Man, that's a wonder. That's our message. The only way that a man can be made righteous is through the righteousness of the life and the lifeblood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Impossible any other way. For Jesus asked his father three different times in that garden if there was possible another way. Show me. But he said, not my will be done, but what? Your will, what is God's will? That you gotta go through Jesus. It's impossible any other way. Now we know that, but what we don't often always associate with it is that that cup that was poured out on him is a cup now that we drink from. And in a world that is hostile to Jesus, it's gonna be hostile to us when we're drinking from that cup. So we proclaim an exclusive word. That is, on the authority, on the authenticity of the Word. This is where our authority lies. And this message that we hold to, as 1 John 2 said, that not only is He the propitiation for our sins, remember, He was reconciling us in Christ, but He's also the propitiation for the sins of the whole world. Meaning that the whole world has to go through Him. if they're gonna be reconciled unto God, because that's the only way God reconciles men to himself, is that the world was fallen in sin, but God came down to rescue the world, and the only way to rescue the world is through the life that he lived. And when we put our trust in Him, we then reconcile God and made righteous with Him, not because we were righteous, but because He was righteous on our behalf and took our sin for us. Because there's never been a person born that can bear the sins, much less their own sins, but the sins of the world. Amen? So we go tell that message. Praise God for the cup. Praise God for the cup. Who judges the world? God does. Whose standard of judgment will He judge every man by? God will judge them by the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why we gotta drink from the cup that He's drinking from and help others see it. All right, well let's jump in the truth. Jump in the truth. I was thinking, what was that second song we sang about drinking the cup? What number was that? Was it in the three, 300 and something, 300, what? What number was that, Miss Patton, you remember? Lead me to Calvary. Lead me to Calvary, yeah, yeah. Three, 10, lead me to Calvary, three something. Well, there was some things in there. We talked about that cup this morning in Sunday school, and it was reminding me of that. Least I forget, Gethsemane. Lead me to Calvary. Yeah, 310, 310, where it made me think about that cup that he was drinking there. Gethsemane is one of them that ain't intended to know everything about it, how to explain Jesus' agony there. He's connecting and relating more to us than we can to him in the sense that, and I was just thinking about that because in Psalm 75, we read about, look in Psalm 75, and we'll tie a couple things maybe out of our Matthew reading with that as well and some of these other Psalms that we've been walking through. We talked a little bit about this as our men were gathered this morning in reference to 75 just makes reference of God. He is the one who determines the timing of His judgment, and we can rest assured that He knows exactly when and what He will do. Like verse two says, when I choose the proper time, man, okay, that can be enough for us if we'll just take that as in faith that God chooses the right time in whatever He does. Think about it with Jesus. How does the Bible describe the time of Jesus? It says, in the fullness of time, Jesus came to bear and bore our sin. You see, when I choose the proper time, I, God, will judge uprightly. So we know that number one, he chooses it. Number two, nothing's going to escape it. Number three, he's the one who determines the severity of that judgment and he always judges rightly when he makes a judgment. He's not going to be off in any kind of way and knowing that anything that needed to be judged is going to be judged and it'll be judged exactly rightly, unlike Judges today who judge with partiality, there's not a single judge out there that don't judge with some sense of partiality. Just like us, every judgment we make and where to make judgment is based on partiality. That is, we judge based on what we understand, how we see a thing, how we understand biblical truth, how we understand natural law, how we understand laws of the land. Everything everybody does is based on some sense of partiality in making a judgment on a thing. That's why the scripture says that you're to be cautious when you make a judgment and let your judgment be done in righteousness. Let God be the one who guides you in that because you don't want to give out judgment also without understanding God's mercy. Because what happens is you then be or will be judged without mercy It's the idea you we want to have compassion in what we do and that's the neat thing about it When we leave judgment in God's hands and what he's already given a verdict on We can stand safely with him and let him work those things out because ultimately No matter what kind of verdict we give it ain't the ultimate verdict. He's gonna give that and we could be at peace with it. And knowing that everything is gonna be given an account, but then he draws on this. Look in verse number seven. But God is the judge who puts down one and exalts another. That would be in reference to leaders. He's the one who exalts one and he's the one who brings one down from a position of rulership or leadership. For in the hand, the control