45 – 24 Hours That Changed the World
Resurrection Sermon Series
The Garden
Luke 22:39-45

Jesus had quite a week…..
Sunday – People were cheering for him…the same who would persecute Him later…everyone seemed to love Him
Monday – Jesus goes into the temple and there were merchants and money exchangers where people should have been coming for prayer; took a bull-whip and drove them out of the temple because they were disrespecting His Father’s house
Tuesday – All the Rabbis are whispering about what they can do about Him; they are no longer in charge; they sought to kill Him after this

Jesus came here going to a cross

Wednesday – Found out one of His disciples (Judas) is going to betray Him….for MONEY
Thursday – He wanted to have a meal with his disciples; He knew they loved Him but not enough for what was about to come down the road – The Passover celebration; He prepared a symbol of love for them – Communion; He also told them that one would betray Him

That’s why He was in The Garden; He took two or three disciples with Him; asked them to pray for Him while He prayed; Jesus was wrestling with death and life

Asked Father to take this cup from Him if it was God’s will.  When He went back to the disciples, they were asleep.

What Do We Learn in The Garden?

1. Acknowledge that ultimately, God is in control of your situation.
He knows what’s going on.  Jesus had a right relationship with God.  If you’re struggling and you don’t have a right relationship, who do you go to.
“Father, if you will…..”

2. Accept the fact that God may not answer your prayer.
He acknowledges that just because He’s listening, that doesn’t mean He will give an answer.  He knows you better than you know yourself.  Unanswered prayers make some people bitter…..that’s what the devil wants.

Jesus went into The Garden praying for an outcome that He didn’t get.  In His weakest moment, He prayed anyway.  Even when the outcome was certain not to be what He wanted.

3. Tell God exactly what you would like Him to do.

4. Humbly yourself to accept His answer.
Sometimes the purpose of a prayer is not that things change but that YOU change to accept the circumstances as they are.  At the beginning, He said Father if you’re willing……at the end of the prayer, He said Not my will but your will be done.

5. Leave the result of your prayer up to God.

6. Keep on praying.
Even after He had worked it out, He continued to pray.  He prayed so hard that His sweat became drops of blood.

Aren’t you glad that we don’t get a “Message Delivered” from your prayers like we do for text messages?

Tamala R. Maddox, Ph.D.
Principal
R.F. Bumpus Middle School

45 -Unlikely Hero
Hebrews 11:32
Judges 11

While people may not think much of you, God loves you. God doesn’t have the restrictions on you that people do. He’ll give you a job to serve His purpose.

People start out in different places. Woodrow Wilson couldn’t read until he was 10.  Babe Ruth also held the record for strike outs.

A person is known for five things in his lifetime.
Character – that’s who he is

Conduct – that’s what he does

Conversation – that’s what he says

Creed – that’s what he believes; believe in something greater than yourself

Contribution – that’s what he gives to make the world better

He was not considered for leadership. Jephthah was an outside child. His mother was an “escort”. They were whole brothers by law but half-brothers by emotion. He left because he felt inferior. He left with a crew. He always tried harder because he fought with a chip on his shoulder. He didn’t get any acceptance from his brothers.

His brothers were not able to convince the people. They couldn’t lead. They decided to go get Jephthah because they couldn’t hold back the invading armies.

God’s gonna use what you’re going through right now.

Jephthah didn’t grow up in a perfect family but with a perfect God.

Brothers came to him and asked him to come lead the clan.

He agreed on a few conditions. He said the first person out of his house after the victory, he would sacrifice. HIS DAUGHTER WAS THE FIRST TO COME OUT. He oversold his position.

Jephthah
A. He learned to forgive. He can’t bring healing or wholeness to you otherwise.

B. He learned to have faith (prayer). God promotes. Not man.

C. He learned to focus. Concentrate on the things that are right. Hebrews 11:12-28

God took Jephthah from zero to hero.

Tamala R. Maddox, Ph. D.
Principal
R. F. Bumpus Middle School

45 – The Games People Play
Sorry! Repentance/Changing the Heart
Family Feud Genesis 25:19-34

Life presents a series of questions.  How you answer them determines your life’s path.
How do you treat other people?
Do you value other people?
How do you take care of your family?

If there are things in your family that prevents you from learning the right answers it affects how you proceed in life.

