Chosen Ministries The Cup, The Cross, The Cure For Our Ambition

Apr 19, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Glory Costs a Cup

James and John approached Jesus with boldness: “Teacher, we want you to do whatever we ask.” They sought seats of honor beside Him in glory, imagining thrones and recognition. But Jesus saw their hearts—ambition dressed as loyalty. He replied, “You don’t know what you’re asking.” Their request revealed a hunger for status, not surrender. [01:04:28]

Jesus didn’t condemn their desire for greatness. He exposed their blindness to its cost. True glory comes through drinking the cup of suffering, not claiming privileges. The disciples wanted crowns without crosses, but Jesus redirects their gaze to sacrificial love.

How often do you ask God to bless your plans instead of seeking His? We draft blueprints for our lives and demand His signature, forgetting He’s the architect. Today, pause before praying. Are your words a surrender or a negotiation? What hidden ambition do you need to lay at Jesus’ feet today?

“James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘we want you to do for us whatever we ask.’… Jesus said to them, ‘You don’t know what you are asking.’”
(Mark 10:35, 38, NIV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to reveal any selfish ambition in your prayers. Confess your need for His plans over yours.
Challenge: Write down one personal goal. Beside it, write, “Not my will, but Yours.”

Day 2: Baptized into Suffering’s Waters

Jesus held up a cup—a symbol of suffering, rejection, and sacrifice. “Can you drink the cup I drink?” He asked James and John. They quickly said, “We can,” not grasping the bitterness within. Jesus knew their path would include persecution, loss, and dying to self. His baptism wasn’t water alone but immersion into redemptive pain. [01:13:39]

The cup tests our willingness to follow Jesus beyond comfort. Suffering isn’t punishment; it’s partnership with Him. When we drink it, we join His mission to redeem brokenness. Our trials become testimonies when surrendered to His purpose.

You face a cup right now—a strained relationship, financial stress, or unanswered prayers. Jesus doesn’t promise to remove it but to walk through it with you. Will you resent the cup or let it deepen your trust? What bitterness in your cup might God transform into blessing?

“Jesus said to them, ‘You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant.’”
(Mark 10:39-40, NIV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for walking your hardest road. Ask for courage to drink your cup with faith.
Challenge: Identify one struggle. Pray, “Jesus, use this to make me more like You,” three times today.

Day 3: Greatness Wears an Apron

The disciples argued over who deserved the highest rank. Jesus gathered them and flipped their logic: “Whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.” He stripped greatness of its glitter and wrapped it in a servant’s towel. True power kneels to wash feet, not climb ladders. [01:24:23]

Jesus redefined success as stewardship, not status. The world measures by titles; heaven measures by tears wiped and burdens carried. Every act of hidden service echoes His love.

You serve others daily—packing lunches, listening to a coworker, or cleaning messes you didn’t make. But do you resent tasks that go unnoticed? Today, scrub a floor, send an encouraging text, or stay late to help—not for praise, but for Him. Where can you swap recognition for radical humility this week?

“Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.”
(Mark 10:43-44, NIV)

Prayer: Ask God to give you joy in thankless tasks. Name one way to serve someone secretly today.
Challenge: Do a chore for your household (or coworker) without announcing it. Let only God see.

Day 4: Ransom Paid, Servant’s Towel

Jesus declared His mission: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” He traded heaven’s throne for a criminal’s cross, paying our debt with His blood. The King became a slave to free slaves. [01:39:38]

Ransom means every chain of sin, shame, and selfishness is broken. Jesus’ sacrifice invites us into a life of radical generosity—our time, resources, and love poured out for others.

You hold something tightly—time, money, or grudges. Jesus let go of everything to rescue you. What can you release today to reflect His surrender? What “right” do you cling to that Jesus asks you to give up?

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
(Mark 10:45, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one area where you resist serving. Ask Jesus to replace pride with His selfless love.
Challenge: Donate a possession you value to someone in need.

Day 5: Signing Over the Deed

Jesus told James and John, “The seats you ask for aren’t mine to give.” Honor belongs to the Father alone. Our role isn’t to demand blessings but to surrender our lives—signing over the “deed” to our plans, dreams, and control. [01:21:53]

Surrender isn’t passive resignation; it’s active trust. God honors those who let Him rewrite their stories. Your surrendered dream may become a doorway for His glory.

What dream, relationship, or fear have you kept from God? Write it down. Literally place your hand over the paper and pray, “Your will, not mine.” What part of your life still bears the stamp “Mine” instead of “His”?

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’”
(Matthew 16:24, NIV)

Prayer: Tell Jesus, “I exchange my plans for Yours.” Repeat it aloud three times.
Challenge: Write a sentence on paper: “I surrender [specific area] to Jesus.” Burn or bury it as a symbol.

