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In Gethsemane, Jesus wrestles over the cup of God’s wrath while his closest friends fall asleep, showing us that what we contribute to our salvation is sin and resistance. Or denial and a nap…This truth helps us learn that letting go of self-reliance and pride is the most freeing thing we can do, and we can do it because Jesus didn’t abandon us in his darkness.
Series: The Gospel of Mark
Speaker: Jon Neal
Hope Community Church - North Lakes
For more resources or to learn more about Hope North Lakes, visit hopecc.com/north-lakes.
A weekly message from Hope Community Church: North Lakes, located in Shoreview, MN
Hey, good morning. Good morning. Good morning. I am not Pastor Paul. My name is John Neal. I serve as the executive pastor of Hope Community Church for all four of our different locations. Don't know what any of that means or have never heard of that, you're probably better off. It is a little complicated, but as for some of you that may know, so Hope Community Church, we have four different locations throughout sort of the metro area. I serve predominantly kind of more at the downtown, but majority of my role goes to kind of helping and serve in more so kind of the administrative capacity, all four locations. And so I've been an attender of Hope and even, you know, broadly speaking, but downtown specifically for, man, over two decades now, which is crazy to say. And then I've been serving on staff for a little over half of that time. I came to Hope and one of the things that I felt like God really used in my time, in my time continually at Hope is just a safe place to bring up big questions. I think that's been one of the things that I was yearning for, kind of where my walk with Jesus was at the time of, I just had some really, heavy, weighty questions, and I didn't know if, like, is it okay to ask these? And what I loved about, and that's true of all of our locations, is hope is really just meant to be a place where you can kick the tires of Christianity, as we say. And it's designed to be a place where you can come with those big questions, and not shockingly, we probably all still have the same questions too. You know, it's not like this, we all share in the human experience and the struggle. And for me, the normalizing, there's this passage in the book of John where Jesus is giving a really hard teaching and his disciples hear it and the crowd hears it. And then a lot of the crowd just kind of leaves. And Jesus turns to his disciples and says, do you want to leave too? And they all just kind of stand there and say, I. You're, you have the words of life. Where else should we go? And I felt like for me, that's, that's kind of been my experience. It's been kind of my, my journey where it's, there's been a lot of internal wrestling and big questions, some that I love that I still have, but yet at the same time, I keep looking to Jesus of like, God, I don't, I don't, I don't see life anywhere else. Like where, where else shall I go? And so I've been really, really blessed by. So it's always, it always sounds weird now that I'm on staff and saying, I've been blessed by hope because I feel like I've been such a recipient and now it sounds, you know, oddly self-serving, but, um, but yeah, but just really, really always thankful for what God has done through community like you all of just being able to provide that space to ask those big questions and to continue to cling to Jesus through it. Uh, as mentioned, we do have these four locations and kind of the, the, the crux of the, the model or the idea was the starting new churches, planting new churches is really hard. And it comes with a lot of difficulty and struggle, isolation, lack of support. And so the question was, hey, could we do something that provides a way to remove those barriers, that is able to actually help alongside the starting of new churches to bring forth support. Collegiality help to help in those spaces. And so, as I mentioned, my role kind of leans more into the administrative back end of things. So some of you might even get emails from me periodically in areas of that. I like to think of it in my role. Maybe it's my way of feeling good about myself, but it's where I'm just working in spreadsheets. If I think of like Hope Community Church, all the different locations and lead pastors as like the Justice League and like Paul, he's like the Batman of North Lakes. I like to think of myself as the Alfred, right? It's like I'm the one that's making sure the Batcave is all, you know, has everything it needs. The Batmobiles, has his routine maintenance, tries to help him from not killing himself, right? But if it does, I want to make sure we have ample insurance, right? You know, I just want to have all the bases, all the bases covered. No, so that's, but that does tend to be in my space. I, for those of you, if you have, if there's personality tests that lean on the spectrum of spreadsheets, organization, I tend to be on that side. That really, in most areas of life, I'm like, you just give enough time and a big enough whiteboard and those problems can get solved, right? That's all, that's the equation. So some of you might resonate with that. And that is also probably my biggest weakness. And so our passage for today actually dives into that quite a bit. So if you happen to be new, really what we're going to do at this time, what it's going to look like