you
How far difference is that time to the real time one minute behind
you
Sorry
How far difference is that time to the real time one minute behind you
you
him number 66, thanks brother
66
just two sixes
oh
there was
multiplied
to me
my burdens
liberty
at Calvary
alright help me out guys
by gods word at last my sin
I learned
then I trembled at the law
I'd spurned
till my guilty soul
to Calvary
whoa
mercy there was
great and grace was free
free pardon there was
multiplied to me
me then my burdens
on my liberty
at Calvary
oh the love
that true salvation's planned
oh the grace
that brought it down to man
oh the
might of that god
at Calvary
whoa
mercy there was
great and grace was free
free pardon there was
multiplied to me
me then my burdens
on my liberty
at Calvary
now I'm given
to Jesus everything
now I gladly
own him as my king
now my raptured soul
can only sing
of Calvary
whoa
mercy there was
great and grace was free
pardon there was
multiplied to me
me then my burdens
on my liberty
at Calvary
Amen
great singing
hymn number 22
are you washed in the blood of the lamb
hymn number 22
is that a yes?
are you washed in the blood of the lamb
hymn number 22
have you been to Jesus
are you washed in the blood of the lamb
are you washed in the blood
of the lamb
are you fully
trusting in his grace
are you washed in the blood
of the lamb
are you washed
in the blood
in the soul
of the lamb
are your garments
flawless
are they white as snow
are you washed in the blood
of the lamb
are you walking
daily by the Savior's side
are you washed in the blood
of the lamb
do you rest each moment
in the crucified
are you washed in the blood
of the lamb
are you washed
in the blood
in the soul
planting blood of the lamb
are your garments
are they white as snow
are you washed in the blood
of the lamb
when the bridegroom
comes will your rose be white
are you washed in the blood
of the lamb
will your soul be
ready for the mansion's
fright and be washed in the
blood of the lamb
are you washed
in the blood
in the soul
planting blood of the lamb
are your garments
flawless
are they white as snow
are you washed in the blood
of the lamb
lay aside the garments
that are stained with sin
and be washed in the blood
of the lamb
there's a fountain
flowing for the soul
unclean
are you washed
in the blood
in the soul planting blood
of the lamb
are your garments
flawless are they white as snow
are you washed in the blood
of the lamb
amen
great singing please take your Bibles and turn to
Matthew 26
Matthew 26 to be read by Matthew
Matthew 26 to be read by
Matthew
how old are you brother
are you 26
by Matthew 26
alright
up to verse 46
Matthew 26
and it came to pass
when Jesus had finished all these sayings
he said unto his disciples
you know that after two days
is the feast of the passover
and the son of man is betrayed to be
crucified
then assembled together the chief priests
and the scribes and the elders of the people
unto the palace of the high priest
who was called Caiaphas
and consulted that they might take
Jesus by subtlety and kill him
but they said
not on the feast day lest there be
an uproar among the people
now when Jesus was in Bethany
in the house of Simon the leper
there came unto him a woman having
an alabaster box
a very precious ointment
and poured it on his head and he sat at meat
but when his disciples saw it
they had indignation
saying to what purpose is this waste
for this ointment
might have been sold for much
and given to the poor
when Jesus understood it he said unto them
why trouble ye the woman
for she hath wrought a good work
upon me
for ye have the poor always with you
but me ye have not always
for in that she hath poured
this ointment on my body
she did it for my burial
verily I say unto you
wheresoever this gospel shall be
preached in the whole world
there shall also this
that this woman hath done
be told for a memorial of her
then one of the twelve
called Judas Iscariot
went unto the chief priests and said unto them
what will you give me
and I will deliver him unto you
and they covenanted with him
for thirty pieces of silver
and from that time he sought opportunity
to portray him
now the first day of the feast
of unleavened bread
the disciples came to Jesus saying unto him
where wilt thou
that we prepare for thee to eat the passover
and he said
go into the city to such a man
and say unto him the master sayeth
my time is at hand
I will keep the passover at thy house
with my disciples
and the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them
and they made ready the passover
now when the even was come
he sat down with the twelve
and as they did eat he said
verily I say unto you that one of you
shall betray me
and they were exceeding sorrowful
and began every one of them to say unto him
Lord is it I?
and he answered and said
he that dippeth his hand with me in the dish
the same shall betray me
the son of man goeth
as it is written of him
but woe unto that man
by whom the son of man is betrayed
it had been good
for that man if he had not been born
then Judas which betrayed him
answered and said
master is it I?
