Are You Overwhelmed & Unappreciated? (AM Sermon Notes)
Mother’s Day 2018
GIST: Do you feel overwhelmed and unappreciated? Look to Jesus and find your strength in Him.
SCRIPTURE: Mark 14:32-50
32 And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. 34 And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” 35 And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 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.” 37 And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. 41 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. 42 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
43 And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.” 45 And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 46 And they laid hands on him and seized him. 47 But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. 48 And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? 49 Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.” 50 And they all left him and fled.
First, let me just say, “Happy Mother’s Day!” We have been blessed with some absolutely wonderful, God-fearing women in this church. Let’s take a moment to just thank them for that.
I went back and forth on what to cover on this Sunday morning. For a while, I thought this would be one of the only times in this Mark series where we would have to go “off script” a bit, and I was fine with that. This is a special day for many special women, and while I never want any sermon to only address one part of the congregation, I still wanted to make sure we honored them today. However, while talking with my wife (who happens to be a wonderful mom) about completely separate issues and thinking about not only the impact mom’s have on people’s lives, but also what those lives must be like for them, I realized, once again, the passage we would have been coming to this week anyway, is likely just the passage we need to address (and really, should I be surprised by that anymore?☺)
We’re coming to Jesus praying in Gethsemane. It’s a scene of both great despair and incredible hope. Facing the severity of His coming sacrifice, He cries out to God the Father. Though He’s surrounded by His closest friends, He is abandoned in what would appear His time of greatest need. Yet, as He approaches His captors, He does so with complete composure and in complete control. So, what in the world does this have to do with moms? While there are many emotions which come with motherhood, I think it is safe to assume, as sad as this is, that two of the most frequent are a sense of being overwhelmed and isolated, or unappreciated. This passage brings us face-to-face with how Jesus dealt with both. Therefore, here’s the gist for today: do you feel overwhelmed and unappreciated? Look to Jesus and find your strength in Him.
I. WHY DID JESUS DESPAIR?
We’ll start by diving into the meat of the passage here. Why is Jesus despairing in the first place? This can sometimes seem to be a pretty difficult passage. Isn’t Jesus God? Yes. Then how can be react like this? Let’s look at this under two quick headings: the incarnation and the wrath of God.
The Incarnation. We have talked some in recent sermons about the incarnation. When Jesus came to earth, He was fully God and fully man. This is a mystery that is hard for us to wrap our minds around. It’s also something that points to the truth of the Scriptures. Who would make this up? Especially scenes like this one which not only depict the disciples in such a terrible light, as we discussed last week, but also seem to show Jesus in a moment of weakness. Of course, we know it is not weakness we see here, but rather despair, and despair without sin. It is in His humanity that He feels the weight of the suffering He’s about to face and cries out “Abba, Father”, a term of endearment in His time of need. He knows what it means to feel completely overwhelmed by circumstances. In fact, He gets it in a way we will never understand--and that’s the second point.
The Wrath of God. What is He asking when He prays for the cup to be removed? Jesus is preparing to face the cross. We cannot overlook how brutal that torture would be physically, but it’s not the prospect of this physical torture that brings this despair. Let’s not forget the cross Jesus faced was more than physical suffering and death. I repeat this a lot, so I know most of you have heard me say this before. Nonetheless, I was a young adult before this really clicked for me, so I want to try and express this any time we bring up the cross. When Jesus died on the cross, what was He dying for? Remember John the Baptist’s remarks as he sees Jesus walking down to be baptized? “29b Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29b, emphasis added). He came to destroy sin once and for all, so He took our punishment. What is the punishment for sin? More than physical death, though that is a part of it, the wages if sin is Hell. Jesus took our eternal punish in a way only God could for us...for all of us...on the cross. All throughout the Old Testament, we see cup imagery representing the wrath of God (Isaiah 51:17-23, Jeremiah 25:15-18). The cup He asks to be removed is the wrath of God! He wasn’t afraid of death. He was about to face what none of us can even imagine, but what He completely understood--God’s full wrath.
