WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:01.760 Well, good morning. 00:00:02.479 --> 00:00:03.919 And welcome to Trinity. 00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:07.360 My name is Matt, and I'm one of the pastors here on staff. 00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:14.320 As we walk through the story this morning, it would be helpful if you had the text in front of you. 00:00:14.560 --> 00:00:17.679 If you didn't bring a Bible with you, that's totally fine. 00:00:17.760 --> 00:00:24.719 You can feel free to pull it up on your phone, or you're also free to hop up if you want to and grab a Bible from the back. 00:00:24.879 --> 00:00:28.559 But it would be helpful if you had the text in front of you this morning. 00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:38.560 But before we dive into the text this morning, let's just take a quick moment and review where we've been in the story of Jesus walking towards the cross. 00:00:38.880 --> 00:00:50.000 So on Ash Wednesday, this past Wednesday, we entered into this narrative by looking at the plot to kill Jesus, how the chief priests had finally, finally had enough. 00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:57.200 Everything Jesus had been saying and teaching was threatening their sense of power and control way too much. 00:00:57.439 --> 00:01:05.519 So it got to a point in Matthew 26, 4 when they plotted in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 00:01:06.480 --> 00:01:14.319 Then after that, we saw this amazing scene that Mike preached on on Ash Wednesday, where Jesus was anointed at Bethany. 00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:17.760 And remember how confused the disciples were? 00:01:17.920 --> 00:01:20.000 They didn't really understand what was going on. 00:01:20.239 --> 00:01:30.640 They couldn't understand why the woman would waste a full alabaster flask of a very, very, very expensive perfume at such an occasion. 00:01:30.959 --> 00:01:37.680 But recall Jesus, he knew the woman's heart and was fully aware of what was happening. 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:45.280 And in Matthew 26, 12, Jesus said, In pouring ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:53.680 Now the disciples, even though they just heard Jesus say this, they still could not comprehend the fact that Jesus was about to go to his death. 00:01:54.159 --> 00:01:59.680 And then we moved on to the first betrayal of the Passion narrative. 00:01:59.920 --> 00:02:05.359 When Jesus, when Judas sold Jesus out for just 30 pieces of silver. 00:02:06.480 --> 00:02:13.520 Now, if you look at your Bibles and you glance down at the text, you'll notice that we're uh we're skipping over a block of text this morning. 00:02:14.400 --> 00:02:20.240 We look at the Ash Wednesday text, there's a block of text we're skipping over, and then we're jumping to our text for today. 00:02:20.479 --> 00:02:34.560 Now, the scene we're skipping over is the Passover meal that Jesus shared with his disciples in the institution of the Lord's Supper, which is really famously highlighted by Jesus predicting the betrayal he's about to face. 00:02:34.960 --> 00:02:39.919 Now we're not we're not just skipping over this because we're trying to gloss over it because it's unimportant. 00:02:40.159 --> 00:02:42.719 Instead, we're saving it for Maundy Thursday. 00:02:42.960 --> 00:03:00.400 Because May Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday make up something called the uh the Paschal Tritum or the Paschal Tritum, which is the movement of Jesus on Good Friday and the Last Supper to Good Friday and his death and the cross and resurrection on Easter Sunday. 00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:02.400 So we'll talk about that passage then. 00:03:03.039 --> 00:03:20.560 So so far in the story of Jesus' walk to the cross, we've seen Jesus anointed at Bethany, we've seen Judas' betrayal, and we've seen the Passover meal where Jesus predicts his death, and Jesus instituting the Lord's Supper. 00:03:21.280 --> 00:03:29.360 So our text for today picks up right after the Passover meal when Jesus and the disciples are headed out towards the Mount of Olives. 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:36.639 Now, with this context and this background in mind, let me pray for us this morning as we dive into today's text. 00:03:37.199 --> 00:03:46.560 Lord God, I pray that you will give us open ears to hear, open minds to comprehend, and open hearts to receive what you have for us in your word this morning. 