In Matthew 26:38, Jesus went to Gethsemane to pray and He told His disciples: “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” God in human form experienced sorrow. He asked his friends to stay and watch with Him while He prayed. We try to make sense out of our joys and sorrows. Job asked why and God didn’t answer that question but gave him a sense of His presence. Roman 8:28 says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those that love Him, who have been called according to His purpose”. God’s character is good, holy and just. We hold on to Him in the midst of misery and suffering. He will bring all things together when Jesus Christ returns a second time.
In Matthew 26:39, Jesus fell to the ground and prayed “Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” In verse 42, He again prays “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
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Pastor Cliffe Knechtle.
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God is the powerful creator that loves us. We may blame God for who we are, yet God has given us a free will and we are responsible for how we respond to the good and bad things in life. He is God and we are not. God humbled Himself as He took on the form of a human being. As Jesus submitted to God’s will, He had a tremendous awareness and appropriate view of reality and life. He understood who God is and who He is. We are to approach Him with awe and respect.
In Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” We need to have a sober awareness of our strengths and weaknesses and watch out for temptation. In Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul gives us a strategy on how to defeat temptation. We are to put on the “full armour of God” We are to put on the belt of truth that God’s character is good and He wants to grow that character in us. We put on the breastplate of righteousness. God wants us to celebrate life, therefore, He warns us that sin destroys. We are to do what is right even if we don’t feel like it. We are to have our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Think and read the gospel and learn to communicate it. The Gospels teach that Jesus Christ is reliable and trustworthy. You can build your life upon Him. Take up your shield of faith. Deal with temptation and turn away from cynicism, sarcasm and mocking and turn to faith. Put on the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit.” We are to pray in the spirit. Studying and memorizing God’s word gives us the power to think clearly and wisely. To stand in the face of temptation, is to pray, focusing on God and not allowing the pressure of temptation to come between us but rather press us closer to God.
Jesus went through the hell of the cross in order to forgive. When we accept His forgiveness, He gives us the power from within to forgive others. As Jesus died on the cross (Luke 23:34), He prayed “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” In John 21, Christ pours his grace over Peter in spite of him denying knowing Christ three times. All religion does is condemn and make us self-righteous. Jesus Christ call us out of religion and into a relationship with Him. We need to turn to Christ who forgives us and changes us from the inside out.
Why did God allow Christ to die on the cross? God created us and gave us the incredible gift of life but we got lost. Christ went to the cross to buy us back, justify us, redeem us and to restore us into an eternal love relationship with God. We love and obey him because he has first loved us and in response, we love Him.
Summary submitted by Karen Walsh
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