Luke: 22:39-46
Key Verse is 22:42

"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

The title of this conference is "Your Kingdom Come." We are all here because of our hope in the kingdom of God. This kingdom of God was established through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. How marvelous is the love and sacrifice of Jesus for giving us the kingdom of God! This morning, let us learn how Jesus prayed to give us the kingdom of God.

Part 1. Not my will but yours be done (39-42)

The time of Jesus' death on the cross was approaching. When faced with great difficulty, people drink alcohol, take drugs, or eat a lot. But what did Jesus do?
Verses 39-41 show us that Jesus went to pray. He even asked his disciples to pray for him. How did Jesus pray? Look at verse 42. Jesus prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

First, "Father."
While in anguish Jesus looked for his Father. God was his Father. His Father wanted him to die on the cross. But Jesus did not complain or become angry with his father. Instead he came as the most humble and obedient son. Jesus trusted in the love and the power of his Father.

Second, "If you are willing.." Jesus prayed saying "If you are willing." People do not come to God saying, "If you are willing" Instead they come to God saying: "God, I want this. Do what I want. OK!" However, Jesus prayed saying, "Father, if you are willing." Jesus put God's will before his own will.

Third, "take this cup from me." "This cup" refers to his suffering and death on the cross. Jesus was God. But Jesus was also a human being. As a human being he did not want to suffer. Jesus did not want to be crucified. If God is willing, Jesus did not want to die on the cross. Therefore, Jesus prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me."

Fourth, "yet not my will but yours be done."
We are ready to obey God if God's will and our will are the same. But if God's will is different from our will, we don't want to obey God. Today's young people hate to do what they must do, like math homework or piano practice. Instead, they give all their attention to what they like to do, like chatting on the Internet until they become crazy. Jesus decided to obey God's will even though he did not want to die. Here we see two separate wills: The will of God and the will of Jesus as a human being.

Jesus denied his desire not to die. Jesus decided to obey God's will for him to die on the cross. He decided to die on the cross. Behind the crucifixion Jesus could see the will of God to save all human beings. God's will was to save us and give us the kingdom of God. His death on the cross was to pay for our sins.
Through the crucifixion God's will would be accomplished. The blood of Jesus cleansed all sins of the world. Now God's eternal kingdom is wide open to all of us. Now whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. In this way Jesus prayed so intensely in order to give us the kingdom of God, saying, "Yet not my will but yours be done." Amen. But it was not easy to have an unchangeable and immovable decision. To confirm his decision he needed to pray more intensely. After all, it was not easy for Jesus to die. But Jesus wanted to obey God's will and please God. For this Jesus prayed intensely until he became completely exhausted. Jesus had no more strength to keep fighting in prayer. Then what happened to him?

Part 2. the victory of Jesus' prayer (43-46)
God sent an angel to strengthen him! Let's read verse 44 together. "And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." Jesus prayed and prayed and prayed more earnestly with all his strength. And his sweat began to fall to the ground like big drops of blood. Jesus prayed with such intensity until he could obtain victory. Prayer is a severe spiritual battle to surrender our will to God's will.

Prayer is the spiritual battle to win the victory before fighting. Prayer gives us the victory against our human desires until we can obey God's will absolutely. God gave a prayer topic through Mother Sarah Barry. "May Mexico evangelize 33 Latin American countries by 2007." I asked what could it mean to be a missionary? Then I read 1 Corinthians 4:11-13, "To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our hand. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; When we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world." I understood that to be a missionary means to die. But then I thought: without God, anyway we have to die in sin. And then I prayed and I accepted to die as a missionary for the glory of God. But when I arrived at Peru, I found to die is not easy at all. Before many problems I cried and slept like the disciples full of sorrow. But God was faithful. God was openings the way where there was no way. He guided us step by step. He solved our Visa problem, job problem, and health problem.

God is also opening sheep's hearts to study the Bible. I did not pray persistently like Jesus to serve the work in Peru. But if I pray intensely according to God's will, how much more will God's work will be in Peru! Certainly as it is God's will, God will establish Peru as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

One word: Not my will, but yours be done.