Matthew 26:36-41 3/7/21 a.m.
Did you all ever play Red Rover? Some of you younger folks probably never played this little SADISTIC GAME where you get your ARM JOINTS pulled out of SOCKET. Anyway, you choose TWO CAPTAINS and then they take turns picking a TEAM.
I was ALWAYS LAST because I was a SKINNY LITTLE WEAKLING!!! How I ever SURVIVED ELEMENTARY SCHOOL I DON’T KNOW.
But anyway, these two teams would stretch out in a line facing each other. They would then join hands making a CHAIN. And then each team would take turns picking a person from the other side. The person would be called out and he or she would run as fast as they could and try to BREAK THROUGH your CHAIN. If they did, then they went back to their own side. If you held them, then they had to join your team. And the way you win RED ROVER is you get all of the members from one team over to your side.
Now here’s where the STRATEGY COMES IN. If you picked a really WEAK PERSON then it would be easy to keep that person from breaking through your line. They would join your team but if you got too many weak people together, they were a WEAK SPOT. They were an easy target for a person to BREAK THROUGH. So you tried to pick those you could hold but they had enough strength to help your team.
I still remember the dreaded RHYME!!!! “Red Rover, Red Rover let Mitch come on over!!!”
And I would RUN as fast as I could and then WIND UP on the other team!!! I finally FILLED OUT SOME and I’m not the WEAKLING I used to be. But I bet I would still be picked last in Red Rover.
This morning I want to talk to you about WEAKNESS. Where we are WEAK. What is the WEAK LINK in our lives.
So let’s turn in our Bibles to Matthew 26, Verses 36-41.
“Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Jesus tells us in Verse 41, to WATCH and PRAY. Because you might have the BEST of INTENTIONS but the FLESH is WEAK.
Before we get into this message, let’s go to the Lord in Prayer. Brother ______, would you lead us?
So, in Red Rover, you would be called out. “Red Rover Red Rover let Mitch come on over.” And the first thing you would do is begin SEARCHING for the WEAK LINK. LOOKING across the field at the line stretched out in front of you. Looking for the SPOT in the CHAIN where it might be BROKEN.
And I think Satan has a way of doing that. He doesn’t KNOW our HEARTS. He can’t READ our MINDS. But he does see where we are SOFT. He SEES where he has been effective in the PAST. He SEES where we have GIVEN IN to his temptation. And I believe that’s where he focuses his attacks.
And in this passage that we read this morning, Jesus has lived approximately 33 years on this earth.
He has experienced LIFE and He understands ALL the WEAKNESSES that we as FLESHLY HUMANS face.
He UNDERSTANDS the TEMPTATIONS that SATAN throws at us. He has FACED them Himself.
And he tells these three disciples, Peter, James and John to WATCH and PRAY.
Listen, to Watch and Pray is an ABSOLUTE MUST for us as CHRISTIANS.
When you’re WATCHING you’ll see TEMPTATION coming;
And when you PRAY it gives you strength to withstand the TEMPTATION when it GETS THERE.
I. Jesus KNEW exactly what was coming for these DISCIPLES. He KNEW that things were going to get ROUGH in just a few hours. And He tells them to WATCH. Don’t let yourself become DISTRACTED and NOT WATCH. Don’t let that be the WEAK LINK in your life.
In todays English we say, “Watch out!!!” In other words something may be fixing to happen and you better keep your EYES OPEN.
Listen, I want to tell you something. “WATCH OUT” I’ve been doing some STUDYING and some PREACHING on the SECOND COMING of CHRIST. I FEEL an URGENCY. I believe it may be very close. And there are some BAD THINGS that will happen in the LAST DAYS and I believe we could see them SHORTLY here in AMERICA. The DEVIL is out there and he wants to GET YOU!!! he wants to DESTROY YOU. So you better WATCH OUT!!! 1 Peter 5:8
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”
As a GENERAL RULE Satan is AFTER everyone of us and he knows our weaknesses and that’s what he AIMS FOR. So WATCH OUT, keep your EYES OPEN.
Or we might say, “Watch It” meaning, something in PARTICULAR, is about to HAPPEN.
ILLUS: I’ve got a friend who used to attend church here but he moved to another state. He was telling me about his dad, Dale Brown, who attended church here also. He worked for John Zink here in Skiatook and was killed on the job.
