Sunday Sermon
sunday morning service 13th June 2010
Mark 14v32-42
After leaving the upper room and all the worry that now filled the minds of the disciples Jesus takes them off to the garden of Gethsemane (an olive garden on the mount of olives)
1) V32-36 the Master Prayer(s)
Leads the disciples off to the Garden of Gethsemane. Sits most of the disciples near the gate then goes off to pray with the inner 3, showing as he goes his terrible grief at what is about to happen! Tells the disciples to abide and pray, then goes off to pray for the cup to be removed.
What can we notice from this section?
a) Jesus had need to pray.
He wanted the disciples with him, but he was going to pray.
And in this hour of temptation before the cross he is fit and ready to pray.
He has lead a life of spiritual discipline, training his body, so now in the moment of trial, he can pray.
b) the distress
it was sudden, almost overwhelming, like grieving. He knew all along what was going to happen, even down to the details, but now that it is almost on him, he is moved by it. Showing his full human nature.
· Even for the Lord, knowing beforehand that he will die is different to the very moment of its approach!
c) the instruction
the disciples had to stay close by and watch. The “stay here” is abide, is Jesus calling them to abide in him at this time? Certainly he is calling them to watch, figuratively to pray.
d) the prayer
he knows all things are possible with God, he asks for another way, but submits to Gods!
He knows what Gods will is, and during this time finally submits to it. Learning obedience through what he suffers – Heb 5v11.
· How instructive for our own struggles with obedience to God’s will. There is nothing wrong with arguing about trials that God seems to be putting us through, as long as our attitude is that in the end we will do God’s will.
App
Reasons for Prayer.
a) we should pray because our great Teacher prayed. He needed to pray and so do we.
b) life is full of trials that need our prayer. As disciples we are called to live a life with God in the world. Prayer is how we engage God in all our doings.
Trials will either defeat us or make us stronger – Jesus learned obedience through his trials!
c) prayer is one way to abide in Christ
d) prayer connects us to Abba for whom nothing is impossible!
2) v37-38 learn to pray:
In this next section Jesus returns to the three close friends and finds them sleeping!
It was the middle of the night after all, but still, they had seen the deep distress of the Lord!
· Notice:
a) Jesus returns from the time of prayer.
Which leads us to ask why? The only answer is because even in this moment his concern was for the disciples. He still had much to teach them!
b) the teaching
he gets them, especially Peter, to question their inability to pray!
Earlier on they had proclaimed their commitment even to die with him (31)!
Now they could not even keep watch for one hour. Why? They were not fit for battle!
The spirit was willing, but in the fight between body and spirit, the desires of the body win!
Unless the desires of the body are trained to obey the will of the spirit, the body wins!
Thus Jesus tells them to train – watch and pray!
App
How do we pray?
a) prayer is a spiritual discipline.
Prayer goes against our natural tendencies.
We want to pray but the body says sleep.
What can we do? Train the body.
The Lords body kept him awake in this moment of need, the disciples bodies kept them asleep.
What training would be good? Anything that would deny the natural desires of the body – fasting when the body says eat, getting up when the body says sleep .....
b) to extreme? No this is what we are called to: Rom 12v1
c) why pray? prayer is part of our weaponry to defeat temptation v38.
If we don’t pray we can say we will fall! We will sin. We will be easy targets for the devil.
3) v39-42 Pray and obey
In this final section Jesus goes off to pray again two more times, in each time he returns the disciples are still sleeping. Finally the wrestling in prayer is over and the “hour has come”!!
Notice
a) he goes off to pray the same thing. Obviously he was still working through the issue with his Abba. This is was real prayer. He was in earnest praying the same thing.
Prayer that simply gives up is not prayer at all.
b) the disciples failure
they simply cannot keep guard with the Lord.
But for the disciples this failure will help them later on, they are still learning after all.
c) the hour has come
Jesus had now done his work with God in prayer.
He was now ready for the hand over. The time was now.
App
Prayer and obedience
Why is prayer so important?
