We live in a culture that prizes control. From our careers, to our relationships, to our schedules, we're taught that strength means taking charge, never backing down, and always pushing forward, no matter what. But Jesus paints a very different picture. In one of the most agonizing moments of his life, he chooses submission instead of seizing control. He doesn't hide his sorrow or resist the pain that's coming. Instead, he falls on his face in prayer, and he surrenders.
And it's a surrender that doesn't equate to weakness. It's actually a revelation of the deepest level of strength and something that we should pay careful attention to. My name is Jeremy and I'm the lead pastor of Mountain View Church. If you haven't connected with our community, please do so at mountainview.church slash connect or by dropping us a direct message on social at Mountain View White Horse. Today we're stepping into one of the most intimate and vulnerable moments in Jesus' life, his time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane before his arrest and crucifixion. Through Jesus' surrender to the Father's will, we're going to discover the deepest level of faith and discipleship.
Hi, I'm Eliana, and I'll be reading from Matthew chapter 26, verses 36 through 46. And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, So, could you not watch with me one hour? Pray, that you may not enter in temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, My father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done. And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. And he came to the disciples and said to them, Sleep, and take your rest later on. See, the hour at hand.
And the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand. This account takes place just after Jesus has finished the Passover meal with his disciples. He knows the cross is coming.
The betrayal of Judas is near, so he leads three of his disciples to a quiet place called Gethsemane. The name means oil press, and it's no coincidence. Just as olives are crushed to release the beautiful and treasured oil, Jesus entered that garden knowing that he would be pressed under the full weight of our sin. And in that crushing, he bore our guilt, absorbed the father's wrath, and released something infinitely more valuable than oil. He releases the gift of grace and eternal life. And so...
Jesus brings Peter, James, and John with him. These three had seen his glory and now they would see him in his greatest moment of grief. But maybe you're wondering, why just those three? Why not others? Most scholars believe that these three were chosen to be Jesus' inner circle, so to speak. They had seen his glory on the Mount of Transfiguration and now they would witness his lowest point of sorrow. It was important and it would be important as these three would become leaders in the apostleship, which is to come as the church is born. Notice how Jesus didn't shield them from his pain. He invited them to see it up close because this was all part of the training.
It was a lesson about leadership as much as it was about discipleship. Jesus was showing them that being a leader and a teacher isn't just about mountaintop moments. Leading means walking through the valley of sorrow as well. And they were learning how to suffer through this experience. They were learning how to pray. And most of all, they were learning how to surrender to God's will. So Jesus says to them, my soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch with me. They watch as he goes off alone to pray.
He has asked them to stay watch because he will be so intensely focused on crying out to his father. These three have been given a job to do, but there's also a bigger picture unfolding. Jesus is teaching them what to do when trials come. He knows their future. He knows what each of them will endure one day. And the historical record shows that all three of them would face terrible, terrible situations.
So this is a formative moment, preparing them for the next season of their life and leadership as they become apostles in the early church, which will include suffering and sorrow. As the son enters into solitude to cry out to the father, they will remember this moment and they will likely do the same. So they watch. Jesus walks a little farther and then the account says that he falls on his face. Then they hear this prayer. My father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.
Now, if you're just exploring Christianity, that term that Jesus uses, cup, might sound strange. That cup represents the judgment and wrath of God poured out on sin. Theologian Leon Morris explains that in the Old Testament, the cup has associations of suffering and of the wrath of God, and we should observe the same kind of symbolism here. Jesus' death meant suffering, and because it was a death for sin, there are associations of the wrath of God connected to it. When Jesus prayed, if it be possible, let this cup pass for me, he wasn't just expressing fear of physical pain.
