Have You Ever Cried Yourself to Sleep?

Hey this is Mike Swick from if not for God podcast our show stories of hopelessness turned in a hope your chosen Truth Network podcast is starting in just seconds. Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing The Truth Podcast Network. This is good Truth Network so have you ever cried yourself to sleep. That's exactly what happened to the disciples on the night Jesus Christ, their Lord was betrayed. I'm Stu Epperson this is experience truth that I'm so glad you're with us as we go through the word of God.

We are in the book of Luke, the gospel of Luke is so exciting. It is the longest book in the New Testament is the gospel of Luke and the second-longest is the book of acts, which is a sequel to Luke, which will be going through. After we finish up Luke to review the passage of Scripture were to go through a few questions here and talk about Christ praying and agony sweating great drops of blood as it were. Here are the verses. Luke 22 versus 39 through 46. Coming out he went to the Mount of olives as he was accustomed and his disciples also followed him when he came to the place he said to them, pray that you may not enter into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and he knelt down and prayed saying father if it is your will take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done.

That an angel appeared to him from heaven, strengthening him and being agony he prayed more earnestly.

Then his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. We rose up in prayer and come to his disciples, he found them sleeping from sorrow.

Then he said to them, why do you sleep rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.

So this is the word of God. So, in what ways does prayer play a role in guarding us from temptation.

Jesus said to his disciples, he took them to this place.

He was very familiar with the Mount of olives, he would go to pray there and spend time with his disciples in the evening, this is holy week.

This is Good Friday morning real early in the morning the wee hours. The morning the late hours of Thursday night they'd had that special final last supper with the Lord. But all week long.

He's been teaching the disciples more intimately and praying with them on the Mount of olives and then he's been in the temple, openly preaching and teaching and ministering there in healing and with some powerful works and telling some remarkable parables which we've gone through in Luke, but here's the Mount of olives.

He's got his disciples with him and the prayer is the central focus here is what he says them. He says pray that you may not enter into temptation. The power of prayer to avoid temptation.

The power of prayer.

Can you be sitting in praying at the same time is a great question and how we have all throughout Scripture in Ephesians pulses.

I forgive the great armor of God, he gives us that final piece of armor that will talk about a lot verses 18 to 20 says pray, how do we pray pray always, and often pray in the spirit.

Pray for me that boldness will be given to me that open doors will give me for the gospel. So Paul prayer one of my Bible professors and colleges always say that if the armor of God is like a massive suit of armor prayer is the warrior that fills that armor. Prayer is the fuel. What good is a sport or what is a is a 300,000 are Lamborghini when the gas gauge is on empty. There is no fire that ended up there is no horsepower burning down the road 200 miles an hour. If there's no gas in the car. Prayer is the fuel the power of prayer, all kinds of stores all kinds of miracles, prayer is what accesses God.

Prayer is not initially what gets my will done in heaven or or or God's will done on earth for me. Prayer is what gets God's will in heaven enacted and done on the earth prayer. Jesus Christ taught his disciples how to pray. Luke 11 they came to visit how to adequately perform miracles, Lord, how can we teach we preach ugly do these phenomenal things you do know, is the Lord teach us to pray the Lord gave this awesome model our father so Christ is taking them and he says pray this is the hour of his trial.

This is the greatest battle Christ would face. We always talk about the passion being on the cross. Well, this these hours before the cross were he's laboring in prayer are the hours of his travail and he says pray you may not entered into temptation. Verse 41, he knelt down and he prayed as it is a powerful thing to do to kneel in prayer, and I have knelt in prayer before many times. But is it necessary kneel in prayer will not always as God hears your heart. You can be walking with God is elected and not praying as hard. Not nearly as hard to kneel and pray is Arta Neil and walk at the same time right course of the vessel to regularly chew gum and the state of itself, a Nazi recorded but I can tell you this that kneeling shows the posture the heart and Jesus Christ knelt down and he prayed nurses prayer father.

This is the hundred times, Christ goes into the presence of God with the words father if it is your will. So we sent to God's will take this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will but yours be like you say those words with me, not my will but yours, not my will but your will be done.

What a great purchase is the prayer of the Lord's prayer that an angel appeared in from heaven to him strengthening him. Luke's account is unique from the other Gospels. The other Gospels record Christ sweating, as it were great drops of blood literacy in verse 44 they don't record Jesus Christ being comforted, being strengthened by the angel they don't record all that is much discussion about the two swords in this conversation he had just prior to this, which we spent more time on last time here, but these are unique to Luke and then look what happens. Verse 45 when he rose up from the prayer and came disciples how to find him.

