WATCH and PRAY! | Vital Spiritual Principles | Christina Sermon

Emotion-driven, impulsive decisions
are often destructive.

That is why, as Christians, we cannot afford
to slip into a state of spiritual slumber.

Because when your mind sleeps, satan
takes the opportunity to attack.

Grace and peace to you all in the
mighty name of Jesus Christ!

Hello everybody.
My name is Christina.

And I have the wonderful privilege of sharing the Word of God with you today.

And this Word of God is designed to
cause faith to grow in your heart.

Because, "faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17).

And I want to encourage you, first of all,
about our approach to God's Word.

We're going to have a look at Acts 17.

We are going to be encouraged by the Berean
Jews and the approach that they took

to the Word of God when they heard
Apostle Paul preaching the Gospel.

So let's turn in our Bibles to Acts 17:11.

And it says, "Now the Berean Jews were of more
noble character than those in Thessalonica,

for they received the message
with great eagerness..."

Is anyone here eager to hear God's Word?

Let me hear someone say at home,
'Great eagerness.'

"...and examined the Scriptures every day
to see if what Apostle Paul said was true.

As a result, many of them believed."
To God be the glory.

You know, the Berean Jews did not just
take what Apostle Paul said to be true

because of his good reputation,

but they combined an eagerness for God's
Word with a sense of responsibility

to go home, to examine the
Scriptures for themselves,

to receive their own personal revelation,
to see if what he said lined up with Scripture.

And as they did, many believed.

So today, I want to encourage you not to just
simply listen to this word with eagerness

but take your time to take this message
and look at the Scriptures every day

to receive your own personal revelation
of what God wants to say to you today.

So let us pray.

Lord Jesus, we thank You, Father, for this
opportunity to receive the Word of God.

We thank You, Lord, that when we approach
your Word with a hunger and openness,

it encourages us and builds faith.

So right now, our hearts - let them
hear the voice of God.

Our hearts - let us hear the
voice of the Holy Spirit,

in Jesus Christ's name we pray, amen.

Well, people of God, I want to
ask you a question today.

Have you ever found yourself
in a place of pressure?

Think back to that time.

Or maybe you're in a place
of pressure right now.

Have you ever found yourself
responding poorly to the situation

because of the state of your heart,
because of the state of your mind,

in that place of pressure?

You know, as Christians, we
should not be emotion-led,

emotion-driven, or emotion-controlled
because faith is not a feeling.

People of God, the management of feelings and emotions is so important.

And one thing is clear, a good decision
can never come from a tired, frustrated,

distracted, or unguarded heart.

Many people today regret their financial decisions,
splurging out on items they do not need,

impulsive purchases - they call it 'retail therapy' -
only to regret what they have purchased

simply because of the mismanagement
of their emotions.

While other people find themselves
in a time of financial crisis

regretting their borrowing decisions
as they take out high interest loans

or enter into informal borrowing-lending
agreements that they think

will solve their immediate problem,

only to face overwhelming debt, hidden
fees and aggressive collection tactics.

Some people have completely tarnished
their professional reputation,

by arguing with their boss
in the heat of the moment,

when they failed to guard their heart,

when a critical word was exchanged
in a moment of pressure.

Some parents have even withdrawn
their children from excellent schools

simply after a disagreement with the teacher,
only to regret their rash decision.

Emotion-driven, impulsive decisions
are often destructive.

That is why, as Christians, we cannot afford
to slip into a state of spiritual slumber.

Because when your mind sleeps, satan
takes the opportunity to attack.

But when your mind is made spiritual,
it will be at its best for God.

Let's turn in our Bibles to Galatians 5:16.

"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will
not gratify the desires of the flesh.

For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit,
and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.

They are in conflict with each other, so that
you are not to do whatever you want.”

This book of Galatians really sets out the
conflict between the flesh and the spirit.

Our fleshly tendencies are at
odds with the spirit.

You see, everybody has to manage
their fleshly tendencies

because even though our spirit
is willing, our flesh is weak.

So while we are here, living in this body,
every one of us has a flesh to manage.

You know, many times we are so
focused on managing our homes.

We are so focused on managing
our careers, our children,

but people of God, are we cognisant of
the importance of managing our flesh?

And nobody is above temptation.

Even our Lord Jesus Christ was 'tempted
in all ways, just as we are,

yet He was without sin,' as it
says in Hebrews 4:14-16.

This will take us to the title of the
message today, 'Watch and Pray.'

Tell your neighbour, 'Watch and pray.'

People of God, there is need for us to watch
and pray so that we do not slip into sin,

but we can overcome our fleshly tendencies
and respond to situations just like Jesus did.

We're going to take the opportunity to compare and contrast our Lord Jesus Christ

with Simon Peter, when they
were in a place of pressure

in the hours before Jesus' crucifixion.

Now, this is a really important
part of the Bible.

In fact, you'll be able to see the different
accounts in all four Gospels.

