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Mark 14:26-42 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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That's what I said, I did request those first two songs and I was almost kind of scared to request a song because the last time I requested a song he made me come up here and sing it with him so I didn't know but but those two songs that were first played are two of my favorite songs and I will get a little bit more into that here in a second.
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But first just to introduce myself, my name is John Hoffman. As you've heard I am an apprentice here, one of five that are currently going through the apprenticeship and I've been coming to Christ's family, it'll be a year next, next week.
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So prior to that I was a police officer down in Griffin, Georgia for a number of years and for the first 21 years of my life I was an atheist.
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I didn't believe in the possibility of the existence of a God and I was one of those that would say there should be no prayer in public schools and take the Ten Commandments out of the courthouse.
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And then God was so gracious that he opened my eyes and granted me repentance and has made me a new creature in him.
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Since then I left law enforcement because I was convicted that I had made an idol out of my career and I came up here to Cleveland to Truett McConnell College to study theology.
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And my roommate's the one that brought me to Christ's Family Church and the first time I walked in I just thought to myself,
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okay, gotta go, gotta go, there's too many college kids.
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But this last year has been incredible and one of the main reasons, one of the main things that God has used this last year in my growth and my walk with Christ has been a lot of college students.
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I have grown so much and I have come to love many of you.
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And so I'm very thankful to be here at Christ's Family and I am honored and privileged to be given this opportunity this morning.
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And so with that I invite you to open up your Bible to Mark chapter 14.
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Mark chapter 14 as we continue our verse-to-verse exposition as Nathan has been so faithfully leading us for the last while.
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We come now to Mark chapter 14 and last week we saw how the Last Supper was taking place.
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And today we will start right at the end of the Last Supper scene.
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And so our text for this morning is going to be Mark chapter 14 verses 26 through 42 verses 26 through 42.
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And beginning in verse 26, God's inerrant and infallible word that is sharper than any two-edged sword and is active and living reads to us as such.
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And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
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And Jesus said to them,
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You will all fall away for it is written,
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I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.
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But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.
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Peter said to him,
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Even though they all fall away, I will not.
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And Jesus said to him,
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Truly I tell you, this very night before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.
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But he said emphatically,
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If I must die with you, I will not deny you.
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And they all said the same.
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And they went to a place called Gethsemane.
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And he said to his disciples,
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Sit here while I pray.
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And he took with him Peter and James and John and began to be greatly distressed and troubled.
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And he said to them,
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My soul is very sorrowful, even to death.
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Remain here and watch.
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And going a little farther,
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he fell on the ground and prayed that,
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if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
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And he said,
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Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.
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Remove this cup from me, yet not what I will, but what you will.
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And he came and found this sleeping.
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And he said to Peter,
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Simon, are you asleep?
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Can you not watch one hour?
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Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.
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The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
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And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words.
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And again he came and found them sleeping,
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for their eyes were very heavy,
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and they did not know what to answer him.
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And he came the third time and said to them,
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Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?
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It is enough.
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The hour has come.
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The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
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Rise, let us be going.
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See, my betrayer is at hand.
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Let's pray.
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Father, we thank you for this time together, Lord.
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And Lord, we thank you for Christ,
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for what he has done for us.
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Father, as we look at this night,
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where this huge battle was fought in the garden,
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and Lord, I pray that we will all walk away with something today.
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Lord, that we will be further conformed to the image of Christ.
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Lord, that your spirit will work, will fall.
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Father, on us, in this place.
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Father,
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I just, I thank you for this opportunity.
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And I pray that you will speak through me, Lord.
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That you will work through me this morning.
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In Jesus' name, Amen.
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Here's Mark Twain, the popular author and humorist.
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Christ in the 1800s who once said,
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the two most important days in your life
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are the day that you are born
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and the day that you find out why.
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And I would certainly agree that there is some truth to that statement.
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However, allow me to propound the reason why every one of us was born.
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For the reason is the same for you as it is for me,
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as it is for the person that is sitting next to you,
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as it is for the seven billion plus other people living here on this earth.
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For the reason why every one of us was created
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was that we may worship the one true God.
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A.W. Tozer,
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a pastor and author from the early 1900s,
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writes in his book,
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The Purpose of Man,
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quoting,
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God's supreme purpose in making man
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was to have somebody capable
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to properly and sufficiently worship him
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and satisfy his own heart.
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Man fell by sin
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and is now failing to carry out that created purpose.
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He is like a cloud without water.
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It gives no rain.
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Like a sun that gives no heat
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or a star that gives no light
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or a tree that no longer yields fruit.
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A bird that no longer sings
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or a harp that is silent
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and no longer gives off music.
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Close quote.
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Because of sin entering this world through the fall,
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every one of us would be utterly incapable
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of ever fulfilling our created purpose
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had it not been for one man
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who fulfilled his created purpose
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for coming to this world
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which was to give his life as a ransom
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for many.
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And because of the atoning sacrifice
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of Jesus Christ,
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those of us who are Christians,
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those of us who are born again
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by the power of God's living and abiding word
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can now begin to fulfill
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our spiritual worship
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which is to worship God in spirit and in truth.
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And as Christians,
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Romans chapter 12 tells us
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that our spiritual worship,
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more specifically,
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is that we may present our bodies
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as living sacrifices,
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holy and acceptable to God.
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To not be conformed to the things of this world,
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but to be transformed
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by the renewal of our minds.
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We are called to live a life of humble submission
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to God's will.
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To wage war against the desires of our old nature.
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To become more like Jesus Christ.
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And in our text this morning,
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that is what we will discover
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as we look at the most important night
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in the life of our Lord,
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which is in fact the last night
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that He lives through
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before He gets crucified.
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This is a night that is filled with
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a variety of emotions.
