We have here in Matthew chapter 26, Jesus is praying. He is in Gethsemane's garden. Garden of Gethsemane was very close and is close to everything that happens in these chapters. The disciples have just left an upper room and really you can see the garden from the upper room. He is going to be crucified. on Golgotha, which is just really a short walk. It's immediately before his betrayal. As Jesus is praying here in the garden, Judas and a band of men, soldiers, are coming to capture Christ, to have him tried, to have him crucified. Soon, our Savior will be delivered to evil men. In Matthew chapter 26, as Jesus is praying, he will soon be in the hall of Caiaphas, and then Pilate, and Herod, and there will be scourging and crucifixion. In Jesus' great prayer, here in Matthew chapter 26, and also recorded in John chapter 17, it's a prayer in three parts. A little phrase stands out. That little phrase makes the difference between success or failure in the Christian life. The little phrase is in Matthew 26 and verse 39. And he went a little farther. And he went a little farther. I want you to focus on that little phrase tonight. Jesus, our example, went a little farther in prayer. You know, there were some good men there in the Garden of Gethsemane that night, 11 disciples, chosen, hand-selected by the Savior. And the Bible says, in verse number 36, and we read it, Matthew 26, verse 36, Then come to Jesus with them 11 disciples, unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. So he comes with 11. In verse number 37, he asks three to go a little farther than the eight. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. So he comes with his 11 disciples, he gets to the Garden of Gethsemane, and he says, okay, sit you here, tarry you here, and pray. And then I want you three, Peter, James, and John, to come with me. You know, these three disciples, always when they're listed, they're listed in that order. Peter, James, and John. They got to see some Things that the other disciples didn't see. Here was one of them. They got to see Jairus' daughter raised from the grave. The other eight did not see that. The other nine did not see that. But Judas is already gone. He's gone off to betray Christ. So now there are eight. Peter, James, and John were there when Jesus was transfigured on the Mount of Transfiguration, and the voice of God spoke, and his face was as it were glistering, as no fuller on earth could make it bright. Now he chooses them to pray with him. You know, I thought it was interesting when I was looking at this scripture. You know, if you were there in the upper room, and you're going to pray with the Savior, And he had already told them, I'm going to die. They just took some bread and broke it. And he said, like we did on Tuesday night, right? He said, this is my body, which is given for you. He took some wine, some grape juice. He said, this is my blood, which is going to be shed for you. It's my blood that's shed for the remission of sins. And then he says, I'm going to go and pray. And he gets to verse 36. Interesting. No one volunteered to go with him. Peter, James, and John went. But don't you think some of the other eight could have said, can I go too? These three were hand selected. They went a little farther, but I find it interesting that none of the others volunteered to go. They were content to sit and they were content to sleep. You know, it's probably not unusual. Most people are probably content to just do enough to get by. Most people are probably content if Jesus said, hey, I've got a big job, but I want you just to sit here and pray. And they're like, good. I don't have to get involved. I can just stay here. I can be prayer support, right? I don't have to do the heavy lifting. I could just be left alone, and we can take a nap when he's not looking. That's exactly what they did. But we find here they were content. If only they had known. Think about that. If only they had known, these were some of Jesus' last hours on earth. I mean, how would you feel? It's just a few hours, really, until Jesus is crucified. The same night he's betrayed, he goes and prays. And the next day, he's going to be crucified and buried. And here you have an opportunity to spend some time with him. And they didn't do it. Here you had an opportunity to pray with the Son of God in the garden, or hear Him pray, and they didn't do it. What an opportunity. What a privilege. How would you feel after? You know how I'd feel? I'd feel terrible. Jesus took us to the garden, and He said, sit here. And I said, that's great. I've been waiting to sit down. It's been a long day. Pray here. I'm going to go to sleep. And then He went with Peter, James, and John, and we slept. And He came back, and He said, hey, Can't you watch with me one hour? Why are you guys sleeping? How would you feel? It'd feel pretty terrible, especially if he's crucified in just a few hours. When Jesus prayed that great prayer, and somebody said, hey, when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, sweating as it were, great drops of blood, what was that like? I don't know, I wasn't there. I don't know. I was asleep. I don't know. I never asked to participate. I missed the whole thing. I was sitting here, and Jesus was over there. Well, I was here, and Jesus went a little farther, and I didn't go a little farther. I stayed here. I was snoozing. You know, if we're going to be a part of God's work, and amazing answers to prayer. We are going to have to ask to go a little farther. Jesus asked three, but the other eight didn't volunteer. Jesus asked three, and then he went a little farther away from them, and they stayed there too. Look at verse number 37. Again, verse number 38. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. Tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What? Could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh, weak Jesus asked three To go a little farther still the eight in verse 36 Sit you here. Look at Luke chapter 22 keep your place here, but look at Luke chapter 22 To all of his disciples that were there in the garden on that night We have this account in Luke chapter 22 and verse number 40 And when he was at the place, Luke 22 verse 40, he's here in the garden. And when he was at the place, he said unto them all 11, pray that ye enter not into temptation. He told all of them to pray. Do we find any of them praying? I don't have a record of any of them praying. They all slept. Sit you here, watch, pray. No one asked to go. He went a little farther, no one volunteered to go with him. Instead of sitting, they slept. Instead of praying, they slept. The three, in verse 38 of our text in Matthew 26, he said, watch with me. Verse number 40, he came back and in one hour, they were asleep. The three went a little farther than the eight, but failed to do what he asked to do. You know, sometimes we compare ourselves. The Bible says comparing ourselves with ourselves, we're not wise. Well, I did a little better than so-and-so. Well, I'm doing better than them. When you compare myself to them, I'm doing really good, but are we doing what Jesus told us to do? Well, I went a little farther than the eight, but you didn't watch and pray. It wasn't unusual, sadly, for Jesus' disciples to be in the right place, but not doing the right thing. Keep your place here, but look at Mark chapter number nine. Because they had not gone a little farther, they failed. If we are going to succeed in the Christian life, If we're going to see God's work done, and amazing answers to prayer, we're going to have to go a little farther, and we're going to have to ask to go a little farther. Jesus' disciples were often in the right place, but many times they weren't doing the right things. Here's a glaring example. A man came to Jesus' disciples. And he said, my son is vexed with a spirit. The spirit casts him into the fire, casts him into the water, and tries to kill him. He's foaming, he's gnashing. And the disciples said, bring him here. We'll cast him out. And they couldn't do it. You remember that? Then the father, perplexed and so concerned about his son, brings his son to Jesus. And Jesus said, bring him to me. Verse number 29, 28. Mark 9, verse 28. And when he was coming to the house, his disciples asked him privately, why could not we cast him out? Jesus cast him out. And he said to them, this kind can come forth by nothing but by prayer and fasting. Jesus said, bring him to me. He cast the devils out. Why couldn't we do that? We were in the right place. but you didn't go a little farther. You weren't prepared for the situation when it came up because you haven't been praying and fasting. You didn't go a little farther yesterday to be ready today for an emergency. They were in the right place. They looked like they were doing the right thing. Then a crisis came and they hadn't gone a little farther and they failed. If we're going to see the Lord work in our lives and others, we're gonna have to go a little farther and do what Jesus asks us to do when no one else is watching. When everyone was watching, they were there. When everyone was watching, they said, come out of him. When everyone was watching, they failed because they hadn't prepared when no one was watching by praying and fasting. They didn't go a little farther. You know, it's easy to show up. And it's easy to look like you're there and doing the right thing and say the right thing. But the hard part is the little farther is inconvenient. The little farther was yesterday when you had to skip some meals and get on your face and pray and get a hold of God and prepare yourself for you don't even know what's going to happen. That's where they felt. It was normal to sleep. The middle of the night, right? Jesus asked them to watch and pray. If we're going to be part of God's work, an amazing answer is the prayer we're going to have to ask to go a little farther. If we're going to see the Lord work in our lives and others, we're going to have to go a little farther and do what Jesus asked us to do when no one else is watching. Here they are praying in the middle of the night. You're supposed to be sleeping. I imagine some of them said, it's past my bedtime, right? You ever hear that before? We have church at 6 o'clock. Some people have it at 7 o'clock. It's past my bedtime. Look, that beauty sleep, it's not working. Well, the kids have to go to bed. Kids are flexible. My dad's sitting over here. I mean, we used to have church on Wednesday night at 7.30. Because he didn't get off work till 6.30. So we had church at 7.30. The church is probably still at 7.30 up in Michigan. Why? Because it's been that way ever since 1973, OK? Because he didn't