Decision

Well, a very good morning, Brunsfield.

It is wonderful to be part of your service this morning.

I'm very sorry that we're not able to meet physically together,

but I hope you're keeping well, and not just physically, but spiritually,

and that God is really using this time to speak to you as a church,

but also to you as individuals.

So this time is going to be a time of transformation

and a deepened devotion to Him and everything that happens.

So we're going to be looking at this passage in Matthew 26,

Matthew 26:36

verse 36 and onwards.

And if you have a Bible, I encourage you to have it open wherever you are,

because we'll be looking at that together in a moment or two.

But let me take you back first to 1945.

On April 9th, the German pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer,

who was associated with an attempt on taking Hitler's life,

faced the gallows just outside of his prison cell

in the Flossenberg concentration camp.

Now, his famous last words are actually debated whether they are authentic or not,

but they are quite impressive.

He possibly could have said,

this is not the end for me, as he faced his death,

but it's the beginning of life.

But even so, whether it was authentic or not,

he certainly seemed, according to eyewitnesses,

totally at peace and serene.

And it's interesting that when you look up the different famous or lesser famous martyrs,

that's often the description you find.

Some even faced their death with utter joy.

So how different when we read about Jesus' agony and sorrow

and his pleading with the Father,

how different the picture seems to be as Jesus faces his own death.

Now, just to give you a little bit of context,

it's nearly what we would call Good Friday,

but the week has been tough.

Ever since the triumphal entry,

Jesus had opposition growing against him time and time again.

He's also spent a lot of time with his disciples,

trying to get as much teaching and training into them

before it was time for him to die on the cross.

And of course, the cross itself was looming larger and larger over that week.

And events described here in our text describe Thursday night.

Jesus had time with his disciples celebrating the Passover

and actually giving it a completely new meaning,

some of which will have only been fulfilled by Jesus' death on the cross

and maybe only would have made sins afterwards to the disciples.

But afterwards, we now find ourselves in a garden,

very appropriately called Gethsemane,

which meant the oil press,

which may have been a hint to what lay ahead for Jesus

as he would trod the wine press of the anger of his Father.

One certainly can't help but think of another garden,

the very first garden,

which was the garden where the rebellion all began.

But here in this second garden,

it would lead to restoration,

paradise restored,

paradise made completely new.

And Jesus came here to this garden to pray.

And people, this morning, I want us to see three things

as we look at this passage together.

First, I want us to see what leads Jesus to pray

and see how actually Christ's agony

reveals to us Christ's love.

for us.

Secondly, we should also listen to what Jesus prays

and very much see that Christ trusts the Father in his suffering.

Thirdly, though,

we must also see the lack of prayer of those who are with him

and see how this passage also confronts us

with how the disciples are found wanting.

So let's first look at what led Jesus to pray.

And I wonder if there's ever been a time

where you have faced something

very challenging,

very scary, perhaps,

maybe something very difficult.

May have been an exam,

maybe a driving test,

your third or fourth attempt.

But it might have been also an operation.

Or maybe you've even faced death itself.

Whatever it may have been,

you know what it can be like

and how it can really hit your stomach

and it can give you sleepless nights.

What we find in verse 37 and verse 38,

the description that Jesus is becoming more

and more sorrowful and troubled.

It says,

he says to them,

my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow

to the point of death.

It's very much like how Psalm 42 puts it,

how his soul seems to be downcast

and disturbed within him.

And it even leads him to pray to the Father,

if it is at all possible,

may this cup be taken from me.

Now, let's not misunderstand Jesus.

He's not having second thoughts.

He's certainly not afraid of the abuse,

the insults or the lashes

which are going to confront him.

It's something much deeper.

The Greek here literally means

astonished or amazed.

Now, you may think this is impossible

for an all-knowing and an all-powerful God

to be astonished or amazed at anything.

But people, it's the realization,

it's the first experience

that Jesus has of the horror

of what lay ahead.

As one commentator puts it,

all Jesus can see right now

before him is the evil,

the wrath,

the abyss,

the chasm,

the nothingness of the cup

that he was about to drink,

which meant exclusion from God

and with that,

the exclusion of his love

and his light.

And people,

let's remember that this is

really only a foretaste

by Jesus' staggers.

See, people,

the cup

is a reference

to God's wrath.

For example,

Isaiah chapter 51,

Isaiah 51:17

verse 17

tells us,

Now,

this notion of God

being angry

and God's wrath

is not something

that many of us like.

It might be exactly

the aversion you have

to Christianity.

See,

I told you

that Christian God

is always angry.

But part of our problem

is seeing anger

from a human perspective

and in that sense

from a human

broken perspective.

Where we see anger

the way we've experienced

it ourselves

as something uncontrolled,

explosive,

often disproportionate

and a violent reaction

and very much

the opposite of love.

However,

it is actually possible

to be angry

not as opposite of love

but as part of love.

Something I can get

really angry about

almost in a helpless way

is abuse.

You just have to open

the pages of the newspaper

and you'll find

abuse of all kinds

but particularly

child abuse.

