208. Bonus Israel Content - Brett at the Garden of Gethsemane and It is Well

For freedom, he set me free, not for chains, not for guilt, not for Pharisee. Grace lit the flame, now I'm puffing peace, cigars and victory justified, released. Welcome to the For Freedom Podcast. This podcast exists to bring the freedom of the gospel for everyday Christians with everyday issues. I ain't saved by dress codes, not by what I eat. I'm covered in the righteousness, washed from head to feet. No tally of tradition, no man-made code. Blood bought my freedom, now I ride that road. They clutch pearls when they see smoke rings rise. But my praise still ascends past the legalist cries. Christ plus nothing, that's the real math. So miss me with your fence laws and your extra path. He sat with sinners, I'm sitting with saints. Sipping grace from the bottle, no room for fakes. I light one for liberty, toast to the king. Every ash a sermon, death has lost its sting. For freedom, he set me free, not for chains, not for guilt, not for Pharisee. Grace lit the flame, now I'm puffing peace. Cigars and victory justified, released. For freedom, he set me free, not for chains, not for guilt, not for Pharisee. Grace lit the flame, now I'm puffing peace. Cigars and victory justified, released. Let grace begin. For freedom, he set me free, not for chains, not for guilt, not for Pharisee. Grace lit the flame, now I'm puffing peace. Now here are your hosts, James Saifert and Brett Martin. We're going to read from Matthew chapter 26, beginning in verse number 27. Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane and said to his disciples, sit here while I go over there to pray. He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be grieved and distressed. Then he said to them, my soul is deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and keep watch with me. Verse 39. And he went a little further, fell on his face and prayed, saying, my father, if it is possible, let this cup pass for me, yet not as I will, but as you will. Just think for just a second. Let it permeate into your mind, into your imagination that this happened either close to where we are or right here where we're standing, on this very spot. You know, it's no mistake that Jesus came to an olive grove. That's not by accident. After all, Jesus was the Messiah. He was the Christ. And what does that mean? It means he was the anointed one. What did people anoint with? They anointed with olive oil. In fact, it only makes sense that the anointed one would be amongst the olive trees. They would take oil from this garden and they would use it in the temple. But there's only one way they can get this oil. Those olives have to be crushed. It's the only way it could happen. In fact, this guy told us the word Gethsemane means olive press. Because this is where the olive is crushed. The oil is extracted. And that oil is used in the service of the temple. But he was pierced through for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening for our well-being fell upon him. And by his scourging, we are healed. Isaiah 53.5 This is where Jesus began to be crushed for our sins. It started here. He was being spiritually crushed. He was being emotionally crushed before he was physically crushed. The passage we just read in the Bible is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. Because in the passage, Jesus literally has the weight of the world on his shoulders. We say that as a cliche. We say that, you know, with hyperbole. You know, hyperbolically we say, man, I've got the weight of the world on my shoulders. For Jesus, in this moment, it was literally true. You know, sometimes the question is asked, is there a key to living the Christian life? Is there a secret to living the Christian life? And I can't say that there's a key to it. I can't say that there's a secret to it. But I know if there was, there's only one person we could get that from. And that is Jesus himself. I believe in this moment, at the lowest point of his life, up to this point, I believe that Jesus shows us. He gives us a flashpoint. He gives us a snapshot of how he walked his Christian walk. At the lowest point of his life, when he faced his deepest valley, he did something that a lifetime of habit and a lifetime of discipline had taught him. Jesus needed strength he didn't have. He needed endurance he didn't have. He needed the power of God. He needed the courage of God. He needed the boldness of God. And I believe what he did in this garden was a reflex from a lifetime of discipline and habit. It's a blueprint for how me and you can survive as Christians and thrive as Christians and grow as Christians. And I think it's the simplest blueprint in the Bible. He went a little further. He fell on his face. And he prayed. I want to look at the first one. He stepped out in front of his disciples. He went a little further than they did. And Jesus had done this so many times before. He would intentionally step out. He would intentionally go a little further. He would withdraw to get along with God. This was a habit that he developed in his Christian walk. Jesus always went the extra step in his Christian life. He got up when everybody else was asleep. The sun hasn't even came out yet. Jesus is out spending time with God. Jesus was a leader. Because Jesus was a leader, he knew he was more accountable. Jesus knew more was expected of him. Most of us here are pastors. And if you're not a pastor, you're a Christian leader in your church. You don't come to the Holy Land because you're a follower. You take that extra step because you're a leader in your church. And as a leader, you've got to take that extra step. As a leader, you've got to go that extra mile. In Mark chapter 10, while they were on the road to Jerusalem, the disciples knew that danger lay ahead in Jerusalem. But what did Jesus do? He didn't cower down in the back of the crowd and hide behind his disciples. He walked out front with boldness. He stepped out in front of the crowd. He stepped out to lead his people. And they were just amazed at him. He didn't care about the danger. Jesus stepped out in front. Mark chapter 