Luke chapter 22, I'm taking the
title from what he said in verse 44, Luke 22 verse 44, and being
in an agony he prayed, he prayed more earnestly and his sweat
was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. The Lord's agony in Gethsemane. Now the word Gethsemane means
a crushing of grapes, a crushing of the grapes to make wine. Now no one can fully understand or comprehend. I certainly don't. And any man
who says that he fully understands what's going on here is really
just making a statement of a fool. No one knows or can fully understand,
comprehend the depths of the agony of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not just a physical suffering. Oh, he suffered that way, no
doubt. It's not just mental anguish of mind. No doubt he suffered
that way as well. It was such an agony of his spirit
and soul that his body started expelling blood through his sweat
gland. Now, I don't know anything of
that kind of agony. I don't know anything of that
kind of sorrow. We read in Matthew 26, the Lord
says there, my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death. He prays at this time in Gethsemane
that the Lord might strengthen him that he does not die right
there while he prays that the Lord might sustain him that he
might indeed go to Calvary tree and there die for our sin. Now what was the cause of such
agony? We read in Isaiah 53, yet it
pleased the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief, when
thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. That is the reason of
his sorrow, his grief, his agony. S-I-N. Being made sin for us. Having our sin laid upon him. Anticipating being made sin for
us. He's in agony of soul and body
as he anticipates having our iniquity, our sin, our transgression
laid upon one who is holy. Peter said, who his own self
bear our sins in his own body on the tree. His agony and his
sorrow was on account of my sin against God. My sin against God
brought him agony, pain and sorrow that we know nothing about. Now, let's go back to verse 39. And he came out and went as was
want to the Mount of Olives. And we know from reading Matthew
26 and Mark 14 that on the Mount of Olives there was a garden
called Gethsemane. And as he goes to the garden,
as he goes there to pray, Praying that night, his disciples followed
him. Now that's a good thing for a
disciple to do, is it not? To follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
You remember he said, my sheep hear my voice, I know them and
they follow me. And when he was at the place,
he said to them, you pray. You pray that you enter not into
temptation. He said, I'm going to pray. And
he said, I'm going apart from you and to pray myself. And he
takes Peter, James, and John with them and goes a little further
and then leaves them and goes a little further. And then he
prays to the father. Now, remember the Lord had been
assembled together in the upper room with his disciples. observing
the last Passover and instituting the Lord's table. And having
gone forth, he went on according to the custom, according to the
practice, to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him
there. Now, he did this often. If you look back at the last
chapter, Luke 21, The last chapter that we looked at before here,
Luke 21, Luke verse 37, in the daytime he was teaching in the
temple, and at night he went out and abode in a mount that
is called the Mount of Olives. And all the people came early
in the morning to him to the temple for to hear him. So, oftentimes
when he was at this time in Jerusalem, evidently him and the apostles
were bivouacked, if you will, or camping out in this Mount
of Olives where this garden was. Now, we're going to see that
the Lord often went there and often prayed all night. Now, the Lord Jesus Christ was
a man of much prayer, calling upon his father in the time of
trouble, and he did this often. If you would look back in Luke
chapter 6, turn back over there. Luke chapter 6. Remember when he healed the man's
arm that was withered? And the Lord commanded him, verse
10, Luke 6, stretch forth thy hand, and he did so. And his
hand was restored whole as the other. And they were filled with
madness, that is the Pharisees, and communed one another what
they might do to Jesus. And it came to pass in those
days that he went out into a mountain to pray and continued all night
in prayer to God. So oftentimes the Lord would
get away from the crowd when trouble was near, when trouble
was around, and he would pray unto the Father. Now what a good
example for us. When in trouble, what are you
to do? When in trouble, call upon the
Lord. Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved. Call upon the Lord and bow in
submission to his will. David prayed this and said this,
call upon me, or the Lord said, call upon me in the day of trouble.
Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee and thou
shalt glorify me. What an encouragement to call
upon the Lord. The Lord said, call upon me in
the day of trouble and I will answer thee. Certainly David
had much trouble, did he not? Did not he call upon the Lord
and did not the Lord deliver him? Now, Our Lord said this
in John 16, these things have I spoken unto you that in me
you might have peace. In this world you shall have
tribulation, trouble, trouble. But he says be of good cheer.
