Have you Settled Things with God?
In the garden of Getheseme, Christ Jesus “settled” with God that He would finish the work.
Matthew 26:38-40 “Then saith he (Jesus) unto them, my soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.
And he cometh unto the disciples and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?”
How much it hurt Him, that He was the only one praying….at such a time as this.
He had told them of the circumstances to come…..perhaps they thought “surely not tonight”….
….He had told them to pray….yet for grief….they slept instead….leaving Him alone in this duty.
…He had told them of the betrayal and denial to come….yet they did not pray, even for those things….instead, they closed their eyes to these things…and then slept.
Yet it was there, praying alone….that our Lord Jesus settled with the Father, all that was to come….and the how it was to come.
A settled mind is looking ahead in hope…..a settled heart is looking ahead in believing obedience to the One Who can bring us through.
And so it was at Getheseme for Christ….and so it can be for us, too.
What are you going through….or what it ahead?
Our Heavenly Father knows, and is ready to give the settled peace and hope of mind, and heart.
The life our Lord Jesus lived was not a easy one. Holy and undefiled, He lived in a world which was corrupt, perverted, and in bondage.
But in the garden, Jesus was to face the hardest battle. Alone, He struggled with the upcoming pain, and humiliation (imagine having the power to destroy, or even change the mind of those who arrested and tried Him; yet having to be silent in defense.)
John 19:10-11 “Then sayest Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?
Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.”
He struggled with the fact that Judas betrayed Him, and His disciples couldn’t stay awake.
He struggled with the fact that the very people He came, in love, to; had rejected Him and His Word about the Kingdom of God.
He struggled, knowing the beatings, both by Romans, and Israelites, He would be subject to; the crown of thorns being pushed into His head in cruel mockery. He was a King, but refused to show it.
He struggled most: with the awful fact that on the cross He would be deserted by His Father, who had always been with Him:
For all our wicked sin, was placed upon Him; as our substitute. All God’s wrath, which should have been placed upon our heads for our sins, was placed on His.
Yet at Gethesemne, He settled the matter. He had come to do these very things, so He willed to do them;…..He came to the place of wanting to go through them for His Father’s sake…..and for ours. (Hebrews 12:2)
So it was settled there, that He would do them. For they were the Father’s Will. And that is what He wanted.
And He did all His Father’s Will, even unto death.
So we must “settle it”, that we will stand in the place God has for us, and do His Will.
1Peter 5:10 “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”
Grace is the unmerited favor of power; His power within us. It is ability to do, as an old Christian once said….God’s ability in and through us.
He will help us, by His grace.
He is the God of all grace, so He has enough for us.
He can help us in suffering: to endure, making us “perfect”, which means complete.
He can stablish, giving us the firm foundation of His love, and peace in all the circumstances of our lives.(And how much we need His peace in our days!)
He can strengthen us, for out of weakness we can be made strong, to will and to do His will.
He can “settle” us; which is to make the way for the rest of our lives into a path that is plainly seen, and give us power to walk in it,……and to want to walk in it “for His sake”.
Christ settled things in the Garden; the fear and amazement was there. All that came after, was just the doing.
We, too, can settle things with God; so that we can do His Will, without fear, by grace;…..in confidence, that He will be with us, and that He will empower us by His grace for all that we face.
But, because of Jesus’s atonement; we will never be alone. Amazing grace and love!
He will always be with us;…..in, and through us in everything in our lives.
Have you settled things with God?
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 