the Flesh is Weak — Bob Jennings

Matthew 26 please. I would like to try to speak briefly. Kenny back there is a farmer from northeast Iowa and he said his corn crop was pretty good and he filled his barn a little bigger than normal and both ends broke out and so we don't want to overload but here we are dealing with matters of eternity.

If Paul were here and he heard me say that I would try to speak more briefly he might he might rise up. Don't do it. Matthew 26 verse 36. The garden of Gethsemane. Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane and said to his disciples, sit here while I go over there and pray.

And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be grieved and distressed. Then he said to them, my soul is deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and keep watch with me.

And he went a little beyond them and fell on his face and prayed saying, father, my father, if it is possible let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will but as you will. And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping and said to Peter, so you men could not keep watch with me for one hour, keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation.

The Spirit Is Willing but the Flesh Is Weak

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. He went away again a second time and prayed saying, my father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, your will be done. And again he came and found them sleeping for their eyes were heavy.

And he left them again and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. Then he came to the 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.

Get up, let us be going, behold the one who betrays me is at hand. We'll be concentrating on verse 41, keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

Look at verse 36, then Jesus came with them. The situation here, the then, the situation here is very unique, very important, very weighty, very awful. Formerly, up till now, we see the Lord Jesus, the Lord of glory, very poised, dignified, in control, calm, and authoritative.

But now we find our Lord Jesus distressed. It says here, grieved and distressed, distressed to the point of death. We find the Lord on his face, like a beggar, destitute, on his face. It is a scene of blood, sweat, tears, agony, grief.

The Lord, no doubt, it would appear he would, he wanted out. If it is possible, take this cup from me. Likely he was tempted to call on 72 ,000 angels and get out of it. The cup was being pressed to his lips.

Soon he was to be spit upon, and slapped, and slugged, and scourged, and stripped, and spiked, and speared, and sentenced by men, and sentenced by God, condemned by men, and condemned by God, and die what would appear to be a miserable failure.

We're so concerned about success. I mean, we can hardly play a casual game of basketball and miss a basket without having to make a comment about it. And here's the Lord, dying an apparent failure. It was such a pivotal point.

It's an understatement to even try to say it. A pivotal point in the history of the universe. Lord Jesus, what would you have to tell us at such a time of deep distress? What would you have to tell us at such a time of grief?

At such a time that is so crucial? What would you have to tell us, we, us, in the battle of the ages? What would you have to tell us when sin is crouching? When the masses of hell, when the hosts of hell are gathering to try to upset us as they were him?

What would you have to tell us in this battle, in fighting the good fight? I'm centering in on verse 41. Keep watching and praying. Let's look at first the word weakness, and then secondly, the word willing, and then third, the watch and pray.

Those are the three key words as far as an outline here. The Lord gives this instruction. We'll start from the back end of the verse and work forward. He said, the flesh is weak. Have you ever taken the position of weakness?

The Flesh as Fallen Human Nature

Have you ever seen yourself as a weakling? You know, Paul says in Galatians 6 .3, if anyone thinks that he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. And whatever strength we have, mark it down, it's likely to be, it will be, our greatest weakness.

Are we strong in looks? It's likely to be our weakness. Strong in musical abilities? It's likely to be a danger to us. Whatever gift we have, mark it down, right there will be a danger. That'll be a weakness for you.

Watch out. It says that Uzziah, King Uzziah, was greatly helped, until when? Until he became strong, and then God had to knock him down. I remember a preacher that I respected, he told a group one time, as we were sitting around talking, he says, don't think highly of me.

If you do, God will have to reduce me. Weakness. How can it be that, in what way are we weak? Are we not inhabited, as we heard this morning, are we not a habitation of God through the Spirit? Christ in us, the hope of glory, a habitation of the living God.

In what way are we weak? I mean, it sounds like if the living God dwells in our heart, it's a wonder we don't just strip gears like an overpowered tractor. How is it we don't explode when we've got the living God abiding in our heart?

