The Meaning Of Gethsemane

Where is your Gethsemane?

Matthew 26:36-39

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.”

37 – He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.

38 – Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

39 – 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.”

Tonight I would like to speak a message that talks about the place of Gethsemane.

What is Gethsemane:
The word Gethsemane means “olive press.”  

Gethsemane is the place where they crushed olives for their oil.

It is heavy to think that the Son of Man would also decide in Gethsemane to be crushed for the sins of man.

Gethsemane is the place where you and I spend time in the presence of the Lord.

Jesus modeled a life of prayer for us. How many if Jesus had a prayer then It might be a good idea for you and I to have one also.

Our Gethsemane is the place where we can spend time in the presence of the Lord.

Gethsemane is the place where you and I can focus on God and God alone.

Staying focused on Jesus – Today in the Word, March 10, 1993
Deeply immersed in meditation during a church service, Italian poet Dante Alighieri failed to kneel at the appropriate moment. His enemies hurried to the bishop and demanded that Dante be punished for his sacrilege. Dante defended himself by saying, “If those who accuse me had had their eyes and minds on God, as I had, they too would have failed to notice events around them, and they most certainly would not have noticed what I was doing.”

Jesus prepared Himself in Gethsemane:

It is in Gethsemane where Jesus prepared Himself to do God’s will and prepared Himself for the cross.

Gethsemane is the place where Jesus made the declaration, not My will, but Your Will Father.

Gethsemane can represent our place of prayer and our time in prayer before the Lord.

It may be in your room, in your living room, in your garage, or in your favorite chair. I do not know but just like Jesus prepared Himself in Gethsemane to go to the cross.

It is in our Gethsemane that we can prepare ourselves before we head out to school, to work, or get ready for our day. We say God give me the strength to do Your Will today. Not my will but Your Will.

I would like to encourage us this morning to have a place where we get a hold of God, before we head out for the day.

When you and I spend time in the presence of the Lord we are saying, God, I don’t want to depend on my own strength, talents and gifts, but I want to allow You to have your way in my life.

As a child of God yes church services are important, ministry is important, rehearsals are important, and being involved is important, but there is no better service than to spend time in the Presence of the Lord.

Gethsemane is the place where God can fill us and strengthen us, to be able to carry out what He has called us to do.

What can happen sometimes is we are constantly giving out, that we can forget to fill up.

Maybe some of us need a fresh filling up of the presence of God.

It is like a vehicle that needs to go to the petrol station. In order to fill up, it needs to stop running around and get filled.

It is kind of hard to fill up a moving car.

Sometimes you and I can get so busy in the things of God, that we can forget to allow God to fill us up.

You and I should have a place where God can fill us up.

Now I am not talking about your favorite seat at the church.

I am not talking about doing your favorite ministry.

I am not talking about singing your favorite song at church.

I am not talking about hearing your favorite preacher at church.

I am talking about a place where it is just you and God.

A place where we lead our self into worship.

A place where we spend time with God, not in our favorite seat in the House of God, but in our favorite place of prayer at our house.

A place where we can tap into the Presence of God.

We should have a Gethsemane…

A place where God can fill us up to do His will.

Like I said before, If Jesus spent time in prayer, how many know it is important for you and I to spend time in the Presence of God.

We should get a hold of God before we set out to do what God has called us to do for the day.

In Gethsemane is where Jesus said Father not my will, but yours.

We can look at Gethsemane as the place where we say God not my own strength, but in your strength, I can carry out what you have called me to do.

Not my abilities or talents, but in the power of the Holy Spirit.

As a Christian it is important to have a prayer life.

Prayer gives us the strength to do what God has called us to do.

It was at the place of Gethsemane also known as the place of crushing where Jesus made up His mind to go to the cross.

He said God if it is possible take this cup from me, but not My will, but Your will. The place of crushing has an important part in Jesus fulfilling God’s plan of redemption.

His success in Gethsemane made victory at the cross possible.

The Bible says that Jesus fell on His face and prayed.

The struggle at the cross was first won in prayer in Gethsemane.

How many know that as you and I go throughout our day there will be struggles and battles that we fight, but we can get the strength to do the will of God in our Gethsemane.

We can make up our mind to do God’s will in our garden of gethsemane.

Jesus prayed and came to a point of decision in Gethsemane.

It wasn’t that Jesus had not decided to go the cross before this, but here in Gethsemane is where He came upon a point of final decision.

One commentary put it like this: 
He drank the cup at Calvary, but He decided once and for all to drink the cup at Gethsemane.

The struggle of the cross was won at the garden of Gethsemane.

You and I are going to have struggles, but we can get the victory over our struggles in our prayer life.

Jesus modeled for us that the victory to the struggle is not in our own abilities, talent or giftings, but it will be won as we spend time with The Lord in our garden of Gethsemane.

We are all human and can have the tendency to depend upon our natural abilities in carrying out the call of God upon our lives, but God wants us to depend on Him.

In Gethsemane is where God can crush us of ourselves and fill us with more of Him. He can fill us with a fresh anointing.

He can crush us of our own will and let the anointing oil flow, like oil flows when an olive is crushed.

Since we are talking about the crushing of an olive and how oil flows from the olive when it is crushed.

In closing I would like to talk about 3 benefits of olive oil.

Some benefits of olive oil:

• Olive oil strengthens your immune system
• (This can represent fighting things off that shouldn’t be in our lives.)
• Olive oil assist in helping your body running smoothly
• (It is like oil for a car – it keeps the parts running smoothly)
• When we allow God’s anointing to flow through us it helps us in our walk with God
• Olive oil assists with Pain relief

(When you and I allow the anointing of God to flow through our lives we can touch those hurting young people in our world today)

We can let that fresh oil flow from us by spending time in our Gethsemane.

As the oil flows fresh in our lives:

• It will strengthen our spiritual immune system and help fight off things in our life that don’t belong there.
• It will help us to run smoothly in doing what God has called us to do. Instead of doing it in our own strength, we depend upon the Grace and strength of God.
• It will help in relief of pain. God will be able to use us to bring relief of pain to lives that are hurting and need to know about Jesus.

Maybe you are here, and you say Pastor Dre I need a fresh hunger to spend time in the Presence of the Lord so I can do what God has called me to do.

So, I can bring a healing touch to a hurting young person.

So, I can fight off things that don’t belong in my life.

So, I can walk out God’s will for my life and not my own.

Then I would love to pray for you this today.