Chapter 103
JESUS’ THREE PRAYERS
Matthew 26:36-46
Before we begin this study let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father, Almighty God.
We come before You in the name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Almighty God we ask You to please bless our time in the study of Your Word. Please Father God open our ears, eyes and heart so we can truly hear, see and comprehend the magnitude of the glorious gift of the Holy Spirit You have extended to us through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Help us to never forget that through our new birth in the Holy Spirit we have been adopted as Your children.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
To begin our study we go to the time after Jesus and His apostles finished celebrating their last Passover and after Jesus completed the establishment of “His (The Lord’s) Supper. This is when they left the upper room and went to a place called Gethsemane. It was here when Jesus prayed and prepared Himself for His upcoming ordeal. To read what transpired we go to,
Matthew 26:36-46
[36] Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” [37] And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. [38] Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” [39] He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” [40] Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? [41] Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” [42] Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” [43] And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. [44] So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. [45] Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. [46] Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”
As one reflects upon the above Scriptures we find at least the following two major truths or principles:
1. We are to pray in God’s will.
2. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
With the above introduction we begin by exploring the principle that,
WE ARE TO PRAY IN GOD’S WILL
As one contemplates this instruction, one is left with the question of; “How can we know God’s will?” The answer to this question is twofold.
First of all, we come to know His will by spending time with God through the reading of His Word, which is the Bible. It is through His Word, the Bible, that God reveals His desires, commands and concerns for us. Thus, as we quietly spend time with Him, allowing Him to teach us and speak to us through His Word, we come to know Him and His ways.
Secondly, we also come to know Him and His will by the Holy Spirit, Who lives within us. To see these truths let us read the parable of the vine,
John 15:1-8
""[1] I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. [2] He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. [3] You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. [4] Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. [5] "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. [6] If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. [7] If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. [8] This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."
For this particular study, let us notice the following verses,
4-5 … In other words, as long as the branch of a vine remains in the vine, the sap of the vine will flow through it to bring forth the vine’s fruit. Thus, it is with us. As we, the branches remain in Jesus; the Holy Spirit will flow through us to bring forth His fruit. Note: Without Jesus we can do nothing of “eternal value.”
7 … Here our Lord expands upon the parable and tells us that not only are we to abide in Him but His Words are also to abide in us. Notice, if we abide in Him, that is follow His commands and His Words abide in us that is we know and follow His Word, then, we can ask whatever we wish and it will be given us.
As one contemplates the above parable, we come to realize that through the knowledge of the Bible, that is His Word abiding in us, we come to a better understanding of God and His will and desires. In addition, as we spend time reading the Bible we will find many prayers given by God's people that can be used as models for our situation. Consequently, we are in a much better position to pray in accordance with His will. Then, when we do pray in His will, Jesus promises us that we will receive what we ask for. To refresh our memories of this truth let us read from,
1 John 5:14-15
"[14] This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. [15] And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him."
With this as a foundation, let us read just two examples of when our prayers will be in God’s will.
Our first example is that God encourages us to,
PRAY FOR WISDOM
To see this let us read from,
[5] If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. [6] But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. [7] For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; [8] he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Our second example is that we are told to,
PRAY FOR HELP IN TIMES OF TEMPTATION
When the evil one or the tempter comes around for the purpose of enticing us to gratify the lust of our flesh or our eyes or to boast of what we have or accomplished (see 1 John 2:15-16 and Matthew 4:1-11), we know it is God’s will for us to not yield to these types of temptations. As we saw in our previous studies, to receive deliverance from these types of attacks we are to follow God’s defensive plan as provided in,
James 4:7
"[7] Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Let us notice the following verse,
7a … We are to submit to God. In other words, we are to pray and ask for deliverance. To see this let us read from,
Hebrews 4:14-16
[14] Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. [15] For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. [16] Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Let us return to the fourth chapter of James and notice the following verse,
7b … We are to resist. Specifically, we are to stand in the armor and strength of our Lord and not give in to the temptation.
The question is; “How do we do this?” The answer is in,
Ephesians 6:10-17
[10] Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. [11] Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. [12] For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. [13] 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. [14] Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, [15] and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; [16] above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. [17] And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
As we earnestly do this, then, as stated in James 4:7b, the devil will flee from us.