How can that be that we are yet weak in some sense? Well he says, the Lord says, the flesh is weak. The flesh is weak. Sometimes the Bible talks about flesh as just the body, you know, flesh and blood.

God was manifested in the flesh. Sometimes it uses the word flesh with reference to all humanity. Acts chapter 2, I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. Quite a way of describing humanity, isn't it? But another way, at least three ways, it describes flesh as fallen human nature.

That's why in Galatians chapter five it says, now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are immorality and envy and jealousy and strife. The deeds of the flesh. And we know that envy doesn't come out of our little finger.

It goes deeper than that. And so it's man in his fallen condition. And so here we have got a reference, I think, to the body. I mean outer man, inner man. The flesh and the spirit, I take it as little s.

And so our bodies in our fallen condition, in our body, our bodies yet unredeemed are weak. There is a part of us that is not yet redeemed, a part of us that is not yet regenerated, made new, and that is our bodies, our flesh.

And I am persuaded that the sin problem yet, even for the Christian, goes deeper than the body. But nevertheless, in our embodied state there is a weakness. Our body is a vehicle for sin and for lust.

And so the Lord says, John chapter 6, the flesh profits nothing. Romans chapter 7, I know that in me that is in my flesh dwells no good thing. And this word weakness here, interestingly, it sounds like, you know, it's weak.

It does have some benefit, it does have some virtue, it does have some strength, but it's just weak. That's not really an accurate translation. You look the word up in the Greek, and I don't know Greek, but I see it does mean no strength.

Ah such-and-such, that means no strength. It doesn't contribute a thing. Matter of fact, as I say, in our unregenerate condition it is a vehicle for powerful forces. The lusts of the flesh, the flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh.

The flesh is weak, it is a hindrance even. It says that we cannot, the flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh, so that what? You cannot do the things that you would like to do.

It's like somebody who wants to take, a family wants to take a vacation, and you've got some livestock, and you can't, it's it, you can't leave them. You've got to take care of them. You can't get away.

They've got to be fed, and that's the way the lusts of the flesh are. They make it such that we cannot do the things that we would like to do as regenerates, as born-again Christians. They've got to, these lusts are there demanding to be fed, wanting to be fed, waging war against the soul.

1st Peter 2 11, war against the soul, and so they are quite a hindrance. A hindrance really is a mild statement. I mean it is a mighty continuous struggle. There is not in this life any complete eradication of sin.

There is not in this life any perfect sanctification, and so it is a struggle against old Amalek way to the end. It says in Exodus 17, the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

It is a fight to the finish, a mighty struggle, the lust, the flesh lusting against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. You might live in a Muslim land with all this external adversity, but that really is not, that is not your main battle.

The main battle is still in the heart, in the, in our lives, in this struggle against sin, in this striving against sin. That's where the real battle is, is dealing with this, with this weak flesh. I remember hearing a John MacArthur telling about a man who was converted on his deathbed, I believe it was, in a hospital at age 73, and one of the things that he said was that he was still, still ruled by lustful thoughts.

It doesn't matter how old you are, that is no solution to the loss of the flesh. It says in Titus that we were formerly enslaved by sinful lusts. Enslaving, they enslave, you cannot dabble in sin and think that, count on the fact that you can walk away from it.

You don't touch sin without being affected by it. You don't touch it without it hurting you. They enslave us, they affect us, you see. Think of Daniel, I'm sorry, think of David. David, the godly David, he fell.

Abraham fell, Noah fell. These men, these testimonies are there to warn us, watch out, watch and pray, the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak, watch out so you don't enter into temptation, into a place where you'd be tempted and then sin in it.

Paul says, after I have preached to others, he says, I keep my body, I buffet my body, lest after I have preached to others, I myself should be cast away. These lusts, I say, they are mighty, these fleshly lusts, mighty, powerful, strong, aren't they?

You know that. Seeking for a thrill, so perverted, always seeking for some thrill, always seeking for some new adventure, always seeking for some new feeding, always seeking and coveting the forbidden, not necessarily wanting the object, but just wanting the want.