00:03:46.960 --> 00:03:53.039 May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all your people's hearts be pleasing and acceptable in your sight. 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:56.639 O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. 00:03:57.280 --> 00:04:07.520 So picking up in Matthew chapter 26, verse 30, it takes us to one of the most sacred and revealing scenes in all of Scripture. 00:04:07.919 --> 00:04:13.360 But before we fully jump in, there are a few things that I really want us to consider this morning. 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:19.680 So first, what we'll see in this passage that's truly incredible is we're going to see two gardens colliding. 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:22.800 Two different scenes and gardens coming together. 00:04:23.040 --> 00:04:27.120 So the first scene that we're reminded of is the Garden of Eden. 00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:35.839 And this is where humanity first failed, where sin entered into the world and our relationship with God was severed. 00:04:36.240 --> 00:04:44.720 And now what we see is we have the Garden of Gethsemane, a second garden, where Jesus, the second Adam, will prevail where we couldn't. 00:04:45.040 --> 00:04:53.040 And this idea is so well captured in one of my one of my favorite songs of all time, called Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery. 00:04:53.199 --> 00:04:59.920 And there's a line in that song that goes, See the true and better Adam come to save the hellbound man. 00:05:00.879 --> 00:05:09.519 So sin that took root in the Garden of Eden, it began to walk toward defeat in the Garden of Gethsemane. 00:05:09.680 --> 00:05:19.360 The sin that was born in the first Garden from the first Adam began to walk its path towards defeat in the Garden of Gethsemane. 00:05:19.439 --> 00:05:21.680 This is with the second Adam in Jesus. 00:05:23.040 --> 00:05:29.759 And second, in the Garden of Gethsemane, we're gonna see two extremely powerful truths pan out. 00:05:30.399 --> 00:05:33.839 And the first is the weakness of self-confidence. 00:05:34.480 --> 00:05:36.720 And the second is the strength of surrender. 00:05:36.800 --> 00:05:44.800 So we're gonna see the weakness of self-confidence play itself out, and we're also gonna see the strength of surrender play itself out. 00:05:45.360 --> 00:05:48.879 So with that in mind, let's look into this text and dive in together. 00:05:49.920 --> 00:05:59.360 And straight off in verse 30 and 31, what I think is one of the most amazing things is Jesus' journey towards the cross. 00:05:59.680 --> 00:06:01.040 It starts with worship. 00:06:01.600 --> 00:06:02.879 Look at verse 31. 00:06:03.040 --> 00:06:06.639 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 00:06:06.959 --> 00:06:15.120 So they were most likely singing one of the Hillel Psalms, which are Psalms 113 to 118, or the songs of deliverance. 00:06:15.279 --> 00:06:22.879 In these Psalms, they they praise God for delivering his people from Egypt, and they often sang them during the Passover. 00:06:23.279 --> 00:06:25.360 So how how striking is this? 00:06:25.519 --> 00:06:32.800 How striking is it that hours before his death, Jesus is praising God and singing of deliverance? 00:06:33.839 --> 00:06:49.199 So within this narrative, out of all the things Matthew could have included, all the details he could have put in there, why does he include this one little detail about them singing a hymn before Jesus walks towards the Garden of Gethsemane and the cross? 00:06:49.439 --> 00:06:59.519 So I think Matthew wants us to see that for Jesus, praise and worship, it doesn't just negate the suffering that Jesus is about to endure. 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:09.199 Nor does Jesus worship in this moment to ignore or brush aside the forthcoming pain and suffering he's about to face. 00:07:10.240 --> 00:07:19.360 Instead, Matthew wants us to see that Jesus' worship, he worships and praises God to prepare himself for what is to come. 00:07:19.600 --> 00:07:27.120 In this one short verse, we see that worship prepares us and prepares Jesus for the suffering that we're about to face. 00:07:27.279 --> 00:07:34.720 When we worship, we're preparing our hearts for suffering that is to come and praising God for how He's delivered us in the past. 00:07:35.439 --> 00:07:38.639 So after they say a hymn, what happens next? 00:07:38.959 --> 00:07:49.199 Jesus and the disciples, they just finished the Passover meal, so the darkness of the night was beginning to settle in upon them as they arrived at the Mount of Olives. 