But today, we are going to have a look at
Matthew 26 and read from verse 36.

"Then Jesus went with His disciples to a place
called Gethsemane, and He said to them,

'Sit here while I go over there and pray.'

He took Peter and the two sons
of Zebedee along with Him,

and He began to be sorrowful and troubled.

Then He said to them, 'My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.

Stay here and keep watch with Me.'

Going a little farther, He fell with His
face to the ground and prayed,

'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken
from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.'"

What a wonderful prayer.

"Then He returned to His disciples
and found them sleeping.

'Couldn’t you men keep watch with
Me for one hour?' He asked Peter.

'Watch and pray so that you
will not fall into temptation.

The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.'

He went away a second time and prayed,
'My Father, if it is not possible for this cup

to be taken away unless I drink it,
may Your will be done.'

When He came back, He again found them
sleeping because their eyes were heavy.

So He left them and went away once more and
prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

Then He returned to the disciples and said
to them, 'Are you still sleeping and resting?

Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man
is delivered into the hands of sinners.

Rise! Let us go! Here comes My betrayer!'”

Wow! Jesus Christ was most certainly
in a place of pressure.

In fact, in the account in the Gospel of Luke,
it even says that Jesus Christ sweated blood.

That's a lot of pressure.

But Jesus Christ responded
to that pressure spiritually.

Now let us examine the factors
that were causing this pressure.

First of all, Jesus Christ was fully aware of
the brutal death that was before Him.

Secondly, His disciples were supposed
to be watching and praying,

but they were sleeping - oblivious to
the importance of the present hour.

And if that were not bad enough,
Jesus Christ looked up

and coming towards Him was Judas -
somebody that He had loved,

that He had eaten with, that He had
invested His wisdom, His knowledge,

He had had as part of His twelve
disciples - was walking to Him

to give Him a kiss, not a kiss of love
or respect, but a kiss of betrayal.

And even this was prophesied
about in the Book of Psalms,

when David said in Psalm 41:9,
"Even my close friend,

someone I trusted, one who shared
my bread, has turned against me."

But yes, although Jesus Christ was not
emotionless, He was not emotion-led.

He took that place of pressure to a place
of prayer and received spiritual strength.

He received anointing for
the challenges ahead.

The evidence that His Father answered His
prayer was evident in how He responded

in the next part of the story.

You see, Jesus Christ was tempted
in all ways, yet He did not sin.

He refused to fight a natural battle.
He refused to respond emotionally.

But instead He said, "Let Your will be done."

He denied Himself, He took up the cross
and pressed on with a spiritual mindset.

Now, let's have a look at the case of Simon Peter. In Luke 22:45, it says it like this,

"When Jesus rose from prayer and
went back to the disciples,

He found them asleep,
exhausted from sorrow."

You know, it's one thing to sleep, but it's
another thing to sleep from sorrow.

His sleep was emotion-driven, emotion-led.

He handled that place of pressure
in a completely different way.

Jesus Christ had come to him three
times saying, "Watch and pray,"

perhaps for each moment that Simon Peter
would be tempted to deny Christ.

But Peter missed out on that opportunity to
watch and pray, to receive spiritual strength.

Then, maybe, he wouldn't have acted emotionally and started to fight the wrong battle.

Many of us know what happened next.

Simon Peter, triggered by his natural emotions,

got out his sword and chopped off the
ear of the High Priest's servant.

What was Jesus' response in
Matthew 26:52?

“'Put your sword back in its place,'
Jesus said to him,

'for all who draw the sword
will die by the sword.

Do you think I cannot call on My Father,
and He will at once put at My disposal

more than twelve legions of angels?

But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled
that say it must happen in this way?'”

Jesus was saying to Peter, 'Why are
you fighting the wrong battle?

Why are you fighting a natural battle?

Don't you see I have options here,
but I am choosing to deny Myself

and take up the cross so that the Scriptures can
be fulfilled, so that God's will can be done.'

Because He saw the picture from God's
point of view, He had a spiritual mindset.

He knew no cup, no crown.

No crucifixion, no resurrection,
no salvation for mankind.

Jesus Christ continued to encourage
Peter to watch and pray.

It was much more than a cautionary
conversation, but he didn't seem to get it.

Let's see what happened next.

Well, we know that Jesus Christ
had mercy on that servant.

And He took the ear and He
healed that servant's ear,

practically obeying His own teaching
in Matthew 5:44, when He said,

"Love your enemies and pray for
those who persecute you."

Let's see what happened to Simon Peter
next as we go to Luke 22 from verse 54.

"Then seizing Him (Jesus), they led Him away and took Him into the house of the high priest.

Peter followed at a distance.

And when some there had kindled a fire
in the middle of the courtyard

and had sat down together,
Peter sat down with them.

A servant girl saw him seated
there in the firelight.

She looked closely at him and said,
'This man was with Him.' But he denied it.

'Woman, I don’t know Him,' he said.