After getting the person like Ammon, he was not satisfied, immediately was not satisfied and wanted something more. These fleshly lusts, they're like the leech, they're like the open grave, they're like the the dry earth, they're like the fire, they will not be satisfied, they are always demanding more and they intend to kill us.

That is the latter end of fleshly lusts, they intend to kill us. We either kill them or they will kill us. They intend to drag us right down to hell. There is only one solution and that is to mortify them to Christ.

How do we think that we will stand? Perfect Adam fell in perfect paradise. How do we think that we'll walk the world in white? How do we think that we'll make it through this waste howling wilderness?

How do we think that we'll, that we'll make it through? But lambs we are in the midst of wolves. Let's look at this next phrase. The spirit is willing. The flesh is weak but the spirit is willing. The Christian can say that.

The Christian can say that his spirit is willing. Before that his spirit was not willing. You will not come to me that you may have life. But now we have been wrought upon by the Spirit of God. He has worked in us to will and to do of God's pleasure.

And so now we have a willing spirit. That is wonderful, that is priceless, that is precious to have a willing spirit, willing to do God's will. You know David prayed in that prayer, Psalm 51, we knew within me a willing and free spirit.

We cannot talk about perfection in this life but we can talk about direction. We can talk about a willing spirit. A person may be a new convert and be doing better than an older convert who has gotten loose and sloppy and some hardness set in in his heart.

Here's a new convert, he's willing, he's walking in all the light, he's eager, he's zealous, he's there, he's willing and that is precious in the sight of God. The spirit is willing. We have been wrought upon by the grace of God and sin will not have dominion over us for we're not under the law, weak as it is to the flesh, not under the law but under grace, grace ruling and reigning in our heart.

His name will be called Jesus for he will save his people from their sin he has given us. He has wired us up entirely differently so that we are saints by nature, not sinners, holy by nature. The deepest reality of who we are is a willing heart.

I was talking with a Baptist preacher up there in Missouri the other day and in the course of the conversation we got on to the matter of carnal Christianity and it was going back and forth and to try to define where he was at I asked him this question.

I said let's take a fellow that is a just a real gutter drunk and he gets arrested for some crime and he gets thrown in jail and there in jail somebody brings him the gospel and he receives the gospel.

He believes on Christ and he's out of jail now and he lives a clean life, a different life. He lives a clean life for five years. He's free of drink but in the course of time I say after five years he falls back into drink and he lives the rest of his life a drunken thought and dies that way.

I asked the pastor will he go to heaven or will he go to hell and he said you can't say. We don't know a man's heart you can't judge but I quoted in 1st Corinthians 6 do not be deceived a drunkard will not inherit the kingdom.

Man you're deceived. You wouldn't be deceived about somebody that didn't even profess. It's the professing Christians that are living like children of the devil. They're the ones you'd be likely to be deceived about.

So Galatians chapter 5 it says walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. The Spirit of God is he affecting our spirit and that is the key to victory over the lust of the flesh, the weakness of the flesh.

Brother Bill brought out Ephesians chapter 3 this morning. He says I pray that you might be strengthened with might by God's Spirit in our inner man. See there the Spirit in the inner man the Spirit working upon strengthening our spirit that is the key that is the secret to victory.

Have you ever seen cattle out in the pasture swatting flies? The flies are on them thick you feel sorry for them being bothered by those flies and there isn't any cow that's got a tail long enough or fast enough that can chase all those flies away and so the farmer puts out an oiler and and the cow gets all oiled up and the flies stay away.

And so you see that if ye through the Spirit demortify the deeds of the flesh you'll live. We need the Spirit of God working on our spirit when the river is high the canoe doesn't drag. Stay filled with the Spirit that is a secret to victory.

Temptations lose their power when you are near. I need you every hour stay nearby. Temptations lose their power when you are nigh. Third point is watch and pray. Watching and praying that is instrumental in obtaining the fullness of the Spirit of God affecting our spirit that we not give in to the weakness of the flesh.

Watching and Praying Against Temptation

Watch and pray instrumental in knowing and having the blessing of the Spirit of God the fullness of the Spirit affecting our spirit. There are other things admittedly this is not any any exhaustive treatment on sanctification.

