Embracing Surrender: Finding Purpose in Suffering
by Menlo Church on Mar 19, 2024
In today's gathering, we explored the profound journey of surrender that Jesus exemplified during His final week on earth, as we approach Easter. We delved into the emotional and spiritual turmoil He experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane, a time when even the Son of God expressed a desire for an alternative path to the one laid out before Him. This scene is a powerful reminder that suffering and pain are not just tragedies but also tools in God's sovereign plan.
I shared about the spectrum of experiences within our community, from those grappling with deep loss and uncertainty to those basking in joy and fulfillment. We are all on a journey with Jesus, and it's important to recognize that this journey includes both suffering and celebration. As we prepare for Easter, we are reminded of the practice of Lent, a time of fasting and devotion, which helps us to refocus and recommit to our spiritual disciplines.
The heart of the message centered on the idea that God's will often includes suffering, a concept that can be difficult to accept. Jesus Himself, in His humanity, wrestled with the impending pain of the cross, asking the Father if there was another way. Yet, He ultimately submitted to God's will, demonstrating the depth of His love and the extent of His obedience.
We considered the possibility that our own suffering could be part of God's plan. The author of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus is a high priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses, having been tempted in every way, yet without sin. This gives us confidence to approach God's throne of grace in our time of need.
The sermon also touched on the impeccability of Jesus, the theological debate about His ability to sin, and the early church's struggle to understand His full humanity. We saw that Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane was not immediately answered, teaching us about persistence in prayer and God's timing.
As we reflected on the idea of surrender, we were encouraged to consider what we are truly surrendering in our lives. The call to follow Jesus is not a call to a pain-free life but to a life of purpose, where our suffering has meaning and can be used by God to shape us and others.
Key Takeaways:
- Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane reveals that even in His divine nature, He experienced genuine human emotion and desired an alternative to suffering. This moment of vulnerability shows us that it is okay to express our fears and hesitations to God, but ultimately, we must trust in His greater plan. [31:36]
- The concept of Jesus as both fully human and fully divine is essential to our faith. His ability to empathize with our struggles is a source of comfort and strength. As we face our own Gethsemane moments, we can take solace in knowing that Jesus understands our pain and walks with us through it. [33:25]
- Persistent prayer is not a sign of weakness or annoyance to God. On the contrary, it is an expression of our dependence on Him and a reflection of our desire for His will to be done. Jesus' persistence in prayer, even when answers seemed delayed, is a model for us to follow in our own prayer lives. [37:07]
- Suffering is not an indication of God's absence or displeasure but can be a transformative tool in His hands. Our pain can serve a greater purpose, shaping us into the image of Christ and pointing others to the hope of the gospel. [41:47]
- True faith requires surrender, not as a loss, but as an investment in eternity. When we surrender our lives to God, we are not giving up something for nothing; we are trading temporary discomfort for eternal glory. This perspective helps us to endure hardships with hope and perseverance. [48:17]
### Bible Reading
1. **Matthew 26:36-46 (ESV)**
> Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
2. **Hebrews 4:14-16 (ESV)**
> Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
3. **2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)**
> For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
### Observation Questions
1. What emotions did Jesus express in the Garden of Gethsemane according to Matthew 26:36-46?
2. How did Jesus' disciples respond when He asked them to stay awake and pray with Him? ([27:59])
3. According to Hebrews 4:14-16, how is Jesus described in relation to our weaknesses and temptations?
4. What does 2 Corinthians 5:21 say about the purpose of Jesus becoming sin for us?
### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think Jesus asked the Father if there was another way, yet still submitted to God's will? ([31:36])
2. How does the description of Jesus' suffering in Gethsemane help us understand His humanity and divinity? ([34:04])
3. What does it mean for us that Jesus is a high priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses, as stated in Hebrews 4:14-16?
4. How can the concept of Jesus becoming sin for us, as mentioned in 2 Corinthians 5:21, impact our understanding of His sacrifice?
### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you faced a difficult situation and prayed for an alternative path. How did you handle it, and what can you learn from Jesus' example in Gethsemane? ([31:03])
2. Jesus' disciples fell asleep when He asked them to stay awake and pray. Are there areas in your spiritual life where you feel you are "falling asleep"? How can you stay more spiritually alert? ([27:59])
3. Persistent prayer is highlighted in the sermon. How can you incorporate more persistence in your prayer life, especially when answers seem delayed? ([37:07])
4. The sermon mentioned that suffering can be a part of God's plan. How can you find meaning and purpose in your current struggles? ([24:40])
5. Jesus' willingness to submit to God's will, even in suffering, is a powerful example. What areas of your life do you need to surrender more fully to God's will? ([31:36])
6. How can the understanding that Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:14-16) provide comfort and strength in your daily life?
7. The sermon discussed the idea of suffering as both a tragedy and a tool. How can you use your experiences of suffering to help others and point them to the hope of the gospel? ([24:40])
Day 1: Embracing Vulnerability in Prayer
In the quiet of Gethsemane, Jesus experienced a moment of profound vulnerability, expressing a deep human desire to avoid suffering. This instance serves as a poignant reminder that it is natural to seek relief from our trials and to bring our deepest fears before God. It is in these moments of raw honesty that we can find true communion with the Father, as we lay bare our souls and trust in His greater plan. Jesus' candid prayer teaches us that our hesitations and fears are not signs of weak faith, but rather opportunities to deepen our reliance on God's wisdom and sovereignty. [31:36]
"Then he said to them, 'My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.' And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, 'My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.'" (Matthew 26:38-39 ESV)
Reflection: When have you felt hesitant to bring your true feelings to God in prayer, and how can you practice being more open and vulnerable in your communication with Him?
Day 2: The Dual Nature of Christ's Empathy
The mystery of Jesus' dual nature as fully human and fully divine is central to our faith, providing us with a Savior who can truly empathize with our struggles. His experience of temptation and suffering, without succumbing to sin, offers us comfort and strength. As we face our own trials, we can take heart in knowing that Jesus understands our pain intimately and accompanies us through every challenge. His empathy is not a distant pity but a close, personal understanding that empowers us to endure. [33:25]
"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15 ESV)
Reflection: How does recognizing Jesus' empathy for your struggles change the way you approach Him in times of difficulty?
Day 3: The Power of Persistent Prayer
Jesus' persistence in prayer, even when the heavens seemed silent, sets an example for us to follow. It is not a sign of weakness or a nuisance to God but a testament to our faith and dependence on Him. Persistent prayer is an act of humility and a declaration that we are seeking God's will above our own. It is through steadfast prayer that we align our hearts with God's purposes and learn to wait on His perfect timing. [37:07]
"And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, 'Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.'" (Luke 22:41-42 ESV)
Reflection: What is one area in your life where you need to practice persistent prayer, and how can you commit to bringing this before God regularly?
Day 4: Suffering as a Transformative Tool
Suffering is not an aberration in the Christian life but can be a transformative tool in the hands of a sovereign God. Our pain and trials are not indicators of His absence but may be the very means by which He shapes us into Christ's likeness. Through suffering, we can develop perseverance, character, and hope, pointing others to the gospel's promise. Our afflictions, when surrendered to God, can serve a purpose far beyond our understanding. [41:47]
"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope." (Romans 5:3-4 ESV)
Reflection: Can you identify a time when suffering led to personal growth or allowed you to minister to others in a way you wouldn't have been able to otherwise?
Day 5: The Investment of Surrender
True faith involves surrendering not as a forfeiture but as an investment in the eternal kingdom. When we surrender our lives to God, we exchange temporary discomfort for everlasting glory. This perspective enables us to face hardships with hope and perseverance, knowing that our present trials are preparing us for a weight of glory beyond all comparison. Our call to surrender is a call to a purposeful life, where every sacrifice has eternal significance. [48:17]
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." (2 Corinthians 4:16-17 ESV)
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself holding back from surrendering to Jesus? What would surrendering this area to Him actually look like in terms of daily habits?
**Loop**
Well, good morning, Menlo Church. I know that for some of you, maybe you feel that way, as Jenny describes losing her husband and processing how she gets out of bed every day, as holding on to God's belt loop through the day and the journey of uncertainty. That's maybe even why you're here.
And so if that's maybe one end of the spectrum you feel, there are others that feel like you're just on Cloud 9. Everything is going great; you feel nothing but joy and fulfillment. In a room like this, and really at campuses all around the Bay Area for us at Menlo, there are people that are really experiencing this full entire reality.