And I guess

it is motivated

by love for me

because as a father,

as a parent myself,

it's the last thing

I would ever want

to see happen

to my very own children.

And so similarly,

God's love

actually demands

his anger at sin

for him to ignore it

or not to do anything

about it

would be unloving indeed.

And Jesus

would drink

God's anger,

his judgment,

all due to our filth

in our place.

And to put it

in other words,

Jesus actually

would experience

the death

that is due

to sinners.

And people,

that's why

on the one hand

we should by all means

fear death

yet at the same time

we don't have to.

I remember growing up

somebody saying,

do you know

that where Jesus

hung on the cross

is really where

you should have

been hanging?

But I want to take it

one step further

because not only

should we have hung

where Christ hung

on the cross,

we should have also

been where Christ

was in the garden

where we would have

like Jesus

been absolutely

troubled

by the sinfulness

of man

especially our own.

Yet because Jesus

came

out of his very

own free will

and placed himself

into this agony

that he experienced

in this garden

our prayer

can actually

be different

from Jesus' prayer.

And so rather

than praying

to Father

God

if it is at all

possible

may this cup

that we deserve

pass from us

we can actually

pray to the Father

and say thanks

to your grace

and your mercy

this cup

has passed

to Jesus

and I no longer

have to fear

death.

And so people

this is the love

we want

this is actually

the love

that we need

it's a love

that no one

else can give us.

It meant

that the cup

of judgment

could become

a cup of blessing

which we still

rejoice

and celebrate

today.

It also means

that we have

a high priest

who not only

fully understands

anything that we

go through

but also

continues to pray

for us today

bringing each

one of us

before our

Heavenly Father.

Can I encourage you

that if you do

not yet know

this love

that you may

today

commit your

heart and

your life

to this

Jesus

and may

you trust

in him

and know

his love

in what we

see here

today

for Jesus

agony

reveals

Jesus

love

for us.

Now secondly

we also want

to see

that Christ

trusts the

Father

in his

suffering.

Verse 39

doesn't just

tell us

Jesus

praying to

the Father

if it's

possible

may this

cup pass

from me

but he also

says yet

not as I

will

but as

you

will.

People may

be very

clear that

Jesus does

wrestle

and yet

he obeys.

Sometimes

we don't

share that

enough with

one another

but it's

okay to

wrestle

to wrestle

with the

things in

life that

we find

difficult

or find

hard to

understand.

Isn't that

what most

of the

Psalms are

about?

People

wrestling

with God

and yet

the wrestling

must always

end with

a submissive

and a

joyful

obedience

because this

is exactly

why Jesus

prays not

just to

wrestle but

also how

he prays

because Jesus

as we'll

see is

when he

prays he

calls God

his Father

and it

shows us

so many

things.