There are other things like fasting. There are other things that are mentioned throughout the Word of God that are effective and instrumental in walking in victory. But here the Lord is saying watch and pray.

Three times did you notice? Three times this word watch comes up. It means vigil. It means stay awake. It means stay on the alert. Be on the alert. Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.

This matter of watching it's woven in. God has woven it into all of life. Now I mean the farmer has got to watch his crops. The athlete has got to keep his head up. Watch. Be on the alert the coach says over and over again.

Are you asleep? The mother must watch her children. I tell my children one by one as they start driving a car. You've got to stay on the alert. Watch. Watch your speedometer. Watch what the other driver is doing.

Watch the road conditions. You've got to stay on the alert if you're going to stay alive. They must watch. The shepherd must watch his sheep. They were watching over their flocks by night. They watch for your souls.

A soldier must watch if he's assigned to guard duty in crucial times in certain nations anyway. If a man falls asleep on guard duty they'll kill him. It's death penalty. Watch. Stay alert. We're in enemy territory.

The scriptures are replete with this exhortation to watch. Matthew 24. Watch. 25. Watch. Acts 20. Watch. 1st Corinthians 16. Be on the alert. 1st Peter 4. Watch. 1st Peter 5. Watch. Be sober. Be vigilant.

Your adversary the devil is prowling. And so all over the Bible we've got this exhortation. Stay on the alert. It's real. It hurts if you don't. Eve if she'd only watched and been on the alert. David did not watch and he got fooled by Doeg.

Jonathan was on the alert. He watched. He observed the countenance of his father Saul and probably saved David's life. Nehemiah was on the alert. He said I perceive that God didn't send him. And so we have exhortations like this in Proverbs chapter 4.

Watch over your heart with all diligence. How much stronger language could be given us? Watch over your heart with all diligence. Watch out for the choices you make. Watch out for inroads of sin. It's crouching at your door.

Watch out for deceitfulness and lies. Why did you say it that way? Come on be honest. Watch over your heart with all diligence you see. In Matthew 16 Satan whispered that subtly in Peter's ear. But here it says watch and pray.

These two are often found together. Ephesians chapter 6 watch and pray. Colossians 4 watch and pray. First Peter 4 watch and pray. Luke 21 watch and pray. These two go together. Watching is a partner with prayer.

It says in Luke chapter 21 watch be on your guard that your heart may not be weighted down with dissipation that is being spread too thin and drunkenness that is excesses and the worries of this life decisions.

It says keep on the alert and pray at all times that you may have strength to escape the things that are coming upon the world for it will come upon all those like a trap. And so pray and watch that you may have strength to escape.

In a football game if a fellow is strong enough he can break away and escape the tackle. An animal if they're strong enough they can break away from the trap and escape. Pray that you may have strength to escape the things that are coming upon the earth.

So watch and pray. Let's think about prayer here. Again they often go together. Even in the songs we see that. Put on the put on the gospel armor and watching unto prayer. I hear the Savior say thy strength indeed is small.

Child of weakness watch and pray. Find in me thine all in all. Think of the Lord Jesus in Matthew chapter 4. He was led about by the Spirit to be tempted. We're talking here about being tempted. Lest you enter into temptation.

He was led about by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil and overcame those temptations. But notice in the previous chapter he was praying and received an anointing of the Holy Spirit. And even here in the garden we find the Lord praying and then strengthened by an angel and thus he overcame.

In Acts chapter 4 they gathered together for prayer. They cried out to God. They lifted up their voices to God and it says that they were filled with the Holy Spirit and it was it was in a time of distress.

They were threatened. Their lives were in danger. In Psalm 73 yeah the psalmist was being tempted all right. He was tempted to think why should I try. I've tried and I've tried. I've washed my hands in vain.

I've chafed and chastened every morning and look at the world thing. He's doing so good. He was envious of the wicked. Until what? Until God came into the sanctuary of God. He had a meeting with God and his whole mindset was changed and he escaped that temptation.