But one day he got a new helper and every time before he would strike an ARC he would say, “Watch It.” Meaning, be careful, DON’T LOOK, I’m going to STRIKE an ARC. Well, the next day the guy didn’t show up for work because his eyes were burned. Every time Dale would say “Watch It” the NEW GUY would .... WATCH IT.
I want to say “WATCH IT” this morning about one thing in particular. A WEAK LINK in our CHAIN. This COVID is REAL. People have gotten sick and some have even died from it. We know that all too well around here don’t we?
But we better WATCH IT because the DEVIL is USING IT to DRAW PEOPLE AWAY from God. He is USING IT to cause people to FEAR. 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us,
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
There’s a BIG DIFFERENCE between being FEARFUL and using GOD’S POWER, GOD’S LOVE using the SOUND MIND that God has given us. I WORRY that FEAR is causing folks to NOT TRUST in GOD.
I’ll tell you another “WATCH IT” And that’s the DEVIL giving EXCUSES for NOT doing God’s will. LISTEN, YOU are the ONE who MUST LISTEN to what God would have you to do and it’s NOT my JOB to NIT PICK. But we ALL better WATCH IT. The DEVIL wants to DECEIVE YOU and he wants to DECEIVE ME!!!
We need to WATCH. WATCH OUT and WATCH IT.
II. The second thing Jesus told us to do is PRAY. WATCH and PRAY.
Here, Jesus is getting ready to GIVE HIMSELF for the Sins of Mankind. He is getting ready to go through the MOST HORRIBLE THING that any man would have to ENDURE. And yet Jesus tells them to WATCH and PRAY not for HIMSELF but for THEMSELVES. “WAKE UP YOU GUYS!!!” Things are going to get REALLY BAD. WATCH and PRAY!!!
What was it I said at the beginning. Watching allows you to see what’s coming and PRAYER helps you to ENDURE IT!!!
Don’t let the LACK of PRAYER be the WEAK LINK!!!
You know what PRAYER REALLY IS? It’s, simply put, a CONVERSATION between you and God. Plain and Simple. Some people today have made a GRAND AFFAIR of it all. They get all of their “THEES” and “THOUS” in the right places. And they address this prayer to our “ALMIGHTY, BENEVOLENT, SUPREME RULER of ALL” and so on.
ILLUS: Graduation
And I understand that we HONOR GOD in the way we TALK TO HIM but that’s not the way I talk to my EARTHLY FATHER.
We have Jesus who is our INTERCESSOR between us and our FATHER. That’s why we say, “In Jesus name, amen.” And sometimes I wonder if He just leaves about half of the stuff out.
Listen, that CONVERSATION between us and our FATHER is what helps us ENDURE what may be COMING.
It gives us the STRENGTH to keep moving forward.
It HELPS US to FACE ANOTHER DAY when this OLD WORLD is GOING CRAZY!!!
And PRAYER is what GETS US THROUGH when we suffer GREAT LOSS. Loss of Loved ones. Loss of Health. Loss of Finances. Loss of Relationships. Prayer will get us through.
Because, as I said earlier, PRAYER is a CONVERSATION with God. We tell Him our SORROWS, our NEEDS, our BURDENS, and our CONCERNS and then we LISTEN for Him to speak back to us.
Psalms 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Too many times we want to do ALL of the talking. When we pray we need to LISTEN for God’s Holy Spirit to SPEAK back to us. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah feels like he is all alone and that there is NO HOPE and God tells him to go stand in the mouth of the cave.
And as he stands there, a GREAT WIND comes blowing by but God wasn’t in the WIND.
Then an EARTHQUAKE but God wasn’t in that either.
Then a RAGING FIRE but still NO GOD.
But then Elijah heard God speak to him in a STILL SMALL VOICE. And I believe that voice whispered SWEET PEACE to him.
And God still whispers SWEET PEACE to you and I today. But we have to STAY AWAKE, WATCH, PRAY and LISTEN.
III. Why, because “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
In Verse 31 Jesus tells his disciples that they would SCATTER when things got tough. Peter says, No way, not me, I’ll DIE before I leave you.” And that’s when Jesus tells him he is actually going to DENY HIM THREE TIMES.
You see, Jesus KNEW that these DISCIPLES would have a choice when things got bad. He knew they would have a choice of whether to STICK with Him or RUN. And He knew what their DECISION would be. They would RUN!!!
But they still had a CHOICE. He wanted them to WATCH and PRAY because they wanted to do the RIGHT THING but the RIGHT THING would be HARD TO DO!!!
