Following the Man of Sorrows – part 3

Aug 16, 2026 • Rory Mosley

062 Following the Man of Sorrows – part 3

Mark 10:32-45 (35-38)

August 16, 2026

We started this segment last week.

In many ways, it really is MORE OF THE SAME.

· It is Jesus making disciples out of the disciples.

· It is Jesus showing the 12 what it really means to follow.

· It is Jesus trying to get it through to these men what the true mission is.

Back in Mark 8 Jesus revealed for the first time

That He came to suffer, die, and rise,

And it has been an unwelcomed revelation to the disciples.

They have argued, they have ignored, they have evaded the subject.

And yet Jesus continues to return to it.

These disciples will very soon be left with the message of the gospel,

And they won’t do the world any good

If they don’t understand it, or what it requires to deliver it.

SO JESUS IS TEACHING THEM OVER AND OVER.

In the context of the story:

· Jesus has left Galilee for good.

· He came south to Perea where He preached a little more.

· He there encountered the Rich Young Ruler, who rejected the call.

· That prompted a question from Peter and an answer from Jesus.

Mark 10:28-31 “Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. “But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.”

Jesus told the 12 that it would absolutely be worth it.

And we noted, as we studied that text, that Jesus has absolutely done that, and He has done that through the church.

· In the church, I reap the benefits of farms I don’t work.

· In the church, I have many moms and brothers and sisters.

· In the church, I enjoy all sorts of temporal rewards right here on earth.

· And so do you.

Christ isn’t cheating anyone.

But what becomes clear to us is that

The disciples didn’t fully understand that truth as we understand it today.

And to some degree we can’t blame them.

The church had not been born yet.

So their understanding of immediate compensation was a little off.

And it is that misunderstanding that drives this next conversation.

In fact, it will probably be helpful to us to read how Matthew recorded what Jesus said after the Rich Young Ruler left.

Matthew 19:27-30 “Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life. “But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.”

· Matthew recorded Jesus speaking about the coming “regeneration when the

Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne”

· Jesus said that at that time, “you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging

the twelve tribes of Israel.”

Now again, we have the luxury of hindsight, which the 12 did not have.

· We have the luxury of the New Testament, which they did not have.

· We understand things like the millennial reign of Christ.

· We know about the coming regeneration.

When the disciples heard that, they clearly did not grasp that

The regeneration was something coming way in the future.

What they heard was them sitting on thrones with Jesus.

SO YOU UNDERSTAND THE CURRENT MINDSET OF THE 12.

That expectation of a kingdom coming any day also explains what we studied last week in verse 32.

(32) “They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful.”

Going to Jerusalem to suffer was NOT part of their plan.

· Jesus was hated in Jerusalem.

· Jesus has repeatedly stated that He’ll be killed in Jerusalem.

· So when Jesus starts toward Jerusalem the disciples “were amazed” and they “were fearful.”

And that opened the door for us to begin discussing

The areas where the disciples were still missing the mark.

As we said SUNDAY NIGHT,

Mark here highlights for us 4 wrong attitudes in the disciples.

We love studying it because we often exhibit these same attitudes

This helps us see areas where our thinking needs to change.

The first wrong attitude WE LOOKED AT SUNDAY NIGHT

#1 FEARFUL AMAZEMENT

Mark 10:32-34

First we saw that the disciples were “amazed”.

While Jesus had one plenty that should be amazing to us,

Simply walking ahead of the group toward Jerusalem is not one of them.

This was just simple obedience.

This was Jesus simply doing what He said He was going to do.

We made the point that obedience to God should not be amazing.

It should not stupefy us.

When we see someone obeying God, even at a great personal cost,

That is not fanatical, that is Christianity.

· A young couple going on the mission field to the Middle East should not shock

us, that is Christianity.

· A wife submitting to a disobedient husband should not shock us, that is

Christianity.

· A husband sacrificially loving a rebellious wife should not shock us, that is

Christianity.

Jesus was not empty talker.