He found them sleeping but there's a good important statement or from sorrow and asked the question of getting of you fall asleep crying before if you're been so overwhelmed emotionally maybe even mourning the loss of someone very close to you and you literally wept yourself to sleep while disciples were in trauma they were and are then seen the Lord. This traumatized before or this intense baby. And here they are praying with him. Not too far away stone stairway, but also just for so emotional so tired they been through so much and this dinner and all the dialogue of him in the conversation about him being tortured and being betrayed and being killed. And so they are tired all the battles of whose unity. First the kingdom.

All the jockeying around having their Lord exit wash their feet so this is a powerful example of of how emotionally traumatized they were.

But this is also the need to watch and pray, watch and pray. Jesus says, lest ye enter into temptation is how he says it in Matthew's account. Does that mean if you're driving on the road praying you have your eyes open absolutely does that mean to pray for someone while you're looking at them absolutely allow her eyes to inform our prayer life. What a great thought, Lord, break my heart for those things that break your heart. And this is what it means to watch and pray why were the disciples sleeping at such a critical moment US pic of those pesky disciples only what about you and what about me. Would we have been sleeping ourselves when we have drifted off of your fallen asleep sleeping others to versions by the there's two there's different. I've heard to primary addresses to falling asleep while praying number one is it's the best thing to ever happen because your fallen asleep in the presence of God but number two would be maybe long lies what's going on here. They were falsely wrestling the presence of God. They were supposed to be laboring in prayer with their master, their Savior going through his traumatic time and they fall asleep. So I guess they fall asleep. They did falsely for the presence of God is God, the God man.

Jesus was right after is a safe place to fall asleep but they were supposed to be laboring with him bearing his burden, holding up Christ which the angels were sent to do and they were sent to strengthen him so we have done the same thing. Are we prone to wander, we prone to get weak or prone to drift off absolutely. So let's finalize this and decide discussion today with some questions. Guys like asked questions the end of our time here and experience true. This is a Wednesday in the word study we do every Wednesday morning at awesome restaurant in North Joanna called Dario Vera North Carolina it's a men's group, 8 AM Wednesday morning is good any dairy location, and you'll find is there free breakfast and a great time in the word hear the final questions what your greatest temptation while how is your prayer life.

By the way those two questions as you have probably Artie deduced are connected how my passionate about God's perfect will.

What prayer does is it focuses us on his will. Christ, pray focusing on the father's will that this is so burdensome. The idea of carrying the sins of mankind, let this cup pass me.

Nevertheless, there were the focus the recalibration or not my will but thy will be done permanently says his words, not my will but God's will. That's what it is. Pray that would be right no father, not my will but your will be done with it takes the pressure off that changes everything. And finally, how deeply my impacted by Jesus's agony in the garden.

Who was he praying for.

He was praying for you. He was praying for me he was doing the intersession work.

He is the one who ever makes intercession for us. Hebrews tells us, and he was making intercession then and he's making intercession now. First Peter 213, there's one mediator between God and man is not some patron saints.some hope for some pastor or whatever you been taught. There's one mediator according to first Peter first of the 215 and his name is Jesus Christ. He is the mediator. He is the great high priest. He is the one that's blown open heaven for us.

That's open heaven's door and now we are his forever more like that Christmas Carol. This is why we say good Christian men rejoice with heart and soul invoice. He has opened heavens door for us to reign with him to live with him. He's our intercession he's her intercessor. He is our great high priest, our advocate, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the son, who's gone ahead of us.

Which is why Hebrews 12 to says this fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross Lima what he endured in this moment, praying with his father endured the pain of just just before the cross.

He's enduring in this travail. He endured the cross, despising the shame, is now you set forth. He set up his exalted to the right hand of God the father. What a great truth. The focus is on the hero Jesus Christ focus on who he is what he is done for you and are you grateful that he drank the cup of God's wrath for you. I'm grateful he drank the cup of God's wrath, aimed at me, the Christ, the friend of sinners bore my sin in his body on that tree of death so that I could live in him. Do you know him.

Have you found him. Have you gone to God in prayer and asked for him to forgive your sins. Have you repented of your sins and asked him to give you faith in the sun and through Jesus sacrifice to heal you of your sin and to make you his child. You can do that right now whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Call upon his name. Trust him so grateful for what he did for me. The gospel is not about what I do for him or what I can do or have done or what I haven't done the gospel is all about what Jesus Christ has done for me that awesome Luke 2235 to 46. Read it, study it, memorize and meditate not share this word with someone today invite them into a relationship with Christ which is the only relationship that will set them free from sin and death and change your life forever will see a writer. Next time I'm Stu Epperson follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, all the social media please thank the awesome outlets.

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