of the Lord, there's a cup. And the wine is red, meaning it's drinkable, it's ready. It is fully mixed and it's God who pours it out, that's in his hand. Surely it's dregs shall all the wicked of the earth drain and drink down. Meaning they won't be able to push back and say, I don't want to drink it. And we all been there before you ever, you ever had a kid that didn't want to drink what you gave him or didn't want to eat what you gave them. And you try to give them something and they push back at it. It's kind of like Jesus, shall I not drink the cup? Shall I not do the will? of my father, Jesus was never rebellious to what God gave him. Though in Gethsemane, what we've just sang about, leave me to Calvary, least I forget Gethsemane, what did he do? He asked the Lord if it be his will that this cup can what? Pass from him. Now it wasn't that Jesus was trying to get out of something. It wasn't that Jesus, even in his humanity, wasn't gonna bear something. What he was validating for us is that there is no other way. That he, it's the only way. There is no other option. And that's really the entire message, what it boils down to is that there is no other means by which men can avoid drinking from that cup unless he drinks that cup for them because that's what he was doing he was drinking the judgment the wrath that would be poured out an innocent man on behalf of guilty men we're the guilty party we're the ones that he drank the cup for but he ultimately did it out of his love for his father of a payment on our behalf. Not that he just died for us, he did, but he died in place of us, meaning he became the curse that was upon us so that we wouldn't have to drink that cup. But when we do, because he says we're gonna drink a cup, the cup we drink is the cup he drank, in the sense that we take upon his reproach. That is the world pushes back at Jesus saying that God has other ways. But see, we drink the cup knowing that there are no other way to God. He's the only way, the truth and life, but we live in a world though. The world we live in believes there's many ways to get to God. That you can get to him this way and you can get to him that way and this group goes this way and this group goes that way. But Jesus affirmed and confirmed and reaffirmed to us that there is no other way. That he is God's answer and he's the only answer for the world that we live in. And he drank the cup of judgment on our behalf so that we can be justified in following him and going to do what he set us apart to do. And that's what freedom really is in the Lord. Freedom is not freedom that we go do our thing. that we have complete freedom to do what we want. Freedom is that we've been set free from ourselves, set free from this world, set free from the bondage of the enemy, set free to what? Follow Jesus. Where prior to that, we had no freedom to follow Him. We wasn't justified to follow Him. We didn't have that capability to follow Him, but His saving, salvaging, redeeming work brings liberty that we can be free now or justified as his followers because he drank a cup for us. And we'll see that, look in Matthew. Thinking about this cup. Matthew 26, we were just there. I've read a lot of chapters since then, they kind of blend together. How about y'all? Matthew 26, let's just go there first. Yeah, Matthew 26, look in verse number 36, Gethsemane. Gethsemane, as I've already tried to elaborate on it, you're dealing with some things that are not meant to completely, fully understand. This is God with God working this out on our behalf. And it's more about him connecting with us in relating to us than we have in the capability to relate to this circumstance where God's asking God to let something pass over him, not as much as, because he's already committed. Jesus has been telling him he was gonna die, right? Hadn't he been telling him that? He told him at least three times that he was gonna suffer and this was the cause that he'd come for, to die. So it's not at the last minute he's reconsidering it, and trying to get out of it, what he's doing is relating to us in the difficult, hard things. Remember, he's our high priest who can relate to us in everything in life. That is, he knows what it's like to feel like we feel when we have the impossible put before us. He can touch. He knows what that feels like from a human standpoint because he was both God and man, which in and of itself is very difficult to explain. I mean, he's truly God and he's truly man. As the old timers would say, very God and very man. He is both, all 100%. But in verse 36, it says, they came with him to the place called Gethsemane. and said to the disciples, sit here while I go and pray over there. And while he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and he began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. He's relating to us and our sorrow and distress. Verse 38, then he said to them, my soul is exceedingly sorrow, even unto death. Stay here and watch with me. And he went a little farther and he fell on his face and he prayed, oh my father, if it is possible, let this what? This cup. Now Psalm 75 talks about that cup. and this is a cup of judgment, this is a cup of wrath, this is a cup of the curse that would fall upon sinners. Remember, we're the sinner, we're the wicked one that the cup was to fall upon, but he and his innocence, not guilty, blameless, perfect, holy, is gonna drink this cup for us and our place. Let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will. Now remember, he is