Honoring and remembering God, Jesus Christ, and their servant Billy Graham by preaching an adaptation of one of his powerful messages.
TEXT: Matthew 26:36-39:
36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
39 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.
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During the process of Jesus’ crucifixion, He endured the suffering of flogging, scourging, and humiliation. He also endured the loneliness of suffering. But that is only one type of loneliness that Jesus experienced. During His time on this earth, the Lord also experienced the loneliness of sorrow.
Some of you have been in a sickroom and you have seen a loved one snatched from you. You could not do anything about it, and your heart was crushed by sorrow. All of us have experienced disappointment in life. Maybe your husband has walked out on you. Maybe your girlfriend has left you, and your heart is crushed, and you’ve become sorrowful. Jesus also suffered, and He knows what sorrow feels like. He stood at the grave of His friend Lazarus and wept. He knows what it means to have a crushing sorrow. And in your loneliness of sorrow, He can be there with you. He can wipe those tears away. He can give you joy and peace in your heart.
Jesus also experienced loneliness of character. A man may find himself in a community or society where he has to stand alone on some moral issue. It is not easy to stand alone. Moses had to stand alone. Elijah on Mount Carmel had to stand alone. The fact is, we who know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour are in a minority in the world. We are going to be standing alone more and more. Someday we may have to pay with our blood and our lives for our faith in Jesus Christ. You may have to stand alone in your office. You may have to stand alone for Christ at your high school. You may have to stand alone in your community as you try to live for God. Sometimes you get discouraged and you feel lonely. Well, remember that almost everybody whom God ever used knew those hours of loneliness. And Jesus knew them better than anyone.
Finally, the third type of loneliness that Jesus experienced is the loneliness of sin. That is the worst loneliness of all. The Bible says that when Judas betrayed Jesus after the Last Supper, he left the meeting of the disciples and he went out into the night — away from Jesus, away from God, a son of perdition, lost forever. You remember when you were young and your conscience was sensitive. If you told a lie, your conscience spoke to you. But now it has become hardened and seared. There are many of you who wish your life were different. You wish that you were not chained by the habits of sin. You would like to be through with it but you cannot break free although you have tried. You are alone in the night. Yes, there is a loneliness of sin. The older you get, the more lonely you will be, because you will be farther away from God. And away from God, there is nothing but loneliness and remorse.
Go ahead and continue with it for a while. The Bible says there is pleasure in sin for a season — but only for a season. A man told me one day, “I’m not afraid of going to hell; there are going to be a lot of other people down there.” But, listen, the Bible indicates that hell is a lonely place. You won’t see anybody else there. You won’t even see the devil. The Bible’s picture of hell is one of separation from God amid the blackness of night, darkness, and loneliness. You will be all alone in hell. You won’t see your husband or your wife. You won’t see your friends. You will experience for eternity the loneliness of sin. Sin pays wages. It crushes your personality, it crushes your life, it crushes your soul, and it ends you up in hell.
But, on the cross, Jesus experienced all of that crushing loneliness of sin on your behalf. He took on Himself the loneliness of suffering, the loneliness of sorrow, and the loneliness of sin, so that you would not have to endure that for eternity. Turn to Christ from your sins today. Let Him free you. Let Christ come in, and then you can enter heaven — a place of fellowship with God, a place where you will never be alone. Heaven will be a glorious world of fellowship and friendship. There will be no loneliness there.
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Now, if you are with us today and you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to show you how you can place your faith and trust in Him for Salvation from sin and Hell.
First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the Cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please email me at dw3@gospellightsociety.com and let us know. There is some free material that we want to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will pray for you until you tell us to stop.
God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.
Gospel Light House of Prayer International 