However, there will be times when it is not clear what God's will is for a particular situation. Thus, we will be unsure of what to pray for. During these times the Bible teaches us that the Holy Spirit, living within us, will intercede for us with groans that words cannot express. To see this, let us read from,
Romans 8:26
"[26] … the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."
In reflecting upon the above, one might ask, “What is the consequence if we do not pray in accordance with God’s will?” One of the consequences of praying for our own desires or wants is often times, in His Mercy, He will not grant our request. Consider the following Scripture,
James 4:3
"[3] When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."
The reason God will not answer us during these times of self indulgence is because in His Mercy, Love and Concern for us, He knows what we want or asked for is not in our best interest.
However, if we continue to keep asking for things to satisfy our own interests, the most fearful consequence is that He just might grant us our request.
An example of this occurred when Israel, wanting to be like all the other nations, demanded that God give them a human king. Since God was and is their King, this request was clearly not God’s will for them. However, to teach them and us a lesson, He granted their request. To see this, let us begin with,
1 Samuel 8:4-5
"[4] So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. [5] They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.""
Being distressed over this request, Samuel consulted the Lord. To read God’s response to Samuel, we go to,
1 Samuel 8:6-9
"[6] But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. [7] And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. [8] As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. [9] Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.""
In the next set of verses, 1 Samuel 8: 10-18, God told Samuel to tell Israel that if a human king is appointed over them, he and his successors will ultimately oppress and enslave them. Being an obedient prophet, Samuel told them all what God had to say. Let us now read how the people responded,
1 Samuel 8:19-22
"[19] But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. [20] Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles." [21] When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. [22] The LORD answered, "Listen to them and give them a king." Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Everyone go back to his town.""
As we continue to read the Old Testament we discover that not only did the majority of the kings of Israel oppress and enslave the people, but they also led the nation into sin and idolatry. So terrible was this sin, that eventually to bring Israel to their senses, God, through King Nebuchadnezzar, sent the Babylonian army to destroy Jerusalem and carry the inhabitants away to Babylon. It is noted that after 70 years of captivity the people of Israel returned to their land, rebuilt the Temple, the city of Jerusalem and restored their worship of Him.
The message of all this is that only God, Who created us, knows what is best for us.
Therefore when it is not clear in the Bible nor has God the Holy Spirit spoken to us about how to pray for the specific situation or circumstances we are in, we should then follow Jesus’ model. Specifically, for these times we should end our petition or request with:
“Not my will but Your will be done.”
Let us now address the second truth or principle for this study which is,
THE SPIRIT IS WILLING BUT THE FLESH IS WEAK
To refresh our memory for the context in which our Lord Jesus Christ presented this principle we go to the time after Jesus instituted the “Lord’s Supper” and reread the following excerpt from His ordeal in Gethsemane. The excerpt of interest is,
Matthew 26:36-41
[36] Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” [37] And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. [38] Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” [39] He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” [40] Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? [41] Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Let us remember at this time the apostles were not yet born-again. Consequently, they did not have the power of God the Holy Spirit within them. Hence, their spirit was willing but was not yet able to overpower the weakness of their flesh.
Thus, prior to the time we become born-again believers in Jesus Christ, it is the same with us. In other words, prior to our new birth by God the Holy Spirit we did not have the spiritual power to follow God’s laws and/or desires. To see this let us read from,
Romans 7:14-24
[14] For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. [15] For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. [16] If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. [17] But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. [18] For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. [19] For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. [20] Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. [21] I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. [22] For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. [23] But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. [24] O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
Let us notice the following verses,
14 … God’s laws are spiritual. But, without God the Holy Spirit we are by nature carnal, which means unspiritual or fleshy.
15-23 … In the flesh we may want to follow or obey God’s ways but we do not have the power to overcome the sin that dwells within us. In other words, in our carnal state we do not have the spiritual power or strength to follow God’s commands and/or desires.
24 … When we consider this state of our being, we realize we need a savior to deliver us from the sin that is dwelling within us. This is the reason God the Father sent Jesus Christ into this world.
To refresh our memory, let us read from,
John 3:16-17
[16] For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. [17] For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Another way to see this is by reading,
1 John 3:5a
[5a] And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins,
This is why Paul wrote what he did in,
Romans 7:25 – 8:1-4
[25] I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
[8:1]
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do
not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. [2]
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has
made me free from the law of sin and death. [3] For what the law could not do in that it was weak through
the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh,
on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, [4]
that the righteous requirement of the law might be
fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the
Spirit.