telling us obviously that it's not possible any other way. That's the thing. If there was another way, there would have been another way, but there was no other way. And Jesus is committed to this one way. He's reiterating. It's kind of like when he talked with Satan, For an example, God doesn't have to convince God about what God's doing. Just like when he told Peter, remember who he was talking to a few chapters before when the first time he told him he was gonna die and Peter said, God forbid, you don't have to. And what did Jesus say? Get behind thee, you are more mindful of the things of man than you are to the things of God. Who is he really talking to? He's speaking really to us. Because nothing that has no bearing, that ain't gonna change the enemy, Satan, one eye open. It's not gonna change. It's not gonna affect Satan. Why? Because number one, there is no truth in him. No truth in him whatsoever. Matter of fact, you can't put truth in him. He's a liar. He's a murderer. He's a deceiver. It's in his DNA to only deceive and lie. So when Jesus spoke to him, he's really speaking to you and me. We, in an indirect way, telling us. And much of this right here is to speak to us. It's to us. When God's speaking to God, he's speaking to us. He's telling us that there is no other way. It ain't that Jesus had to be convinced himself. We need to be convinced that it's not possible any other way. Why? Because I'll show you what I'm referring to in a moment. He did this how many times? Three times, three times he brought this before. What? Reiterating to us if it was possible or there was another answer or there's another solution that it would be made known to us. And what he's emphasizing, there's no other way. Now we then take upon that same message. We're to take that identity on that there's no other way for humanity, there's no other way for mankind to be made right and reconciled with God, to be at peace with Him, except through this answer of the cup that Jesus was gonna drink on our behalf. Now, look over in chapter 20, I believe it is. Yeah, chapter 20, and notice. how he reiterates this to us. And we just, we're singing about this in our song about, I think the last song we sang, 700 and something, 719, is that where we was at? We may look at that in a moment in our song. But these things are coupled together about the will of God for us, chapter 20. Look in verse number, yeah, it's dealing with that verse 20 about servant. That's what we'll, who's the greatest? Let's just start there. Then the mother of Zebedees sons came to him with her sons kneeling down and asking something from him. And he said to her, what do you wish? And she said, can you grant to these two sons of mine that they may sit one on your right hand and the other on the left in your kingdom. Now keep in mind, she's still thinking that just like everybody else was, just like the disciples were, that Jesus is going to be a conquering king that's going to turn everything over and take away the kingdom from the Romans and he's going to lead. That was the mindset. And when he does, she wanted her two boys to sit with him in that great place of authority. Now that's a noble question. That's a noble request. Yeah, I mean, in most days, in our modern day, most mamas would rather have their kids have a good job and a good family or play, do well in sports, do well in college, do well in this, and there's nothing wrong with those ambitions. I mean, she's asking a good thing here when you really consider. She's saying, I want my two sons to walk with you and to be with you and to rule with you. I believe you are the best king and I believe it'd be good if they'd be with you. So we don't want to diss what mama's asking for because she's really asking for a noble thing, especially in what she understands. Verse 22, but Jesus answered and said, you do not know what you are. Same way we said this morning, remember you are greatly mistaken. Why are you mistaken? You don't know the scriptures. She didn't know the scriptures. So her request was a mistaken request. You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I'm about to drink and be baptized with the baptism that I'm gonna be baptized with, the immersion of what I'm fixing to be immersed in? And they said to him, the boys said to him, we are what? We're able. They had no idea what that meant. Verse 23, watch what Jesus says. So he said to them, you, will indeed drink my cup. And you're gonna be immersed with the immersion that I'm immersed with. But to sit at my right hand and my left hand is not mine to give. But it is for those whom the Father has already prepared it for. So this was already determined, right? So, but just notice what he said there. You're going to drink my cup. Jesus said, if it was possible, can this cup pass what? But we know it wasn't possible. Why? Because Jesus exclusively is the savior of the world. No other. We take that cup in Him, and that's the message we bring to the world. And as a result, it's that message, that exclusivity of Jesus that gets us in trouble with the world. Because the world says, we've got another solution. We have another alternative. We have a better answer for that. It may work for you, but it don't work for us, but we have to remember, if Jesus don't drink our cup, we won't drink from his cup, and if we're not drinking from his cup, we're gonna have to drink from the other cup. And the other cup ain't a cup you wanna drink from. That's what Psalm 75 was saying. The world's gonna have to drink that cup, and they're not gonna be able to turn it down. and they're gonna drink it. It's a cup of judgment and wrath if God didn't drink the cup for you. Let me give you a couple places that we can tie this together. For an example, look in 1 John. Go to 1 John chapter two. 1 John chapter two. Let's just parallel this tonight. 