is we're going through a passage of scripture. You can follow along. We'll read it through. We'll kind of start back at the top, kind of make some comments along the way, and then ultimately talk about how does this apply to our lives today and what can we be taking away from it. So if you do happen to have your, if you like to have your device or your Bible, otherwise all the verses will be on the screen as well. And we are in right now a series going through the Gospel of Mark. If you're newer to the Bible, if you had a paper Bible in hand, you could kind of split it down the middle. And what is, I guess would be in your opening and on the left side is what's typically talked to or referred to as the Old Testament. And then on the right-hand side would be what is referred to as the New Testament. And really in the Old Testament, it's a lot. It is in many ways, I jokingly, it's like it's the start of the history of humanity in many ways and is really talking through not only the start of creation, but brings you all the way up to really the point of Jesus. And it's really dealing with this question ultimately of, hey, this world is broken. And how do we fix it? And we all, you know, we're not uncommon to those in that time period where they felt that, like they experienced it, the human. Experience of a broken world and basically trying to feel out how do you actually rectify, how do you change that to then where you get the New Testament, which is really when Jesus comes on the scene and you have four gospel accounts, which is going to be where it's, you know, it starts in your Bible. It's going to be kind of this narrative story about four different accounts of the account of Jesus' life, ultimately leading to his death and resurrection. And then a lot of your New Testament is basically just continually letters and whatnot pointing back to that event. So obviously the events of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection are the key element. I mean, it's the focal point of Christianity. And so our passage for today, we are in Mark. So we're in one of those gospels. And if you've been with us the whole time, we're getting to sort of the, quite honestly, the climax. Right now, we've been going through what is typically called as Holy Week. So I know even with it being fall, our minds are naturally inclined to think spring, Easter, right? But that's kind of where we're at in the story right now and where Jesus has been spending time in Jerusalem. And then even this last week, going through a pretty more well-known passage of that of the Last Supper. And so that's kind of where we are on the heels of and where we enter in from today. So if you have your Bibles or just want to follow along, again, we're going to read through, which is Mark 14, and then we'll again make comments as we go. So it starts off and says this, And Jesus said to them, again, quick context, right after the Last Supper, they departed to the Mount of Olives. And so he's with his disciples still. And Jesus said to them, You will all fall away, for it is written, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee. Peter said to him, even though they all fall away, I will not. And Jesus said to him, truly, I tell you this very night before the roaster crows twice, you will deny me three times. But he said, he said empathically, if I must die with you, I will not deny you. And they all said the same. And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to the disciples, sit here while I pray. And he took with him Peter and James and John and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, my soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch. And going on a little further, he fell on the ground and prayed. If it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me, yet not what I will, but what you will. And he came and found them sleeping And he said to Peter, Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak And again, he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again, he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. And he came the third time and said to them, are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough. The hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand. So again, that's our section. So again, as mentioned, we're going to kind of read through real quick just to give overall context, but again, and jump back at the beginning and then just walk through, starting at the beginning of verse 27. So again, and Jesus said to them, again, being the disciples, you will all fall away for it is written, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. So obviously when there's a comment of like, it has been written, you have to just ask, well, where, where has it been written? Right? So if you double click on that. I'm not going to spend a huge amount of time, but if you double click on that, it's going to refer you back to a passage in Zechariah, which is again back in that Old Testament time. And there was this time where there was this prophecy given of where God was going to be removing false prophets and was going to provide this remnant that these were his people. And it references the shepherd who God would even strike, and so Jesus is picking up on that. On that passage. And then obviously from 28, but after I'm raised up, I will go before you to Galilee. So Jesus is referencing his upcoming death. And if you've been