Services | Spirit Willing, Flesh Weak

Bulletin

Hymn # 35 “How Great Thou Art”

SCRIPTURE READING – Psalm 103:8 - 14
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
OFFERTORY PRAYER
OFFERTORY MUSIC – Pru Hungate

Praise and Worship
“What an Awesome God”
“This Is Amazing Grace”
“Endless Light”

Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“Spirit Willing, Flesh Weak”

PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection

“Your Love Awakens Me”

Sermon Notes
Mark 14:27 & 28 Jesus tells disciples they will be scattered according to the Scriptures, but He will meet them in Galilee after He has risen
Mark 14:29 Peter confident he will not fall away
Mark 14:30 Jesus tells him that he will deny Him 3 times before the cock crows twice
Mark 14:31 Peter and the others disciples insist they would die before betray Him
Mark 14:32 – 36 Jesus and the disciples go to a garden called Gethsemane to pray. Jesus takes 3 of them with Him farther and He goes even farther to pray
Mark 14:37 – 42 Jesus prays to avoid what is going to happen 3 times, asks the disciples 3 times to watch and pray, but they continue to sleep

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Scritpures

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Transcript of Service

As believers, we numerously ask God to do something for us. Even people who aren't sure that there's a God oftentimes will ask God for something. But today we're going to take a look at what if God asked you to do something, what would your response be and could you do it?

It's about sports, and one of the reasons I enjoy sports so much is that It is something that you can kind of totally care about, but has no real meaning in life. Whether your team loses or wins, you still got to pay the bills, you still got to go to work, you still got to do whatever. But using oftentimes sports as an analogy of life, generally speaking, no one single play wins or loses a game.

However, there seems to be times in a game where there is a critical play, a critical situation that's happening where there's third down or a fourth down and whatever, and the team senses it, the opposing team senses it, even the commentators sense it, and it's what's going to happen, and the success or failure of that particular play will determine perhaps the outcome of the game. Life is kind of like that. No one oftentimes decision, if you will, ultimately determines your life. But there are some times when there are some critical decisions that have to be made. And if you make that decision, your life may be one way or another. And sometimes you may not even understand that decision was critical to the outcome of your life. We are now taking a look at one of those situations in the life and ministry of Jesus that is exceptionally critical for you and me. But it's easy to think, well, it was just late in the evening and it was just happened and Jesus did what Jesus did and we go on. But this one evening, is so critical that our eternal destiny is determined by what Jesus does and the decision he makes.

And so if you have your Bibles, and you should, turn to the Gospel of Mark chapter 14 and we're going to start with verse 27. We're not going to go a long way in it because I think what it is recorded here in Mark and in the other gospels, it is essential for us to understand the critical nature of what happens. And so, and Jesus said to them, you all fall away because it is written, I will strike down the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered. Now notice Jesus says it's written in the scripture. You may deny it, You may think otherwise, but the scriptures already foretold what is going to happen, that I am going to be alone in this situation and that you who are following me will be scattered. But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee. So Jesus is offering them comfort before the events happen. He's been telling them that he's going to die and raise again, and he's now reiterating that. But he says, yes, that's going to happen. I'm going to rise from the dead, and we're going to have a meeting. You may scatter, but we're all going to collect together in Galilee, where much of my ministry has taken place.

But Peter said to him, even though all may fall away, yet I will not. Peter is saying, I don't care what the scripture says. I don't care what the... I'm not going to be like that. I'm going to do different. I'm going to buck the scriptures. Because the scriptures ought to say, everyone will fall away from you but me, Peter. Pretty good boast. But that's kind of like Peter. Peter is all in or all out. And Jesus said to him, truly I say to you that this very night before a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny me three times. So Jesus not only says, no, Peter, you're wrong, but he goes, I'm going to tell you exactly what's going to happen. During this evening, not in the rest of your lifetime, not in the next month, but before it ever becomes daylight, you yourself are going to deny me three times, and you're going to hear the **** crow twice. But Peter kept saying insistently, Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you. And they were all saying the same thing also.

Peter continues to being confident of his relationship with God and how he would never deny him, even though Jesus has pretty much had a 100 percent track record on the scriptures and what's going to happen. But we all like to argue with people even when we're wrong. And they came to a place named Gethsemane. Now Gethsemane is a garden, but it's an interesting place because Gethsemane means oil press. So probably in this garden were a number of olive trees and there was a place to press olives into olive oil. And so it's probably not the typical place that we think of as a garden with a bunch of flowers and plants. It's probably a place of rest and whatever, but it's also probably part of a olive orchard and whatever. So Jesus goes there to that place.

And he said to his disciples, sit here until I have prayed. So he's going to tell them what he's going to do. He goes, I'm going to pray. I want you to sit here. And he took with him Peter and James and John and became very distressed and troubled. So he takes three of the group and the three that he seems to always take with him on special situations. He took the three of them when he raised Jairus' daughter. He takes them to the Mount of Transfiguration. He seems to take these three disciples with him.

And so he takes them and says, so the other guys sit here, but you 3, I want you to come further with me. And they obviously saw that he in this transfer between leaving the rest of the leaven and taking these three, he becomes very distressed and troubled. And he said to them, my soul is deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and keep watch. Now, keeping watch may be, hey, check and make sure nobody comes and interrupts me. Or maybe it means, pray with me. Help me in this situation. Help stand watch with me. And he went a little beyond them and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass by.

And he was saying, Abba, which means, it's a very intimate word. We kind of say daddy, but it's almost really dada. That's the type of intimacy that Jesus is praying to the Father. He's not just saying, our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be the name. He's going, Dada, daddy, Father, all things are possible for you. God is not a God of the impossible. God is the God of the possible. So he goes, so everything's possible. And so what I'm asking is, remove this cup from me, yet not what I will, but what you will. Jesus continues to be obedient to what the Father determines for him to do. He's going, Father, if there's an opportunity, if there's at all a chance, I don't want to drink this cup. And it's not just His death on a cross, as painful and shameful that is. It is the fact that He is going to be our sins placed upon Him, that He is going to be considered sin itself for us, that there is going to be a separation between Him and the Father, and He doesn't want to participate in that. And then I might add, so what does he get? Us. It is not a fair trade.

Our forgiveness for his sacrifice. But he's saying, if you can, so here's the situation. What if God granted his request? What if God said, I love you more than I love you. So come on home. Don't do what I've sent you to do. Then you and I would be destined for hell. That's how critical this evening is. That's how critical his prayer is. If God grants him his request, we die eternally. This isn't just some, Lord, I have an illness. Take the illness from me. This is, we all die. And we get so upset when we think that God doesn't answer our prayer requests. If there was anybody that I would listen to, it's usually my family members. The only son of God, the Father, has made a request that, quite frankly, I'm glad that I'm not God, because if I'd have looked at Him and His faithfulness and His obedience and His love and me, I lose every time. But God said, I'm denying your request.

Yes, all things are possible, but you are going to suffer and die as a sinner for those who are sinners. And he came and found them sleeping. and he said to Peter now notice he said to Peter we're told the name of Peter is the name that Jesus gave Peter but Jesus doesn't call Peter Peter he says Simon are you asleep he's saying Simon the name that you were given at birth not your spiritual name the name of your your Earthly name Simon are you asleep could you not keep watch for one hour? For that short period of time that I've been praying, could you not have been keeping watch and praying? This is a critical time for Jesus. Ultimately, we're going to see it's also a critical time for them. He says, can't you, can't you just be here for me for this one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation. Jesus is saying, I want you to pray for me, but I also want you to pray for you. I want you to understand that this is a critical period of time and you need to pray that you not go into temptation and that you pray for me. I think it's interesting. Jesus has asked God the Father to remove the cup.

And he's asking his three disciples, pray for me. He's asking them to do something. We all ask God to do something in our lives. God, save me from this. God, give me a promotion. God, may I not have that terrible disease that I might have. God, you know, may I win the lottery. Whatever it is, you know, God, give me the girl that I want in my dream. We have all these requests, and we continue to make all these requests. Jesus, in turn, makes a request of the three who seem to be the closest to him, and they don't do it. But notice, instead of rebuking them in the sense of, you're worthless guys, he says, the spirit is willing. I know you're willing to do it. It's kind of like when David prayed in the Psalm 51 after he had committed all the various sins that he had committed and he wanted God to create in him a new heart, he goes, give me a willing spirit. So Jesus is saying, his three disciples have a willing spirit, but their flesh is weak. This humanity is whatever. For we wrestle not with flesh and blood, but with spiritual wickedness in high places. He's saying, this isn't a fleshly battle. This is a spiritual battle. And you have a willing spirit. Get your physicalness, but he doesn't rebuke them. He goes, I give you an excuse. You're willing, you just don't do it. I kind of go, if God were to ask of me something, would I do it? Or would I say, well, you know, I'd really like to. But I just can't at this time. I'm too tired. I'm too busy. I'm too whatever. I think if these three men really, really, really, really understood the critical nature of what was happening at that particular time, they'd have probably said, I don't care how tired I am, I'd fight the fight. But they didn't know. Not as they didn't know in the sense of Jesus hadn't told them, they just didn't know. So he says, the Spirit's willing, but the flesh is weak.

Again, he went away and prayed, saying the same words. He, again, notice Jesus was so... concerned with what's going to happen, he asked God again, remove the cup from me that I might not drink it. So I kind of guess if it's okay for Jesus to ask God the Father more than once, then maybe it's okay for us when we truly care about something more than once. But I want you to also notice something. Our church, fortunately, is known by many people who know of us, that we pray. And on Wednesday prayer meeting, we have prayer meeting and Bible study. And we will have people who are not a part of our congregation, who will either contact somebody in our congregation or through Facebook or something, say, would you pray for me? When I have a problem, when I have a need, I pray really sincerely. One of the ways that I can demonstrate my love for you is when you have a prayer request. I pray as sincerely for you as I do for me. And yet, God has been asking through Jesus, Pray for me and pray for you. Do you love me enough? Do you love me enough you say you're not going to deny me even though you're going to? But do you love me enough, sincerely enough, to pray for me and for yourself? And again, he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him.

Now, in our congregation, we have participated in a Passover Seder. And especially those who are involved in the Seder, we spend the day preparing the room and sitting at the table. And there are those who cook the meal and those who set the meals ready and those who do the symbolic meal. And then we have the meal itself, and it takes a period of time. And we have a teaching and It's the one time in this Baptist church that we also permit people to drink wine. And so there's four cups. And so you may drink the grape juice or you may drink the Sacramento wine. And it's later in the evening, about 9.30, 10 o'clock at night, and everybody's tired. So if you've participated in that, you know, and you can empathize that they're tired and they're just, they're having difficulty. And these three were tasked with setting up the Passover. So they didn't just show up. They were working it as well before the ceremony. But again, it's like Jesus is saying, I really need you guys to watch with me. I really need you guys to pray for me. I need you to pray for yourselves.

And they go, we don't know what to say. I will say at least this, they didn't try to defend the indefensible. They just didn't know what to say. And he came the third time and said to them, are you still sleeping and resting? I've told you 3 separate times, I need you. I need you. I need you. And you decided you needed sleep more. You're willing to die for me, but you're not willing to stay awake for me. It is enough. The hour has come. Jesus has gotten his answer. His answer is from the Father, no, you will drink the cup in full. You will die as a sinner on a shameful cross for you and me and for those three who couldn't stay awake. Again, such a crucial period of time. that they were unaware of. But sometimes there comes times in our lives when we have crucial decisions to make, that we need to make the right decision. It is enough. The hour has come. Behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. He goes, what the scriptures have fulfilled, had talked about, or being fulfilled. Just as I told you, you will deny me and you will all scatter away. And yes, Peter, even you who are confident that you will die for me, the scriptures are going to be fulfilled. Get up. Let us be going. Behold, the one who betrays me is dead hand. Now, Jesus isn't saying, let us be going in the sense of let's escape. It's, know the die has been cast. Let us go do what the scriptures has foretold and the reason that I have been sent by the Father and the reason the Father denied my request.

And so the scriptures are going to be fulfilled. that I will die on that cross, and I will rise again, and I will meet you in Galilee. Even though, during this critical time, it was easier to sleep, because even though the Spirit was willing, the flesh was weak. We're going to sing a song It says that your love awakens me. I think the title for this sermon is apropos. Maybe we should awake from our slumber of what God is doing in this world and what God has done by his offer of grace because of what Jesus has done. and that we should be aware, and instead of in this critical time of politics and hate and division and uncertainty and likes and all the other stuff, to say, maybe this is actually critical.

It's a time for me to not be asleep. but to be awake, to pray, and to speak, and to be His witnesses.
And all God's people said.

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