1 John chapter two tells us, we'll just start in verse number one. First John chapter number two, in verse number one, my little children, my little children. So who's the audience that he's addressing? He's talking to you and me, my little children. We're talking about people who are part of the family, part of the family, my little children, not his own kids, Though that could include his kids, but we talking about people who are part of the family of God. That's who we speaking to. He's going to address them several times in here and he's going to bring some things out for us because his objective is, is to see his little children walking in the truth. So he's giving them truth. He doesn't want them to be deceived by the enemy. So he says, my little children, these things I write to you so that you may not, what? That you may not sin. So we see who he's writing to, but we also see his aim of why he's writing it, the ambition behind it, that you may not miss the mark. And the whole missing the mark idea is centered in this, you don't want to miss the mark with Jesus. That you don't want to miss the mark with Jesus. And not just miss the mark with the fact that Jesus is God's only solution, but you don't want to miss the mark with abiding in Him, with staying connected to Him, because He's everything. He's everything. He's the life source to the children. He's the life source to the branches. He's the life source to the body. He's the head and we're the body. He's the one. He's the everything. So we want to stay connected to him. It's like John 15 where he says, you can do nothing apart from me. So everything's going to be rooted in him. And there's an ambition that the goal, the aim is that we don't miss the mark. Now the problem is we still got an old fleshly body. We still got an old human aspect with us that still has all the symptoms of a fallen man. That is, as he points out continually in chapter two, in verse number 15, when he says, don't love the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not what? In him. But what we still have a connection to is in the flesh. And that would be, as he says, what's in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the lust of the pride of life. We still got to deal with our eyes. We still got to deal with our flesh. We still got to deal with pride. And he's telling us in that, that anything connected to the flesh, to pride, to the eyes has no value in it. It's gonna perish. It's no good. And you don't wanna be fond of that which has no eternal means to it. So we want to stay connected to Jesus, because he's gonna shepherd you. He's gonna shepherd you. So look back in chapter two, verse one again. He says, now the aim, the ambition is not to sin, but if anyone sins, what do we have? An advocate. So we see he's talking to the family, he's got a point that he's getting to that we wanna stay connected to him, but let's say we get disconnected. What do we have? Who do we have? We got an advocate that pleads our cause, that pleads our case, in spite of us being guilty. It's not that we might've missed the mark, He says, no, if you sin before you sinned, you had an advocate before you did it. And if you do it, that advocate is not going to leave you. You have a permanent advocator before the throne of grace because of the merit of what he did on your behalf. He covered your sin. and it was legitimately paid for so he can legitimately advocate for you, not that you have the capability of paying for it, not that you have the capability even paying for your advocate, your advocate paid for it on your behalf and he's the only one that can plead your cause. You can't, I can't, but he can. So these things are, this is a beautiful word here that it's not that let's say you stumbled in the sin you can call on the advocate no before you even sinned he's already there to advocate for you so that when you do sin he's there to plead the blood over your life amen so we have an advocate with the father Jesus Christ, the righteous. So what we see in that, we see an ambition of this idea of single-mindedness, not sinless perfection. That's not what God's looking for in our life. He's not saying, I want you to be sinless and perfect in your sinless perfection. Somebody else accomplished that on your behalf, but this is what I want you to be, single-mindedness. get your eyes on the advocate, get your eyes on the one who paid the price for you and when you do stumble because you'll stumble, He's covered you already and He'll keep covering you so you ain't got to worry about being perfect but get your eyes on Him and look to Him, this mindset of walking with Him. Verse number two, and He Himself is the what? The propitiation. That's right. The word propituate is that He alone can cover you satisfactorily before the throne of God. That it's a complete covering that satisfies the mercy of God. He's a satisfied covering for you. When they would sprinkle the blood in the temple over the mercy seat, that's the idea, that idea of Him dousing the blood on the covering of the mercy seat to stay in right relationship with the Lord. And only, only Jesus can perpetuate for sin. You could use this word, He's our only