THE NEVERTHELESS OF HIS SURRENDERING Matthew 26:36-46
“Oh My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (verse 39)
Introduction
• Peggy Haymes wrote the following poem entitled Good Friday Gossip
He never did things the way we said he ought.
He let his boy be born in a dark, old place and no one even knew except some field hands.
And the boy was brought up in a little country town,
Not studying to be a preacher or a doctor but a carpenter.
When he should have been settling down with a nice, young girl,
he was out roaming the hills with a bunch of no-goods.
Sure enough, he got himself into trouble.
The judge let him have ii – sentenced him to die today.
But the craziest thing of all [you won’t hardly believe it],
the boy’s daddy says his son wins by being beat, lives by dying
We can’t make much of it around here.
We were just sorry to see that boy die so young – seems an awful waste.
[Event Magazine, April, 1983]
• “Seems an awful waste” – yet God calls what Jesus did a win.
• In her poem Peggy Haymes gives us a good look at Jesus, The Great Nevertheless.
o We can’t understand Him
o He doesn’t fit our molds
o His life is…well…so different
o He fits none of our expectations as a God or as a Savior
• “Got Himself in trouble”…and I want you to know that I’m glad He did.
• The destiny of the whole world and of each individual life rests on the shoulders of that one word “nevertheless”. We’d be doomed if Jesus had not gone to the cross to die for our sins. And He did it willingly. He gave total submission and surrender to His Father’s will.
• Today we are continuing our look at “Jesus the Great Nevertheless” by looking at “The Nevertheless of His Surrendering”
• The word “surrender” is looked down upon by us. Why many would rather die than surrender. Yet Jesus is the Great Nevertheless, so different than us. He willingly surrendered and in so doing shows us that surrender is the only way to spiritual victory.
• Notice that I said “showed us” rather than “told us”. That is so important. I want you see for yourself.
• There is so much in this passage, so let’s proceed verse by verse.
Verse 36
• “Then”
o Last Supper – Someone will betray Me and all of you will forsake Me
o John tells us He prayed even before getting to the garden. As He stepped into that garden, you were in His prayers (John 17:20). His prayer was for you and His pain was for you
• “with them”
o Eleven disciples
o One was already moving quickly – the feet of that one had already been washed by the One he was seeking to betray
• “Gethsemane”
o It was a garden situated at the foot of the Mount of Olives.
o There were no gardens in the city of Jerusalem
o This was a familiar place to Jesus
• “cometh Jesus” – to continue His praying
• “Sit ye here”
o The disciples were there for comfort and support
o They could only go so far with Him, and then He would have to go alone with God. That is the way it is with us too.
Verse 37
• “He took with Him”
o Jesus took His closest friends, as He made the most important decision of His life.
o Do we usually think of God’s want of support from us when we think about God?
• “sorrowful and very heavy”
o These are some mighty strong words.
o “sorrowful” – it means “away from home”, “desolating loneliness”
o When Jesus began His ministry the crowds were with Him. Well, they had left long ago.
o When He began His ministry the rulers were interested, but now they are plotting His death.
o He had called a large number of disciples, but that was down to 12. Twelve? One was bringing the soldiers. Well, He at least had 11! No 8 were left at the gate of the garden. Ok, 3 are better than having no one. But we’ve already read where they will soon be fast asleep. ALONE!!!
o Can you try and get a grasp of this desolating loneliness?
o “very heavy” – speaks of the anguish of the soul struggling to free itself from all the pressure exerted on that life.
o Have you been there? Remember that God has too!
Verse 38
• “exceeding sorrowful” – God the Son went through this for you and for me. We are the ones who broke His heart.
• “tarry ye here and watch with me”
o This is the last major appeal to His disciples before Jesus died.
o How often God appeals to us in this same area.
o [Illus] – A man in south Louisiana came into some money and decided to buy a deluxe CB radio for his car. The salesman showed him the top model. The latest feature was three buttons. If he pressed the first button he could talk to someone 100 miles away. If he pressed the second button he could talk to someone 1,5000 miles away. The man was so impressed that he bought the radio without asking about the third button. – “My God” – “Speaking good buddy, what’s on your mind?” Later on the road the man pressed the first button and got somebody in north Louisiana. Next he pushed the second button and got someone in California. Excited he pressed the third button. The radio sputtered. Smoke and sparks flew out in all directions. “My God!” said the young man. A booming voice came out of the radio, “Speaking, good buddy. What’s on your mind?”
o Jesus was pushing all 3 buttons – calling on those 3 close by, calling on those at the gate, and calling on His father above.
Verse 39
• “fell on His face”
o When was the last time you did that?
o [Illus] - I heard the former Dr. Charles Page, when he pastor of First Baptist in Charlotte for the first time, speak to a gathering of ministers. He said if he had only one hour to live, he’d fall on his face as fast as he could.
• “O My Father”
o Do you have this kind of sweet relationship with God?
o When you do, you can go to Him about anything and everything.
• “if it be possible”
o Is there any other way where by the sin question can be settled?
o Is there another way for Me to handle this without being The Great Nevertheless?
• “let this cup pass from Me”
o Peter had vowed that he would not desert or deny Jesus
o James and John had said they could drink the cup.
o Jesus had to drink His own cup.
o Have you ever wondered what Jesus saw in His cup?
Sin
Not just some sin, but the sin of all the world (Romans 5:12) – past, present and future.