00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:56.560 And the Garden of Gethsemane, where they were, was just a short walk east of the old city gates of Jerusalem. 00:07:56.800 --> 00:08:05.920 So imagine the disciples, it's dark, it's probably cold, and they're up on a hill, they're overlooking the city of Jerusalem. 00:08:06.480 --> 00:08:18.399 And when during this scene of them looking out over the city, it's dark, it's cold, Jesus looked to his disciples, these men who have faithfully followed him over the past three years. 00:08:18.560 --> 00:08:24.800 And he says in verses 31 and 32, You will all fall away because of me this night. 00:08:25.040 --> 00:08:29.920 For it is written, I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. 00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:34.080 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee. 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:39.440 Now, there is a sense in these verses that we need to be really, really careful about. 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:46.480 So is Jesus saying here that you, the disciples, will fall away because of something I did to you? 00:08:46.639 --> 00:08:52.080 Is Jesus saying to the disciples, you guys are going to fall away because of this thing I am doing to you? 00:08:52.480 --> 00:08:53.519 Absolutely not. 00:08:53.679 --> 00:08:56.000 That is not in any way what Jesus is saying. 00:08:56.399 --> 00:09:03.759 By quoting Zechariah 13:7, Jesus is saying that they will fall away because of what will happen to him. 00:09:04.480 --> 00:09:09.200 The death of the shepherd will lead to the scattering of the sheep. 00:09:10.080 --> 00:09:28.159 And recall a couple weeks ago on World Mission Sunday, we talked about Matthew chapter 9, and recall how Jesus describes the crowds in Matthew 9.36, when he says, when he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 00:09:28.720 --> 00:09:36.480 Now, without the good shepherd to guide them, the disciples will be no different than the crowds Jesus called them to minister to. 00:09:37.440 --> 00:09:42.080 And look at how Peter, and Peter is often the most outspoken of the disciples. 00:09:42.240 --> 00:09:48.080 He's kind of the mouthpiece of the disciples, says what they're all thinking, but like none of the rest of them really want to say. 00:09:48.399 --> 00:09:52.559 So look at what Peter says and how he responds in verse 33. 00:09:53.039 --> 00:09:57.519 Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away. 00:09:58.879 --> 00:10:04.799 Then Jesus drops the real bomb, his mic drop moment on Peter in verse 34. 00:10:05.679 --> 00:10:12.559 Then he says that Peter, look, man, before the rooster crows three times, you will deny me three times. 00:10:13.279 --> 00:10:22.559 Then instead of actually considering this and thinking, like, hey, like maybe I will fail, maybe I will come up short, and what do I do if that happens? 00:10:22.799 --> 00:10:25.039 That's not what Peter does. 00:10:25.279 --> 00:10:27.279 Instead, he he doubles down. 00:10:27.440 --> 00:10:33.039 And he says, even if I must die with you, I will not deny you. 00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:34.879 So he doubles down on this. 00:10:35.039 --> 00:10:40.559 I will stand firm, I will be steadfast, and there is nothing that can shake my faith. 00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:42.559 I'm not like the others. 00:10:43.039 --> 00:10:45.519 So I don't know, I don't know about you. 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:51.919 But I actually I find Peter's actions in this sequence incredibly relatable. 00:10:52.480 --> 00:10:58.320 And there are times when I, like Peter, someone warns me of something, and then my response is, who? 00:10:58.720 --> 00:10:59.440 Like me? 00:11:00.480 --> 00:11:01.759 Never, not not me. 00:11:01.919 --> 00:11:02.159 Right? 00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:04.080 Like I would never fall away. 00:11:04.320 --> 00:11:06.399 I'm not like other people. 00:11:06.799 --> 00:11:08.559 I would never fall so far. 00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:12.639 I don't know if that's something you've ever thought, but it's definitely something I've thought in my life. 00:11:12.799 --> 00:11:14.559 Like I would never do that. 00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:20.320 And then I have um I have a friend who used to do a lot of prison ministry. 