Doesn't it

remind us

that Jesus

knows exactly

who he's

talking to

and isn't

it also a

reflection of

their relationship

and isn't

Jesus knowing

that God

his Father

is good

and cares

and is not

only all

powerful but

also all

wise

and Jesus

knows that

he's loved

hence he

dares to

say in

pure

submission

not my

will

but yours

that

submission

is even

beautifully

demonstrated

by Jesus

actually falling

face down

before the

Father

what a

picture of

humility

and submission

and that

submission again

is seen in

the movement

in his

prayer

where once

he prayed

if this

cup could

pass

later on

in verse

42

he says

but if

it's not

possible

I'm ready

people

Jesus

trust

the

Father

in his

suffering

I wonder

how we

react

when we

face

any

challenges

or any

fear

or any

suffering

I think

a lot

of us

either try

to run

away

we try

to avoid

discomfort

at all

means

we maybe

even put

our head

in the

sand

or we

try to

sort it

out

ourselves

we place

the trust

in us

and if

we pray

we don't

necessarily

wrestle

in prayer

we might

just

chuck it

towards

God

and even

if we

wrestle

we might

only

wrestle

without

the

submission

to follow

in that

sense

I do

wonder

how much

this virus

and all

the fear

that many

have

experienced

in the

anxiety

has it

changed

us at

all

I mean

how easy

do we

find it

today

to truly

pray

not my

will

but yours

but this

people

this trust

that Jesus

had

is the

trust

that we

need

people

we ought

to be

praying

far more

than we

do

and when

we pray

we must

know

that we're

coming

to our

heavenly

father

who is

good

who is

generous

who longs

to bless

and works

all things

for the

good

of those

who love

him

and people

like

Jesus

we must

also come

in that

submissive

humility

what I would

consider true

worship

falling face

down

and in many

ways isn't

this what the

Lord's prayer

is all about

you may have

heard this

suggestion already

but the

hand washing

for 20

seconds can

be accompanied

by singing

happy birthday

twice but

it's also

the time

you can use

much better

by praying

the Lord's

prayer

because there

we pray

just like

Jesus

our father

and then

we pray

who art

in heaven

and then

we worship

him and say

hallowed be

your name

that is like

coming to

him face

down to

before him

and then

we say

your kingdom

come and

then

exactly

your will

be done

on earth

in my

life

as it is

in heaven

people will

we like

Jesus

trust the

father

in our

suffering

but thirdly

sadly we do

find a real

contrast

to Christ's

prayerfulness

in the

disciples

prayerlessness

verse 40

and verse 41

tells us that

Jesus returns

to the disciples

and finds them

sleeping

and he says

could you men

not keep

watch with

me for

one hour

he asked

Peter

watch and

pray

so that you

will not

fall into

temptation

for the

spirit is

willing

but the

body

is weak

I found

it quite

tempting

to nearly

overlook

this

or certainly

underestimate

its importance

I mean we

can make

excuses

can't we

for the

disciples

it's late

the middle

of the night

it's been

an intense

week

I mean

wouldn't

you

have

fallen

asleep

yourself

of course

it's sad

that they

weren't

more supportive

but if you're

anything like

me I start

yawning from

about 930

onwards

I remember

in my college

days somebody

had organized

an all night

prayer meeting

boy did I

struggle

through that

indeed

and yet people

in the context

it's very clear

that the

disciples

sleepiness

is understood

first of all

as disobedience

disobedience

to Christ's

call to

watch

and later

to watch

and pray

I even

wonder if

it's the

initial form

of denial

that Jesus

predicted

not only

Peter but

also his

disciples

to be

guilty of

later

Matthew

particularly

mentions that

it happened

three times

that they

fell asleep

and so even

though there's

no crow

remember Peter

had just said

to Jesus

I will never

leave you

nor forsake

you

but here's

the beginning

of him

already

starting to

give in

and give up

and deny

his very

savior

his lord

but Jesus

also points

out that it's

not just

disobedience

it's not

just some

form of

denial

it's actually

that prayerlessness

is actually

dangerous

he is calling

to watch

and pray

so that they

will not

fall into

temptation

well what

temptation

may this

be

it's

probably the

temptation

of

unfaithfulness

the disciples

are found

wanting

and people

I do wonder

how the church

compares

to them

how we

compare

for we

like the

disciples

have also

been called

to watch

and pray

and it's

interesting

that in

1st Peter

chapter 5

verse 6

through 8

and I wonder

if Peter

might have

even thought

back of that

moment in

Gethsemane

he writes

humble yourselves

therefore under

God's mighty

hand

that he

may lift

you up

in due

time

cast all

your cares

on him

because he

cares for

you

be self-controlled

and alert

your enemy

the devil

prowls around

like a roaring

lion

people how often

do we find

that combination

of watching

and praying

of being alert

because of the

devil our enemy

again in

Ephesians chapter 6

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

it reads

and pray in the

spirit on all

occasions

keep alert

and always

keep on

praying

one commentator

says no

prayer

no power

people not

only is

prayer the

secret to

faithfulness

and fruitfulness

in our life

to God

but it's also

the defense

people insufficient

prayer and a

prayerless frame

of mind

if we're not

vigilant

we will be

ensnared

also

by

temptation

and into

temptation

people were

told that

Jesus

his

Jesus Christ

his soul

was heavy

and the

disciples eyes

were heavy

but people

even if our

eyes are heavy

actually

exactly because

our eyes are

heavy

we must

watch

and pray

there is too

much

at stake

I guess

part of the

problem

their problem

as well as

our problem

was just

simple

incomprehension

of all that

was going

on

not fully

realizing

what Jesus

was about

to do

they hadn't

fully grasped

the love

of Christ

which was

on display

now the

tiredness

wouldn't

have helped

but all

this

incomprehension

even of

what was

at stake

would not

have helped

them

in their

lack

in trust

in the

good father

so people

may

this

scene

and the

agony

that Jesus

went through

for us

be a great

reminder

not only of

the great

love that

Christ had

for us

that even

though

he had

a picture

of what

he was

still to

go through

and he

went through

with it

and for

it for

us

may it

also

encourage

and challenge

each one

of us

to like

him

put our

trust

fully in

the father

whatever we

may be

suffering

today

and ultimately

may we

always be

watching and

praying

like Jesus

it's so

encouraging to

see that

that even

when the

disciples fail

Jesus

Jesus doesn't

fail the

father

how wonderful

to see the

depth the

height the

width and

the length

of the

love of

God even

before we

get to

the cross

may it

encourage you

may it

challenge you

and change

you forever

let me pray

with you

just now

heavenly

father we

thank you

again for

your word

we thank

you that

it's

relevant

thank you

that it

can speak

right into

our situation

in 2020

but thank

you lord

that you've

taken us

back this

morning to

that moment

in which

Jesus Christ

saw the

death which

really we

as sinners

are due

thank you

that you

put your

trust in

the father

and said

not my

will but

yours

and so

you willingly

took your

place on the

cross for

each one of

us

we thank you

for that

great love

and we ask

you to help

us now

to put our

trust in

the father

also just

like you

and to be

a church

and to be

a people

who watch

and pray

so that we

will not fall

into that

temptation

of unfaithfulness

for your

glory

in Jesus

name

amen