with us through the gospel of Mark, this isn't a new thing. Again, if you read all the gospel accounts, this element of Jesus having to die is sprinkled through in a very strategic way by Jesus in many ways, but there's this continual pushback against it. One, it doesn't make sense, but even his disciples. Get a lot of gusto against the concept or even the idea. And we're not going to read them, but if you want it in your pastime, or if you remember back to, so in chapter 8, we've seen this happen before, where Jesus is one of the first times where he predicted his death more explicitly. He talked about that he must suffer. He's going to be rejected, killed, rise in three days. And this is that moment where Peter takes Jesus aside and rebukes him. And Jesus then comes back with the classic, get behind me, Satan line, which again, I think that'd be a bad day for Peter. You never want to be called Satan by Jesus. For you're not setting your mind on things of God. So again, Peter just can't comprehend what this means and looks like. And so he's again rebuking Jesus in the process, where you go then to chapter 9, where it comes up again, where Jesus talks about being delivered into the hands of men, killed to be raised on the third day. And the disciples, they don't really understand, so they're kind of fearful to ask. But on the road, right after that, they have this big argument amongst themselves about who will be the greatest, right? So there's just this huge irony that you start seeing throughout the Gospels of where Jesus predicts his death and what swells up within those that follow him, his pride, his wanting to, be known for something, his wanting to be the best. And where obviously in that context, Jesus gives the teaching, if anyone would be first, you must be last of all and a servant of all. And then later in chapter 10, we get it yet again. And this is one of these being the most detailed where Jesus foretells that he will be condemned, handed to Gentiles, mocked, spit on, flogged, killed, raised in three days. And this is when, if you remember, James and John come alongside and ask to be at his right and left seat in glory. Again, if you recall this in our series. And Jesus asked them, can you drink the cup that I drink? Where they all answer or where they both answer, we are able. And then the other 10 becoming dignit, that's even the word that they use, with them, probably because, as we talked about, that they didn't think of it first to ask. So they're just like, oh, no, I want it. That's the spots I wanted, right? But they become angry at each other. And Jesus, again, reminds that the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life for a ransom for many. So again, you see this continual where Jesus shares about. His life, ministry, and where it's going, and the response and sort of the swelling of pride, self-reliance that comes from his disciples. And so you would think that as we come to this part in the story now, right, it's like the disciples, they figured it out. Like they've rounded the corner. They've rounded the corner, right? But see where it goes. So continuing on, Now, Peter said to him, again, being Jesus, even though they will all fall away, I will not. And Jesus said to him, truly, I tell you this very night before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times. So again, so Peter's response is, okay, well, if these other schmucks are going to fall away, I'm set apart. I'm different. I would never, I would never do something like that, Jesus. To where they says, but again, it says that he said emphatically that if I must die with you, I will not deny you. And that word emphatically, it's really the only time Mark uses this word, but it just has this over the top zeal, gusto, and even the tense of it means like he keeps on insisting, like he's just so, so confident and portrays such confidence with this. And he kind of makes this in a sense, I mean, it's a decent logical argument, right? He's like, well, if I'm going to die for you, if I'm going to do like the greatest thing of sacrifice of being with you, clearly I'm not going to deny you, right? It's kind of this comparison of like, if I'm going to do this great thing, clearly I'm going to do the lesser thing, Right. And then finishes off. They all said the same. So again, want to throw shade at Peter. He's just the first one to speak, but they all, you know, all follow in the same and same suit. So continuing on, they all went to a place called Gethsemane. Again, you could do a lot of deep dive into just the word Gethsemane in itself. It's this word that means an oil press. It's a vineyard area, and the word means oil press. So it's basically where fruit was pressed and oil was produced. And so this is a place where it's in this Mount of Olives, where again, contextually, we've been at different times throughout the gospel of Mark, even in the gospels as well. And he takes with him Peter, James, and John, who we have seen kind of come along and seen some special opportunities with Jesus as well, where again, probably one of the most notable is this thing in, church world called, it's called the transfiguration, which is, that's a fun shirt. Yeah. Throw that out at a Halloween trunk or treat parties. I'm sure people would be like, yeah, have you heard about the transfiguration? I know it's just a churchy term that sometimes gets used, but just it encapsulates this, this moment