MATTHEW 26:36-46 THE PLACE OF PRESSING2017 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Matthew 26:36-46 The Place Of Pressing

You are listening to Fervent Word, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2017.

As we look at Matthew chapter 26 this morning, I just begin by saying that today's message is one that is timely for me personally. And I don't know about you, but I had a rough week. It's been a tough week, lots of things going on. And as we look at Jesus in Gethsemane,

it was something that, well, the Lord stirred up and put on my heart because I, being in need, was calling out to the Lord, and the Lord ministered to me through this. As we look at Jesus in Gethsemane, it's a place of pressing. That's what the name Gethsemane means.

It means olive press or an oil press. And this garden of Gethsemane isright outside of Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives. And so, you know, there's olive trees on this mount. It's called the Mount of Olives. There was this olive grove that was the cluster of olive trees specifically in this area.

It's also referred to as a garden in the Scriptures. So you can kind of picture, you know, this garden area of olive trees. But it's not just the trees that are producing the olives. Also, there is a press there for the olives. And the olives were there pressed in that in order to produce olive oil.

And they would be pressed in something along the lines of this. Now, there's been a lot of variety of presses, you know, over the years. But this is, you know, maybe something that it would have been like, where you have the rock base and the olives would be filled in that base. And then they would take this heavy stone, this round stone, and they would push it around the circle.

And it would be pressing the olives in order to, of course, accomplish the producing oil from the olives. And so the olives would be crushed, and they would be squeezed and pressed until the oil came out of the olives. And as you kind of think about that and picture that olive press,

I'm sure you know what it's like and can kind of understand what it's like to be a little olive on that press and to have this massive stone just roll over you. And you're experiencing pressure from above and pressure from below and pressure from the sides. And, you know, there's just this pressing, this squeezing.

And it's something that we have all experienced. And again, for me, you know, I've definitely experienced that this week. Now, I want to share that a little bit with you, but I also want to preface that by saying, look, in no way am I trying to say that my week is worse than your week. Okay? I'm not trying to say my week is the worst week ever or it's the worst.

And, you know, let's have a pity party for Jerry or anything like that. Okay? In fact, you might hear some of the things that I was pressed by this week and think, man, you're a wimpy little girl. And you would be pretty accurate in that. And that's okay. But in the midst of being pressed this week and looking to the Lord for help with that pressing,

perhaps some of the comfort that He provided me will be a comfort to you in the pressings that you experience. As Paul says in Second Corinthians chapter one, we comfort others with the comfort that we ourselves have received from the Lord. So let me just run down a couple of things. Now, it started out on Monday.

I was pressed in the olive press at the dentist's office. And I don't know about for you, but if my week starts off at the dentist, it's going to be a rough week. And so I had a crown that broke back in December. And so they've been, you know, doing things. And so finally, this last Monday was the day that,

you know, now it's time to actually extract the tooth where the crown broke. It needed to be removed. And so then they're going to do work around. So they did work on the teeth around it, and then they put a bridge on it. They did a lot of work all in one day, which, you know, I don't know if they normally do that, but it was a lot all in one day, all happened at once. And so it was a rough day on Monday.

And then the days that followed, of course, well, they were days filled with pain and swelling and medication that does weird things to my mind and, you know, made it a difficult week justright off the bat being pressed at the dentist's office and literally being pressed.

I mean, the dentist actually climbed up onto my chest with the pliers to pull the tooth out. No, he didn't actually, but it felt like that,right?

I was also pressed at work this week. We had a couple of major projects finish, and my responsibility is more heavily around the finishing of a project, getting the website packaged up and then now placed on the live server for the client. So the website goes live.

And so there's a lot of pressure involved in that and deadlines that, well, you know, whole companies are basing their schedules on when Jerry gets this done and, you know, things like that. And so there was a couple of those projects that had to be finished and deadlines that had to be met. And there was,

unfortunately, also some technical issues that went along with that. And so I put in a lot of hours this week. I worked really hard. And, you know, to complicate the matters, I was on that medication that really messed with my mind. And so thinking was just really difficult this week. And so I was pressed at work with the deadlines,

working twice as hard with half the results is the way that I describe it. It just was a rough week, and it was difficult to get the things done that had to be get that had to be done. And so I was pressed at work. I was pressed financially this week because, first off, I had to spend $2,000 to be tortured at the dentist's office. And, you know, torture gets more and more expensive through the years.

But so now, you know, I'm trying to work to pay for the torture that I received and not accomplishing very much, and so not getting paid that much. And finishing projects is a blessing. But then also looking ahead and seeing, well, there's not any new projects, so there's maybe not that much income coming in in the future.