Sermon Summary

The message examines how ambition interacts with kingdom life, using the episode of James and John in Mark 10 as a mirror for modern faith. Ambition appears in every believer; some ambitions reflect holiness while others mask a desire for status. The request to sit at the right and left of glory exposes a deeper problem: a craving for proximity and power without willingness to bear cost. Jesus reframes greatness around the cross, insisting that true elevation accompanies suffering, surrender, and transformation rather than mere promotion.

The teaching presses the need to surrender personal plans to divine authority. Many bargain with God for blessing without allowing God to refine character or steward new responsibility. Elevation without maturity invites harm; God refuses to promote what character cannot sustain. The text challenges control: believers cannot dictate how or when honor comes, only prepare their hearts to steward it well.

The sermon confronts internal church dynamics as well. Rivalry and jealousy among disciples reveal that much conflict springs from competition, not conviction. Kingdom leadership must reject Gentile models of power—control, hierarchy, and self-advancement—and adopt servanthood as the marker of greatness. Jesus models this by becoming the ransom; the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and the king’s authority flows from sacrificial humility.

Practical demands appear throughout: crucify behaviors that hinder stewardship, embrace suffering as the pathway to glory, and serve in ordinary tasks with excellence. The community must cultivate humility, refuse celebrity culture, and honor hidden faithfulness. The closing call invites wholehearted surrender—recommitment, baptism, joining a church home—and encourages faithful giving and persistent service. The promise remains that unseen obedience matters; the one who calls to service already drank the cup and will honor the faithful in due time.

Key Takeaways

1. Ambition requires crucifixion, not promotion Ambition becomes a mirror that reveals whether God or self directs desire. When ambition seeks recognition, it resists the pruning necessary for sustainable stewardship; when it yields to crucifixion, it becomes sanctified service. Surrendering plans allows God to form character capable of bearing greater responsibility. [63:55]
2. Greatness demands drinking the cup True elevation passes through suffering, not around it. The cup represents trials, sacrifice, and judgment that shape soul and resolve; refusing the cup seeks resurrection without crucifixion. Willingness to be immersed in hardship readies a person for authentic glory. [72:24]
3. Kingdom leadership equals humble service The kingdom overturns worldly metrics of power: authority measures by service, not status. Leadership that seeks control corrodes community; leadership that cleans toilets, stacks papers, or greets strangers embodies the king. Excellence in small tasks proves readiness for larger stewardship. [85:16]
4. Hidden faith wins heaven’s honor Unseen obedience and quiet sacrifice accumulate spiritual capital that God alone recognizes. The community may overlook or misunderstand faithful labor, but heaven records perseverance and hidden fidelity. Such faithfulness often precedes unexpected elevation and enduring fruit. [101:49]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[63:37] - Title and Introduction
[64:08] - Defining Ambition in Believers
[65:08] - James and John’s Request
[68:49] - Cross vs. Crown: Reframing Greatness
[72:24] - Drinking the Cup: Suffering Explained
[76:20] - Limits of Control and Honor
[78:51] - Jealousy, Rivalry, and Conflict
[85:16] - Servant Leadership Defined
[99:09] - Ransom, Humility, and Sacrifice
[101:49] - Hidden Faith and Heavenly Reward
[105:32] - Altar Call: Recommitment & Baptism
[109:14] - Offerings and Practical Giving
[110:36] - Closing Prayer and Charge

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Mark 10:35-45 (ESV)
And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 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?” And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Observation Questions

What specific request did James and John make to Jesus, and how did Jesus respond to their ambition?
How does Jesus redefine greatness in contrast to the world’s understanding of power and status?
What does the metaphor of “drinking the cup” represent in this passage? [01:12:24]
How did the other disciples react to James and John’s request, and what does this reveal about human nature?

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Jesus connected the disciples’ desire for honor to the idea of suffering (“drinking the cup”)? What does this teach about the relationship between glory and sacrifice?
Jesus says, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve” (v. 45). How does this statement challenge cultural or personal definitions of leadership today?
The disciples became indignant when they heard James and John’s request. Why might rivalry and jealousy arise even among people pursuing God’s work? [01:18:21]
What does Jesus mean when He says the seats of honor “are not mine to grant” (v. 40)? How does this clarify God’s role in assigning purpose and elevation?

Application Questions

Reflect on a time when you sought recognition or control in a situation. How might surrendering that desire to God lead to greater spiritual growth? [01:06:38]
What “cup” of suffering or sacrifice are you resisting in your current season? How can you shift your perspective to see it as part of God’s refining process?
In what practical, everyday task (e.g., serving at home, work, or church) could you choose excellence and humility this week, even if no one notices? [01:25:16]
Are there areas where you compare yourself to others or feel jealous of their opportunities? How can you replace rivalry with celebration of others’ gifts?
What is one ambition or plan you need to surrender to God’s authority this week? How will you actively submit it to Him?
How can you intentionally serve someone in a “hidden” way (without seeking credit) to practice kingdom-centered leadership? [01:41:49]
What step will you take to cultivate humility in your relationships, especially when disagreements or competition arise?

