Sunday August 28, 2022
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Matthew 26:36-46- “Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”
Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”
Jesus invites these three guys into his inner circle! These were the same three that had seen him on the mount of transfiguration.
They had seen Jesus in his glory. Now he was inviting them to see him in his agony.
I love how Jesus models true authentic relationship. I’m with you in good days and I’m with you in the bad days.
Jesus tells them, “Keep watch with me.”
Watch— Be on guard, vigilant, keep awake! I need you to WATCH with me!
Paul echoes this same thought when writing to the Thessalonians in his first letter. It is in the context of of him writing about the return of Jesus Christ to the earth.
1 Thessalonians 5:6- “So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded.”
1 Corinthians 16:13- “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.
Pearl Harbor is a U.S. naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii, that was the scene of a devastating surprise attack by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941. Just before 8 a.m. on that Sunday morning, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes descended on the base, where they managed to destroy or damage nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight battleships, and over 300 airplanes. More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack, including civilians, and another 1,000 people were wounded. The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan.
Because American military leaders were not expecting an attack so close to home, the naval facilities at Pearl Harbor were relatively undefended. Almost the entire Pacific Fleet was moored around Ford Island in the harbor, and hundreds of airplanes were squeezed onto adjacent airfields.
In our text Jesus returns to his disciples and they are sleeping!
“Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”
TWO THINGS THE DISCIPLES WERE NOT AWARE
- They were unaware of the spiritual danger.
1 Peter 5:8- “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”
(MSG)- “Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up…”
SATAN DOESN’T SHOW UP IN A RED SUIT AND PITCHFORK.
2 Corinthians 11:14- “…..For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.”
ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF GOD SATAN IS LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO DESTROY. THAT’S HIS GOAL!
When the lion hunts, they look for the weak, the young, the isolated, the unguarded animal’s.
Whatever or whomever is pulling you away from the shepherd and the flock is not from God! I don’t care how spiritual they sound, or how right they sound about how you’ve been done wrong, they are not from God!
All sheep have a flocking instinct to some extent. It is the sheep’s flocking instinct that allows sheep herders to look after large numbers of sheep and lambs. Sheep are prey animals. It is flocking together in large groups that protect sheep from predators because predators will go after the outliers in the flock.
The disciples weren’t aware of the spiritual danger ahead and
2. They were unaware of how weak their flesh was.
Their guard was down because they were unaware of how weak their flesh was!
“The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”
It has been well remarked that just at the time Jesus was showing the victory of spirit over flesh, the disciples were manifesting the victory of flesh over spirit.
The flesh will win at the first moment of weakness.
Jesus had said to them, “Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Now Jesus was saying, “WATCH AND PRAY!”
So what was Jesus answer to them regarding the spiritual danger and weakness of their flesh?
3. Prayer
They needed the help only God can give. You and I need the help only God can give!
Prayer recognizes the limitations of the human frame and seeks divine action!
Luke 22:46- “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.”
YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRAY!
The disciples were prevailing in sleeping when they could have been prevailing in praying!
WHAT ABOUT THE SPIRITUAL DANGER
Ephesians 6:11- “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.”
Ephesians 6:13-18- “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—“
CONCLUSION:”Prayer does not fit us for the greater works; prayer is the greater work.” Oswald Chambers
Luke 11:1- “Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray,”
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through this message?