The Hardest “Yes” You’ll Ever Pray | Luke 22:39–46

Show Notes

Episode 780: 
In this episode, we jump into a discussion about Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, specifically focusing on Luke 22:39-46. We explore the concept of temptation and how Jesus instructs his disciples to pray to avoid it. We share insights on how people often struggle with their temptations and how prayer can be a powerful tool in seeking help. We discuss the practical aspects of overcoming temptation, emphasizing that God may not always remove the temptation but will provide a way to escape it.

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You're listening to the Bible Guys, a podcast where a couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun, in practical ways. Well, good morning, good morning, we talk moment do good morning, good morning to you and you and you. We made it, we made it. It's Friday. It's Friday. Who you're saying good morning? And I never, well hardly ever do it on a Friday. But today is a good day. It's a great day. And you know what makes today amazing? What what makes today phenomenal? What what makes stupendous? Wow? I'm trying to put out all the adjectives here. Wow. What makes today absolutely utterly amazing is it's the thing that everybody waits for. I don't believe this. Every time people do that, there. Is someone at home right now a tear, a single tear is going down their face because it's the segment of segments. What may Chris Matt this week? I just hate that intro, but you know what, I gotta be honest, that was the best intro to this say ever. A single teared on somebody's side of their face is so funny. Okay, they want to know the listeners are what made Chris Matt this week. Well, it only took me a few seconds to think about it, Wesley, because it happened this morning. Okay, all right, so it made me mad, and I'm going to take a different it's going to be a radically different take on this. Okay. Yeah. Oh so buckle up, ladies and gentlemen, it is ready ready. Today I got mad at myself, oh for being selfish. Oh man, Yeah, this might be a record right here. That's right, that's right, instead of being mad at the world, right for the world. Because normally I'm like, hey, i'm mad at this thing, I'm mad for everybody else. And today I'm going to say, let's be let's let's let let's everybody else take time to sometimes be mad at ourselves. Yeah, because sometimes we could be pretty selfish. Yeah, So let me tell you why I was. What happened. I was mad at myself for being mad at other things. So I was sir enough by being mad at my lawn guy, right, because here's what happened. So literally, in this particular case, we started filming the Babba guys at nine am. We filmed five of them back to back, right, and so I was due here at Heritage Church. This is our stage at nine am. And so what did I do. I got in my car. I was heading back. I was heading in my car probably about I don't know, maybe twelve minutes or fifteen minutes to nine. I'm heading out to my car or my truck. And then there's a guy who sprays my lawn and he's only been spraying it for like maybe six months or so, new company. And this guy walks out and sees me walking out to my truck and says, Hey, it is you, pastor Chris, because I saw your name and I've been spraying your house for months, and I saw your first and last name, and I thought, I wonder if this is the same Chris zar Ba, which, by the way, I got news for you. There's no other bizarre bar except in Texas, like literally in the whole United States except for in Texas. So anyway, and he's a lawyer, by the way, So but anyway, he goes, he goes, I thought it was you. He goes. I used to be I used to go to your church and now I don't go anywhere. And you were my pastor for years and years. Wow, And I was like wow, and I was like, that's cool. So we talked a little bit about it, and he goes, and so I'm thinking to myself like, Okay, I gotta go. I gotta go. I got somewhere to be, and he goes, hey, so let me just ask you a question. He goes, can I just tell you about my marriage? And let me ask you, can you pray for me? And so he just starts unloading all these legitimate, like good things, you know, and I'm just like, Okay, what am I going to say? Yeah, hey, I'm late for you. I got to go. I can't pray for you. Right, So I'm like legitimately listening to this guy. So you already know the answer to this. So I texted you saying, hey, I'm going to be late because I'm doing this. And I figured that's the better choice. Right. It's definitely worth me being late ten minutes for me to spend time with this guy, right. Yeah. So I made the choice, and I stayed like twenty minutes talking to this guy. But in the entire time, I'm like, I'm sort of mad at him for making me late, right, And I'm like Okay, So I get in my car and I'm heading here, and then all of a sudden, I get in this bumper to bumper traffic jam. Now, normally this is the place where at like five o'clock it would be the place where the traffic jams. It's coming off of you know, a freeway which turns into a main road, and that's normally where that where it's