As a matter of fact, at all of our campuses here at Menlo today, there are people who are on a journey discovering who Jesus is, some of whom have been on that journey for decades. They have experienced deep difficulties in their life, like Jenny, and have walked through and figured out how to endure that suffering. And others for whom today represents maybe giving God one last shot.
No matter what brought you in today, or why you logged on today, I just want to say thank you, and I pray that God meets you right where you are.
Now, I know that this is a really heavy way to start a message, and I hope that what you hear is that we are a community that is willing to step into and wade through difficult waters in hopes of finding healing to the hurts of a broken world, to the elements that all of us feel. Maybe not today, but someday very soon. Maybe not to you, but someone you love and care about.
As a matter of fact, that's what we're going to see and discover from Jesus today as well. We've been in a series called "The Path of Surrender," in which we have been walking with Jesus through the final week of his earthly ministry on his way to the cross. We only have a couple of weeks left before we celebrate Easter together, and I'm thrilled for that.
I just want to ask you, maybe you've been with us for these weeks for this series, and you had at the beginning of it decided over the course of Lent, this practice of preparing for Easter that Christians have been celebrating for 1500 plus years. How is that fast going for you?
I just reminded you that you were supposed to be fasting from something. That's great, not a problem. Maybe it's a chance for you to re-up between you and the Lord with that. Or maybe for you, you started doing the devotional with us in the YouVersion Bible app, and somewhere along the way, you kind of forgot where that app was on your device. You don't feel like you have to go play catch-up, but maybe just join up again today and let these last couple of weeks be incredibly special as you prepare for Easter with us.
I hope that this season God has used to produce fruit in your life, for you to be able to see and experience it in a different way. Even if God has used it to bring challenges in your life, where he's showing you areas that he wants you to surrender in a more profound way to the plan that he has for your life.
I'll just say this: even if you don't understand it all the way, as you're going to see in a minute, you are in really good company from Jesus himself. But before I dive in, I'm going to pray for us.
And if you've never been here before or never heard me speak before, I pray kneeling. Part of the reason that I do that actually is informed by the scene that we're about to study together, where Jesus models this exact same posture of surrender.
So no matter where you are in your pursuit of Jesus, no matter what your journey of faith has looked like, would you join me in praying together?
God, thank you so much. Thank you for this moment that we get in the week that we've been through and the week that we're headed to and the month that we find ourselves. God, there are things you want to do, areas you want to shine a light to the innermost parts of who we are.
God, would you help us to push away the distractions to be able to hear from you before anything or anyone else, that you might shape the truest part about us and that that might shape everything about us. We love you. It's in Jesus' name, amen.
Now, about a week ago, I joined some pastor friends of mine from around the country that I've known for several years, and our spouses, and we spent a few days together. I went skiing. For you, that may not seem like a noteworthy item for me to share with you, but the last time that I had been skiing, I was 15 years old.
And before you say anything, no, I'm not 15 anymore. I also had two good knees at the time, and I am a couple of years older than 15, and I have a couple less good knees now. I had to basically relearn a whole bunch of details about skiing.
Some of you, I heard this, were like, "Hey, good news! It's like riding a bike." Apparently, I'm terrible at riding a bike because that metaphor did not work for me. There were things all day where I had to figure out and learn how to ski again.
But over the course of the day, I got way more proficient at and way more comfortable with falling down and getting back up. By the end of the day, I was incredible at putting my boots back in the skis. I probably could have taught a class about it.
And now, by the end of the day, I also had some clean runs on the slopes. Even though my knees were hurting for a couple of days after that, it was a really sweet time to be with friends.
It's this really small example when we think about skiing that we all learn in life, which is we all get knocked down over and over and over again. We can all relate to that. And the question really is, how many times can you get back up?
In the words of the fictitious famous 21st-century boxer theologian Rocky Balboa, "It's not about how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How hard you can take and keep moving forward." That's how winning, I would argue, that's how living is done.
Whether you're a person of faith or not, you know this: a life that is unmarked by suffering does not exist. But here's the problem, especially if you call yourself a Christian. We can sometimes be fooled into thinking that if we are pursuing God's plan in our life, if we've made a deal with God, what we've made the deal with is saying, "You know what? We're going to have less pain, we're going to have less suffering, we're going to have less tragedy if we follow him."