And so there's the pressing financially from spending the money, not making the money, not sure if there's money coming in that I also experienced this week. And then I was also pressed relationally because, well, I don't know if you knew this, but Tuesday was Valentine's Day. Now, Kim would not say any of these things, okay?

But let me just share with you what I'm saying is, anyways, you'll get the point in a second. But so it's Valentine's Day. And typically, we don't celebrate Valentine's Day in a big way. We usually actually do something, you know, days before, days after to kind of avoid the crowds and that kind of stuff anyways. But, you know,

this week was just not a week that we got to spend a lot of time together. And it's Valentine's Day, and I'm in pain and trying to hit a deadline, trying to finish a project and working on. So Valentine's Day consisted of me, you know, swollen on pain medication and working on my laptop, trying to finish the project that needed to be finished. And so, you know, Kim didn't mind, but I feel terrible about it.

I'm pressed even if she's not the one pressing me. Okay? So I was experiencing this kind of pressure as well. And then I was pressed in ministry also, as this week I received some serious reminders of how far I fall short as a pastor and how I don't measure up. And I have a lot, you know, that God needs to do in my life.

And so all of these things caused for a week of pressing where I understand and I can relate to an olive in the press being squeezed on top, on bottom and from the sides and, you know, feeling the trap, you know, or feeling trapped that there's nowhere to go. And again,

not to say any of this is the worst ever or, you know, but understanding that as I experienced this in my weakness, these little bit of pressures, I had to look to the Lord. And the Lord really ministered to me out of this passage here in Matthew chapter 26. And so I want to walk you through some of the things that God highlighted for me.

And again, I pray that you would find comfort in the comfort that God provided for me. So the place of pressing, six points we'll look at here in this passage. The first one is found in verse 36, and that is that the place of pressing is a place to pray. Check out verse 36 again. It says,

"Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane and said to the disciples, 'Sit here while I go and pray over there.'" The place of pressing, when we are experiencing pressure in our lives,

when we're experiencing difficulty and affliction and things that press in on us, Jesus here sets for us a good example. And he has this place where he goes to pray in this time of pressing. Now, on the face of it, it would be easy for us to think,

well, of course we pray when we're pressed because, well, even if we don't pray any other time, we pray when we're pressed,right? When things are difficult, that's when we cry out to the Lord, even if we don't cry out to the Lord in the good times or when things are only a little bit bad. But in the times of those serious pressures that we're experiencing,

of course, we call out to the Lord in those times. And so a place to pray may not be, you know, well, that's kind of a great insight. But I would also suggest that there's more to it than that. Of course, we need to and we should call out to God in that time of pressing and in that time ofurgency and in that time of crisis.

But I would suggest, as we look here at this passage, there's more going on than Jesus just crying out in pain to the Father. There's more than just saying, you know, help that is going on, that he is, well, he is exercising something that he's been training for.

He's engaging in something that he has practiced. And he is not just crying out in pain, but he's spending real time with the Father. That is not like, you know, sometimes what we do is like we cry out, "Lord, help," and then we just move on and we try to handle things on our own.

But he's actually, in the time of pressing, he's spending time with the Father. He's connecting with the Father. He's receiving from the Father as well as expressing his cries to the Father. I like the way that Thomas Constable describes this.

He says, "Peter and the disciples had just boasted of their strength while Jesus told them they were weak." Remember, Jesus told Peter, "You're going to deny me three times before the rooster crows." That was just in the verses prior to this. And so they had just boasted about their strength.

But in contrast, Jesus sensed his weakness and so made plans to gain strength from his Father. The place of pressing is a place to pray. It's a place to receive strength from your Father.

It's a place to, well, to connect with him. It's a time to connect with him. This is not the first time that Jesus had come to Gethsemane either. In fact, from John chapter 18 and Luke chapter 22, we know that Jesus frequented this place. It says that he was accustomed to coming here.

He came here often with his disciples. It was somewhere that he would go to often. That's why Judas knew where to find Jesus, because this was somewhere he would go regularly for times of prayer. And so he's not just crying out because he's in pain, but he has this, well,

this place where he's accustomed to going to connect to God, to pray with the Father, to receive from the Father. It's a place to exercise, if you would, those prayer muscles that you've been practicing already. It's kind of like training to running a race.

When you're training to run a race, you're running,right? And you're going, you're running, but it's not the race yet. And then when the race comes, then you, well, then you engage all that training and that preparation that you put into it. Now is the time for all of that to be active and put to work. And that's what Jesus is doing here.