where Peter and James and John were able to get a glimpse into Jesus's glory. And so you see these three disciples who have kind of gotten more behind the scenes with Jesus now given this opportunity to where they've seen sort of this intimate glorified element of Jesus. Now they kind of get behind the scenes to the agony, to the despair of Jesus at the same time. And so he takes Peter and James and John and began to be greatly distressed, and troubled. And he said to. And this is the point where, as I mentioned, we're getting to the climax. We're getting to the ultimate pinnacle of Jesus' life in ministry and understanding what it is that the gospel, what the good news actually is. And if you were anything like me when I was kind of walking in my own journey with Jesus and I got to this point where I would consider myself a theist, where it's like, okay, I'm trying to make sense of this world. And I got to the point of saying like, okay, I ascribe that there is a God. Now I'm trying to figure out what does that mean? What does that look like? How do you know this versus that? And for me, what was really impactful in obviously, taking time to talk about even this scene in Gethsemane is like what's ultimately going on and what's actually happening? It really sets up the big question, which I'm sure will continue to be talked about, is why did Jesus have to die? What's from there? And for me, a helpful frame that was really impactful for me in my theist season of just trying to understand was the ultimate crossroads. Oh, I'm sorry if I went. I probably didn't hit the clicker fast enough on the other one. Apologize. The ultimate crossroads between mercy and justice. That for me at some point, that's why I like this sign. It's like, there came to this realization of there are these inflection points where I don't know how to reconcile these two items together, in all these other different frameworks, formats, ways of thinking that were offered to me. And I felt like, you know, I'm able to say it now, but I think we are all created beings and we have this imprint of desire for both, right? And so, uh, I, I'm assuming if you're going through the human experience like me, that you have a deep rooted desire for justice, right? That you want rights or wrongs to be righted, that you want things to be. The, uh, I feel like you can just watch any legal sitcom, probably three or four episodes in, and you're like, why doesn't this work? You know, it's just the, the constant, uh, uh, innocent, uh, get, get, uh, get, get sent, get sentenced, uh, those that are guilty get set free. And there's just this constant, like there's loopholes and there's, there's, there's waywards around this. And even, you know, even in our current environment right now, like we're constantly inundated with like, you just need a better process. You just need a better system, right? Even a lot of the undergirding of a lot of our political climate even today is just like, you just need the right framework, system, how to handle things. And that's going to ultimately give you and going to ultimately resolve these issues that keep seemingly coming back up. And the hard part with all of that is that it doesn't. Change the undergirding problem, which is the difficulty and the struggle and the brokenness of the human heart that underlines all those processes, systems. Which again, and I'm a process guy, like I'm a systems guy. My whiteboard, again, I'm like, just, we can figure this out. We can create it, right? And I don't know if any of you have ever had this experience, but there are times you create something and man, on paper, flawless. It is just beautiful. I mean, it is a work of art. And you're like, I want to frame this on my wall. Forget, you know, I can't paint, but look at that spreadsheet. I mean, it is just, But the hard part is, you know, I had a. Before joining staff, this is, you know, it's going to, you're really going to think, really want to invite me to parties now. But before I was, I worked on, or I was on staff at Hope, I was, and I worked for an accounting firm, and I was an auditor. Everyone, again, you can tell the amount of parties that. I was invited to. No, and so there was, I remember having an auditor friend, who basically, I can't remember the exact quote, I wish I could, but it was something like, systems are perfect and spreadsheets are perfect. It's just when you incorporate people when everything like falls apart, right? It's just this constant element. And so maybe you've had those experiences in your work or own life in different ways. But yeah, again, you create something, but when people get involved, it gets messy, it gets broken, and it doesn't work. And so even our Bibles have a great example of this, where again, if you've heard me mention again, you have your beginning part of your Bibles, as talked about or referred to as the Old Testament. And there's this covenant that God had, like that God prescribed and gave to these people and say, hey, live this way. And all you see is failure to do, failure to do, failure to do, failure to do, failure to do. So much so that even later in the book of Hebrews in the New Testament, the author picks up on this and goes really to large lengths to basically talk about how that old covenant, that old process, again, there's nothing wrong with it in and of itself. Like it was good. Like again, on paper, it looks just fine. But at the end of the day, where did the actual problem resolve? And that's where on Hebrews 8, I'll even just read it explicitly says. But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent, than the old as the covenant he mediates is better since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, again, there wasn't anything wrong with it, but if it actually accomplished what it was meant to do, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says, and then he goes on to talk about this new covenant and it'll be this thing where hearts will be changed and. These will be God's people. But that element of verse eight, I feel like it's so quickly glossed over when you read it on the surface level. But again, for he finds fault with them. I mean, what's the them? Is it the system? Is it the process? Is it the structure? No, it's the people. Like that ultimately we are the ones with the problem And, the systems, the processes, they cannot fix that problem in and of itself. So you get this element of justice, but then you also get this element of mercy, right? And so I think what complicates it is if we're all probably honest with our human experience that we're probably more quick to want justice for others, but when it comes to me, I want mercy, right? And a micro example of this, and I kid you not, this last week I was thinking about, I was on my drive and I was thinking about this passage knowing this is coming up. And as any experience you have in Minnesota, the driving, especially kind of as construction season ends, it's a frustrating experience. So someone cut me off. And what internally swelled in me right away was justice. Wrong, wrong. Police, where are you? Like, I don't, jail time probably. I don't know how long, but that was wrong. You, what did you just do? Like, that's what's just, that's that initial within me, right? And then I, again, no joke, three minutes later, there's a accident up ahead. And you know how, like when accidents kind of first happen, everyone's trying to like finagle their way to get around. And so I'm seeing this happening and I'm trying to cut over to get out of the lane. And so I ended up, I ended up cutting off someone else and they honk and I'm like, mercy, mercy. Like, don't you understand? Like, look at this. There's a situation. I'm making the best decision I can. I'm trying to accommodate like, and so it was just this like, like, wow, what a, what a great little social experiment I just had on myself in that moment. Again, just this internal swell that we have. And again, yes, we want mercy for ourselves. We, again, clearly want mercy for others as well. But again, our offenses, our issues, you have the offense or the shortcomings, that we provide, but you also have the, when you get into this context of conversation about justice and mercy in regards to God, you have this element also there that it's not just the offense, but it's the one in whom you are offending or who the offense is against, which ultimately leads to a whole nother layer where there was, a teacher who was trying to prove this point to his students. I think it was over in the Great Britain area. And so, but he talked about how like, if you punch a student or a fellow a classmate, you're gonna get detention. If you punch a teacher, you'll likely get suspended. If you punch a policeman or a guard, you're gonna go to jail. If you try to punch the queen of England, this was back when she was alive, you could be shot, right? It's just this. Ever-growing response to, even though the crime or the actual act might be the same, but the severity of the crime is measured against who it is that you're committing it to. And obviously the analogy breaks down where, God isn't threatened. But out of God's holiness, there's this element where, his holiness is incompatible with sin and injustice. And so, how do you rectify that? And on our own merits, there's no pathway. Again, we're in a school. I'm sure some of you can remember your school days. And I remember, again, the whiteboard strategic spreadsheet kid that I met. It's like, I want to get an A. What percentage is an A? You know, what's the, what do I need? Like, what's 93? 93? Okay. How do I make sure I'm right above 93, right? You know, and so there's this innate part of us that is always just trying to understand, like, where's that line? And the hard part for us is that attempting to find the cosmic passing grade of sorts, whatever percentage that is, just becomes futile when we realize that a completely holy God is incompatible with anything except 100% perfection. And that gravity of our sin, it's just out of reach for us to try to handle ourselves. The payment needs to match the debt that has been incurred, and we're all just grossly bankrupt, grossly, grossly bankrupt. The book of Romans picks up on this as well and says this in chapter 3, verses 25 through 26, and it says that God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement through the shedding of his blood to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness because in his forbearance, he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished. He did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time. So, as to be the just and, or to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. So, again, the gospel bridges, and ultimately, zooming out, it provides the place where, at the end of the day, our basis of justification is so external to us that it fights against that swell, that swell within me of pride that wants to say, I did this. I can do this. I'm never going to fall. But again, it takes it out of that context and puts the gratitude on the creator, the one who actually took care of the problem versus internally to ourselves. And yet in this time, I think one of the hardest elements to wrap our heads around in a scene like this in the book of Mark through this garden of Gethsemane is just understanding really like what's really happening, what's really going on. And there's a quote by a gentleman named G.I. Packer, which I appreciate, from a book that he says, Knowing God. And he says this, he's going off in the context of talking about all these impressions that you would have of Jesus when reading through the gospel accounts. And he says, one of this to close, that your final impression will be of one for whom this experience of death was the most fearful ordeal. In Gethsemane, horror and dismay came over him. And he said, my heart is ready to break with grief. The earnestness of his prayer, for which he threw himself on the ground rather than kneel or stand, was an index of the inward revulsion and desolation. Again, big words, but that he felt as he contemplated what was to come. How strong was his temptation to say, amen, after take away the cup from me, rather than go on to the Netherlands not what I will I. What thou will, we shall never know. Then on the cross, Jesus bore witness to inward darkness, matching outward darkness with his cry of dereliction. Again, another big word, but my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? That's where it's hard when you read a lot of the gospel accounts, right? I know like a lot of cinematic, there've been a lot of cinematic attempts to try to capture what's going on in Gethsemane. And the hard part is we just, we're just always going to be at arm's reach. Like we'll just never truly, I think, understand this part from heaven. Like what was really the heaviness, the sorrow, the depth. But at the same time, it's clear that this was of human history. The events that are upcoming were the most sorrowful, dark of grueling of human history. And at the pinnacle was the person of Jesus experiencing that. And why I think that's crucial is because when you fast forward and in other places, again, reference the book of Hebrews, the author highlights and says this in chapter four, he says, for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses. For one who in every respect has been tempted as we are yet without sin, let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. I don't know what despair, sorrow, darkness that you're carrying or you find yourself walking through right now, but I have to continue to cling to that. Part of the human experience is we always look to those that we can relate to in those moments, right? So if you're going through cancer, right? You seek out someone who's going through cancer. You're going through a really hard marriage. You're seeking out someone who's maybe gone through that road. Like there's this degree of relatability that we all really desperately seek. And what the author of Hebrews is basically highlighting is that regardless of what hardship, struggle, burden that you're carrying right now, Jesus is the most relatable person in the history of humanity to be able to run to in this time with whatever you may be facing. So while Jesus, again, is wrestling with this cup, what's before him, let's go back. What are his friends doing? Let's go back and see. And again, he came and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter again, Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Which again, a little bit of callback to Hebrews of finding fault with them, right? We are incapable of doing the very things that we say and follow through on. The issue resides within us. And then verse 39, and again, he went away and prayed saying the same words, again, referencing back to this turmoil, stress, despair that was going through. And then continuing to follow up on the last, and again, he came and found them sleeping for their eyes were very heavy. They did not know what to say. I don't know if you guys have ever experienced those moments where you're like, those moments in life where you're so distraught, you just can't sleep, right? You're just so overwhelmed, so overwhelmed. And again, not to throw disciples under the bus because we are them, but it's like, as Jesus is distraught, they seem to fall asleep pretty quickly. I mean, multiple times. It doesn't seem to be much of an issue. And then he came a third time and said, are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough. The hour has come. The son of man is portrayed into the hands of sinners. So again, you have the Peter who emphatically was saying, again, remember the lesser to greater? It's like, if I'm gonna die for you, there's no way I would deny you, right? How he makes these big audacious claims. And even again, the simple ask of stay awake, watch. which. He's not able to fulfill in itself. And again, I can throw shade on Peter, but James and John are there too. And again, the irony is if you go back to those passages we talked to, again, when they were like, Jesus, let us sit at your right and left hand. And Jesus asks, well, can you drink the cup that I'll drink? And they're like, yeah, we can, we will, we can do it. The irony is that while