When My Love for Christ Grows Weak

I. Introduction: The title is the name of a beloved song that we usually sing before the Lord’s Supper. It teaches a beautiful message of growth in Christ.

II. Text: Matthew 26:36-46

III. The first two verses describe one whose love for Jesus is waning thinking back to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

IV. Why does our love for Christ grow weak?

A. Caught up in the details of the world

B. We all understand that the Christian is not to love the world

C. 1 John 2:15 – Do not love the world or the things of it2 Peter 2:20-21 – Returning to the world and condemnation This is not what I have in mind

D. The Christian is more likely to get wrapped up in the details of daily life and forget to serve Jesus

E. We love God very much but we get distracted

F. This can happen with our children

G. We love our children very much and would die to save them However, sometimes we get distracted with the “important” things of life that we neglect opportunities to spend time with them We need to check our email, we get distracted on the Internet, we sit down to watch a movie that we really did not plan to see originally or watch one program after another, and many other things that take time away from them. No one can doubt that we love our children, but sometimes we get distracted and we must refocus our attention on what is really important

H. Sometimes in the bustle of getting up, getting ready for work, getting the meals ready, doing homework, etc., we forget to pray, study, and meditate on our relationship with God.

I. “E’re you left your room this morning, did you think to pray?” Song “How Long Has It Been”2 Peter 1:3 - The scriptures prepare us for life and godliness It is easy for the things of the world to distract us; when we do not feed on God’s word and invoke the power of prayer, we will get weak.

J. Disenchanted with religion/Disappointed with God

K. Some build religious faith into some unrealistic haven and grow weak when they find that it is not so.

L. God did not promise a life without pain or suffering

M. 1 John 3:13 – The world will hate the follower of God as it hated Jesus

N. You may think, “In America, the Christian is loved.” Try to teach exactly what the Bible says and you will soon find that many in the religious world do not appreciate what you say Though Christians, we will have the natural pain and suffering of illness Romans 8:18 - Whatever the source of the suffering, it is not worthy to be compared with glory that will follow

O. Often we are not disenchanted with religion, but with men’s practice of religion

P. Even in the parables, such as the Parable of the Wedding Feast, Jesus said that there would be some in the church who would not be obedient Paul wrote to the Corinthians condemning them for disobedience in certain areas of their lives and worship Jesus, through John, warned most of the churches in Asia, at the beginning of Revelation, to repent or God would punish them. We will be disappointed in our brethren from time to time, but do not forget that this is not an implication of God’s way, only man’s practice

Q. Forget the importance of God’s sacrifice

R. Sometimes we just forget the horror of being lost and the joy of knowing that our sins are forgiven through Jesus. Titus 3:3-7 – We need to remember where we were and how we were saved

V. The solution: remember Gethsemane

A. Matthew 26:36-46 – The scene in Gethsemane

B. Brief note: There was a circulation on the Internet that when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, that Gethsemane was a cemetery and that Jesus was really talking to his dead father Joseph or, figuratively, his fathers (ancestors).This is foolishness. The Garden of Gethsemane was at the foot of the Mount of Olives. Gethsemane means “an oil press” and, of course, the Mount of Olives is where olives were grown then taken to be pressed so that the olive oil could be extracted; many circulated this without checking the most basic facts.

C. In the garden, we see Jesus suffering alone in prayer as He draws near His sacrificial death.

D. He was going to die for us, to atone for our sins. In great anguish of spirit, He prayed three times that the suffering might pass, yet He had to endure it to fulfill God’s plan. John 3:16 – God loved us by giving His Son Isaiah 53:3-6 – He suffered greatly for us

E. When our love for Christ grows weak, we must remember His strong love for us and His great anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane as He prepared to prove that love.