To accomplish this task for us is why Jesus was headed to be crucified on the cross. To expand upon this let us read from,
Colossians 1:19-23
"[19] For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. [21] Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. [22] But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-- [23] if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant."
Let us notice the following verses,
19 … All the fullness of God dwells in Jesus.
20 …Because of Jesus’ spilt blood on the cross, all things were reconciled to God the Father.
22 … Because of Jesus’ sacrifice we are holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation! In other words our sins, that are blemishes, are forgiven, forgotten and cleansed!
However, let us not forget the importance of the condition identified in,
23 … If we continue in our faith and not be moved away from the hope of the gospel. In other words, we must remain firm in our faith in Jesus Christ and not accept spiritual teachings or promises other than what is recorded in God’s Word, which is the Bible.
As glorious as the gift of atonement or forgiveness is, it alone is incomplete. I am still the same; the sinful nature will still controls my life. Consequently, in addition to making atonement for our sins, our Lord Jesus Christ also redeemed us from its power.
To better understand the importance of our redemption, let us read the definition of the phrase “to redeem.” According to Webster’s New World Dictionary to redeem means:
1. To buy back.
2. To get back; recover, as paying a fee.
3. To pay off.
4. To set free by paying a ransom.
As can be seen from the above definition, redemption implies the setting free or buying back of something that is being held captive or in bondage. With this in mind, one might come to the following questions, “How does this apply to us? (Or) More specifically, how does this apply to me?”
The Bible teaches us there are at least two facets of Jesus’ redemption that have and will have a profound impact upon each and every one of us.
The first facet to be realized is that He redeemed the world from the control of the evil one. However, this will occur at a future date.
The second facet, to be experienced now, is that He redeemed us, the born-again believer in Jesus Christ, from our bondage to sin.
To see this let us read from,
1 Peter 1:18-19
"[18] For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, [19] but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect."
In other words, it was not with perishable things that we were redeemed from our former life. Instead, the cost for our redemption was the precious Blood of Jesus Christ.
To expand upon this, it is noted that,
THE BORN AGAIN-BELIEVER IS A NEW CREATION
To better appreciate the significance of this we must realize the born-again believer is no longer spiritually dead in sin and flesh. Their previous condition has changed. They have been redeemed from this condition and made alive in Christ Jesus. This truth is described for us in,
Ephesians 2:4-10
"[4] But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, [5] made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. [6] And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, [7] in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. [8] For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- [9] not by works, so that no one can boast. [10] For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
For this study, let us notice the following verses,
5 … We are no longer spiritually dead but are alive with Christ. By God’s grace we now have God the Holy Spirit living within us! In other words, we have been redeemed.
6 …We are now spiritually seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realms. Notice, this is not future but present tense. In other Thus, the true born-again believer is now a citizen of Heaven! To see this let us read from,
Philippians 3:20-21
[20] For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, [21] who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
8-9 … It is by His Grace, which is unmerited favor, we have been saved. It was nothing we earned; it is God's free gift to you and me.
10 … God transformed us into a new creature or new person. To see this let us read from,
2 Corinthians 5:17
“[17] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
The Bible also teaches us that,
THE BORN-AGAIN BELIEVER IS A TEMPLE OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
To see this, let us read the question Paul asked the believers in the church in Corinth then, and now to you and me. His question is recorded in,
1 Corinthians 3:16
"[16] Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?
Let us pause for a moment and consider what we just read. Specifically, prior to our new birth we were spiritually dead and destined for the Lake of Fire. But now, through faith in Jesus Christ, we are not only spiritually alive and transformed into a new person but are also a sacred temple for God the Holy Spirit. Can we ever thank God enough for such a blessing and privilege?
But there is more, for the Bible also teaches us that since God the Holy Spirit dwells within us then,
THE BORN-AGAIN BELIVER IS A CHILD OF GOD
To strengthen our faith and belief that you and I as a born again believer are children of God, let us first read what the Holy Spirit wrote, through the Apostle John, in,
1 John 3:1a
"[1] How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! …"
In addition to what is written in the Bible, we also find the Holy Spirit Himself bears witness to our spirit that we, the born-again believers, are God's children. To confirm this truth we go to,
Romans 8:16
"[16] The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children."
CLOSING
Let us now close our study by prayerfully reading from,
Jude 24-25
[24] Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
[25] To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.
Shall We Pray?