If you have your Bibles this morning, turn with me to Matthew chapter 26. Got some people out today. Lord knows the needs there. Got a lot out because of Sister Debbie's mother that passed away at the funerals today. We pray for them. God will send them comfort. And others that are sick too. We miss them when they're not here. We do. So this morning, I had a thought that come to me the other evening when I was, actually it was in the wee hours of the morning. To me, this is the way it happens to me a lot of times. I don't know why, but I cannot prepare a Sunday school lesson like a week in advance or whatever. It's like a day or two before I'll get a thought, and then the Lord just starts working with me on it. But it was in the wee hours of the morning and I had this dream. What I thought was Matthew 27 about Jesus in the garden saying, not my will, but thine be done. And Brother Dave said, no, that's in Matthew 26. And I can't really remember what all was going on there or whatever, but I thought it was Matthew 27. He said, no, it was Matthew 26. So I got up and I'm looking and I was like, Yeah, Matthew 26. But anyway, that's just kind of funny how that happened or whatever. But I felt like the Lord wants to use this this morning to help us be, I don't know, more mindful or careful about being in the Lord's will and not our own. Because that's a dangerous thing. So we'll get there eventually, but if you have your Bibles in Matthew chapter 26, we'll start with verse 31 there's some other things in here that we need to look at too and We need to be careful about But Matthew chapter 26 in verse 31 it says Then say of Jesus unto them all ye shall be offended because of me this not For it is written. I will smite the shepherd and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. Okay, that verse of scripture that he's referring to is in Zechariah chapter 13 and verse seven. I never really thought about it too, too much until I reread this event that took place here in Matthew 26. But Jesus is fixing to tell Peter that You're going to deny me three times before the cock crow. And we're going to read it, but he's going to tell him no. And eventually ends up happening. Okay. And the Lord Jesus himself gets smitten. And what happens? The sheep scattered. Peter didn't want anything to do with it. I don't know this man. So I think there's something to be said there. about the shepherd being smitten. And I know we have the shepherd, okay, and then we have the under-shepherd here at the church, which is Brother David, our pastor. But I think we have to be careful about people smiting him, you might say. He's our pastor. And we should be protective over him, right? I mean, he's protective over us. He's the protector. But when he gets attacked and he gets smitten, well, what's going to happen to us as a church? Something to think about. I don't know. Have you all ever thought about that? These are things to be in prayer about. And we should always be mindful about Our pastor and we need to pray for him and. Stand behind him. I never will forget what Brother Brad Price said at a family camp we had talking about his boys and. Him and he said they were hardware men. The ones that helped assemble and make the things for the Ark of the Covenant, the rings and whatever that took place there. And he was making the point that God showed him that he needs to find a good man to get behind and stay there. And, uh, I feel that way with brother David. Uh, he's my friend. He's my pastor. He's my under shepherd. And I don't really like it when somebody smites him to you, if that ever happens. We just need to be mindful. I just saw that in here and I thought I'd bring it up. It's a good point to bring up. It says in verse 32, but after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. Peter answered and said unto him, though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Not me, Lord. I'm not gonna leave your side. I'm gonna be one of those men that stand behind you. But Jesus, knowing all that he does, he said in verse 34, Jesus said unto him, verily, verily, I say unto thee, or verily, I say unto thee, this night before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. What a dagger to Peter's heart, I'm sure. And in verse 35, Peter said unto him, though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples. They're really standing behind him, ain't they? Nothing's gonna cause a wavering of their faith in their Lord. Think about what all they've done with him and they've seen him do and what they've learned from him. and hear the Lord's telling them, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Before the morning gets here, we gotta be careful about that, don't we? We think we're a certain place within our spiritual walk, and then a little something like that happened, I guess you could say, well, he denied them. We gotta be careful about that. There's two things to be prayerful about I've already mentioned this morning. Pray for a pastor, pray for ourselves. And in verse 36, it says, then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane. and said unto his disciples, sit ye here while I go and pray yonder. I think I knew at one time, I'm not real sure if Yosemite has a meaning. Maybe somebody knows if that word has a meaning. Winepress? Yeah, I thought it was something, but I couldn't really remember and I forgot to look it up, to be honest with you. Do you think there's a reason behind that, Brother Josh? Yeah. Yeah. Very true. It kind of makes me think about how he said he's the vine and we're the branches. Jesus's blood. Well, when we take communion, what do we take? We take the bread that represents the body that was broken for us. And what do we take with it? The grape juice, which comes from the fruit of the vine. So that is interesting. I knew there was something there, but I couldn't really remember exactly what it was. But here he is at Gethsemane. And he told his disciples to sit ye here while I go and pray yonder. Jesus was from the country, yonder. That's kind of a joke, but you know. That reminds me, I went on a business trip one time. It was actually Florida, it wasn't up north or anywhere, but as soon as I walk in, and asked for my hotel reservation. The lady