Now wait a minute. In this world you shall have
trouble, tribulation? Yes. But the Lord said be of
good cheer. Why? Because I've overcome. I've overcome the world. Trouble
is coming. Trouble is coming. Trials are
coming our way. We're either in one, coming out
of one, or going into a trial. Trials are the common lot. Trials
and trouble are the common lot to the saints of the Lord. God
had only one son with no sin, but he has none without sorrow,
heartache, and griefs. Trials. We as believers should
not despise the trial the Lord sends from his loving hand. Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth
and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. You see, trials
to the believer are precious trials. Precious trials. They're called light afflictions
that don't work against us, they work for us. Peter writes this,
wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need
be, you're in heaviness to manifold temptation, if need be, that
the trial of your faith being more precious than of gold that
perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto
the praise and honor and glory at the appearing of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Look at verse 42 in our text.
And the Lord, as he went, a stone cast, withdrawn from the apostles,
and he kneeled down and he prayed, and he said, Father, if thou
be willing, remove this cup from me, Nevertheless, not my will,
but thy will be done." May the Lord teach us to pray this way. And He did. Look back at Luke
chapter 11. Remember when the Lord was teaching
His disciples to pray? Look at Luke chapter 11 verse
1. May God be our teacher. May God
give us to pray this way. Lord, Not my will, but thy will
be done. Notice Luke 11 verse 1, it came
to pass that as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased,
one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray,
as John also taught his disciple. And he said unto them, when you
pray, our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done. Lord, teach us to pray. Thy will be done, as it is as
in heaven, so on earth. Give us day by day our daily
bread. Forgive us our sins, and we also
forgive everyone that is indebted to us. Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one. Remember the Lord prayed
that for us in John 17. Lord, deliver them from the evil,
evil one. Now, may God give us grace and
may God be our teacher to pray this way. And may we be given
grace to bow in submission to the will of the Lord and ask
for grace. He said my grace is sufficient
for the trial. Ask for grace to be able to surrender
and bow to the will of the Lord. Be obedient to the will of the
Lord in total surrender and submission unto the Lord. What a blessing
it is for a believer to know what the will of the Lord is
for us, revealed to us in His Word, and then to believe it,
receive it, trust it, commit yourself to it, and bow and surrender
unto the Lord. That's exactly what he's praying
for. Now look at verse following, and there appeared an angel unto
him from heaven, strengthening him, and the Lord has promised
us grace for the trial. And being, verse 44, here's where
we want to camp on this for a moment this morning. And being in an
agony, he prayed more earnestly. Being in, he said, you remember,
my soul was troubled. Being in trouble, he prayed more
earnestly, and his sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood
falling down to the ground. The Lord never stopped praying,
even though trouble was all about and within him. We have in John
17, we read it a few weeks ago, we have in John 17 some of the
words or more of the words that he uttered unto the father as
he prayed here. Now the Lord is not asking that
the father might, that he might avoid dying for our sins. He said repeatedly, that's why
I came. You remember he said, I must
lay down my life for the sheep. The Lord is not praying that
he would, that the Lord would, that he might avoid going to
Calvary Street. He's not praying that way. He's
praying for strength that he might die for our sin, according
to the scripture. Now, this was known unto him,
you remember back in verse 37 of Luke 22, for I say unto you
that this that is written must be accomplished in me, and he
was numbered among the transgressors, for the things concerning me
have an end." The Lord knew exactly what was going to happen, he
knew exactly how it was going to happen, and he's known this
as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. The Lord said in
John 12, 27 is recorded, Now is my soul troubled, and what
shall I say? Father, save me from this hour?