00:11:20.799 --> 00:11:29.679 And he told me that almost every time he went into the prison, a prisoner would explain away their crime by pointing to someone who had done something worse. 00:11:29.919 --> 00:11:36.720 And they would say, you know, I robbed a store because I really needed money, but but at least I didn't do an armed robbery. 00:11:36.799 --> 00:11:38.080 Like I didn't hurt anyone. 00:11:38.320 --> 00:11:44.320 And the next guy would say, Well, I robbed a store, and I hit the guy at the register, but but I didn't kill anyone. 00:11:44.720 --> 00:11:46.080 At least I didn't kill anyone. 00:11:46.320 --> 00:11:50.879 The next guy would say, you know, I I killed someone, but but it was in self-defense, right? 00:11:50.960 --> 00:11:52.399 I'm not like a real killer. 00:11:52.559 --> 00:11:58.399 And it would go on and on and on, and it would get to a point where my friend would tell them, sin is sin. 00:11:58.720 --> 00:12:02.559 And you can explain it away or compare your sin to someone else. 00:12:02.720 --> 00:12:11.279 But at some point, we must recognize that we're we are all sinners who have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. 00:12:12.080 --> 00:12:24.399 Now, the self-confidence that we have in our own faith, the comparison we make with others, these things don't negate the fact that we are sinners who always need a savior. 00:12:24.799 --> 00:12:30.000 Instead, they just brush our sin aside so that we can feel better about ourselves in that moment. 00:12:31.039 --> 00:12:34.240 Friends, none of us are perfect. 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:35.440 And it's okay. 00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:41.759 It's actually healthy to recognize that we are sinners and we are gonna fail from time to time. 00:12:42.399 --> 00:12:47.360 And that's okay because look at what Jesus says back up in verse 32. 00:12:48.320 --> 00:12:52.639 But after I'm raised up, I will go before you to Galilee. 00:12:53.440 --> 00:13:15.120 So this passage, one of the most amazing things about it is it doesn't only highlight Jesus' death and the disciples' denial, it also shows Jesus saying that even though he knows the disciples will deny him, he's still planning on going before them to Bethany, where he'll meet them on the shore. 00:13:15.279 --> 00:13:26.399 And in the end of the book of John, he'll invite them to eat breakfast with him, and he'll even pull Peter, the one who denied him three times, he'll pull him aside and say, Do you love me? 00:13:26.559 --> 00:13:27.120 Do you love me? 00:13:27.279 --> 00:13:27.840 Do you love me? 00:13:27.919 --> 00:13:30.320 And restore the relationship. 00:13:31.120 --> 00:13:47.759 So, in the same way, even though Jesus sees and knows our failures, even though Jesus sees how we in our lives will deny him, he still goes before us and prepares a room for us in his Father's house. 00:13:48.159 --> 00:13:50.720 How incredibly encouraging is that. 00:13:50.960 --> 00:14:04.639 Even though this short passage so focuses on denial and turning against Jesus, this one short verse in there reminds us that Jesus goes before and makes a place for us and restores our relationship with him. 00:14:06.080 --> 00:14:21.600 Now, as we move on in the story, we'll see how the weakness of Peter's self-confidence and self-reliance, how it stands in super stark contrast to Jesus' dependence on his father and his act of surrender. 00:14:21.919 --> 00:14:27.200 Now look at verses 36 through 39 with me as we read through them just one more time. 00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:32.000 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane. 00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:36.320 And he said to his disciples, sit here while I go over there and pray. 00:14:36.879 --> 00:14:42.799 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 00:14:43.279 --> 00:14:48.080 Then he said to them, My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. 00:14:48.399 --> 00:14:50.799 Remain here and watch with me. 00:14:51.039 --> 00:14:59.840 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. 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:04.159 Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will. 00:15:06.080 --> 00:15:17.759 So with his death, merely hours away, Jesus asked his three most trusted disciples, Peter, James, and John, to accompany him and take watch while he prays. 