Gethsemane We All Have One Luke 22:39-48 audio video notes. When you think of Gethsemane what comes to mind? Perhaps, the place Jesus prayed, sleeping disciples, temptation, and stress with sweat like great drops of blood. But, do you ever associate it with the Judas kiss? You have a Gethsemane. We all do. It’s your private and secure place in the natural and in the spiritual. It’s your secret and safe place, and it’s a place for rest. Of course, it’s the place you pray, and it’s the place you allow only your closest friends. It’s where you hide and escape from the world. It’s Gethsemane. But, Gethsemane can also be a place of tremendous temptation and stress. It can be the place of arrest and the place of the kiss of betrayal. It’s Gethsemane.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE CHAPTER 22
By Pastor Delbert Young
Gethsemane, We All Have One Luke 22:39-48
Audio
.
Video
.
WATCH SERMON VIDEO
.
Gethsemane We All Have One Luke 22:39-48 audio video notes
Scriptures: Luke 4:13, Luke 22:39, Luke 22:40, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Mark 14:33-35, Luke 22:41, Luke 22:42, Luke 22:43, Luke 22:44, Luke 22:45-46, Luke 22:47, Luke 22:48
When you think of Gethsemane what comes to mind? Perhaps, the place Jesus prayed, sleeping disciples, temptation, and stress with sweat like great drops of blood. But, do you ever associate it with the kiss? Luke doesn’t say, “Gethsemane” (Mat 26:36; Mar 14:32). Luke says the place (22:40). Gethsemane was a privately owned garden in the Mount of Olives. It seems the Lord made arrangements with its owner as he did with the owner of the Passover room.
You have a Gethsemane. We all do. It’s your private and secure place in the natural and in the spiritual. It’s your secret and safe place, and it’s a place for rest. Without doubt, it’s the place you pray. It’s the place you allow only your closest friends, and it’s where you hide and escape from the world. It’s Gethsemane. But, Gethsemane can also be a place of tremendous temptation and stress. It can be the place of arrest and the place of the kiss of betrayal. It’s Gethsemane.
As we’ve learned, Satan’s objective was always to stop Jesus from going to the cross. Satan did not kill Jesus on the cross. God did (Isa 53:4, 10). (See Then Satan Entered Judas Called Iscariot Luke 21:37 – 22:1-13 and As It Has Been Decreed Luke 22:21-30 ). No place displays this better than Gethsemane. Satan brought his greatest temptation ever given to anyone in Gethsemane. It was to stop the cross. Gethsemane is also a place where our life’s purpose is stopped. Adam and Eve were tempted by and fell to Satan in a garden. Jesus overcame temptation and defeated Satan in a garden. Which will we do?
In the three temptations at the beginning of Christ’s ministry (Luk 4; Mat 4; Mar 1), Satan tempted Jesus with everything without going to the cross. At the end of the wilderness temptations we read,
Luke 4:13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until AN OPPORTUNE TIME.
This was the opportune time. Satan released all his darkness. Satan’s head would be crushed and a new king would reign if Jesus went to the cross (Gen 3:15). All four gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John recorded this event. After finishing the last Passover meal,
Luke 22:39 Jesus went out AS USUAL to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him.
As every year at Passover, it was a full Pascal moon as the greatest of all battles began. Jesus led the way to the Mount of Olives with his eleven disciples, only hours away from his execution. Judas Iscariot had been dismissed to do what he must do (Joh 13:27). Jesus intentionally went to Gethsemane as usual where Judas Iscariot knew exactly where to find him. Satan knows where your Gethsemane is.
Luke 22:40 On reaching THE PLACE, he said to them, “Pray that YOU will not FALL INTO TEMPTATION.”
Jesus didn’t ask them to pray for him. He instructed them to pray for themselves. No one can pray for you like you. There are times we can’t pray for ourselves and someone must. There are times when we won’t pray for ourselves and someone must, but other than Jesus, no one can touch God for you like you and this is absolute when it comes to temptation.
The key to not falling into temptation is prayer. We will all be tempted by Satan, but we don’t have to fall into it. Prayer does not alleviate temptation. Prayer can alleviate the fall into temptation. The wording explains much. Picture falling into deep water as water surrounds and enters you and can drown you. Falling into temptation can drown/destroy us. “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.”
Our battle with temptation is to fight our attraction to sin. This was not Christ’s battle. His battle was the opposite. We fight to not sin. Jesus fought to become sin.
2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin TO BE SIN FOR US, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Jesus battled to let go of God and become sin. We battle to let go of sin and hold on to God. We battle to remain pure. He battled to become impure by being made sin.
Jesus left eight disciples in one place and took Peter, James, and John further into the garden (Mat 26:37; Mar 14:33).
Mark 14:33-35 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. “MY SOUL IS OVERWHELMED WITH SORROW TO THE POINT OF DEATH,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed…
Luke 22:41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed
This temptation was so overwhelming even the Son of God could hardly bear it. Matthew says he fell on his face (Mat 26:39). Jesus left his closest most trusted friends and alone he prayed to Father God and battled Satan. We battle Satan alone as we pray to the Father. No one could battle this temptation for Jesus. No one can battle temptation for you.
Matthew and Mark tell us Jesus would pray and then go check on Peter, James, and John whom he found sleeping, not praying. We bust them, but how many of us have slept when we should be praying? How many times have you not prayed and fallen into temptation?