Sermon Clips

70s

#GreatnessAsService

“Jesus does not condemn greatness. He refines it. Greatness is not measured by how many people you serve, how many followers you have, how many titles you carry, how many rooms you control. Greatness is measured by how much you give, not how much you gain. And whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. Now what is he talking about being a slave? Jesus moves from servant to slave because he's showing us kingdom of going Jesus We're is not lowering the standard. He's raising it up. He is calling us to a life where our rights, our preference, and our ambition are laid down so he can be fully doing what he needs to do in us.”

45s

#SurrenderYourLife

“And if anybody told you that when you give your life to Christ, you ain't gotta give up nothing. That's a lie. You have to give up your life. Your entire life unto him. Your life, your life, your time, your life, your plans, your life, your money, your life, your heart belongs to God. Your flesh may wanna stay angry, but the heart belongs to God, and you have to forgive. Who am I talking to? Your life, the heart, the condition of the heart belongs to God. Unchecked ambition leads to self promotion. Kingdom ambition leads to crucifixion and transformation.”

53s

#EmbraceTheCross

“They wanted the throne without the thorns. But you cannot and will not accomplish, hear me, a kingdom assignment with worldly thinking or comfortable Christianity. Who am I talking to? You won't do it. The kingdom is not advanced word of word is you must be willing to walk through kingdom adversary. Are you willing to walk the walk in this season? If you wanna share his glory, you must be willing to share in his suffering. If you want the crown, you must embrace the cross.”

55s

#KingdomVsWorldAmbition

“Every believer carries ambition. Some ambitions are holy. Some ambitions are harmful, and some ambitions hide so deeply in us that we don't even recognize them until Jesus exposes them. Mark ten thirty five through 45 is one of those moments. James and John come to Jesus with a request that sounds bold, spiritual, and even loyal. But beneath their words is a sickness that Jesus must heal. Not just in them, but also in us. This text is not simply about two disciples who wanted status. It's about the collision between the world's definition of greatness and the kingdom's definition of greatness.”

50s

#DrinkTheCup

“There's a cup that you are dealing with in life right now. Your cup has challenges. Your cup has disappointments. Your cup has surprises. Your cup has let down. Your cup has betrayal. Your cup has rejection. Your cup has lies in it. Come on here. Your cup has some stuff. And God is saying, are you willing to drink the cup? So he says, can you drink the cup that I drink? The cup in the scripture is the cup of suffering, judgment, and sacrifice. He says, or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized.”

48s

#ExamineYourAmbition

“And Jesus says, no. No. We ain't gonna do this. He says, because when ambition goes unchecked, Jesus must intervene. Jesus cannot allow us to operate in a kingdom lifestyle while being loud and wrong. Our belief systems are contaminated. If they're contaminated, then our actions will be contaminated too. This is why it is crucial for the church to examine its ambition and the light of the kingdom. You cannot chase the anointing. God must cultivate it in you. You cannot manufacture spiritual authority. He must first form it through surrender, obedience, and transformation.”

46s

#CostOfGreatness

“Jesus does not rebuke their desire for greatness. He rebukes their misunderstanding for greatness. He does not rebuke their desire for wanting more. Hear me. He rebukes their lack of understanding of what more is gonna cost. Too much is given. Much is required. Much is. Too much is given. Much is. So everything that you are walking through right now, hey, it requires much more of you. They were thinking that greatness is about an elevation. Jesus says greatness is about crucifixion.”

53s

#SignOverYourLife

“are you willing to sign over your life to receive the life heaven has written for you? Are you willing today to sign over your life and give it up to God? No difference than you you give a car to somebody. What do you have to do? You gotta go to the DMV and what? Sign over to what? The who? Ah. So the deed of your life, are you willing to sign that over? Are you willing to lay down your plans so God can raise up his purpose in you? Are you willing to release your ambition so he can release his anointing?”

53s

#ServantsNotSuperstars

“The church needs more servants and less superstars. Who am I talking to? Uh-huh. The church needs more servants and no superstars because the only superstar that's in the kingdom is god himself, but we have too many superstars, and we have no not that many servants. We got 70 members here, and I only got 15 people I can count on. Preach pastor, the church needs servants, not superstars because Jesus himself was a servant. He was a servant. He says, whoever would be great among you must be a servant.”

