permission
to sift
an upright,
God-fearing man?
One example is
in the book of Job.
In Job chapter 1,
we see Satan
entering the throne room
of God
and is given permission
to test Job's faith.
And that is exactly
what is happening here.
As Jesus tells him
that Satan has demanded
permission to sift you,
this is a test
of Peter's faith.
It is a trial.
And so also,
let me state that
at this point,
Peter
was in fact
already
a believer.
He was no longer
dead in his sins
and trespasses.
He had a new nature,
capable
of loving
and obeying God.
And I prove this to you
for the sake of time,
simply by
stating
what Jesus says
in verse 32
here in Luke,
But I have prayed
for you
that your faith
may not fail.
For those
who are not
of God
have no
God-given
faith.
And so as a believer,
Peter had a choice
to make.
To either
submit himself
to the will of God
and put to death
the deeds
of the flesh
or pridefully
resist
and give
into his flesh.
And he chooses
the latter.
As he arrogantly
almost
tells Jesus,
you are wrong.
I would never
deny you.
Peter did not
heed
the countless
warnings
given to him
like the one
in Luke
chapter 21
verses 34
to 36
where Jesus
tells them,
Be on guard
so that your
hearts will not
be weighed down
with dissipation
and drunkenness
and the worries
of life.
And that day
will not come
on you suddenly
like a trap
for it will come
upon all those
who dwell
on the face
of all the earth.
But keep
on the alert
at all times
praying
that you
may have
strength
to escape
all the things
that are about
to take place.
And like Peter,
you and I
have that choice
presented
before us
probably
more often
than you're
aware of.
And we
ought to
learn from
Peter's
mistake
and we
should
be on
guard
and not
let our
hearts
be weighed
down with
dissipation
and drunkenness
and the
worries
of life.
So we
ought to
resist
and fight
our fleshly
desires
and temptations
and we
can learn
much
from the
example that
our Lord
Jesus
has left
for us.
And so
as we
begin to
look at
the example
that Jesus
has left
for us,
please notice
our second
heading
this morning
in verses
32-36
of Mark
chapter 14.
And our
second heading
is Christ's
humble
submission.
Christ's
humble
submission.
Beginning
in verse
32,
And they
went to a
place called
Gethsemane.
And he
said to his
disciples,
sit here
while I
pray.
Now,
in Luke
chapter 22
verse 40,
we're also
told that
at the
same time
he also
tells them,
pray that
you may
not enter
into temptation.
Now,
back in
Mark
verse 33,
we continue
and he
says,
And he
took with
him Peter
and James
and John
and began
to be
greatly
distressed
and troubled.
And he
said to
them,
My soul
is very
sorrowful
even
to death.
Remain
here
and watch.
Have you
noticed the
military-like
tactical
undertones
here?
they all
go from
a steep
valley
across
the
Kidron
Valley
to the
slopes
of the
Mount
of Olives.
They go
to higher
ground.
They then
enter the
Garden of
Gethsemane,
which probably
had a wall
enclosure.
He leaves
the majority
of the
disciples in
one place,
perhaps at
the entrance,
where they
can have a
good view
of the
valley and
the eastern
wall and
of any
possible
approaching
enemies,
hostiles.
Then Jesus
goes further
in with
Peter,
James,
and John,
the leaders
of the
disciples,
almost like
in old
battles where
the warriors
would be
formed and
ready for
battle towards
the back,
and a
handful of
the higher
ranking
officers would
go into
the battlefield
to meet
and discuss
with the
enemy before
fighting
commenced.
And Peter
and James
and John
are here
told what
the details
of the battle
are to be.
When Jesus
tells them
of the
conflict
that is
within him,
that is
bringing him
to the very
threshold of
death,
and he
then gives
them their
orders,
remain here
and watch.
much like
a command
that would
be issued
to a
soldier.
But then
Jesus goes
in a little
further,
and on
his own
fights the
greatest war
that he
has ever
fought,
with the
greatest
consequences
hanging in
the balance
of the
outcome of
a choice
between two
options,
to either
humbly
submit to
God's will
or to
resist it.
And that
which was
hanging on
the balance
of those
choices
tonight,
on that
night,
was our
eternal
security.
And this
war,
with such
eternal
consequences,
it's an
internal
battle that
Jesus fought.
It was a
battle against
his own
human
nature,
a battle
against the
greatest
temptation
that he
ever faced.
For not
even the
face-to-face
temptations
from Satan
in the
desert
begin to
scratch the
surface
of the
temptation
that he
went through
in the
garden.
