Introduction

Apprehension means fear, worry, anxiety, dread, etc. Have you ever felt those emotions? Jesus did. That’s why He knows and understands us. Some of us might think that Jesus never felt those things. We assume He is so brave, so courageous. But the Scriptures would tell us otherwise. In fact, one of the Gospels, the Gospel of Mark, showed Jesus experiencing these negative emotions to such an extreme that some scholars felt it was too much. (see Mark 14:32-42) They felt embarrassed for Jesus. But Mark showed the real Jesus. He was fully human just like all of us. That’s why He can help us in our time of apprehension as well.

Four Principles that we can learn from Jesus

1. Don’t be ashamed to admit your fears (vv.32-34). – Just like Jesus, we don’t need to be ashamed whenever we are afraid. These are valid feelings. Jesus felt it and He admitted it to His closest disciples. In the same way, let us not hesitate to share with those we trust what we are going through, especially when we are apprehensive.
2. Don’t be afraid to ask for deliverance (vv.35-36). – Jesus prayed for deliverance from death, if it is possible. He knew that with God nothing was impossible. But He was willing to surrender everything to His heavenly Father, including the possibility of His death. In the same way, we are not sinning if we ask God not to bring us into temptation but to deliver us from evil.
3. Don’t be anxious to accept your weaknesses (vv.37-40). – We may know what is right and pleasing to God, but it doesn’t mean that we can just be stoic about suffering and death. On our own (i.e., in our flesh) we are weak. That’s why we must pray to God to give us strength. He alone can enable us to face trials that come our way.
4. Don’t be ambivalent to act when the time comes (vv.41-42). – Jesus cried out to His heavenly Father with a lament. He knew God heard Him. But there was no direct answer except the unfolding events themselves. That was His Father’s answer. So, sensing that it was God’s will for Him to die on the cross as it was written in the Scriptures, He willingly faced it and obeyed God.

Conclusion

1. Central Idea: “Even if you’re apprehensive, remain attentive to God’s directive.”
2. Fear is a valid emotion especially when we do not know what will happen or we are imagining something bad might happen. But we don’t need to be paralyzed by our fears.
3. We can face our fears by trusting God no matter what happens. We know He will see us through and He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Discussion

1. Do you have apprehensions right now? What kinds of fears are you experiencing?
2. How are you dealing with these feelings? In what way or ways are you coping with them?
3. Now that you’ve heard this sermon, what would you do differently?