47s

#CalledToTheCross

“They wanted proximity to Jesus, but for the wrong reason. They wanted position, prestigiousness, power, and visibility. They assume Jesus is going to Jerusalem to take a throne, but Jesus is going to Jerusalem to take a cross. A cross no human being could bear in their own strength. A cross that will press on his mind, strain his soul, challenge his identity. A cross that will comfort, confront every power of darkness that opposed his mission. Hear me. Because you are called by God, the enemy has a mission against you.”

40s

#SurrenderYourPlans

“And before we slip into the Pharisees' posture and judge James and John, we must be honest with ourselves that we have approached the king the same way. We have prayed like this as well. Just like James and John, we have asked god to bless plans. We never surrender to him. Hear me. Says we are in a season. Whatever plans you are making for your life, whatever plans you are making for your business, whatever plans you are even making for your children and grandchildren, every plan that you make should be surrendered unto the king.”

46s

#GodDoesNotOperateOutOfOrder

“But as we must understand is this, our heavenly father does not operate out of order. He will not release what we are not mature to handle. He will not pour out what we are not prepared to steward. He will not promote us into a place of our character cannot sustain. James and John are not villains in the story. They are just mirrors that are held up to even ourselves. Grant us to sit one at your right and one at your left in your glory. Get it in your head. Just imagine, heaven is open and you go up to God and ask God to set you to the right or the left.”

45s

#RivalryNotRighteousness

“Disciples heard what James and John were saying, they became indignant. Why are they angry? Not because James and John were wrong, but because James and John beat them to the request. This is the quiet truth about the church conflict today. Most conflict is not about righteousness. It's about rivalry. The disciples are not upset that James and John wanted power. They are upset that they may get first. Who am I talking to? And Jesus sees all of this, and he calls them together. That's why you should never be jealous of what somebody has.”

49s

#ServeWithRightHeart

“So however you wanna serve, you gotta serve with the heart of what God is calling you to serve too. If God says clean toilets, clean a toilet. If God says stack papers, stack papers. How is your heart posture in serving in the hour? Many want to be servants until they are treated like servants. The son of man's model of redemptive greatness for every for even the son of man, the one with all authority, the one who deserves all honor, the one who could demand all service, came not to be served but to Serve. Yeah. I can say it louder than that. But to Serve. Serve.”

36s

#KingCameAsServant

“This is the shock of the gospel. The king came as a servant. The creator came as a slave. The lord of glory came in humility. Huge humility. Humility. Humility. Humility. Look up the definition for me so I can help somebody. We're closing out. Humility. Humility. Humble. Humble. Not a high spirit. You know what a high spirit is? It's a high spirit that you just wanna knock out. Come humble in the church of god. Come humble that god kept you. Come humble. Humility. Humility. A heart attitude of total dependence on god.”

43s

#NoVendingMachineFaith

“James and John approaches Jesus as if he was a divine vending machine. Insert a request and expect a blessing. They don't come saying, Lord, what do you desire from us? Instead, they come saying, Lord, what do we want in this moment? This is this is not a prayer. This is a subliminal of spiritual manipulation. We were talking about in this series in bible study as we're walking a word about dysfunctional families and manipulation and trauma and triggers and all of the things. And and what God is saying is that this is not something that we're all just experiencing.”

37s

#GuardYourTongue

“If you don't understand your season, keep your mouth off of it. Because the Bible says that life and death is in the power of your tongue. Yeah. You may say I don't have no money. You won't have no money, honey. You supposed to say I don't have access to it right now. I don't have access to the things that I need right now. But God is saying, I have to crucify some things in you and on you in order for you to elevate in the other things that I have called forth to your life.”

51s

#StopComparing

“You you should never question why not me. Come on. What somebody else has? Because there is requirements to what they have. Too much is given, much is required. If you require to if she's required to sit there, baby, she ain't just carrying my bible. There are some expectations that I have out of her. And she is saying something or doing something in the backroom. There are requirements that hit Osiah that I expect out of the people that work so closely to me. Why is that? Why is that? Can I afford to be around a liar? Come on here.”

50s

#WelcomingChurch

“Hey. Hey. Come on here. How many people did we turn away from god? Come on here. How how many people because of us, they won't come back to the church? How many people because we were such gossipers, they won't come back to the church? How many people have we judged and discriminated against? Begandam of Hosiah with our filthy self. If god really told our story, come on. The church door will be locked. We're up here treating the church like a hole in the wall. We come late. We get offended. We leave early because for whatever reason, come on here.”

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Chosen Ministries The Cup, The Cross, The Cure For Our Ambition

Devotional

Day 1: When Glory Costs a Cup

Day 2: Baptized into Suffering’s Waters

Day 3: Greatness Wears an Apron

Day 4: Ransom Paid, Servant’s Towel

Day 5: Signing Over the Deed

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chosen Ministries The Cup, The Cross, The Cure For Our Ambition

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