He said He was going, and now He is going, that should be shocking.

When then saw that the disciples were “fearful”.

· Fear is a sin.

· Fear is the opposite of faith.

And as we pointed out Sunday night

Jesus didn’t even address it, nor did He coddle it.

Jesus responded to their fear in an almost shocking way.

He seemingly validated their fears by telling them again

What they feared was going to happen.

“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.”

That certainly isn’t coddling their fears is it?

He told them again exactly what was coming.

NOT ONLY THAT, Jesus gave them more information there than they had previously had.

This is the first time He mentioned things like:

· Betrayal, Condemnation, Gentile execution.

It’s almost like Jesus saw they were afraid to go to Jerusalem and then said, “You don’t know the half of it. It’s worse than you even think.”

AND WE WONDER HOW THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO HELP THEIR FEARS.

Namely because ever detail Jesus gave

Were details already expressed prophetically in the Old Testament.

Jesus wasn’t trying to make them more afraid,

He was seeking to settle their fears by reminding them that

This was absolutely the plan of God.

GOD IS IN CONTROL OF ALL OF THIS.

This is going absolutely according to plan.

We saw that He did the same thing in the upper room

The night before He was crucified.

· He told the disciples they would be hated and arrested.

· And then said, I’m telling beforehand so that when it happens you won’t be

shocked.

John 16:4 “But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.”

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

THAT IS WHAT JESUS DID HERE.

· Jesus was rendering their fear inappropriate.

· There is no reason for a Christian to fear the sovereign plan of God.

· Especially since God has sovereignly promised that all His plans are for our good.

So Jesus confronted their “fearful amazement”.

It was a wrong attitude.

WELL THIS MORNING we move forward and look at the second wrong attitude of the disciples.

#2 MISGUIDED FOCUS

Mark 10:35-38

Based on that conversation after the Rich Young Ruler about the disciples sitting on 12 thrones with Jesus, it’s not hard to understand where this thought originated.

James and John had obviously contemplated their own personal throne

And then wondered where it would be ranked among the other 12.

· Since the highest throne would be to the right hand of Christ

· And the second-highest throne would be to the left hand of Christ,

· You can see why these men decided to intervene.

Their approach and statement to Jesus is so forward and bold

That it is almost laughable to us.

(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.”

TODAY SOMEONE MIGHT SAY:

Can I ask you a question?

Would you mind doing me a favor?

But the way James and John approach Jesus

Is with much more boldness and audacity.

And again we recognize that Mark is highlighting

The backward thinking among the disciples.

IN FACT:

When Matthew recorded this story, he said:

Matthew 20:20-21 “Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him. And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left.”

· Matthew says it was the mother of James and John who came up and asked.

· Incidentally, this was Salome, the sister of Mary, which made James and John first cousins to Jesus.

Matthew writes it in a way to preserve the dignity of James and John as though their Mother sort of took it upon herself to intervene for her sons.

But Mark is not so generous to James and John.

Surely Salome was the one who came and asked,

But Mark doesn’t implicate her as the problem.

· He knew where the idea came from.

· He knew who was behind it.

· He doesn’t mention Salome at all.

· He lays it right at the feet of James and John.

Mark is absolutely determined to show all the warts of the disciples.

He is highlighting where they still need to grow,

And one of those areas has to do with their MISGUIDED FOCUS

Well they come up to Jesus and say, “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?”

“We want a favor. Well that would depend on what it is.”

(37) “They said to Him, “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.”

Well just throw it out there.

Don’t be shy.

“You mentioned about us all sitting on 12 thrones judging the tribes, well, we want the top two.”

· We want higher ranks than the rest of the disciples.

· We want to be your #1 & #2 guys.

Now, before we expose the error in their thinking,

We should at least recognize their FAITH.

They did believe Jesus was the King and that His kingdom was coming.

· I mean, Jesus currently has no kingdom.

· Jesus currently is demonstrating no glory.

· Jesus isn’t currently in charge of anything.

So at least credit them for believing that His kingdom really was coming.