he said unto him thou hast said
and as they were eating Jesus took bread
and blessed it and break it and gave it
to the disciples and said
take, eat, this is
my body and he took the cup
and gave thanks and gave it to them
saying drink ye all of it
for this is my blood
of the new testament which is shed
for many for the remission of sins
but I say unto you
I will not drink henceforth of this fruit
of the vine until that day
when I drink it new with you
in my father's kingdom
and when they had sung a hymn they went
out into the mount of olives
then saith Jesus unto them
all ye shall be offended
because of me this night
for it is written I will smite the
shepherd and the sheep of the flock
shall be scattered abroad
but after I am risen again
I will go before you into Galilee
Peter answered and said unto him
though all men shall be offended
because of thee yet will I never
be offended Jesus saith unto
said unto him verily
I say unto thee that this night
before the cock crow thou
shall deny me thrice
Peter said unto him though I should
die with thee yet will
I not deny thee likewise
also said all the disciples
then cometh Jesus with them into a place
called Gethsemane
and saith unto the
disciples sit ye here
while I go and pray yonder
and he took with him
Peter and the two sons of Zebedee
and began to be sorrowful
and very heavy then
saith he unto them my soul
is exceeding sorrowful even unto
death tarry ye here
and watch with me
and he went a little farther
and fell on his face and prayed saying
oh my father
if it be possible let this cup pass from me
nevertheless
not as I will but as thou wilt
and he cometh unto the
disciples and findeth them asleep and
saith unto Peter what could
could ye not watch
with me one hour
watch and pray that ye enter not into
temptation the spirit indeed
is willing but the flesh is weak
he went away again the second
time and prayed saying oh my father
if this cup
may not pass away from me except
I drink it thy will be done
and he came and found them
asleep again for their eyes were heavy
and he left them and went
away again and prayed the third
time saying the same words
then cometh he to his disciples
and saith unto them sleep on now
and take your rest behold
the hour is at hand and the
son of man is betrayed into the hands
of sinners rise
let us be going behold
he is at hand that doth betray me
let's pray
holy father thank you for this opportunity
for us to be gathered here in your house
to hear the preaching from your word
bless us
through that preaching bless pastor
as he preaches fill in with your spirit
and give us soft hearts
and ears to listen and to
learn something from your holy word
in Jesus name we pray
Amen
Okay before I get to the sermon
just a shout out to Little Carolyn
she wanted to be here
we think she's here with us in spirit
she might be listening online
so Little Carolyn if you're listening online
special shout out to you
alright so
alright so we're there in Matthew 26
and of course Matthew 26 has a lot of great
stories in it you know
not just the lead up to Christ
but also his arrest
and in Matthew 26 we have
the Lord's table you know Jesus Christ is sharing
the bread and the grape juice and the drink there
with his disciples and of course
we're going to participate in the Lord's table in a moment
but I want to fast forward to an event that took place
after this when Jesus Christ goes
into the garden of Gethsemane to pray
you know Christ is preparing himself for
the greatest difficulty
that he's ever going to face
the greatest difficulty that any man could ever face
that is to die for the sins of the entire world
and so what I think we see
in this passage here of Jesus Christ
in the garden of Gethsemane is
a really great example of
how to get through difficulties
it's not just Christ that's going to go through
some difficulties but his disciples
are also going to go through some difficulties
okay if you have a look there in
Matthew 26
and look at verse number 31 Jesus Christ says
in Matthew 26 verse 31
so not only is Jesus Christ going to be smote
or smitten upon
you know it's going to cause the sheep of the shepherd
the sheep of the flock to be scattered
and so this is a difficult time for Jesus
but it's also going to be a difficult time for his disciples
and I want to show you
that obviously when we think of Christ
we know that he's successful
in getting through difficulties
and when we think of the disciples during this time
the three days and three nights
they were fearful, they were afraid
they ran for their lives, they hid themselves
for fear of the Jews
and so they both had a very different reaction
so I want to show you the preparedness of Jesus Christ
and I want you
because you know life has difficulties
you know there might be difficulties that you're about to face
and I want to show you by the example of Christ
how you compare yourself with such difficulties
look at Matthew 26 verse number 41
you know if you want to get through a difficult
a challenging time that you know is up ahead
then you need to watch and pray
you know to watch is to be aware
of difficulties
you know we should not be ignorant people
and just go through life like an airhead or something
you know there are problems
there are challenges right
life is not easy
we should be aware that there is always difficulties
there's always challenges ahead in our life
and sometimes we know things may develop in the future
you know we need to be watchful
we need to be aware, we need to be smart Christians
knowing that we're like sheep
being led to the slaughter
but watching is one thing
and of course prayer, prayer is self explanatory right
to ask God's help
to prepare for the difficulties
it's fine to watch yes
I understand difficult times are coming
but now we need to go in prayer to God
and say God help us through this time of difficulty
so then what is Christ going to do
he's finished the Lord's table
he knows that he's about to be arrested
and he's going to suffer greatly for our sins
but before he does that
he watches and prays doesn't he
so Matthew 26 verse number 31
Matthew 26 verse number 31
let's have a look at this
then saith Jesus unto them
all ye, actually no I read that already
sorry verse number 36
Matthew 26 verse number 36
then cometh Jesus with them
unto a place called Gethsemane
and saith unto the disciples
sit ye here
while I go and pray yonder
alright so Jesus Christ takes his disciples
so I need to go to a place of prayer
you guys wait here and I go and pray yonder
the first point that I have for you brethren
in order for you to get through difficulties