answer. Why is He our only answer? Because He's God's only answer. He not only propitiates for our sin and not for ours only but also for what? Sin of the world. Now that does not mean that all the sin of the world has been covered by Jesus. You have to be the believer. That's where the blood is applied, upon the believer's life. What that is saying is exactly what Jesus was saying in the Garden of Gethsemane. If it is possible, let this cup do what? Faith. But it wasn't possible. There was no other way. So what he's doing is saying that God has only one exclusive answer for sin for the entire world and that answer is the one who propitiated for sin and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. Not that his blood covers every sin in the entire world right now that that blood has been covered it all. What it is saying for the believer his blood is unlimited. enough glory for those that believe. For the believer. That's where the blood's applied. It's only for the believer because he propituated for the believer. for the believer, that is those that have put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, his blood satisfied. That's the cup that he drank. Now we then, as he told his disciples, you're gonna drink that cup as well. Meaning, now you're gonna take that message that if there was another way, if it was possible, It would have been made known, but there is no other way. And he's the only way. So that means those in America and those in China, those in Russia and those in Brazil, those in Africa, those in Alaska. It doesn't matter where you are, where you're from, what continent you're on, or what people group you're from, God has only one answer to propitiate for sin, and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. It's for the sins of the world. That is, he's the answer for sin. Not that His blood covered all their sins and they who won't receive Him will miss out on that covering that was satisfactory. It's not what it's saying. That His blood was specific in the sense that it applies for those that believe. And it is unlimited. for those that believe in Him, that you will never run the blood dry. No matter how many times He's gotta advocate for you, His blood is sufficient. Not only for you, but every believer who sins, and some sin more than others sin, but we all sin, and we're gonna continue to sin until we escape this world, but His blood, you'll never bleed Him dry. Meaning, He's got enough. to cover you, amen? You think about that for a moment. Not just this, the sense that, okay, he forgave me and I'm made righteous with him, but if I sin, I'm gonna have to pay for that. No, his blood is sufficient for that, because he paid for your past, he paid for your present, and he paid for your future. What do you do? You keep coming to him. and you keep coming to it. But what that is saying, and I'll show you another place that he says the exact same thing, he just uses different language. Look in 2 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians chapter 5. So is he God's only answer? Will everybody have to drink from a cup? Yes. But if we don't drink the cup that Jesus drank, we'll have to drink another cup, and that cup is a cup nobody wants to drink from. ain't it though 2nd Corinthians 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 look in verse number 17 we'll just start there it's 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 in verse number 17 he says therefore if anyone is in who Christ that's the new creature Who are the new creatures? That is those who've been born again. Those who have been born again are the believer. They've been made a new creature in Christ Jesus. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. Now, all things that we're talking about here, they are of who? They're of God. What has God done? He has reconciled us, the believer, the new creature, not just us today, but any new creature at any phase in time. He has reconciled us to himself and he's done it through who? through Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus, that's who he's done it through. Why? Because remember, he's God's answer. He doesn't have another answer. The only way to be reconciled to God is you gotta be reconciled to God through who? He was for the Jew and the rest of the nations. And has given us that have been reconciled, the new creature, the believer, he's given us the ministry of what? There's the cup we drinking from. That's his cup. This is exclusivity. Verse number 19. That is, what are we talking about? That God was in Christ. What was he doing in Christ? Reconciling the world to himself. How? By the life that he lived. not imputing their trespasses to them and has committed to us the word or the message of reconciliation." How did God reconcile the world through Christ? That is God took upon flesh, God was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, was tempted in every way that we were tempted, overcome and was faithful unto death obedient unto death, that's how God was reconciling the world through the exclusive life of Jesus. He didn't do that with anybody else. It's only through who? Jesus. He's the only one God was in who lived that way to die in our place. to drink a cup on our behalf, that's how God reconciles the world. Let's read that one more time, verse 19. That is that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. Just say that's the gospel, that's the message of the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. That's how God exclusively