And so it's a good example for us. Of course, we cry out to God when we're pressed, when we're in pain, when there's difficulty, when there's uncertainty.

But I would also suggest that the prayer is more effective when we've built up the training regiment and when we have a place of prayer, a place to pray. Now, it doesn't have to be, you know, exactly, you know,

a garden, and it doesn't have to have an olive press, and it doesn't have to have olive trees. It's not that there was some, you know, specific thing about this location, but it's about this designated place. And so for me, one thing that I like to do is I like to walk.

And especially in times of pressing, it's really helpful for me to have a time of just walking, you know, and walking, things slow down. In driving, things speed up,right? And I tend to live my life in a higher speed. In fact, a lot of times I'm listening to things,

and it drives Kim crazy if she hears what I'm listening to, because I don't listen to things at normal speed. I listen to things at like one and a half speed. So when I'm listening to teachings, you know, it's Mickey Mouse teaching me about the Bible. And that's helpful for me when I'm in that mode. But, you know, in times of pressing, I need to slow down.

And I like to walk. And that's one of the things I like to do. I like to walk here because we don't live that far away. And so it's a good just kind of pause everything and just have 20 minutes of talking with God, walking with God. And for me, that is very helpful. And I see that in Jesus as well, that he had this place.

He would come here frequently. And so now in the time of pressing, he comes to that place to pray, and he's able to continue the conversation that he's been having with the Father. The place of pressing is a place to pray.

And so I would encourage you to make plans to gain strength from your Father and spend time in prayer. Don't just cry out in pain, but invest some time also to be with the Lord and spend time with him. Well, moving on to point number two, we find it in verse 37 and 38.

The place of pressing is also a place to share. Verse 37 says, "And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and he began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then he said to them, 'My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.

Stay here and watch with me.'" The place of pressing in our lives, as we experience the pressure, the difficulty, the pain,

it's a place where we need to share with other people what's happening in our lives and our hearts. As we look at the life and the example of Jesus, we see that he had crowds around him continually. But amongst those crowds,

he had selected 12 who would be near him. That's what it says when he picks the disciples. He selected 12 to be with him. He selected these 12 to walk with him, to always be with him, to have this closer relationship with him. And so he brings the 12 into this garden,

into this place of pressing. He brings the 12 with him. But then it's also interesting. He has yet an inner circle, even amongst the 12. He says to eight of the disciples in verse 36, "You guys stay here while I go and pray over there." And so he leaves most of the disciples there kind of at the gate.

"You guys stay on this side. I'm going on that side." But he brings three disciples with him. It tells us it's Peter, James, and John in verse 37. The sons of Zebedee are James and John. Now, this wasn't unusual. This was a pattern that Jesus followed throughout his ministry.

In Mark chapter five, we see Jesus resurrect a young girl from the dead. And when he does this, he only allows these same three guys, Peter, James, and John, to be with him. He removes everybody else, even all the disciples. They all stay out.

And then Peter, James, and John get to be with Jesus for this miracle and to watch it take place. In Matthew chapter 17, we have what we call the Mount of Transfiguration, where Jesus was transformed, became white and glowing whiter. His garments were whiter than any launderer could make them, it says.

And there appeared with him Moses and Elijah. And then the Father spoke from the heaven, "This is my beloved Son." And it was only Peter, James, and John who got to experience this along with Jesus. It was those three that Jesus kept close to him.

And now here in Matthew 26, in the garden of Gethsemane, he brings them a little bit closer than the rest of the disciples, than the rest of the crowd. Now, many have suggested throughout the years that Jesus kept these three close because they were the troublemakers of the group. And like a teacher,

you know, you got to keep those troublemakers close so you can kind of, you know, put them in check and keep an eye on them before things get out of hand. And that's good, you know, and maybe there's some of that in there. But I would suggest something a little bit different.

I would suggest that part of the reason why Jesus had these three guys is because he needed them. It wasn't just to train them. It wasn't just to teach them. It wasn't just to show them things. Of course, he was doing all of that. But Jesus became a man. And as a man,

he, well, in his humanity, he needed other people in the same way that you and I need other people.

Nobody is designed to handle the pressings of life all by themselves and on their own. And this is something I've shared often, but it continues to come up. And so I'll continue to share it, that we need to have people in our lives. God has not designed us to survive on our own.

And we will never be all that we can be with the Lord and in the Lord without the people around us that he has placed there for us to receive from, for us to lean on, for us to rely upon,

as well as to pour into. And that was both was happening there with these three guys. But notice what it says in verse 37.

It says, "He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and he began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed." Try to picture this in your mind. Here's Jesus. He knows he's heading to the cross. He's spent the Last Supper with them and had some serious conversations and warned them about the coming crucifixion.

