Gethsemane, the olive press, was a place of unimaginable pressure and suffering for Jesus. In this enlightening episode, Brother Hardy guides us through the significance of Jesus’s struggles in the garden—a representation of the internal battles we face in our journey of faith. Learn how to find strength, overcome your own self-will, and move towards fulfilling God’s will, even when faced with your deepest fears.
Greetings, friends and new listeners, and welcome to this program of the Archie Hardy Ministries. I’m Sharon Knotts, thanking you for tuning in today because we know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. The message today by my father, Brother Hardy, is one that is near and dear to my heart. It’s entitled, Gethsemane, the Olive Press. It was there our Savior agonized in prayer, his body wracked with intense sufferings as he wrestled with his own self-will to drink the cup of sufferings and crucifixion on the cursed cross. He would have died in that garden had the Father not sent angels to strengthen him. And winning the battle over self is the hardest one you and I will ever face. And if you are a true child of God, then you are no stranger to Gethsemane, the olive press.
SPEAKER 02 :
The only other time recorded in the Bible that he prayed twice was not because he didn’t get a miracle. He got too great of a miracle. When the man was blind and he prayed for the man and took his hands off and said, Do you see aught or anything? The man says, Yes. I see men as trees. Or in other words, I see men like God does. It didn’t say tall as trees, green as trees. According to God, every tree Jesus said my father hadn’t planted shall be plucked up. Amen. Jude carried the allegory, trees without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots. As a tree falls, so shall it lie. Every good tree brings forth good fruit. By their fruits you shall know them. Spiritually speaking, God looks down and looks at you as a tree. Honey, if the Pharisees, if Cepheus and Anna and all of the priests could have got that man, they would have knew every one of Jesus’ believers and killed them. They would have knew, everyone, what kind of a tree is he, good or bad. He didn’t say he saw them tall as trees, green as trees. He said he saw them as trees, whether it was good or bad. By their fruit you’ll know them. And Jesus prayed the second time, and he got natural sight. But he only prayed once, three times. And the thing that he prayed about was his own will. Now, the biggest enemy that I have is me. Me. I don’t have to worry about the devil. God said, behold, I give you power over all the power of the devil. All I got to do is take and use it and get violent with him. You think the Holy Ghost ain’t violent? He came like a mighty Russian wind on the day of Pentecost. Back in the Old Testament, they heard the going of the spirit in the mulberry trees like a violent wind, and the enemy began to kill one another. How many say, man, Israel didn’t do nothing and have their holy garments on and praised and blessed the name of the Lord and His holiness. And the violent Holy Ghost made them kill one another. Isaiah 59 too said when the enemy comes in like an overflowing spring day where the snow is melted and you had a gutter washer, the overflow and washer away, the violent invisibleness of Jehovah lifts up a standard. Somebody says, well, doesn’t that word is ruach in the Hebrew and isn’t that penuma in the Greek? Spirit, do you know what the root meaning of the word spirit is? Invisible force. That’s why it comes out of the clan leader of wind. The wind is an invisible force. You can’t tell where it comes from or where it’s going, but you know it’s been there. Even when they plop the storm, they say it’s going to go this way, and they decide the wind decides to go another way. Sometimes they hit it, but most of the time they don’t. Jesus agonized two agonies in the wine press or the oil press. The first one, he had to pray three times about. Now, if you haven’t done the will of the Lord, Jesus understands he prayed three times. Won’t put more than you’re able to bear. If you’re at that place, look out. An angel’s love will come and strengthen you. If you know the will of the Lord and you’re having a battle doing it, get down and pray. I’ve been getting letters from all over the country, especially this week, saying, Brother Hardy, I got this in me. I don’t want to do it, but I got it in me. What should I do to get it out? Get down and pray. Get in the oil press. Get in the agony and say, God, I really don’t want to do this, but not my will, thine be done. Amen. Now the Lord understands he had to pray three times that prayer. He understands, come on, get on your knees. When you don’t want to do the word of God, get on your knees. You got to do it if you want to make heaven. And nobody in their right mind wants