You can put your faith in me

Grab our bibles. Sounds like we are putting together a chorus of small people.

Awesome, what a blessing. Thank you, brother s. Grab your

bibles. If you don't have one with you, just to raise your hand

and keep it up. We'll find you and give you one. If you

don't have a bulletin, that's gonna be helpful too, so that you can

take some notes as you go, and turn with me to Mark chapter fourteen,

Mark chapter fourteen. We're gonna be in verses twenty six through fifty.

Mark fourteen, twenty six through fifty. And while you're turning there, let

me tell you about something awesome that happened this week, and it also explains

why we're in Mark this week. We had about one hundred men here in

this church building all week long, mostly pastors, some other church leaders,

learning more about how to faithfully proclaim the Word of God, studied the Gospel.

Yeah you can, Yeah you can, yeah, Okay, all right,

I'm gonna ask you to do that again in a second. Anyway,

So we were in the Gospel of Mark all week long, and I cannot

tell you how encouraged I am about the prospects of faithful exposition in the San

Antonio area and all through South Texas. We had groups from the Rio Grande

Valley, we had groups from Monterey. We did this workshop in both English

and with Spanish translation. We had three table discussions that were just in Spanish.

Yeah, it was It was awesome. And let me tell you,

it is a heavy lift for this church and the people who helped put it

on. So you don't know who they are, probably, but we had

several teams of people up here helping set up, helping tear down, helping

serve food. You served the pastors of San Antonio and South Texas very well,

and I want to thank you, and I'd like our whole church to

thank you. And You're like, I didn't know about it. I wanted

to serve hey next year. Mark Chapter fourteen, verses twenty six through fifty.

To start this way, all of my boys, when they were younger,

went through a phase where they felt like they were convinced that they were

very strong, stronger than anybody. They just knew that no matter who it

was that they would have to fight maybe, or what they might have to

lift, if they really put their mind to it, it wouldn't really matter

how heavy it was they were strong enough to meet the task. They did

not need me. Dad, I don't I don't need you. I can

do this. I know I can do this. When they're five, you

just you just convinced that you're stronger that has ever been put to the test.

I'm pretty sure that's not what Christ means when he says we must become

like little children. Actually, I think it's exactly the opposite, recognizing our

dependence, wrecking our recognizing our weakness. It's true that maturing means getting stronger,

but even more significantly, I think maturing means recognizing where the real strength

is. And The account of the Garden of gaesth semony is profound in several

ways, but in Mark's Gospel, the gospel writer Mark uses the account of

guest Simony as a profound compare contrast discussion between the strength of the disciples versus

the strength of Jesus Christ, our Lord. It's more than just a historical

account. It's also a gospel grounded moral instruction for the church about in whom

our faith must be placed. Even as we're called to endurance, called to

holiness, called to diligence and sacrifice, our faith must be placed not in

ourselves and our strength, but in our Lord and his strength and his work.

Let's read the passage together, Mark fourteen twenty six through fifty. 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'm raised, I will go before you in Galilee. And Peter

said to him, even though they all fall away, I will not.

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 literally, But he chattered on if I must die with you, I

will not deny you. And they all said the same. And they went

to a placemone, 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. 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 he found them

sleeping, and 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 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. They had nothing to say for themselves.

And he came the third time and said to them, are you still sleeping

and taking your rest? It's 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. And immediately, while he was

still speaking, Judas came one of the twelve, and with him a crowd

with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.

Now the betrayer had given them a sign saying, the one eye kisses

the man seize him and lead him away under guard. And when he came,

he went up to him at once and said Rabbi, and kissed him.

And they laid hands on him and seized him. But one of those

who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant to the high Priest and

cut off his ear. And Jesus said to them, have you come out

as against a robber with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day

I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me,

but let the scripture be fulfilled. And they all left him and fled.

This is God's word. My aim this morning, in alignment with the

gospel writer Mark's aim for his account here, is that we would check our

hearts, that we would reset our hearts ultimate trust to be not on ourselves

an hour work, but on Christ and his work. That's what I'm shooting

for in us today. To do that. We're gonna take take this in

in three pieces, the three basic pieces of the account, and I've headed

them this way. First, complete trustworthiness promised, Complete trustworthiness promised. Second,

the completeness of trustworthiness on display. The completeness of trustworthiness on display,

and then lastly, complete trustworthiness proven, Complete trustworthiness proven. Let's start with

complete trustworthiness promised. Have you noticed how often your wh adopts the posture that

your faith is fundamentally about you. Have you noticed in verse twenty seven,

Jesus says to them, you'll all fall away. You'll all fall away.

Is the first time he said anything like this up until this point. Throughout

the Gospel of Mark, at least starting in about the middle of the gospel,

he keeps telling his disciples, you don't see me clearly. You don't

see me clearly. You think it's all about glory, it's also about suffering.

You think that I'm the Christ, but you don't know what that means.