· They did believe Him.

· They did know He was the Messiah.

· They did expect a kingdom, even though they could not currently see it.

WE WILL GLADLY GIVE THEM THAT.

But there is a massive problem in what they asked Jesus here.

Jesus exposes that problem in His answer.

(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?”

We instantly realize that their question was a misguided question.

Jesus said, “You do not know what you are asking.”

· There is a level of ignorance in the question.

· There is an aspect of nonsense in the question.

WHAT WE NEED TO SEE IS WHY.

So let’s examine what Jesus says.

FIRST OFF, it will help us to understand the metaphors Jesus uses.

He asks, “Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”

So Jesus references a “cup”

And He references a “baptism”

WHAT ARE THESE?

· WE are most familiar with the “cup” as it relates to the Lord’s Supper, but Jesus has not instituted the Lord’s Supper yet in this text.

· WE are also familiar with that famous statement in the garden by Jesus when He prayed, “Let this cup pass from Me, yet not as I will, but as You will.” But that event has not yet occurred either.

While we understand the “cup” by those instances,

That is not how the disciples would have understood it.

What would have been on their mind when Jesus referenced the “cup”?

To the Jews the reference to drinking the cup was a reference to

Fully living the life that has been allotted for me.

I would be like fulfilling my destiny.

I would be like accomplishing my purpose.

Another way to explain it would be “to fully experience something”.

For example:

Psalms 11:6 “Upon the wicked He will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup.”

· The destiny of the wicked is fire and brimstone and burning wind and they will fully experience it.

Psalms 75:8 “For a cup is in the hand of the Lord, and the wine foams; It is well mixed, and He pours out of this; Surely all the wicked of the earth must drain and drink down its dregs.”

And we can easily apply that analogy to Jesus

Since He would in fact drink that cup.

He would take the full fury of God’s wrath on sin

That He might atone for us.

But the disciples likely didn’t grasp that yet either.

They just understood that Jesus had a destiny to fulfill.

He has a cup to drink.

And He asks James and John if they are able to drink that cup too?

The other metaphor Jesus uses is “baptism”.

The word means “to immerse”

There is an element of destiny here too.

It is a man who is “submerged” into his life.

And this also carries an element of judgment with it.

Psalms 42:7 “Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.”

Psalms 124:4 “Then the waters would have engulfed us, The stream would have swept over our soul;”

This is not the first time Jesus has mentioned it.

Luke 12:50 “But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!”

It is not hard for us to understand what Jesus was talking about

When He mentioned His cup or His baptism.

He is clearly talking about

· His calling to go to Jerusalem and suffer at the hands of the chief priests.

· His upcoming betrayal and condemnation.

· Being handed over to the Gentiles and mocked and scourged.

· Being killed.

· Rising from the dead.

That is His cup; that is His baptism.

· He will fully drink it.

· He will be fully immersed in it.

· He will experience every drop of it.

But what does that have to do with James and John asking if they can sit on His right and on His left?

Why did Jesus ask them if they could first drink His cup?

WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM?

IT’S WHAT WE CALL “Getting the cart before the horse.”

You already know that Jesus will NOT grant their request.

· Now, He doesn’t deny it either.

· James and John may very well be seated there in the regeneration, we don’t know.

But the point of Jesus is that

THEY ARE FOCUSED ON THE WRONG THING.

This is NOT the regeneration.

This is NOT the millennium.

This is NOT the victory party.

THIS IS THE BATTLE.

One of my favorite trash talking quotes of all times

Comes actually from a wicked king in the Old Testament.

· Ahab was the worst king to ever reign on the throne in Israel.

· And God had raised up Ben-Hadad to afflict him.

· But God wanted to show grace to Ahab and planned to deliver him.

· So as Ben-Hadad pushed Ahab to a fight and promised to totally annihilate him, Ahab responded with a great one-liner.

1 Kings 20:11-12 “Then the king of Israel replied, “Tell him, ‘Let not him who girds on his armor boast like him who takes it off.’”