is that you need to go to a place alone
and get a hold of God
look when we talk about prayer
look I understand we prayed before
the preaching we prayed before
as we started the service we're going to pray
at the end of the service and you know the prayers
that we do in church you know there's some
20 seconds long 30 seconds long potentially
I'm not sure right but you know
you need to understand it's good to pray that way
it's fine to be talking to our Father
on a regular basis
but I strongly encourage you
there comes a time when you're going through a difficulty
that you just need to get away from everything
you need to find your garden
of Gethsemane as it were
and go alone and just spend some time
with God
just go alone and grab a hold of God
and say God I need your help
like you know
a 10 second prayer is not going to be enough
you need to spend time with our Lord God
and brethren you know we have relationships
we have friendships in our church
and of course when we spend time together
you know it's not just 10 seconds
alright hey brother see you later brother
alright all good no no
in order to develop our relationship
in order to be able to share difficulties
you need to get to know one another
you know God reveals who he is by his word
you know God has given us
you know a way to communicate to him
and that is to pray
please brethren there's been many times in my life
when I've had to just go to a place
all on my own
and just pour my soul out to the Lord
my question to you is
when is the last time you've done that
when is the last time that you've just got on your hands
and your knees and you bowed your head
and say Lord it's just you and me
I need to talk to you Lord I've got so many things
that I need to get off my chest
you know as human beings
we love to run to man we love to run
maybe to the pastor we love to run to a therapist
a psychologist or someone
you know you need to run to God
when it's difficult you run to him
like he knows your pain
he knows what you're going to go through
like no man can really understand
what it is like to be in your shoes
but Christ knows because he paid for your penalty
he paid for your sins he paid for your difficulties
he paid for the consequences of your sins
so brethren point number one is go to a place alone
and get a hold of God
you know I want you to get through difficulties
it's said there in verse number 41
watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation
what is temptation?
temptation is not a sin
we're all tempted
temptation can be a reference to
being tempted to sin
or it could be a trial
a difficult time
and we all go through temptation
the trial or the temptation in of itself is not sinful
but if you fail
if you give in to that temptation
that is when it becomes sinful
and Jesus Christ just makes it very clear
watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation
you know if you're struggling with some sin in your life
that you're just battling day after day after day
what is the answer?
watch and pray
be vigilant
be aware
stop giving in to the flesh
understand what the dangers are
that are causing you to give in to that temptation
and go to God in prayer
like if you're tempted to do something so wicked
and you say you know what before I
and before I do I'm just going to say Lord help me
Lord I want to think of you
I want to think of your son and your sacrifice
and Lord right now I'm struggling
I need to go to you Lord
I'm telling you there's something about that
closeness with the Lord
going to him grabbing him one on one
that's where you're going to find victory
point number one is go to a place alone
and get a hold of God
let's keep going there verse number 37
I don't want to preach to long brethren I hope
verse number 37
and the two sons of Zebedee
so that's James and John
and began to be very sorrowful and very heavy
of course he's going to pay a great penalty
look at what he says
verse number 38
Jesus Christ takes his three best friends
and says guys can you watch with me
can you watch and pray with me
the next point that I have for you brethren
the next point that I have for you brethren is
ask others to watch and pray for you
yes you're going through difficulties
there's nothing wrong with
going to people that you care about
and look we've been blessed with a great church here
blessed at Hope Baptist Church
you can go to your brothers and sisters
and say you don't even need to share necessarily
what it is that you're going through
if you're kind of ashamed of what it is
the Lord knows
you go to say brother look I'm going through a difficulty
can you please keep me in prayer
you know brother I'm going through some challenges
in my marriage right now
sister can you please pray for me
these things are good these things are proper
even if you're not at church
some of you travel far to be in church
you know we've got the church chat you can use that
people use that praise God when you do
when someone's going through a challenge
brethren can you please pray for me I'm in a tough situation
point number two is
ask others to watch and pray for you
that's what he does right
Jesus Christ takes his three best friends
the sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful
very heavy then saith he unto them
my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death
tarry ye here and watch
with me
makes me really sad
because I know they don't watch with Christ
they fall asleep you know
but
we see the example
it's a good example to watch and pray
you know it makes me sad because there are people that say to me
pastor can you pray for me and I forget
you know and I've
had to make a decision you know as soon as someone says
to me can you please pray about the situation
I'm like I'm going to pray about it now then
alright I'm going to stop whatever it is I'm doing
and I'm just going to spend a moment and say Lord
please this person has asked for prayer
can you please hear what they have to say
can you please work with brother so and so or sister so and so
it makes me so sad
when I forget to pray just like these
disciples you know the story they fall asleep
they don't pray with Christ he's about to go through
the greatest suffering any man can ever go through
ask
ask others to watch and pray for you
so as I said you've got a pastor
you know if you've got difficulties please reach out to me
you don't have to give me all of it I don't really want
all your dirty laundry okay
but you just share just briefly what it is and I promise
I'll be there I don't want to promise because I haven't
done it all the time but I'll be there
you know I want to make sure that I'll bow my head
