The Lord’s Gethsemane Prayer
“I will be handed over”. “I will be betrayed”
- The plot to kill Jesus 26:1-5
- Jesus anointed at Bethany 26:6-13
- Judas agrees to betray Jesus 26:14-16
- Passover 26:17-25
- The Lord’s Supper 26:26-29
- Peter’s denial foretold 26:30-25
Praying for God’s Will
Matthew 26:36-39 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
Gethsemane – olive garden near Mount of Olives means “oil press”
Cup -Isaiah 51:17 “the cup of his wrath”
-Romans 2:5 “because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.”
1. The only thing worse than suffering is suffering without God’s help
2. There are professional, pastoral, and personal relationships
3. There are not good and bad emotions, but emotions in the flesh and in the Spirit
4. Faith doesn’t mean you are not burdened. Faith prays off your burden
5. Isolation is running from your trouble, solitude is running to your Father
6. The last day of your life is the most important day of your life
7. Submission means you have 1). independent thoughts 2). are honest about your desires 3). are honest about your feeling AND 4). dialogue toward agreement
8. Prayer is not about God doing what we want. Prayer is about us doing what God wants
9. God either delivers us from the valley, or through the valley
Praying Again for God’s Will
Matthew 26:40-43 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.
1. Suffering can be lonely even if people love you.
2. If you have friends who fail and bail congrats you have normal Christian friends!
3. We’ve all been Judas. We’ve all been Peter
4. The higher up you go, the more responsible you are (Peter)
5. Spiritual warfare pushes the limits of our humanity
6. Love is what you do that benefits the other person and not yourself
John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
7. It’s not ungodly to start struggling with God’s will as long as you end accepting it
‘not as I will, but as you will” “your will be done”
Young husband at hospital Young couple at hospital
There’s a difference between quoting a verse and ministering to a person
Walking in God’s Will
Matthew 26:44-46 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
1. If Jesus needed to pray, we all need to pray
2. Prayer is the most important part of any process
3. God does not need you to pray the same thing over & over, but sometimes you do
4. Sometimes people hurt us. Sometimes Satan hurts us through people.
5. Sometimes it’s okay to not be okay
6. You don’t need to be tougher than Jesus
-Dr. Luke 22:43-44 there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. (hematidrosis)
7. The deeper the anguish, the longer the prayer
8. Sometimes godly Spirit-filled prayer is answered “no” by God
Adam turned from the Father in a garden; Jesus turned to the Father in a garden. Adam was naked & unashamed; Jesus was stripped & bore our shame. Adam’s sin brought us thorns; Jesus wore a crown of thorns. Adam substituted himself for God; Jesus was God substituting Himself for sinners. Adam sinned at a tree; Jesus bore our sin on a tree. Adam died as a sinner; Jesus died for sinners. Adam fell to sin in a garden, but Jesus fell to His knees to pray in a garden to ensure that He did not fall prey to sin
What is your Gethsemane moment?
- If you are often or always in this emotional place you are unwell
- If you are never in this emotional place you are unwell
- If you have skipped this emotional place you are unwell until you revisit it
Your Greatest Ministry Comes from Your Deepest Pain
Hebrews 5:7-10 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest…
- Jesus died, rose, & taught the Gethsemane prayer
- Jesus is alive interceding for you right now w/empathy & compassion
- He brings your prayer to the Father
- He sends the Spirit to help you!
- He ministers to you from His pain, & He invites you to minister to others from your pain
