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Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

March 19, 2017 Preacher: Series: The Passion of Christ in the Gospel of Mark

Scripture: Mark 14:26–42

*We are sorry. Due to technical difficulties, this week's sermon audio was not recorded.

Key Truth: Christ endured the agony of Gethsemane in submissive prayer out of His love for God and His people despite the required cost and their failures and imperfections.

 

 

Introduction:

Q: What motivates you to endure difficult circumstances and submit to the often costly, mysterious will of God? What helps you most to endure and submit to the will of God?

 

 

Zechariah 13:7-9 Coming True and Peter’s Denial of God’s Word:

Mark 14:26-31

“The future of Jesus’ movement depends entirely on God’s direct intervention, not on the disciples’ individual bravery. As Mark presents the story, the disciples cannot stand on their own strength until God has accomplished his purpose in Christ. Jesus therefore must go it alone. Only after his death on the cross and his resurrection by God will disciples have strength enough to take up their own cross and follow him.”

David E. Garland, The NIV Application Commentary: Mark

Q: What are some ways in which you struggle with doing things in your own strength contrary to the teaching of Scripture and will of God?

 

 

The Agony of Christ and Victory in Prayer in Gethsemane:

Mark 14:32-38

“Jesus’s obedience was not automatic, as though his divine nature simply eliminated any real struggle to believe or effort to obey. No, in his human nature, Jesus fought for faith and struggled to obey; otherwise the reality that Hebrews 5:7 describes is turned into theatrics and rendered disingenuous.”

Bruce A. Ware, The Man Christ Jesus: Theological Reflections on the Humanity of Christ

Q: How does Christ’s agony and submission in prayer in Gethsemane affect your value of His work on your behalf? Are you regularly thankful for the cup of wrath that He drank on your behalf so that you could drink the cup of the New Covenant at the Lord’s Table?

 

 

The Failure of the Disciples to Watch and Pray in Gethsemane:

Mark 14:39-42

“Let us take comfort in the thought that the Lord Jesus does not cast off his believing people because of failures and imperfections….He knew what they were before conversion, —wicked, guilty, and defiled; yet He loved them. He knows what they will be after conversion,—weak, erring, and frail; yet He loves them. He has undertaken to save them, notwithstanding all their shortcomings, and what He has undertaken He will perform.”

J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, Vol. 1: Matthew—Mark

Q: What is the true cost of your failure to use the means of grace on a regular basis?

 

 

Mark 14:26-42 teaches us that:

-we cannot fulfill our bold claims in our own strength outside of God’s sovereign will
-Jesus endured the agony of Gethsemane in submissive prayer out of His love for God and for us
-our failures don’t keep Christ from loving us but do leave us ill-prepared and under nourished for life in a fallen world

More in The Passion of Christ in the Gospel of Mark

April 16, 2017

Jesus Has Risen Indeed!

April 9, 2017

Jesus Crucified and Buried

April 2, 2017

Jesus Mocked and Condemned