But in my experience, it's actually not about less of that; it's about more—meaning more peace that comes in the midst of the realities that we face in a broken world. It's way more about that than avoiding the hurt that we would love to avoid.
Some of you actually have walked away from God, or you're thinking about walking away from God because that was the deal you thought you made. That was the prayer you prayed: "God, I will follow you, and I will follow the plan that you have for my life as long as it will help me, as long as it will help me to avoid pain, to avoid discomfort, to be able to pursue the things that I want."
And I am so sorry, but that's not the way that God works. It's not even the way he worked with his own son. As we're going to look at really one of my all-time favorite passages from Jesus' life, we will see that just like Jesus, our pain is a tragedy and a tool in God's plan.
We want it to just be one; we want it to just be the other. But it really is a reminder of our broken world when we experience pain. It's a tragedy, and it is used by God to shape us for what's ahead. It's a tool. It's both. It's always both.
Last week, we were around the table as Jesus took a celebration that his disciples had practiced their entire life called Passover, and he modeled what we now call communion as he told them about the sacrifice that he knew was coming.
Now this week, we begin when Jesus wanted out. Now, just hours from that meal—and I know that that is really strong language, but I'm using it intentionally. I mentioned this, but when I went skiing for the first time in about 25 years last week, I skied mostly the green hills. If you're a ski person, you know all the different hills are given different difficulty levels based on color.
I don't think human beings actually ski the black diamond ones; I think they're robots or something just to make us think that it's possible. I don't even know why you try and do that. But I stayed mostly on the green all day.
But near the end of the day, my friend who I was with talked me into trying a blue one, which is like the next one up. Let's not get crazy. As we got off the lift, you could turn left to go to the blue hill, or you could turn right to go to the green. I turned left to go to the blue hill with him, and as I watched my friend, my experienced skiing friend, disappear over the other side of what at the moment seemed like a cliff, I instantly fell to my butt and was like, "I'm not doing this. My family needs me."
And so I turned around and literally climbed up the hill and went to the green side. That's what I did. Thank you, appreciate that.
The thing is, maybe for you, you can relate to that. Maybe for you, actually, you feel like you got pushed down the double black diamond hill, and you are just trying to survive. There are moments where we see the steep hill ahead, and we are just trying to claw our way back from the steep drop that we feel like is right in front of us.
Jesus had a moment like this. Dinner is behind him; his arrest is before him. This is how Matthew records this moment:
"Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, 'Sit here while I go over there and pray.' And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, 'My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch with me.' And going a little further, he fell on his face and prayed, saying, 'My Father, if it be possible, let this pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.'
And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, 'So could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.'"
The gospel writers give us deep detail into this moment. We are given a description of these moments in the biographies that we call the gospel accounts from Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Here in Matthew's account, we see Jesus with his disciples, and he doesn't even begin by asking them to pray. He just says, "Would you stay awake?"
When he eventually asks them to pray, he says, "Pray for yourself that you wouldn't enter into temptation for what they don't even yet see coming." He takes Peter, James, and John a little bit further from the rest, and before he begins praying, he's going to pray in a way that they really hadn't seen before.
Jesus has been sharing about the suffering that he would have to endure for them, the suffering that Jesus would have to endure for you and me. Even at dinner, he was sharing about this, but now it wasn't intellectual; it was emotional. It wasn't just, "Let me tell you the facts." He was demonstrating and showing the suffering that he knew was ahead of him.
He could feel the weight of what he was saying. Matthew gives us the words "sorrowful" and "troubled." Jesus said to these three that he brought with him, his sorrow was so deep it was even to death. And he says, "Will you just wait?" He's basically saying, "Would you keep an eye out for the guards?" They don't even know those guards are coming to arrest Jesus.
Luke actually tells us that on a night when the guards had a fire lit to keep themselves warm, that Jesus, the creator and savior of the world, was sweating profusely. He wasn't working out; it wasn't the middle of the day. Jesus was so overwhelmed that his body responded to the stress with sweat that would eventually become bloody from a medical condition called hematohidrosis, in which his sweat glands ruptured and produced blood so that his sweat was mixed with blood.
