CUP OF LONELINESS

CUP OF LONELINESS

Mark 10:35-45King James Version (KJV)

³⁵ 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.

³⁶ And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?

³⁷ 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.

³⁸ 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?

³⁹ And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:

⁴⁰ 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.

⁴¹ And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John.

⁴² But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them.

⁴³ But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:

⁴⁴ And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.

⁴⁵ For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Ministry is of utmost importance in a world that often sees that term as a title of honor, a vocation, rather than the avocation that is necessary for it to be effective.

Ministry, by definition is simply a means of service, performed by a servant as a duty, to the ones being ministered to.

Peter reminded us of the need to minister in a way that meets that duty, and where that duty comes from:

 1 Peter 5King James Version (KJV)

5 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

² Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

³ Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock.

⁴ And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

⁵ Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

⁶ Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

⁷ Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

⁸ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

⁹ Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

¹⁰ But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

¹¹ To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

¹² By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.

¹³ The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.

¹⁴ Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Ministry was never intended to be a profession, a means of making a living, but instead an obsession with the gift of LIFE that has been given us by Christ Jesus, and the means of attaining that LIFE through HIM.

If the ministry is to be accomplished, it comes with a price, not a wage to be earned while accomplishing it, but with a wage paid that cannot be earned already given, despite the inability of any human being to earn that wage, which is the grace of God granting eternal life to those retaining the faith required in the ONE who paid that wage on the cross, for all who accept HIS ministry.

CUP OF LONELINESS
(George Jones - Burl Stephens)

I see Christian pilgrims so redeemed from sin
Called out of darkness a new life to begin
Were you ever in the valley when the way is dark and dim
Did you ever drink the cup of loneliness with Him

Did you ever have them laugh at you and say it was a fake
The stand that you so boldly for the Lord did take
Did they ever mock at you and laugh in ways quite grim
Did you ever drink the cup of loneliness with Him

Did you ever try to preach then hold fast and pray
And even when you did it there did not seem a way
And you lost all courage then lost all your vim
Did you ever drink the cup of loneliness with him

Oh my friends 'tis bitter sweet while here on earthly sod
To follow in the footsteps that our dear Savior trod
To suffer with the Savior and when the way is dark and dim
To drink of the bitter cup of loneliness with Him

Today’s title reminds us that that ministry is fraught with constant opposition and belittlement, and may seem a lonely place to be more often than not, in a world that rejects the ministry’s very purpose of existence.

When that opposition and onslaught against that purpose occur, reminder must be constant of how weak and purposeless that opposition is in view of the power  that exists in the ONE in charge of all ministry, Christ Jesus alone.

Also to be called to memory continually is the fact that that ministry in and of itself separates us from the world that rejects it.

John 15:20 King James Version (KJV)

²⁰ Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

The cup of loneliness, though called bittersweet in the song used for title is sweeter than honey when tasted, and consumed willingly, as is intended, all the way to the bottom of that cup, as it is only at the bottom of that cup that the sweetness is to be tasted.

 Matthew 24King James Version (KJV)

24 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

² And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

³ And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

⁴ And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

⁵ For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

⁶ And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

⁷ For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

⁸ All these are the beginning of sorrows.

⁹ Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

¹⁰ And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

¹¹ And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

¹² And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

¹³ But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

¹⁵ When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

¹⁶ Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

¹⁷ Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

¹⁸ Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

¹⁹ And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

²⁰ But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

²¹ For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

²² And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

²³ Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

²⁴ For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

²⁵ Behold, I have told you before.

²⁶ Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

²⁷ For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

²⁸ For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

²⁹ Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

³⁰ And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

³¹ And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

³² Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

³³ So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

³⁴ Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

³⁵ Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

³⁶ But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

³⁷ But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

³⁸ For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

³⁹ And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

⁴⁰ Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

⁴¹ Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

⁴² Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

⁴³ But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

⁴⁴ Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

In the words of a generation soon to pass, we must keep on keeping on, trusting in the sweetness at the bottom of that cup.

Amen and Amen

CMc