You don't see me clearly. And now he gets to verse twenty seven,

and he says, there's something else. You don't see yourselves clearly.

You will all fall away. And he quotes Zachariah. I will strike the

shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. And now Zachariah thirteen is a

passage about judgment. I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be

scattered, and some will be cut off and perish. They will be judged

and so naturally Peter is in a hurry to say, not me, man,

I am not gonna be cut off, I am not gonna perish,

I'm not gonna be judged. But Zachariah thirteen says, I will strike the

shepherd, and they will all scatter. Zacharia thirteen is also about refinement.

Some are cut off and perish, and some are put into the fire to

be refined. And I don't think that Peter quite understands that our humbling failures

will be part of the refining that God does with his sheep. As to

the location of our faith. As to the location of our faith, I'll

flip to Zachariah thirteen for you, and let me let me just read verse

nine. I will put them into the fire. I will refine them as

one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call

upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say they are

my people, and they will say the Lord is my God. Though they

scattered, Peter says, even though they all fall away, I will not

Jesus says, truly, I tell you that the rooster's gonna quote quote twice

before and before that, you're gonna deny me three times, and he chatters

on, if I have to die, I'm not gonna deny you. You've

been saying all along. I'm violently getting it that I have to lose my

life in order to save it. You've been saying I have to pick up

my cross, and so that this is about sacrifice. And I'm starting to

get that. And so I want you to know, Jesus, you can

put your faith in me. It's audacious. We understand that theologically that is

completely upside down, and if we know the rest of the story, we

also know that Peter specifically goes from being Christ's number one to Christ's number one

example of the strength of humanity. But here's the thing. They all said

the same, and at some level our hearts due to sometimes is it not

pretty easy for our good and right commitments to Christ in the midst of the

swirl of life and ministry to get misplaced, And before we know it,

it's been weeks that those good commitments have been sitting on the table of self

strength all this time, are serving as we may serve kids in Kids Ministry

here, or as we serve homeless families downtown at Strong Foundations, or as

we may counsel others, or even as we preach, the chatter of our

heart may very well be Jesus. You can put your faith in me as

we interact with others in disciple making and in small group and in meeting with

them, as we parent who in the swirl of family life, and in

the ambiguity of parenting teenagers. You just know that if if it's gonna happen,

if things are gonna change, if spiritual growth is going to occur,

if it's meant to be, it's up to me. You can put your

faith in me. Have you noticed, have you taken a moment to check

your heart and see if the bulk of your trust is sometimes leaning hard on

yourself and your work. I can admit it. How about you? You

don't have to raise your hand. A quick little nod keep me from feeling

two alone? Appure, Thanks Jax. Maybe we would never say it out

loud, but there are times when the chatter of our hearts is Jesus.

You can put your faith in me. But then what happens? Then?

What happens? Well, what happens is probably best described by what happens next

in Mark fourteen right, which I'll call this the come completeness of trustworthiness on

display. Mark begins his guestsimity account this compare contrast work the strength of the

disciples versus the strength of Jesus, and Jesus puts the completeness of his trustworthiness

on display, and unfortunately, embarrassingly, the disciples do too. Couple of

things. First, consider their weakness in prayer. Consider their weakness in prayer.

Jesus says, watch and pray a watch and pray, watch and pray,

simple thing, Just have a prayer life. Repeated reminders come on,

guys, Yet how many times has he reminded your conscience of prayerlessness? Simple

thing? And the completeness of your trustworthiness is on display, and we have

nothing to say for ourselves. Consider the weakness. Even when they saw the

very heart of Jesus right thirty three and thirty four, he began to be

greatly distressed and troubled. He said to them, my soul is very sorrowful,

even to death. He's bearing his heart to his inner circle. Peter,

James and John these are his inside guys, and they can't be there

for him even when it just costs him an hour of sleep takes a special

kind of weakness to hear from the very heart of Jesus and not be there

for him. Yet we do it too. We've heard from Jesus about his

heart for the needy. We just we just cost us a little bit of

what we have. We've heard from Jesus about his heart for those who need

our hospitality and our discipleship, our kindness. It was just it was just

cost us the inconvenience of an open dinner table. We just cost us a

morning. We've heard from Jesus about his heart for the love and gentleness.

He wants you to show your spouse, and it would just cost you a

smidge of humility. It would just cost us a moment of reflection. And

instead of giving them kind words, we give them sharp ones. And the

completeness of our trustworthiness is on display a moment ago many of us admitted.

And when we check the location of our trust it is often leaning hard on

us, ourselves, our work. This is probably a good time to go

ahead and admit as well, together while we're here, that that is ridiculous

that time and time again, and we let Jesus down, and we have

nothing to say for ourselves. Amen. But when the completeness of the trustworthiness

of Jesus is put on display, we see something else. A couple of

things. Consider his strength in the face of dread and anguish, real dread,

real anguish. He knew it was coming, He's been talking about it

since mid Mark, and he is resolved, he says, greatly distressed and

troubled, sorrowful to death. He feels real anguish. And let me tell

you, this picture of Christ's strength is not some two dimensional cartoonish bravado.

