Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Today we will begin a new series.

This series will focus primarily upon what Jesus both did and experienced in the last few days of His earthly ministry.

I was going to title this series ‘The Last Days of Jesus’, meaning of course the last time period consisting of just before the Judgment of Christ to the Resurrection of Christ, but I just couldn’t.

I think most everyone would have understood what the meaning behind ‘The Last Days of Jesus’ would have meant, however, that title is misleading to say the least.

Because it wasn’t he last days of Jesus… In fact, there have not & will never be ‘last days of Jesus’, for Jesus is alive today!

And Jesus will be alive forevermore!

So instead we are titling this series ‘From the Cross to the Tomb’.

In which we will be paying much attention to the Words of Christ upon the Cross of Calvary.

However, today we’re going to back it up just a bit and examine what took place leading up to the Cross.

Heb.

12:1-3 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”

The text that we read as our introduction to the message today speaks to the topic of today’s message titled ‘The Perseverance of Jesus’

Perseverance (def) persistence in a thing undertaken; continued pursuit or prosecution of any business, or enterprise begun

We see this mind play out in a word repeated in 2 of these 3 verses.

The word ‘endured’.

Today we’re going to look at the Perseverance, the Persistence, the Endurance of Jesus.

We’re going to ‘consider Him’ - and my prayer is that it will inspire us to continue in the face of adversity.

That you and I, when things get tough - when sorrows compound - when fears arise, we’ll ‘consider Him’, and Persevere, just as Jesus did!

The first thing that I’d like to examine today is how Jesus Persevered in the Garden

I. Jesus Persevered in the Garden (Mat.

26:36-45)

One of the most underrated times in the life of Christ I believe is found in the Garden.

The level of Spiritual Warfare that Jesus fought.

He fought the natural impulse of the flesh

I have found no one in history that desired to be outcast, humiliated, beaten, spat upon, subject to the tremendous wickedness that Jesus was about to endure.

Remember - this is God in the flesh that we’re talking about.

Yes, He’s God - but cloaked in a robe of flesh, therefore He endured the same temptations that you and I do.

Jesus knowing what was to come, fighting this warfare had a decision to make.

Either He would persevere, or He would quit.

HE COULD HAVE QUIT - AND STILL BEEN GOD! HE DIDN’T HAVE TO CONTINUE, BUT THANK GOD HE DID!

I want to make a few points concerning His Perseverance during this time.

First off, He Persevered Through Unanswered Prayer

Through Unanswered Prayer (v39;42)

Jesus began the last 12-18hrs of His natural, physical life in what’s known as the ‘Garden of Gethsemane’.

It was there that Jesus prayed - like few if any before or since.

The Bible tells us: Luk.

22:44 “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.”

And as He’s praying, He’s saying these words ‘Oh Father, if it be possible - let this cup pass from me’.

The gravity of the hour is pressing upon Him.

Literally the weight of the sins of mankind are upon His shoulders - every lie & impure thought - every moral, sexual & physical sin.

The sins of the murderers, whoremongers, blasphemers, child molesters & thieves.

THAT weight is pressing down upon Him - this man who never sinned, is now feeling the burden of THEM ALL!

And so, in His prayer, He’s asking ‘Father…let this cup pass’… and His Father says ‘no’.

Now Jesus isn’t like you and I - in the sense that sometimes we experience suffering and can do nothing about it.

He could have said ‘this burden is too much!

I will not bear these sins!

But thank God He didn’t!

Thank God He said ‘Yet not MY will, but THINE be done!

It was the Father’s Will that Jesus endure the suffering that was going to take place.

Had the Father Answered the prayer of the Christ, we’d all be lost today!

In short, God had a plan through suffering.

I pray this is a lesson to us all.

In this life, no doubt that we’ll experience suffering.

We’ll experience trials.

And through it all, we may as Jesus did seek for God to take that cup away.

But church if He doesn’t, you must understand that God has a reason for it!

His ways are higher than ours!

And we need to do - just as Jesus did and persevere!

Jesus Persevered Through Unanswered Prayer

Through Unwilling Partners (v40-41;43;45)

Now that we’ve done our best to describe (inadequately) the pressure that our LORD was under, I want to consider something else that He was dealing with.

And that was the fact that there was no one there willing to help bear the load.

His closest friends - men who He has invested in.

Men who He called, taught, fed & loved - men whose feet He’d just washed earlier that night.

He asked them - watch with me! Pray with me!

Not a great ask, right?

He didn’t ask them to run 10 miles.

He didn’t ask them for a million dollars.

He just asked them to watch and pray.

And it was evidently just too much to ask.

So here Jesus was, going through this terrible Spiritual Battle - all alone.

How easy it would have been for Jesus to just give in.

Jesus is literally getting ready to die for these men, and they can’t even stay awake for Jesus?

He’s getting ready to be beaten, mocked & crucified, and they can’t even keep their eyes open!

Church, you may find yourself in a Spiritual Battle just as Jesus did and even your closest friends seem to forsake you - you may feel alone, church, but just keep going, because you’re not!

Jesus recognized this very thing earlier when He said: Joh.

16:32 “Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.”

Jesus Persevered though His closest friends forsook Him - thank God He did!

Jesus Persevered in the Garden.

Secondly, Jesus Persevered in the Gnashing

II.

Jesus Persevered in the Gnashing

Gnashing (def) To strike or grind together, as in anger or pain

I chose this word for both the alliteration and the imagery.

I like what it envisions.

For it speaks to the harsh & cruel nature of these things to which He was subject.

(Background) So Jesus was ultimately taken in the garden by the chief priests band.

He stood first before the Sanhedrin that night, He would then be brought to Pilate and Herod to be tried, then ultimately, He would be taken to the whipping post and then up Golgotha’s Hill to be Crucified.

This is a summary of His perseverance during this time.

Jesus would first Persevere through the Accusations

Through the Accusations

He was accused of Perverting the People (Luk.

23:2; 14a)

Perverting (def) To turn from truth, to lead astray; to corrupt

Jesus of course did not turn people from truth, He tried to get people to turn unto Him - He who IS TRUTH INCARNATE!

Joh.

14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

He said in Mat.

11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”