bumper to bumper traffic, but only normally like at five pm. So here it is at nine am. I'm thinking, we're past the window of eight am. Why is this jammed up? And it is seriously jammed up. So I'm late another ten minutes. I'm behind schedule on another ten minutes, and the whole time I'm mad at whatever's happening up there, right until I get up there and I realized somebody, this poor guy smashed his truck. It looks like a brand new twenty twenty five GMC white truck, full sized truck, and he smashes it into what looks like a twenty twenty five unbelievably beautiful jeep renegade o man and one smashes into the other. These poor people are on the side of the road and they're just like like, you know, like probably their lives are devastated. Yeah, but I'm angry because they're ten minutes late, right, and so I So then all of a sudden, I went from being angry at my long guy to being angry at whoever's causing this traffic jam, to oh, it's those guys up there with the traffic, with the with the lights and the tow trucks, to all of a sudden being angry at myself, going like, why am I so selfish? Right? I mean, I'm a few minutes late, and those guys whole lives have been turned upside down. Who knows, maybe that guy is whiplash. He's going to struggle with his spine for the rest of his life. Right, you're mad, But I'm mad about ten minutes of my meeting because I didn't plan for more cushion or margin, right, Because I could have been here at eight thirty. Yeah, right, I would have. By the way, I would have avoidered everything if I was just coming at eight thirty. Right. That's it, ladies and gentlemen, Chris made Chris Matt this week. That's right. That's what about. Hey, you know what, it's going to be mad for the world. I'm challenging the world to be mad at themselves every once in a while because we can lose perspective. Yeah that's true. Right, that's very So I'm mad at Chris today. Yeah, that's it, and marked that in your calendars. It happened this day, tay you what. For the years that I've been doing this, I've never been mad at myself. Yeah, well I have, but I've never talked about it. Yeah. Right, so that's it. That's good. Yeah, that's so funny. All right, Well, you wanted to come up with a transition, I'll give you a couple of seconds. I know that you weren't thinking of a transition, but I'm going to put you on the spot. I'm gonna give you like ten seconds to come up with a transition, because this is about Jesus praying in the garden. Get semine. Another thing that you can be mad at is when people don't pray. Okay, that was terrible, it was. It's a good thing that this is terrible segments. Yeah right, terrible segments. Yeah, because actually that that says nothing to do with anything. Yes, well, sort of. Jesus was telling them that, you know, if you could stay awake and pray with me for you know. But but how does my story have anything to do with prayer? I don't know. I'm just trying to tie it. Wait, the fact that I didn't pray, I don't know. It was bad. It just was bad. We're just gonna let it die. No, no, no, let's let's resurrect it. Let's resurrect it. Listen, listen. I should have prayed while being on the road. Yeah, right, And the fact that I didn't pray is just like this. Story there, that's where we're going with that one. Okay, that's what we're going with all right. Oh man, so funny Luke twenty two, verses thirty nine through forty six. Yeah, so this is only like seven verses. Yeah, so it's super short, it says. Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the mount of olives. There he told them, pray that you will not give into temptation. He walked away about a stone own's throat and knelt down and pray, Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet, I want your will to be done, not mine. Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthen him. He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood verse forty five. At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. Why are you sleeping? He asked them, Get up and pray so that you will not give in to temptation. Yeah. You know, what's interesting is that we have covered this exact passage, it seems like a few times recently. So we did, we did the Gospels, and then we covered it in the Gospels, and then what we did was we did a series basically famous sayings of Jesus, like what if Jesus had a podcast, he would cover his famous sayings. And then and it just seems like just a few weeks ago we went ahead and talked about this, so we sort of revisited it, like, you know, maybe I don't know, a couple months apart. And then we had a choice on whether or not to include it in this podcast, and you know, we all decided we have to include it because you can't have a new series called Dangerous Prayers. Without without this prayer one from Jesus. Because this is perhaps one of the most dangerous prayers of all and so it is, it is the goat of these moments. Right, So we're like, well, you know what, We're going to talk about it again, maybe from a different angle, because you know, again there's always something new to learn from the same passage of scripture. By