Talking about the wrath of God can be uncomfortable. It’s so much nicer to talk about His love. However, neglecting to understand the wrath of God is to miss out on the full beauty of His love. If God is not a God of wrath, then His love is far less loving. A.W. Pink put it like this, “The wrath of God is the holiness of God stirred into activity against sin.” God’s wrath is not just human anger. It is the righteous judgment of the holy God on sin. Sin is destructive. It separates us from the love of God. Would we really want Him to just be indifferent towards it? No. And it is precisely because of His love for us that Jesus came to take our place, to endure our punishment. Let’s not mince words, when Jesus faced the cross, He faced our due: eternity in Hell, only magnified because He, who was completely without sin, was taking on the sins of everyone. That’s what caused His despair.
Abandonment. This is more of an observation. It didn’t lead to His despair because He was not seeking comfort from His disciples. (More on that in a second.) Nonetheless, it’s worth noting. How was Jesus treated in the midst of His trial? What support was He given by those closest to Him? We talked about this last week. They all left Him. How does our loneliness compare? How many of us have faced such despair and rejection? And why did He do it? Because He loves us! It reminds me of the song “How Deep The Father's Love For Us” by Stuart Townend. Each of the verses are so beautiful, but let’s just look at verse 1 here.
How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory
II. IN THE END, WHAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE?
Devotion. There is a stark difference between the scene we opened with and the one we closed with. So we see His despair, but we also see His devotion and His triumph. He was distressed, but never for a moment shrunk from desiring God’s will. In His humanity, the cost was felt like a crushing weight and, of course, He did not long for that suffering. Nonetheless, He prays as we should also pray, in our far less crushing dilemmas, not My will, but Yours! Like we noted before, He does not seek His comfort from the disciples, but rather from God--the unshakable and true! This isn’t a takeaway per se’ today, but let’s just pause to let the application of this sink in. Friends are wonderful resources in times of great need, but they cannot compare with the comfort of God. In fact, the best a friend can do for you in times of trouble is point you to Jesus.
Triumphal Difference. Note the complete difference in tone between these verses “34 And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” and “41 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. 42 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand….48 And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? 49 Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.”
John tells us even more about this encounter. Judas comes with this armed entourage. It’s dark, so to make sure they don’t miss which one is Jesus, Judas indicates Him by giving Him a kiss, a sign of respect. Peter then tries to take matters into his hands and chops off a guy’s ear (I know I’ve made the “aim” joke before, but it’s worth repeating ☺).Then, Jesus promptly heals him. This man who came with the group to take Jesus to His death still receives His compassion! All of this was completely unnecessary though because if Jesus had wanted to escape, He could have. Remember what happens when Jesus speaks to the guards? John 18:4-6 “4 Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 5 They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.” Amazed by the power of His voice speaking His divine name (I Am), they fell on their faces. He went willing to His death.
What made the difference? His communion with God. He even tells the disciples as much when they’re struggling to stay awake. “8 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” This is an example for us, as well.
Watch. Be alert, pay attention. This world is full of distractions, heartaches, and temptations. It’s a lot harder to be caught off guard...if you’re not! How does this apply practically? Do you only think about “church things” on Sunday? If so, you’re not paying attention. ☺
Pray. Talk to God. Be in constant communion with God the Father. He alone is unshakable and true.
Remember the Truth. This one might seem like a stretch, but Jesus both reminds the disciples of the truth in this statement (the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak) and reminds Himself of the truth in His prayer (Not My will, but Yours). This, of course requires knowing the truth--which brings me to my weekly admonition: read your Bibles! ☺
Here we have His power on display against the powers of darkness and the cowardice of His disciples. What made the difference? He was fed by communion with the Father and reminders of the Truth.
TAKEAWAYS
Though this could be taken as specific to moms, there is something here for all of us. I’m not going to break these down today, but rather let them just speak for themselves.
1. Jesus knows what it means to be alone and overwhelmed.
2. Jesus died for people who were so tired they found themselves, at this moment, completely useless. Not to mention those trying to kill Him!
3. Jesus showed us how to face despair. Christianity costs. We will despair. Watch, pray, remember.
Closing Hymn. Let these words sink in. So great!
Day By Day
1 Day by day and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,
I've no cause for worry or for fear.
He whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best--
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.
2 Ev'ry day the Lord Himself is near me
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me,
He whose name is Counselor and Pow'r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
"As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,"
This the pledge to me He made.
3 Help me then in eve'ry tribulation
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith's sweet consolation
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E'er to take, as from a father's hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till I reach the promised land.
