Forsaken for Me – Matthew 26:36-46 (Pastor Bob Cherry)
“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, `Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, `My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’ Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, `My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’ Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. `Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?’ he asked Peter. `Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ He went away a second time and prayed, `My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.’ When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, `Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise, Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!’” (Matthew 26:36-46)
“Awake, awake! Rise up, Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath, you who have drained to its dregs the goblet that makes people stagger.”
(Isaiah 51:17)
“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: `Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. When they drink it, they will stagger and go mad because of the sword I will send among them.’”
(Jeremiah 25:15-16)
“A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: `If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.”
(Revelation 14:9-10)
Watch and Pray:
- See the Truth about Sin.
- Sin separates us from God
- Sin leads to death and abandonment from God
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
(Romans 6:23)
- See the Truth about Spiritual Warfare.
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.” (1st Peter 5:8-11)
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take you stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:10-13)
- See the Example of the Savior.
“Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, `My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’… He went away a second time and prayed, `My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.’… So he left them and went away once more and prayed a third time, saying the same thing.” (Matthew 26:39, 42 & 44)
“God made him who had no sin to be sin (a sin offering) for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2nd Corinthians 5:21)
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, `Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, `The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?’”
(Hebrews 13:5-6)