“You are already boasting of victory and the spoils

but you have not yet fought the battle.”

A few years ago coaching Little League one my players came up to me as he headed to the on-deck circle

He wanted to know if I would be upset if he did a “bat flip”?

This kid hadn’t hit a ball within 100’ of the outfield wall, but he was already thinking about the bat flip he would do if he hit a homer.

He should have spent more time working on his hitting

And less time working on his celebration.

Does that help you see the problem of James and John?

John Calvin nailed the issue:

“To correct their ambition, and to withdraw them from this wicked desire, he holds out to them the cross, and all the annoyances which the children of God must endure. As if he had said, “Does your present warfare allow you so much leisure, that you are now making arrangements for a triumphal procession?” For if they had been earnestly employed in the duties of their calling, they would never have given way to this wicked imagination. In these words, therefore, those who are desirous to obtain the prize before the proper time are enjoined by Christ to employ themselves in attending to the duties of piety. And certainly this is an excellent bridle for restraining ambition; for, so long as we are pilgrims in this world, our condition is such as ought to banish vain luxuries. We are surrounded by a thousand dangers. Sometimes the enemy assails us by ambush, and that in a variety of ways; and sometimes he attacks us by open violence. Is he not worse than stupid who, amidst so many deaths, entertains himself at his ease by drawing pictures of triumph?

Our Lord enjoins his followers, indeed, to feel assured of victory, and to sing a triumphal song in the midst of death; for otherwise they would not have courage to fight valiantly. But it is one thing to advance manfully to the battle, in reliance on the reward which God has promised to them, and to labour with their whole might for this object; and it is another thing to forget the contest, to rush forward to triumph, for which they ought to wait till the proper time. Besides, this foolish speed, for the most part, draws men aside from their calling; for as in battle the greatest coward is the keenest to seize the booty, so in the kingdom of Christ none are more eager to obtain the superiority than those who shrink from all the annoyance which attends toil. Most properly, therefore, does Christ enjoin those who are puffed up with vain glory to keep their post. The sum of the whole is, that for none but him who has fought lawfully is the crown prepared; and especially, that none will be a partaker of the life and the kingdom of Christ who has not previously shared in his sufferings and death.”

(Calvin, John [Commentary on a Harmony of The Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, And Luke; Volume Second; Baker Book House; Grand Rapids, Michigan] pg. 420)

I hope you caught what Calvin was saying.

“You don’t get to focus on the crown until you have first won the battle.”

Now it’s one thing for a soldier to sort of envision the joy of victory.

Indeed that sort of motivation can drive him forward.

Jesus had that kind of motivation.

Hebrews 12:2 “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Jesus looked at the joy before Him and thus endured the cross.

Paul even told us:

Colossians 3:1-4 “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”

We are told to fix our eyes on things above.

SO THIS IS NOT a point to tell the Christian that

You should not focus on the glories of heaven.

Indeed that is our hope.

That joy pushes us forward as it did Christ.

When Paul wrote of the certainty of resurrection he finished it by saying:

1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

So yes, we look to the reward.

SO WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM OF JAMES AND JOHN?

Namely that they were looking to the reward

With no understanding of what was required to obtain it.

They approached Jesus and said,

“Give us the two best seats in the kingdom.”

Like a man who didn’t fight in the battle, but wants a share of the spoils.

And Jesus pointed out that the pathway to such glory and triumph

Comes through first sharing in Christ’s suffering.

And just in case you find that truth shocking,

Let us go back to our headwaters passage again:

Mark 8:34-35 “And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.”

We might even consider Matthew’s version of that text for a moment:

Matthew 16:27 “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds.”

Even there Jesus reminded us that

There is a repayment which is according to a man’s deeds.

Think about this for a moment.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 “According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”

Paul there spoke of a man who will in fact be saved,

But have absolutely nothing to show for it.

He will lose all of his reward even though he will be saved.

Consider:

2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

There again, we read of a day of recompense for believers

As they stand before Christ.

