Can You Drink the Cup?

Scripture

Mark 10:35–45 NASB95

35 James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, came up to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” 36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 37 They said to Him, “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 They said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. 40 “But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41 Hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John. 42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. 43 “But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. 45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Turn to your neighbor and ask them “Can you drink the cup?”

Introduction

The theme for today is “Dedicated Ushers Serving & Elevating the Lord.”

There is a lot of big words in your theme. Dedicated. Serving. Elevating.

The theme for today is “Dedicated Ushers Serving & Elevating the Lord”

To be dedicated means to be devoted or loyal to something. A good example of dedication would be Ruth to her mother-in-law Naomi. No matter what Ruth went through she was dedicated to her mother-in-law.

To serve is to work for. It is to reduce oneself to being a slave. And according to your theme, you don’t want to just misplace your service, but you have intentionally said your service is to the Lord. That means Jesus is your boss, and if Jesus is your boss, then you ought to work each day joyfully as if you are working for God and not for people.

As an usher or as a part of the health guild, it is one of the

To elevate is to place above. That means that you are willing to take the back seat and let God take the front seat. That means you are willing to decrease, so that God might increase.

To elevate is to place above. are willing to decrease, so that God might increase.

This is what it means to be a Dedicated Usher Serving & Elevating the Lord.

But I must warn you , there are some threats to being this type of usher.

Threats to Being Dedicated Ushers Serving & Elevating the Lord

Threats to Being Dedicated Ushers Serving & Elevating the Lord

1. Spirit of Entitlement (vs. 35)

The first threat to being a dedicated usher serving and elevating the Lord is the spirit of entitlement.

In verse 35, the text starts off with two of Jesus’ disciples, James & John, coming to Jesus and asking him to do whatever they asked of him. Now this is bold because they are essentially asking Jesus to write them a blank check. And you have to wonder why do these disciples think it’s okay to come to Jesus and ask him to do whatever they ask without asking him the question first.

And perhaps it is because they felt like they were entitled.

You see James and John weren’t just any disciples, but they were part of Jesus’ inner circle. Even though Jesus had twelve disciples, there were three (Peter, James & John) that seemed to be closer to Jesus.

For it was only Peter, James & John that was allowed to go in to Jairus’ house when Jesus heals Jairus’ daughter ().

It was only Peter, James & John that was invited to Jesus’ transfiguration party on the mountain to see Jesus’ glorified body ().

And it was only Peter, James & John that walked a little further with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus had already told the rest of his disciples to sit down earlier ().

And so perhaps the reason James and John feel like it’s okay to ask Jesus for a blank check is because they feel entitled.

In ministry, you have to be very careful with the spirit of entitlement. You know what entitlement is. Entitlement is when you begin to feel like somebody owe you something. And entitlement is not something that happens overnight, but it is something that happens over time.

And if you don’t mind me doing a quick entitlement check, let me ask you this question.

If there was no Usher Day, how would it make you feel?

Would you be completely okay with it, or would there be a piece inside of that might feel a little entitled to this day?

And I ask this question, not because I think you should do away with it, but because I want you to think deeply about why you have it.

Because when you have been an usher:

Because when you have been an usher:

That has had to spend time learning signs and signals.

That has had to learn how to turn the right way so you won’t bury your badge, and how to pivot on the proper foot when you hit a corner.

That has had to come during the week to fold and put inserts in over 200 bulletins.

That has had to put your usher suit or dress in the cleaners every other week without reimbursement.

That has had to show up to ever funeral and every extra event no matter how tired you are, because somebody has to pass out the programs and make people feel welcomed when they come in.

I don’t know about you, but for me, there might just be a little entitlement that may sneak up on a brother.

And so I want to encourage some ushers this morning by asking you to check the spirit of entitlement.

If there was no Usher Day, how would it make you feel?

If there was no Usher Day, how would it make you feel?

Would you be completely okay with it, or would there be a piece inside of that might feel a little entitled to this day?

And I ask this question, not because I think you should do away with it, but because I want you to think deeply about why you have it.

Selfish-ambition (Philippians - there should be no selfish ambition)

2. Selfish-ambition (vs. 36-37, 41)

Selfish-ambition

The second threat to being a dedicated usher serving and elevating the Lord is selfish-ambition.

In response to James and John asking Jesus for a blank check, Jesus, understanding their true motives and intentions, doesn’t give them a blank check, but asks them first, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And James and John respond by saying “Grant that we may sit, one on your right and one on your left in your glory.”

James and John’s question is so selfish, that they don’t even try to share the power with people outside of their family. Because remember they are brothers. They trying to keep all of the power and control in the family. It’s not enough for James and John to just be a disciple, they want to be important.

It’s not enough for James and John to just be a disciple, they want to be important. And in ministry, sometimes it is not enough just to be in ministry, but we have to be somebody important.

And in ministry, sometimes it is not enough just to serve in ministry, but we have to be somebody important.

