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I. Introduction.
A. Orientation.
Jesus had prayed earlier
In His high priestly prayer
That for our sakes
He sanctified Himself
That we might be sanctified in the truth (17:19).
He wasnt saying
That He needed to be purified from sin
He is and ever will be
The spotless and blameless Lamb of God
But He was saying that He was setting Himself apart
To complete the task the Father had given Him
That He was placing His eyes on the cross,
And was determined to make this sacrifice,
And wouldnt allow anything to turn Him aside
So that He might give us His Spirit
To make the Word powerful in our lives,
So that we might become like Him.
B. Preview.
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Now we see the greatest example of this sanctification,
As Jesus faces what is perhaps His greatest temptation:
To avoid the cross to save His life.
So this morning,
Were going to take a detour into Lukes Gospel
To look at this important event.
II. Sermon.
A. First, lets consider the place of their prayer.
After Jesus had finished
Praying for Himself and His disciples,
They went to a garden
That they might all seek the Fathers strength.
John writes, When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples
over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, in which He entered
with His disciples (18:1).
This garden was located at the foot of the Mount of Olives,
Just east of Jerusalem.
It was called Gethsemane
Which means oil-press
Because it was full of olive trees.
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When our first father Adam
Failed to overcome the enemy of our souls;
So our life was gained in a garden
When the Son of Man gave Himself over to the enemy
To pay for the consequences of our sins.
We read in Luke 22:40, When He arrived at the place, He said to them, Pray
that you may not enter into temptation.
Jesus was about to face His greatest temptation,
But so were His disciples.
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He was simply expressing the desire
Of His human nature not to suffer.
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And His prayer became even more intense.
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He endured His Fathers wrath on the cross.
He was buried,
Rose again the third day,
And now He is in heaven
Enthroned over all power and authority.
Jesus prayed,
And the Father heard and answered Him.
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3. In closing,
Let me draw your attention to three things:
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It wasnt easy.
He had to wrestle with His desire to live.
He had to seek the Father
With all His heart and soul,
But thats what He did,
And He found Him.