Prayer as the Means of Spiritual Strength

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. Prayer bringing the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God strengthening our spirit is what I'm saying. When the arms of intercession were held up Israel prevailed over Amalek.

When they went out in prayer and praise and 2nd Chronicles chapter 20 it says the Lord sent out set up ambushments against the enemy in the way. It says in Psalm 138 in the day that I called on the Lord he heard me and answered me and strengthened me with boldness in my soul.

David was feeling it and he found had a meeting with God and thus escaped the tempter's snare. I one time heard a woman Riona Peterson was her name. She gave her testimony how this was in Germany. She went into communist Albania back in 1975 and to smuggle Bibles and there she was caught and stuck in a room and sick and under a demonic attack.

They were choking her. She could hardly get her breath and she was despairing and she began to eke out just a little bit of praise to the Lord and a little more and a little more and the powers that were choking her let off.

Little by little by little she won the victory and through angelic provision was able to walk out of Albania. Prayer bringing securing instrumental in obtaining help from the throne of grace. In seasons of distress and grief my soul is often found relief and oft escape the tempter's snare by thy return sweet hour of prayer.

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation how many how many professing even pastors are falling into miserable sin we better watch and pray. Now in closing why is it that what are the hindrances what are the obstacles that keep us from watching and praying.

Why the Lord says could you not watch with me one hour what why could they not watch and pray with him. I mean there they were in that last moment it was as JC Ryle says it was the last service they could have rendered for the Lord and yet they missed it.

They were they were sleeping they were sleeping because of sleep they missed helping the Lord in his agony because of sleep they missed the Lord in his glory on the mount. Sleep in Luke's account it says it this way why are you sleeping rise and pray lest you enter into temptation why are you sleeping rise and pray.

So often that is one reason that we fail to watch and pray is flat-out we're just sleeping we're sleeping something's got to give in our schedule and and there's where you're gonna find the relief there's where you're gonna find the opportunity and the occasion to watch and pray is to sacrifice some sleep.

They were sleeping what a thing rise up why are you sleeping lest you enter into temptation. Stonewall Jackson and Robert Dabney and two of his generals were held were holed up in some farmstead with the army they were those four generals were staying in the farmhouse and Jackson told his three men we will rise at such and such a time.

Jackson and Dabney rose at the appointed time they were dressed and they were ready but the other two laid in and they were attacked with a surprise attack from the enemy army. Jackson and Dabney escaped the other two got caught with their pants off and they were apprehended and put in prison.

There's an example it happens the same way in the spiritual realm it's that real it's that real whether I mean I have seen it so many times in my own life that I gave an occasion to the devil an opportunity for the enemy come in and scratch me good because I laid in bed and didn't get up and have a meeting with God and spit it all out put out my letter my heart's burdens get unloaded to start the day in prayer.

It's that real we're in a spiritual battle these are some helps I'm not trying to put anybody in bondage but it is written here what we can do. Another enemy to watching and praying adver I mean a hindrance to watching and praying is just old self-sufficiency.

Peter said just before this although all deny you not me I won't I can handle it you see prayer is an admission that we can't handle it when you don't pray you're saying I can handle it I don't need God I'm adequate.

Self-sufficiency it'll not happen to me and Peter after this went right ahead and did the very thing he said he wouldn't do. He fell he denied the Lord the devil was out to sift him like wheat he had been raked bad the Lord prayed for him that his faith fail not.

Practical Habits for Watching and Praying

What are some helps to watching and praying? One thing that helps at least it helps me is to find is to have a place of prayer. The Lord came with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane and it was his custom to go there.

The Lord Jesus had some customs he had some habits nothing wrong with some good habits. I try to find every bit of routine I can wherever it's possible it helps. Some don't need it I do routine routine can help you and he had a place where he could get alone with God where he could cry out to God where he could roar to God where he could lift up his voice to God he had a place of prayer.

Have a place where you can get alone it will help you. I remember when I used when I was driving truck for a couple years I made it my habit on the last load before coming home I made it my habit after unloading my last load to find a park to walk in and pray to unload my heart.