00:15:18.240 --> 00:15:24.320 He tells them in verse 38 that his soul is very sorrowful even to death. 00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:31.600 Now, some scholars have translated this verse as Jesus saying, I am so sorrowful that I could die. 00:15:32.639 --> 00:15:35.120 This is this is holy ground. 00:15:35.360 --> 00:15:39.279 This is the last time Jesus will be with his disciples before he dies. 00:15:40.480 --> 00:15:46.080 In this moment, we're truly seeing the real humanity of Jesus. 00:15:46.399 --> 00:15:51.519 A person who grieves and feels sorrow just as we grieve and feel sorrow. 00:15:51.919 --> 00:16:00.720 So if you're sitting here this morning and you've lost someone, you've lost something and thought, I'm so sad, I'm so lost. 00:16:00.960 --> 00:16:02.559 How am I supposed to move on? 00:16:02.720 --> 00:16:07.360 Or if you think, how am I supposed to continue living my life? 00:16:07.759 --> 00:16:10.080 Know that you are not alone in that. 00:16:10.720 --> 00:16:14.720 Jesus felt the same way as he journeyed to the cross. 00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:22.480 Jesus felt those same feelings and those same emotions of grief and of sorrow and of loss as he journeyed to the cross. 00:16:22.559 --> 00:16:30.639 So as you suffer and you feel the same things, you are not alone in those, because Jesus also suffered those things and defeated them. 00:16:32.080 --> 00:16:40.399 Then after showing his emotion to Peter, James, and John, and trusting them to keep watch, Jesus fell on his face and prayed. 00:16:40.720 --> 00:16:52.720 Now look at how intimate and how passionate this prayer that Jesus says in verse 39 is when he prays, My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. 00:16:52.960 --> 00:16:56.559 Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will. 00:17:02.639 --> 00:17:08.079 What Jesus had predicted and told to his disciples, it was it was finally here. 00:17:08.240 --> 00:17:09.920 It was finally coming. 00:17:10.319 --> 00:17:18.079 And Jesus, he felt a revulsion about what is to come and asks as this cup it could pass over him. 00:17:18.640 --> 00:17:23.920 Now the cup Jesus is talking about refers to the wrath of God and the punishment of sin. 00:17:24.960 --> 00:17:34.319 You see, Jesus, when he goes to the cross, he's not solely facing the nails and the wood of the cross and the pain that is forthcoming. 00:17:34.720 --> 00:17:39.200 He's also facing separation, judgment, and the crushing weight of sin. 00:17:40.319 --> 00:17:45.119 Even so, he only looks towards what is possible within his Father's will. 00:17:46.079 --> 00:17:52.079 So then Jesus walked towards his disciples and famously he found them sleeping instead of keeping watch. 00:17:52.319 --> 00:18:00.079 And then Jesus' response to this, how he looks at his disciples in that moment of their failure, it's truly incredible. 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:06.000 Instead of punishing them, he loves them and he takes this opportunity to even teach them. 00:18:06.319 --> 00:18:08.799 Look at verses 40 and 41. 00:18:09.599 --> 00:18:13.440 Jesus sees them in their moment of failure, and what does he do? 00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:15.519 He calls them to pray. 00:18:16.079 --> 00:18:21.920 Notice that Jesus doesn't challenge them to pray for his own suffering that he's about to endure. 00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:31.599 Instead, what Jesus does in this moment is he calls the disciples and challenges them to pray for themselves, that they won't be tempted. 00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:38.559 Jesus challenges the disciples to prepare for the temptations and failures that they are about to face. 00:18:39.359 --> 00:18:44.880 Because Jesus knows that after his death, the disciples are gonna have a lot to face. 00:18:45.039 --> 00:18:52.400 They're gonna face persecution, they're gonna face suffering, and they're gonna need to be able to pray against temptation in their lives. 00:18:52.480 --> 00:19:02.240 So in this moment of the disciples' failure, when they fall asleep, even though Jesus told them to stay awake, Jesus comes to them with love and says, Pray. 00:19:02.720 --> 00:19:05.039 Pray that you won't be tempted anymore. 00:19:06.880 --> 00:19:10.720 And then Jesus returns and he prays for a second time. 00:19:11.519 --> 00:19:20.079 I want you to notice how the prayer in verse 42, it's slightly different than what Jesus prays in verse 39. 