So it's not like this is all of a sudden brand new information. But the picture that we get here is that Jesus has been holding back the fullness of his emotions. He's been holding back as he was with the rest of the 12, as he sat through the dinner, as Judas left to go and make preparations to betray Jesus.

He didn't express fully. Not everybody got to experience all of what Jesus was going through and the weight that was upon him.

But as he leaves those eight behind and he takes these three further into the garden with him, now he begins to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. He begins to let those emotions show. He's been holding back the weight of what he's going through,

but he releases it now. And he's free to really allow them into the things that he is experiencing.

And again, in this, Jesus provides for us a good model that we need to have, like Jesus, people in our lives that we can be free with, that we can express what's really going on.

And not that we necessarily share that with everybody. You know what I mean? You run into somebody at Walmart and you say, you know, "Hey, how's it going?" And then they tell you how it's going. I was like, "Oh, I wasn't prepared for the real answer to that question.

I was just checking in with you." You know, you need to have the people that you know love you and that you know love God. And we've talked about that. And there is that need. But there is that need for us to be able to be real. Nobody is designed to handle the pressings of life on their own.

And as Jesus became a man, he also needed people around him. And listen, even if they were knuckleheads, and you could see from the disciples, sometimes, man, these guys, they were dense, man. They did not get it a lot of times. And yet Jesus had them around, not just for teaching them and training them,

but because he needed them. And it was important for him to be able to express these emotions that he's going through, even if they didn't always understand what was going on and what Jesus meant. He needed these people, these guys in his life, even if they were confused and mixed up, even if, and you could name,

you know, all kinds of ideas or thoughts there. But the point is that Jesus had these guys close because he needed them in his life. You know, I went through a time of depression a couple of years ago. Now it was a time of great struggle. And as I was working through that,

I remember God spoke to me and told me that I needed to reach out to Pastor George and Pastor Cisco, and I needed to bring them close. And so we began to meet regularly and to spend some time together. And it was something that I didn't know that I needed before. For my sake,

you know, hey, my personality, my nature, I would be perfectly fine if, you know, went two weeks without really interacting with an actual human. I'd probably be good with that. You know, I just, I'm not wired that way.

But I need that kind of interaction, even though I don't feel like I need it or think that I need it. Or you understand what I'm saying? Like the Lord brought the awareness to that, and I needed to pull them close and be able to express myself to them. And in the same way, Jesus has these three guys.

And it was necessary for him to have people in his life that he could be real with and express these things too. And he did not hold back. Look at what he says in verse 38. He says, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with me." Jesus is not being dramatic. He's being genuine.

He tells these guys, "Look, I'm really going through itright now. My soul is exceedingly sorrowful." And that means to be grieved all around. And again, we get this picture of the press and the pressure being applied from all sides. And there's this intense grieving, so much so, he says, even to death.

Have you ever been so sorrowful that it feels like you're going to die from the pain that you're experiencing within? That it feels like there's so much pain within, within your heart, within your mind, wherever that might be. But internally, there's so much pressure.

There's so much pain. It feels like you will not survive because of the pain that you're experiencing, the sorrow that you have. That's what Jesus is experiencing.

That sorrow that is overwhelming.

In verse 37, when it talks about Jesus being deeply distressed, in the Greek, that's a word that was used to describe extreme anguish, the most extreme anguish that the soul can feel. And so he's expressing that to these guys. He's being real with them.

"Hey, guys, I know I'm Jesus. I know I'm God, you know, come to earth. I know I'm the Savior of the world. But listen, I didn't even know if I'm going to survive. I'm going to the cross. But before the cross, internally, there is this pressure. There is this pain. There is this sorrow. I am in extreme anguish,

and it doesn't even feel like I'm going to survive this part, much less what's to follow." He's real with them. The place of pressing for Jesus was a place to share with his inner circle, with his guys, his best friends, what was really going on within.

And I would encourage you that Jesus provides this model for us. It's a place to share. And you need to have some people in your life that you can be real around, that you can share with them, even if they don't get it, even if they're knuckleheads and confused.

But it's important for you to have those people and to be able to express these kinds of things that you're going through. Well, moving on to point number three, we find in verse 39, the place of pressing is a place to submit to God. In verse 39, it says, "He went a little farther and fell on his face and prayed,

saying, 'Oh, my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.

Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.'" Jesus prays this prayer that we're familiar with. We know in the midst of this pressure, in the midst of this pain, he submits to the Father.