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So much drama,
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betrayal,
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disbelief,
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arrogance,
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pride,
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fear,
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sorrow,
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action,
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and the greatest war
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with the highest stakes
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ever hanging in the balance
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between two possible choices
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presented before the Lord,
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Jesus Christ,
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on this night.
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And as we look at this text before us,
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the most important thing
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that we all need to walk away with
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this morning
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is that we all need to be
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more like Jesus
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in our submission
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to God's will.
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And for us today,
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I speak particularly
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of that part of God's will,
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which we are told in
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1 Thessalonians 4,
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verse 3,
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which states that
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His will is our sanctification.
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And so what I mean by
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submission to God's will
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as pertaining to us
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is that we must,
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as we are called to do,
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work out our salvation
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in fear of trembling.
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We are to wage war
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against our flesh
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and the desires therein
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and walk in the Spirit.
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And in our text,
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we will see both
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a perfect example
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of this type of summation
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and the complete opposite.
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And so I've divided this text
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into four headings,
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and the first heading
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is encompassed by
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verses 26 through 31.
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Verses 26 to 31.
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And in these verses,
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I want you to first notice
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Peter's prideful resistance.
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Peter's prideful resistance.
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Beginning in verse 26.
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And when they had sung a hymn,
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they went out to the Mount of Olives.
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Now, we initially find ourselves,
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like I said,
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at the end of the Last Supper,
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in the upper room.
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Mark moves very quickly
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through this scenario.
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So I just want to give you
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a quick glance,
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if you would,
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at the scene presented before us
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through the lens
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of the other gospel accounts.
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before we go any further.
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The amount of emotions
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that are running
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through the upper room episode
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are just profound.
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It starts with Jesus
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reclining at the table,
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telling his disciples
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how he earnestly desires
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to eat this Passover meal
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with them.
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They begin the celebrations,
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and they are all reclining
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at the table and eating.
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When Jesus suddenly drops
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the bombshell
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that he will be betrayed
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by one of them.
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And as they are discussing
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amongst themselves
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who that one is,
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they begin to argue
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over which one of them
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is the greatest.
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They go from being grieved
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and asking Jesus,
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or surely not I,
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to arguing about
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which one is greater.
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Jesus then gets up
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from supper,
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shows them what it means
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to be a humble servant,
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and washes
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the disciples' feet.
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Jesus then announces
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once again
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his soon-to-come departure,
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foretells Peter's denial
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for the first time this night,
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and we will get back to that
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because the foretelling
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that is in our text
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this morning
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is the second time
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that he foretells
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Peter's denial
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on this same night.
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And after all this,
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Jesus expressing
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his love for them,
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pouring out his troubled spirit
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that he will be betrayed.
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The disciples' anguish
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over the betrayal,
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the self-exalting argument
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over which one of them
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is the greatest,
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Jesus washing their feet
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and making them feel
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as small as they really are,
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Jesus giving them
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a new commandment,
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that commandment being
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to love one another
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just as he has loved them.
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After all of this,
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Jesus comforts them
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as he tells them
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in John 14, verse 1,
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Do not let your hearts
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be troubled.
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Believe in God.
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Believe also in me.
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He tells them in Luke 22,
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verses 28-30,
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You are those who have stayed
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with me in my trials,
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and I assign to you
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as my Father assigned to me
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a kingdom,
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that you may eat and drink
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at my table in my kingdom
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and sit on thrones
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judging the twelve tribes
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of Israel.
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He declares to them
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that he is the way,
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the truth,
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and the life.
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And he tells them
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that from now on
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they know the Father
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and have seen him
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because they know the Son.
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He says to them,
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Peace I leave with you,
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my peace I give to you,
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all of this happens
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during the Last Supper.
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They then sing a hymn
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praising God,
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and they leave the upper room
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and start to make their way
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to the Mount of Olives.
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The day here
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refers to the disciples
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in Jesus minus Judas,
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who already left
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the upper room
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shortly after Jesus
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calls him out
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as the one
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who will betray him.
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Now it's also important
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to keep in mind
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that everything
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that Jesus teaches
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in John chapters 15,
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16,
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and 17,
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which include
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the teaching on
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abiding in Christ,
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using the metaphor
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of the vine
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and the tree branches,
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the working of the Holy Spirit,
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and Jesus'
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high priestly prayer,
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all take place
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in between the time
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that they leave the upper room
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and the time
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that they make it
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to the Mount of Olives.
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And I mention all this
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just to show the gravity
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and the vastness
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and the greatness
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of the substance
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of the teaching
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and the warnings
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that they receive
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from our Lord
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right before
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this great spiritual battle
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takes place
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in the Garden of Gethsemane.
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And so after
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the high priestly prayer,
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they cross the Kidron Valley,
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which is on the eastern side
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of the city,
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and it separates
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the Temple Mount
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from the Mount of Olives.
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And they make it
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to the Mount of Olives.
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But now before
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they reach
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the Garden of Gethsemane,
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which is on the slopes
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of the Mount of Olives,
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we read in verses 27 and 28,
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And Jesus said to them,
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You will all fall away,
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for it is written,
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I will strike the shepherd
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and the sheep
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will be scattered.
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But after I am raised up,
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I will go before you
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to Galilee.
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This is Jesus
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in His omniscience
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saying,
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This will happen.
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And listen to what
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the disciples
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all said to Jesus
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right before,
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just a few minutes
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before they reached
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the Mount of Olives.
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In John 16, 30,
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the disciples,
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all in agreeance,
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say to Jesus,
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Now we know
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that You know all things
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and do not need anyone
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to question You.
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How quickly
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they changed their minds.
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It's incredible.
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And Peter here
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reverts to his old ways,
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sets his mind
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not on the things of God,
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but on the things of man,
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and drunk in his own
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self-exaltation,
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notice now Peter's
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prideful resistance
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in verses 29-31.
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Peter said to Him,
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Even though they all fall away,
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I will not.