Luke 22:42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
Jesus was in agony. What do you think the Father felt as Jesus requested the Father to take this cup from me? It was settled since before time (Rev 13:8). Father loved Jesus as much as Jesus loved Father. If you’re a parent you know how wrenching it is to tell your child no when they are hurting. Imagine what was happening in the spiritual arena. I see heaven crying. As much in agony as Jesus was so was Father. All of heaven cried knowing the cup could not be taken.
Jesus said, “…take this cup from me.” The word cup is poterion {pot-ay’-ree-on} – meaning a drinking vessel; metaphorically one’s lot or experience, whether joyous or adverse, divine appointments, whether favorable or unfavorable, a cup God presents one to drink. What is your cup(chalice)? Have you ever prayed it be removed? How many times? I’ve asked. Was it? No. We come to our Gethsemane and ask “Is this my cup? Surely it’s not!” We say, “Lord, I don’t like this. Please remove it, but if it’s my cup, I’ll drink it.” So, why do bad things happen to good, or great, or godly people? Everyone’s cup has sour swallows.
Luke 22:43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.
Angels showed up only twice during the ministry of Christ and both were at his temptations (Mat 4:11; Luk 22:43). Isn’t it great to know if we pray during times of temptation supernatural support will show up to strengthen us? Have you ever said, “I don’t know how I made it through, but I did”? It was angelic strengthening. If you will pray in your Gethsemane in times of temptation, you will be strengthened.
Luke 22:44 And being in ANGUISH, he prayed MORE EARNESTLY, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
Notice it’s like drops of blood, not drops of blood. It was stress we can’t imagine. The word for anguish is agonia {ag-o-nee’-ah} (English agony): wrestling; of severe mental struggles and emotions, agony, anguish. Jesus was close to or experiencing a panic attack.
It says, “…he prayed more earnestly.” Even Jesus needed to pray more earnestly during temptation. There have been times I’ve prayed, but there were and are times I needed to get very serious and I prayed more earnestly. Jesus prayed so earnestly his sweat was like drops of blood. We see the intense stress and battle he was in, but we see the level of prayer Jesus took it to. He would not stop praying and it was in his more earnest prayer he stomped the serpent’s head. Do you think sometimes we need to pray more earnestly?
Luke 22:45-46 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, EXHAUSTED FROM SORROW. “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”
Jesus had victory over his temptation. The disciples needed to pray to have victory over their temptations. What should we do to not fall into temptation? We need to pray but we’d rather sleep, maybe not naturally, but we sleep spiritually. It is good to see why they were sleeping. It wasn’t because of the big meal, too much wine, and laziness. They were exhausted from sorrow, yet needed to pray.
Luke 22:47 While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them.
When we think of Judas we associate him with a traitor. There is no name more synonymous with traitor than Judas Iscariot. All four gospels give details of this hideous, yet planned by God, mystery moment. Likely, we’ve all been a Judas to some degree as well as encountered Judas. No one is immune to betrayal not even God. Betrayal is a part of being human beginning with Adam and Eve who betrayed God in the garden. Cain betrayed Able. Ham betrayed Noah. Absalom betrayed David. The truth is anytime we love we take the risk of betrayal. Do you believe God knew about Adam and Eve’s betrayal? How about Cain and Able, or Ham and Noah, or Absalom and David? Did any of this blindside God? Do you think he knew about our betrayals?
It amazes me how “kind” the gospel writers are when speaking of Judas Iscariot. Instead of venting their animosity by using dark adjectives to describe him, they instead say things like “Judas, one of the Twelve.” Only remorse is expressed, not vengeance. He was given every opportunity, yet turned and betrayed Jesus. Exactly as every disciple at the Passover meal asked “Is it I” who would betray, we know there is the possibility inside us to betray Jesus and likely, at some place we have.
Luke 22:48 He approached Jesus TO KISS HIM, but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
He hadn’t kissed Jesus yet. He was approaching to kiss when Jesus asked. Jesus let Judas know he knew the preset sign that would identify Jesus in the dark and when to take him, but it seems Jesus gave Judas one more opportunity to abort. “Judas, are you really going to do this? As repulsive as the treason was, the kiss made it hideous.
A part interesting to me was Jesus didn’t say “Are you betraying ‘me’ with a kiss?” He said, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” “Judas, do you realize you are not betraying a mere man with a kiss? You are betraying God.” Evidently, Judas did, as he went ahead and kissed him (Mat 26:49; Mar 14:45). There was another time Jesus was kissed. It was by a woman who had led a sinful life who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, dried his feet with her hair, kissed his feet, and poured perfume on them (Luke 7:37-38).
Do people kiss Jesus today? We do it one way or the other. Many today appear to be the genuine article. Instead, they are only kissing Jesus to get out of him what they can and sell him for thirty pieces of silver. The silver of the world is more valuable to them than the precious blood. Like Judas, they end up hanging their own lives. Others are like the sinful woman who kisses his feet and pours out the perfume of their lives for him. Which are you?
We all have a Gethsemane.
It’s your place of privacy and security. It’s your secret safe place, and it’s where you rest and where you pray. You only want your closest friends there. It’s where you hide and escape from the pressures of the world. It’s Gethsemane. But, it’s also where you deal with tremendous temptations and stress. It’s where you deal with the kisses of betrayal and arrests of life. But Gethsemane is where you pray, encounter angels, overcome temptation, and crush the serpent’s head.
Gethsemane We All Have One Luke 22:39-48 audio video notes
Gethsemane We All Have One Luke 22:39-48 audio video notes
Other Related Sermons:
Matthew 26-31-46 Gethsemane Audio
Kissing Calves audio sermon notes
Himself He Could Not Save – Palm Sunday sermon video audio notes
Also see: