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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Siegfried Roeske

The Depth of His Love

It's a pleasure again on this beautiful Sabbath morning to worship God in the Advent Hope.

You're a special group and God is blessing what you're doing here in a very special way.

Our text for today is found in Matthew 26 and I'd like to read verses 36 through 41.

And I pray this morning that as we share the message from God's Word that we think not of it as so much theology, so much history, but I pray that we like to think of our story this morning regarding our best friend, Jesus, who is here with us through his Holy Spirit, to the angels, and who is watching and participating with us in in worship and make the worship meaningful to us.

And I think his name will be honored beginning verse 36 Then comes Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane and said to his disciples Sit you here while I go and pray yonder and he took with him Peter and the 2 sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

Then says he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.

Tarry ye here and watch with me." And he went a little further and fell on his face and prayed saying, Oh my father if it is possible let this cup pass from me nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt.

And he comes unto disciples, finds them asleep, says to Peter, what could you not watch with me 1 hour?

Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation.

The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Jesus and his disciples were eating the last supper together in the upper room.

They sang a hymn, took up a little collection for the poor, and then made their way down the steps to the back to the Eastern Gate that was always kept open during Passover, down splashing through the Brook Kidron, small brook, however during Passover it was flowing with blood because of the many sacrifices were made down to Jordan and the northern end of the Dead Sea, and up on the other side on Mount Olivet.

The Passover moon was shining full from a cloudless sky.

The city of pilgrims and pilgrims' tent was hushed into silence.

And as they were ascending Mount Olivet, they came by a little vineyard.

Perhaps stone wall of vine was hanging over on this side.

And Jesus turned around, picked up the vine, waited till all the disciples had caught up, and then kind of raised it into the moonlight, saying, I am the vine.

Not the mighty cedar, not the strong oak, but he chose the vine that needed support.

Leaning on the Father, I'm the vine, you're the branches, you must cling and you must lean upon the Heavenly Father and upon me.

Jesus gave John 14 in the upper room regarding the second coming, that your hearts not be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in me, in my Father's house are many mansions, I go to repair a place for you.

They must have walked slowly to be able to give all those chapters between the upper room and Gethsemane.

The path on the right would lead to Past Mount Olivet to Bethany Where Lazarus Mary and Martha lived?

He could have gone that night and stayed with them like he did so many times.

The path on the lamp would lead into the garden.

Jesus passed a moment and made a decision, a most important decision.

He decided to go the path of sorrow, the path to Gethsemane.

Immediately as he stepped into the path, he stopped speaking.

Disciples were worried because he was speaking constantly between the upper room and now sharing these wonderful messages of hope.

And all of a sudden total silence and there seemed to be a weight upon his back Because he seemed to be walking with a heavy load, strain on his legs.

He seemed to be literally dragging his feet down the path.

He seemed to be moaning and groaning under this tremendous weight.

And he seemed to be becoming weak and there was a little pebble on the path and he stumbled and would have fallen but the disciples next to him caught him and helped him to straighten up again and he walked a little further there was another pebble again He tripped and fell had it not been for the disciples who lifted him up Now they knew that something was terribly wrong.

They heard this deep groan coming from him and they supported him and hurried him to the garden where they had prayed many a night before.

And Jesus said to the 8 disciples, stay here just inside the gate.

And he took with him Peter, James, and John, the 3 who had been with him on the Mount of Transfiguration, who had seen him in his glory and the power of heaven, with Moses and Elijah, they're speaking together.

Now they would see him in the darkest hour of anguish and pain.

Jesus went a stone's throw beyond where he told the 3 disciples to stay and pray.

Now tonight, would you please pray for yourself and then also include me.

So far as we know Jesus had never asked us before that anyone would pray for Him.

I need your prayers tonight." And Jesus went just a little further, not so far that they couldn't hear and see Jesus from where they were.

And Jesus goes and he falls on his face and begins to pray.

Now if we have the picture of Jesus in the garden like we see it on some walls, kneeling there gently upright on a stone his hands folded and bathing in the beautiful light of heaven, his hair beautifully lying on his back and the shoulders, peace and quiet.

That is not the true picture of Gethsemane.

Because Gethsemane was an hour of deep anguish, deep agony, and deep pain.

Jesus now falls prostrate onto the ground.

He begins to cry out, Oh my father, Is there not another way to save my friends?

I don't want to do it father, unless I really have to.

Instead, Satan, Lucifer, who had been waiting for 3 and a half years for 1 more golden opportunity.

All his angels from hell gathered together around Jesus to cause of darkness and of blackness.

This is the opportunity 1 more time, perhaps the last opportunity, to ruin and make Jesus fall and to ruin the plan of God.

And Lucifer comes close to Jesus, and he begins to whisper in his ear, Surely, You are not going through with this, are you?

You know nobody cares what you're doing tonight in the garden.

You know the leaders and the spiritual custodians of God's message, They don't care.

Well, tonight, your very own disciples, they don't care.

Your other trusted friend is going to deny you, with cursing and swearing.

And all the others are going to leave you.

Why do you want to do this great sacrifice in vain for nothing?

And Jesus is under this tremendous burden and he struggles to his feet, longing for companionship, a word of encouragement from somebody, a human voice, a human arm, a human hand to support him.

He struggles over to where Peter, James, and John are, where he left them praying, and they had been praying for a little season, and finds them asleep.

Oh, if they could have just been awake and participate and have a part in the encouraging process.

The disciples barely wake up, barely stir as they look at Jesus.

It's so contorted and so twisted and it's so in anguish that they are horrified.

And they want to speak and Jesus says it's okay it's okay please pray tonight pray for me and pray for yourselves and Jesus returns to the place of prayer and Lucifer returns Again he comes close to him and whispers again, You know how the father hates sin?

If you go through with this sacrifice, you will be separated from your father and never ever will you see the father again It was a tremendous temptation You will cut yourself off forever And there was no hope for Jesus towards Sunday morning.

We are told that the sin was so dark, the sin of the world was so dark around Jesus it could not be penetrated.

There was no assurance and he struggled in the anguish and the pain that his whole body was in convulsion, contracting and working so much so that blood was squeezed out of the pores of his skin.

So Jesus struggles back up again over to the disciples, finds them asleep again.

Just a verse before we began reading on the way to the garden, Peter had said, Oh, Jesus said, you'll all leave me tonight.

And Peter said, No, not me, maybe everybody else.

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The Depth of His Love

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