and take your requests to the father
you know this is good to pray for one another
verse number 39
and he went a little further and fell
on his face and prayed
saying oh my father
I want you to notice the next words
if it be possible
let this cup pass from me
nevertheless not as I
will but as thou wilt
first thing I want you to notice he goes to the
father he prays falls on his face
when's the last time you prayed like that
falling on your face
this is why you need to sometimes get alone
like it's not you know probably in front of a church
you know it's a bit embarrassing maybe
but you know you go alone with God
and just fall on your face
get on your knees, put your head down on the floor
just break, humble yourself
you know when you put yourself in that
position bodily it helps your heart
be softened you know and go before
God as a needy person
if it be possible
let this cup pass from me
what he says to the father is is there any other
possible way
you know for mankind to be
saved from their sins
what is another possible outcome
brethren the next point
that I have for you point number 3
is consider various
possible outcomes
consider various possible outcomes
what are you talking about pastor
there's not always
one way to do things you need to understand
okay if you're going to go for a
difficulty you know I say this to
people you guys know I say this
don't put all of your eggs in one basket
because you don't know if that option is going to work out
Christ is asking if it be possible
are there other possibilities
you know you need to go to the Lord and say
Lord what are the possibilities, what are the outcomes
let me give you an example
I had a great desire
to start a church
you know 5 years ago, almost 6 years ago
desire to start a church and I'm here in Sydney
I'm thinking well there's a lot of great churches in Sydney
you know Lord I
believe you want me to go somewhere
but where is that where you want me to go
what are the possible outcomes
what are the possible destinations
that you would want me to go
I don't know
I don't know Australia really all that well
I never even heard of the Sunshine Coast
believe it or not
I heard of Queensland but not the Sunshine Coast
Lord where, where do I go
and I picked my family up, we went to Adelaide
just for a whole holiday, family holiday
so Lord is it Adelaide, I'll go to Adelaide
I'll go visit some churches and see how the
how the situation is of people preaching the gospel
and I came back and
I said well Adelaide's
Adelaide was once in the 80s
the hub of the independent Baptist movement
and I kind of thought well if that's the case
and there was a lot of IFB churches there
you know Adelaide has had its opportunity
I want to go to a place where the gospel
is not being preached
you know
and it's like you just have to say Lord what are the
what are the scenarios
not my will but thy will be done
I don't know Lord
and you've got to be open
and flexible
with the Lord
you know sometimes we have our will
and we want it our way but it's not always the Lord's way
but it's fine
say Lord these are the scenarios at hand
where do you want me to go
eventually the Lord opened the doors for me in particular
to go to the Sunshine Coast
never heard of the place before
what a beautiful place to go
okay I'm very thankful for that
I'm not just in your life Baptist Church
but blessed are Baptist Church as an example
I was in church and they were without fellowship
they were without churches
and I just decided Lord what are the outcomes
what are the possible scenarios what do we do
you know I love the brethren there in Sydney
what do we do Lord
you know so I came to visit Sydney
try to meet with the families and it's like well
maybe we can just start a bit of a fellowship
you know a bit of a ministry of New Life Baptist Church down in Sydney
a bit of a bandaid solution to see how things go
I don't know maybe our old pastor is going to fix things up
and you guys can return back there
I don't know maybe there's another great church in Sydney
that you guys can get plugged into
I don't know maybe this church can take off and be its own thing
I don't know
Lord it's up to you what are the possible outcomes
and you need to be flexible
when you allow yourself to be flexible
you're allowing the Lord God to guide you
and to direct you in the way that he wants you to go
Matthew 26 let's continue there in verse number 40
and he cometh unto the disciples
and findeth them asleep
and saith unto Peter
What could ye not watch with me one hour?
How long did Jesus Christ go and pray?
One hour
He comes back Peter's asleep
He said Peter you could not watch with me one hour
Reverend when's the last time you prayed for one hour?
When's the last time you prayed for an hour?
So most of our prayers are 20 seconds long
Look Christ is the example
Christ is God
and even he prays for an hour to the Father
when he's about to face difficulties
Are you better than Christ?
Am I better than Christ?
Of course not
Point number 4 and I kind of mentioned it a bit earlier
but a five minute prayer would not suffice
You know you're about to go to some challenge
some difficulty you've got some big decisions to make in life
Five minutes is not going to cut it
I know you probably think you only have five minutes
That's why you need to go alone and find God
and grab a hold of him
and say Lord at least an hour I'm going to watch and pray
Christ returns to Peter his friend
Peter's asleep
We start to realize why Christ is successful
as he goes through difficulties and why the disciples fail
We start to understand why the disciples are fearful
and they scatter and they hide from the fear of the Jews
because they're not preparing themselves
They're not watching and praying they're going to sleep
I'm the kind of guy that needs my sleep
I know if I was one of these disciples in the time of Jesus I'd be sleeping
I know that it's been a long day
It's early in the morning when Christ gets arrested and all that stuff
I can understand I need my sleep
So I can understand but brethren
when there's difficulties and the Lord's been warning them
leading up to all of this just how difficult it's going to be
They're going to smite the shepherd and the sheep are going to be scattered
What did Peter say?
He'll never deny the Lord
He's willing to die for the Lord Peter says
He's asleep already
He can't even watch and pray for one hour
So brethren can you please keep your finger there and come with me to Genesis 32
Genesis 32
Brother Ash I know I've preached on this
Wasn't New Life Baptist Church on the wrestling or Blessed Hope?
