The Only Way To Face A Crisis
Matt 26:36-45
- if God’s Will will be done, why should we even bother praying?
- moving prayer from optional mystery to urgent practice
- 6 observations from a night in Gethsemane with Jesus — why pray?
- Our loyalty to Jesus through prayer is important to HIM
- Matt 26:36-38
- act of loyalty; we are asked to pray WITH Him
- saved us so we can relate to/with Him
- James 5:16
- What you do in preparation for a crisis time will determine how you go through the trial
- not IF you go/get through, because you will
- Zach 13:7; spiritual urgency akin to matt 26:31
- the hour of great distress is coming, so prepare yourself through prayer!
- Rom 8:36
- You can be a Spirit-filled, in-the-will-of-God person and legitimately have great distress and trial of the soul
- Matt 26:37-38
- Isa 53; “carry our sorrows, crushed for our iniquities”
- Jesus neither lacks faith nor access to divine resources (Matt 26:53); prayer Jesus’ way is all about obedience
- true obedience is never simple…
- Heb 5:7
- obedience is out language of love to God; prayer is out sign of obedience
- Jesus learned obedience from suffering that led him to praying; praying trained him in obedience
- obedience regularly keeps bad things in play; that’s why obedience is required
- “regular burnout occurs from caring too much” ?? Discuss validity of Pastor Rick’s claim…
- The three closest to Jesus failed him most directly
- only Jesus will stick with you
- people of action struggle to commit to the devotional life of prayer and convince themselves that their loyalty and commitment is found in their action…but the action that produces loyalty requires preparation that only prayer provides
- disobedience to a command to pray now leads to disloyalty later; “the body is weak…”
- if you are unable to even keep your eyelids from closing, how can you expect to fight against army of Satan?
- if you don’t pray, how can you resist temptation?
- sin and faith failures betray out minimal prayer lives
- Bruner: “We think we are strong enough if we love the Lord. Jesus knows that we’re never strong enough if we don’t pray. Strength is not the fruit of will power or even of devotion or praxis; strength is the fruit of prayer.”
- Prayer is consulting the King of your life — it isn’t talking to God into your way/desires; it is asking to have what He wants more confirmed in your heart
- in prayer you’re seeking to hear (confirm) the Father’s Will so you can have confidence aligning your own will (1 Jn 5:14)
- prayer is not about changing God’s Will, but to resolve/confirm yourself to God’s Will
- prayer prevents you from either fighting for what you want or attempting to meet your own needs
- Matt 26:39; matt 26:42
- prayer prevents you from using God’s gifts inappropriately (Matt 26:53)
- When the crisis moment arrived:
- the disciples were not ready; they did not pray
- Jesus, committed, goes forward in confidence “Let’s do God’s Will!”