the way, have you ever done that? Have you ever read, like, for instance, like John three sixteen or something and something stands out to you and you're like, wow, that's that's amazing. And then you go back and you read something is you know, basic for salvation as John three sixteen again and somehow something else completely comes to life. And and what's always interesting about the scripture is that sometimes you'll read a verse and it may even have the same meeting, but then somehow it applies to an entirely different thing that you're going through, right. And that's the beauty of reading God's word daily, because I I can't even tell you the number of times where I thought to myself, I've read this before, and yet it's like, man, that applies directly to what I'm going through now. And the last time I read this I wasn't going through anything like that, and how could this apply to this? And it's like, well, that's just the magic of God's word, God's word through the power of the Holy Spirit. Is that I says, it's alive, it's living, it's active, right, it's profitable for teaching, for correction, for a proof for instruction and righteousness. And is it cuts to the joints and the marrows. It divides the thoughts the intents of the heart. And it's like, it's just amazing to me. How again, the same passage of Scripture can apply to what we're going through and it totally different way. Yeah, that's very true, and that's funny. Verse forty is where it says there he told them pray that you will not give into temptation. And I love that because every single person watching today has some form of temptation in their life. Yeah, whatever that thing is, Jesus is telling us that we can pray about that thing. Oftentimes people will struggle with their temptations. For someone, it could be drugs. For someone, it could be alcohol or whatever that thing is. You can find help in your time of need. You can pray and ask the Father to help me with this temptation, and God will that's the beauty of it. But oftentimes, when there is a temptation or an addiction or something like that, asking God for help with that temptation is oftentimes the last thing that people would do. Yeah, that's right, and they'll seek out other means to try to get relief. Yeah, and and uh, you know, when you ask God for help, sometimes the answer that God gives is more practical than supernatural. Right. So it's like it's like, uh so, for instance, you were saying something like alcoholism, which, as we all know, is extremely powerful disease. Right, so you know you're praying, like, okay, God, help me with this temptation, you know, to drink or not. The simple answer that God might say is, well, your first step is leave the bar. Yeah that's true. Just just just walk out, right, and and that. What that bottle that you have at home, pour it out, pour it out. Yeah yeah. And you're like, well, I don't have the strength to do either one of those choices. Okay, Well then that's why we have others in our lives. And of course in that world, you know, most of us know it as sponsors, right, So so there's there's the practical sponsor, and then there's you know, the spiritual advisor, and oftentimes that person is one and the same. Yeah. But but anyway, all that to say, when you pray, God help me with this temptation, I guess what I'm really trying to say is it's not as if God is going to magically always remove the temptation. Yeah right, God would. God would oftentimes just say, just make this choice so that you so that the temptation removes itself. Yeah right, that you know, remove yourself from the temptation, right, being removed from your life, just by making these guidelines or these rules or these systems, you know, put them into place. You know, we call it accountability, right, we call it prevention. All these all these different types of things. So I think that you know, pray that you will not leave me in temptation isn't always just God's supernaturally changing our desires and our hearts. It is providing us with a means to escape. Yeah right, And oftentimes it's a process. You know, it's not kind of like what you're talking about. It's not instant, it's not just poof and then you're you know, instantly transformed or something like that. Oftentimes, think of it this way. For those of you who are watching, it took you a while to get into it, so it may be a process to get out of it. You know, it's not always going to be just instant and then you walk away from the thing. Now. I have seen some miracles happen in people's lives where they did have some instant things happen. But for most of us, it's going to be a process for the transformation that you're seeking in your life. It's not going to be just instant and then boom it happens. Yeah, that's exactly right. Yeah, you know. James Chapter one, verse twelve is one of the first verses. In fact, it maybe the very first verse I've ever memorized. In fact, now that I'm thinking about it, I think it is. Okay, but I'm going to read it though, Yeah, because we. Read that this is James one for the listeners. Yeah, James one twelve. Okay, it said God