That's the level of real stress and pressure that Jesus felt in this moment. He was not faking it; he was not pretending; he was not putting on a show so that they would see that they might write down that we would read thousands of years later. Jesus is really experiencing the grief for what he is about to endure for you.
He goes a little bit further than the three, and he's brought deeper into the garden. The original language has this idea that Jesus begins by praying near in, and then at one point, he falls to his face and laying down before the Father, he begins this prayer.
This prayer was specific, but I think it's also a prayer that, if you're honest, you've probably prayed a version of as well, which is, "God, if there is another way, can we do that way?" Maybe for you, it's the loss of a loved one. Maybe for you, it's an opportunity that fizzled. Maybe for you, it's the consequences of your own actions. Maybe for you, it's a strained child. Maybe for you, it's a diagnosis you don't know how to handle.
Maybe for you, it's something getting cut short that you thought would go on much longer in your life. But we say, "God, if there is another way than the way that's in front of me, can we go that way?"
But Jesus, he acknowledges something that I don't know about you; I sometimes forget. He says, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." That's the part I forget to pray sometimes.
And sometimes I think in Western Christianity, what we seem to believe is that actually God's will is my will, that God doesn't have a plan or a will beyond my desire. God will just give me what I want. But Jesus knew there was a bigger plan, a bigger plan that his life was supposed to submit to and be for the purpose of.
And so after this prayer, Jesus finds Peter, James, and John sleeping. And before you're too hard on them, think about the week that we have taken weeks to study. They have been living that week every moment that we've been studying, minute by minute and hour by hour. They are exhausted physically, emotionally, spiritually.
Even Jesus calls this out. He says, "Look, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Not all about you, but I can certainly relate to that. We want something, but our wants and our will aren't enough, that our human effort is just incapable.
Maybe for you, it's the singleness that you never asked for. It's the marriage that you hoped for more from. It's the children that you struggle to connect with. It's a job that feels more like a sentence than a success.
What does it look like for you to believe that suffering could be a part of God's plan? The author of the book of Hebrews gives us a beautiful reminder of Jesus when he says, "Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. Let us hold fast our confession, for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in the time of need."
I think sometimes we take the truth of that and we can get pretty twisted, that actually Jesus really was never tempted. There's a theological conversation called the "peccability and impeccability of Jesus" that really debates whether or not Jesus had the capacity to sin on Earth.
Some of the earliest false teachings that the church had to grapple with surfaced around this idea that Jesus wasn't really a man. For us, we think about the idea that, you know, Jesus maybe he's not fully God. That's not what they dealt with. People believed that he was really God; they weren't sure that he was really man.
One teaching, Docetism, which comes from a Greek word "doein," which means "to seem," taught that Jesus only seemed to have a physical body. But at this moment, we see Jesus fully man, suffering honestly and genuinely, and fully God, willing to die without sin so that he might become sin for us, as Paul puts it: "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
Jesus can relate to whatever you are facing right now. Maybe no one knows but you, but God does. And I know that in whatever you face, surrendering that to God, grieving that to God, whatever you lost, whatever you thought you were going to have, surrendering that to God feels impossible.
But I'm telling you what's more impossible is continuing to live with the illusion that you're really in control. What does it tell us that even Jesus wanted a different plan than the cross? And who can blame him? In his humanity, he knew the pain that was coming; he wanted to avoid it for his own suffering and pain.
But he was willing to embrace it so that you could have a relationship. We ask God for a change to the suffering too, right? 20th-century author and pastor A.W. Tozer puts it this way: "The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven't yet come to the end of themselves. We're still trying to give orders and interfering with God's work within us."
How wild is it that Jesus, the creator of the universe, recognized that he needed to submit his plans to God, but we don't? So what is God trying to bring you to the end of in your life? Where are you the most desperate, and God is the only one left to turn to?
Maybe you're not a follower of Jesus, and the reason that you're here is because you've come to the end of yourself. It's been said that there are no drowning atheists. When we get to the end of ourselves, hardwired into our DNA is the reach for something or someone greater, something that can help.
Maybe that's exactly why God has allowed you to face the tragedy that you're in the middle of right now. He is using it that he might redeem it. He's the only one capable of doing that, to point you forward in your life, that it could become a tool in the hands of a potter to shape and redirect you.