And he says, "Not as I will, but as you will." Now, in the midst of pain, our natural reaction is to remove ourselves from the pain as quickly as possible. If you're in the kitchen and you put your hand down on a hot pan or stove or something, and all of a sudden you realize,

"My hand's on a hot stove," what do you do? You pull it away as quickly as possible. That's our natural response to pain. And when we're experiencing this kind of pressing and emotional things and mental things and that kind of thing, of course, we want out of that pain quickly.

And sometimes we make foolish decisions just trying to escape the pain that we're experiencing within.

But we need to grapple with some truth this morning a little bit. I would ask you to consider this.

What if the pain is part of God's will for you?

Of course, we don't want it. And of course, we would run from it if we could. And of course, we would escape it if we could.

But the unfortunate reality of life

is that, well, pain is a necessary part of it. As much as we wish it were different, if we're thinking clearly and if we could be mature and discuss it, we would all recognize and testify pain is a necessary part of life.

Think about it this way. Sometimes healing hurts more than the injury. Have you ever experienced that? I'm sure you have. I was thinking back to when I was really young. I remember, I don't remember what I was doing, but I got scraped up on some asphalt. And so now we had to clean up the wound.

And so my dad gets a brush and there's gravel, you know, underneath the skin and in the wound. And so he's working to clean it out. And I remember screaming and howling.

And I remember my dad telling me, "Look, I could take you to the doctor if you want, but they're going to use a steel brush and they're not going to be gentle. I'll be gentle." Now, I don't know if that's actually what they use, but that's what he told me.

But it hurt. The cleaning up of the wound hurt more than the injury itself. But it was necessary in order for there to be healing, in order for that to be restored.

That is an unfortunate reality of life. There is pain. We don't want it. We don't like it, but it is a necessary part of life. The place of pressing, it's a place to submit to God,

to submit to his will, to submit to his plan, even if that includes the pain that we experience. The Apostle Peter, in writing to Christians who were being persecuted in First Peter chapter one, verse six, says, "In this you greatly rejoice,

though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials." And there's some important truths here. So first he says, "You greatly rejoice." There's something to rejoice about, even though in the midst of itright now, you're grieved.

And there can be rejoicing in the midst of grieving because of the promises that are given. That is, we have a future and there's plans that God has for us. And God is doing a good work. And the will of God is ultimately what's best for us. And it's, well, it's because God loves us that he has plans for us.

If you think about that great scripture,right? God says, "I know the thoughts that I have towards you." There in Jeremiah, he says that to the nation of Israel. "I know the thoughts that I have towards you, not for evil, but for peace, for good, to give you a future and a hope." Now, we love that passage,

but that verse is talking to a people who is about to experience full correction for their rebellion against God. They're going to be experiencing some pressing. And God says to them in advance, "Hey, I want you to know this.

You're going to experience all kinds of pain, but my thoughts towards you are for good. The whole point is for your good, for peace and not for evil. It feels like evil because you're experiencing pain, but that's not my plan. It's a necessary part." And so notice Peter says, "In this you greatly rejoice,

the thoughts of future and a hope, peace, good. Allright, awesome.

Though for now, for a little while, if need be, you've been grieved by various trials." Notice he throws in there that phrase, "if need be." That is, these various trials are necessary. And we'll talk about this more in the final point,

that God doesn't just allow us to go through pressing just for fun. Let's squeeze him and see what happens. I think if I was a policeman, I would squeeze people and just see what happens,right? Just kind of like ride their tail a little bit, just like, "Let's watch this guy squirm," because I've had policemen watch me squirm,right?

So I imagine that's quite fun. But, you know, God's not like that. He doesn't allow squeezing, allow pressing, allow pressure or pain in our lives just to kind of amuse himself. If it's happening in our life, God has a way.

That's why we hold on to that promise,right? He works all things together for good. The place of pressing is a place for us to submit to God, to submit to his will, to submit to his plan, and understand that God's will is worth it. So that, like Peter says, we can rejoice greatly even if there's pain,

even though it includes pain, and even though there's the things that we wouldn't want and wouldn't plan on our own. But we can't see what God sees. And on and into eternity, we'll be able to recognize it was worth it. Paul says that our tribulations here are working for us a far more exceeding weight of eternal glory.

It's worth it. The will of God is worth it. The plan of God is worth it. And so as we experience the place of pressing, well, it's a place for us to submit to the plan of God, to surrender to the plan of God.

The author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before him. He's experiencing this pressing, but he's enduring it and he's submitting to the plan of God. "Not my will, but your will," he says to the Father,

"for the joy that was set before him, the victory of the cross and eternity with you." The place of pressing is a place to submit to God. Well, moving on to point number four, here we have verse 40 and 41.