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And Jesus said to him,
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Truly I tell you,
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this very night,
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before the rooster crows twice,
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you will deny me three times.
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But he said emphatically,
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If I must die with you,
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I will not deny you.
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And they all said the same thing.
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And as I said before,
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this is the second time
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Jesus warns Peter
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of his coming denial.
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The first one actually took place
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in the upper room
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during the Last Supper.
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Please turn with me
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as we read in Luke chapter 22.
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Luke chapter 22.
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Luke chapter 22.
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In verses 31 and 34,
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this is in the upper room
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during the Last Supper.
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And Jesus says,
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starting in verse 31,
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Simon, Simon,
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behold,
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Satan has demanded permission
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to sift you like wheat.
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But I have prayed for you
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that your faith may not fail
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and you,
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when once you have turned again,
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strengthen your brothers.
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But he said to him,
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Lord, with you I am ready to go
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both to prison and to death.
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And he said,
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I say to you,
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Peter,
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the rooster will not crow today
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until you have denied
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three times that you know me.
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Now there are a few things
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I want to point out here.
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Behold,
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Satan has demanded permission
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to sift you like wheat.
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The imagery here portrays
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almost a violent shaking.
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Almost as it's described
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in Amos 9.9
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where it says,
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For behold,
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I am commanding
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and I will shake
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the house of Israel
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among all the nations.
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as grain is shaken
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in a sieve,
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but not a kernel
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will fall to the ground.
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And also,
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something else
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I want to point out here is,
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where else
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in Scripture
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do we see Satan
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demanding permission
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to sift
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an upright,
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God-fearing man?
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One example is
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in the book of Job.
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In Job chapter 1,
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we see Satan
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entering the throne room
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of God
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and is given permission
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to test Job's faith.
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And that is exactly
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what is happening here.
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As Jesus tells him
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that Satan has demanded
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permission to sift you,
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this is a test
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of Peter's faith.
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It is a trial.
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And so also,
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let me state that
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at this point,
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Peter
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was in fact
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already
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a believer.
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He was no longer
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dead in his sins
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and trespasses.
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He had a new nature,
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capable
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of loving
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and obeying God.
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And I prove this to you
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for the sake of time,
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simply by
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stating
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what Jesus says
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in verse 32
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here in Luke,
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But I have prayed
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for you
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that your faith
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may not fail.
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For those
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who are not
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of God
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have no
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God-given
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faith.
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And so as a believer,
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Peter had a choice
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to make.
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To either
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submit himself
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to the will of God
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and put to death
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the deeds
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of the flesh
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or pridefully
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resist
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and give
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into his flesh.
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And he chooses
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the latter.
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As he arrogantly
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almost
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tells Jesus,
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you are wrong.
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I would never
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deny you.
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Peter did not
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heed
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the countless
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warnings
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given to him
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like the one
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in Luke
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chapter 21
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verses 34
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to 36
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where Jesus
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tells them,
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Be on guard
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so that your
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hearts will not
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be weighed down
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with dissipation
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and drunkenness
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and the worries
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of life.
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And that day
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will not come
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on you suddenly
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like a trap
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for it will come
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upon all those
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who dwell
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on the face
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of all the earth.
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But keep
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on the alert
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at all times
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praying
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that you
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may have
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strength
23:07
to escape
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all the things
23:09
that are about
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to take place.
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And like Peter,
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you and I
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have that choice
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presented
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before us
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probably
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more often
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than you're
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aware of.
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And we
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ought to
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learn from
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Peter's
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mistake
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and we
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should
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be on
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guard
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and not
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let our
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hearts
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be weighed
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down with
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dissipation
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and drunkenness
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and the
23:37
worries
23:37
of life.
23:38
So we
23:39
ought to
23:40
resist
23:41
and fight
23:42
our fleshly
23:43
desires
23:44
and temptations
23:45
and we
23:47
can learn
23:47
much
23:48
from the
23:49
example that
23:49
our Lord
23:50
Jesus
23:50
has left
23:52
for us.
23:52
And so
23:54
as we
23:54
begin to
23:55
look at
23:55
the example
23:55
that Jesus
23:56
has left
23:57
for us,
23:57
please notice
23:58
our second
23:58
heading
23:59
this morning
24:00
in verses
24:00
32-36
24:02
of Mark
24:03
chapter 14.
24:05
And our
24:05
second heading
24:06
is Christ's
24:07
humble
24:08
submission.
24:10
Christ's
24:11
humble
24:11
submission.
24:14
Beginning
24:15
in verse
24:15
32,
24:17
And they
24:18
went to a
24:18
place called
24:19
Gethsemane.
24:20
And he
24:21
said to his
24:21
disciples,
24:22
sit here
24:23
while I
24:23
pray.
24:25
Now,
24:25
in Luke
24:25
chapter 22
24:26
verse 40,
24:27
we're also
24:27
told that
24:28
at the
24:29
same time
24:29
he also
24:29
tells them,
24:32
pray that
24:33
you may
24:34
not enter
24:34
into temptation.
24:37
Now,
24:37
back in
24:37
Mark
24:38
verse 33,
24:40
we continue
24:40
and he
24:41
says,
24:42
And he
24:43
took with
24:44
him Peter
24:44
and James
24:45
and John
24:45
and began
24:47
to be
24:47
greatly
24:48
distressed
24:49
and troubled.
24:50
And he
24:50
said to
24:51
them,
24:51
My soul
24:52
is very
24:53
sorrowful
24:53
even
24:55
to death.
24:58
Remain
24:59
here
24:59
and watch.
25:02
Have you
25:03
noticed the
25:03
military-like
25:05
tactical
25:06
undertones
25:07
here?
25:07
they all
25:09
go from
25:09
a steep
25:10
valley
25:10
across
25:14
the
25:14
Kidron
25:14
Valley
25:15
to the
25:17
slopes
25:18
of the
25:18
Mount
25:18
of Olives.