to go to hell. For to him what is sin? To him that knoweth to do good and doeth not is sin. So when you knoweth to do good and you don’t want to do it, what shall you do? Fall on your knees. Go to Gethsemane. Get in the outer press. Let this thing press that disobedience out. He said he learned obedience by the things he suffered. Where did he suffer at? Right in that garden until he was having a thrombosis. His sweat was coming like blood clots. And I’m glad Luke, he’s the only one that records it because he was a physician and he knew what he was talking about when he used those words. His sweat came like bloody clots. And he was in such an agony and sweating with bloody clots. If God didn’t send an angel, he would have perished physically. And God wasn’t going to let him. How many say amen? He hadn’t won the victory yet. I’m sorry. He said he prayed. If you get Matthew and Mark, and after he prayed and didn’t decide to take the cup, he went back to Peter, James, and John looking for human sympathy, and they were sleeping. And he woke them up and said, watch with me an hour. Did you ever check the word for watch? We get the name Gregory out of it. God needs a whole lot of Gregory’s. You know what Gregory means? Watch in prayer as a vigil and a watchman on the wall for the enemy. Watch for their souls. You got the victory? Get in the law press and watch for your brother and sister. You are your brother’s keeper. Preventive medicine. You’re a bone of bone and flesh of flesh of the Lord and of yourself. And you’re to watch lest an infection comes. Ye which are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not please their self. These folk don’t like me. We need to have a revival. And honey, in order to have a revival, somebody’s got to go to the oil press and get the press pressed out of them and get a press for deliverance pressed into them. You think the Word of God failed when it said, Woe unto them that are at ease in Zion. If you’re at ease in Zion, you’re under a woe. That’s why a lot of people are not blessed. There are at ease in Zion. And if you’re at ease in Zion, and if you don’t have your cross, and if you’re not in this violent struggle and violently taking it from the devil, honey, then you are under a woe. Jesus agonized to agonies for two combats. And before he could fight the second one, he had to pray three times to win the victory in the first. Now, if you haven’t got the victory and done the will of the Lord, Jesus understands. Fall on your knees. Get back to Gethsemane. Gethsemane, say amen. And if it looks like you’re ready to faint, he will send an angel to strengthen you. Because in Luke the 22nd chapter and about the 42nd and the 44th verse, it said that when he had got in that agony and it got so intensified that he went and told his disciples, I’m sorrowful even to death. I am so full of grief and in this agony, I’m ready to die. His whole physical body reacted like somebody having a coronary thrombosis out of every pore of his body. You know what brings blood clots? You get high blood pressure. And his pressure was up so great that it was like out of every pore he was having a blood clot coming out. He was in the press. How many say amen? He was in the pressure cooker like no other human being. And honey, if it wasn’t his will not to die, and if God didn’t do a physical miracle, he would have died. God didn’t want him to die anyplace but the cross, and Jesus didn’t want to die anyplace but the cross. And if death was just a means to go somewhere else to suffer, why didn’t he die in that garden? Why did God have to send an angel? And it said the angel strengthened him after he just almost had a coronary thrombosis and every butt vein almost bursted in his body. The pressure of that battle was so great he was on fire and his blood was like coming out of every pore in clots. He was so dissipated that God had to send an angel and strengthen him. And do you know what happened after God sent that angel and strengthened him? The next part of the verse said he intensely more prayed. He got back into the battle more. You got it there? Follow me. Did it say that? He got in there and prayed more intensely. wanted that victory for you and me he already indicted his father and said father all things are possible to you you can let this cup pass from me because with god all things are possible god could have saved us another way but we’d have never knew his love And he would have never knew our suffering. And we don’t see it in the King James where he said, nevertheless not my will but thine be done. Because the Greek word thy will be done is in a command in an imperative sense which reads this way, as I have always done your will, nevertheless let it be continued always to be done. It was two stages to Jesus’ humility. It was two stages with the Word becoming human. Philippians, the