00:19:20.720 --> 00:19:28.960 In verse 42, Jesus prays, Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done. 00:19:29.680 --> 00:19:33.839 In this prayer, there's one important thing for us to note. 00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:44.079 It may seem like Jesus is surprised by what's happening, or that he's caught off guard and is suddenly asking for this cup to pass over him. 00:19:45.119 --> 00:19:51.039 It's almost at first glance, like Jesus is saying, like, wait, hold up, but I don't want this to happen. 00:19:52.240 --> 00:19:53.759 I didn't realize this was the plan. 00:19:53.839 --> 00:19:55.519 Like, take this cup from me. 00:19:56.160 --> 00:20:03.119 But in this passage, when we look at it more deeply, there is no question of Jesus refusing his father's will. 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:05.680 There's no plan B. 00:20:06.319 --> 00:20:13.599 What's happening in the Garden of Gethsemane, it isn't that Jesus is just learning of his death as a new fact. 00:20:14.240 --> 00:20:22.640 Instead, what we see is we see Jesus coming to terms in emotion and will with what he already knows in theory. 00:20:23.279 --> 00:20:32.640 Here we see Jesus fully surrendering to God's will and facing the true reality of the sorrow and the pain that he's about to endure. 00:20:33.440 --> 00:20:35.920 So then this pattern it repeats. 00:20:36.160 --> 00:20:44.720 Jesus prays, goes back, sees his disciples asleep again, probably shrugs and thinks, like, ah, come on, guys, like really? 00:20:45.359 --> 00:20:48.079 And then he returns and he prays for a third time. 00:20:48.319 --> 00:20:52.720 And what scripture says, it tells us that Jesus prayed the same prayer again. 00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:58.400 The Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done. 00:20:58.720 --> 00:21:02.640 And then Jesus ends his prayer, goes back to his disciples. 00:21:02.880 --> 00:21:07.920 And in verses 45 and 46, he says these super powerful words. 00:21:08.160 --> 00:21:11.200 He says, Sleep and take your rest later on. 00:21:11.359 --> 00:21:13.039 See, the hour is at hand. 00:21:13.200 --> 00:21:17.279 And the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 00:21:17.599 --> 00:21:19.519 Rise, let us be going. 00:21:19.920 --> 00:21:22.400 See, my betrayer is at hand. 00:21:23.359 --> 00:21:32.240 And what's truly incredible here is that there's no panic in Jesus' voice after he prays for the third time. 00:21:32.559 --> 00:21:34.720 There's no there's no scrambling. 00:21:34.960 --> 00:21:36.559 And there's also no retreat. 00:21:36.720 --> 00:21:41.119 Jesus doesn't come back from his prayer and say, We gotta get out of here, right? 00:21:41.200 --> 00:21:42.720 My betrayer is coming. 00:21:42.960 --> 00:21:46.160 There's no retreat, no scrambling, no panic. 00:21:46.640 --> 00:21:50.240 So earlier in Jesus' prayer, he was sorrowful. 00:21:50.400 --> 00:21:53.200 So sorrowful that he felt like he could die. 00:21:53.680 --> 00:21:57.039 He was wrestling with the reality of what he was about to face. 00:21:57.680 --> 00:21:59.759 But now Jesus is steadfast. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:01.279 And resolved. 00:22:01.839 --> 00:22:03.519 So what changed? 00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:13.440 What switch flicked and made Jesus have this sudden resolve and steadfastness to move forward into betrayal? 00:22:13.759 --> 00:22:16.160 What happened was he surrendered. 00:22:16.400 --> 00:22:21.359 He surrendered it all to his Father and said, Your will be done. 00:22:22.240 --> 00:22:28.240 See, surrender did not remove the suffering that Jesus was about to face. 00:22:28.880 --> 00:22:31.680 Instead, it strengthened him to face it. 00:22:31.920 --> 00:22:36.720 And this is one of the crazy paradoxes of the Christian life. 00:22:37.599 --> 00:22:44.799 Self-confidence collapses, but prayer sustains and surrender strengthens. 00:22:46.079 --> 00:22:49.839 Peter was so bold before he prayed. 00:22:50.160 --> 00:22:52.000 He said, Yeah, not me. 00:22:52.160 --> 00:22:53.519 I'll never fall away. 00:22:53.759 --> 00:22:57.359 These other people, they may fall, but me, I'm solid. 00:22:57.440 --> 00:22:58.720 I'm steadfast. 00:22:58.960 --> 00:23:03.839 So Peter was so bold before his prayer and he fell. 00:23:04.480 --> 00:23:10.480 Now Jesus, before he faced his trials, he was burdened in his prayer. 00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:12.319 He expressed his emotion. 00:23:12.400 --> 00:23:13.599 He was sorrowful. 