John Calvin
writes on the
temptation in
the garden,
we have seen
that our
Lord formally
contended with
the fear of
death.
But as he
now fights
face-to-face
with temptation,
such an
attack is
called the
beginning of
grief and
sorrow.
Hence we
infer that
the true
test of
virtue is
only to be
found when
the contest
begins.
For then the
weakness of
the flesh,
which was
formerly
concealed,
shows itself,
and the
secret feelings
are abundantly
displayed.
thus,
though God
had already
tried his
son by
certain
preparatory
exercises,
he now
wounds him
more sharply
by a
nearer
prospect
of death,
and strikes
his mind
with a
terror to
which he
had not
been
accustomed.
Close quote.
He also
goes on to
quote
Cyril,
an old
saint,
saying,
having been
made flesh,
he allows
the flesh
to feel
what belongs
to it.
And therefore,
being truly
a man,
even
Christ
himself
has the
sufferings
and fears
which belong
to
a man.
But the
word
who is
united
to
him
raises
him
to a
fortitude
which is
worthy
of God.
Close quote.
Now back
to verse
35,
we read,
and going
a little
further,
he fell
on the
ground
and prayed
that if
it were
possible,
the hour
might pass
from him.
And he
said,
Abba,
Father,
all things
are possible
for you.
Remove
this cup
from me,
yet not
what I
will,
but what
you will.
And here
is the
question
that we
should all
know the
answer to.
what was
in that
metaphorical
cup.
Because
whatever it
was,
whatever was
in that
cup,
is the
thing
that made
the Lord
of Lords
and the
King of
Kings
tremble
and seized
him with
anguish
and affected
him with
grief
and sorrow
almost to the
point of
death
that he
sweat great
drops of
blood
while in
agonizing
prayer
as he
asked that
it may
be taken
from him
because in
that cup
was the
pure,
holy,
earth-shaking,
mountain-melting,
nation's
obliterating
wrath
of God
the Father.
Ezekiel
chapter 23
verses 32
to 33
says,
Thus says
the Lord
God,
You shall
drink your
sister's
cup that
is deep
and large.
You shall
be laughed
at and
held in
derision,
for it
contains
much.
You will
be filled
with drunkenness
and sorrow,
a cup of
horror
and desolation.
Isaiah 51
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
15-16
and 27
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.
They shall
drink and
stagger and
be crazed
because of
the sword
that I am
sending among
them.
Then you
shall say
to them,
Thus says
the Lord
of hosts,
the God
of Israel,
drink,
be drunk
and vomit,
fall and
rise no
more because
of the
sword
that I
am sending
among you.
These are
just to
name a
few.
The
cup
was the
total
summation
of the
wrath
that we
all
deserve
for our
sins.
And Jesus
made the
choice
that night
to drink
it on
our behalf
as he
submitted
himself
to the
perfect
will
of the
father.
Please
turn with
me to
psalm
89.
Psalm
89.
Psalm
89.
Psalm
89.
And let's read verses 38 through 48.
38 through 48 in Psalm 89.
For some theologians have said of this psalm that it is prophetic of the agonies of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane.
And so, as we read, try to imagine Jesus as He is in the garden.
And try to imagine as if these are the very thoughts that were going through His head as He is in His moment of agony.
Beginning in verse 38.
But now you have cast off and rejected.
You are full of wrath against your anointed.
You have renounced the covenant with your servant.
You have defiled His crown in the dust.
You have breached all His walls.
You have laid His strongholds in ruins.
All who pass by plunder Him.
He has become the scorn of His neighbors.
You have exalted the right hand of His foes.
You have made all His enemies rejoice.
You can see here,
this is Jesus feeling that separation that is part of that cup.
The separation that He felt as the wrath of God poured over Him on the cross.
We continue.
You have also turned back the edge of His sword.
And you have not made Him stand in battle.
You have made His splendor to seize and cast His throne to the ground.
And just a little bit ago,
we read how He just threw Himself on the ground in the garden to pray.
You have cut short the days of His youth.
You have covered Him with shame.
How long, O Lord?
Will You hide Yourself forever?
How long will Your wrath burn like fire?
Remember how short My time is.
For what vanity You have created all the children of man.
What man can live and never see death?
Who can deliver His soul from the power of Sheol?
And as He is going through that agony,
through that temptation,
this is also what is going through His mind.
Who can deliver His soul from the power of Sheol?
Because He knows that only He had the power
to deliver us from the wrath to come.
And He had a choice.
The choice to drink the cup in our place
or to allow us to drink our portion
and be eternally and justly condemned.
