Will You Remove This Cup From Me?

“And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. And when he came to the place, he said to them, ‘Pray that you may not enter into temptation.’ And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.’ And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, ‘Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.’” (Luke 22:39-46 ESV)

Jesus Christ and his disciples had just finished eating the Passover feast, and the Lord had just finished giving some instructions and warnings to his disciples, and then he and his disciples (minus Judas) went to the Mount of Olives to pray. So this was a very solemn time, for Jesus had told them that one of them would betray him, and that he would be handed over to death, although they did not really understand then what he was telling them.

And so Jesus told them to pray that they might not enter into temptation. For they did not realize that they were just about to enter into that temptation to desert the Lord, and that they would all give into that temptation to run away when Jesus was placed under arrest and put on trial for a crime he did not commit. Although Jesus was telling them the truth of what was about to take place, their minds just didn’t comprehend it.

And so, what did they do? They fell asleep out of sorrow. And so the Lord chided them with, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

And so at this point I think we should ask the Lord if there is anything that he has been trying to tell us and to show us and to warn us about but we have not been getting the message. Are we sleeping instead of listening to his voice, and instead of paying attention to the warnings, and instead of putting on the armor of God to ready ourselves for battle? Are we so relaxed and so comfortable with our lives that we are not aware of the warnings he has been giving to us to prepare us for what is soon to take place?

For he speaks to us through his written word, and he speaks to us through the Holy Spirit living inside of us who prompts us and who nudges us and who gently speaks truth to our hearts and minds, and who warns and cautions us when we are about to do or to say the wrong thing, or when we are about to make a bad decision or to go the wrong direction. And we need to pay close attention to those gentle nudgings and urgings and warnings so that we don’t end up falling into the temptation to do wrong and not right.

And I believe the Lord Jesus has been giving tons of warnings and cautions to his church for some time now about certain people or people groups that many are following blindly, for these people and people groups are not on the side of the Lord but they are against the Lord, even if they might profess to be for the Lord. For so much of what they are promoting is against the Lord and against what the Scriptures teach, but so many professing Christians are blinded to that reality, for they are spiritually asleep.

And I believe he has been giving tons of warnings to his church against false teachers and teaching and against worldliness and partnering with the ungodly, but it appears that not many are listening. They are asleep for they are blinded by what the world is telling them, and so many of them are following after the lies and not after the truth, because the lies tickle itching ears and they ease guilty consciences and they do not demand death to sin and walks of obedience to the Lord for salvation and eternal life with God.

So, we need to be people of God who are alert to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and who are students of the Scriptures (taught in their appropriate context), and who make it our practice to walk in obedience to the Lord and to his commands in holy living, and who no longer make sin our practice. And we need to be inquiring of the Lord as to what steps to take or not take and as to what he has planned for our lives and as to what he requires of us and wants us to do. And then we need to follow him in obedience.

And that brings me to the part about Jesus and his heart and mind and his relationship with the Father and his attitude about what he was going through. For he set the example for us in what we are to be like. Jesus knew that he was going to be arrested on false charges and beaten and hung on a cross to die, and in his flesh body he agonized over that reality. And he even prayed that if there was any way possible that the cup of suffering he was about to endure could be taken away from him, that it would be so.

But then I love this next part. He said, “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” Awesome!! And this should be our attitude about suffering, as well. We know that as followers of Christ we are destined to suffer as Jesus suffered, and for many of the same reasons – to see other humans come to saving faith in Jesus Christ and to have the hope of eternal life with God and a life with purpose and direction, according to the plan of God that he has for our lives. And we can pray for deliverance from suffering. But ultimately we must surrender to the will and purpose of God for our lives.

And we must stay spiritually awake and alert to what is going on all around us and as to what God’s will and purpose is for our lives. And then we need to be those whose lives are surrendered to the will and purpose of God, even if it means suffering for the sake of the name of Jesus and for the sake of righteousness and for the sake of the truth of the gospel. For Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living, and no longer as slaves to sin.

[1 Pet 2:24; Rom 6:1-23; Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Jn 17:14; Ac 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

For Our Nation  

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

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