second chapter, the seventh and the eighth verse tells you of the two stages. First of all, like I preached a little bit the other night, this great and glorious being, the Word of God, this majestic one, humbled himself and became a servant and a man. And for 33 years… He humbled himself and acted as a human servant of God. He lived for no other reason but to do God’s will. The psalmist prophesied it and Paul in Hebrews brought it back. Lo, in the volume of the book it is written to me, I come to do thy will, O God. Jesus, the Son of God, came to do nothing but the will of God, and the will of God was for him to drink the cup of suffering and death, to pay the price to redeem us. Nothing less. And him humbling himself, becoming a human, even the lowest human, a servant, was not enough. Let this mind be in you. which was also in Christ now the glorified Jesus Christ Jesus the reverse of Jesus Christ on the earth he was Jesus Christ the man of humility but now he’s the Christ Jesus the glorified Lord let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation. Nobody else did it. He did it. And took on him a form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men, first stage of the humility. He humbled himself to become a man, yea, the lowest of men, a servant. And that’s what the gospel of Marcus, behold my servant, the perfect servant that always does and does my will without any resistance, that lives for no other reason but to do my command. And for 30 years and 33 and a half he did it. But that wasn’t enough. Got to do that second stage. Being found as a man, he humbled himself further and became obedient. What? To the death, the death of the cross. And in the garden he suffered to become obedient. Because he said in Hebrews he learned obedience from the things that he suffered. And this verse says the suffering was the death of the cross. Being found as a man. First stage he laid aside his God form and took on the form of a servant. And was made in the likeness of man. That was the first stumbling. But that wasn’t enough. oh my that boggles your mind this majestic one would lay aside that glorified form and take on a servant’s form and limit himself to humanity but that wasn’t enough honey he had to become obedient and suffer and die yea even the death of a cross and being found in the habit in the form in the flesh and blood house with all of its limitations and subject to pain. You think he wasn’t suffering in that garden? Do you think he waltzed to Calvary? Paul found the secret and said, I want to know him in the fellowship of his sufferings. And he learned obedience from the thing that he suffered. And Philippians said he was obedient to the death of the death of the cross. That was the suffering. Like I said, honey, the devil was right there in that wine press and pressing it. He wrestled with his father and he wrestled with the pressure of the devil. His father was not going to let him out. He asked three times for his father to let him out. His father said no. And in his prayer he knew it was no. Because he said not my will but always as I’ve always done. Let thy will continue to be done. But he didn’t take the cup the first time. And he didn’t take the cup the second time. It was the third time he took it. After the first prayer, he said, let thy will be done. He went and sought human solace from Peter, James, and John to watch with him in his agony. They were sleeping. Nobody would watch with him in his agony. He suffered in that wine press alone. All was there was Satan. I imagine after he went to Peter, James, and John, he got back down on his knees and he said, Hey, why don’t you look at these guys you’re dying for? They can’t even be a Gregory and watch and pray and help you. They’re asleep. They can’t be agreeing and praying with you and bearing one another’s burdens. And he prayed again. Prayed the same prayer, but nevertheless, as it’s always been, Father, Let it continue thy will to be continually done. But he didn’t drink the cup and he got up and went to him again. They were fast asleep again. Just like again now a lot of Christians are fast asleep. David said the devil has given them eyes of slumber. Sleep in the spiritual sense is always bad. They that sleep, sleep in the night. It’s always bad. It’s a bad allegory. For they that are drunken are drunk in the night, and they that sleep are asleep. It’s always talking about in the kingdom of the evil. You think that you got it tough and I got it tough? Honey, the devil made sure all the human help was asleep. And he knew God the Father wasn’t going to help him. Because he knew the word of God was that he was a drinker. I can almost hear the devil preaching now. Look at them. He’s the people that you’re going to deliver. They’re your own disciples. They’re not even watching. They can’t even give you moral support. And pretty