Second Glimpse into the Mystery of Gethsemane

Driving home: That cup was nothing less than the wrath of God unmixed with mercy, prepared in the cup of his own pure and righteous justice. A cup that was full as our Lord was to be the substitute of us sinners.

Compares the holiness of the ground where Moses encountered God in the burning bush to the even greater holiness of Gethsemane, where Christ's agony reveals God's glory, to impress upon listeners the solemnity of the subject.

Behold, he is at hand that betrays me. Now let us again seek the help of God as we seek to understand something of the mind of God in this sacred and awesome account of the agony of our Lord in the Gethsemane experience. Let us pray. Surely our Father, if the manifestation of your glory from a burning bush on the backside of a desert resulted in a man taking the shoes off his feet because the face, the place whereon he stood was holy ground, then coming to behold not a burning bush, but your glory revealed in the agony and the sweat and the intercession and the sorrow of the Lord Jesus in Geth...

2:50 - 4:11 Read in full sermon

The point: Desire the consolation and support of human companionship in seasons of intense trial, recognizing that God made us for this.

Describes how God did not create humans to be isolated, independent beings, but for companionship, rooted in God's statement that 'it is not good for the man to be alone,' to support the idea that desiring human support is not sinful.

gives consolation, that your hearts are with me, making it abundant, that it is no sin to desire consolation and support companionship in our seasons of most intent, supported by the Father in terms of covenantal engagements. The servant of Jesus, the servant of Jehovah, would be upheld by Jehovah even if that expression is never settled. Desire that consolation and support of human companionship in the seasons of most intense trial. You see, God did not make us to be heroic little islands of independence. God did not make us for that.

14:29 - 15:49 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not be stoics; it is not sin to feel and express disappointment when trusted friends fail you in an hour of trial.

Quotes the proverb 'confidence in an unfaithful man in a time of trouble is like a broken tooth and like a foot out of joint' to illustrate the pain and disappointment felt when trusted friends fail, validating Jesus' experience.

to act as though disappointment and grief and pain never touch us. No, when we have leaned upon what we thought were trusted friends and they disappoint us, then we understand the proverb, confidence in an unfaithful man in a time of trouble is like a broken tooth and like a foot out of joint. Our Lord experienced that reality and He expressed the felt pain of that disappointment and therefore, if He is our example in suffering, we learn that it is no sin for us on the one hand to seek the consolation and support of human companionship in our hours of intense trial and then to feel and to expr...

22:01 - 23:29 Read in full sermon

The point: When human companionship fails in intense trial, never let it be an excuse or occasion to disobey God.

Highlights Luke's account of angels strengthening Jesus when His human companions failed, showing God's provision and support even when human support is absent.

It is as though God says, If the human companions fail you, I will send heavenly ones who are eager to support you. Luke 22, 43 says, And the angels of God came and strengthened them. If the creatures are so dull as not to appreciate the privilege, I will send angels who do. And it says, The angels of God came and they strengthened, they ministered to Him.

25:54 - 26:25 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not turn against God on account of what His creatures do to you.

Compares turning against God because of what His creatures do to a wife turning against her husband because a neighbor's husband insulted her, emphasizing the absurdity and horror of such an action.

When have I disappointed you? When have you leaned upon Me and found Me a broken tooth and a foot out of joint? You see what a horrible thing it is to turn against God on account of what His creatures do to us? What a horrible thing.

28:43 - 29:03 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not allow attitudes of suspicion, ill will, or judgmentalism to distance your heart from brethren, preventing empathy.

Martin shares his personal experience of quickly forming deep bonds with people from different cultures, contrasting it with the difficulty of forming similar bonds with some within the church, to highlight the mystery and challenge of Christian love.

No, such a heart will never empathize, can be blocked off from that ability. And dear people of God, Christ died not only to bring us to the Father, but to bring us to one another. He died to make of the twain one new man in Christ. And it never ceases to amaze me, and I'm sure it will not embarrass my brother if I say this in closing, how it is that in personal experience I can meet people of a totally different culture, different language, all kinds of differences, and in half an hour have an expressed openness and oneness and bond of love than some will allow me to have with them over years...

35:35 - 36:57 Read in full sermon

The point: Love one another with a pure and unfeigned love from the heart fervently, beyond mere 'chemistry of personality'.

Martin recounts meeting his brother after ten years and immediately embracing, as if no time had passed, to illustrate the potential for deep, enduring bonds that transcend mere 'chemistry of personality' in Christian fellowship.

Ten years since my brother and I have seen one another, and yet when we saw each other where I met him at the bank the other morning, it's like it was only three days. And we embraced our hearts. How do you explain the chemistry of personality? I don't buy that.

36:57 - 37:16 Read in full sermon

The point: Love one another with a pure and unfeigned love from the heart fervently, beyond mere 'chemistry of personality'.

References Tevye's question to his wife in 'Fiddler on the Roof' to directly challenge the congregation to consider if they can genuinely say 'I love you' to every brother and sister in the church.

Let me ask you a simple question tonight. The question Tevye asked his wife was, Do you love me? I'm asking that not as a private individual. Will you imagine every brother and sister in this church standing before you now looking you straight in the eye and saying to you, Do you love me?

37:47 - 38:16 Read in full sermon

The point: Greet one another with a holy kiss, ensuring your love is so real that even an embrace would not be a lie or mockery.

Advises married couples to hold hands while praying, explaining that any 'burr' or unresolved issue will make one feel hypocritical, thus prompting resolution, to illustrate the tangible nature of genuine love and the need for authenticity in relationships.

That's why I always advise couples when you pray with your wife, hold her hand. I can't get it chapter and verse but it works because if there's any burr you feel unclean and hypocritical when you go to take her hand, don't you? And often going to take her hand becomes the very plug that pulls out the issue that needs to get dealt with. I think that's why Paul said greet one another with a holy kiss.

39:29 - 39:54 Read in full sermon