He was staring into the abyss of spiritual agony. That cup represented the full judgment of God for humanity's sin. Jesus knew exactly what that cup contained. He may have used prophetic language, but it was a powerful plea from the depths of his soul. We see Jesus' humanity in this moment. He brings his anguish to the Father. He expressed his desire to avoid the coming ordeal. Yet, he was in honest surrender. There's this both and, and so he submits. And in the words, not as I will, but as you will. That's raw honesty.
followed by unwavering obedience. Only Jesus, being human and divine, has ever and will ever go through a moment like that. And yet we will face moments of deep pain and sorrow. And when we do, we should consider this moment and consider how Jesus acted, what he did when he was in sorrow. What we see is that strength is found in surrender to the Father's will. Strength is what Jesus displayed in the garden, even though he was on the ground, on his face, pleading with his Father. It's a strength that trades out dominance or denial for submission and surrender.
something that is often overlooked in this world, but worth considering more often. You see, there's a false narrative that we grew up with, or at least many of us grew up with. We've been told that strong people push through. They don't ask for help and they never show weakness. But that's not what we see in Jesus. He shows us to be honest about our anguish, to pray with passion, but to submit in the hardest moments. Jesus models what we need to do in our darkest nights, not pretending, but praying, crying out, not controlling, but surrendering everything to God.
Again, I need to emphasize that the burden that Jesus had to carry is nothing that we would ever carry or could ever carry. And yet, as followers of Jesus, we should follow what he shows us in all things, including in this moment in the garden when he is in anguish. And with that being said, some of us are actually walking through difficult situations right now. Some of you are experiencing anxiety and depression and stress or physical and mental pain. Maybe it's a broken relationship, a diagnosis, a loss of a job or a loss of a loved one, some sort of family pain. There's all sorts of terrible things that we walk through in this life. And perhaps you've even asked God, can this pass for me? Can you take this away from me?
And Jesus shows us that it's okay to ask. It's actually quite acceptable. And what we know throughout 2,000 years of church history and Jesus moving and God healing is sometimes he intervenes. Sometimes he chooses to remove that trial. But ultimately, Jesus gives us the final answer. Not as I will, but as you will. God, if you choose to heal, if you choose to intervene, then I am thankful. But if in your plan, you want me to walk through this, your will be done and I will walk through it. It's difficult, but it's what Jesus shows us.
So now let's come back to this account found in Matthew. We read, and he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, so could you not watch with me one hour? He returns and he finds the three disciples asleep, but we get some information here. We get some information on his intent that he was planning on praying for an hour. His desire was for the disciples to stay up, to keep watch, and perhaps also spend some time in prayer themselves. But clearly they were exhausted and just couldn't stay awake. Jesus rebukes them, maybe even mildly, but then he goes back to prayer.
And in this second time of prayer, we hear a shift in his language. He says, my father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, again, speaking of the cup, your will be done. Did you notice that change? There's no longer asking for another way. He's now fully resolved as to what must take place in this second time of prayer. Perhaps this shift was initiated by seeing disciples' weakness. Perhaps we have some indication by his rebuke that the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He saw the disciples' weakness and realized this has to happen.
Of course, I'm only speculating, but maybe that's what happened. Maybe human weakness reminds him or reminded him of his mission. And so now in this second time of prayer, he accepts the cup that's been given to him. And I don't believe this time of prayer is easier, but we can see that his surrender has moved to the deeper level, full submission. And I think there's something for us to learn here as well. You see, when we journey through painful events in life, there's no one and done prayer moment. I wish there was, but it's just not often the case. Surrender doesn't usually happen in a single moment, a single prayer.
It's almost always a process of persistent prayer and ongoing and maybe better said is growing trust, especially when it comes to submitting to difficult outcomes and ultimately surrendering our will to God's will. And we may have to fall on our knees in anguish multiple times, maybe for a significant amount of time. And that's part of the journey. Ultimately, it's better for us. It strengthens us in that surrender over and over and over again. We get stronger and stronger and our relationship with God gets deeper and deeper.
So let's come back to Jesus' words. He says, if this cannot pass unless I drink it. Remember that cup from before? It represents the judgment and wrath of God for humanity's sin. Only Jesus lived a sinless life. He was fully God and yet fully human. So he alone was worthy to stand in our place. No other person, past, present, or future, could ever carry the weight of the world's sin. Only Jesus. And to use prophetic language again, only the spotless Lamb of God could take the cup of wrath as a sacrifice, pure sacrifice, and satisfy divine justice.
And so in Jesus' surrender, he drank the cup of wrath so we could drink the cup of God's grace. He took our judgment so that we could receive eternal forgiveness. And by the way, this event was foretold for many, many generations through the prophets of the Old Testament. As an example, consider the prophet Isaiah who wrote, Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him. He has put him to grief. When his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring. He shall prolong his days. The will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
This was God's plan all along. He was crushed so that we could be made whole. He paved the way for us to be saved. He bore our sin. He fulfilled the Father's will. The strength that was surrendered in the garden became the victory over sin and death. And three days after his death, when the Father raised him from the dead, victory. By his death and resurrection, he offers us new life. As human beings, we are incapable of accessing the deepest levels of spiritual strength without a connection to God.