soon Peter’s going to curse you. And Jude, this is on the way, he’s going to kiss you and betray you. And these very same people that you’re saving is going to pluck your beard out and beat you to a bloody pulp and cut you up like chopped beef and then flay you on that cross and stick you up and mock you. And I want to let you know, honey, that the pain in Jesus hurt just as much as your pain in mine. And I don’t believe any of us has been to the place yet that we’ve almost had a coronary thrombosis out of every poor. And after that second time… They wanted help, and he got none, and God had to send the angel. He jumped in there, and he prayed more intensely, it said. And this time, he won the victory. He not only said, Father, nevertheless, but let thy will be continued to be done in my life as always, but he grabbed the cup, and he drank it, and when he got up, He said to him in a way of scorn, couldn’t you watch with me an hour? It’s too late now. Sleep on, for he that betrays me comes. But before he got up and told them that, then he entered into the second combat. He had to win the first combat over his own self-will. And your and my biggest enemy is our self-will, not the devil. We will resist the devil. We will resist the world. We will resist people quicker than we’ll resist our own self-will. We’ll deny the devil as long as it doesn’t interfere with our self-will. Most of the time, the only way that you can be tempted by the devil is that it goes along with your self-will. If you don’t already have that will when he tempts you, you’ll laugh and resist him. You don’t have no trouble with the world until they start coming around offering you to do the thing that you already really wanted to do in your heart. You don’t have no trouble with people until they come around suggesting you to do the thing that you secretly want to do. Self-will. You ain’t going nowhere. You know what’s going to happen if you don’t get the victory over the self-will? You’re going to stay in the old press. And somebody said, what should I do when I can’t get the victory over this? Stay in the old press until you do. What shall I do when I can’t get the victory over this thing? You see, I can’t win the victory for you. And all the laying on my hands or anybody’s hands can only strengthen you, but you still got to do after the angel laid hands on him, enter into the battle more intensely and fight. He was looking for help but nobody was there. His father was demanding him to take the cup. The devil was pressuring him and his disciples were asleep. And Judas was bringing the betrayers. I know what the devil was trying to do. He couldn’t stop him from drinking the cup. He didn’t want him to get in that second phase of the battle. He couldn’t have entered the second battle without winning the first of his own. He won that victory and said, all right, God, as I always obeyed you, I have now. The wheels are in motion. All the pressure left. The devil knew it wasn’t no use. He had made his mind up. And as it were, the cup that the father was holding there, he grabbed it and drank every bitter dregs of the cup of suffering. And almost as it were, you could use the metaphor, he licked the cup. And make sure he got all the bitter dregs. And then he entered into the second phase of the battle with all intensity. And you know what he battled over? The whole 17th chapter of John for me and you and the world. He began to intercede for us and he could never do it until he drank the cup. and when he poured out his soul for all of his little ones, and he said he kept and protected them, and the evil one didn’t touch them, and not only those present ones, except the son of perdition, Judas, that the scriptures might be fulfilled, but everyone all the way up to this day, and any more days that will believe by the gospel and the word that’s on record, And when he prayed the prayer of faith for every one of us, every one that wants to go to heaven, Jesus prayed the prayer of faith for you. Nobody can pluck you out of his hand. No one could pluck all of those disciples. It might have looked like it with Peter, but Jesus said to him, Peter, Satan desires to sift you as wheat. I ain’t got time to tell you what the sifting means, but you read the word for sifting and see how they harvest that wheat. I’ll help you. They ran ox carts over it. Satan desires to crush you. But I have prayed the Father. How many say amen? I have prayed the Father. How many say amen? I have prayed the Father. And when you get the victory again, you strengthen the brethren. I believe what the Holy Ghost is trying to say tonight. There will be no travail for souls until we get in the oil press and pray and take the cup. Until we get down there. Until we even come to the place of the pressure that we’re having a coronary thrombosis out of every part. It used to be, and I knew