reconciles the world through Jesus. He's God's only answer, not just the Jew but every nation among men where men breathe if they will ever be reconciled to God they have to go through Jesus. There's no other way. See that's the cup that He drank but then God gives us the ministry, His ministry, that's the cup that Jesus drank that now we're drinking from because we go tell the world who lives in idolatry and lives for other things that they'll never make it in the way they think and the who they trust in and how they live in that they got to turn unto Jesus. They gotta give themselves unto Jesus. Notice that again, verse 19. That is, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us, the new creature, the believer, those who've been reconciled, the word of reconciliation. And the word of reconciliation is the message of it. That is, we've been given the message of Jesus to go tell the world What he's done, you see, that's the cup that he told the sons of Zebedee that they were gonna be drinking from. That was the immersion that they would be immersed in. They're gonna be immersed in his death, in his burial, in his resurrection. Now they're gonna drink from his cup to go tell the world that God has an exclusive way. And that way's through the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 20, now then, currently, what are we? We're ambassadors for Christ. He's the one who reconciled us. This was God in him doing it. Now we represent him and his kingdom. Them boys didn't sit at his right hand or his left hand, but they became ambassadors. God determined who would sit at his right hand and his left hand, but God says, you're my ambassador now. So now you gotta drink the cup that I was drinking. Hey, if things go haywire over here in America and the world turns against us, every ambassador around the world, what happens in countries that get hostile, what do they do? What do they clear? What's one of the first things they start clearing out in another hostile world that we have an embassy in? They start clearing out Americans. They get the ambassador out. They get the people out. They do those things. Why? Because who does the ambassador represent? The native country that he's from. You see, we represent Christ in a hostile world. That's why Jesus said, if any man want to follow me, he's got to what? Deny himself, take up his cross, and follow after me. If they didn't know me, they're not gonna know you. If they hated me, they're gonna what? Hate you. Why? We are representatives. We are ambassadors. As though God were pleading through us, we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to who? God. Through who? Through Jesus. Verse 21. Here's the solution, the greatest words that's ever been spoken around the world. For He, God, made God who knew no sin to be sin for us. That we who knew no righteousness might become the righteousness of God in Him. Amen. Man, that's a wonder. That's our message. The only way. that a man can be made righteous is through the righteousness of the life and the lifeblood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Impossible any other way. For Jesus asked his father three different times in that garden if there was possible another way. Show me. But he said, not my will be done, but what? Your will. What is God's will? That you gotta go through Jesus. It's impossible any other way. Now we know that, but what we don't often always associate with it is that that cup that was poured out on him is a cup now that we drink from. And in a world that is hostile to Jesus, it's gonna be hostile to us when we're drinking from that cup. So we proclaim an exclusive word that is on the authority, on the authenticity of the word. This is where our authority lies. And this message that we hold to, as 1 John 2 said, that not only is He the propitiation for our sins, remember He was reconciling us in Christ, but He's also the propitiation for the sins of the whole world. Meaning that the whole world has to go through Him if they're gonna be reconciled unto God. Because that's the only way God reconciles men, to Himself. is that the world was fallen in sin, but God came down to rescue the world, and the only way to rescue the world is through the life that he lived. And when we put our trust in Him, we then are reconciled unto God and made righteous with Him, not because we were righteous, but because He was righteous on our behalf and took our sin for us. Because there's never been a person born that can bear the sins, much less their own sins, but the sins of the world. Amen? So we go tell that message. Praise God for the cup. Praise God for the cup. Who judges the world? God does. Whose standard of judgment will He judge every man by? God will judge them by the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why we gotta drink from the cup that He's drinking from and help others. So does that help you? Is that clear in the sense that what 1 John 2 is teaching that no man comes to the Father except through the Son? And when you have the son, you have the father, and when you have the father, you have the son. And we're talking about people that are believers, amen? Believers are made new creatures in Christ Jesus. That's why we plead with men, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Repent. In faith, turn to Jesus and turn from a way that is contrary to him. Trust him with your life, amen? Repent. He will salvage you. He will refocus you. He'll repurpose you. And you will start drinking from his cup. And that's