The place of pressing is a place of loneliness.

I'm not intentionally trying to make us all depressed,

but it's worth it. We also need to acknowledge and recognize some real truths that are a part of life. Check out verse 40 and 41. It says, "Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping and said to Peter, 'What, could you not watch with me one hour?

Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.

The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.'" Here, Jesus is in this great time of pressing, pressed so much that his soul is hurting so greatly internally. There's so much pain. There's so much sorrow.

He doesn't feel like he can survive it because it's so intense. It's so great. And he's brought his three best friends to be with him there to try to help him get through this time. But his best friends are sleeping when he needs them the most.

His best friends were sleeping when he needed them the most.

Now, you might be thinking, "Well, you went through a whole point number two that talked about how we need to bring people closer." And he brought these guys closer because I would not take that back. That is true. Point two stands. We do need people in our lives. Jesus needed those guys in his life.

But also recognize that those people cannot fully help you and comfort you the way that you want them to. They will never fully meet that need that you have. The place of pressing is always going to be a place of loneliness,

no matter

whether you have your best friendsright there or not, because there will be those times when you need them the most. They're sleeping. Now, being let down by people in that way can really tempt us to then never open up again, never trust again, never share again, never have those kinds of people. It's a painful experience to be let down,

but it's a normal experience. Jesus came to his best friends and found them sleeping. Now, was Peter sleeping because he didn't love Jesus? Was Peter sleeping because he didn't care about Jesus? No. If Peter could have really understood the situation,

I'm convinced things would have been different. But Peter, even with the best teacher, even with the greatest friend ever that anybody could have,right? Jesus was his best friend,right? So even in that, Peter was still human. He still experienced fatigue.

He still missed important cues and direct statements and cries for help. And you know what I mean? Like, it was not for lack of love. It was not for lack of caring. It was not for insensitivity or selfishness. It was just the limitation of his own humanity that caused Peter, James, and John to be sleeping when Jesus needed them most.

And that is a reality. No matter how much people love you and support you, you can still feel alone, especially in times of pressing.

And they can never fully satisfy that ache within and that need that you have and that relief that you desire.

It might mean we need to adjust our expectations a little bit. It's not that they don't love us. It's not that they don't care.

We feel alone, but nobody can fill that need for us. Think about it this way. Nobody could have done a better job than Peter. Well, maybe Richard Bueno. He's the only one. If he was there, he would have been, "I got your back, Jesus.

You're good." Maybe Elsa. Yeah, she would have been there. She would have been like, "Great support, Jesus. I got you. No problem. I'm praying for you. In fact, let me teach you how to pray." That's what Elsa would say. No, I'm just kidding. Just kidding.

You go through all history, pick any person you want. There would have never been a better replacement for Jesus than Peter.

Humans were limited, were frail, were going to fall short.

And so those people, even the ones that love us the most and that we love the most and we share with and we're real with, there's going to be still that aloneness,

not because of anything else other than we're human and we fall short and we're not equipped to fill that need fully with each other. We're not equipped by God to do that. No person can fully satisfy that ache within, no matter how much they love you.

And that's why moving on to point number five, the place of pressing is a place to pray repeatedly. You see, there's one who can meet that need. There's one who can satisfy that ache and provide the strength that you need.

And where everybody else falls short because of their humanity,

there's one who can meet you in that time

and bring the comfort and the strength that is necessary. Verse 42, again, a second time, he went away and prayed, saying, "Oh, my Father, if this cup cannot pass away from me unless I drink it, your will be done." And he came and found them sleeping again, for their eyes were heavy. They're human.

Verse 44, so he left them and went away again and prayed the third time, saying the same words. So what does Jesus do in this hour of great need when his best friends are sleeping on him? He continues to go back to the Father.

The place of pressing is a place to pray repeatedly. It tells us a second time he went away and prayed. A third time he went away and prayed. He had this limited amount of time until the betrayer arrived. And he spent that time going back and going back and going back to the Father, even praying the same prayer.

In fact, it said he used the same words. Now, you and I might condemn ourselves quite a bit for going back and praying the same prayer and using the same words. Like, come on, couldn't you put a little effort and be more creative and use at least different words?

There's no condemnation here. This is not a lack of faith. When you're in the time of need and experiencing the pressing, for as long as that season is and as long as you have that time, it's appropriate to continue to go back to the Father, to go back to the Father, to go back to the Father, praying the same prayer for as long as you need to.

And praying the same prayer is not an indication of God's displeasure. It's not that, well, hopefully God will get over how upset he is with me, and so I'll just keep praying the same prayer until he gets over it and then finally he'll answer the prayer. No, again, God works in your life because he loves you.