blesses those who are patient, who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterwards, they were the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And remember that when you are attempted, do not say God is tempting me. God God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These give us, These give birth to sinful actions, and when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. Beth, So don't be misled, dear brothers and sisters. So then it goes on. You know, it's interesting how the King King James version. I memorized it in the King James version, and so it says, blessed is the man that endures temptation, for when he has tried, he should receive the crowd of life to which the Lord has promised to them that love him. And then there's another one. You know what, now that I'm reading this, there's another one on Corinthians ten thirteen. And again I memorize everything in the King James version, which is the old English version written in the sixteen hundreds, it says, but there is no temptation taking you, but such as is common to man. But God is faithful, who will with the temptation always provide a way to escape. So you may be able to bear it, right, and so, and the reason why that came to mind is because there is a you know, an implication there that again, God may not necessarily remove the temptation desire. Right. Yes. So the reason why I read those two is because the first one in James one twelve said it's not God's desire that he placed in you. God doesn't tempt. You to say, you can't blame God, right. He comes from your desires. So when you pray, pray that you will not lead us in temptation, don't expect God to necessarily change your desires. It says in one Corinthing ten thirteen that he will give you a way to walk away. Yeah, it's kind of like a life raft. Yeah, I'll give you a means to escape. Yeah yeah, yeah, no, that's really really good. Yeah, yeah, for sure. And then the other dangerous part of the prayer, and of course the main thing is Father, not my will, but yours be done. Right. We talked about the cup of suffering and if you'll let this cup pass from me. A few weeks back we talked about this, and we talked about how the cup can be symbolized in revelation but oftentimes it was cultural, and I believe it was more cultural. When you're sitting around a campfire they pass you a cup and you need to choose to partake or not, and he's saying, I don't want to partake with what you're offering me. You know, sometimes we feel like God says, do this thing, be a part of this and if we if we recognize it's God's will, there are just times where we say, God, I don't want to do this. I don't want. I don't want. It's too hard, it's too difficult, it's going to cost me too much. It's yeah, yeah, But then the dangerous part of that prayer is the comma that says, God, even though I want to acknowledge this, I want to also say, nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done, total surrender. I think the important thing here to remember, along with what you're saying, Chris, is at a very practical level. Yeah, when you say that prayer, oftentimes what God will have you do will not make sense. There's a verse in the Bible that talks about my ways or not your ways, and my thoughts are not your thoughts. Yeah, Isaiah, Yeah, Oftentimes when God asks you to do something. It will not make any sense whatsoever. You're not gonna want to do it, but you just have to trust that he knows the better route or the better path. But he's God and it's oftentimes not going to make sense to you. Yeah, you know, I think I think it is worth spending a minute talking about. And if you were journeying with us for the whole week, think about the think about the quality of these different calling prayers. Yeah, okay, So on Monday we talked about and a lot of people did not listen, so this would be beneficial. On Monday we talked about how Samuel failed to recognize God's voice and and when he did he said speak and I'm listening, and so so, to the non Christian or to the new Christian, it's important to learn how to recognize God's voice, and to the mature Christian it's important not to ignore his voice. Yes, that's true. Right. That was the lesson. That was the dangerous calling prayer. And we in day number one and then day number two we talked about Namiyah and what Niamiyah said was, Hey, God, I'm gonna acknowledge my responsibility and all of all the consequences I find myself in. I'm gonna own it. I'm gonna acknowledge your promises, and then I'm gonna then ask for your favor right And and that was and that's a that's a bold request because UH Nehemiah felt called to do something big and so that was his that was his setup to to UH be a part of that. It was the Dangerous Calling prayer. And then UH Wednesday we talked about James Chapter one. We talked about asking for wisdom right and and basically it was it was acknowledging the fact that the context is persecution, perfects our faith and in those moments saying God give me wisdom more than anything else, and how to do that. And then yesterday we talked about the UH James, Peter and