How Jesus Faced His Trials

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>How Jesus Faced His Trials</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id130.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Centerpiece of Thanksgiving"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id140.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="From the Manger to the Cross"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Ministry Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Mark 14.27-72, How Jesus Faced His Trials, Berean Bible Church, Dec 17, 2000am</B></div> <bR> <div> <I>     </I>Standing around the manger with baby Jesus were Joseph and Mary, some shepherds (the wise men came later), maybe even some angels singing. Would any one of Jesus’ disciples be there to stand with Jesus at the cross? They had every intention of doing so, but their overconfidence was exposed, because they deserted him. We should recognize our limitations. What makes the difference in our being able to stand up for Christ?</div> <bR> <div> <B>I. The contrast between Jesus and the disciples.</B></div> <div> A. Jesus predicted that the disciples would fall away, but Peter and the rest vowed to stay, vss. 27-31. Are we ever overconfident in our ability to be faithful, to stand with Jesus? Maybe it’s because of our money, our experience, our education, our social status, or our past successes. There was an ad campaign that said, “Prayer won’t cure AIDS – Research Will” (it was pulled because of religious protests). Are we so confident in our medical abilities? Do <I>you</I> ever say by your actions, “Prayer won’t help me – I have to do it myself”?</div> <div> B. How it turned out (a series of contrasts between Jesus and the disciples), vss. 32-72.</div> <div> 1. Jesus <U>suffered</U> in the Garden while the disciples <U>slept</U>, vss. 32-42.</div> <div> 2. Jesus <U>quietly</U> faced his arrest in the Garden, and the disciples <U>fled</U>, after Peter tried to <U>resist by force</U>, vss. 43-52. Isaiah 53.7 was fulfilled, in that “he opened not his mouth.” In 1 Peter 2.21-25, Peter says that Jesus suffered silently, and we should be willing to follow his example.</div> <div> 3. Jesus <U>faced his trial</U> while Peter <U>denied Jesus three times</U>.</div> <div> a. Jesus faced his trial, vss. 53-65. </div> <div> In verse 62, he openly declared himself to be the Messiah. He also referred to Psalm 110.1, his enthronement as King, and Daniel 7.13-14, his coming again as King. It would have been blasphemy if it were not true.</div> <div> b. Meanwhile, Peter denied Jesus, vss. 66-72. If he, an apostle, can blow it, what about us?</div> <bR> <div> <B>     </B>Jesus could have simply said, “I am God, I can handle it.” But he depended on the Father. He was dependent as a little baby upon Mary and Joseph. But also in the Garden, in fact throughout his adult ministry, he was dependent on his Heavenly Father.</div> <bR> <div> <B>II. Prayer Makes the Difference</B>.</div> <div>      Jesus prayed; Peter and the disciples did not. Jesus had challenged them to stay alert and pray (vs. 38), because he knew the value of depending on the Father. But the disciples failed to do so. For Jesus, the suffering was not avoided, but God provided strength. God would have done the same for the disciples, had they asked.</div> <div> <U>A. We need to depend on God in prayer in every area of our lives</U>:</div> <div> 1. Suffering with Christ or facing the trials of life in a difficult world.</div> <div> 2. Facing temptation to sin, or dealing with a habit.</div> <div> 3. Stepping up to the challenge to present gospel verbally.</div> <div> 4. Forgiving someone who has hurt you; repairing a relationship.</div> <div> 5. Keeping your commitments.</div> <div> 6. Simplifying your life.</div> <bR> <div> <U>B. We need focused times of prayer, as well as a running conversation with God.</U> We also need focused times of prayer with other believers.</div> <bR> <div>      Jesus faced his trials by depending on His Father. What makes the difference in how our stories turn out, and in how we handle our difficult situations, is prayer, our expression of dependence on God.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>