TOPIC:"The Submission of the Savior"
by Rev. Dr. Reg Dunlap
TEXT:Matthew 26:36-46
"He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying 'O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done' " (Matthew 26:42).
I want to begin my message with this question: Have you ever wondered how God can use tragedy to fit into His will for your life? That question finds an answer in this meaningful but mysterious experience that came to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Here we find our sinless Lord in unspeakable agony as He struggles within over His coming death on the cross.
The point must be made that through all of this Jesus was totally submissive to His Father's will. He was completely surrendered to carrying it out. Now each one of us at some point in life will have our own Gethsemane experience. Some problem we must face. It will come to us as sure as the sun will rise again. And get this: There will be a purpose for it.
As we consider the submission of our Lord to His Father's will, three things stand out that I wish to call to your attention.
I.
For one thing, we behold the DREADFULNESS of SIN. I ask: Why did Jesus pray three times in verses 39, 42 and 44 this prayer: "O my Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me?" Why should there be something so terrible about drinking the cup of His Father's will that Jesus literally dreaded it?
Was Christ afraid of His coming death? Did He fear the pain and suffering that was ahead of Him? Was He less courageous than many of His followers who were nailed to crosses, thrown to the lions, beaten with rods, or cast into boiling water? Certainly not! Scores of Christians in the past have gone to frightful deaths without whining or whimpering, but singing songs of faith and hope. Surely Jesus was not less heroic than these devoted Christians.
Do you behold any hesitation or faltering on the part of Christ as the cross took its ugly shape before Him? Of course not! Listen to His words: "I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep...I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself" (John 10:11, 17, 18). There you have divine submission!
Get this down for the record: Christ was not afraid to die, but He was ashamed to die. It was the character of His death and what the Father was going to do when He hung on the cross that filled His holy soul with honor. Let us never forget that the . . .