get off work. And he said, you know what? We're going to church. If I have to smell like gasoline and oil and all that crazy stuff, we're going to church. And my son's going to church. You know what? That beauty sleep didn't work for me either, did it? It didn't work for him either. We didn't get it. But, oh, it's inconvenient, right? No, I can't do that. I can't pray. I need to sleep till at least eight o'clock in the morning. You sleep till eight o'clock in the morning, you'll probably get bed sores, okay? I don't know what time you stay up till, all right? I gotta sleep, oh. Jesus asked them to watch and pray. It might be normal to do what everyone else is doing, but somebody is gonna need you to intercede for them. I'm saying the 8 o'clock thing because I'm so old now, I don't even have to set an alarm clock. I just wake up like, oh, it's 6.30. I can't go back to sleep. What's that like, Ms. Smith? Now, thank you. The father and the son. In Mark chapter nine, sure we're glad that Jesus went a little farther. Don't you suppose? Don't you suppose that father, as he came to the disciples, he said, okay, these guys walk with God, right? They spent time with Jesus, the Messiah. They'll have the answer. They'll be able to help my boy. And they said, come out of him. And it didn't, didn't work. They hadn't gone a little farther in private. And he probably said, now what am I gonna do? I better go see Jesus. And that father and that son sure were glad that Jesus went a little farther. He fasted. He prayed. That's why he was able to perform. He's the son of God. But he said, look, that's why you couldn't do it. I'm in tune with God all the time. Fasting, he said. Praying. He fasted for 40 days, the one time that we know. You know, the people that we remember who got their prayers answered and their needs met, went a little farther. Think about the people. I just came up with a few. You can come up with your own list, but here are a few. They went a little farther. You remember Hannah? She couldn't have any children. And she said, God, give me a son. And she went to the house of God and she prayed. And everybody else was kind of like praying, you know, now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. Bless all the missionaries all around the world. Grandma and grandpa, uncle and aunt. Yeah, one, two, three. And she's there and she's the last one at the altar. And she's praying and Eli looks at her and he says, lady, You're not supposed to be drunk and you definitely shouldn't be drunk here in the house of God. She said, I'm not drunk. No words are coming out. I mean, she was just so perplexed. She was going a little farther. God, give me a son. God, if you give me a son, I'll give him back to you. Eli said, what are you praying for? I'm praying for a son. Okay, God's going to answer your prayer. Why? Because you went a little farther. Everybody else has gone home and you're still here praying. Everybody else is just kind of, you know, What's that thing, little prayer wheel turning? Got the little prayer wheel turning. She said, I got the big prayer wheel, and we're just staying here till God answers our prayer. We're just gonna spend however long it takes before God says yes. If it's a day, it's a day. If it's two days, if it's a month, if it's a year, however long it takes. And she got her son. And what a man he was, Samuel. Give us 1st Samuel, 2nd Samuel, 1st Kings, 2nd Kings, 1st Chronicles, 2nd Chronicles, the last judge, the priest, the anointer of kings over Israel. Why? Because of a mother who went a little farther in prayer. Can I challenge you tonight? If we're going to see God do great things, we've got to go a little farther. We've got to go above the average. We've gotta go above what's normal and what's expected in prayer. Elijah on Mount Carmel. Nobody wanted to serve God. All of Israel came to Mount Carmel. All the prophets of Baal, 400, 450, prophets of the grove, 850, and one man who wanted to serve God. And he went a little farther. You know he had a contest. He said, all right, we're going to have two sacrifices. The God who answers by fire, he's the God. All morning, all afternoon, the prophets of Baal cut themselves. Oh, Baal, hear us. Oh, Baal, hear us. Finally, he said, okay, that's not working. Gave him a whole day to play around. Then finally he said, okay, get four barrels of water, pour it on the altar, pour it on the sacrifice. Get four more, get four more, 12 barrels of water. And a short, I think it's a 64 word prayer. And fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice. And all the people who before said, they answered him not a word. Who is God? Serve him. They answered him not a word. If God is God, then serve him. If Baal is God, serve him. They didn't know what to do. And finally at the end of that, going a little farther, The people said, the Lord, he is the God. The Lord, he is the God. Why? Because one man went a little farther. Why did Samuel come as an answer to prayer? Because a mother went a little farther. A wife went a little farther. Solomon prayed for wisdom in 1 Kings chapter 3. He could have had riches. He could have had the life of his enemies. He could have had victory in battle. He could have had so many things, long life. And God said, what do you want? He said, look, I have a great responsibility to lead these people and I don't even know what to do. I need wisdom. God said, okay, I'm going to give you wisdom. I'm going to give you an understanding heart and I'll give you all these other fringe benefits as well. Why? Because he went a little farther. Look over to James chapter number five. James chapter number five. We have again, Elijah prayed. that God would shut off the faucet of heaven, and it didn't rain for a year and a half, three and a half years, it didn't rain? Three years and six months. Verse 17. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are. Like I said a couple weeks ago, right? He didn't have the God gene. He's the same kind of person you are. Same kind of person I am, right? And he prayed earnestly. What did he do? He went a little farther. That it might not rain, and it rained out on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. What did he do? He went a little farther. He said, okay, I'm a man subject to like passions. It'd be easy for me just to, you know, rub-a-dub-dub, thanks for the grub. Yay, God. Just kind of throw a prayer up there, right, and see if it sticks. He said, no, I'm gonna get down on my face, and I am gonna earnestly pray. I am gonna fervently pray. That's a Bible word. That's a word feverish. I'm gonna pray like I have a fever, and I am gonna get an answer from God by going a little farther. If we're going to see God answer our prayers and meet our needs and do miraculous things, then we're going to have to step out from the ordinary and go a little farther. Hannah prayed for a son. Elijah prayed for fire to fall from heaven. Elijah prayed to shut off the faucet of heaven. Solomon prayed for wisdom. How about Jabez? That great prayer in the Bible, in 1 Chronicles 4, Jabez prayed for a blessing. And he went a little farther in that incredible prayer, and he just asked for everything, and God gave him everything he asked for. Why? He went a little farther. He goes, you know what? Well, I have his attention. I'm just going to go through my list, and I'm going to ask him for everything. And God said, okay, I'll give you what you want. Jehoshaphat prayed for victory in battle in 2 Chronicles chapter 20, and God gave him victory. Isaiah came in to see Hezekiah. And he said, Hezekiah, you're sick. And God said, set your house in order. You're going to die. Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and he prayed. And he begged God to spare his life. And before Isaiah got out of the house, God tapped him on the head and said, go back and tell Hezekiah, I have heard thy prayer. I have seen thy tears. I'm going to add 15 years to his life. He went back and told them, God answered your prayer. Why? He went a little farther. You know, in history, the people that we remember who got their prayers answered and got their needs met went a little farther. I'll give you just two examples. George Muller in Bristol, England. George Muller was a renegade, 1800s. He lived almost, well, most of the century. Born in the beginning of the century, died in the end of the century. He was a renegade, he was a rebel. He got saved at an early age, and God used him. God used him to care for 10,024 orphans in his life. I mean, that's some pretty meticulous numbers, right? 10,024 orphans. How did he feed them? He prayed down food every day. How did he have their needs met? Well, he went on a tour and he fleeced everybody he could. No, no, he talked to God. And God provided millions of dollars to build orphanages, to feed those children. It is said that he started 117 schools. The criticism from the elites in Britain was you are taking these poverty stricken kids and you're giving them such a good education that they're above the upper class. How did he do that? God, he went a little farther. He had 120,000 students. that he was responsible for teaching in his lifetime. How did he do that? He went a little farther. Study the life of George Mueller. It's an incredible man of prayer. He prayed and thanked God for things he didn't have, and God gave him the things that he asked for. Prayed. John Hyde, known as Praying Hyde, born in Illinois. God used him to become a missionary to India. He went to India in 1892 to an area known as Punjab. While he was there in Punjab, he was partially deaf, so he had a really hard time learning the language. And the thing he concentrated on was the scriptures. And the converts were very slow to come to Christ. One day he met with all the people that he had reached, and he said, listen, we've gotta do something different. I'm gonna ask if each one of you would dedicate a half an hour a day to the evangelization of souls, that there'd be a revival, that people would get saved. Half an hour a day, that we'd see people saved every day. By the end of that year, they had 400 people that trusted Christ as their Savior. Why? Because they went a little farther. We can do what everybody else does and we can get the same results or we can go a little farther and see what God can do. It's said when John Hyde died, the room where he prayed actually had grooves in the hardwood floor from his knees because he knelt so often and so long and prayed so intently. He went a little farther. You know, in our own lives, I mentioned this morning a lady in our church, Mrs. Cody, and she prayed for her husband, Eugene, to get saved. I mean, she was our first church member. I mean, she was here the same Sunday you were. I mean, first, right out of the box. And she lived on Summer Street. It was just a walkover, and she told us her testimony. She was backslidden, and then she came to church, and she wanted to get right with God. But her husband was lost. And she prayed for Eugene, a nice guy. I mean, he's dead now, so. He used to get in trouble with horse racing. I think he made horse bets. And I think the mob came and they took away his business. He gave me a bicycle, so I counted him as a good guy. But he was a great guy. And she prayed for 40 years that he would get saved. And one day he got saved. 