A little later someone else saw him
and said, 'You also are one of them.'

'Man, I am not!' Peter replied.

About an hour later another asserted,
'Certainly this fellow was with Him,

for he is a Galilean.' Peter replied,
'Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!'

Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed.
The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.

Then Peter remembered the Word
the Lord had spoken to him:

'Before the rooster crows today,
you will disown me three times.'

And he went outside, and wept bitterly."

Wow! Can you imagine that?

He was not spiritually prepared.
He was not spiritually alert.

His mind was sleeping and satan
took the opportunity to attack.

And he even denied our Lord Jesus
Christ right in His presence.

And when Jesus looked at him, he remembered
the Words of Jesus, and he wept bitterly.

This goes to show that the
cost of disobedience

is far greater than the cost of obedience.

Yes, it will cost you something
to deny your flesh.

Obeying God at first seems hard
until we come to see that

all He asks is for our good,
to make our life full and free.

But you know what? God's mercy
is enough because it is unlimited.

And this was not the end
of Simon Peter's story.

No, many of us will know the
wonderful reinstatement

when our Lord Jesus Christ
was resurrected.

And indeed, that Word of God
came to pass as Peter

became the rock on which that
Church of God was built.

And Simon Peter later became the great
Apostle Peter who wrote in 1 Peter 5:6-8,

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty Hand, that He may lift you up in due time.

Cast all your anxiety on Him
because He cares for you.

Be alert and of sober mind.

Your enemy the devil prowls around like
a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

He had certainly learnt that very
important lesson to watch and pray

because when your mind sleeps,
satan takes opportunity to attack.

But also to humble himself
under God's mighty hand,

because humility is total dependence on
our Lord Jesus Christ for everything.

We are not strong in ourselves,
but as we humble ourselves

under God's mighty hand,
He will lift us up.

We can bring our anxiety, we can
bring that place of pressure

to a place of prayer and receive divine
strength that only God can give.

When we, however, allow ourselves
to be in that place of spiritual slumber,

oftentimes our conscience is dulled to
the voice of the Holy Spirit,

and we find ourselves not understanding
or appreciating the impact

of our disobedience on
ourselves and on others.

Now, the case of Jonah is a good example.

So let us go back to the Old Testament,
to the Book of Jonah,

and let us just quickly
see how Jonah slipped

into physical and spiritual slumber, and
how he failed to appreciate the impact

that was having on him and on others.

In Jonah 1:1, it says, "The Word of the Lord
came to Jonah son of Amittai:

'Go to the great city of Nineveh
and preach against it,

because its wickedness has
come up before Me.'

But Jonah ran away from the Lord
and headed for Tarshish.

He went down to Joppa, where he
found a ship bound for that port.

After paying the fare, he went aboard and
sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea,
and such a violent storm arose

that the ship threatened to break up.

All the sailors were afraid and each
cried out to his own god.

And they threw the cargo into
the sea to lighten the ship.

But Jonah had gone below deck, where
he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.

The captain went to him and said,
'How can you sleep?

Get up and call on your God! Maybe He will
take notice of us so that we will not perish.'”

Jonah's sin caused him to fall
into that state of slumber,

but he had no idea that his
sin had caused a storm.

He had no appreciation of the impact
of his sin on himself and others.

They say, 'Love is blind,' but specifically
it is the love of the things of the world

that blinds us and stops us from
understanding the impact of our sin.

The sailor had to come to Jonah and say,
'Wake up and call on your God! Watch and pray!'

So finally, let us turn to Romans 13:11,
"And do this..."

You know when the Bible says, "And
do this," you should take note.

"And do this, understanding the present time:

The hour has already come for you
to wake up from your slumber,

because our salvation is nearer
now than when we first believed.

The night is nearly over;
the day is almost here.

So let us put aside the deeds of darkness
and put on the armour of light.

Let us behave decently, as in the daytime,
not in carousing and drunkenness,

not in sexual immorality and debauchery,
not in dissension and jealousy.

Rather, clothe yourself with
the Lord Jesus Christ

and do not think about how to
gratify the desires of the flesh."

People of God, our minds should be disciplined
to become our servant, not our master.

The only way out is to follow Christ's
example, to watch and pray.

There is not enough mental strength.
There is not enough physical strength.

But you have a Friend, the Holy Spirit,
who is ready to help you.

I want you to take this message
and have a moment of reflection

to bring your weakness, your
shortcoming before the Lord,

and ask our Lord Jesus Christ to manifest
His strength in your weakness,

because He's here to help you.

Just play your part.
Watch and pray.

It's not something that is optional for
us to live our Christian lives well.

In order to please God, we are to watch and
pray continuously and not occasionally.

So this message is encouraging you
right now to watch and pray,

to stay in faith, to be spiritually alert
and steadfast in your faith.

And as you do, you shall overcome
every fleshly tendency

and walk as a believer in the
Spirit, in Christ Jesus.

In Jesus' name.