Mark 14:32  And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.
33  And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;
34  And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.
35  And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
36  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.
37  And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?
38  Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.
39  And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words.
40  And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him.
41  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.
42  Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.

The last hours of the Lord Jesus Christ, prior to His arrest, trial, and crucifixion were intense hours. Jesus knew what was ahead for Him. The disciples refused to accept even that which Jesus told them. With what lay ahead for Him, Jesus taught the disciples the importance of prayer. He did not need to fret about it. He needed close contact with His Father.
He took three of His disciples in closer so they could witness what He was facing. Jesus knew all along what was coming for Him. He knew this before He even left Heaven to become a man. Jesus Christ was fully God, but He was also fully man. The difference was that He was a sinless man. He still had the emotions of a man. He knew what was coming and He knew He could handle it because He was God, but He also knew the weight of what He was facing as a man.
Jesus showed these three disciples how they would need to draw on God for strength if they were going to stand strong in the midst of severe trials. Jesus shared with them the intense pressure being put upon Him as a man. He was not ashamed to show them the reality of what even He was facing. He went a little further and fell on the ground and prayed. He was not demanding anything of His Father. He was submissive to His Father. He was asking His Father to strengthen Him for what lay ahead. As the Son of God, He knew there was no other option for Him.

Hebrews 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus needed that strength that is only available to those who walk by faith. Jesus demonstrated to Peter and the others the only way they could face the trials and not walk away in shame as Peter would soon do.
The term “Abba” is a term of endearment. Jesus had a very close, and tight relationship with His Father. He demonstrated that many times, but here we see it the clearest of any time. Jesus exemplified a character trait that was more pure than that of Isaac when his father, Abraham, bound him and placed him on an altar, ready to slay and burn him. Isaac did not fight his father. He did not understand him at that moment, but he trusted him.
Jesus understood His Father completely, and He trusted Him. Peter, James and John did not grasp the importance of drawing nigh to God at this time. While Jesus was agonizing, they were sleeping. Jesus came back to them and awoke them and encouraged them again to pray. They would never “win” against the coming temptation, if they were not willing to draw nigh to God.
Jesus went away and prayed again, and came again to His disciples but He found them asleep again. Their physical weariness overwhelmed them.
Three times Jesus came and found the disciples asleep. At the third time, He knew the time was come. Peter was given three warnings of the importance of drawing nigh to God. He had already been warned that he would deny Jesus three times. Rather than taking Jesus’ warnings seriously, he trusted in his own merits.
The opportunities were there for them, but they had let them slip by. Now it was time for the next step. God gives us time to learn and grow in Him. He is very longsuffering toward His children. We, those who are saved, are given opportunity to read our Bibles daily. We are given opportunities to find a good local church where we can attend and become a part of. Testing will come. Things are getting tougher in Canada already. The past four years show us how quickly things can change. Most professing Christians failed the test to varying degrees. We were given a test, and did not draw our strength from the Lord.
There will be further tests. Some have realized that our earlier response was not what it should have been. We will be given further opportunities to draw nigh to God and take a more fruitful approach to further trials. Most failed earlier and will fail again.
The disciples missed out because they refused to listen to the warnings. They failed to learn from the example set before them.
After Acts 2 we find a different group of men. We find men who were now filled with the Holy Ghost and who could press forward in spite of much greater challenges. In Acts 4 Peter and John were not deterred by the threats of the Jewish false teachers. In Acts 5 we see them again tested and standing strong.
New Testament saints receive the same Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. We can stand strong for God in the wicked world in which we live, if we humbly submit ourselves to the true God. Peter’s self-confidence would be his downfall. We need to trust in God to guide us now, while we still have relative peace. If we will accept that, then we will be able to stand strong as the pressure intensifies.
Jesus warned that the spirit is ready, but the flesh is weak.
Those who are saved need to learn to walk in the spirit. We need to draw nigh to God. A person can never stand strong for God without being saved. Once we are saved, we need to choose to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. We identify His leading through the Word of God. The Holy Spirit will never lead us contrary to the Word of God. We have often warned of the dangers of the Charismatic movement. That movement corrupts the truth and makes their spirit work independently of the Word of God.
Peter and the other disciples allowed another spirit to lead them contrary to the Word of God. For Peter, that would cause him to want to be close to the trial Jesus would face, yet not close to the Lord in his spirit. The result would drive him away from the Lord and cause him to run out weeping as he realized his failure to be able to stand with the Lord.
Jesus did not need the disciples to defend Him. He would be on trial and He would go to the cross. The disciples were not called to die with Him at that time. They would face trials and they would die as martyrs at a later time. The important point is to be saved and then learn how to serve God faithfully where He calls us. Some will die as martyrs and others will die of old age. If we are saved and submitted to the Lord, we will know His leading in our lives.
Pastor Bartel