And if we're pretending to have it all together, we'll eventually fall apart. If we convince ourselves that we just need to power through the pain, we will be consumed and defeated. And ultimately, we're just leaning on our own fallen humanity. True, lasting spiritual strength to endure the toughest of trials and the deepest of sorrows can only be found through surrender to our Heavenly Father's will. This is what Jesus shows us in the garden through his intimate prayer moment in Gethsemane. That's the strength that he took to the cross.
And that's the strength that will carry us through our deepest moments of fear and desperation. And that being said, surrender is also an important component of our day-to-day journey when life maybe isn't falling apart. You see, in our journey of discipleship with Jesus, the practice of surrender to God's will is an important step that can help us when we face that desperate day or that desperate crisis. And it can help us surrender in that moment by the day-to-day submission. And so this week, make prayer a priority. Make prayer a daily priority.
Early in the morning, at lunch hour, or in the evening, set aside at least 15 minutes each day for prayer, speaking to your Heavenly Father. Choose a submissive posture when you pray. This is important. Get out of bed, get off the couch, or get out of your desk and kneel in submission to display your surrender. If you're new to Christianity or you're just starting to implement this prayer practice, it can feel awkward at first. I get it. But don't let it stop you from embracing it.
Remember that Jesus fell on his face before the Father. So don't miss the power of physical acts of submission that can impact the spiritual realm. I'm not saying you have to pray like this all the time, but in those quiet, intentional, scheduled moments of deep prayer and submission, kneeling's a good idea. Next, don't hold anything back from God. Try to be intentional with your words, thoughts, and emotions, but don't try to hide anything. Lay everything out before our Heavenly Father, including the things that maybe you're ashamed of or scared to walk through.
Maybe you need to ask him to intervene or remove a trial. Go for it. That's acceptable and he may intervene. Please don't hold anything back. Finally, surrender the outcome to his will. Remember and echo Jesus' words, not my will, but yours be done. Strength to endure the trials of life won't come from getting our own way. It's only going to come from trusting God with the outcome. If Jesus, the son of God, had to pray through his anguish and lay down his will, how much more as fallen human beings should we do the same?
We've gone through this message and hopefully you've realized or learned something about surrender. But for some of you, there's a big question that remains. Have you surrendered to the Father's will? Ultimately, have you surrendered your life to the Father? Have you placed your trust in Jesus? Have you accepted the gift of grace Jesus offers, taking the cup of God's judgment for you? He took that cup so you wouldn't have to. Do you accept that to be true? Do you believe that to be true?
And I get it. You might be facing a moment of crushing pain right now. It's totally possible. Maybe life feels overwhelming and impossible to carry. And truth be told, maybe right now you're angry at God that you have to walk through this. I get it. But Jesus understands far more than I do. And don't miss that Jesus wants to walk with you through it. It's worth repeating that he faced the greatest sorrow and agony when he took your sin on the cross. And because of that, he became a bridge to your spiritual rebirth, to a restored relationship with our Heavenly Father and the promise of eternal life after you pass away.
So please don't wait until things get better before you fall down on your face before God in prayer and accept his salvation plan. Now is the time to surrender. Feel free to ask him to remove your pain, but don't withhold submission of your life to his will. This moment right now is where true strength begins. So if you're ready to pray with me, please pray this prayer. Dear father, thank you for the example of your son, Jesus. Thank you for his display of surrender. Today, I recognize my need for you.
I believe that Jesus died for my sin on the cross and was buried, taking the cup of judgment for me. Three days later, I believe that you raised him from the grave, defeating death and sin. Please forgive me. Today, I surrender my life to you. Help me to follow Jesus from this day forward. Help me trust in your will and not mine. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Thank you so much for watching or listening to this week's message wherever you are.