But it's appropriate for us to pray repeatedly. For as long as you feel that way, for as long as you're experiencing that, for as long as you're hurting, for as long as that pressure is there and that pressing is going on, it's appropriate to pray that same prayer over and over, calling out to God, crying out to God, spending time with God.

I shared it earlier. Let me remind you, Thomas Constable says, Peter and the disciples had just boasted of their strength while Jesus told them they were weak. In contrast, Jesus sensed his weakness and so made plans to gain strength from his Father.

And so he went to pray.

And when his friends failed him, he went back to prayer. And then he went back to prayer again. He continued to go to the Father to resolve the strength, the need that he had. And you know what? As Jesus did that, the Father met his need.

It's not recorded here, but in Luke chapter 22, verse 43, it tells us, "Then an angel appeared to him from heaven,

strengthening him." This is the way that God works.

We can come to him repeatedly, often in the times of pressing. And even though Peter, James, and John were there and were close to him, they could not strengthen him. But Jesus went to the Father.

He made plans to gain strength from the Father. He went repeatedly. He engaged in this time, and God provided the strength that he needed. Again, in his humanity, he knew what it's like. He experienced what we experience.

The author of Hebrews tells us we don't have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses because he was tempted in all points, just as we are, yet without sin. But he felt the pressure. He felt the pressing. He's experienced it. And we can learn from his pattern how to receive the strength that's needed.

And that is by going to the Father repeatedly. Keep on praying. Keep on relying upon God to give you the strength that you need, even if you're just using the same words that you prayed last time. When you're in that time of pressing, that's okay. There's no condemnation.

God's not saying, "I'm tired of those words.

Can you be more creative?" He is inviting you to call out to him and looking for the opportunity to provide strength.

There's that scripture in the Old Testament, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the year to show himself strong on behalf of those who love him or whose hearts are loyal to him." He wants to show himself strong. He wants to give you strength. Keep calling out. Keep crying out.

The place of pressing is a place of repeated prayer. Well, finally, point number six, verse 45 and 46, the place of pressing is a place of preparation. Verse 45 says, "Then he came to his disciples and said to them, 'Are you still sleeping and resting?

Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise. Let us be going.

See, my betrayer is at hand.'" Here in the garden, Jesus experienced a time of severe pressing, extreme sorrow, overwhelming distress. But this wasn't the end. It wasn't the end of the story.

It wasn't the end of his mission, his ministry. There was more to come. And this time in the garden was preparation for the hours ahead. And Jesus would go forth from here to be on trial all night and then crucified in the morning.

Now, beyond that, though, and I would encourage you to look beyond that, it wasn't just preparation for the crucifixion, but for the glory that would follow. It was preparation for the work of eternity that God had in mind. And so Jesus comes back from this time of prayer and he says,

"Are you guys still sleeping and resting? Behold, the time is at hand. This isn't the end, but now it's time to move on to the next phase." The preparation in the garden is complete. And now there's the next part. "Rise. Let us be going. We're not staying in the garden forever.

We're not staying in this time of pressing forever. This was preparation. Now it's time to go. See, my betrayer is at hand." This time of pressing was preparation for the cross for Jesus, but also the preparation for the glory that followed the cross. And in the same way, in our lives, the times of pressing are times of preparation.

Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that worst days are ahead, and that's what God's preparing you for. But remember, the objective of the Lord revealed by Paul in Romans chapter eight is that we would be conformed into the image of Christ Jesus.

God has a plan to make you more like Jesus. He has a plan to transform you into the character and nature of Christ and to, well, have you in glory for eternity. We hold on to that verse,right?

He will be faithful to complete the work that he began in you. And we hold on to that. We celebrate that. Yes, thank you, Jesus. That work will be completed. But we also need to understand what some of that work is. And some of that work is times and places of pressing. That's how God does the completion of the work that he began in you.

Understand that God only uses pressing when it's the only way. Jesus cried out, "If it's possible, if there's any other way, let this cup pass from me. This time of pressing, this suffering I'm about to endure, if it's possible, let's do it another way." And if it had been possible, God would have done it another way.

But it's not possible. Jesus had to go to the cross. There was no other way for Jesus to spend eternity with you than for him to go to the cross. There was no other way for us to be forgiven of all sin. There was no other way of salvation. There was no other way.

And so God used the pressing because that's the only way possible.

And our lives also. Again, he doesn't bring pressing just to watch us squirm and see what we do.

But he allows for the place of pressing in our lives because it's the only way to accomplish the work that needs to be accomplished.