Because from the place of prayer we are able to walk in the ways of God.
Prayer and obedience go hand in hand.
It is easy to backslide when we are not talking to God!
But when we are talking life with God keeps on track and is so much sweeter!
sunday 13th June evening service
2 Kings 6v8-23
1) Spiritual Warfare V8-14 Syrian strategies
a) get the king
V8-10 the King of Syria is seeking to kill off his enemy Israel. He makes great plans as to where to go to make camp and ambush! But each time he fails because of Elisha’s warnings.
The KofS was spending huge resource’s on war but coming up with no results!
V11-12 if this had happened once or twice it could have been put down to coincidence but, having happened on a good few occasions the king begins to suspect a traitor in the ranks! Yet he is informed that Elisha is the reason Israel were not falling into the traps!
· The natural implication was that there must have been a spy! But right from the start we are seeing that we are dealing with God who knows all things!!
b) get Elisha
V13-14 So the KofS changes his attack plan onto Elisha himself! Sends a massive army to get him! If he can get Elisha out of the way then Israel would be easy meat! The king goes to Dothan and surrounds the city – a night time manoeuvre. Highly skilled operation.
App
What can we learn from all this?
We need to remember that if we are followers of Jesus we are at war.
The evil one will try all kinds of ways to attack us.
· Eph 6:11-12 Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your 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.
Yet we need not be overly worried for the Lord knows all things.
We are not alone. God does not forget about us. He knows.
We can take great courage from that, nothing happens under Gods radar.
2) if God be for us who can be against us! V15-17
V15 the servant thinks the game us up! Behold a vast army to greet them in the morning!
Note they were not out to kill Elisha – the Syrian king would have wanted him to change sides (v13 capture)!
“what shall we do”?
The question to ask when faced with massive mountains of trouble!
V16 “do not be afraid”! why? God is for us – if God is for us who can be against us!
V17 the young man gets another shock! “behold” – the mountains were full of horses and chariots of fire!! Filling the very atmosphere – surrounding Elisha
Of course then there is nothing to be afraid of!!
App
Sometimes we are struck by the great number of foes that seek to destroy us.
Perhaps even when we least expect it! (the servant was going out to have his morning movements!)
We can be shocked. We battle against “the world, the flesh and the devil”.
There can be enemies without and enemies within!
How do we cope?
We need to an Elisha-scope! Spiritual eyes.
Great words “don’t be afraid” but why not!
Because God is around us, all around us, saturating the very atmosphere!
We need to pray, as Elisha did, for eyes to see God at work in all circumstances.
Of course there is nothing to fear when we know and rely upon the ever present God.
No matter how big the enemy is, the Lord is always bigger and stronger!
3) the enemy is defeated! v18-23
V18 the Syrians attack! What folly, though they do not know that!
Their very lives were at stake! But Elisha is not in a killing mood. He loves his enemies and wants what is best for them. Thus only asks that they be struck with blindness! Please blindness only?!
V19 then he goes onto address the people, you’ve got the wrong place!
Follow me and i’ll show you the way! How stupid this army must have been, yet they had no option, they were blind. “This is not the way”! Leads them to Samaria – where they would be surrounded by the capital cities’ forces.
V20 then prays for the Syrians eyes to be opened! “Behold” they see their disaster!
Second prayer for open eyes. But they are not given spiritual eyes to see.
V21 the KofI sees his enemies and asks shall I kill them? What else would you ask!
V22 they are not to be killed but fed and sent home.
V23 following a great feast they are sent home and the wars are over without bloodshed for a time at least.
App
Our enemy is already a defeated foe!
On the cross Jesus shouted “it is finished”.
There he won the victory over sin and the devil.
All the attacks of the devil today are ultimately futile attempts.
Yet we are still at war so how are we to deal with our enemies on a day to day basis?
We are to love them! Those who hate us because of our faith we are to love for Jesus sake.
While He was on the cross he prayed for his enemies forgiveness (LK23v34)!