But listen to what says:

James 3:16 NASB95

16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.

James says where jealousy and selfish ambition are, disorder and confusion will be. That means if there is a lot of disorder and confusion in a place or ministry, then that means that ministry or place must have some selfish people in it.

And when we are selfish in ministry it creates division just like it did with the disciples. For if you look at verse 41, the text says that when the disciples heard about what James and John asked Jesus, they got upset. But listen, they didn’t get upset because they were more righteous, but most likely they got upset because they didn’t think to ask Jesus the question first. For in Chapter 9, all the disciples had literally just got done arguing about who is the greatest.

We’re talking about the twelve disciples. The pioneers or launchers of the Christian faith. That tells us that no matter how close you feel you are Jesus or how long you have been serving in ministry, you can still be prone to selfishness.

But when you have a heart for ministry you have to check your selfishness at the door.

3. Misunderstanding God’s Mission (vs. 36-37)

Selfish-ambition (Philippians - there should be no selfish ambition)

The third threat to being a dedicated usher serving and elevating the Lord is misunderstanding God’s mission. Part of the reason why James and John feel like they can ask Jesus to sit on the left and right of him is because they have misunderstood God’s mission.

Misunderstanding God’s Mission

Misunderstanding of God’s Mission

They are headed to Jerusalem and they recognize that Jesus’ Kingdom is going to be established, but they misunderstand whats really getting ready to happen to Jesus. They think Jesus is getting ready to take the throne of David in Jersualem, but they don’t quite understand that Jesus is getting ready to die, even though Jesus had just told them that he was in verses 33 and 34.

They are headed to Jerusalem and they recognize that Jesus’ Kingdom is going to be established, but they misunderstand whats really getting ready to happen to Jesus. They think Jesus is getting ready to take the throne of David in Jersualem, but they don;t understand that Jesus is getting ready to die.

They are so caught up in the glory of Jesus that they are completely missing the mission of Jesus.

And in ministry, it is easy to become so focused on the glory of ministry, that we lose focus on God’s mission for the ministry.

You see:

The glory of the usher ministry is when you do your march.

The glory of the usher ministry is when you wake up in the morning and put on your uniform along with your name badge and white gloves.

The glory of the usher ministry is when you march back to your seats after tithes/offering and we put our hands together thanking God for the ushers.

And no matter how much I love to see all of that, all of that is just the glory, but its not your mission.

For:

If one of you happen to show up without your gloves one day.

If one of you happen to come with the wrong uniform.

If one of you happen to forget your signs and don’t know what to do when you’re on the floor.

If one of you happens to forget your badge at home.

Or if one of you don’t know how to properly pivot when you hit a corner.

Yes, you might look a little off, but so what?

So long as you are a dedicated usher, serving and elevating the Lord, you are fulfilling the mission that God has for the ministry.

Don’t let the glory of ministry overshadow the mission of it.

Can You Drink the Cup? If YES...

And so because James and John comes to Jesus entitled, with selfish ambition and with a misunderstanding of God’s mission, Jesus responds to their requests by saying “Y’all don’t know what y’all asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”

When Jesus asks them “Can you drink the cup?,” its the same cup that Jesus is referring to when he kneels down in the garden of Gethsemane with sweat dripping down his face as thick as blood and asks God, his Father, if you can remove this cup from me. I don’t want to die a brutal death on the cross, but let thine will be done and not mine.

And so when Jesus asks’ James and John can you drink the cup that I drink, he is essentially asking them can you handle what comes with the position.

And so on this Usher Day, I ask you can you drink the cup that comes with being an usher?

Can you handle what comes with being an usher?

Can you handle showing up to afternoon events when you are tired and want to go home?

Can you handle waking up early and getting to church at least 15 minutes before service starts?

Can you handle coming during the week to fold bulletins and put in inserts.

Can you handle having to greet everyone that comes through the door even when you don’t feel like smiling?

Can you handle serving a church member you may not like?

Can you handle all the different personalities you have to greet at the door?

Can you handle being our first line of defense in a day and age when people will walk into a church to shoot and kill?

Can you drink the cup?

Can

Can you drink the cup?

And if you are anything like James and John, then your answer to that questions is yes. And if your answer is yes, then there are couple things you need to know if you are going to function in the position of an usher.

Don;t allow the glory of the misnitry to overshadow God’s Mission for the misninistry

Things You Need to Know If You Are Going

And if you are anything like James and John, then your answer to that questions is yes. And if your answer is yes, then there are some things you need to know just as Christ let them kn

1. You Must Be Chosen For It (vs. 40)

You have to Be Chosen For It (vs. 40)

The first thing you need to know if you are going to be function in the position of an usher is that you must be chosen for it.

