The Cooling Stream

Matthew 26:40-46

Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What? Could you not watch with Me one hour?"

"Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done."

And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.

So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

Then He came to His disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners."

"Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand."

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The Lord Jesus Christ was tempted in the garden of Gethsemane.

Satan was behind the scenes.

Satan’s goal was to prevent Him from going to the cross, and preventing the resurrection.

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The Lord Jesus Christ was clear about His commitment to follow God’s will.

But because the prospect of bearing sin, dying on the cross, and being separated from God was so much to bear, He asked God if there were another way to accomplish redemption.

Still, the Lord Jesus Christ held fast to His willingness to follow God’s plan.

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The three disciples were sleeping.

They should have been praying.

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The Lord Jesus Christ said to Peter, "What? Could you not watch with Me one hour?"

That Peter couldn’t stay awake for one hour indicated that the Lord Jesus Christ was in prayer with the Father for that period of time.

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The Lord Jesus Christ found them asleep a second time.

Their eyes were heavy.

They were overpowered by their physical impulses.

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The Lord Jesus Christ came to His disciples a third time.

They were still sleeping.

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"Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners."

The Lord Jesus Christ saw the Roman soldiers and Jewish leaders carrying their torches and swords, accompanied by Judas, moving up the Mount of Olives.

The sinless Son of God was about to be arrested by sinners.

But the disciples were still sleeping.

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"Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand."

Judas was about to deliver the Lord Jesus Christ into the hands of those executioners.

But the Lord Jesus Christ went on to meet them victoriously.

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When the Lord Jesus Christ confronted Peter,

"What? Could you not watch with Me one hour?"

He was telling the three of them to stay alert and stay in prayer.

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"The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Peter, James, and John loved the Lord Jesus Christ and wanted to do what was right.

But they were weak.

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The Lord Jesus Christ recognized the weakness of His humanness, even though He was sinless.

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The disciples claimed confidently that they would never fail The Lord Jesus Christ.

But the Lord Jesus Christ turned to God for strength.

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The disciples’ confidence led them to sleep.

But the Lord Jesus Christ’s humility led Him to prayer.

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Then came the temptation.

The Lord Jesus Christ’s obedience to the will of God led Him to victory.

But all the disciples failed Him miserably.

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We have a choice.

We can either be self-confident and end up in disaster,

Or we can be humble, fall on our knees before God in prayer, and commit ourselves to God’s will in the midst of temptation.

The latter is the only way to victory.