Jacob wrestling with God
Was it New Life?
I was New Life
So this is still new for you guys, hopefully
Okay let's go to Genesis 32
Genesis 32 verse 24
Maybe I did preach this here I don't know
But Genesis 32 verse 24
We have this amazing story of Jacob wrestling with God
And Jacob was left alone, verse 24
And there wrestled a man with him
Until the breaking of the day
Until right now that man is Jesus
The only one that's a man, he says later on I saw God
But he says he's a man
There's only one that is man and God
That's the Lord Jesus Christ
He's wrestling Jesus
Why would Jesus want to wrestle?
What is this show of strength?
And they wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day
They're wrestling all night long until the morning comes
I mean imagine that, wrestling that long
My kids are Taekwondo
And like after an hour of training
They're done, they're exhausted
Imagine going all day long wrestling with someone
Wrestling with someone, verse 25
And when he saw that he prevailed not against him
So he's not winning this battle right?
This wrestling match
He touched the hollow of his thigh
And the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joints
As he wrestled with him
Jacob is not letting go of Jesus
They're both wrestling
Jacob is not letting go
He's got a hold of Jesus Christ
And he won't let go
And he said, let me go
Jesus Christ is saying, let me go
For the day breaketh
Come on Jacob, we've been doing this all night
And he said, Jacob said
I will not let thee go
Except thou bless me
But when's the last time you prayed like this?
This is a picture of prayer
I know we're not going to physically wrestle Christ
But praying is not easy
Yeah, 20 seconds is okay
Have you ever tried to pray for one hour?
I bet you start praying one hour
Your mind starts wandering on other things
How many times have I prayed at night
Exhausted and then I wake up in the morning
Did I finish my prayer?
I'm exhausted, this was a wrestling match
I don't think I got through that
I think I lost that match
But Jacob would not let go
He says, I will not let thee go
Except thou bless me
This is a hard time for Jacob
He's returning back to see his twin brother Esau
Who had made a vow to kill Jacob
He needs the Lord to bless him
He needs spiritual victory over his brother Esau
Verse number 27
And he said unto him, what is thy name?
And he said, Jacob
And he said, thy name shall be called no more Jacob
But Israel
For as a prince, thou hast looked power with God
And with men
And hast prevailed
Jesus says, you've won
Lord, you've got power over men
And power with God
And with men
Brethren, you've got power with God
You just have to bow your head
And speak to the Lord
And grab a hold of him all day long
All night long
And say, Lord, I'm not going to let go until you bless me
I'm not going to let go until you give me an answer
Until you direct my paths
Look, the Lord blesses Jacob
With this attitude
You know, the Lord wants us to go
And go in that wrestling match with him
He wants to see your heart and your soul
And your tears
And your strength
Given all in prayer to Jesus Christ
Can you do it?
Power with God
And with men
He has power over his brother Esau
Esau's heart gets changed
Esau had made a vow to kill his brother Jacob
But when Esau sees Jacob
He embraces him, he hugs him
Peace between the twins
Peace between the twin brothers
Because Jacob went all night long with God
Can you do that?
Five minutes, point number four
A five minute prayer will not suffice
It's got to be an all night prayer
And look, I'm not saying that you're going to do that every night
But there just comes a time when you're just at your wit's end
Have you ever been like that?
When you just don't know the answer
You don't know what the next steps are
You don't know what God wants in your life
Don't come to me
And it's going to be exhausting
But it needs to be done
Back to Matthew 26
And verse number 41
Watch and pray
That ye enter not into temptation
It's the only way to overcome the temptations in your life
You've got to watch and pray
Look at this
But the flesh is weak
Look, the flesh of Peter and the disciples
It's weak, they've fallen asleep
Jesus Christ said, your spirit is willing
Like the new man, when you're saved
You have the new man, you're born of the spirit
The spirit is willing
The spirit is the one that says
You know what, I'm going to watch and pray
All night long
I'm going to go hour long in prayer with my Lord God
That's the spirit
When you start, your body's like, oh man, this is tiring
It's the flesh, your flesh is weak
This is why you fail
This is why you give in to temptation
This is why, when difficulties come
You know, you're at your wits end
You've not prepared yourself
The flesh is weak
But God knows this, Christ knows this
Reverend, the point number 5 that I have for you tonight is
Address your weaknesses and limitations
We all have strengths and weaknesses
One thing we see here
Your spirit is strong
But your flesh is weak
You say, hold on
My spirit is strong, my flesh is weak
Then I should always win in the new man
No, the reason you lose is because your flesh is weak