looked at me and she said, honey, you're from Tennessee, ain't you? I said, yeah. I thought that was kind of funny. So Jesus here, he's asked him to sit here while I go and pray yonder. Could you really say he's going to his prayer closet? The prayer closet is an important thing for us as Christians to spend time with God and to seek him out when things trouble us. And something is troubling Jesus Christ here. Because he knows what's coming. He's willing to do it. But he is in the flesh, right? It says, and he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, which is James and John. You can find that in the same book of Matthew chapter four and verse 21. And it says he began to be sorrowful and very heavy. I read that and I thought about maybe sometimes that I'm troubled when you're When you're able to hold it together just long enough to maybe make it to your prayer closet and then you just, you let the floodgates open and you're praying and you're seeking God and maybe sometimes even when we make our way to the altar, we're real sorrowful and we have something that we need to pray about and we're very heavy and we need to unload some things. Well, that's the way I kind of picture Jesus right here. It says, and he said unto them, my soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. Tear ye here and watch with me. Now those words that Jesus just said right there, those are some important words maybe that we overlook sometimes. Terry here and watch with me. He's really made them a watchman right there. You understand what I'm saying? He wants him to Terry there and watch with him. We're going to find out that they didn't do such a great job with that. But he asked him to do it. You know, sometimes we just need to be a friend and watch and listen to somebody. Don't really do any talking. Just watch and listen. Terry there. You don't really just hurriedly try to hear what they got to say and then move on. If they really mean something to you, you're going to spend some time with them. No matter if you've got something to do or what, you're going to sit down. I mean, there's times that I've just sit down and didn't say one word and I just listened. Maybe one reason was because I really didn't know what to say. And sometimes that's the best thing. Sometimes you just need to listen and not try to solve the problem. Yeah. You ever needed anybody like that just to listen to you? Yeah, I don't need you to solve the problem. I just need you to listen to me for a minute. Something to learn from that. And he made watchmen of them. And in verse 39, and he went a little further and fell on his face and prayed saying, oh my father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as I will. Have you ever studied that verse of scripture in depth and kind of wondered? Well, number one, about God's will for your life, and are you willing to do it? But also, what was in the cup that he's wanting to pass from him? You ever really thought about that? I've heard different things. I've heard sin. Sin was in the cup. And other things, I've got some Some stuff here that we need to look at but maybe somebody else has got an idea about what was in the cup before we look at that Any suggestions Come on don't be afraid I Think there was a lot in that cup Huh Yeah, I think there was a lot in there I When you really think about it, all the things that Jesus Christ went through after this point, I'm saying that was in the cup. Is that okay to say? So in researching this, I found Well, it says here at the first part of this verse, and when Jesus went a little further, he fell on his face and prayed. Before we even get to that point, I'm sorry I overlooked that. But how many of us fall on our face to pray sometimes? When something is really bothering us and we're heavenly burdened, about something sorrowful. Jesus Christ, he set some good examples for us. And he fell on his face to pray here. I don't do it all the time, but sometimes I do. I've seen Brother Josh do it. You know, if you don't really know how to pray, that's a good place to start on your face. Now, there are times in the Bible that, you know, sometimes God might tell you to get up and talk to him like a man. Do you know of an instance that happened in the Bible? Ezekiel, Ezekiel chapter one. I'm just trying to make a point to you here. I thought I had that marked. I've had a little bit of trouble this morning with the time change. The official oven clock was not correct this morning. That's why I was a little late. I apologize about that. The hour was right, but the minutes was not right. And I did not expect that. You know what I'm saying? Because really you just run the hour up one hour. Well, somehow she monkeyed with the minutes and didn't realize she'd done it. And it was seven minutes off. Ezekiel chapter one, verse 28, it says, as the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of the rain, so was the appearance of the brightness roundabout. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face and I heard a voice of one that spake. In chapter two in verse one, and he said unto me, son of man, stand up upon my feet and I will speak unto thee. And the spirit entered into me, he spake unto me and set me upon my feet and I heard him that spake unto me. On your face is a good place to start to pray. He may tell you to get up. I don't know. Maybe he wants to show you something standing up. But I'm just saying sometimes, like Jesus Christ did right here, it says he fell on his face and prayed. Have you ever thought about that? He fell on his face and prayed. So it might be a good place to start. I don't know. Bringing some stuff out here. But back to the cup. I'm thinking there was no other way that Jesus knew around drinking from this cup. But he still prayed about it, didn't he? He knew what he had to do. If you knew what was in the cup, you'd probably ask too. Is there another way? Sometimes I think we really forget about what all Jesus Christ done for us and what he went through to pay our sin debt. And it's good to be reminded of it sometimes. I know Jesus knew what he needed to do in order to make this come to pass, but he still prayed about it, didn't he? Is there another way? I'm thinking he knew there wasn't, but maybe somebody else has got a comment on that. Yes, sir. I'm thankful the Bible says whosoever. That included me. I was a whosoever, now I'm a child of God. So when I read this account here about, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as I will, there's really a lot there in those few sentences to really ponder upon. I had something marked here in Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 51. Let me read it to you real quick. Isaiah 51. Starts in verse 17. Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which has drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury. and has drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling and wrung them out. There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth, neither is there any taken out of her by the hand of all the sons that she hath brought up. These two things are coming to thee who shall be sorry for the desolation and destruction and the famine and the sword by whom I shall comfort thee. Christ is the one that comforts us. Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, a wild bull in a net, they're full of fury of the Lord, the rebuke of thy God. They hear now this, thou afflicted and drunken, not with wine. Thus saith the Lord, thus saith thy Lord, thee Lord, and thy God that pleadeth because of his people. Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury, and thou shalt no more drink it again. But I will put into the hand of them that afflict thee, which have said to thy soul, bow down, that we may go over. And thou hast laid the body as a ground and as a street to them that went over. When we read about this right here, Well, God's wrath was in that cup. His fury, the trembling that went along with that. You say, what are you talking about, Brother Joe? Well, I don't want to get too deep here, but if you look on into the book of Revelation, you'll find in chapter 16, it talks about Seven vials, which are cups, if you would, that are poured out. What's in those? God's wrath. You can read about it, Revelation 16. I'm saying that Jesus done a tremendous thing here is what I'm trying to get around to about right here. He took on a lot for me and you. Because there was a lot in that cup. If you look on over to, in Matthew 26, in verse 65, I think it is, it says, Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He has spoken blasphemy. What further need we have of witnesses? Behold, now we have heard his blasphemy. What thank ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death. Then did they spit in his face and buffet him, and others smoked him with the palms of their hands. They're just getting started right there. Do you like to be spit on in the face? No, I don't. Number one, it's disgusting. It's rude. They buffeted him. They smoked him with the palms of their hands. You know what's fixing to happen here? The sheep are fixing to scatter. Saying prophesy, prophesy unto us thou Christ. Who is he that smote thee? They're mocking him there, aren't they? He could have named every one of them. It's almost like when they brought the woman that was caught in adultery to Jesus. And he swooped down in the sand and started writing. It says they all left one by one. I don't really know what he wrote. Maybe there's ideas out there. But how do you know he didn't do something like this? Brother Josh last night. You know what I'm saying? Brother Josh walks off. I don't know. I'm just saying. He knows us. He knows who smote him. They were mocking him, but he knew. It says in verse 69, now Peter sat without in the place, and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast Jesus of Galilee. But he denied before all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. And when he was gone out into the porch, another mate saw him, and said unto him, and to them that were there, this fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again, he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came unto them, they that stood by and said to Peter, surely thou art also one of them for thy speech bereath thee. Then began he to curse and to swear saying, I know not the man and immediately the cock grew. Jesus tried to let them know what all was going to happen before it happened. And he took the scripture from Zechariah. So when they shall smite the shepherd, the sheep will scatter. That's what happened right here. Have you ever noticed that before? That's what happened. It says, and Peter remembered the words of Jesus, which is said unto him, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out and wept bitterly. What else was in the cup? In Matthew 27, verse 27. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped him and put on him a scarlet robe, and when they had plaited a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and a reed in his hand, and they bowed the knee before him and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews. And they spit upon him, and they took the reed and smote him on the head. I brought this out a few months ago. I don't know if you remember, but they smote him on the head, and he had the crown of thorns shoved on there. And they were beating him on the head with that rod or whatever it was they're driving them thorns on down in there. That's painful. I'm saying that was in the cup. And after they had mocked him, they took the robe from off him and put on his ramen on and put his own ramen on him and let him away to be crucified. The crucifixion was in the cup too. Along with a lot of other things. But I thought I'd elaborate on it just a little bit. Maybe somebody else has got something to add to that before we go on. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's right, brother. I want you to think about this. Think about just a few things we've talked about that was in the cup this morning and what he'd done for us. And then look at Matthew 26, 53 with me. Let's read verse 52 also. This is after Peter smoked the ear off of, is it Marcus or Malchus, I can't remember. Malchus, yeah. In verse 52, then Jesus said unto him, put up again thy sword into his place, for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Think about what was in the cup as we read verse 53 here. I think it's so that I can now pray to my father and he shall presently give me more than 12 legions of angels. But how then shall the scripture be fulfilled that thus it must be? I'm saying he didn't have to drink from the cup, but he did because he loved us. And he knew what was in the cup. We serve a great God. And sometimes I don't think we're thankful enough about what Jesus Christ done for us. We forget it. We forget. I think that's an important reason on why we take communion, to be remembered to those things. He said, do this in remembrance of me. We need to be reminded. I've heard Brother David say before, if you can read about the crucifixion and it not bother you, you got a problem. I think it needs to bother you. I think it does. You need to see what your Lord done for you. and the pain and suffering that he endured to pay your sin debt and the sin debt of the whole world. That was a high price to pay and he done it. So if we look back at this cup that we were talking about here in verse 39, Oh, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as I will. It says in verse 40, and he cometh unto his disciples and findeth them asleep and said unto Peter, what? Could you not watch with me one hour? He wanted them to be watchmen. Terry, you with me and watch. But what'd they do? They fell asleep. That is a terrible watchman. Falling asleep on watch, that's, I'm not real sure what it is, but that's a high price to pay, isn't it, Brother Bug? Really. Yeah. I read that and then I got to thinking about Brother David, when he's preaching his heart out up here at, I'm gonna say two o'clock service, but maybe sometimes at 11 o'clock. He's preaching his heart out, the Lord showed him something, and he's trying to feed the flock and get something to us, and we're back there nodding our heads. Isn't it amazing what you can find in the scripture? to help us. We need to tarry with brother David and watch and listen to what he has to say. Don't be drifting off to sleep like these disciples did here. And the preaching don't last no hour. Can you use that? Can you use that? Does that help you? In verse 41, watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Boy, the flesh is weak, ain't it? It is weak. In 1 Corinthians 9, 27, Paul said, but I keep under my body and bring it into subjection. Well, the flesh is weak and we have to keep doing that. The spirit is able to overcome and it helps us to be able to do here what Paul's talking about. But wow, the flesh is weak. But the spirit is willing and it can conquer the flesh to keep it under subjection. We've got to train ourselves, don't we? We've got to train ourselves. And he went away again the second time and prayed, saying, oh, my father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. You know what I see here? I see it's OK to pray about certain things more than one time. Jesus Christ done it. He's going to do it again. It's okay to pray multiple times about something that's bothering you. Do you agree with that? Verse 43, and he came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. The flesh is weak. He woke them once, and he come back, and they're asleep again. That's not tarrying, and that's not being a good watchman. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, sleep on now, take your rest. Behold, the hour is at hand, as the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. Behold, he is at hand that doth betray me. I'm sure you heard footsteps coming. I don't know. But it says he left and went away the third time and prayed. Yeah, it's OK to pray multiple times about something. Be persistent about it. to you get the answer. So when we talk about God's will, Jesus knew this was God's will for him. That's why he came here. That's why he was born of the Virgin Mary. And he lived a sinless life. First Corinthians chapter five, maybe verse eight, nine, Jesus Christ became our Passover. He was that lamb that was born in the stable that eventually grew up and was crucified for my sin and your sin. He knew his will. Do you know God's will for your life? Have you ever really thought about it? What is God's will for your life? You know, it's a dangerous thing to be shooting at a target with something that ain't sighted in. Number one, you're gonna waste all your ammo, right? You know, just because they bore sight a gun for you, you better check that thing out before you head to the woods. Because they're just trying to get it on paper and sometimes it ain't on paper But what I'm saying is if you're just shooting arrows here and there or whatever and you're not really Aiming at the target correctly That's not a good thing. You're gonna miss out Where's a good place to start if you don't know God's will I for your life. Well, 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 9. You think that's a good place to start? You know what that is? I got it memorized but I'm not going to try to quote it because I'll mess it up. And when we do Bible memory once a month, everybody up here trying to say the same verse at once? I get so confused, do you guys? I just don't have it in me, I don't know. Anyway, if you don't know the Lord's will for your life, here's a good place to start. 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 9, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering toward usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. There's a good place to start. It's his will that none of us should perish. His son paid the ultimate price for me and you. Whereby we might receive salvation. And I tell you, once you get to that point and you start praying and seeking God's will for your life, you're going to find it. But you need to start right there, I'm thinking. Start right there. How much time we got left? A few minutes. I got some more things wrote down here, but I can't remember what they are. It's a shame they fell asleep on watch. Let's not do the same thing. Keep her eyes open. If you're not careful, you can focus on a certain thing in God's word and think you have everything figured out and there's nothing more to learn. Be careful, tarry and watch. Let his will come to pass in your life. Don't be a stumbling block to others because you are asleep. Hope that helped you this morning. It's a good reminder for us. God bless you.