Jesus. Is there wrestling over this very cup that he's about to drink, they, who again said they could, are just asleep in the garden as well. So again, it is not just Peter. And then verse 42, it ends, rise, let us be going, see my betrayer is at hand, which is the great cinematic cliffhanger to next week. So Martin Luther is known and referenced a lot of being asked, what do we contribute to our salvation? And his common response is we offer sin and resistance. That's what we bring to the table. That I think if you were to take this passage and if you were to sit down, I'm assuming at some point in eternity, sit down with St. Peter, I'd be asked the same thing. St. Peter, what do you think we bring to, our salvation? I think he would say, denial and a nap. Like that's what I brought forth in this. That again, our reliance on ourselves, our self-confidence, it's just, just futile. It's a futile endeavor. And as I mentioned, and I feel this on a, as I mentioned, a daily, a daily basis, right? I mentioned that there's this part of me that always just thinks problem time, whiteboard solution, right? And thankfully God has had to bring us, bring me personally through enough life circumstances over the last few years where it's like, oh yeah, I look at the whiteboard and there, there are no open doors left. Like there's no words left to be put on. There's no other options that ultimately the only way out of this, whatever it may be, whatever it might be for you, is just by the grace of God. That's the only way through. And again, this swell within us to want to rely on self, to look to ourselves, to be prideful. And in many ways, when we talk about pride, it is that hard piece where we can look for it in the big serial, but sometimes we neglect it in the small, nuanced throughout the days where, In marriage, it's that, you know, the quick eagerness to win an argument. In parenting, it's the wanting the kids to appear a certain way, kind of how it reflects us. In the workplace, it's that swagger and the efforts that we make to make ourselves look better than others. Even in our walk with Jesus, right? Jesus recounts this parable of a tax collector and a Pharisee going to the temple to pray. And the Pharisee basically looks over, gives his long list of accomplishments spiritually and looks over and says, man, I'm sure glad I'm not like that person. And I'm glad I'm not like that tax collector. Or the tax collector comes in, just beats his breast and says, man, God, help me. I'm a sinner. I need you. And what's ironic is I think we all in us, when we read that passage, for one of our first thoughts, if you're honest with ourself, is I'm sure glad I'm not like that Pharisee. Oh, crap. You know, you just, you just were like in that, in that very, in that moment. So our propensity again to think of ourselves higher than we should. And so as we come to close here, as we talked about here at North Lakes, the desires to help start and strengthen your relationship with God and help in any way we can. And so for those of you in that more start, would you consider Jesus who took on this cup, this wrath, this justice for you. You know how Peter kind of made that lesser to greater statement? You know, again, if I'm going to, if I'm going to die for you, surely I won't deny you. And we'll see that in the coming weeks. I want to draw your attention to this, excuse me, this quote from Tim Keller. When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane and the ultimate darkness was coming down on him and he knew it was coming, he didn't abandon you. He died for you. If Jesus didn't abandon you in his darkness, the ultimate darkness, why would he abandon you now in yours? So again, the reverse. If Jesus was able to take on the most darkness, how much more so does that give you solace? That actually gives you confirmation that he's able to meet you within yours. And lastly, for those in our strengthening our relationship with Jesus, where have we drifted into self-reliance, to pride? Where is he my, even if they fall away, I won't moment comment? Where am I trusting myself instead of God right now? Where do I quietly think that I'm better than others? So we're going to transition to a time of continued worship together i'm going to invite the worship team up at this point i'm going to pray and then we're going to transition to a time of communion let's pray together. Lord, we always and will continually just pray and proclaim our need for you. Lord, as I mentioned, Lord, that swell within me is still ever present where, I want to just think, oh, I can do this. I can figure this out. We can, we can, we can, we can. And your gentle, loving response is you can't. And I did. And it's actually for your best that you acknowledge that, that you see that, that that is where freedom and love and acceptance lies. And so, Lord, I pray that you help all of us. I hope you pray that you draw us near, even right now, Lord, that there'd be that your spirit would stir within us those small areas where it's very easy for us to become self-reliant, that we want to look to ourself. And that in our own little heart, in our own heart of hearts right now, Lord, that you'd just provide a pathway to repent of that, to turn away, to say, God, there's no life there. There's no life. And ultimately, I just want to cling to you, Lord. So help us, help us in this time now to do that. We pray these things in your name. Amen.