Maybe that's exactly why God has allowed whatever you're facing today. It's not that the pain isn't difficult or that God doesn't care; he does, and it is. But our pain is a tragedy and a tool at the same time in God's plan, and God's plan is bigger and better than yours.
See, God had a world-shaking plan for Jesus' final days, but it was going to involve the tragedy of suffering for Jesus, the agony of surrender, and it was all for the sake of you, for the sake of people that might choose to follow him.
This sets the stage for the second half of our scene, which is when Jesus kept asking. See, Jesus offered a prayer, and he didn't get an immediate response from his Father. Isn't that reassuring? If the creator of the universe in his prayer life had times where he would talk to his heavenly Father, and I'm guessing he was really good at praying, and the Father didn't immediately respond, doesn't that make you feel so encouraged?
That sometimes when you pray, it's not you. Like, you can talk to God, and he may have a good reason for you having to wait. Even Jesus had times when his prayers seemed to go unanswered.
Now, this is a skill that we see being modeled by Jesus that we don't have to teach our kids. They all understand persistence, don't they? As parents, I think sometimes we can project on God how we feel about this when our kids come talk to us and nag—I mean, talk to us repeatedly over and over again, right?
We have four kids; our youngest is four. And so around our house, we will hear choruses of "Mom, mom, mom, mom, mom," and then, like, less but still there, "Dad, dad, dad, dad, dad." Right? And as a parent—don't tell my kids; they're not in the service—it's kind of annoying.
But God is never annoyed by you. God never feels like you're nagging him. As a matter of fact, here's one reminder from the New Testament: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
People go, "What's the will of God in my life?" Pray all the time. Talk to God all the time. Try and bother him; he loves it. We see these reminders scattered all throughout the scriptures that you cannot bother God. He wants you to go before him all the time. You can't overdo it.
Early in a relationship, you're trying to figure out, "Is it too soon to call him or her? Is it well? We don't call. Is it too soon for me to text him or her? You know, I don't want to seem too pushy; I don't want to seem too high maintenance." You don't have to worry about that with God.
Jesus knew his Father's heart. He kept going back; he was persistent. The scene continues: "Again for the second time, he went away and prayed, 'My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.' And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again.
Then he came to the disciples and said to them, 'Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.'"
It's the same song, the second verse, right? Jesus goes back, and he prays some more, and he asks the Father to remove the cup of suffering, the cross that was ahead, the tragedy he would face. But he is willing to ultimately submit to God's will, resulting in his death and our life.
Now, Luke's biography of Jesus' life, another gospel account—remember, if you don't know this, Luke is a physician who interviews everyone he can find, all these eyewitnesses, so that he can offer a comprehensive look at Jesus' life and ministry. He says the reason for it is so that we would have certainty in the things that we believe. That's why he wrote it the way he wrote it; that's why it's the longest of all the gospels.
He writes that Jesus prayed this, and God sent an angel to strengthen Jesus in response to his prayer, strengthening him for what was about to happen. It's kind of an old preacher line that it will be amazing to meet Jesus when you get to heaven, but don't you want to meet the angel that got sent to minister to Jesus in this moment?
Imagine how confusing that is. The book of First Peter tells us that angels look and wonder with the way that God loves you. Angels are going, "Why do you love those people that way? What are you going to do for them?" And the creator of the universe, the one who reigns and rules, an angel, a created being, gets sent down to minister to him in this moment of Jesus' deepest torment during his earthly ministry when eternity seems to hang in the balance of his decision to submit to the will of the Father as our substitute.
He ministered to him. It's as though Jesus says, "Dad, I know that you can make another way. I know you're capable of it. Father, would you make another way?" And by sending this angel, it's as though Jesus was saying, "Would you make another way?" And the Father saying, "No."
This is really challenging to consider. God chose to allow this pain for his son to adopt you. That's the truth of the scriptures. If that doesn't feel direct enough for you, a Messianic prophecy or a prediction about Jesus written hundreds of years before his life described it this way: "Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief. When his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand."
Easter isn't an accident, Menlo Church. This was always the plan. Jesus helped write it in the Trinity. The plan of God involved the pain of surrender for the maker of creation the entire time.