40 years. Every prayer request. Pray for Eugene to get saved. Pray for my Eugene. That's what she called him. My Eugene to get saved. And I mean, that was all she could ask for prayer, right? Pray for Eugene to get saved. Guess what? He got saved. She went a little farther. Many of us have seen sicknesses healed. Why? Because we've gone a little farther in prayer. Bills paid, provisions for our family, our children being interceded for. Look at Matthew chapter 26 and verse number 33. Matthew 26, verse number 33. Jesus answered and said unto him, though all men should be offended because of thee, or Peter answered and said unto him, though all men should be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, verily I say unto thee, that this night before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. If we're going to get something done for the Lord, We are going to have to do more than talk. Peter talked a good talk, didn't he? Oh, everybody could be offended in you and I'll never be offended. Matter of fact, I'll die for you. Boy, as soon as, as soon as Jesus was taken away, Hey, weren't you one of Jesus' disciples? Oh, no, that wasn't me. I just got into town. I don't know him. Your speech betrayeth you. You speak like a Galilean. Oh, really? Well, listen to this. Blankety, blankety, blank. He cursed and he swore. I don't know the man. And the rooster crowed, right? He talked a good talk. But if we're going to get something done for the Lord, we're going to have to do more than talk. Peter said he would not deny Jesus, but he did. Follow your words with actions. It is better to stay quiet and be a quiet doer than to talk or brag, yet not follow through. Let's look at one more passage of scripture, James chapter number two. James chapter number two. That's a long passage of scripture, so we'll get done about 8 o'clock. Just kidding. We'll go a little farther, right? Peter preached till midnight, right? James chapter 2. My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if they come unto your assembly, a man with a gold ring in goodly apparel, And they come in also a poor man in vile raiment, and ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place. and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool? Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by which ye are called? If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well. But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whoso shall keep the whole law, and yet offend one point, he is guilty of all. For that he said, do not commit adultery, said also, do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, who has showed no mercy, and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith and hath not works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead. Now we know what the book of James is talking about. God sees our heart. He sees our faith in Jesus Christ. That takes us to heaven. Man sees our works as an evidence of our faith. If man's looking at our works, does man know that we're a Christian? Does man know that we have Christ as our Savior? Justified in the sight of man is different than justified in the sight of God. so we know there are people who are saved like a lot just lot vexed his righteous soul from day to day and he wasn't living for God there are people who Maybe do good things, and God says, but I know your heart. You're not justified in the sight of me. But a natural thing ought to be, as an individual that knows Christ as our Savior, we ought to have not only talk for the Lord Jesus Christ, but works and deeds. As individuals that make up Gospel Baptist Church, we're gonna have to go a little farther in our treatment of the downcast, in our treatment of the unlovely. You know, we have to think about this. Somebody comes by and they're a visitor, right? Do we even know their name? I have a hard time with names, you know, the older I get, I guess. But, you know, this gentleman came this morning. I said, what's your name? And he said, something like that. I asked him again, it's Joseph. Okay, I got it now. And he's married to Mary. No, just kidding. But it's Joseph. And so I had to ask him three times. But I asked him three times, what's your name? Why, it's important. It's important, but do we know their needs? Do we know what their needs are? Do we know what's going on in somebody's life? We need to, we need to go a little farther. We're going to need to do more than talk if we're gonna impact people. We're gonna have to intersect them where they live. And we're not just gonna have to say, hey, be warmed and filled, God bless you, right? How about if we warm them and we fill them? How about if we do more than just talk, if we have actions? Let's pray.