Yet not what I will,
but what You will.
He made His choice.
Although He had every right,
every just excuse
to change His mind,
He fought temptation
to the point of shedding blood.
And He humbly submitted Himself
to the will of the Father.
Del Datus of Nevers,
a 7th century bishop,
writes of Christ's agony
that it was,
quote,
a purely natural desire
by which,
as a man for a short moment,
He apprehended and shunned death
and torments,
but quickly recalled Himself
to obedience
by deliberate will
to submit Himself
to God.
Close quote.
Could there be
a better example
for us to follow?
This reality
should be what drives us
to our knees
in grateful,
in passionate,
adoration and worship
and submission
to our Lord.
And we should keep watch
and be on the alert
and resist temptations
and be transformed
by the renewal of our minds
and not be conformed
to this world
in our idleness.
And we ought to do it
out of love for Him,
for what He has done
for us,
remembering what He suffered
for us,
and that He suffered
because of us
at the individual level.
John Flavel,
a Puritan from the 1600s,
writes,
Oh, what has He suffered
and suffered upon
your account,
your pride,
your earthliness,
sensuality,
unbelief,
hardness of heart
added
to the weight
of the burden
of His sorrows
in that day.
Close quote.
Because He did that for us,
we should wage war
against our flesh.
And to lead into that,
please note
our third heading
in verses 37 and 38
of Mark chapter 14.
The war against the natures
affirmed.
The war against the natures
affirmed.
Beginning in verse 37.
And He came and found them sleeping,
and He said to Peter,
Simon,
are you asleep?
Could you not watch
one hour?
Watch and pray
that you may not
enter into temptation.
The spirit
indeed is willing,
but the flesh
is weak.
And here Jesus
affirms to us
that there are
two natures
within believers
that are at war.
the spirit
and the flesh.
Paul says in Galatians 5
verse 16 and 17,
Walk by the spirit
and you will not
gratify
the desires
of the flesh.
For the desires
of the flesh
are against
the spirit.
And the desires
of the spirit
are against
the flesh.
For those
are opposed
to each other.
To keep you
from doing
the things
you want to do.
Romans 8
verse 7.
For the mind
that is set
on the flesh
is hostile
to God,
for it does not
submit
to God's will.
To God's law.
I'm sorry.
There are two natures
and submission
to God's will
is a key
distinctive
in identifying
which one
you are falling
under
at any given
point.
For one
submits
and the other
one
does not.
Listen to what
John MacArthur
says about
the two natures.
He says,
Every Christian
then
who has
a right
understanding
of his or her
nature
understands
that we live
in a very
dangerous
place.
Not just
the world
around us,
not just
the current
culture
that threatens
us,
but we live
as new
creations
in a very
dangerous
personal
situation.
For we are
contained within
our own
fallenness.
Therein
lies the
spiritual
struggle.
Close quote.
And here
back in our
text again
we see
Peter's
prideful
resistance.
He fell
asleep.
while he
should have
been waging
war.
And I
think that
it was
out of
pride.
The pride
has something
to do
with it
because look
at the
warnings
he gets
from
Jesus.
You
will
deny
me
three
times.
But he
arrogantly
professes
if I
must die
with you
I will
not deny
you.
And here
in the
garden
Jesus
tells him
watch
and
pray.
Why?
Why watch
and pray?
Verse 38
that you
may not
enter
into
temptation.
But Peter
already
believes
that he
is strong
enough.
He has
no need
whatsoever
to watch
and pray.
And
isn't it
interesting
that Jesus
comes and
finds him
sleeping
three
times?
And three
times he
will end up
denying
him.
He
was
given
the
opportunity
to fight
in prayer
for each
denial
that was
to come.
But
instead he
sleeps
and gives
into the
flesh.
The
reason for
Peter's
failure to
come is
found here
in the
garden.
Just as
the reason
for Jesus'
victory to
come is
also found
in the
garden.
The
war between
the two
natures
is real.
And the
disciples
instead of
fighting
slept.
They
rested.
They
relied on
their own
strength.
They did
not pray.
They did
not
agonize.
And so
they did
not
overcome.
Jesus
had just
finished
telling them
in John
16
24
until
now you
have
asked
nothing
in my
name.
Ask
and you
will
receive.
And once
in the
garden he
tells them
to ask.
All they
had to do
was ask.
But they
did not.
And that
leads us to
our fourth
heading this
morning.
In verses
39 through
42.
Our fourth
heading which
is the
strategy for
victory.
The
strategy for
victory.