25:19
They go
25:19
to higher
25:20
ground.
25:22
They then
25:22
enter the
25:23
Garden of
25:23
Gethsemane,
25:24
which probably
25:24
had a wall
25:25
enclosure.
25:27
He leaves
25:27
the majority
25:28
of the
25:28
disciples in
25:29
one place,
25:30
perhaps at
25:30
the entrance,
25:31
where they
25:32
can have a
25:32
good view
25:33
of the
25:33
valley and
25:34
the eastern
25:35
wall and
25:35
of any
25:36
possible
25:37
approaching
25:38
enemies,
25:41
hostiles.
25:42
Then Jesus
25:42
goes further
25:43
in with
25:44
Peter,
25:45
James,
25:46
and John,
25:46
the leaders
25:47
of the
25:48
disciples,
25:49
almost like
25:49
in old
25:50
battles where
25:51
the warriors
25:53
would be
25:53
formed and
25:55
ready for
25:56
battle towards
25:57
the back,
25:59
and a
25:59
handful of
26:00
the higher
26:00
ranking
26:00
officers would
26:01
go into
26:02
the battlefield
26:03
to meet
26:04
and discuss
26:05
with the
26:05
enemy before
26:06
fighting
26:06
commenced.
26:09
And Peter
26:10
and James
26:11
and John
26:11
are here
26:14
told what
26:16
the details
26:17
of the battle
26:18
are to be.
26:19
When Jesus
26:20
tells them
26:21
of the
26:22
conflict
26:23
that is
26:24
within him,
26:25
that is
26:25
bringing him
26:26
to the very
26:27
threshold of
26:28
death,
26:30
and he
26:31
then gives
26:31
them their
26:32
orders,
26:33
remain here
26:34
and watch.
26:35
much like
26:36
a command
26:36
that would
26:37
be issued
26:37
to a
26:38
soldier.
26:39
But then
26:40
Jesus goes
26:40
in a little
26:41
further,
26:42
and on
26:42
his own
26:43
fights the
26:44
greatest war
26:45
that he
26:46
has ever
26:47
fought,
26:48
with the
26:49
greatest
26:49
consequences
26:50
hanging in
26:51
the balance
26:52
of the
26:53
outcome of
26:54
a choice
26:54
between two
26:55
options,
26:57
to either
26:57
humbly
26:58
submit to
26:59
God's will
27:00
or to
27:02
resist it.
27:04
And that
27:04
which was
27:05
hanging on
27:05
the balance
27:06
of those
27:07
choices
27:08
tonight,
27:09
on that
27:10
night,
27:11
was our
27:12
eternal
27:13
security.
27:15
And this
27:16
war,
27:17
with such
27:18
eternal
27:18
consequences,
27:21
it's an
27:21
internal
27:22
battle that
27:23
Jesus fought.
27:25
It was a
27:26
battle against
27:26
his own
27:27
human
27:28
nature,
27:29
a battle
27:30
against the
27:30
greatest
27:31
temptation
27:31
that he
27:33
ever faced.
27:34
For not
27:35
even the
27:35
face-to-face
27:36
temptations
27:37
from Satan
27:39
in the
27:39
desert
27:40
begin to
27:42
scratch the
27:42
surface
27:43
of the
27:44
temptation
27:45
that he
27:45
went through
27:47
in the
27:48
garden.
27:50
John Calvin
27:51
writes on the
27:52
temptation in
27:52
the garden,
27:53
we have seen
27:54
that our
27:55
Lord formally
27:56
contended with
27:57
the fear of
27:57
death.
27:59
But as he
27:59
now fights
28:00
face-to-face
28:01
with temptation,
28:03
such an
28:03
attack is
28:04
called the
28:05
beginning of
28:06
grief and
28:06
sorrow.
28:08
Hence we
28:08
infer that
28:09
the true
28:10
test of
28:10
virtue is
28:11
only to be
28:12
found when
28:13
the contest
28:13
begins.
28:15
For then the
28:16
weakness of
28:17
the flesh,
28:17
which was
28:18
formerly
28:18
concealed,
28:20
shows itself,
28:22
and the
28:22
secret feelings
28:23
are abundantly
28:24
displayed.
28:25
thus,
28:27
though God
28:28
had already
28:29
tried his
28:29
son by
28:30
certain
28:31
preparatory
28:33
exercises,
28:34
he now
28:35
wounds him
28:36
more sharply
28:37
by a
28:38
nearer
28:39
prospect
28:39
of death,
28:41
and strikes
28:42
his mind
28:43
with a
28:44
terror to
28:45
which he
28:46
had not
28:46
been
28:47
accustomed.
28:49
Close quote.
28:49
He also
28:51
goes on to
28:52
quote
28:52
Cyril,
28:53
an old
28:54
saint,
28:54
saying,
28:56
having been
28:56
made flesh,
28:58
he allows
28:59
the flesh
28:59
to feel
29:00
what belongs
29:01
to it.
29:03
And therefore,
29:04
being truly
29:05
a man,
29:07
even
29:08
Christ
29:10
himself
29:10
has the
29:12
sufferings
29:12
and fears
29:13
which belong
29:15
to
29:15
a man.
29:17
But the
29:21
word
29:21
who is
29:22
united
29:22
to
29:23
him
29:23
raises
29:25
him
29:25
to a
29:26
fortitude
29:26
which is
29:27
worthy
29:28
of God.
29:29
Close quote.
29:31
Now back
29:31
to verse
29:32
35,
29:33
we read,
29:35
and going
29:36
a little
29:36
further,
29:37
he fell
29:37
on the
29:38
ground
29:38
and prayed
29:39
that if
29:41
it were
29:41
possible,
29:42
the hour
29:42
might pass
29:43
from him.
