Something occurred to me recently when studying the account of Jesus Christ in the garden of gethsemane. I can find no better display and teaching about resisting sin than this passage.
And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things [are] possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.
He Found them Sleeping
And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly [is] ready, but the flesh [is] weak. And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words. And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him. And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take [your] rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.
Mark 14:32-42
Jesus was entering into tremendous temptation to deviate from the path of his Father. Imagine if he had never even took his three friends and went into prayer. Imagine if he ignored the gravity of his situation and simply avoided the coming betrayal. How easy it would have been for him to simply disappear that night? Knowing full well what was coming, as is evidenced by his extreme heaviness and stress, in Luke 22:44 it says And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
He could have slipped away and re-considered his plans. Delay the will of his father as long as he wanted. It was in fact within his freedom and power to delay and to avoid.
But, He was in prayer and he was seeking the will of father. He was not in avoid and delay mode at the time of his biggest temptation to sin. He was in prayer and he was actively seeking his father.
The best resistance to sin is the pursuit of God.
This is what we learn directly from Jesus. His victory over sin was not determination and will power. It was in seeking first the kingdom of God, in pursuing the will of the father. This is our only effective way to resist sin (Matt 6:33). Also notice how during the time of his biggest struggle with sin, Jesus taught his disciples how to resist sin and Satan. When he returned to find them sleeping.
“And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly [is] ready, but the flesh [is] weak.”
Watching and praying, was the way that Jesus kept to the will of the father, it was THE way he avoided sin. It was the way that he did not succomb to the weakness of the flesh.
While in pursuit of the will of the Father, the will of God is applied to the follower. This is the way to resist sin. This is the way to live a pure life, a life that is cleansed from all unrighteounsess. “How does a young man cleanse his way? by taking head to every word of God.” (Psalm 119:9)
When and if we struggle with sin what do we find ourselves doing? When we are walking into temptation, do we allow God to lead us into watching and praying? Or anything but? Do our feet quickly enter our temptations? Do we avoid the seeking of Jesus Christ? Do we ignore for a time the will of the father? Are we “falling asleep” like the disciples did that night?, when we should be watching and praying? And discerning what the will of the Lord is? I admit I certainly have.
Watch, Pray, Discern to Submit
Watch, pray, discern and take heed to every will of the father so that we can cooperate with it!
Seeking Jesus Christ is an assignment, it is a major occasion of the life, it is protection for our spiritual lives. It is not optional for the serious Jesus follower, it is something to do that should replace a huge number of things in our lives. It is the way to increase in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Seeking Jesus Christ is THE WAY to say “no” to sin and “yes” to the will of God. When tempted dont try to exercise the will power, instead vigoursly seek Jesus Chirst in prayer and in pursuit of his will.
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