Think about this: Jesus is the voice of God in creation. He spoke it into existence, and now the same voice that creation heard creating it is listening as he begs his Father for another plan. Jesus can relate to your suffering, whatever you're facing, whatever you're going through, whatever feels insurmountable.
Jesus would say, "I have been there too," to your agony, to the tragedy that you are headed to or you are going through. He has been there, and he went there for you so that anyone who would turn their lives to him, would confess their sinfulness, their propensity to rebel against God and follow him, would have their judgment that they deserve, that you deserve, that I deserve, poured on Jesus.
That's what we celebrate at Easter—not just that he was willing to do it, that he was capable of getting it done. Jesus' disciples, they are so exhausted that every time he goes back, they've fallen asleep again.
Has it ever happened to you? Someone shoves you repeatedly, going back to sleep? It happens so fast you don't even realize that you're sleeping. Maybe you're like, "I wasn't sleeping." They're like, "I'm the one that's awake; I know you were sleeping."
Right? But the last time, it's different. The last time Jesus wakes up his disciples, he lets them know that they would have plenty of time to sleep later, but right now he was about to get arrested.
And Judas, who had very recently been at a table with them, very recently had been the treasurer of the group, very recently had been a follower of Jesus for the last three years, he had betrayed Jesus. He had sold him out literally to the authorities and then led them to find him, that he would be arrested, falsely accused, wrongly convicted, and then ultimately crucified.
This vision of tragedy being a tool to shape us for the plan that God has for us is almost completely foreign to us, isn't it? We are being shaped every day. We are swimming in cultural waters that are designed for you and me to communicate the idea that we can avoid pain at all costs, all while ignoring the incredible costs of this very approach.
It's not working, and without Jesus, there is no meaningful hope for you to find in the midst of your suffering. But with him, you can see a bigger plan, that other people might come to know him, that eternity is more than just the chronological time you have on this plane of existence.
Jesus died for you, but before he died for you, he wept for you. He sweat drops of blood for you. Theologian and pastor Charles Spurgeon puts it this way: "A Jesus who never wept could never wipe away my tears."
Aren't you glad that that's not just the kind of Jesus who died for you? That's the kind of Jesus who reigns and rules today, who invites you into relationship. Where do you need to hold on to God's belt loop today? Where you don't have answers, where you feel confused and discouraged, but you want to ask him to walk you through the valley of the shadow of death that feels so close to you today?
Menlo, I'm telling you this from personal experience: even in the darkest of times, when you are most overwhelmed, God is with you. He's just waiting for you to turn to him.
What are you really surrendering in your life anyway? Some time on your schedule? Maybe a few dollars to a charity that you care about? Jesus calls all of our lives to grow closer to him, and our faith grows the more we move, the more we give, the more we live this life towards him.
It's not about an easier life; it's about a life that's more in line with the plan that lasts for eternity. That in a broken world means that you and I will still suffer; we will still face tragedy. But God will use it as a tool, not only in our lives to grow us, but to show other people the path of heaven.
When Jesus describes this kingdom, this kingdom of heaven, he uses a picture of someone who discovers a treasure in the middle of a field. This person goes and sells everything that they have so that they can buy the field and have the treasure.
And if you just saw that person in the moment that they were selling everything, you would say, "What a sacrifice! That's incredible that that person would sell everything they have." Because that's what a sacrifice is. A sacrifice is giving everything.
But if you saw that person after they bought the field and dug up the treasure, you would realize it wasn't a sacrifice. A sacrifice is when you give everything and get nothing, or you get less than you give. No, what he was picturing was an investment where you give a little and you get a lot.
And that's what we see as we pursue Jesus. A life surrendered to God is the ultimate investment for eternity. It does what the law never could. Every single person who had been trying to follow Judaism believed that the law and the systems of it, hundreds of them, could get them to God. But it could never accomplish what Jesus did instantly.
See, theologian Carl Truman puts it this way: "The law says do this, and it is never done. Grace says believe in this, and everything is already done."
You may not be following the Jewish law; you may not know what the Torah is. But you have a law, and if you're not a follower of Jesus, you probably are following the laws of this world—the laws of success, the laws of status, the law of whatever ladder you're trying to climb to get to the thing you hope will give you the peace it's incapable of giving you.