Can I tell you today WHY I NEED to WATCH and PRAY? Because I WANT to do the RIGHT THING.
I want to SERVE GOD.
I want to be a GOOD HUSBAND.
I want to be a GOOD FATHER.
A GOOD GRANDFATHER.
I want to be a GOOD PASTOR.
I want to be a GOOD WITNESS for Jesus.
I want to do ALL of these things but there’s a WEAK LINK in this PROCESS. I’m gonna tell you what it is. Are you ready? IT’S MITCHELL NEIL LEONARD!!! It’s ME!!! I can’t blame it on anyone else. My SPIRIT is WILLING but THIS FLESH is WEAK!!! I’m still the WEAK LINK, just like I was back in the DAYS of RED ROVER!!! This FLESH will fail you.
Jeremiah 17:5 tells us, “Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD."
You see, I believe these two go HAND in HAND. The MORE you trust in your own FLESH the LESS you trust in God. And the MORE you TRUST in God the LESS you will TRUST in your own FLESH. Remember what I told you a minute ago. I’m talking to myself. My Spirit is Willing, I want to do the RIGHT THING. I want to TRUST in GOD ... BUT... To the CONTRARY ... MY FLESH IS WEAK!!! Old MITCH is WEAK!!! So that’s WHY we need to WATCH and PRAY.
ILLUS: I love the story of the young Christian girl who was attending a SECULAR COLLEGE. She was setting through a class by one of her professors who was an ATHEIST. After he gave his LECTURE on WHY there is NO GOD he opened the floor and asked if there were any who would like to DEBATE HIM on the issue. No one stood. No one wanted to go against this PROFESSOR who would be GRADING their ASSIGNMENTS. This PROFESSOR who would decide whether they PASSED or FAILED.
He said, “Oh, so NO ONE wishes to stand. Are there NO CHRISTIANS here?” And in the BACK of the room, this young Christian Girl stood up and timidly began singing,
Stand up! stand up for Jesus!
Ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high His royal banner,
It must not suffer loss:
From vict’ry unto vict’ry
His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished
And Christ is Lord indeed.
Then slowly but surely more of the class stood and sang with her. Stand up, stand up for Jesus. But the THIRD VERSE of that song is what I want you to get.
Stand up! stand up for Jesus!
Stand in His strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you;
Ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the Gospel armor,
And, watching unto prayer,
Where duty calls, or danger,
Be never wanting there.
If you read on down through the rest of this chapter you’ll see where Judas leads the soldiers to Jesus and betrays Him with a kiss.
You’ll see where one of the Disciples attempts to SAVE HIM by drawing his sword and cuts off the ear of the servant of the High Priest.
In Verse 56, ALL the disciples forsake Jesus and RUN.
In Verse 58, Peter follows from WAY BACK to see how it all ends.
Then in Verse 70, 72, and 74 Peter denies Christ THREE TIMES just as Jesus said he would.
And so we see the FLESH FAILED these DISCIPLES.
The FLESH brought FEAR into their HEARTS.
The FLESH had it’s WAY.
Satan WON a BATTLE against these DISCIPLES that day.
Their FLESH was the WEAK LINK but I want you to get this. They LOST this BATTLE but in the end the WAR was won.
In the end we see a group of men who were EMPOWERED by the HOLY GHOST. And they were DETERMINED to go out and spread the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ.
And today, 2000 years later, that message is still as POWERFUL today as it was back then. But the KEY to SPREADING that message is RELYING UPON God and NOT ourselves.
We must WATCH and PRAY. Why? Because the SPIRIT is WILLING. But the FLESH is WEAK.
I want to ask you something this morning.
Is your SPIRIT WILLING?
I mean, do you KNOW this One I’ve been SPEAKING about?
Do YOU have the HOLY SPIRIT of God DWELLING within you?
Are you willing to STAND UP for JESUS?
If you don’t KNOW HIM He wants to KNOW YOU. He wants to come into your life and give you HOPE. Won’t you come?
Maybe you do know Him but you’ve been depending on yourself. Maybe you realize there are some WEAK LINKS in your life. Maybe you’ve been FEARFUL. Maybe you feel like you’re ALL ALONE. You haven’t heard from God. You haven’t been watchful and you haven’t been PRAYING, TALKING and LISTENING to HIM. Listen, James 4:8 tells us,
“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.”
He wants to have that close relationship with you. He loves you today. Won’t you come? Let’s Pray
