SLEEPING FOR SORROW

Song: “IT IS A GOOD THING”

It is a good thing, to give thanks unto the Lord;

It is a good thing, to give thanks unto the Lord,

And to sing praises unto His name;

Oh, most High.

TEXT: Luke 22:39-46; “And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. 40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. 41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, 42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. 43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45 And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow. 46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.”

I. THE PICTURE AND THE LANGUAGE

A. More than any of the other Gospel writers, Luke gives us a closer picture of the closing hours of the Lord Jesus’ life and ministry and the impact it had upon His disciples. He writes,

1. “And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow” (Luke 22:45).

B. Language is often vague. I wondered what Luke meant with the words, “sleeping for sorrow.” In tracing the verse through other translations, it becomes obvious these disciples were discouraged.

II. THE CHALLENGE AND THE RESULT

A. The large crowds were now gone. Some of the disciples no doubt thought He’d torn up the church with His preaching –

1. “Except you eat My flesh and drink My blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53).

B. Not only had Jesus turned off the multitudes, many of His own disciples walked away. Most had high hopes for Israel’s glorious restoration and the return of a ruling dynasty of David with Jesus sitting on the throne. Their national pride and independence would be returned as well.

All of these dreams now lay in ashes.

C. One translation suggests the disciples were sleeping because of sheer grief. Jesus had been totally misunderstood. No one seemed to grasp the revelation of the cross or His exodus from this world. Most felt a beautiful dream had ended all wrong.

D. Jesus would later reveal Himself having conquered hell, death and the grave. After experiencing the power in the Upper Room, these men would be forever changed. Of course, that did not prevent hours of discouragement from coming. It simply shows the intense humanity of God’s own people.

I have recently spent time with a number of folks who have seemingly lost their way. One person having lost a very high paying job, without adequate preparations for such happenings, believed he was losing everything and saw little or no hope for the future. Another’s spouse had left home, abandoning both husband children, leaving despair and desperation in the hearts of those left behind. Yet another was falsely accused, threatened with jail and prosecution, put out of his home. As I visited with each of these, there was the same despair, depression, and loss of hope. Over and again I heard the statements, “I sleep but little, and awake with the only thought being, ‘I wish I could just die.’” These were all “sleeping for sorrow” at perceived great loss.

III. THE HUMAN VESSEL SORROWS AND SLEEPS

A. The Bible character David was one such intensely human vessel. Anointed by the prophet and priest Samuel at an early age, he was called “a man after God’s own heart.” Yet he was not without his hours of discouragement.

B. The first king of Israel, Saul, had turned into a madman and earnestly sought David’s life. Time and again, David could have had Saul’s life, but he refused to touch the man he called “God’s anointed.”

C. But one day, weary from the struggle, David lamented, “I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul. . . .” In an hour of discouragement, he fled the country and joined the enemies of Israel.

D. If it had not been for divine providence overriding David’s foolishness, he would have gone to battle with the Philistines against God’s own people. No doubt he would have forever forfeited his right to reign as king even though God had purposed such an event.

E. The psalmist wrote these words from a crisis,

1. “It is good for me that I have been afflicted . . .” (Psalm 119:71). Moffitt’s translation reads, “It was good for me to have been in trouble.”

I do not know what the psalmist had faced. Perhaps he had struggled down a dangerous strip of road. Maybe he thought his life was nearly over. But now he’s looking back at that experience and declaring, “It was good for me.”

CONCLUSION:

Sometimes I believe the time of doubt and discouragement can become the most positive hour of a man’s life. With the right attitude, we can learn true reliance upon Him. Selfishness and ego part company with us when we’re reduced to depending upon the Lord.

Every person God has ever used knows what it means to put themselves completely in His hands. “It is good.”

There is more that “is good.” “It is a good thing to give praise unto the Lord.” It is a good thing to assemble ourselves together. May I be so bold as to suggest that we all assemble ourselves together in God’s house more than just on the Lord’s day and offer our praises to Him. It would be - - - that we should find for sure that “it is good.”

ALTAR MUSIC: “God Is So Good”

BENEDICTION:

May you discover that “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto His name, . . .” (Psalm 92:1) And,

May you discover that “it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein” (Hebrews 13:9).