But for this cause came I to this hour. He's not praying that
he might avoid Calvary, he's praying for strength that he
might endure for our sins and die for our sins according to
the scripture. The Lord is praying for help
in his agony to be sustained by the power of God at this time
in this hour in the garden lest he die on the spot and die there
instead of dying upon the tree. That is how great his agony was. If the Lord didn't strengthen
him and help him, he would bleed out and die right there. The
Lord is praying, Lord, don't let me die right here. Let me
die upon the tree. And that's why the Lord sent
an angel from heaven strengthening him. Now the hour from which
the Lord prayed for release was not the hour for which he had
come into this world, but this hour or this time in the garden
that it might pass quickly. And the cup which he prayed might
pass from him was not the cup of the Father's wrath, It was
not the cup of our sin. That cup Jehovah's servant took
with determined purpose and resolved to drink it dry. The cup he wanted
to pass from him was the fear of dying in the garden before
he could take the cup of the Father's wrath and the full weight
and the cup of our sin, and drink it, and die for our sin, as He's
made sin for us." Now here's the blessed, blessed part of
the Gospel, and all of it's blessed. The Lord not only suffers for
our sin, and dies for our sin, but He willingly submits willingly,
lovingly, and wants to die for our sin to put them away and
to magnify the Lord. Nevertheless, not my will, but
thy will be done. Here we see the God-man mediator
in complete harmony with the eternal purpose of God. Now remember,
he is totally and fully a man. and totally and fully God in
one person, in one person. And here we see the God-man mediator
bowing in complete harmony to the eternal purpose of God. The
Father's desire is His desire. The Father's eternal purpose
becomes His purpose. The Father's will becomes His
will. That is true submission unto
God, true submission unto God. Now don't turn because you're
most familiar with this. But let me just turn and read
it to you, found in Philippians chapter 2, where we read that
the servant of the Lord, who being in the form of God, thought
it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation,
took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness
of men, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself. became obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly
exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that
at that name every knee should bow, every tongue should confess,
that Jesus Christ is Lord, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father. May we, as His beloved people,
be given grace to bow in submission in like manner unto the Lord's
eternal purpose and will. May we pray, Lord, not my will,
but Thy will be done. May God give us grace to willingly
submit, lovingly submit to His will. And when we do, it is evidence
of growing in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. May God
give us grace and willingly submit to his will in predestinating
grace. And we know that all things work
together for good to them who love God. to them who are called
according to his purpose. May God give us grace to willingly
bow and submit to his will, not only in predestinating grace,
but to his will as it's revealed in the scripture. What would
be his will revealed in the scripture concerning you? Concerning me? You know what it is? to believe
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, to bow and confess Him
as Lord, to love Him and own Him as all your salvation, to
honor the Son by believing Him. Abraham was strong in faith,
giving glory unto God, being fully persuaded that all God
had promised, he's able to perform. And may God give us grace to
willingly submit to his accomplished will and providence knowing that
all things of him and through him and to him are all things
unto the glory of God. Now, let's get back to this thing
of the Lord being in an agony as it says there in verse 44. And I repeat what I said earlier,
what was the cause of such agony of his body, soul and spirit? We know that He had no sin, knew
no sin, and did no sin. What brought this grief and agony,
pain, and sorrow upon Him? Our sin being made His own sin. God made Him to be sin for us
who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him. No greater subject can we meditate
upon than our Lord willingly taking our sin to himself, dying
for the sin of God's people, suffering the wrath of God for
them to accomplish our salvation. That's why we tell sinners to
behold the Lamb of God that takes away our sin. The Lord said,
behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow. which
is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the
day of his fierce anger." The essence of the gospel and the
sub and substance of the gospel is Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
What was the cause of His agony? Our sin laid upon Him. What was
the cause of His death? Our sin being laid upon Him. The Lord Jesus Christ dying in
the room instead of his people, enduring the wrath of God for
us, he died the just for the unjust that he might bring us
unto God. Call his name Jesus, he shall
save his people from their sin. Now, here's the blessedness of
the gospel. The gospel of God's grace. Since
the Lord Jesus Christ died for us, fully paying our debt, satisfying
God's law and justice for us. Since God in Christ has died
for our sin, the believer has no fear of judgment. The Lord has already answered
for all our sin. The Lord Jesus Christ has fully
satisfied God's divine justice. Therefore in Christ Jesus there
is therefore now no condemnation. There is no, not even an accusation. Who shall I anything to the charge
of God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who
is he that condemneth? Christ has died. Yea, rather,
is risen from the dead, who is even at the right hand of God,
who can lay anything to my charge. Christ has already answered for
them. You see the blessings of the gospel? Because he died and
suffered such agony, enduring the wrath of God, satisfying
the justice of God, putting away my sin. I'll never endure that. God's justice, the old songwriter
said, God's justice can't twice demand. First at my bleeding
shirt, his hand, then again at mine. That'd make him unjust,
would it not? And he's not unjust. He's a just
God and Savior. Because Christ fully satisfied
the justice of God, fully honored the law of God, redeemed us from
the curse of the law, there is therefore now no condemnation,
no accusation, and no separation. Nothing can separate us from
the love of God which is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, something else I see here in
verse 45 and verse 46. He arose up from prayer and was
come to his disciples and he found them sleeping for sorrow. You know what else I see here?
