And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem.
And Jesus went before them. And they were amazed.
And as they followed, they were afraid. And he
took again the twelve and began to tell them
what things should happen unto him, saying, Behold,
we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man shall
be delivered unto the chief priests. and unto
the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,
and shall deliver him to the Gentiles. And they
shall mock him, shall scourge him, shall spit
upon him, shall kill him. And the third day he
shall rise again. And James and John, the sons
of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, master we
would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever
we shall desire and he said unto them what would
ye that i should do for you and they said unto
him grant unto us that we may sit one on thy
right hand and the other on thy left hand in
thy glory but jesus said unto them ye know not
what ye ask can ye drink of the cup that i drink
of and be baptized with the baptism that i am
baptized with And they said unto him, We can.
And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink
the cup that I drink out, but with the baptism
that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized.
But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand
is not mine to give. but it shall be given to
them for whom it is prepared. Thus reads a portion
of the Word of God from the 10th chapter of Mark.
The very air was filled with expectancy on the
road to Jerusalem that day. Oh, I have relived
it over and over again. There they were, the
disciples walking with the master. And he had
taken them in his confidence. He was trying to
tell them the things that were about to happen.
They had little understanding. All their understanding
was so limited. He was trying to tell them of
his death. His treatment at the hands of the
chief priests and scribes. He was trying to warn
them that soon he would be killed. But he also
was telling them that he would rise again. One
would have thought that somewhere among them,
there would have been an understanding heart.
A sympathetic feeling. But again, this shows
you how absolutely human human beings really
are. Selfish. Absolutely, completely selfish.
In the light of everything that Jesus was telling
them that would happen to him, James and John
dared to ask him a favor. Master, we want the
best seats when you come into your cave. Grant
to us a favor. That one of us might sit on your
right hand, the other on the left. And in that
moment, the master... His heart, methinks, pricked
with the lack of understanding, just when he
needed the most. For remember, he was as much
man as though he were not God. He had feelings.
Remember that. The lack of understanding, methinks,
hurt him deeply. But in that moment, he said
something that was so profound. No. No. I cannot
grant your requests. I cannot give you seats.
But I offer you a cup. No. I cannot offer you.
I cannot. grant you seats. But I offer you a
cross. And it's just like that. And the most
remarkable story ever recorded in history tells
of a little group of men, fishermen, a tax collector.
Ordinary men who accepted the greatest challenge
ever made to human beings. And in accepting that
challenge, literally changed the course of history.
No seats, but a cup. The other day I read something
that caused me to pause. It was almost startling.
The truth of it was startling. We have too many
comfortable saints on a pleasant outing instead
of crusading soldiers on a fighting expedition.
I repeat it. We have too many comfortable saints
on a pleasant outing instead of crusading soldiers
on a fighting expedition. I shall never forget.
It was Dr. Bauer who told this story before the
Rotary Club in Rochester, New York. He said that
Bob Fitzsimmons, once the world's heavyweight
champion, came into a study. and exclaimed, Dr.
Bauer, how can I get as strong inside as I am
outside? And Dr. Bauer turned to Bob Fitzsimmons
and said, Bob, how did you get strong outside?
And immediately he answered, exercise. He said,
all right, that's your answer. Spectators are
never healthy, victorious Christians, never.
And that's exactly what's wrong with the world
today. That's exactly what's wrong with the church
today. That's what's wrong with men and women
who profess Christianity, salvation. The day
has come and the hour has struck when we need
to go back to the word of God and see what it
really means to be a Christian. Do you want to
know the tenderness of a man of sorrows? do you
really want to know there isn't a day of my life
but what there are those who come to me and will
weep and say oh miss cooman why has this thing
happened to me bitter tears a lack of understanding
miss cooman i cannot bear this sorrow any longer
Almost reproving God for having allowed, for
having permitted. Self -pity. Why? Oh, sure,
it's all right for other folk to have their sorrows.
But why has God permitted this sorrow to come
to me? May I pause just a moment and say something
to that someone who is going through a garden
of Gethsemane. Lo, the tears have moistened the
pillow at night when the lights are out. But
I want you to know the darkness of that night
can be your most victorious hour. You can only
know how tender Is the man of sorrows. As you
go through. The darkness of a night. The deepness
of the waters. Or in that hour of your Gethsemane.
Oh sure. There may be those. who never understood
the tenderness of Joe Kuman. Never. They only
know Joe Kuman as a man, political. Some knew
him, a man with strong character, a man dependable.
Everyone in Concordia, Missouri knew Joe Kuhlman.
Each had a different idea of him, perhaps. But
you see, I knew a different Joe Kuhlman than
anyone else. I knew his tenderness. I... Teal
can feel those terrific earaches I used to have
as a little girl. The suffering with earache,
it has almost plagued me, the memory of it, all
of my life. But there was something about putting
my head on top of shoulder, because he sat in
that rock. and would hold me tenderly in his
arms. There was something about laying my head
on that shoulder. There was a tenderness in even
touching Papa's shoulder. There was a relief.
There was something there that I could not forget.
describe, but I would never have known the tenderness
of my papa. I would never have known the tenderness
of my papa's great heart if I had not known suffering.
Do you want to know the reality of the promises
of your Heavenly Father? Really? Oh, sure. You
read the Word of God. Oh, sure you believe the
Bible. But you'll never really know the reality
of the promises of God's word until you actually
come to a Red Sea in your life. And there's no
way forward and no way backward. And you've got
to accept those promises that face value. You've
got to do it. You'll never know the reality of
God's promises as a spectator. Never. But, beloved,
when you come to the place in your life where
you have got to depend on God's word, there's
a material need in that life of yours. It's got
to be met. There has got to be a miracle. And
in that moment, you take your eyes off of circumstances
and you fix your eyes on the one who has given
that promise. You're standing right there at
your Red Sea. And in that moment, God comes through.
And he... give you deliverance and he meets that
need according to his riches in glory by christ
jesus there are thousands of professing christians
who will live and die and will never know the
tenderness of the son the living god because
they have never gone through a gethsemane there
are Thousands of professing Christians who will
live and die never knowing the full reality of
his wonderful promises because they have never
come to a Red Sea. Do you want to know the thrill
of the feeling of the healing virtue of the Son
of the Living God flowing through your body?
But some have never dared to believe. Oh, sure,
my friend. You've listened to testimonies of
those who've been healed by the power of God.
And you've said it's wonderful, it's glorious
for them. But for me, I cannot believe. It's
one of the greatest experiences that I know anything
about. And those who have been healed by the
power of God will tell you they could never be
the same person again after they have felt healing
virtue. after they have felt the power of the
Holy Spirit flowing through their body, greater
than the healing of the physical, has been the
spiritual experience that has come along with
the healing of that body. But there are thousands
of God's precious children who will never know
the thrill of that experience because they have
never dare to believe him for the healing of
the body do you know the glory of being filled
with the holy spirit it's there it's a part of
his inheritance for you the gift to his church
the gift to you as his child there remains thousands
who are only spectators to this wonderful gift
that could be theirs. Yes, my friend, we have
too many comfortable seats on a pleasant outing.
Instead of Crusading soldiers on a fighting expedition.
You'll never know the fullness of your inheritance
in Christ Jesus from a sitting position. Never.
No, the master says. I cannot grant. You seats.
But I offer you a cup. And I offer you a cross.