29:44
And he
29:44
said,
29:45
Abba,
29:45
Father,
29:46
all things
29:47
are possible
29:48
for you.
29:49
Remove
29:49
this cup
29:50
from me,
29:51
yet not
29:51
what I
29:52
will,
29:53
but what
29:53
you will.
29:55
And here
29:56
is the
29:56
question
29:57
that we
29:59
should all
29:59
know the
30:00
answer to.
30:01
what was
30:05
in that
30:07
metaphorical
30:08
cup.
30:10
Because
30:11
whatever it
30:12
was,
30:13
whatever was
30:14
in that
30:14
cup,
30:15
is the
30:16
thing
30:17
that made
30:18
the Lord
30:18
of Lords
30:19
and the
30:20
King of
30:20
Kings
30:21
tremble
30:22
and seized
30:23
him with
30:24
anguish
30:25
and affected
30:26
him with
30:26
grief
30:27
and sorrow
30:28
almost to the
30:29
point of
30:29
death
30:30
that he
30:31
sweat great
30:32
drops of
30:33
blood
30:33
while in
30:35
agonizing
30:35
prayer
30:36
as he
30:37
asked that
30:38
it may
30:38
be taken
30:39
from him
30:39
because in
30:41
that cup
30:42
was the
30:44
pure,
30:44
holy,
30:46
earth-shaking,
30:49
mountain-melting,
30:51
nation's
30:52
obliterating
30:54
wrath
30:55
of God
30:56
the Father.
30:57
Ezekiel
30:59
chapter 23
31:00
verses 32
31:01
to 33
31:02
says,
31:03
Thus says
31:04
the Lord
31:04
God,
31:05
You shall
31:06
drink your
31:06
sister's
31:07
cup that
31:08
is deep
31:09
and large.
31:10
You shall
31:10
be laughed
31:11
at and
31:12
held in
31:12
derision,
31:13
for it
31:14
contains
31:14
much.
31:16
You will
31:16
be filled
31:17
with drunkenness
31:18
and sorrow,
31:20
a cup of
31:20
horror
31:21
and desolation.
31:23
Isaiah 51
31:25
17
31:26
Wake
31:27
yourself,
31:28
wake
31:28
yourself,
31:29
stand up,
31:30
O Jerusalem,
31:31
you who
31:32
have drunk
31:33
from the
31:34
hand of
31:34
the Lord
31:35
the cup
31:36
of his
31:37
wrath,
31:38
who have
31:39
drunk to
31:39
the dregs
31:40
the bowl
31:41
the cup
31:42
of staggering.
31:44
Jeremiah 25
31:45
15-16
31:47
and 27
31:48
Thus the
31:50
Lord,
31:50
the God of
31:50
Israel,
31:51
said to me,
31:52
Take from
31:53
my hand
31:53
this cup
31:54
of the
31:54
wine of
31:55
wrath
31:55
and make
31:57
all the
31:57
nations to
31:58
whom I
31:58
send you
31:58
drink it.
32:00
They shall
32:00
drink and
32:01
stagger and
32:02
be crazed
32:03
because of
32:04
the sword
32:05
that I am
32:05
sending among
32:06
them.
32:07
Then you
32:07
shall say
32:08
to them,
32:09
Thus says
32:09
the Lord
32:10
of hosts,
32:11
the God
32:11
of Israel,
32:13
drink,
32:14
be drunk
32:15
and vomit,
32:17
fall and
32:19
rise no
32:19
more because
32:21
of the
32:21
sword
32:22
that I
32:23
am sending
32:23
among you.
32:25
These are
32:26
just to
32:26
name a
32:26
few.
32:28
The
32:28
cup
32:29
was the
32:30
total
32:31
summation
32:31
of the
32:33
wrath
32:33
that we
32:35
all
32:35
deserve
32:36
for our
32:37
sins.
32:39
And Jesus
32:40
made the
32:40
choice
32:41
that night
32:42
to drink
32:43
it on
32:44
our behalf
32:45
as he
32:47
submitted
32:47
himself
32:48
to the
32:50
perfect
32:50
will
32:50
of the
32:51
father.
32:52
Please
32:53
turn with
32:53
me to
32:54
psalm
32:54
89.
32:54
Psalm
32:55
89.
32:56
Psalm
32:57
89.
32:56
Psalm
32:57
89.
33:00
And let's read verses 38 through 48.
33:24
38 through 48 in Psalm 89.
33:26
For some theologians have said of this psalm that it is prophetic of the agonies of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane.
33:35
And so, as we read, try to imagine Jesus as He is in the garden.
33:42
And try to imagine as if these are the very thoughts that were going through His head as He is in His moment of agony.
33:52
Beginning in verse 38.
33:56
But now you have cast off and rejected.
33:58
You are full of wrath against your anointed.
34:02
You have renounced the covenant with your servant.
34:06
You have defiled His crown in the dust.
34:10
You have breached all His walls.
34:12
You have laid His strongholds in ruins.
34:15
All who pass by plunder Him.
34:18
He has become the scorn of His neighbors.
34:22
You have exalted the right hand of His foes.
34:26
You have made all His enemies rejoice.
34:30
You can see here,
34:32
this is Jesus feeling that separation that is part of that cup.
34:41
The separation that He felt as the wrath of God poured over Him on the cross.
34:49
We continue.
34:52
You have also turned back the edge of His sword.
34:56
And you have not made Him stand in battle.
34:59
You have made His splendor to seize and cast His throne to the ground.
35:03
And just a little bit ago,
35:06
we read how He just threw Himself on the ground in the garden to pray.
35:11
You have cut short the days of His youth.
35:17
You have covered Him with shame.
35:19
How long, O Lord?
35:21
Will You hide Yourself forever?
35:23
How long will Your wrath burn like fire?
35:26
Remember how short My time is.
35:29
For what vanity You have created all the children of man.
35:33
What man can live and never see death?