It is real strength, real lament, real pain. So when Hebrews says,

our High priests can sympathize with our weakness, we know that his strength

is to the end of all of those real things we feel. Consider his

trust and his submission. He says, Abba, Father, all things are

possible with you. I know you're in charge. I'm not questioning your sovereignty.

I'm not questioning the hand of providence, and not what I will,

but you will. I come in real submission. That's where his strength shows

itself. The completeness of his trustworthiness is absolutely on display, and so a

moment ago we admitted that far, far too often, when we check our

hearts, our trust our faith is leaning hard on ourselves. In a moment

after that we admitted that is ridiculous. And so now I think it's probably

as good a time as any to recognize that for us to put all of

our trust in this Jesus is completely well founded. Ngth the strength of his

patience with you, the strength of his love for you, the strength of

his commitment to you, displayed in get symony, displayed on the cross,

displayed in every day of your Christian life. We have every reason to reset

our heart's trust off of us and put it on him, quite a reasonable

reset, and the conclusion of our account makes that very clear. I'll call

the conclusion this complete trustworthiness proven. It's forty three through fifty is where it

comes right down to it, right, just like Christ predicted, just like

the Garden suggested. It comes right down to the moment of truth. And

all of those who said, Jesus, you can have faith in me get

to see how reliable human strength is. Ultimately they see the betrayer, and

the crowd says Judas came, Judas came. Zachariah said, when the sheep

scattered, there would be refining and judgment. Some would be cut off and

perish. One of the twelve with him, a crowd of swords and clubs,

chief priests and the scribes and the elders. The betrayered given him a

sign saying the one I kisses the man sees him, lead him away underguard.

He says, Rabbi kisses him. They lay their hands on Jesus and

seize him, and I am sure. The panic is flooding in. And

one of them is thinking, if it's meant to be, it's up to

me, and he takes a swing with his sword, does massive damage,

gets an ear. One of those struck, the servant of the high priest,

and they see the weak sauce of their swing, and Jesus speaks,

if you come out against me like a robber, I was always there in

the temple. Didn't seize me then, but let the scripture be fulfilled.

And they see that Christ has no intention of having his guys laid down their

lives in his place, because his heart and the scripture's fulfillment is for him

to lay down his life in our place. And despite what they all said

before, they all left and fled, and their complete trustworthiness was proven for

what it was. Truth is there is no excuse for their weakness. Peter

will go on from here to put our human weakness on display in close up,

high definition, and he will weep bitterly over it. Quite rightly,

he had no excuse. They have no excuse. We have no excuse.

There is no excuse for our weakness in prayerlessness, in our neglect of the

word, in our seeking our own comfort over the needs of people in pain,

and how often our complete trustworthiness is proven for what it is and what

we get from scripture. Listen is not a handwave, is not a yeah,

that's no big deal. That's not what we get. We get no

excuse. But even though none of these weaknesses are excused, they are all

paid for. Did you notice how seamlessly Jesus moves from verse twenty seven to

verse twenty eight. Up at the top, he says, you'll all fall

away. First written, I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will

be scattered. But after I'm raised up, I'll go before you to Galilee.

I'll meet you there. He doesn't linger on their failings, except when

they insist on those failings being impossible. Peter, he moves quickly, graciously

to his death and resurrection, because even though their weakness isn't excused, it

is paid for by that death and resurrection, as is ours. And that's

not a handwave, that's not an excuse. There is no excuse to fall

away from what is right. We are called to endure. We are commanded

to love one another and serve one another, and serve the needy, and

pray without ceasing, and proclaim the Gospel boldly. But as we go out

to exert ourselves in all of those things which we are rightly commanded to do,

we go out to exert ourselves, not trust ourselves. And when our

conscience confronts us about that weakness that we see over and over, even after

after our hearts have chattered on about how Jesus can put his faith in us,

we really have nothing to say for ourselves. And there may be weeping

quite rightly, there may be very right weeping in repentance. Yet Jesus will

meet us, because though there's no excuse, there sure is payment. And

that cup that was not removed from Christ held all of the judgment for our

failings, and Christ drank every drop. His complete trustworthiness was proven for what

it is. And so even though we are commanded to act like men.

Although we are charged to be trustworthy, our ultimate trust must be in Him

like little children. So when I cross the street with one of my children,

I want them to faithfully and trustworthily hold my hand tight. That's good,

that's right for them to faithfully hold on. But if what is way

more basic is that I'm holding his hand, and if he says, don't

worry, Dad, I'm not gonna let anything happen to us, I'm holding

on tight. He's got a fundamentally mistaken understanding of the situation. Church,

check our hearts. Let's reset our heart's ultimate trust to be not on ourselves

and our work, but on Christ and His work.