Adam and Eve’s children were the first in juvenile church for murder.
Abraham waits 90 years to have Isaac but he and his handmaiden had already had an outside child. Baby momma drama
Isaac’s family – Esau and Jacob – mother was Rebekah

**The Foundation of Good Parenting is Prayer
**Through prayer, God can bless everything else.  Isaac and Rebekah prayed for 20 years for children. At the age of 60, Isaac and his wife Rebekah had two babies – Esau and Jacob. Un-identical twins (fraternal) couldn’t be more different as people. Gen 25: 22-23

Esau – name means hairy, hunter, loved by Isaac because Esau was a hunter
Jacob – name means heel-catcher, came out smooth and clean, completely different than his brother, stayed among the tents and was loved by Rebakah

We spend a life-time trying to do what God had already said.  God had already said the older will serve the younger.  Jacob from the moment of his birth was trying to cold Esau back

Know your children and let them be how they are.  Learn to deal with each one.  Don’t make them feel bad because they’re not like you.

The parents created a problem so when problems showed up later in life, Jacob and Esau didn’t have the right answers.  They were in the midst of the Family Feud.

Parents need to be consistent in your discipline, time, love, rules, gifts.  Treat them the same as best you can.  Nothing good comes from playing favorites.

How does a worm get inside an apple?  The worm starts inside the apple.  What you plant inside the child’s heart grows out in their attitude, actions and behavior.

Jacob heard important things as he was around the house that Esau did not learn because he was in the field.  This whet his appetite for being in charge.  Fueled his spirit for wanting to take over.

Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for stew.  Doing so gave Jacob the right to the Covenant that God gave to Abraham.  Two portions of his father’s physical estate. He also became the head of the family and the spiritual head.  Esau did not love the Lord like his brother did.  Isaac did not put a love of God in Esau.  He only put a love of physical things.

Esau became the father of Edom when he ate that soup and sold his birthright.

**Favoritism is common but breeds confusion

**How do you live in the same house and have different values? Look for the worm in your house.

What makes a brother even consider SELLING food to his brother instead of giving it to him?

Then Jacob schemes to get the blessing from Isaac…..with the help of Rebekah.  This scheming is on the inside of the apple, not the outside.

Because Esau is not spiritual, he goes out and marries women he was specifically told not to marry.  Jacob went to live with his mother’s brother and HE was schemed by his father in law, Laban.  Worked 7 years to get Rebekah but got Leah.  Had to work 7 more years to get Rebekah.

**Someone has to say I’m sorry first.  Before death takes us away.  They were separated 20 years because of this Family Feud.

Jacob met an angel and the angel wrestled with Jacob all night.  Jacob left that fight named Israel.  He had to go find those he had messed up with and make it right.

**Bad parenting habits are passed down from generation to generation.
Tamala R. Maddox, Ph.D.
Principal
R.F. Bumpus Middle School

45 – The Games People Play
Sorry
Repentance/Changing The Heart
Ezekiel 18: 20-24 NIV

Your parents can set things in motion that can cause you pain or benefit in the future but it all boils down to you making a choice.  Your parents cannot destine you to a certain fate based on what they have done.  We all have a choice to make.

God has given us all choice.  Why would He do that if what someone else did determined our destiny?

Righteous people will be judged according to righteousness and wicked people will be judged according to their wickedness.

Alfred Nobel started over because he was Sorry!  He was originally known for creating dynamite but changed that by starting a means of honoring and recognizing peace in the world.  He made a change.  He started over.

Many don’t have the courage to say they’re sorry.

God expects us to change
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Cor 5:17)
The old way of life must be replaced with the new way of life.

We can change.
Our thinking has to change. Cut the Stinking Thinking.
Change your attitude.
Change your commitments. Make the main thing, the main thing.  Let #1 be #1.  That’s a choice. Things have to be reordered.  There’s a benefit.

Change and say you’re sorry.  It re-characterizes who you are. The reward is much better than what I’m losing.  God’s got me.  He’s going to bless me.

It needs to be a permanent change.  We have to walk as Jesus did.  A Christian walk.  It’ll be uncomfortable. Paul was persecuted because he preached no more idol worshipping and that put the metal workers out of business.

God wants us to make changes to our hearts.
What you love with all your heart is what has to change.
Must be committed.

But how do we know if our hearts are not right with God? Bitterness, unforgiving nature, sexual immorality in your life, envy, jealousy, hatred, constantly critical of others, always finding a reason to say something negative

How can we change our hearts in order to please God?
First, we need to ask God for help.
You can’t make the change by yourself.  You need a higher power to make the change that needs to be made.  God will put you in a position where you’re uncomfortable which forces you to change.  Sometimes you regress and that regression can lead to progression.

Second, to make changes to our hearts we must get rid of sin.

God can change anybody.
Don’t try to equate your bad to someone else’s bad.  Just admit your sin.

Tamala R. Maddox, Ph.D.
Principal
R.F. Bumpus Middle School