If you gave your life to Jesus today, or if you're looking to deepen your faith, please connect with our church community. You can visit mountainview.church slash connect, or you can send us a DM on social at Mountain View White Horse. That's at Mountain View White Horse. If you found this content helpful and hopeful, please consider subscribing to our YouTube channel and turning on notifications so future messages appear in your feed. Now, please stick around for a few more moments as we work through our weekly ministry updates. Good morning, men at Mountain View. We're doing Bible study once a month over the summer. The first one is going to be at my house on June 17th. That's Tuesday night.
starting at 5 30. If you want to come, it's my phone number is 687-9494. Please text me. And I hope to see you there. I'll have a cooking fire, bring something to cook over the campfire. If you want, I'll have some food available, but otherwise I hope to see you there.
Hi everyone, Katie Baldwin here with Senior Youth Group. Just wanted to remind everyone that Youth Group is our special event tonight, June 15th. It's going to be a barbecue from 5 to 8 p.m. Please bring your friends. It's going to be a great time. It will not be a church. It will be at the location that's listed down below. Again, that is 5 to 8 p.m. on June 15th. I hope to see you there. Another note is we are still looking for chaperones to make our fusion trip happen. If this could be you, please come and talk to us, myself, Katie Baldwin, or go have a chat with Caitlin at the front desk. We'd love to speak with you further. We really need some chaperones to make this trip happen. So if you think it's something you want more information about.
Please just let us know and we would be happy to fill you in. It's going to be a great time. Thanks so much, everyone. Have a great week. Something that is never popular to talk about in a church setting, but is an important factor of sustaining our faith community, is finances. As we head into the summer season, donations tend to dip as people take vacations or go camping on the weekends. And so we need to talk about it. Consider, if possible, setting up recurring gifts over the summer. Or perhaps, if you're able to, give in advance. This helps us sustain our ministry and the mission throughout the summer months as you travel or spend time in the outdoors.
Please visit mountainview.church slash give to make a donation today or to review the options for recurring gifts. Thank you so much for helping us sustain this mission and ministry over the busy summer months. Next, we need to talk about Canada Day weekend. It's coming up fast, and we're going to celebrate by hosting Canada Sunday gatherings on June 29th. The kids will be joining us in the main gatherings. We'll have several special items connected to Canada Day, and our children's pastor, Herbert Campos, will be sharing the message. The best part is that we'll be offering baptisms and child dedications. So if you've given your life to Jesus and you're ready to make your faith public, sign up to be baptized on Canada Day weekend. If you're a parent interested in dedicating your child, again, sign up. You can sign up at admin at mountainview.church. That's admin at mountainview.church.
The Fusion Alaska Youth Conference is just around the corner and we have 13 students registered to attend. That being said, in order to facilitate this trip, we need two more chaperones. I repeat, two more chaperones. At least one of them needs to be a female and one has to be capable of driving. Please prayerfully consider whether God might be calling you to invest in our students to ensure this trip takes place. For more information, email senior youth or sryouth at mountainview.church. Once again, that's sryouth at mountainview.church.
Also related to youth, a reminder that our youth program runs every Sunday evening between 6 and 8 p.m. Visit mountainview.church slash youth for more info. And a final note for our parents that this week's video lesson and activities are available right now for download at mountainview.church slash base camp. And if you're in Whitehorse this coming Sunday, our full base camp program runs at 9.30 or 11 a.m. We'll see you there.
Now it's time for our discussion and prayer focus. Today's discussion question is, what trial or struggle has God called you to surrender today? What trial or struggle after hearing this message has God called you to surrender today? Drop a comment in the feed, talk about it as a friend or family group, or just process it on your own and let it lead you into the prayer focus, which is to pray for the courage and strength to surrender your will to God's. Pray for the courage and strength to surrender your will to God's will.
And then come back next week as we wrap up our Like No Other series with Jesus' mission. We'll explore his final words, what has come to be known as the Great Commission. And this mission is an invitation to participate in God's ongoing work that's happening even today. And so if you've ever wondered what your purpose is or how to make a lasting difference, this is your message, and we will see you next week. If you prayed to receive Jesus today or would like to connect with our church community, visit mountainview.church and click the connect link. If this podcast and radio ministry has been a blessing to you, please consider partnering with us or making a tax-deductible donation at mountainview.church. Thanks for listening to Mountain View Church Audio. Join us next week for more Christ-centered teaching from the Wilderness City of Whitehorse UConn.