Like, the new man needs to operate through this flesh
And if this flesh is weak, you're not going to succeed
You're going to run away when times get tough
You know, you're going to be scattered
When things get difficult
You're not going to be able to stand for Christ
As much as you think you will
We have Peter
Don't forget Peter in this story
It's like, I'm going all the way
I'm willing to die, I'll never deny you
Before the morning starts
He's ready to deny Christ three times
You need to just realize who you are
Yes, praise God, you're saved
Praise God, you have the new man that is willing
The new man within you
Loves God, wants to serve him
Wants to always do the right things
Wants to be in church
Wants to sing praises
But the reason you fail
Is because of your flesh
That flesh is sinful
You know, when you sin, it's in this body
It's done in this body
The spirit remains untainted, praise God for that
You know, you're not going to heaven in this body
Thank God
I don't want to take this corrupt body to heaven
God one day has promised us a new body one day
But hey, in my spirit I can go to heaven
Because it's without sin
It's untainted
That spirit is willing
That spirit is strong, my flesh is weak
And keep your finger there
And come with me to Galatians 6
Come with me to Galatians chapter 6
Address your weaknesses and limitations
As much as you might want to do great things for God
You are limited
And you have weaknesses
And there are ways around this
One great thing is church
Because, like I said, we all have strengths and weaknesses
An area where one might be weak
Someone else in church might be strong
And where that person is weak
There might be someone else in church that is strong
In that area
That's the advantage of church
Because we're the body of Christ, we're here together
We're serving the Lord together
And we can help each other as we come to church
And serve our Lord Jesus Christ
I mean think of the example of a
Let's say one man is a plumber
And one man is an electrician
And the plumber needs electrical work done in his house
But he's weak at that, he doesn't know how to do it
And the man, the electrician has some plumbing work
That needs to be done in his house
But he doesn't know how to do the plumbing
But those two come together and go, look, we've got weaknesses
And we've got strengths
You come to my house, you do the electrical work
You come to my house and you do the plumbing work
And you help each other out
You're focused on your strengths
That's the advantage of being amongst God's people
Because we're all different
We all present different gifts and different abilities
Different strengths
But we also have weaknesses
And I want to read there in Galatians 6, verse number 7
This is so important
This is how you win the battle of the flesh
It says in Galatians 6, 7
Be not deceived
God is not mocked
For whatsoever a man soweth
That shall he also reap
You want to reap?
What do you want to reap in life?
You say, I want to be always loyal and faithful to my God
I want to be in church
Every service if I can
I want to read through my Bible
At least the entire Bible once a year
I want to go out soul winning
I want to make sure I get out there at least
At least one hour a week
Whatever your numbers are
But look, God is not mocked
I know your spirit is willing
But you need to make sure that you sow to the right things
Let's keep going there
In verse number 8 it says
For he that soweth to his flesh
Shall of the flesh reap corruption
But he that soweth to the spirit
Shall of the spirit reap life everlasting
Look, you're saved by grace through faith
On the finished work of Christ
His death, burial and resurrection
But now that you're saved you have a dual nature
The flesh and the spirit
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
But you've got a choice now in your life
Which one am I going to sow to?
Which one am I going to feed?
Like, you know, sowing is basically throwing out seeds
For some fruitful season to come
Well, there's a lot that we do in our flesh
There's a lot that we do that just has no eternal value
When you sow to the spirit it says you reap life everlasting
When you reap into the spirit
These things matter for eternity
Like living godly and doing what God asks from you from God's word
This matters for eternity because Christ is going to reward you
If you win souls that matters for eternity
Because that soul can go to heaven with you
But there are things that you do on this earth
That has no eternal value
All it does is feed the flesh
Hollywood movies
Okay
The entertainment, the music industry
You know, whatever it is
I don't even know music artists anymore
All I know is from the 80s and 90s
I have no idea what's happening these days
But you know, if you just give yourself to these things that
You know does not please the Lord
You know there's no eternal value to these things
You're sowing to the flesh
You're giving what the flesh wants
And brethren, if you
You know, the example that I've heard many times
If you had two dogs
And you feed one dog
But the other dog you don't feed
And they get into a battle
Which one's going to win?
