Going A Little Further

Matt 26:1: "Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, (2) "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified." (NKJ)

Matt 26:37: "And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. (38) Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me." (39) He went a little farther"

Intro: In this passage of Scripture our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was about to be delivered up into the hands of the religious leaders and then turned over to the Romans to be scourged, whipped beyond recognition, and then suffer the cruel death on a cross. In this chapter He will be anointed at Simon's house in Bethany, he will be betrayed by one of His own disciples Judas a Iscariot, He will also eat His Last Supper, prophetically warned all of His disciples that they would fall because of Him.

Matt 26:31 "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: 'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'

He even knew Peter would chime in and say, "Lord I will die for you but never deny you!" Finally he takes the core of His leader ship Peter, James, and John goes into garden to pray with a heavy heart for He said, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful."

In verse 39 Jesus does something that had great spiritual significance; "He went a little further" WHY? To get away from His core disciples so he would not hear them snoring while He prayed until his sweat would turn to great drops of blood? No! He gives us the answer in the next couple of verses. Listen closely.

Matt 26:41 says: "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (NKJ)

Jesus knew unless he went a little further, prayed again, fasted one more time, or quoted his favorite scripture from the Old Testament scroll, that He could not make it , past is flesh, to do the Will of the Father! I want to show where something today that it will take in your walk with God even when you have been saved, baptized, and filled with the Spirit to give you the desire to go a little further.

I. Praying the third prayer

Matt 26:44 44 So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. (NKJ)

A. I believe in the power of prayer! It is the key that unlocks the door to the heart of God! When you pray we have the promise that the prayer of a righteous man is heard.

1Thes 5:17 17 pray without ceasing, (NKJ)

B. We must have a prayer in our heart continually.

C. Jesus knew the importance of prayer that when he taught His disciples he did not forget to teach them how to pray. He told them when you pray, pray like this; "Our Father which art in heaven."

D. In Matthew 26:39,42,44 Jesus prayed three times the same prayer.

Matt 26:39 39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." (NKJ)

E. Jesus knew unless He prayed this prayer He would not have the strength to "drink the cup!" This cup filled full of the wickedness fills the earth, when He died on the cross He drank hatred, deceit, envy, your pride, adultery, homosexuality, gossip, rebellion against authority, lying and list goes on.

F. There may be a person here on the verge of stopping because you the pain that is in the cup, but God wants you to go “a little further." You have thought about leaving the church, quitting on your family, quitting on God but God wants you to go a little further. Sometimes it takes that third prayer to convince you to "go a little further!"

II. Jesus went a little further even when His Family betrayed Him.

Matt 26:46 46 "Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand." (NKJ)

A. One of the most difficult tasks you will face in life is when you feel like your family has betrayed you. Jesus knew before Judas came into the garden that night that He would trade His life for thirty pieces of silver.

B. I want you to understand that even though Jesus knew what He would have to endure “He went a little further!” It is one thing to know what is ahead of you and turn around and run but when the death warrant for you life is sealed and you keep going anyhow.

Story: I have shard so many times my testimony and how God delivered my from a horrible car accident in 1985 and kept me from dying after my life was prayed over by a witch to die. I could have give up, but I had to go a little further.

C. If you are a Child of God, you are not on bus ride across town but a lifetime journey! You can get off the bus when it stops in places it looks like it might be safe to get off! On a lifetime journey there is no provision made for an exit!!! You must go a little further even when your family hurts you.

III. Going a little further, keeps you from giving up!

Matt 26:55-56 55 In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me. 56 "But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled. (NKJ)

A. And sometimes we think we are having a bad day! Jesus had to take another step because he knew if stopped to think about what was coming to past He could have stopped it all!

Matt 26:53 53 "Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? (NKJ)

B. One Pray to the Father plus, twelve legions of angels multiplied by approximately 6,000 angels per legion would equal 72,000 angels equals the greatest Heavenly Army that those Romans soldiers would have ever seen! The Romans military forces only consisted only of about 6,000 men with about 200 cavalrymen. Jesus at one prayer could have had their 6,200 out-numbered and surrounded by 66,000 angels at the Father's command!

C. I have told you this to inform you that Jesus cares about you so much that He went a little further--even when He could have stopped all of heaven! How much more then when should you and I consider going a little further in our walk or relationship with Him?

D. We are to busy with our jobs, ballgames and soap operas to go deeper. We are to busy with internet, telephone, and “Lewd magazine” to go a little further! Friend Jesus could have been to busy for you, but He chose to go anyway, you must choose what is important to you and your family!

Conclusion: Some today in this service have fallen asleep in the garden when we should have went a little further with Jesus. And we are hiding in “things” like jobs, eating, sports, TV, internet etc, to try and deal with our pain. Jesus easily could have found an escape route from the bitter cup he had to drink but instead He chose the cross!