why he says that. Let's close with this. Look at Mark 8. Watch how this works with this cup. Mark 8, 34. Mark 8, 34. Remember, he's relating in that garden to us if it is possible. Why? Because humanity, humanity wants their own way. Always looking for their own way. Hoping that if possible, my way would be sufficient. My way would be sufficient. But it's not our way that's important, it's His way. And that's what we look into. But in Mark 8, 34, he says, when he had called the people to himself and his disciples also, he said to them, whoever desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. For whoever desires to what? Play it safe. The word save, is there another, anybody else translations use another word? Verse 35. Yes, the idea of those who take hold of their own life. Who wants to say, if it's possible, let me do my thing. That's the idea. Because that is where, remember, in the garden, it's not him, not us figuring him out, but him relating to all of us in the sense that it's the natural part of a man to say, let me control my own life. Let me control my own destiny. You see, we got to yield that over. We got to be subdued and surrendered. It's kind of like you've heard me say before, when a surgeon does work on you, what do they do? They put you under some kind of anesthesia, why? They don't want you moving when they got you opened up and they're working on something on the inside and you twitching and moving and going around. Even if you're not under, they got you sedated and locked down where you can't move, like when they do brain surgery. If you ever noticed that, when they're doing brain surgery on people, they usually awake. And they do that because everything they touch in there, number one, the brain has no feeling. They can poke around in there all day long and you don't feel it. Now, your cranium and how to get to it is there's feeling in there, but the brain itself doesn't feel. But everything they touch is going to reflect somewhere in your movement, in your body, in your eyes and all that, so they keep them awake. But if you could feel it, what would you do? You would twitch, you would move and try to get away from it. You know how it is. If anybody just put a knife on you, put a knife to you, a scalpel to you, you're going to try to get away from it. You don't want to be cut. Nobody wants to be cut. It's a natural reflex. The same way when Jesus is working on us, we surrender to him. we can have his way with us but he says for whosoever desires to save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life notice this word for my sake and that's the cup that's the cup we're drinking from the God his life of reconciling the world to himself the exclusivity whoever desires to lose his life for my sake and the gospel will keep it. So you see what I'm referring to about this cup. When you drink from his cup, it's because he drank your cup for you. And that's good news, ain't it? So that good news becomes your good news. And the good news of the cup he drank for you becomes your cup of good news that you go share with the world. that somebody drank the cup of judgment on your behalf, that he became a curse in your place, took your sin, but not only my sin, but he's taken the sins of everyone who believed. Will you believe with me that Jesus took your sin and covered it on your behalf and that God reconciled you through him and what he did? You see, that message becomes the cup that we drink from. And that's what he told his disciples. You're gonna drink from a cup. You're gonna drink my cup. And you're gonna get immersed in it. And these men died for Jesus from drinking from that cup. Why? They told the whole Jewish and Roman world at that time that there was only one way, one truth, and one life. Nobody comes to know God except through and the world around them says, well, we don't believe you, and we're gonna show you we don't believe you, and we'll put you to death to keep you silent about it. And that is the world we live in even to this day. They may not put us to death, but they're doing everything they can to silence us. And if they can't silence us, what are they doing? They're trying to distort the message. They would, they would, they would. And so that's the cup that we're drinking from. So I would parallel those together. Matthew 20, 23, Matthew 26, Psalm 75, 1 John 2, 2 Corinthians 5, What a cup to drink, amen. Help us, Lord. Help us, Lord. Amen. Help us, Lord. Father, we bless you tonight. We thank you. We thank you. We know we live in a world that can't see these things currently, but that's why you had already prayed that the Father would use truth to sanctify us and to send us in the world to go proclaim this message, to live this message, to declare this message. And I pray that you help us love with great compassion as Jesus did, how he saw the people who were without a shepherd and was moved with compassion. We still live among people who function every day without you. May we be burdened and may we see the impossibilities that man can do in and of himself. As the disciples asked about the rich young ruler, who then can be saved? And you said it's impossible with man, but with you, all things are possible. So help us Lord, help us. Go see that people will put their confidence in your only answer, your son. We want him to be our only answer in all things. So help us, help us, help us. In Jesus' name, amen. Love y'all. Y'all have a good night. Help her, Lord. You have a good day at school tomorrow, huh, Carolyn? Yeah.