John (Quality: Poor)

[0:00] So, needing divine help, I can but venture with the Word of God that you will find in the chapter that we've read together in the Gospel of John, chapter 18.

[0:17] And I read the second part of verse 11. The Gospel of John, chapter 18, I'm reading the second part of verse 11.

[0:36] The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

[0:55] The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

[1:09] During the day, I felt to be under a particular burden, which was indeed too great for me.

[1:43] And my very mind and soul was in very real distress on account of it. And then, in mercy, I believe the Lord has been pleased, just before we left our home this afternoon, to give me this Word.

[2:13] And therefore, I'm essential with it, and need divine help so to do.

[2:26] And I'm sure that we will all know who is speaking, and the Lord knows how many of us here tonight, in the Lord's dealings with us, have known a little of what it is to walk in the Garden of Gethsemane.

[2:55] I wonder how many of us, in looking back this evening, and if the Holy Spirit is our remembrance, sir, to be reminded of occasions when we too have been brought, have been compelled in the Lord's dealings with us to walk just a little with Jesus in this Garden of Gethsemane.

[3:38] I can't always say this, but I have really felt the Lord has given me these words to come with here this evening.

[3:53] my hope is that the very words of Jesus will be directed into every heart whom the Lord may have been preparing to receive it.

[4:15] and I would immediately, as I may be enabled, may we together venture a little, may it be a real venture of faith, and may we be enabled to venture a little into this Garden and to feel something of its truth in our own hearts, minds, and souls.

[4:49] and I would ever seek to preach Jesus as I may be enabled.

[5:02] and I would and I would dear friends, as I woke this morning, it seemed as though, and I began to feel, that I must read the account of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

[5:33] And this I might well have done in this pulpit this evening. But as the Lord was pleased to, shall I tell you, relieve my mind, my own mind, with the word that I have had to read, the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

[6:05] And these are the words of Jesus. And may we be favoured then to know a little of what it is to have a glimpse of Him.

[6:26] And if the Lord favours us with a glimpse of Him for ourselves, and in our own souls, and in our own lives, that will be a mercy indeed.

[6:41] Well, first of all, I venture with the first account of it in Matthew 26.

[6:55] And I read it to you as it is there. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

[7:29] Oh, that we could have just a glimpse of what this really means. The eternal Son of God, now coming ever nearer to His sufferings and deaths on the cross, the Calvary.

[7:53] And He must first come with His disciples into this garden which we know, and I feel that, how can I, how can I speak of that hymn of Joseph's hearts, 802, and the way that the Lord led Him, taught Him, brought Him, even to pen that one hymn, and all that that hymn may have meant to any one of us in our lives.

[8:38] But may we have a glimpse of why He came there, because He came into this garden particularly on this occasion with the whole weight and burden of the sins, of the whole election of grace, a weight which is beyond us in any way to comprehend the holy, harmless, eternal Lamb of God coming into this garden bearing the weight and the burden upon His holy soul of every one of His dear people.

[9:34] Oh, if we could only have a glimpse of that here this evening. I know what it would do. It would bring us to His dear feet.

[9:50] And may we then just consider a little about it meant for Him. and we are told then cometh Jesus, this is in Matthew's gospel, then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, came with them.

[10:15] And then to add to it in the sovereignty of God He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

[10:34] Oh, as the hymn writer has put it, if only we could have a little glimpse of the meaning of it here tonight. What He endured no tongue can tell to save our souls from death and hell.

[10:57] And yet here we have Him in His holy sacred humanity the man Christ Jesus and here He is now in this garden with the awful love beyond our comprehension of what it really meant.

[11:25] And to think that He speaks now to Peter, James and John like this, then saith He unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death.

[11:44] tarry ye here and watch with me. And yet they were totally incapable of so doing.

[11:58] And I think it's Joseph Hart who said of them, particularly I believe of these three disciples, to shun the sight, they fell asleep.

[12:13] And yet the Lamb of God in His holy humanity may give us a glimpse of what that really meant for Him and for us.

[12:28] Born of a woman made under the law, we might redeem them that are under the law. And yet here He cries out, my soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.

[12:47] Tarry ye here and watch with me. But they couldn't. Later on He had and said to Peter, what, could you not watch with me one hour?

[13:00] one hour? I wonder how many of us have ever felt a little of what the Saviour said to Peter in that way.

[13:15] What, could you not watch with me one hour? And you know, dear friends, I have to say, the Lord has taught me in measure this, that I couldn't have watched with Him one moment, and neither could any of us.