Or consider what Jesus told the church at Sardis:

Revelation 3:1-3 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. ‘Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. ‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.”

Jesus told them that “I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.”

Such verses come as quite a shock to those of us who understand

That salvation is by grace alone through faith alone.

But do you understand that we are NOT here talking about salvation?

Salvation IS by grace alone.

We ARE talking about reward.

We ARE talking about honor in the kingdom.

We ARE talking about even about rank in the kingdom.

James and John want the two highest seats

Jesus points out that such a lofty seat would require lofty sacrifice.

They would have to drink His cup and be baptized with His baptism.

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?

They were putting the cart before the horse.

· They were trying to secure their status when they had not yet even fought the battle.

I find this very relevant for us as we live our Christian lives today.

I’m not overly fond of the quote, but I’ll give it to you anyway,

Because there is an element of truth in it that we find applicable here.

Someone once said, “Some people are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good.”

In this context I do understand that there is some truth to that statement.

Take the American church today

Where someone might attend and hear the gospel preached.

· The sinner enters the doors and hears that Christ is the Son of God

· Who took up human form, came and lived a sinless life,

· And then died on the cross to pay the debt for sins He did not commit.

· And then 3 days later Jesus rose from the dead validating the salvation He offered.

And then that sinner is told

If they will repent of their sins and believe in Jesus that they will be saved,

· And they do.

· They confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord

· They believe in their heart that God raised Him from the dead

· They are instantly forgiven and justified in the sight of God.

· They are adopted into the kingdom and they are granted eternal life.

SO NOW WHAT?

Are they just supposed to spend the rest of their life

Focusing on heaven and all the joys that await there?

Just go about singing every day,

“When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be!”

We certainly would not rob them of such a hope or joy.

But, does that not overlook the requirement of their life on earth?

For as good as heaven will be

The fact remains that they are not in heaven right now…

AND NEITHER ARE YOU.

· There will be a day when we will be in heaven with Christ.

· There will be a day when our faith will become sight.

· There will be a day when we enter into that rest and receive the reward of our inheritance.

BUT TODAY…

We are still on this earth.

And what is your requirement today?

Mark 8:34 “And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

James and John want to know if they can have the chief seats

Their request is so out of touch.

Where are they headed?

· Jerusalem.

What is going to happen there?

· Jesus is going to suffer and die and rise.

Today the calling is to take up their cross and follow.

· That should be their focus.

· That should be their aim.

Even though we enjoy the promise of eternal rest in heaven,

Christian, do not lose sight of the fact that you are still on earth

And you are called to be a follower of Jesus.

Romans 8:16-17 “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

· Yes you are a child of God.

· Yes you have an inheritance.

· Yes you will be glorified with Him.

But what is the calling for today? “If indeed we suffer with Him…”

DON’T SKIP THE MISSION.

THAT IS THE POINT.

A football player only gets to hold the trophy

If he has first spent hour upon hour focusing on his job on the field.

· The trophy comes later.

If all he does is practice his Heisman pose

And not his catching ability

He’s quite likely to never hold the trophy.

Consider the Thessalonians.

They were told of the second coming and thought it be imminent so many of them were quitting their jobs and just waiting for Christ’s appearing.

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example. For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.”

“Get your head out of the clouds and get to work.”

Solomon said:

Proverbs 6:6-11 “Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise, Which, having no chief, Officer or ruler, Prepares her food in the summer And gathers her provision in the harvest. How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? “A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest”— Your poverty will come in like a vagabond And your need like an armed man.”

And again:

Ecclesiastes 11:4 “He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap.”

I HOPE YOU GET THE POINT.

The disciples had some FAULTY ATTITUDES.

Their Fearful Amazement was inappropriate

And so was their Misguided Focus.

Christian, hold your hope of eternal reward,

But your focus today is on following Christ faithfully.

· You are not in heaven right now, you are on earth,

· You have been left here to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus.

Don’t forget that you are following the Man of Sorrows.

Focus on that, the reward will come soon enough.