It was a great help to come and to find my own garden and unload my heart before I came home and was all spread out and thin. It helps I like to go to cemeteries and seek the living among the dead. It's pretty quiet there.

Another thing that will help is to take others with you. The Lord came to the Garden of Gethsemane with others. He brought his disciples and Peter and James and John in a special in a special way. Be regular at the church prayer meeting it will help you.

One will chase a thousand and two will put ten thousand to flight. It will help you. Mac has just given us a whole a whole load of examples regarding the church prayer meeting. Isn't it amazing that some churches do not even have a prayer meeting.

What on earth is going on? Someone told me about a big church out east. Oh they've got a prayer meeting but it's only a half an hour long for 600 members. You cannot do any business with God in a half an hour.

It's a joke. It's a laughingstock of demons. I remember Terry and I going one time. We were visiting somebody and it was on a Wednesday night. We went with them to their church prayer meeting. The pastor spent about 20 minutes taking requests and I mean we could have used that 20 minutes putting our requests up to God rather than the pastor.

And finally it came time to pray and so things were quiet and then we heard a little bit of mumbling and and I thought well if nobody else is gonna pray I'll pray. And as I was about to open my mouth after five minutes we had been there all of a sudden the chairs rustled and everybody got up and the prayer meeting was over.

That is no prayer meeting. It does not scare hell at all or impress God. We need a time where we as a church can get right down and do business with God. Where everybody can feel free to pour out their heart.

Where there's liberty. John Wesley says at three o 'clock in the morning as we continued instant in prayer the Holy Spirit of God fell. Three o 'clock in the morning. I don't know about that but but we need more than a half hour.

Could you not watch with me an hour? It takes a little time to do business with God. A hurried prayer is a it's a hindrance to real prayer. It's a curse. The dew of God doesn't fall when the wind is blowing.

You got to settle in. Take others with you in prayer. Is it scriptural? It's all over the Bible. Acts chapter 1. They were meeting together for prayer before Pentecost. After Pentecost they were continuing steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine fellowship breaking of bread and prayer.

Acts chapter 3. Apparently they had a daily prayer meeting three o 'clock in the afternoon. Acts chapter 4. They were threatened and what did they do? They got together with their own company and lifted up their voice to God.

In Acts chapter 12. They gathered together for prayer fervently on behalf of Peter and he escaped the edge of the sword. Chapter 13. It says they were ministering to God and fasting. Group prayer. Acts chapter 14.

They prayed together and fasted before the appointed elders. Acts chapter 20. They meant for prayer after the pastors conference. Paul to the Ephesian pastors. Acts chapter 21. They got together for prayer and knelt down on the beach to say goodbye to Paul.

Everywhere. Gathering together for prayer and yet we do it so little. It seems to help in the economy of God. He has set things up that way. The Lord took with them disciples. Took with him some disciples.

Praying with Scripture and Trusting God's Sovereignty

Another thing that will help us is to take the Word of God in prayer. Now admittedly that's not in our text or in our context. This has been mentioned a little before. I believe it was Brother Bill that mentioned that.

But I'll tell you what little I know. I know that it helps. It helps to know the Bible. It helps to memorize all the scripture you can. It helps to have the sword of the Spirit handy on your tongue. It helps to have ammunition to shoot at the battlements of heaven.

It helps to know the Word of God and have it ready. Why can't we sustain prayer very well? I'll tell you one thing that'll help and that's to know to memorize the Word of God. Be rich in the scriptures.

Be mighty in the scriptures like Apollos. Why not memorize? Young men, young women. Memorize Ephesians. Memorize Romans. Memorize Hebrews. Get it down. Take it in. Write it on your heart. Sure it'll take some investment.

It takes some work. But the rewards are so great. It just takes a little diligence. You know, isn't it something where you've been to a certain location many times. You've driven that road many times and yet when somebody, you go to tell somebody how to get there you can't think how to tell them.

And the reason is is because you've never fixed it in your mind. And the same way of reading the Bible. You've read it a lot of times but you can't really say it. You can't really repeat it because you've never fixed it in your mind.