John asking for boldness, right, boldness to do what is right regardless of the cost and and and in this case even when it does cost you. Right. And then today it is it is the prayer that Jesus prayed that says, I surrender fully to what I want and I and I got an express to you what I don't want. Yeah, but ultimately I'm gonna say I'll do what you want, and that's a bold prayer. Yeah, and great things always come from doing what God told you to do. You know, when you think about it, from that, there's something on the other side that maybe you don't even see yet that's really good. But even in the case of Jesus, on the other side of his death on the ross was basically salvation for humanity. That was on the other side of this very difficult thing that he's toiling with in the garden. Yeah. Yeah, hey, hey, real quick, just for funsies, I'm gonna tell this quick story. Yeah. In two thousand and four, Dave Wilson asked me to do the chapel for the Philadelphia Eagles. Oh wow, and so I sat on you mean for the Lions. Well no, no, no, I'm sorry. They were playing the Lions. Yes, yeah, so they were the visiting team. So oftentimes the visiting chaplain can't travel on a Sunday. Yeah, because you know, their church isn't as big as our church was. Oh, so he actually had you do it for them, yes, yeah. Because Wilson used to travel with the team, yes for thirty years, yeah, thirty three years, and because our church was big enough for him to do that, but a lot of the chaplains couldn't travel. So consequently, when a team comes to Detroit, they would need a chaplain and they would call him and say get a chaplain, And oftentimes he would ask me so anyway, so he asked me to do the Philadelphi Eagles. Well, back then it was like like Brian Westbrook was the running back and and uh, oh, gosh. Who was it? Who was the was it? Cunningham was Yeah, Cunningham was the quarterback right at the time. And and I remember, uh, they were there. They were there at the chapel, and I gave a message and it was exactly what you just said. You said, oftentimes God has something for you on the other side. And I talked about crossing to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, the Spies, crossing over the Promised Land, and crossing the Red Seat. They had three crossings, and I and I talked about all these different things. But the but the theme was is that the same thing. It's like, it's like God calls us to the other side of heartache. God calls us to the other side of forgiveness. God calls us to the other side of doubt. And on the other side, God has something for us, right, and that was these examples of the scripture. So anyway, I gave this message on Saturday night. Sunday morning, they gave me tickets and and and surprisingly it's on the fifty yard line, directly behind the It is right, it's right up against the fence and against the rail, and actually it's three rows back. And and everybody said that Chaplains get the worst seats. They really do. They give us like nosebleed seats the Lions do. But for some reason, the Eagles gave me these premier seats. So I'm sitting there with my buddy and then and unfortunately, the Lion's lost and the Eagles beat us. But it was a preseason game, so years and the Eagles went for two points. Okay, so they scored a touchdown and then they went for it and they ran it in. And then they get back into the huddle and Brian Westbrook looks up into the audience or the crowd and sees me and recognizes me from the night before, which is amazing, right, that did not even happen. And he looks over, runs out up to the wall and says Pastor, Pastor, and I'm like, oh, my goodness, this is amazing. So I get up out of my seat and every around me is thinking, what is that happening? This guy? Right, So I get up and I sort of like, you know, walk down the aisle toward him, and he goes, Pastor, Pastor Kremier. So I went over to the edge and he goes, You'll never believe what just happened in the huddle. I said, what happened? He goes, We all got in the huddle, and then when the call came in to go for two points, he said, the quarterback looked at everybody and said, gentlemen, God is calling us to the other side. Oh wow, that's what he said. That is hilarious. And I was like and I was like, yes, I was. Like, that could be one of the coolest even though that wasn't the meaning of mine. Yes was the exact meaning, but you know it wasn't my meaning. But one of the coolest moments ever. Yea was that moment. No, that's cool. So it was just like, that is so cool. The fact that they even were thinking that together, yeah, which means they must have talked about it. Yeah, right, They had to have talked about the message. Yeah, So it wasn't just like, hey, did you like that message? It had to have been processed, right, Yeah, and so it's for him to make that analogy in the huddle. That's awesome. He's kind of cool. No, that's really good. So anyway, I thought that was fun to share. So, hey, that is our time for sure. Yeah, so the great week. It was a great week and hopefully you've been challenged and hopefully you'll tune in back in with us on Monday on the Bibble Guys,