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Jesus in the Garden

March 8, 2015 Preacher: Series: The Passion of Christ in the Gospel of Luke

Scripture: Luke 22:39–22:53

Luke 22:39-53

 

Key Truth: Jesus Christ in his humanity teaches us the power of prayer in facing temptation and seeking to be obedient to the will of God.

 

Introduction:

 

Q: What is the worst thing that you have ever faced knowing what was going to happen?

“What Christ saw in Gethsemane was God with sword raised (Zc. 13:7; Mt. 26:31). The sight was unbearable. In a few short hours, he, the Last Adam, would stand before that God answering for the sin of the world: indeed identified with the sin of the world (2 Cor. 5:21)...The wonder of the love of Christ for his people is not that for their sake he faced death without fear, but that for their sake he faced it, terrified. Terrified by what he knew, and terrified by what he did not know, he took damnation lovingly.”

Donald Macleod, The Person of Christ

 

Jesus’ Humanity Displayed in His Prayer:

Luke 22:39-44

“And prayer is the receipt which the Son of God Himself was not ashamed to use in the days of His flesh. In the hour of His mysterious agony He ‘prayed.’ Let us take care that we use our Master’s remedy, if we want comfort in affliction. Whatever other means of relief we use, let us pray.”

J.C. Ryle, Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, Volume 2: Luke

 

Q: If Christ in his humanity agonized over and asked for the removal of the consequences of sin, then how much more should we be thankful for his acceptance of God’s will for our redemption?

 

The Disciples’ Humanity Displayed in the Failure to Pray:

Luke 22:45-46

“(The disciples) had been so eager to fight God’s war with man’s weapons (22:38), but they now fumbled with a more essential weapon- prayer. Their immediate failures would quickly be there for all to see- their silly use of the sword, their wholesale desertion, denial by the bravest of them.”

R. Kent Hughes, Luke, Volume 2: That You May Know the Truth

 

Q: What do you turn to when preparing to deal with a difficult situation?

 

The Result of Praying and Failing to Pray:

Luke 22:47-53

“At the cross is revealed how his kingdom comes about: not by might (of weaponry), or by power (of worldly means), but by the spirit of sacrifice (Zc. 4:6); not by subjection of multitudes to slavery, in the manner of the great rulers of this world, but by the service of the Son of Man (Mt. 20:25-28); for the kingdom is not of this world (Jn. 18:36).”

Henri Blocher, Evil and the Cross

Q: How is Christ’s response to his arrest different than that of his disciples? How did prayer affect this difference?

 

Application:

“Every opportunity given us by God, either to obey or to disobey, is an opportunity for that character formation and strengthening of faith that can prepare us for the greater challenges of faith God has in mind for us in the future. Clearly, this was true for Jesus...Jesus’ training ground of tested faith is the same kind of training that the Father designs for us.”

Bruce A. Ware, The Man Christ Jesus

 

Jesus Christ in his humanity at Gethsemane reveals to us:

-the need to pray to God our Father who is good

-the need to submit to God’s sovereign will because He is faithful in redemption

-the personal cost of taking on our sin and receiving God’s wrath

-the strength and resolve that come from submissive prayer as we face life between the now and the not yet

 

Benediction:

Psalm 24:1-6

 

 

 

 

More in The Passion of Christ in the Gospel of Luke

April 12, 2015

The Passion of Christ in the Writings of Luke: The Ascension of Christ

April 5, 2015

The Resurrection of Christ

March 29, 2015

The Crucifixion and Death of Christ