35:36
Who can deliver His soul from the power of Sheol?
35:43
And as He is going through that agony,
35:46
through that temptation,
35:49
this is also what is going through His mind.
35:53
Who can deliver His soul from the power of Sheol?
35:58
Because He knows that only He had the power
36:05
to deliver us from the wrath to come.
36:12
And He had a choice.
36:15
The choice to drink the cup in our place
36:20
or to allow us to drink our portion
36:25
and be eternally and justly condemned.
36:32
Yet not what I will,
36:36
but what You will.
36:38
He made His choice.
36:42
Although He had every right,
36:45
every just excuse
36:47
to change His mind,
36:50
He fought temptation
36:51
to the point of shedding blood.
36:54
And He humbly submitted Himself
36:56
to the will of the Father.
36:57
Del Datus of Nevers,
37:01
a 7th century bishop,
37:03
writes of Christ's agony
37:05
that it was,
37:06
quote,
37:07
a purely natural desire
37:09
by which,
37:10
as a man for a short moment,
37:12
He apprehended and shunned death
37:14
and torments,
37:15
but quickly recalled Himself
37:17
to obedience
37:18
by deliberate will
37:20
to submit Himself
37:22
to God.
37:24
Close quote.
37:26
Could there be
37:27
a better example
37:29
for us to follow?
37:34
This reality
37:36
should be what drives us
37:38
to our knees
37:39
in grateful,
37:42
in passionate,
37:43
adoration and worship
37:46
and submission
37:48
to our Lord.
37:51
And we should keep watch
37:53
and be on the alert
37:55
and resist temptations
37:57
and be transformed
38:00
by the renewal of our minds
38:02
and not be conformed
38:03
to this world
38:04
in our idleness.
38:08
And we ought to do it
38:09
out of love for Him,
38:11
for what He has done
38:13
for us,
38:15
remembering what He suffered
38:16
for us,
38:18
and that He suffered
38:19
because of us
38:20
at the individual level.
38:27
John Flavel,
38:28
a Puritan from the 1600s,
38:30
writes,
38:31
Oh, what has He suffered
38:33
and suffered upon
38:35
your account,
38:38
your pride,
38:40
your earthliness,
38:43
sensuality,
38:44
unbelief,
38:45
hardness of heart
38:47
added
38:49
to the weight
38:51
of the burden
38:52
of His sorrows
38:54
in that day.
38:56
Close quote.
38:58
Because He did that for us,
39:00
we should wage war
39:02
against our flesh.
39:05
And to lead into that,
39:06
please note
39:06
our third heading
39:07
in verses 37 and 38
39:09
of Mark chapter 14.
39:12
The war against the natures
39:14
affirmed.
39:16
The war against the natures
39:19
affirmed.
39:20
Beginning in verse 37.
39:22
And He came and found them sleeping,
39:26
and He said to Peter,
39:27
Simon,
39:28
are you asleep?
39:29
Could you not watch
39:30
one hour?
39:32
Watch and pray
39:33
that you may not
39:34
enter into temptation.
39:36
The spirit
39:37
indeed is willing,
39:39
but the flesh
39:40
is weak.
39:41
And here Jesus
39:42
affirms to us
39:43
that there are
39:44
two natures
39:45
within believers
39:46
that are at war.
39:49
the spirit
39:50
and the flesh.
39:51
Paul says in Galatians 5
39:52
verse 16 and 17,
39:55
Walk by the spirit
39:56
and you will not
39:58
gratify
39:59
the desires
39:59
of the flesh.
40:01
For the desires
40:02
of the flesh
40:02
are against
40:03
the spirit.
40:04
And the desires
40:05
of the spirit
40:06
are against
40:07
the flesh.
40:08
For those
40:09
are opposed
40:10
to each other.
40:12
To keep you
40:13
from doing
40:14
the things
40:15
you want to do.
40:16
Romans 8
40:20
verse 7.
40:23
For the mind
40:24
that is set
40:24
on the flesh
40:25
is hostile
40:25
to God,
40:27
for it does not
40:29
submit
40:29
to God's will.
40:32
To God's law.
40:33
I'm sorry.
40:34
There are two natures
40:36
and submission
40:38
to God's will
40:39
is a key
40:40
distinctive
40:41
in identifying
40:43
which one
40:44
you are falling
40:46
under
40:47
at any given
40:48
point.
40:51
For one
40:52
submits
40:52
and the other
40:53
one
40:54
does not.
40:56
Listen to what
40:56
John MacArthur
40:57
says about
40:57
the two natures.
41:00
He says,
41:02
Every Christian
41:03
then
41:03
who has
41:05
a right
41:05
understanding
41:06
of his or her
41:07
nature
41:07
understands
41:08
that we live
41:09
in a very
41:10
dangerous
41:10
place.
41:12
Not just
41:12
the world
41:13
around us,
41:14
not just
41:15
the current
41:15
culture
41:16
that threatens
41:16
us,
41:17
but we live
41:19
as new
41:19
creations
41:20
in a very
41:21
dangerous
41:22
personal
41:23
situation.
41:25
For we are
41:26
contained within
41:27
our own
41:27
fallenness.
41:29
Therein
41:30
lies the
41:31
spiritual
41:31
struggle.
41:33
Close quote.
41:35
And here
41:36
back in our
41:36
text again
41:37
we see
41:37
Peter's
41:38
prideful
41:40
resistance.
41:41
He fell
41:41
asleep.
41:42
while he
41:44
should have
41:44
been waging
41:45
war.
41:47
And I
41:47
think that
41:47
it was
41:48
out of
41:48
pride.
41:49
The pride
41:49
has something
41:50
to do
41:50
with it
41:51
because look
41:51
at the
41:51
warnings
41:52
he gets
41:52
from
41:52
Jesus.
41:53
You
41:54
will
41:54
deny
41:54
me
41:54
three
41:55
times.
41:56
But he
41:56
arrogantly
41:57
professes
41:58
if I
41:59
must die
41:59
with you
41:59
I will
42:00
not deny
42:01
you.
42:02
And here
42:02
in the
42:02
garden
42:03
Jesus
42:03
tells him
42:04
watch
42:05
and
42:05
pray.
42:06
Why?
42:06
Why watch
42:09
and pray?
42:09
Verse 38
42:10
that you
42:11
may not
42:12
enter
42:12
into
42:13
temptation.
42:15
But Peter
42:15
already
42:16
believes
42:17
that he
42:17
is strong
42:19
enough.
42:20
He has
42:21
no need
42:21
whatsoever
42:22
to watch
42:22
and pray.
42:24
And
42:24
isn't it
42:25
interesting
42:26
that Jesus
42:27
comes and
42:28
finds him
42:28
sleeping
42:30
three
42:30
times?
42:32
And three
42:33
times he
42:33
will end up
42:34
denying
42:34
him.
42:36
He
42:36
was
42:36
given
42:36
the
42:36
opportunity
42:37
to fight
42:39
in prayer
42:40
for each
42:41
denial
42:42
that was
42:43
to come.
42:45
But
42:45
instead he
42:46
sleeps
42:46
and gives
42:48
into the
42:48
flesh.
42:50
The
42:50
reason for
42:51
Peter's
42:51
failure to
42:52
come is
42:53
found here
42:53
in the
42:54
garden.
42:55
Just as
42:55
the reason
42:56
for Jesus'
42:58
victory to
43:00
come is
43:01
also found
43:03
in the
43:03
garden.
43:04
The
43:05
war between
43:05
the two
43:06
natures
43:06
is real.
43:08
And the
43:08
disciples
43:08
instead of
43:09
fighting
43:09
slept.
43:11
They
43:11
rested.
43:13
They
43:13
relied on
43:14
their own
43:15
strength.
43:16
They did
43:16
not pray.
43:17
They did
43:18
not
43:18
agonize.
43:20
And so
43:21
they did
43:21
not
43:21
overcome.
43:23
Jesus
43:24
had just
43:24
finished
43:25
telling them
43:25
in John
43:26
16
43:26
24
43:26
until
43:27
now you
43:28
have
43:28
asked
43:29
nothing
43:30
in my
43:31
name.
43:32
Ask
43:32
and you
43:33
will
43:34
receive.
43:36
And once
43:37
in the
43:37
garden he
43:38
tells them
43:38
to ask.
43:41
All they
43:42
had to do
43:42
was ask.
43:44
But they
43:45
did not.
43:47
And that
43:48
leads us to
43:49
our fourth
43:49
heading this
43:50
morning.
43:51
In verses
43:52
39 through
43:53
42.
43:55
Our fourth
43:56
heading which
43:57
is the
43:58
strategy for
43:59
victory.
43:59
victory.
44:00
The
44:01
strategy for
44:01
victory.
44:02
Starting in
44:02
verse 39.
44:04
And again
44:05
he, meaning
44:06
Jesus, went
44:07
away and
44:08
prayed saying
44:09
the same
44:10
words.
44:11
Herein lies
44:12
the key to
44:14
victory against
44:15
temptation.
44:17
Here is the
44:18
greatest weapon
44:19
that we have
44:20
in our
44:20
armory.
44:21
Yet it is
44:22
the most
44:23
neglected.
44:25
Prayer.
44:26
Persistent,
44:28
humbly,
44:28
submissive
44:29
prayer.
44:31
And ignoring
44:32
prayer is
44:34
like deliberately
44:35
choosing to
44:37
take a knife
44:37
to a gun
44:38
fight.
44:39
Just because
44:40
a gun is
44:41
more complicated.
44:45
It might
44:46
take more
44:46
time to
44:47
learn to
44:47
use it.
44:49
Or because
44:50
it's more
44:50
dangerous.
44:52
And in the
44:53
end, that
44:53
state of
44:54
mind will
44:55
cost.
44:55
earlier this
44:59
week we
45:00
watched in
45:02
the news
45:03
as
45:03
terrorists,
45:05
a group of
45:05
terrorists,
45:06
went into
45:07
a
45:09
newspaper
45:11
organization
45:14
building
45:14
and they
45:17
killed a
45:17
number of
45:18
people.
45:19
And as
45:20
they were
45:20
coming out,
45:21
the first
45:21
two officers
45:22
at least that
45:24
responded to
45:25
the scene,
45:26
the first
45:26
two police
45:27
officers in
45:28
France had
45:30
no gun.
45:31
They had no
45:32
firearms.
45:33
And they
45:34
responded to
45:35
a group of
45:36
terrorists
45:37
murdering
45:39
people with
45:40
AK-47s.
45:42
They showed
45:43
up unprepared
45:43
and it
45:45
cost them
45:46
their lives.
45:47
Those two
45:48
officers were
45:49
killed because
45:51
they had
45:52
nothing to
45:53
defend themselves
45:53
with.
45:59
Prayer is
46:00
a powerful
46:01
weapon.
46:03
And as I've
46:04
heard it put
46:05
before,
46:07
every battle
46:08
in our
46:09
Christian lives
46:09
can be won
46:11
on our
46:13
knees.
46:15
The bending
46:16
of the knee
46:17
is the
46:19
caulking
46:20
of the
46:21
hammer to
46:22
the most
46:23
powerful
46:23
weapon that
46:25
the Christian
46:26
is armed
46:27
with.
46:29
And with
46:29
it we must
46:30
work out our
46:31
salvation in
46:31
fear and
46:32
trembling.
46:33
We must
46:33
discipline
46:34
ourselves for
46:35
the purpose
46:36
of godliness,
46:37
deny ourselves
46:38
and take up
46:39
our crosses
46:40
daily and
46:41
follow Him.