Now, there are some things that, well, he can just tell us. And so he's given us a book full of his words so that we can learn things the easy way. But even the best of us will still have things that we can't learn just by reading. And the change can't happen.

And the work can't be done just

by learning some new technique or learning some new information.

For the work to be complete, there has to be a pressing. It's preparation.

James puts it this way in James chapter one, verse two.

He says, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." He says, "Brethren, guys, you can count it joy when you're in trials." Not that you have to enjoy the trial,

but you can count it joy because of what you know. And what do you know? The testing of your faith produces patience. There's a work being accomplished through this. And so as you endure the trial, as you go through the trial, you can look ahead at the promises of God.

You can look ahead at the work of God and know he's making me complete just as he promised he would. He's completing the work that he began in me. It's a necessary part.

It's preparation for eternity that God is transforming you into the image of Christ through the place of pressing. And that's hard for us to understand. But James says, "You know this. We may not feel that way, but you know this.

You can count it all joy because of what you know." And Paul says it this way in Romans chapter five. He says, "Not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance and perseverance, character and character, hope." Paul and James, see, eye to eye, they're saying the same thing.

We can glory. We can count it all joy. We can look ahead at the promises of God and know that the tribulations, the pain, the excruciating things that we experience within are producing in us the character and nature of Christ.

There's no other way for God to do the work in you that he wants to do for your good. There's no other way to become more like Jesus. There's no other way to have the best eternity possible that God has planned for you. He only allows pressing in our lives when there's no other way.

But for our good, for our benefit, he prepares us for eternity with the pressings of this life. And as you go through times of pressing, you can count it all joy. You can glory in tribulation because of what you know, not because of how you feel.

It doesn't feel good. But looking ahead at the promises of God. And as you go through times of pressing, I would also encourage you with this. Don't think of it like learning a lesson necessarily. Don't think of it as like it's something that you have to learn.

And that's why God has you going through this so that you can learn something. It's not like you're in the middle of a pressing and then suddenly the light bulb goes off and you go, "Oh, I get it. I got the moral of the story. I got the lesson that I needed to learn." That's not necessarily what's going on. Now, there are some things like that, but that's not necessarily what's going on.

God is in the process of changing our very nature, not just teaching us concepts and information and doctrine. He is changing our character. It's a transformation that's going on in the idea of the olives. It's not like you're training an olive to release oil. Now, Olive, all you got to do is just release the oil.

Now, if you don't release the oil, I'm going to roll this big rock over you. Okay, you're not releasing oil. Okay, here comes the rock. Now, next time you'll remember to release the oil. No, it's not training olives to release oil. That doesn't work that way. Instead, it's transforming olives. They're never the same.

They're changed completely forever as this process goes. And the same is true of us.

It's not just God's waiting for that light bulb to go off. Finally, you get it. Yes, love your neighbor as yourself. That's what I've been trying to teach you this whole time. And so now I'll take you out of the time of pressing that. Sometimes God does that way. But many times it's really about changing your character,

changing your nature, transforming who you are and conforming you into the image of Christ Jesus.

And so he's at work in your life. It's a place of preparation for what God wants to do in this life and in the eternity to come. And so you can count it all joy because God only uses pressing when it is the only way.

I want to invite the worship team to come up and we're going to finish out the service in a time of worship and just considering what the Lord has done and these things that he is speaking to us. The place of pressing is a place to pray, to connect with God and gain strength from the Father.

It's a place to share, to bring people in closer and to allow them to experience and to hear what's really happening and what's going on within. It's a place to submit to God, recognizing that his will is worth it, even if it includes pain, allowing him to accomplish what he desires. It's a place of loneliness.

Recognize that nobody can fully satisfy that ache within. And that's why we pray repeatedly and we go back to God continually because he's the one who can provide the strength that we need. And as we hold on to him, we recognize it's a place of preparation that we can count it all joy. If he's allowing pressing, it's because it's the only way.

And we can hold on to him and trust him that it's worth it. He's got good plans for us, not of evil, but to give us a future and a hope. And so we can trust in him for that. And I finish off with these words from William MacDonald. He says, "Before we leave the garden, the garden of Gethsemane," he says,

"let us pause once more to hear his sobs, to ponder his sorrow, and to thank him with all our hearts." Now, I would encourage you as we close out in this time of worship, let's do that. Let's consider, let's ponder, hear his sobs.

Jesus endured this time on our behalf because he loves us greatly so that we can reach out to the Father by faith in him. And so let's hear his sobs. Let's ponder his sorrow. Let's thank him with all our hearts and draw near to him in worship. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching.

The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of his word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.