00:00Let me talk to you about something that confuses a lot of people.
00:04No, I'm not going to discuss my t-shirts again.
00:07It's, if Jesus is God, why is Jesus praying to God?
00:14Now, that's a good question, because in Gethsemane,
00:18why did Jesus say, Father, let this cup pass from me,
00:23and then, not my will, but yours be done?
00:27Now, if Jesus and God are the same, how does that make any sense?
00:33And then, there's the Holy Spirit.
00:36If I'm praying to Jesus all the time, what is the Holy Spirit even doing?
00:42Am I just skipping over him?
00:45Now, here's the simplest way I know to explain it.
00:50Jesus is God, but Jesus is not the Father.
00:55Now, that distinction matters.
00:58Christianity teaches one God, but three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
01:06Not three gods, one God.
01:10So, when Jesus prayed, he was not just talking to himself.
01:16The Son was talking to the Father.
01:19Now, they are the same divine nature, but they are not the same person.
01:26That is why Jesus can pray to the Father and still be God.
01:32Now, think about Gethsemane.
01:35Jesus knows what is about to happen.
01:38He knows he's going to be betrayed, beaten, mocked, tortured, and crucified.
01:43And he says, essentially, Father, if there is another way, let this pass from me.
01:52Now, that does not make Jesus weak.
01:55Not at all.
01:56It shows us something important about him.
01:59Jesus was fully God, but he was also fully human.
02:04He felt pain.
02:06He felt exhaustion.
02:08He felt grief.
02:10And he knew what fear and suffering felt like.
02:15So, when he looked at the cross and did not want the suffering, that was not sin.
02:21That was real humanity.
02:24But then he says, not my will, but yours.
02:29That's the part I don't want you to miss.
02:32Faith does not mean you never wish your circumstances were different.
02:37Faith does not mean you have to pretend you are not hurting.
02:42Faith does not mean you cannot ask God to change something.
02:47Jesus did.
02:49Sometimes, the most honest prayer you can pray is,
02:53God, I do not want this.
02:57I do not understand this.
02:59I wish you would take this away.
03:03And then, somehow, still say,
03:08I trust you.
03:10Because that's what Jesus did.
03:12The Father was not forcing an unwilling Jesus to the cross, either.
03:17Jesus said that he laid his life down willingly.
03:22So, this is not the Father wanting one thing and Jesus wanting the opposite.
03:27It was Jesus, in his real humanity, facing the full cost of what he had willingly come to do.
03:37Now, think about the Holy Spirit.
03:40Because maybe you're thinking, fine, but I talked to Jesus.
03:44So, what is the Holy Spirit there for?
03:47Good question.
03:48The Holy Spirit is not standing off on the side, waiting for you to notice him.
03:54He's already involved.
03:56You see, when you feel convicted about something, the Spirit is working.
04:02When Scripture starts hitting you differently, the Spirit is working.
04:07When you feel drawn toward Jesus, the Spirit is working.
04:13When your character begins changing, the Spirit is working.
04:19And when you are trying to pray and don't even know what to say,
04:25Scripture says the Spirit helps you in your weakness.
04:29Now, that means when all you can say is, Jesus, help me.
04:35You're not bypassing the Holy Spirit.
04:38The Holy Spirit may be the one moving your heart toward Jesus in that exact moment.
04:43That is one of his roles.
04:46You see, Jesus said the Spirit would glorify him.
04:50The Holy Spirit points us toward Christ.
04:54So, he's not jealous when you pray to Jesus.
04:58He's doing his job.
05:00The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not competing for your attention.
05:06They're working together.
05:08A simple way to think about it is this.
05:12The Father sends, the Son saves, and the Spirit changes us from the inside out.
05:21And all three are involved in bringing you into relationship with God.
05:28So, who should you pray to?
05:30Well, don't overcomplicate it.
05:33You can pray, Father, help me.
05:37You can say, Jesus, I need you.
05:39You can pray, Holy Spirit, guide me.
05:44And God is not looking for a technical error in your prayer.
05:49He knows your heart.
05:51And maybe that's the bigger lesson in all of this.
05:55You're not trying to reach a distant God.
05:59The Father loves you.
06:01Jesus, well, he came for you.
06:04And the Holy Spirit is working in you.
06:08And when you're walking through your own version of Gethsemane,
06:13when you desperately want something to change,
06:16Jesus understands that better than you might realize.
06:21He has prayed the prayer,
06:23Please let this pass.
06:25And he has also prayed,
06:28But I trust you.
06:30Now, sometimes both can be true at the same time.
06:33You can want the pain to stop and still trust God.
06:37You can be confused and still have faith.
06:40You can be afraid and still obey.
06:44You can ask questions and still believe.
06:48That's not weak faith, my friends.
06:51Sometimes that is the deepest faith you will ever have.
06:55And through all of it,
06:57Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not far away.
07:02God is with you.
07:06And may God bless every single one of you.
07:10My name is Douglas Vandergraaf,
07:13and I believe in Jesus Christ.
07:17Every single one.
07:20And everyone you love.
07:23Bye-bye.
07:25Bye-bye.
07:25Bye-bye.
07:25Bye-bye.
07:26Bye-bye.
07:26Bye-bye.
07:26Bye-bye.
07:26Bye-bye.
07:26Bye-bye.
07:26Bye-bye.
07:27Bye-bye.
07:27Bye-bye.
07:27Bye-bye.
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