Monday, April 8, 2013

Good Friday 2013 Awaken

WOW, it has been along time since I have blogged! Well I have many things on my mind and wanted to get them off so I hope to spend some more time sharing thoughts that I have about life and ministry.

Here is our Good friday outline and messages this year. We had thought about what to do and the disciples falling asleep stood out to us. So feel free to take what you like and share it. The Childrens pastor and I team taught this.



Awaken
5pm worship team arrives
6:30pm service Starts
Key verses: Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14 Disciples falling asleep; Luke 22:40-45 asleep from exhaustion

Opening Song: Heart of Worship

Read Passage: Luke 22:39-46

AWAKEN
What causes you to fall asleep?
Intro: Are you tired? Do you need be awaken? Could you use a shot of Christ caffeine? (Odd# Bill, Even# Jon)
1)   Are you weary that your prayers are not being answered?
2)   Are you tired of picking up cheerios for the 100th time?
3)   Are you exhausted of your expectations being unmet?
4)   Are you giving up on the fight of sin?
5)   Are you tired of your job demands?
6)   Are you weary of things not going right?
7)   Are you exhausted of worry for your kids?
8)   Are you tired of not having all the answers?
9)   Are you weary knowing that the mountain of laundry is only getting bigger?
10)                  Are you exhausted with dealing with your physical pain?
11)                  Are you burned out fighting your addiction?
12)                  Are you tired of the not being good enough?
13)                  Are you wearing of not measuring up to the task?
14)                  Are you tired being alone. 

Bill: Tonight we are going to look at a familiar passage of when the disciples struggled to stay awake and pray to God.  We invite you to case these questions on Christ and relax and breath in God.

Jon: Are you exhausted in Sorrow?
Luke 22:40-46
On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” 41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”

Question: Christ was exhausted. He fell down and prayed.  Are you exhausted from sorrow? Are you tired and sad of being sad and tired?

Medically when someone is tired their muscles are in the mode of shutting down, They are fatigued and they want to quit and the brain is still active but when you are able to shut your brain off you can sleep. The problem lies with sorrow you are constantly thinking about the loss. That might look like, a loss of a close friend, loss of a job or something important to you, loss of a loved one.  I don’t know your sorrow or your pain but we do know one that does. He knows even better than you do.

The dictionary definition of sorrow is: deep distress, sadness, or regret especially for the loss of someone or something loved
Are you overcome by Sorrow
We should pray that we don’t be overcome from Sorrow. Pray to realign yourself and allow God to be the place of importance.
The disciples were sorrowful. Christ had told them that the person that they had given up everything to follow was going to go to leave them.  He told Peter he was going to disown him three times. And That Judas was going to betray him.
They were in deep distress.
But when we let it become greater than God we are misaligned and because of that we can fall into temptation.

Pray so that you are not overcome from Sorrow.


We can give us our important stuff and he will take care of it for us. He will trade those sorrows for Joy of the lord.

Song: Trading my sorrows

Bill: Matthew says because there eyes were heavy… Physical?
            Spirit is willing but the body is weak
Mark 14:40
37 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? 38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
39 Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. 40 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.

In our story of the garden we see that the disciple’s eyes were heavy so they fell asleep. Jesus said that their bodies were weak. They were tired they had a long day well really they had a long week. It started out high with the triumphal entry then constant coming and going then this low of Christ talking about leaving them.

In Mark 14:27-31
27 “You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written:
“‘I will strike the shepherd,
    and the sheep will be scattered.’[
a]
28 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
29 Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”
30 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice[b] you yourself will disown me three times.”
31 But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.

Jesus had been talking about how he would have to die. The disciples all expressed how they were going to hold fast to Jesus even to death. The truth is they were going to do this on their own power and by falling asleep they were showing their lack of dependence.

We can imagine how they must have felt. It seemed like they had so much to do with an uncertain future.

How often do you feel like all that is before you is more than you can handle and your future is uncertain?

You have work, family, church and any other commitments that the you have taken on and it seems like there isn’t enough time in the day. You feel like you are doing nothing well and you carry around guilt and you just tired.

Your friends say to you, “are you ok?” and you say I’m just tired.

If you are feeling this way chances are you have taken everything upon yourself.

The disciples’ statement in verse 31 reeks of self-sufficiency. There is now doubt that they earnestly desired to not fall away but on their own power they would not only fall away but they couldn’t even stay awake.

Their purpose in coming to the garden was to pray but they had given up on prayer and fell asleep.

Jesus told them to pray so they wouldn’t fall into temptation but they went to sleep instead.

Much of the time we step out on our own and are only overwhelmed instead of coming before God for guidance and strength.

Pray so that you are not overcome false expectations.

Let tonight be the night when you say I going to stop depending on myself and start depending upon God.


Song : Lead me to the Cross

Jon: Are you exhausted from sin? Boardom?
            Be careful not to fall into temptation.

When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” Luke 22:45-46

Watch and Pray
In our battle of Sin. We often can just want to toss in the towel and give up. We can so easily get bogged down by the fight against sin.

1 Peter 5:8-9 says
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Are you clear minded?

Pray so you are not overcome with Sin.


During the next few songs if you want someone to pray with someone you can come on up to the front. You might not see someone up here but they are. They would love to pray for you. They will just ask, “how can I pray for you” You don’t need to be a member of our church if you want to come up for prayer.


Closing song:
            Nothing but the blood
            10,000 reasons
            By His Wounds

 Bill: We leave you with this verse:
Matt 11:28-29
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

 When we are overwhelmed by the things of this world we are taking on the yoke of this world but Jesus said to come to Him and in coming we put down the burdens of this world and take up His much lighter yoke.

I encourage you tonight to come to Christ tonight and place your sin. Your sorrow. And your stuff at his feet and walk free under his yoke of prayer and dependence upon Him.

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