Obviously the one that you fed
That one's going to be strong
And the one that you haven't fed is going to be weaker
And you know, come a battle time
The strong one's going to win
But if you sow to your flesh, you give what your flesh wants
Over and over and over again
Thank God that you're in church
You're sowing to the spirit right now
But brethren, when it comes to the type of temptation
And you sow into the flesh
The flesh doesn't get stronger
It gets weaker the more you sow to that stupid flesh
Because it reaps corruption in you
You give your flesh everything it wants
When it comes time to temptation
You're going to give in to those temptations and sin against the Lord
It gets weaker and weaker and weaker
And brethren, you need time to sow to the spirit
You know, going and having a prayer time with the Lord
One hour, or resting all night if you have to
That's sowing to the spirit
That's a good thing to do
Reading your Bible
You know, coming to church
And applying, more important
Applying what you hear at church
These things are sowing to the spirit
Getting baptised
Sowing to the spirit
Fulfilling the great commission
Going soul winning
These things, sowing to the spirit
Loving the brethren
Serving the brethren
Reading the Bible at church
Singing together
Praises to Jesus Christ
Participating over the Lord's table tonight
This is all sowing to the spirit
We've got to watch and pray
Because life is not easy
And you've got to find yourself just constantly
Giving in to the flesh
Constantly failing
When you sow to that flesh that gets in the way
So brethren
Address your weakness
Your flesh is weak
Address your limitations
Your spirit is willing
Your spirit is strong
Your spirit serves the Lord
Then you've got to strengthen that spirit
By sowing to the spirit
By doing what the Lord requests from you
Come back with me to Matthew 26
Matthew 26 and verse number 42
So Christ
We saw he went to pray for one hour
He comes back, Peter's asleep
Christ is a bit frustrated at this
And then he goes and prays again
He says in verse number 42
He went away again the second time
And prayed
You know
What an example of Christ though
This might be another hour, I don't know
I don't know exactly how long he prayed for
But I want you to notice a change
Remember he said to the Father before
If it be possible
Look what he says this time when he prays
Oh my Father
If this cup may not pass away from me
Except I drink it
Thy will be done
Instead of saying Lord is it possible
Is there other possibilities
Now Christ realizes no, this is the only one
This is the only choice
This is the only way it can happen
He gives thy will be done
Point number six that I have for you brethren
Accept the will of God
I know there are possibilities, different outcomes
And as I said to you, you need to listen to the Lord's
Guidance
But brethren again
One of the only ways you're going to get the guidance from the Lord
Is just getting out there
And just praying
Get out there alone, let me encourage you
Find a place that you can be by yourself
For a few hours
Get a hold of God
And say Lord what is your will
And you can see he goes and prays the second time
Now he knows definitely the will of the Father
He says if this cup may not pass away from me
And I drink it
Thy will be done except I drink it
Thy will be done
And the will of God
I've been sharing this with a few people actually recently
You know God opens doors and God closes doors
And you need to
You need to set aside
Your preferences
Okay
And say Lord what door are you opening right now
And then you've got to take that door
You've got to walk through that door
Because then doors close
You know when I was telling you about New Life Baptist Church
I said Lord where do you want me to go
And the doors started to open
And the doors opened for Sunshine Coast
I met someone looking for a church
And I was like Lord maybe you want me to go there
It doesn't look like the churches that are there are preaching the gospel
Maybe that's where you want me to go
I've shared this story many times
I said Lord maybe
Maybe that's the will I don't know
Are there any other possibilities
And then my parents come up to me about a month later
They've never been to the Sunshine Coast
And they're like Kevin we're going to the Sunshine Coast on holidays
Do you want to come with us?
I was like well
That's where I need to go if the doors are opening
And I went on my holidays and met other people
Tried to get brethren together
And then
Got back here
Met some friends in Newcastle
One day and
I shared with him look I'm thinking of starting a church one day
And he's like
I told him I'm thinking of the Sunshine Coast
What do you reckon?
I forgot that he's from Queensland
He's from Brisbane originally I forgot about that
And on my last trip to the Sunshine Coast
I told my wife I said you know what I think we're going to start a church in Caloundra
In the Caloundra area
Of the Sunshine Coast
Anyway I'm talking to my friend I'm thinking
I'm thinking of going to the Sunshine Coast what do you reckon
He says to me you know what that's probably the best place to go
And I highly recommend that you go study in Caloundra
So I was like alright
Lord that's enough
And there were other things that led up to it
But it became very obvious that's exactly
Where God wanted me to go
But I realised if I don't go
If I don't make a decision
If I don't settle this
And start preparing our journey
That door can close
Like this is the time
The Lord has opened the doors
And if I don't walk through those doors
I'm afraid what might happen because I've been asking God
Where do you want me to go
Lord what is your will?
What is your desire?
You know when I told my wife that I wanted to start a church
She said oh anywhere but Queensland
The Lord's will be done
The Lord's will be done right
God's will is better than your will
You'll learn that in time
I promise you'll learn that in time if you don't know that already
Because I've not been young
I remember being 14 years old and saying
I want my will
Lord can you just make it happen for me
The way I want things to happen
Man if it was my will I'd have three kids
God never gave me three kids
We went from one to two to four
Twins
If it was my will that's it free kids
God's will is better than your will
That's it free kids
God's will is better, God knows
Once you get to four, five doesn't matter anymore
Once you get to five, six doesn't matter anymore
And that's the journey
But accept the will of God
He's got the best interest for you
And I'm telling you if you just walk in God's will
He's going to make sure you're equipped
And able to get through your difficulty
Your challenge
The big question marks that you have in life
God will equip you
It's his will
If it's his will he'll make it happen
You know if it's God's will
He makes sure the finances are there
He'll make it happen
He'll give you the job, he'll give you the relationship
He'll give you the children, he'll give you the family
He'll give you the friends, he'll give you the church
As long as you step into God's will
Accept the will of God in your life
Verse number 43
And he came and found them asleep again
For their eyes were heavy
And he left them and went away again
And prayed the third time saying the same words
What are the same words?
He's accepted, right?
Thy will be done
He's accepted the will of the Father
But notice again the disciples
Like we're comparing Jesus with the disciples
It's a totally different attitude
They're about to go through some of the biggest challenges in their life
Different attitude
Christ goes a third time to pray
Reverend, again a good example
Remember Jesus is God
Jesus is God
Are you better than Jesus?