Why would this cause Him anxiety? He was familiar with sin, but He himself was spotless and never had sinned. But now He was about to become sin (II Corinthians 5:21)
On the cross He became everything He wasn’t [Holy-sin/light-darkness/love-hatred/life-death…for me…for you
But there was more!
Suffering
Jesus had known about the suffering He would have to go through, but now the hour was upon Him.
Betrayed, trumped up charges, mocked, spat upon, slapped, beaten, and His flesh would be ripped beyond recognition.
This what Jesus saw in the cup, but there was more.
Sacrifice
He looked beyond the sin and the suffering, and recognized His role as sacrifice.
The Day of Atonement was not a pretty sight. It was an awful, awful bloody sight at the tabernacle on that day as the lambs would be slain at the altar.
The spotless lamb lay upon the altar – thrashing around throwing its blood all over the altar – but such was the day at Calvary.
Already covered with blood from the scourging, the crown of thorns shoved down into His brow, Jesus is spiked to a wooden cross.
Mocking instead of worship, gambling for His garments instead of presenting gifts.
And it was all necessary because His was the only blood that would satisfy the righteous demands of God’s justice that the wages of sin be paid.
Jesus was that sacrifice, but there was more.
Separation
Maybe what led Him back into the garden the third time is what He saw toward the bottom of that cup; something He had never experienced before…Separation.
Matthew 27:46
For the first time ever, from eternity past, the Son had never known separation from His Father, but now the penalty of sin that took for us meant separation.
It was God who put Jesus on that cross – Isaiah 53:10
Somehow on that cross the eternal Trinity was torn asunder so that I may not experience eternal separation from God, but through Jesus I can become one with Him.
No wonder Jesus shrank away from the cup, but there was at least one more thing that He saw when He looked in.
Salvation
He was our only hope.
Hebrews 12:2
You were His joy – you are the key reason He left Gethsemane to go to that cross. As He looked down through the corridors of time He saw you – in desperate need of salvation.
o Yet before the victory had to come defeat, before the throne had to come the cup, and before the light of Sunday had to come darkness of Friday
o Can you even get a glimpse of what Jesus was going through? Oh, let this cup pass from Me!
• “nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt”
o [Illus] - Bobby Richardson (2nd baseman for NY Yankees) one offered a short but powerful prayer, “Dear God, Your will, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. Amen”
o Why not chuck it all? He couldn’t!
o ]Illus] - Read p.154-155 in Max Lucado’s book And the Angels Were Silent
o Are you fighting God about His will for your life?
Verses 40-41
• “asleep”
o They were physically exhausted and mentally drained
o Yet the Lord needed them and they were asleep. Are we any better?
• “one hour”
o Rip Van Winkle gained his fame by sleeping through a revolution.
o He was preceded by 3 men
o Consider our puny prayers of 20 seconds/2 minutes – One hour?????
• “temptation”
o We are in a war
o Are you watching and praying?
• “spirit/flesh”
o Our problem is not only a sinful world, an evil devil, but also our flesh.
o Who’s winning in your life?
Verse 42
• “went again”
o Think about it, the only thing anyone ever got in the Bible by insisting on doing his or her will was trouble. Time and time again it is proved that God is smarter than we are.
o Think about it. On the one hand we have God, the creator of the universe; on the other hand we have us, most of whom can’t program our VCR’s or DVD’s. It’s no contest, and yet time and time again we want to pray to God, “I want my will, not yours.”
o Jesus knows what it is to beg God to change His mind and to hear God say so gently, but firmly, “No.” For that is what God says to Jesus.
o Doctor Luke tells us Luke 22:44
Verse 43-46
• When He rose from prayer, He rose in perfect calmness of spirit.
• He returned to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go! Here comes My betrayer!”
• These are words of determination. He is now ready to face the cross and walk towards it.
• John 10:17-18
• The battle is won. You may have thought it was won at Calvary. It wasn’t. You may have thought the sign of victory is the empty tomb. It isn’t. The final battle was won in Gethsemane. And the sign of victory is Jesus at peace in among the olive trees. For it was there in the garden that He made His decision.
• What was His decision? He would rather go to hell for you than go to heaven without you.
Conclusion
• “Behold, he is at hand that doth betray Me”
• [Illus] – A well trained Scandinavian St. Bernard found a man buried in the snow. Schooled I rescue actions, this dog unburied most of the man, then proceeded to lie down over the man’s body to provide the warmth necessary to keep him alive until a rescue team could find them. The delirious snow victim, coming out of his stupor, found an enormous hairy body lying upon him, reached for his knife, and stabbed his savior several times. He thought the dog was a wolf. When the rescue team arrived, they found the St. Bernard dead upon the semi-conscious body of his attacker. The dog had remained obedient to his mission despite the injury and subsequent death.
• Are you that man?
• Will you continue stabbing your Savior? – your only hope of eternal salvation and abundant life now? He is the real answer to your situation?
• Please submit to Him this morning.
• “Gethsemane” - It was the place of the olive press, where grapes were pressed out in order to yield their greater contribution.
• “Gethsemane” - That is where Jesus was pressed out for you and me so we could partake of His life.
• “Gethsemane” - It is where God wants us, so He can press out His life through us to others.
• God expects us to be living in Gethsemane – available, teachable, moldable, and surrendered – like clay in the Potter’s hand.
• INVITATION
