Getting to the Heart of the Issue:

March after 14. Beginning of verse 32, they came to the place named Gethsemane. This is one of the most blessed passages in all the scripture. This narrative of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane at this point because Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden. Then came to this place named Gethsemane and he said to his disciples, sit here until I have prayed. And think about this for a moment, this is the night that Jesus is going to be arrested and he's going to be crucified on the following day. And he took with him Peter and James and John and began to be very distressed and troubled. And he said to them, my soul is deeply grieved to the point of death, remain here and keep watch.

And he went a little beyond them and fell to the ground and began to pray. He fell headlong to the ground and began to pray. That if it were possible, the hour might pass by him. He was saying, Abba Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me, yet not what I will, but what you will. And he came and found him sleeping and said to Peter, Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation. The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again he came and found him sleeping for their eyes were very heavy and they did not know what to answer him. And he came the third time and said to them, are you still sleeping and resting?

It is enough. The hours come, behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going, behold, the one who betrays me is at hand. Immediately while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve came up accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs who were from the chief priest and the scribes and the elders. Now he was, who was betraying him, had given them a signal saying, whomever I kiss, he is the one. Seize him and lead him away under guard. After coming Judas immediately went to him saying, Rabbi, and he kissed him. Rabbi means my teacher. And Judas says my teacher and kisses him. They laid hands on him and seized him. But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear.

And Jesus said to them, have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as you would against a robber? Every day I was with you in the temple teaching and you did not seize me. But this has taken place to fulfill the scriptures. And they all left him and fled. A young man was following him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body. And they seized him, but he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked. You may wonder why that, those two verses are there. Well, these two verses describe the author of this book, Mark, who fled to escape. Verse 53, they led Jesus away to the high priest and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes gathered together. Peter had followed him at a distance right into the courtyard of the high priest and he was sitting with the officers and warming himself at the fire.

Now the chief priests and the whole council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put him to death. And they were not finding any. For many were giving false testimony against him, but their testimony was not consistent. Some stood up and began to give false testimony against him saying, we heard him say, I will destroy this temple made with hands and in three days I will build another made without hands. Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent. The high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus saying, do you not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against you? But he kept silent and did not answer. Again, the high priest was questioning him and saying to him, are you the Christ, the son of the blessed one?

And Jesus said, I am. And you shall see the son of man sitting at the right hand of power and coming with the clouds of heaven. Charing is closed. The high priest said, what further need do we have of a witness? You have heard the blasphemy. How does it seem to you? And they all condemned him to be deserving of death. Some began to spit at him and to blindfold him and to be him with their fists and to say to him, prophesy. And the officers received him with slaps in the face. As Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servants of the high priest came. And seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, you also are with Jesus the Nazarene. But he denied it, saying, I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.

And he went out into the porch and a rooster crowed. The servant girl saw him and began once more to say to the bystanders, this is one of them. But again, he denied it. And after a little while, the bystanders were again saying to Peter, surely you are one of them for you are a Galilean too. But he began to curse and swear. I do not know this man that you are talking about. Immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him before a rooster crowed twice. You will deny me three times. And he began to weep. We stand with me and let's pray before we go on in the service. Our Father, we must confess to you that when we hear a fresh about the treatment of the Lord Jesus Christ, about his agony and guassimony, about his willingness to give himself completely for us, it both humbles us and fills our hearts with joy.

That we have been redeemed with such a price. What a motivation it is, Father, to live for you, and to worship you, and to give our lives in worship to you. We pray today, as we have gathered together in the name of Christ, that it would be Jesus that is the center of our attention. We pray, oh God, that we would lift him up in all that we sing and all we say, and all we think this morning. Please help us to guard our minds, to engage our hearts, to hear your word, to worship, to adore him, the one who died in our place, and who has been raised from the dead and who reigns on high and is coming back for his people. We rejoice in the Lord Jesus. We pray, oh God, that you would visit this place.

We pray that your presence would be felt here through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Help us to worship out of the depths of our hearts, we pray. In Christ's name, amen. Before you're seated, want you to greet a couple of people close to you, and then we'll continue on. Hi. Yeah, one sound. Are you in sync, too? Why? We have two. That's all you have. Okay. Thank you. Thank you.