Selfless Faith

In Matthew 26:46, Jesus says to the disciples who are with Him, “Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”

We often sit around doing nothing while the world is on full attack mode in its war on God. The world hates Jesus even when they claim that He is a nice guy, a good example, or the best moral teacher. There are many unbelievers who use clever methods in their attempt to prove that Jesus is not who He claimed to be. However, when these theories are put to the test, they shatter and fail completely. We often help these blasphemers in their clever argument by the way we live our lives. Some people go as far to say that Christians are the most miserable people to ever walk the face of the earth. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:19, “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.” The world gets the impression of miserable Christians from miserable people who hide their vain lives behind the name of Christianity. It is always easier to blame someone else for our condition. Paul starts all of his epistles to the saints of God with, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” If God is granting His saints grace and peace, where is there any room for Christians to be miserable? The problem arises when self-proclaiming Christians work hard at trying to reach their own selfish ambitions even when they try claim it in Jesus name. We must be God-proclaimed Christians allowing Jesus Christ to produce and promote the fruits of His Spirit in our lives which Paul defines to us in Galatians 5:22-23 as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

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In Matthew 26:45, Jesus came to the 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.”

Jesus is constantly being betrayed on a daily basis while many of us are just sleeping and dwelling upon worldly affairs. There are so many things we as Christians get involved in that we have no business being a part of. There is a big misconception that Jesus is just a part of Christianity and not the sole definition of Christianity. When we come into the mentality of compartmentalizing Jesus, we fall into the devil’s deceptive trap. It seems we tend to get involved way to deeply in people’s personal lives instead of extending God’s gracious love through Jesus Christ that was expressed to us on the cross. Let’s not fall into the misconception of what makes a person Christian. Being Republican does not make a person Christian! Trusting in Jesus and sharing His grace by the way we live our lives makes us a Christian! Being a “pro-life” supporter does not make a person Christian! Believing in Jesus Christ and having His gospel live through us makes us Christian! Being an American (or any other nationality that claims to be a “Christian nation”) does not make a person Christian! Knowing that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and walking in His light makes us Christian! Jesus, and ONLY Jesus makes us Christian!

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In Matthew 26:43-44, again Jesus came and found Peter, James, and John sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done,” once more.

Man’s strength can only go so far and here it proves it is not very far at all. We have the desire to do great things for God but our flesh holds us back constantly. It is very discouraging. It helps to know that even the greatest apostles went through the same things that we do. Even Paul writes of himself in Romans 7:23, “Wretched man that I am!” However, Paul would not dwell on his weakness for very long but instead would immediately boast about the victory we have in Jesus Christ. This is the same Paul that would write in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Jesus continues to show that only His work on the cross is what saves us. The disciples wanted to be there for God but couldn’t just stay awake for a little while. Even when all of Jesus’ followers abandoned Him, He knew His mission still had to be accomplished. He was filled with strength from above. Now, although in our flesh we might not be able to just stay awake for a little while (as simple as we may think that is), we now have the strength of God living in us through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit enabling us to say with Him, “Not our will, but Your will be done.” Blessed is the man who takes rest in the Lord and has victory in Jesus Christ.

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In Matthew 26:42, Jesus went away again a second time and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.”

Some people say there are many ways to get to Heaven or to God and it is not only through Jesus Christ. Ironically, while they believe there are many ways, they try to sell their way as being the best way to get to God. Even as Christians we can fall into the trap of trying to sell why Christianity is true. It sometimes appears that Christian apologetics, or maybe the petition to come forward at the end of the church service, can compared to being a car salesperson. We can’t sell Jesus Christ to anyone. I think God does a good enough job proving why we need to put our trust in Jesus Christ. Jesus never fought anyone into believing in Him. He simply told them the truth. Now, it is completely a person’s choice if we want to believe this truth. Whether we believe it or not, it doesn’t change the truth in any way. With this established, it would be impossible for any Christian to believe in Jesus and maintain the theory that there is any other way outside of Jesus to come to God. If there were any other ways, God had the perfect opportunity to step in and give Jesus the alternative. Heaven was silent on this matter. Jesus Christ: the Way, the Truth, and the Life. For our sake, praise the Lord He drank of the bitter cup of a heinous death that was certainly meant for us.

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In Matthew 26:41, Jesus says to Peter, James, and John, “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

I think every Christian should have this verse embedded in their DNA. This is one of the most important verses in our Christian walk with Jesus Christ. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 that we should “pray without ceasing.” It seems he is re-emphasizing the point that Jesus is making here. Jesus told them to keep watching and praying so that they may not enter into temptation. It seems most of the times when we fall into temptation (if not all the time) is when we stop watching and praying. W e want to live for God so badly but there is that little annoying  part called the flesh. Our spirit is under the authority of God but our body takes time to adjust to the change in regime. Those are the times that the flesh causes us to fall while we are in the transition into the new spiritual beings that Jesus Christ has transformed us into through the power of Holy Spirit. Jesus’ death on the cross crucified our flesh freeing our spirits but it can take some time for our mind to realize and fully comprehend that. We are no longer subject to the bondage of our fleshly desires but since we spent our entire life under this control, it just comes naturally to follow that path. In time, as we continue to cultivate our spirit through God’s grace, our new nature of walking in the spirit will take control of our lives more and more. Praise the Lord God All Mighty!

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