46:43
Brothers and
46:43
sisters, we
46:44
are without
46:45
excuse.
46:47
As the warning
46:48
had been given
46:49
to the
46:49
disciples, it
46:51
has been
46:51
issued to
46:52
us as
46:53
well.
46:56
And look at
46:56
the response
46:57
of the
46:57
disciples when
46:58
they were
46:58
confronted by
46:58
Jesus about
46:59
their sleeping.
47:00
What was
47:01
their excuse?
47:02
In verse
47:03
40 we read,
47:05
And again He
47:05
came and found
47:06
them sleeping,
47:07
for their eyes
47:07
were very heavy,
47:09
and they did
47:10
not know what
47:11
to answer Him.
47:13
They did not
47:14
know what to
47:15
say because
47:16
they had no
47:17
excuse.
47:19
The Spirit is
47:20
willing, but
47:21
the flesh is
47:22
weak.
47:22
But let's be
47:23
clear about
47:24
something.
47:25
The flesh is
47:26
weak, but
47:28
you who is a
47:29
new creature in
47:30
Christ are
47:31
not.
47:34
Martin Lloyd
47:35
Jones once
47:35
said, and I
47:37
quote,
47:38
If you are a
47:39
Christian, the
47:40
Holy Spirit of
47:41
God is in
47:43
you, and He
47:44
is working in
47:46
you, and He
47:47
enables us, He
47:49
gives us
47:49
strength, He
47:51
gives us
47:51
power, so
47:53
that the
47:54
Christian must
47:55
never complain
47:56
of want of
47:57
ability and
47:58
power.
47:59
For a
48:00
Christian to
48:01
say, I
48:03
can't do it,
48:04
is utterly
48:05
and entirely
48:06
wrong.
48:07
No Christian
48:08
must ever
48:10
say, I've
48:11
got no
48:12
power.
48:12
I've got
48:14
no strength.
48:16
It is a
48:16
denial of
48:17
the truth
48:18
concerning
48:20
himself.
48:21
Close
48:21
quote.
48:23
It should
48:24
be a joy
48:24
for us to
48:25
willingly fight
48:27
the battle,
48:28
to run the
48:29
race, to
48:30
wage in
48:32
the war, and
48:33
resist the
48:34
devil firm
48:35
in our
48:36
faith, to
48:38
humbly
48:39
submit
48:39
ourselves to
48:41
the Father's
48:42
will, and
48:42
to take
48:43
to heart
48:44
the lesson
48:45
that Peter
48:46
had to
48:47
learn the
48:47
hard way.
48:49
As he
48:50
warns us to
48:50
action in
48:51
1 Peter
48:52
chapter 5
48:53
verses 6
48:54
through 10.
48:56
1 Peter
48:57
chapter 5
48:57
verses 6
48:58
through 10.
49:00
He says,
49:00
Humble
49:01
yourselves,
49:02
therefore,
49:03
under the
49:04
mighty hand
49:04
of God,
49:06
so that at
49:06
the proper
49:07
time He
49:08
may exalt
49:08
you,
49:10
casting all
49:10
your anxieties
49:11
on Him
49:12
because He
49:13
cares for
49:14
you.
49:15
Be
49:15
sober-minded,
49:17
be
49:17
watchful,
49:19
your
49:19
adversary,
49:20
the devil,
49:21
prowls
49:21
around like
49:22
a roaring
49:22
lion,
49:23
seeking
49:23
someone to
49:24
devour.
49:26
Resist
49:26
Him,
49:27
firm in
49:28
your faith,
49:29
knowing that
49:30
the same
49:30
kinds of
49:31
suffering are
49:31
being experienced
49:32
by your
49:33
brothers throughout
49:34
the world.
49:36
And after
49:36
you have
49:36
suffered a
49:37
little while,
49:38
the God
49:39
of all
49:39
grace,
49:40
who has
49:40
called you
49:41
to His
49:42
eternal glory
49:43
in Christ,
49:44
will Himself
49:46
restore,
49:48
confirm,
49:49
strengthen,
49:50
and establish
49:51
you.
49:54
And our
49:56
Lord,
49:57
having won
49:57
the war
49:59
on His
50:00
knees
50:00
in prayer,
50:03
stands in
50:03
victory,
50:05
confirmed,
50:07
strengthened,
50:07
established,
50:09
and resolved
50:10
to drink
50:12
that cup
50:13
that belonged
50:13
to us.
50:14
As He says
50:15
in verse 41,
50:17
It is enough.
50:19
The hour
50:19
has come.
50:21
The Son
50:22
of Man
50:22
is betrayed
50:22
into the hands
50:24
of sinners.
50:25
Rise,
50:26
let us be
50:27
going.
50:28
My
50:29
betrayer
50:29
is at hand.
50:33
Are you
50:33
finding
50:34
victory
50:35
in your
50:35
battles?
50:37
Are you
50:38
satisfied
50:38
with your
50:39
prayer life?
50:41
Are you
50:42
satisfied
50:43
with your
50:44
knowledge
50:44
of God
50:47
and His
50:49
Word?
50:50
Are you
50:51
using your
50:52
time wisely?
50:54
Are you
50:55
taking advantage
50:55
of opportunities
50:57
that are presented
50:58
before you,
50:59
such as
51:00
our prayer
51:02
mornings?
51:02
How much
51:09
of God
51:10
do you
51:10
want?
51:12
Is
51:13
following
51:13
Christ
51:14
the thing
51:15
that defines
51:17
you
51:17
and drives
51:19
you?
51:21
I pray
51:21
that we
51:22
may all
51:22
look upon
51:23
Him for
51:23
strength,
51:25
that we
51:25
may surrender
51:26
ourselves
51:27
over completely
51:28
to Him
51:30
in humble
51:31
submission.
51:33
Let's
51:33
pray.