[13:33] And yet, here He is. Oh, that we could have a little sweet hope this evening in our hearts, and to know, and to feel it, and to go home with it, all this was done for you.

[13:58] Do you want to know that for yourselves? Do you feel to need the witness of it in your own heart, and to hear the blessed Spirit say, all this was done for you?

[14:16] Well, the Lord knows if we've ever had a little touch, a little glimpse of the real meaning of the Garden of Gethsemane, and then, a little more then, regarding Him.

[14:41] Then saith He, unto them my soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death, tarry ye here, and watch with me.

[14:54] Oh, the cry of His Holy Soul to these three disciples. It is not now for such as ye, it is not now for such as ye, to sustain Gethsemane.

[15:13] Oh, that we can have a glimpse of it, tonight, in our souls. And this word, you see, and it was, the Lord gave it me, and with it, He gave me a measure of relief from this burden that I had upon my spirit, a burden that was beyond me to dare, or to know how to handle it, or to know what to do with it.

[15:44] and so I left my home feeling a measure of relief. It helped me to take the journey here.

[15:56] It gave me a little relief from this burden, and your pastor is no stranger to it. And there are those here tonight that are no stranger to it as well, in their life, and in their path.

[16:18] But let us go a little further with him. And he went a little further. I think it's in Luke's gospel, it says, a stone's cast, and they be able just to read it from Luke's gospel.

[16:41] first of all, he says in Luke's gospel to these disciples of his, pray that ye enter not into temptation.

[16:55] And then we have it here, and he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me.

[17:16] Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. And that was the language of the holy, harmless Lamb of God.

[17:31] And in Matthew's gospel, it's recorded three times, and he went a little further and fell on his face and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.

[18:07] And yet, you see, in Matthew's gospel here, it goes on, and he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, what?

[18:21] Could ye not watch with me one hour? Oh, I believe there are those here tonight who know a little about this garden, and in my little measure, I feel I do as well.

[18:39] I've been there a few times over the years, and you see, what really I hope may come out of it is this, because if we are indeed among his people, we too.

[19:02] And I want just to read it again as in the verse in John 18. And this I hope, oh, I do hope, I do hope that this may be a word for souls here tonight, even if it shall only be for one, the cup which my father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

[19:36] and the Lord knows, but I do want, I do want to try to preach Jesus first, and yet this other, if the Lord will help me, will flow out of it, because every one of his dear people, in some little measure, will have known something of this garden, and this experience, and this place, in their lives, from time to time.

[20:15] I believe I'm right to say that, of course, some more than others, but how does the Lord do it for his dear people? Well, he does it as he sanctifies their path, as he sanctifies their car, their car, and everyone will have a car, in some measure, at some time, some point, more than once, in their life.

[20:53] Yes, even dear young people will have their car, car. Oh, yes, if they are indeed among his jewels, if the Lord has brought them out of the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of his dear son, they will not be exempt from having a car.

[21:20] Yes, and it will be so, and it will be really like this throughout their lives, the car that my father hath given me, and the Lord gives a car, and the Lord will bring poor sinners into this, and it will be again, they will know something of this word, the car which my father hath given me, shall I not drink it, but I do not want, I want, I need every word that the Lord would have me to say.

[22:04] So, a little more than of Jesus, because that's the important thing. Oh, this great question of preaching Jesus, and I remember, still remember, however many years ago now, dear Mr.

[22:26] Collier, was here, he used to be here, I believe it was in May, and he would preach, I'm not quite sure now, it may have been, May, I think it was, morning and evening, but you know, I remember him saying from this pulpit, however many years ago, he said, I've been preaching now for over 50 years, and I wonder if I've ever preached Jesus.

[22:57] I thought, well, what an acknowledgement, or what a confession. You know, that is how the Lord brings his servants, this great matter of preaching Jesus, and I've had to wonder if I've ever really preached Jesus, and yet I hope I have tried to do so.

[23:20] Now, let me just remind you then of Jesus, in Matthew's Gospel here, and he cometh unto the disciples and findeth them asleep, as heart said to shun the sight, they fell asleep, can any of us begin to enter into, if we just think again, of what is recorded in Luke's Gospel, of him there, and being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood, falling down to the ground, can we begin, can we begin, and even a little, of what our

[24:25] Saviour bore in the gloomy garden, sweating blood, at every pore, to procure our pardon, and yet, have we ever had just a glimpse of it, if you have, you will know it, I still remember how, I just venture with this, when I worked at Holden House, on the way to High Holden, for ten and a half years as a gardener, and during the time I was there, the Lord had laid with such a weight the burden of an immortal soul upon me, and this particular day, the weight and burden was so great, for this dear soul, that I was travailing for, carrying before God, and I remember how,

[25:39] I felt I had to plead, or felt to need, what's said there of Jesus in my little measure, I believe this is the way that the Lord's servants and no doubt others, but especially the Lord's servants, this is how they know something of this garden, but I remember how that seemed to be just what I needed that day, that morning, and there appeared an angel unto him from heaven strengthening him, well, that was one occasion when I was walking a little in that garden, now, three times then, in Matthew's gospel, he went away again the second time, prayed, saying, oh my father, oh my father, father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done, and you know, there will be moments in the life of the Lord's people, when they will be brought into that, and the

[27:00] Lord knows if any of us are there tonight, you'll know if you're there, but what a mercy when we can view our path in that light, the cup that my father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

[27:22] You see, what is so bound together with this subject, yes, it was so in the life of Jesus, and it is so in the lives of his people, we need to be made aware, whatever it might be, that the Lord has sent into our life, the cup that my father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

[27:55] And bound together with it, dear friends, his submission to the will of God, God. I wonder how many of us have had a few moments in our life when we've been given submission to the will of God.

[28:16] It's very precious when it's given, and it's very sacred when it's given, when we're enabled to bow at his dear feet with it, and recognize where it's come from, God.

[28:33] It's not come from second causes, it's not come because this, that, or the other in your life, but it's come, dear friend, because the Lord has sent it.

[28:45] And if you have a cup this evening in your heart, your mind, your soul, and if you know the Lord has, and if it's your Father that's given it to you, and the Lord enables you to bow at his dear feet with it, that will give you relief, as nothing else can, and that will enable you to bear the cup, and if you can feel, my God, my Father, blissful name, and when you can call him mine, and when you can with sweet assurance claim, a portion so divine, I know a little of what I'm trying to speak about, so he left them and went away again, and prayed the search, and you know, sometimes the

[29:47] Lord will bring his servants, and his people, and he'll bring you there once, and he'll bring you there again, and they'll bring you there again, but I do know, I do know, and I knew it in this very chapel, in the year 1958, I knew it, in this chapel, one Sunday morning, when dear Mr.

[30:19] Charlie Smith was preaching from Jarvis book, and he came that Sunday morning with these words, for we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh, and you know, before the end of that morning service, I was there, I was there, I was under the will of God, and I knew for a few moments what real submission to the will of God was, Jesus, and even then in my life, I had a cup that the Lord had given me, so I hope you can at least feel that I know a little of what I'm having to venture with this evening.

[31:24] Now let me go back now again to John 18. Friends, you know, one of the burdens, your pastor will understand this, but one of the burdens of the ministry is that our burden is that we may find our hearers, that we may come where our hearers are, and the only way that that is possible is when the Lord's servants are first led into that very path themselves, and then they know something about what it is to preach it, and they preach it from their hearts.

[32:09] Now, I want just to ask a few questions here tonight. The cup which my father, you know, that's a beautiful expression.

[32:26] As Anne Cyril puts it, my God, my Father, blissful name. And the dear lady in her path of years of affliction, she knew what it was to be able to say yes to it.

[32:43] And she could say yes to it as the Lord sanctified to her her path of continuing affliction. confession. Now, just this thought this evening, for all of you here tonight, the cup that my father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

[33:14] and as I said earlier, I think, you know, this will begin in the life, it can begin in the life of a child, if the Lord has quickened their soul into life.

[33:30] Oh, it can. It can indeed, I think, and you've heard it before, of that little girl in that little book, a lamb safely folded, and if you think of that little girl, three and a half years old, and the Lord began to teach her to pray this prayer, wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.

[33:59] Well, she began, and you know, that girl began to pray that prayer at three and a half, and three and a half years later, when she was seven, the Lord took her home to glory.

[34:11] But she knew the truth of that word, even as at that age. Now, I know it's possible, the cup that my father hath given me, and the Lord gave it to her, three and a half years of cleaving, wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow, and I know that the Lord will do this to dear young people, more, and the Lord knows with any of you here tonight, do you know that you have a cup?