1, everybody had rejected the leper. But it was Jesus who stretched out his hand. Mark chapter 4, Jesus could have stayed in Capernaum. He could have been famous. Everybody knew his name. Everyone was fawning over him. But it was Jesus who said, hey, let's go to the other side. And in this very garden, when they came to arrest him, it would have been easy for Jesus to hide in the back. When they said, hey, where is he? He did not raise his hand. But Jesus stepped forward. And he says, here am I. It's me. I'm the one you're looking for. And the guards were so taken aback, they fell back, shocked. Jesus always stepped out ahead of his followers. Because that's what leaders do. And in this garden of pain, and in this garden of anguish, and in this garden of agony, he relied on the spiritual disciplines that he had made a habit of. Jesus was a leader. Jesus stepped out. Then he fell on his face. This is a sign of humility. With the cross before him, Jesus puts his face in the dirt. The lowest possible position that he could take. He surrendered to God's will, even if that meant surrendering to Roman nails. Jesus not only stepped out in front, but he humbled himself. This was also a habit that he had developed over time. He went to John to get baptized. And John was like, You want me to baptize you? I should be baptized by you. And he said, No, John suffered to be so now. He didn't have to get baptized. He wanted to identify with me and you. So he submitted himself to it. He didn't have to do that. And foot washing was for the lowest servant in the household. And when he put that apron on and he bowed down at Peter's feet to wash his feet, Peter was floored. He almost didn't allow it. What was Jesus teaching his disciples? Servant leadership. That's what he was teaching them. Servant leadership. Servant leadership. And when they led him to a kangaroo court and they paraded false witnesses to accuse him like a lamb before his shears is dumb, he opened not his mouth. In silence, in humility, he said, I'm going to let the Lord fight my battles. Jesus even carried his own cross to the crucifixion. Talk about humility. Humility. Listen to me. Humility is not weakness in leadership. Humility is proof of it. Humility is proof of leadership. So yeah, if you're a leader, step out and lead. But be humble about it. Know that you're not worthy of that position and the only possession you have that makes you worthy of that is Jesus. Then he prayed. This is also a habit that he had. Mark 1.35 says, And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place. And there he prayed. Luke chapter 5, he went out to pray alone. Luke chapter 6, he went on the mountain to pray. Luke chapter 9, he was praying alone. Luke chapter 11, he prayed in a certain place. This was a habit that he had developed probably more than the rest. Here in the garden, he prayed probably one of the most famous prayers in the Bible. Lord, let this cup pass from me, but not my will, Lord. Your will. Guess what? The answer to Jesus' prayer was no. I'm not going to let this cup pass from me. He still had to drink from the cup of the wrath of God. But in that moment, he gave his pain to the Lord and he exchanged it for peace. Christian, if you've got no prayer life, you've got no power. Pastor, if you've got no prayer life, you've got no power. Christian leader, if you've got no prayer life, you have no power. I don't know that there's a secret to living the Christian life. I don't know if there's a key to it, but if there was one, I believe this is the closest you could get. Every single day of your life, every single day of your Christian life, of your Christian walk, you go a little further. you fall on your face, and you pray. And when you need to make a decision, you go a little further. You fall on your face, and you pray. And when you need to get a hold of heaven, you go a little further. You fall on your face, and you pray. And when you need God to do a mighty work, you go a little further. You fall on your face, and you pray. And when you want to grow in your prayer life, you go a little further. You fall on your face, and pray. When you want to do more in your Bible, you go a little further. You fall on your face, and you pray. When you want to witness to more people, when you want to share the gospel more, you go a little further. You fall on your face. Bless God, you pray. I want to say one more thing and I'm done. The disciples are here with Jesus. This thing that me and you are imagining, being with Jesus, praying in the garden, we've built these walls, we've built these steps to imagine putting ourselves in that position. We use our minds' eyes and, man, I can't imagine what it was like we put ourselves there. The disciples were there. They could have seen it, but guess what? They missed it. They missed it because they fell asleep. Three times they fell asleep and they missed it. Please listen to me and listen to me good. You are here right now. You are in Israel. You are in the Holy Land. You are in the Garden of Gethsemane. I beg you today. Don't miss it. Don't miss this. Open yourself up spiritually to this moment. Take it in. Soak it in. For some of you, this is your first time to the Holy Land. For others of you, this will be your last. Don't miss this. When you go out there in a moment and pray, don't miss it. Open yourself up to it. Go a little further. Fall on your face. And pray. When sorrow's like sea, never'll know. Forever my heart, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well, it is well, it is well, with my soul. It is well, it is well, with my soul. It is well, it is well, with my soul. My sin, O the bliss of this glorious thought. My sin, O the bliss of this world. Lord, O my soul. It is well, it is well, with my soul. It is well, it is well, with my soul. I found my new name. I found that good grace. I found that healing. And the tears fell down my face. When I found my beginning that has no ending. I found that second chance. I found my best friend. I found my forgiveness. I found my happiness. I've been singing ever since. I found my freedom in you. 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