Starting in
verse 39.
And again
he, meaning
Jesus, went
away and
prayed saying
the same
words.
Herein lies
the key to
victory against
temptation.
Here is the
greatest weapon
that we have
in our
armory.
Yet it is
the most
neglected.
Prayer.
Persistent,
humbly,
submissive
prayer.
And ignoring
prayer is
like deliberately
choosing to
take a knife
to a gun
fight.
Just because
a gun is
more complicated.
It might
take more
time to
learn to
use it.
Or because
it's more
dangerous.
And in the
end, that
state of
mind will
cost.
earlier this
week we
watched in
the news
as
terrorists,
a group of
terrorists,
went into
a
newspaper
organization
building
and they
killed a
number of
people.
And as
they were
coming out,
the first
two officers
at least that
responded to
the scene,
the first
two police
officers in
France had
no gun.
They had no
firearms.
And they
responded to
a group of
terrorists
murdering
people with
AK-47s.
They showed
up unprepared
and it
cost them
their lives.
Those two
officers were
killed because
they had
nothing to
defend themselves
with.
Prayer is
a powerful
weapon.
And as I've
heard it put
before,
every battle
in our
Christian lives
can be won
on our
knees.
The bending
of the knee
is the
caulking
of the
hammer to
the most
powerful
weapon that
the Christian
is armed
with.
And with
it we must
work out our
salvation in
fear and
trembling.
We must
discipline
ourselves for
the purpose
of godliness,
deny ourselves
and take up
our crosses
daily and
follow Him.
Brothers and
sisters, we
are without
excuse.
As the warning
had been given
to the
disciples, it
has been
issued to
us as
well.
And look at
the response
of the
disciples when
they were
confronted by
Jesus about
their sleeping.
What was
their excuse?
In verse
40 we read,
And again He
came and found
them sleeping,
for their eyes
were very heavy,
and they did
not know what
to answer Him.
They did not
know what to
say because
they had no
excuse.
The Spirit is
willing, but
the flesh is
weak.
But let's be
clear about
something.
The flesh is
weak, but
you who is a
new creature in
Christ are
not.
Martin Lloyd
Jones once
said, and I
quote,
If you are a
Christian, the
Holy Spirit of
God is in
you, and He
is working in
you, and He
enables us, He
gives us
strength, He
gives us
power, so
that the
Christian must
never complain
of want of
ability and
power.
For a
Christian to
say, I
can't do it,
is utterly
and entirely
wrong.
No Christian
must ever
say, I've
got no
power.
I've got
no strength.
It is a
denial of
the truth
concerning
himself.
Close
quote.
It should
be a joy
for us to
willingly fight
the battle,
to run the
race, to
wage in
the war, and
resist the
devil firm
in our
faith, to
humbly
submit
ourselves to
the Father's
will, and
to take
to heart
the lesson
that Peter
had to
learn the
hard way.
As he
warns us to
action in
1 Peter
chapter 5
verses 6
through 10.
1 Peter
chapter 5
verses 6
through 10.
He says,
Humble
yourselves,
therefore,
under the
mighty hand
of God,
so that at
the proper
time He
may exalt
you,
casting all
your anxieties
on Him
because He
cares for
you.
Be
sober-minded,
be
watchful,
your
adversary,
the devil,
prowls
around like
a roaring
lion,
seeking
someone to
devour.
Resist
Him,
firm in
your faith,
knowing that
the same
kinds of
suffering are
being experienced
by your
brothers throughout
the world.
And after
you have
suffered a
little while,
the God
of all
grace,
who has
called you
to His
eternal glory
in Christ,
will Himself
restore,
confirm,
strengthen,
and establish
you.
And our
Lord,
having won
the war
on His
knees
in prayer,
stands in
victory,
confirmed,
strengthened,
established,
and resolved
to drink
that cup
that belonged
to us.
As He says
in verse 41,
It is enough.
The hour
has come.
The Son
of Man
is betrayed
into the hands
of sinners.
Rise,
let us be
going.
My
betrayer
is at hand.
Are you
finding
victory
in your
battles?
Are you
satisfied
with your
prayer life?
Are you
satisfied
with your
knowledge
of God
and His
Word?
Are you
using your
time wisely?
Are you
taking advantage
of opportunities
that are presented
before you,
such as
our prayer
mornings?
How much
of God
do you
want?
Is
following
Christ
the thing
that defines
you
and drives
you?
I pray
that we
may all
look upon
Him for
strength,
that we
may surrender
ourselves
over completely
to Him
in humble
submission.
Let's
pray.