[34:49] Do you know that you have a cup? You will know if you have it, and you may not understand it, or you may begin to understand it, but you know it's a wonderful, it's a divine blessing, it really is, when the Lord will bring anyone, and yes it can be when you're young, and throughout a person's life, the Lord will give them one cup, and then when the Lord, his will has been fulfilled in that cup, he will give them another, and it goes on like that, through the life of a child of God, and it goes on right through to the end, and the Lord gives these cups, and any of you here tonight, if you know you have one, and the Lord knows what it is, it may be that no one else does know, but you know what you're carrying, and you know what you're burdened with, the cup that my father hath given me, shall I not drink it, oh I could hope that there could be any,

[36:06] I could hope that we could all, I could hope that we go on with it tonight, you know, I hope you will friend, the cup, the Lord knows what it is, and you will know what it is, and there are times of course, when the Lord may give us a cup, and we may, we shall tremble, we wonder whatever it may mean, and yet, oh when, we're favoured to see, we're walking a little in the garden of Gethsemane, without Jesus, I can't always say it, but I, oh I thank the Lord that he gave me the word, because I needed it today, and I need help to lay it all before him, that which he has laid upon me, and that's how it's been, all through my spiritual life, when I think of it, you know, in my case, 58 years ago,

[37:16] I believe the Lord mercifully called me by his grace, in stone chapel, and I've had a good many cups, throughout those years, and the Lord gives a cup, and then when his will is fulfilled in it, and with it, then he'll remove it, and I believe in the end, you know, it will be ending in eternal peace, that will be the final end to these cups, ending in eternal peace.

[37:58] Now, I'm coming to a close, I hope, I've left that question with all of you tonight, the cup that my Father hath given me, and the Lord knows what it is, that, oh, if he gives you grace, you'll join with Jesus in it, the cup that my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it, and you may have a cup, and you could wish you don't have it, why should I have to have a cup like this Lord?

[38:39] Now, I'm going to tell you something, and I felt in the vestry, that I would just do this tonight, from my own little path, in the ministry of God's Word.

[38:57] So, this will be a closing testimony, if you like. Forty-three years ago, on the first of March, this year it would have been a meeting was arranged, and this poor sinner, that evening, was to attend to preach before the church, in this chapel, and there was quite a church gathered round us that evening.

[39:37] Do you know, I can understand this now, and I couldn't understand it then, but I believe, and I have another glimpse of it, in the vestry here tonight.

[39:48] There was this poor sinner, and our pastor then, as he was, it was his suggestion that I came into the pulpit to attempt to preach that evening, and being as I was, and he suggesting I should do it, friends, I stood here that very evening, and I read from God's word, and then I attempted to pray, and then I announced the text.

[40:26] I can see it tonight more clearly than I've ever seen it, because I'm standing here again, as I did 43 years ago, and I'll tell you what the text was, the first text I attempted to preach from, and as I think of it now, I think, however could I do it, but the text that evening was this, in Luke 22, and he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me, nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.

[41:17] And what happened to me? I announced that text, and my mind went completely blank. I couldn't even think.

[41:31] And I simply, yes, it was no trouble to me. It was no trouble to me. I sat down, and that, to me, that evening, I went home, and of course, the dear friends here, they had to deal with it.

[41:50] And all they could do, and all they wished that they would do, I was asked to wait, to wait to see what the Lord's will was.

[42:01] peace. Now, if you, those of you here tonight who have discernment, you'll think, well, however, I was thirty-four years old then, and to think that I should even dare to announce such a text, to attempt to preach from it.

[42:21] And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me, nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.

[42:41] And I can see now, more clearly than I certainly could that evening, I can see that the Lord was beginning, he was beginning to give me a cup, cup, and it's like that, you know, regarding the ministry, of God's word, he'll give to a poor, trembling man a cup, or he'll give them, put it another way, he'll give to them the burden of the ministry, he'll begin to lay that burden in their hearts, they'll begin to carry it before God, and they'll carry it until the day comes, or the time comes, when the Lord will send them forth in his great and holy name.

[43:36] Now, I couldn't understand, to me, you know, in a strange way, I went home, I felt completely relieved, and I thought, well, that's the beginning and end of my so-called preaching, but it was the beginning, and it was the Lord's way, and I'll tell you no more than that, but here I am tonight, 43 years after, and I've had to venture with that word, the cup, that my father, and I want to read it, I do not, I do not want to misquote the word of God, it's too precious, the cup that my father hath given me, shall I not drink it, and friends, I've been drinking that cup, regarding the ministry,

[44:38] I've been drinking it now for 43 years, what a thought, may the Lord, in some way, bless his word, amen.