an old saint, that every time she prayed, she prayed intensely for souls until her nose would bleed like a fountain and people all over Baltimore and around would call and all day she’d pray in the oil press. We ain’t going to say Mary had a little lamb and get these people saved. Somebody has got to get in the oil press and agonize for souls. But most of the church ain’t even in there agonizing, not my will but thine be done. So when you find it hard to do the known will of the Lord, you know what you have to do? Go to Gethsemane. And if you pray and you don’t come up with the victory, then you’re going to have to pray again. And if you don’t come up with the victory, you’re going to have to pray again. And if you don’t come up with a victory and you think you’re going to die, hang in there, God will send an angel. And when that strength comes, then get in there and pray more intensely. How many say amen? And then when you really get in there praying intensely, if you’re almost at a coronary thrombosis, I wonder what in the world he did. Because up until that time, he only prayed until he almost had a heart attack. And then it said he prayed after almost a heart attack. more intensely my god help me jesus no wonder he got the victory that third prayer if it was greater than when he prayed it almost brought a coronary thrombosis on i mean he really got strengthened i mean he prayed all the way through that prayer and then he prayed the whole 17th chapter john for you and me and when he got done he went back to him and said don’t worry about getting up come on the guy portrays me right at the gate he had just enough time the devil was trying to pray And on the time that there wouldn’t be enough time, even if you prayed and got the will of God done in your heart, that you would have time to pray for the lost. And that’s what the devil’s betting on now. That he has got most of the church ain’t never going to go to Gethsemane. No, there ain’t a Gethsemane. They’re confessing their jet planes to do nothing. They’re confessing their Rolls Royces, mink coats, and diamond rings to do nothing. Honey, I believe it would be a sin for me to have diamonds all over my fingers when souls are going to hell. Somebody say, you say it’s a sin to wear jewelry? Yes, when I can take that money and win souls. You better believe it. You ain’t going to catch me with any jewels all over my fingers. I’m going to sell it and turn it into the gospel. If that’s all you can see, my diamonds and all that mess, if you only know me as the guy who’s got the Rolls Royce. I don’t care how you justify it any way you can. No, sir, not when souls, not when I know what that will do on the radio, not when I know what it will do through the printed page. No, you ain’t telling me. No, sir, honey. Devil, if I was you, I’d fight me too. I got to give you E for effort there. Jane knew you should fight because Jesus is my victory. I got it right on my head. I got the helmet of salvation right on my head. I got the knowledge that Jesus is my victory and can nothing separate me as long as I go to Gethsemane and get in the press and say, not my will, but thy will be continually done.
SPEAKER 01 :
Amen. What a touching and inspiring message by God’s servant, Brother Hardy, Gethsemane, the olive press. I trust that you are seeing Jesus in a new way as you’ve come to understand the great and intense sufferings he endured there, crushed like the olives were crushed under tremendous pressure until his sweat profusely fell to the ground, tinged with his own blood because of the extreme agony his body and soul were undergoing. He had said, my soul was exceedingly sorrowful even unto death. And this was before the cross. If you are a true believer, then you too have been to Gethsemane. And you know what Paul described as being pressed in spirit and even pressed above measure. But you know, people today are looking for an easy gospel, no sweat, no pressure. But Jesus said the kingdom of God is preached and everyone presses his way into it. And he said, if we suffer with him, we will also reign with him. If you are blessed by this message, Gethsemane, the Olive Press, it can be ordered on CD for a love gift to the radio ministry of $10 or more. Request offer 209. Mail to Archie Hardy Ministries, P.O. Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203. Or go online to archiehardy.org. Now, if the Lord directs you, please consider sending an additional love gift to keep this program on the air. But if you send a minimum love gift of $10, you can receive offer 209 Gethsemane, the Olive Press, and mail to P.O. Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203. Or visit us online at ArchieHardy.org. There you will find many other wonderful resources by Brother Hardy and myself to boost you spiritually. Until next time, this is Sharon Knott saying, Maranatha.