Then you need to go to God at least three times
You need to go to God three hours
One hour, another hour, another hour
Until you get the answer you need
Until you get the help that you need
Now this passage doesn't explain what happened
Another gospel it is
The Father sends angels to minister unto Christ
If you know the story
So the Lord God, the Father
Comforts and encourages the Son
And I'm telling you
When you just spend a long time with God
And just pour out your hearts
And you say Lord your will not my will be done
I promise you you're going to be encouraged
You're going to be lifted up
You're going to have a great time
Sometimes when people hit the gym
They get exhausted and are like that was a great workout
It feels good after a good workout
When you spend time alone with God
And have a good workout with God
A good wrestling match with God
Sow into the Spirit
So it says the same words
Look at verse number 45
Then cometh he to his disciples
And saith unto them sleep on now
And take your rest
Now you're saying Jesus Christ feels sorry for them
Letting them sleep
He's using irony
Do you know what irony is?
It's basically
Conveying the opposite to what your words are
Jesus Christ is not saying
Have a sleep guys
Sleep on now and take your rest
Behold the hour is at hand
And the Son of Man is betrayed
Into the hands of sinners
So he's saying alright guys just go to sleep
Because I'm about to be betrayed right now
Because then he says this
Rise, wake up, let us be going
Behold he is at hand
That doth betray me
So verse number 46 is really what he means
Wake up, come on, now is the time
So the whole sleep on now is just
Just the irony right
It's expressing the opposite to what he said
You know Christ is telling you
Look you've lost your chance
You might as well just keep sleeping then
Like you've lost your chance to watch and pray
And you know brethren
When you see something down the track
Some challenge that you're about to face
Prepare yourself
Okay don't just go
I'll deal with that when I get there
Prepare yourself now
Son of Gethsemane and prepare yourself now
Because once the challenge and the difficulty
Comes in your life
It's too late
You've not prepared yourself
The disciples did not prepare themselves
They were scattered
They fled
They were fearful for their lives
They were hiding until Christ was resurrected
Listen the disciples failed
During those three days and three nights
But of course Jesus Christ was victorious
He went through the biggest challenge
That is anyone
The Lord God has gone through
Paying for your sins, my sins, the sins
Of the whole world upon himself
Point number seven brethren is don't neglect
Your opportunity to watch and pray
Don't neglect the opportunity to watch and pray
Because before you know it
There's the challenge
There's the trouble
There's the difficulty right around the corner
And there's not enough time anymore
You've got to face the difficulty
Have you prepared? Jesus Christ prepared
Watch and pray
And as I said brethren I know
I failed
Pray for me is hard
Like attending church is easier
Than praying for me
I don't know why that is
Maybe it's because I'm the pastor and I've got to be here
I don't know what it is
But spending that time with the Lord is hard
It's hard
And you've got to find time because our lives are busy
But brethren you've got to be watchful
Be alert
Don't be stupid Christian
Stupid is not the right word
Don't be negligent Christians
Okay
Satan is as a lion roaring about seeking whom he may devour
You know we live in a world
The devil is the prince of this world
You've got the battle of your flesh
You've got a battle in your mind
There are so many battles
It's exhausting
And in order for you to have victory when the challenges come
In order for you to overcome temptations
You must watch and pray
Interesting conclusion
Let me just give you the seven points
From this story
Number one
Go to a place alone and get a hold of God
Number two
Ask others to watch and pray for you
Number three
Consider various possible outcomes
Number four
A five minute prayer will not suffice
Number five
Address your weaknesses and limitations
Number six
Relect your opportunity to watch and pray
Okay let's pray
Yes Heavenly Father
Lord I want to thank you for the example of Christ
Lord as he was about to face the most difficult time to take on the sins of the world
Lord what an example he's given us
To go to the Garden of Gethsemane
And to go in prayer three times to speak to you
And Lord I just thank you that you've made us your children
I thank you that you've given us access to you Lord in prayer
And Lord I pray we would not take it for granted that we can speak to the God of the universe
The God that can help us in all difficulties and trials
The God that can help us have victory over temptations
And Lord help us to have that wrestling match with you Lord sometimes
We need to get a hold of you
And we can't let go Lord
Help us not to let go
Help us not to give in to the weak flesh
But to Lord in the strength of the new man
As we sow toward this new man
Lord you would give us a victorious Christian life
And Lord please help us for that
And Lord please help us for all the difficulties and temptations that we go through in life
We pray all these things in Jesus name
Amen
Alright please take your hymnals
And turn with me to hymn number 250
Obviously the theme of all our songs are about the cross and the sacrifice of our Lord
250
Burdens are lifted at Calvary
250
Burdens are lifted at Calvary
Jesus is very near
Burdens are lifted at Calvary
Calvary
Burdens are lifted at Calvary
Jesus is very near
Cast your care on Jesus today
Leave your worry at fear
Burdens are lifted at Calvary
Jesus is very near
Burdens are lifted at Calvary
Calvary
Burdens are lifted at Calvary
Jesus is very near
Traumatized
The Saviour can see
Every heartache and tear
Burdens are lifted at Calvary
Jesus is very near
Burdens are lifted at Calvary
Calvary
Burdens are lifted at Calvary
Jesus is very near