When James and John says they can indeed drink the cup and be baptized with the baptism. When they agree that they can handle what comes with the position. Jesus responds in verse 39 by saying “The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

Now when Jesus brings up his right and left, he is speaking eschatologically, or his place in glory when this life is over. But even just as ushers, the message is still the same. For in , the Holy Spirit is the one that decides our gifts. He is the one that chooses which one of us are arms and legs and feet and eyes and hands. It is God that assigns, anoints and appoints.

And so it’s important that if you are going to be an usher, that you have become one, not because that’s what you see what everybody else doing or because someone asked you, but because you feel like you have been chosen, assigned, anointed and appointed for the job.

For it is hard to drink and swallow what’s in the cup when God hasn’t assigned you to do that.

For had I not been chosen to be a minister, with all the church hurt I’ve been through, I would have left ministry a long time ago. But when you have been assigned and chosen by God for something, there is nothing that no one can say or do that would cause you to quit it altogether. You may think about it, but the Spirit will compel you to stay.

(Jeremiah - weeping prophet)

2. You Must Relinquish Control (vs. 42-44)

The second thing you need to know if you are going to function in the position of an usher is that you must relinquish control.

After the disciples find out about what James and John says and becomes angry, Jesus calls his disciples to together and tells them the difference between the kingdom of the world and the kingdom of God.

He says in the kingdom of world, those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles they lord over the people and exercise their control over them.

The kingdom of the world has a system where people who are in position lead by power and control.

The kingdom of the world has a system where people who are in position lead by power and control.

The kingdom of the world has system where those who are in position only care about advancing their self-interests.

In the kingdom of the world, hey have a top-down model.

But Jesus says it is not that way with you.

For in the kingdom of God, those that want to be great must be your servant.

For in the kingdom of God, those who want to be first, must be a slave to all.

For in the kingdom of God, those who want to be great are those who are willing to give up their power and self-interests.

For in the kingdom of God, those who want to be great are those who are willing to relinquish their control.

It is so difficult to relinquish control in ministry when it is something we do in our everyday life.

You ever met anybody that didn’t want anyone in their kitchen while they were cooking? They didn’t want to be told how much salt put in it or how much pepper to put in it. They didn’t want anybody looking over their shoulder or getting in the way. It’s their kitchen and they wanted complete control.

Or have you ever met someone that didn’t like backseat drivers? They didn’t want anybody telling them how slow they were driving or how fast they were driving, or which way they should go. They wanted complete control.

Or have you ever went over to someone’s house and they wanted you take off your shoes before you walked you? It doesn’t matter whether or not you have socks or your feet look like you have been kicking rocks, they are trying to control dirt from coming into their house.

And there are hundreds of other things I could name that we do everyday to try to remain in control in our lives, and for some things that is okay, but sometimes we unintentionally bring that mentality into ministry.

But their comes a point and time where we have to wake up and be reminded that this is not your kitchen, this is not your car and this is not your house. This is not our ministry, but this is God’s ministry, and if we are going to be dedicated ushers that serve and elevate the Lord, then we must relinquish control.

Our Example

And I know that it is easier said than done, but we are able to do it, because Jesus did it. In verse 45, the Jesus says:

“For even the Son of Man.”

The fact that Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man and not the Son of God ought to tell you that he doesn’t feel entitled to anything, but instead he empties himself of his title and his self-interest by reducing himself to that of a servant.

He says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.”

Jesus does not misunderstand his mission, but he understands that he has come to serve.

He says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.”

He says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to serve, but to be serve.”

Jesus does not misunderstand his mission, but he understands that he has come to serve. He didn’t allow his glory to overshadow his mission.

And remember Jesus is the one that John is referring to in when he says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God, and all things were made through him, and without him nothing was made.

Jesus is God in the flesh.

And by the time he tells his disciples this, he already had healed the sick. He already had raised the dead. He already had given sight to the blind.

But he reduces himself to a servant.

Jesus deserves to be served, he reduces himself to a servant.

He says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to serve, but to be serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

The one who

That word ransom means “to be set free.”

did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Jesus, God’s only son, came down to earth, took on human flesh, emptied himself of all titles, self-interest, power and control and he took the place of a servant.

And in doing so, he allowed people to mock him, and beat him, and spit on him, and crucify him. And he was the right person for the job, because nobody else could do it. For he was chosen by God to do it. He was assigned, anointed and appointed by God to die for our sins and set us free.

And when he died, he set us free from the spirit entitlement.

He set us free from our selfishness.

He set us free from the need to be in control.

And he released us to carry out God’s mission.

Conclusion

And so ushers, if you want to be dedicated ushers serving and elevating the Lord I ask you: CAN YOU DRINK THE CUP?

You got to get rid of the threats.

Can you get rid of the spirit of entitlement and selfish ambition?

Can you stay focused on God’s mission and not your own?

Can you handle what comes with being an usher?

Can you be honest with yourself and ask God if he has chosen you to operate in this position?

Can you relinquish control to Jesus?

And can you look to and follow Jesus who was example of it all?

suffering

sacrifice

service