Not as I will, but as thou wilt

 

Not as I will, but as thou wilt

 

(Matthew 26:36-46)Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.  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 ye not watch with me one hour?  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.  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.  And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.  And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.  Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.

Jesus also said that the soul suffered and died. It is said in 26:37 that he was troubled and saddened when he went to pray with Peter and Zebedee's two sons. And in verse 38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

God, the Creator who created the heavens and the earth, came to this earth in the flesh. That is Jesus. However, this great man was also worried and sad in front of death. The soul from the flesh responds that way. The soul wants to be comforted and can be seen accompanying his disciples. Even 『if it be possible, let this cup pass from me』. The one who planned before the creation of the world made this remark. By the way, how can a creature, man, easily say that he will not deny Jesus before the cross? What the Bible says is that the soul of the flesh is meant to respond that way. The soul is self. If we don't deny this, everyone deny Jesus. In verse 41, Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 』

Jesus went to the second prayer. The first one started with "if it be possible, let this cup pass from me". But the second one is 『O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. "If this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it," you can see how difficult it is to let go of oneself. Jesus prayed three times. Our attitude should also say, "I want to be what my father wants."

For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.

In Luke 17:31-33, ``In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot's wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. 』One's life is the soul of himself. Here, Lot's wife appears. Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt.

The soul of self is bound to the world. It means that if you do not turn back, everyone will be a thrower of Jesus for their own life. Is this an easy word? However, it is easy to feel salvation because people who first come to the church are told, "If you accept Jesus, you will be saved" or "If you believe, you will be saved." I wonder if anyone who says so is living a life of self-denial.

Salvation is a narrow path. It is a way to deny yourself. No matter how easily you say this, you must realize that salvation is a difficult path from sweat to blood. There are many people who want to know the time of Jesus' Second Coming. However, not knowing the time will save them, but those who deny themselves will be saved. So, the Bible says, "Awake." I don't always remember the time of the Second Coming of Jesus and think, "You shouldn't live like this", but what it means is to always look through the mirror of the Word to see if you are living a "life of self-denial."