00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:18.799 He recognizes his own human weakness and he stood. 00:23:19.359 --> 00:23:22.960 So Peter was bold before his prayer and he fell. 00:23:23.279 --> 00:23:27.200 And Jesus was burdened in his prayer before and he stood. 00:23:27.759 --> 00:23:36.160 You see, the strength Jesus needed to face the cross, it didn't come from avoidance or the confidence that he had in himself. 00:23:36.880 --> 00:23:40.559 Instead, it came from submission, it came from true surrender. 00:23:41.119 --> 00:23:43.759 And the same is true for us. 00:23:44.319 --> 00:23:49.200 You'll never find strength in avoiding your sin or brushing it aside. 00:23:49.440 --> 00:23:54.880 You'll never find strength in comparing yourself to others or relying on your own self-confidence. 00:23:55.119 --> 00:23:58.720 You'll never find your true strength in saying, what? 00:23:58.880 --> 00:23:59.440 Not me. 00:23:59.599 --> 00:24:01.680 Like this could never happen to me. 00:24:02.160 --> 00:24:07.440 Instead, you'll only find true strength in total surrender to Jesus. 00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:14.319 Now to close this morning, here's what we know from this passage. 00:24:15.119 --> 00:24:24.720 In the first garden in the book of Genesis, Adam said, My will be done, and sin entered into the world. 00:24:24.960 --> 00:24:36.880 And the truly amazing thing, and the truly amazing switch that we see here is that in the garden, Jesus says, instead of my will be done like Adam, Jesus says, your will be done. 00:24:37.119 --> 00:24:39.519 And redemption begins to unfold. 00:24:39.839 --> 00:24:49.359 So in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus falls to his face in his moment of sorrow, and he turns to his father in this intimate moment of prayer, he says, your will be done. 00:24:49.440 --> 00:24:54.799 And at that point, redemption begins to unfold as Jesus walks towards the cross. 00:24:55.119 --> 00:25:00.799 So the Garden of Gethsemane, this scene, it truly reveals our hearts. 00:25:01.119 --> 00:25:03.119 Are we trusting ourselves? 00:25:03.359 --> 00:25:05.039 Are we neglecting prayer? 00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:07.200 Are we resisting surrender? 00:25:07.920 --> 00:25:12.000 Or are we learning to kneel so that we can stand? 00:25:12.960 --> 00:25:17.039 So this morning, you may feel the weight of weakness. 00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:21.599 Maybe your Peter-like self-confidence. 00:25:21.839 --> 00:25:24.720 Maybe you see your own prayerlessness. 00:25:25.279 --> 00:25:26.640 But here's the good news. 00:25:26.799 --> 00:25:33.200 Here is the incredible news of the story of Jesus that we're walking through during this Linton season. 00:25:33.440 --> 00:25:46.640 The same Jesus who fell on his face and stood in that garden is the same Jesus who went on to the cross the next day, and the same Jesus who rose from the grave, and is the same Jesus who now intercedes on our behalf. 00:25:58.799 --> 00:26:09.519 So when temptation comes, when pressure rises, as it surely will, may we remember that true strength is born in surrender. 00:26:09.759 --> 00:26:12.960 Surrender to Jesus, surrender to the cross. 00:26:13.359 --> 00:26:16.240 So with that in mind, let's pray together this morning. 00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:30.319 Lord God, I pray that as we look at the story of you walking towards the cross, God, I pray that we can learn from how you surrendered your will to the Father. 00:26:30.640 --> 00:26:35.200 God, I pray that we may not rely on our own self-confidence and our own self-worth. 00:26:35.359 --> 00:26:40.559 God, I pray that we may not compare ourselves to others, but we may recognize our weakness. 00:26:40.720 --> 00:26:46.960 And in that weakness, Lord, I pray that we may turn to you who conquered weakness. 00:26:47.279 --> 00:26:54.480 God, who was strong when we couldn't be strong, who faced the most difficult trials that we couldn't face. 00:26:55.039 --> 00:27:02.240 Lord, I pray that if there's anything on our hearts this morning that's holding us back from truly surrendering to you. 00:27:02.559 --> 00:27:07.359 Lord, I pray that you will give us strength through the power of your Holy Spirit to lift those to you. 00:27:07.599 --> 00:27:11.359 So we may feel and know your peace that surpasses all understanding. 00:27:12.640 --> 00:27:13.519 God, we love you. 00:27:13.680 --> 00:27:15.920 And we pray this all in your holy name. 00:27:16.240 --> 00:27:16.880 Amen.