Wake Up and Pay Attention
Matthew 26:36-46
Intro: We see in verse 41:
A. The Willingness that we Understand - the spirit indeed is willing,
Anybody that is saved has a part of them that is willing.
This is a HUGE contingency for this statement.
Jesus was talking to saved men.
Make no mistake – lost people’s spirit is NOT willing because it is DEAD!
I said it earlier – I hear people all the time say, “I wanted to be in church, but…”
If they are lost, they didn’t want to be in church.
And if they were saved, and they wanted to be in church, they would have put forth more effort!
The spirit within us draws us and moves us toward God and toward spiritual things.
There is a part deep within every believer that is willing.
There is something within every child of God that wants to do right.
There is something within every child of God that wants to please God.
That – we can understand.
B. The Weakness that we Underestimate - but the flesh is weak.
Peter and the other disciples seriously underestimated the weakness of his flesh.
Notice the confidence of the disciples in verses 33-35:
· 33 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.
· 34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
· 35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.
Paul said it like this:
· Philippians 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
· Romans 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
C. The Watching that we Underrate
These disciples were in the last year of Bible College.
They had walked with Jesus for 3 ½ years.
They were about to be given the Great Commission.
But they were OBLIVIOUS!!
Is it possible – just possible – that if these three disciples in the very presence of Jesus could be this clueless, that maybe – just maybe, one of us in here tonight could be in desperate need of a message entitled, “Wake Up and Pay Attention!”
I. The Selection that was Special
The twelve disciples were handpicked out of all the men of Israel.
The three Inner Circle was picked out of the remaining 11 to accompany Jesus to the Garden to pray.
Of all the people in the world that were privileged to be in this place at this time, it was these three.
And they blew it!
Out of 8 billion people in the world, very few actually have heard the Gospel and been saved.
Out of all the people in the world that are saved, very few have access to the truth and church that we have.
Yet look at how many are asleep.
II. The Saviour that was Sorrowful
The Bible tell us that Jesus was heavy.
· 37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
The disciples were also heavy.
· 43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.
Notice the contrast in their heaviness.
Jesus was heavy over spiritual things; they were heavy over physical things.
Jesus was heavy over the things of God; they were heavy over the things of man.
Jesus was heavy over eternal things; they were heavy over temporal things.
Jesus was heavy over unprecedented things; they were heavy over
The point I want to make is this: They were completely oblivious to what was causing the Son of God such sorrow.
I’m appalled at how few people today seem to notice what grieves God.
God is grieved by things going on, and the people of God are many times completely oblivious.
God is grieved; the man of God is grieved, and the people in the pew have no clue.
· The spiritual condition of the young people.
· The state of your marriage.
· The sin that has crept into the church.
III. The Situation that was Serious
Traitors were working overtime.
Men were busy betraying the Son of God.
The clock was ticking; the hour was at hand. – see verse 45
· Every Old Testament prophecy pointed to this event.
· The entire ministry of Christ was for this hour.
· Jesus came to earth for THIS HOUR – and they were asleep!!
A church-wide scattering was imminent. – vs. 56
Spiritual warfare was raging.
Denial of even knowing Jesus was minutes away. - vs. 70
IV. The Sleeping that was Shameful
God created man to sleep.
There’s nothing wrong with sleep.
It is WHERE they were sleeping and WHEN they were sleeping that makes this so shameful.
There are multiple indications of how shameful their sleeping was in this story.
1. Jesus had specifically asked them to watch and pray WITH HIM – vs. 38
He could not have been any more clear in his request.
He had spent the last 3 and ½ years serving others, asking nothing for Himself.
He didn’t have anywhere to lay his head.
But he asked them to watch and pray with him, and the slept!
2. Notice the response of Jesus in verse 40.
What?? - an expression of surprise; disbelief; a question of personal rebuke
Could you not watch with me one hour?
3. Twice he came to them and woke them up, but they kept sleeping.
In Luke 22, the Bible tells us in verse 43 that “… there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.”
Imagine having to send an angel all the way from Heaven to minister to Jesus because his inner circle was asleep!!
Make no mistake:
· Judas Iscariot wasn’t asleep.
· The chief priests and the Pharisees were not asleep.
· The Roman soldiers was not asleep.
· But the Inner Circle was asleep!
QUOTE: “There is an energy that comes with evil that is missing in the people of God.” – Dr. Joe Bryant
The next verse in Luke 22 says,
· 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
· 45 And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow,
· 46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.
Can you imagine the Son of God asking you to pray with Him with blood running down his face, and you still won’t wake up and pay attention??
NOTE: Some have said it wasn’t blood, but sweat as it were great drops of blood…
I believe it was blood, but, either way – sweat or blood, they still didn’t wake up and pay attention!!
Conclusion: The Apostle Paul admonished the church with these words:
1 Thessalonians 5
· 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
· 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
· 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
· 7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
· 8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
If Jesus was standing here tonight with sweat and blood running down his face, would that be enough to convince you to WAKE UP AND PAY ATTENTION??