I see the frailty and sinfulness of our own wicked hearts. What frail and sinful creatures
we truly are before the Lord. Here James, John, Peter, at this
hour, this pivotal hour, That evening the Lord is arrested,
the next day He is crucified, and the Lord tells them not once
but twice, you watch and pray lest you enter into temptation. And no doubt for a while they
started out earnestly, don't you think? Well, we're going
to get John and Peter, let's get busy and pray together. Do
you know they started out earnestly praying with the Lord and by
and by He comes back once He finds them sleeping. He goes
again, the Lord goes again and prays again. The second time
he comes back, he finds them sleeping again. That's just us, is it not? How
many times have you started out with an effort in your heart,
well, I'm gonna pray, or I'm gonna worship, or I'm gonna read
and meditate, and you get about that far and your mind's 100
miles away. I fight this constantly. As I
sit in my study and I try to read and meditate and pray and
think about these things and try to preach the gospel to you, I find my mind here and there
and yonder and everywhere else. And sometimes I even fall asleep,
to my shame, to my shame. But we put no confidence in the
flesh, we put confidence in Him. The Lord told them to watch and
pray, to be on guard, and I'm sure they started out that way,
but you remember what He said to them in Matthew 26, when He
came back and He said, finally He said this, the Spirit indeed
is willing, but the flesh, the flesh. Now one day we'll get
rid of this sinful flesh, but right now we've got to deal with
it, don't we? how frail and weak and sinful we are. The spirit
put within us, that new creature in Christ, truly is made ready,
ready to worship Him, ready to serve Him, ready to believe Him,
but so very often the flesh, The old sinful nature greatly
hinders our worship, our service, our faith, our love unto the
Lord. Don't you find it to be so? Why
is that? Within every believer we have
two opposing, warring natures. Within every believer now, I
didn't say within every person. The person unregenerated, all
he has to deal with is flesh. But the believer, having been
regenerated by the Spirit of God, has a new heart. He's a new creature in Christ.
Therefore, we have a conflict. Paul writes about it this way.
The flesh, lust is against the spirit, and the spirit against
the flesh. These are contrary one to another,
so that you cannot do the things you would. I would never ever
think an evil thought again. I would never ever sin one time
again. The things that I would not,
Paul said, that's exactly what I do. We have been made new creatures
in Christ. The Spirit indeed is willing.
We are partakers of a divine nature, but never forget we also
have that old, fallen, sinful Adam nature that is not eradicated,
not totally subdued, nor totally eliminated. Therefore, when I
would do good, evil is present with me, you remember, O wretched
man that I am, the good that I would, I do not, and that which
I should not do, that's what I do. When I would do good, evil
is present with me, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver
me from this body of death? I thank God. I thank God through
Jesus Christ, our Lord. Now, one last thought. One last
thought. 46. Why sleep ye? Rise and pray,
lest we enter into temptation. Now let me just read you this
verse we read earlier in Matthew 26 verse 46. The Lord said, Rise,
let us be going. Behold, he is at hand that doth
betray me. Having this issue settled, of
totally surrender and bowing to the Lord's will, in being
made sin for us. The Lord sets his face like a
flint marching toward Calvary's tree. He said, rise and let us
go. Let us go. The Lord is not shrinking
back. He steadfastly marches out to
meet Judas, who betrayed the Lord. He's arrested, he's tried,
and he's crucified. He said the hour is come, the
hour in which he would accomplish our salvation by his redeeming
blood. The Lord says, rise up, let's
meet the enemy's head on, let us not flee away, and he didn't. Did he? He marched right to the
cross. He set his face like a flint
to be our sacrifice unto God. Nothing could keep the Savior
from Calvary, nothing, nothing. Nothing could prevent him from
dying for our sin. Nothing could keep him from calling
and saving those for whom he redeemed with his precious blood.
Nothing. He said, All that the Father
hath given to me, they will come to me, and those that come to
me I'll in no wise cast out. He said, Father, I came down
from heaven not to do my own will, remember he prayed, not
to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this
is the Father's will which has sent me, that of all which he
hath given me I should lose nothing, but raise it up again at the
last day. He's a victorious Savior. He's
not a defeated, frustrated reformer as my pastor used to say. He's
a risen, victorious, seated in throne Lord who will have mercy
upon His covenant people. This is the will of Him that
sent me that everyone would see it the Son. Now here's His will
for you. This is the will of him that sent me, that everyone
would see it is done, and believe it's on him, may have everlasting
life, and I'll raise him up at the last day. Oh, for grace to
believe the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.