That's what Jesus came to solve, and that's good news worth celebrating. That's good news that can help us endure the suffering, the pain, the tragedy that God can use as a tool at the same time to take us to places that we would never have been able to go, never been able to end you without it.
20th-century missionary Elizabeth Elliot, who went on to minister after her husband was killed by an unreached people group out of her love for God and her love for this group of people, she went as a missionary to the same group of people. She has a famous quote: "There is nothing worth living for unless it is worth dying for."
And I would just caution you that if you have a faith that requires no surrender, you have a faith that may not be living according to the will and plan of your God. And if you're thinking about following Jesus, I just want to make it very clear: it includes eternity; it's the hope of heaven.
But you will feel the hurts of this world. It will not remove the pain and suffering that all of us experience; it will just give purpose to the pain that you will not find without him.
So let's pray. Let's pray that God would light a fire in us that follows the example of our Savior in the garden that could say, "God, we want this suffering to pass from us, but ultimately it's not about what we want; it's about what you want."
Can I pray for you?
God, I don't know every story in this room or in rooms across the Bay Area or wherever people are joining us from, but you do. You know each and every story. And so God, I pray that you would speak into the heart of each and every person right now, that no matter how many times they've been distracted this week, no matter how many times it feels like they've gotten knocked down and they've had to get back up, God, you would just show them, remind them that you love them, that you are there with them, that you've not given up, that they haven't gone too far, that they haven't done too much.
And the way that you communicated that was by what you allowed to happen to your son. And so God, as we get ready to celebrate Easter, remind us of the weight of that burden. Remind us, God, of the suffering that it took for your plan to come to fruition and give us hope, God, that the suffering we are going through or headed to today, that that suffering has a purpose too, and that we have a Savior who can relate to us in all of it.
Would you be with us now? Give us your perspective for what we face, that we might walk through it faithfully with you. It's in Jesus' name, amen.
Let us all...
1) "A life that is unmarked by suffering does not exist. It's not about less pain, less suffering, less tragedy if we follow Him, but it's about more meaning, more peace that comes in the midst of the realities we face in a broken world. It's way more about that than avoiding the hurt we would love to avoid." [24:02]
2) "Just like Jesus, our pain is a tragedy and a tool in God's plan. We want it to just be one or the other, but it really is a reminder of our broken world when we experience pain. It's used by God to shape us for what's ahead." [24:40]
3) "Jesus had a moment like this; dinner is behind him, his arrest is before him. He began to be sorrowful and troubled. He said to them, 'My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.' And going a little further, he fell on his face and prayed, saying, 'My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.'" [27:15]
4) "Jesus' disciples are so exhausted that every time he goes back, they've fallen asleep again. But the last time it's different. Jesus wakes up his disciples and lets them know that they would have plenty of time to sleep later, but right now, he was about to get arrested." [43:35]
5) "The vision of tragedy being a tool to shape us for the plan that God has for us is almost completely foreign to us. We are being shaped every day to communicate the idea that we can avoid pain at all costs, all while ignoring the incredible costs of this very approach. It's not working, and without Jesus, there is no meaningful hope for you to find in the midst of your suffering." [44:43]
6) "Jesus can relate to whatever you are facing right now. Maybe no one knows but you, but God does. And I know that in whatever you face, surrendering that to God, grieving that to God, whatever you lost, whatever you thought you were going to have, surrendering that to God feels impossible. But what's more impossible is continuing to live with the illusion that you're really in control." [34:47]
7) "Jesus, the creator of the universe, recognized that he needed to submit his plans to God's. But we don't. So what is God trying to bring you to the end of in your life? Where are you the most desperate, and God is the only one left to turn to?" [35:24]
8) "God had a world-shaking plan for Jesus' final days, but it was going to involve the tragedy of suffering for Jesus, the agony of surrender, and it was all for the sake of you, for the sake of people that might choose to follow him." [36:30]
9) "By sending this angel, it's as though the Father was saying, 'No, this is the way.' This is really challenging to consider: God chose to allow this pain for His son to adopt you. Easter isn't an accident, Menlo Church; this was always the plan. Jesus helped write it in the Trinity." [41:47]
Embracing Surrender: Finding Purpose in Suffering
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