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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Jevede Harris

Gethsemane’s Cup

I'd like to thank you so much for that beautiful rendition.

Now, how are you feeling this morning being in the house of the Lord?

Ellen White writes in the desire of ages page 83, it would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ.

We should take it point by point and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones.

As we thus dwell upon this great sacrifice for us, our confidence in him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with his spirit.

This morning, I invite you to join me in doing just that, to spend a thoughtful few moments contemplating the life of Christ, especially the closing scenes.

As we do, allow your imagination, as Ellen White recommends, to grasp each scene.

And it is my prayer that we will each leave here with a renewed love for Lord.

The, much of the first part of this message will be from the Desire of Ages, the chapter entitled Gethsemane, after which we will just look at some practical applications for our lives today.

Please bow your heads with me as we ask for the Lord's blessings.

Our dear Father in heaven, we thank you so much, Lord, for another wonderful Sabbath.

We thank you for the life of Jesus, And as we contemplate, Lord, what you endured for us in Gethsemane, we pray that your Holy Spirit will move upon our hearts in ways that only the Holy Spirit can.

And please, renew our love for you, We pray in the name of Jesus, amen.

Our message this morning is entitled Gethsemane's Cup.

The Passover moon, broad and full, shines from a cloudless sky.

Its dim light illuminates the silhouettes of Jesus and his disciples as they make their way slowly toward the garden of Gethsemane.

The city of pilgrims' test is hushed into silence.

Peace and serenity perfume the immediate atmosphere, But within the heart of Jesus is sorrow so agonizingly intense that he is forced to exclaim his anguish.

My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.

He longs for his friends to understand something of his agony.

They have never seen Jesus so utterly sad and despondent.

Oh, but a few days before, he was preaching boldly in the temple and had silenced his foes.

Like a fortress, he had stood resolute in the past and had confidently declared, He that sent me is with me.

The Father hath not left me alone, for I do always those things that please him.

But now he can barely stand upon his feet.

Now he seems to be shut out from the light of God's sustaining presence.

Now he is numbered with the transgressors.

The guilt of fallen humanity he must bear.

Upon him who knows No sin must be laid the iniquity of us all.

So great is the weight of guilt which he must bear that he is tempted to fear it will shut him out forever from his father's presence, from his father's love.

Feeling how terrible is God's wrath against transgression, he exclaimed, my soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.

It is the wrath of God in all its terribleness that Jesus is beginning to experience.

Listen as he groans aloud as if suffering under the pressure of a terrible burden.

Every step he now takes is labored with effort.

Twice his disciples have to support his swaying form to keep him from falling to the ground.

Yet the agony he's experiencing is only the beginning.

Jesus seeks his favorite spot, you know, that place where he's used to holding sweet communion with his father.

But tonight, tonight there's no sweet communion.

He falls to the ground and prostrating himself, clings to the ground as though trying to prevent himself from being separated from his father by the accumulation of sins past, present, and future.

How deep is the gulf, how broad, how deep, how black is the gulf that he now sees between his soul and his father's love.

This agony he must not, cannot exert his divine power to escape or man would be eternally accursed.

As man he must suffer the consequences of man's sin.

In man's place, he must endure the wrath of God against transgression.

See his wounded heart, pierced with many sorrows.

The apostle says he was in the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not.

He came unto his own and his own received him not.

As Isaiah prophesied he is despised and rejected by those, the very ones for whom he's about to make the supreme sacrifice, the very ones whom he had ordained to be the progenitor of the Messiah.

Now here he is in Gethsemane, and the world is as ignorant of and apathetic toward his agony as they were concerning his birth.

The sense of God's wrath crushing out his life on the 1 hand and Satan's persistence in amplifying the hopelessness of his cause on the other, Jesus solemnly contemplates the price to be paid for the human soul.

Oh my father, his words now bathed with tears, fall like lead from a heavy heart, broken.

If it is possible, let this cup pass from me.

The cup had already been placed in Jesus's trembling hands, but his human nature shrank from imbibing its bitter contents.

Father, If I don't have to drink this cup, please take it away from me.

Yet even now he adds, nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.

There's no thundering voice from heaven declaring, you are my beloved son, in thee I am well pleased.

Except of course for the snoring of Peter, James, and the apostle whom Jesus loved.

With the cup still in his hand, he hasn't even tasted it yet, he stumbles over to his sleeping disciples.

He's hoping to find at least 1 of his friends praying for him.

Terrible is the temptation to let the human race bear the consequences of their own sin.

If only he can have some assurance that someone appreciates and understands his agony.

If somehow he could understand or get some assurance that he is not alone, then maybe, maybe He could be strengthened to drink this cup.

His closest companions have hit that snooze button repeatedly.

He doesn't think it's possible for his heart to sink any deeper into sorrow, pain, and loneliness.

He pleads with his disciples, startled awake by his presence, to watch and pray.

Seized again by superhuman agony, Jesus staggers back tired and exhausted to the place of his former struggle.

His suffering intensifies to such unbelievable proportions that his sweat is like great drops of blood.

It's an exceptionally rare phenomenon known as hematidrosis in which the human being suffering under intense stress can sweat blood.

Staring at that mysterious cup in his hand, completely repulsed by its bitter content, he once again cries, my father, if this cup may not pass away except I drink it Thy will be done Once again Jesus seeks comfort but Peter James and John are still sleeping And so he staggers off 1 last time.

Even now Jesus might wipe the bloody sweat from his brow.

Even now he may stand upon his feet and reclaim the divinity he had laid aside.

Even now he might refuse to drink the cup of Gethsemane.

With a love that would not let us go, the words fall tremblingly from his pale, chapped, quivering lips.

Oh, my father, if this cup may not pass from me except I drink it, thy will be done." He sees the power of sin and the fate of humanity.

He sees our utter helplessness and hopelessness and his mind is made up, he will save man at any cost to himself.

He will die, even eternally, if he might save 1.

The baptism of blood he accepts, that through him perishing millions may have life.

Having thus made up his mind, Jesus lies dying on the ground.

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Gethsemane’s Cup

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