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Drink the Cup

Mark 10:35-40

3 things from this

1. Check your heart

• 35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.” 36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
• 37 They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” 39 They said to Him, “We are able.”
• In this scripture- the disciples are all but telling Jesus- “you are going to do what we ask you to do” Jesus plays along for a bit and asks “what is it you want”
• Remember- he knows what they are thinking- he is setting them up because he knows
• They want position in the kingdom- They think of Joseph in potiphars house, they think of Daniel under Darius. They want some position. They want some influence

• Their heart is not about what they can do for Jesus- it is based on what Jesus can do for them.
• The right and the left hand are positions of authority in a worldly kingdom and they want it.
• Here’s the deal- You can hear and not understand- been with Jesus and still aren’t getting it.
• Around the savior of the universe and still not realizing what it means to be a follower of JC
• The problem was they thought Jesus kingdom was going to be like a worldly kingdom
• They wanted power and prestige They wanted what would please them
• They wanted to get for themselves- wrong heart condition Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
• Modern day- I want Jesus to bless me and do stuff for me. This is the same heart condition of many people who come to Jesus not even “what can you do” but “you’re going to do this”
• Jesus says “are you able” and they are like “we are able” Jesus drops the bomb on them and they agree that they are able- but inMark 14:50 it says “Then they all forsook Him and fled”
• What it means to you
• Where’s your heart? James 1:14But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
• I can appreciate that people come to Jesus for many different reasons, many people start with a bad theology that must be corrected- The first thing Jesus wants to do is forgive your sin
• This is what sends churches sideways. People who want to build their own kingdoms. They get upset when they don’t get what they want.
• What you want from Jesus and what Jesus is going to give you might be different than you think

• People think that God is some magical genie that you can come around sporadically and rub the lamp whenever you need your wish granted- and when he doesn’t do it, you feel justified in your unbelief– people that come in and out of relationship with Jesus and his church for personal gain
• These guys hearts were wrong- but their theology was wrong too. They were wanting what Jesus doesn’t provide. They wanted a position that didn’t exist. No one gets that spot in heaven
• You Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
• Get your heart clean before God and then ask HIM…God, what is it that you want from me?
• I promise you that God will tell you if you ask him. – first thing he wants is all of YOU
• But here’s the other part of it- Don’t commit to what you wont do
• These dudes said they were able to do what Jesus asked of them, and in the end they failed.
• People will ask God to do something in their life, and faced with the responsibility of it, will choose to quit or not complete it.
• Don’t ask for a position and when it gets hard, quit. Don’t ask for a spouse and when it gets hard, quit. Don’t ever quit on your relationship with Jesus. Check your heart and why you’re doing it.
• Here’s what Jesus is really talking to them about

1. Drink the cup of suffering

• So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized;
• What did Jesus mean by this?
• To drink a cup is to get one’s fill To be baptized is to be overwhelmed
• Firstly The cup is the pain of following the will of God.
• This pain of following the will of God wasn’t completely easy for Jesus Humans- pleasure v pain
• He says in Mark 14:36 And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”
• But he was obedient to it. He knew that he had to fulfill the will of the father:
• he was concerned to follow the will of the father- which is what he wanted the disciples to do
• He was going to fulfill it!
• John 18:11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?
• He’s telling the disciples here that you want the right hand position, but that’s not the promise that I’m promising you. What Jesus is promising is that they will do the will of God and suffer!

• He’s making sure they know- you need to follow the will of God if you want to follow me
• We see from those couple of scriptures that Jesus was so overwhelmed with the prospect of going to the cross that his humanity cries out to God and asks “is there any other way”?
• But we also see that he was going to be obedient to it- He’s going to do the fathers will
• This should encourage you! Embrace that which God is doing in your life!
• Secondly he speaks to them of baptism of suffering
• The baptism that Jesus is speaking of is one of suffering one that he wasn’t looking forward to!
• Luke 12:50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!
• Jesus knows that suffering was going to be his portion. He’s going to the cross! Prophesied in
• Isaiah 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
• Jesus spoke of this to his disciples- Luke 14:46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,
• The cup and the baptism refers to suffering Jesus and His disciples would experience. They are going to eventually suffer for the gospel. They will eventually do the will of the father
• Acts 12:2 Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
• 1 Cor 9:11-13 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. ¹² And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; ¹³ being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.

• 3. You must Do the will of the father!
• How do you do the will of the father? I’ll tell you- its not a self-centered path of discovery
• Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
• You must be involved in reprogramming your mind to be like Jesus.
• Your mind was filled with the garbage of the world- and now it must be filled with the things of God- your mind must align and be renewed with the word of God to do the will of God.
• Find someone who is fully serving Jesus- ask “is what I’m doing lining up with the word of God”?
• Old world: retribution and destruction New world- Forgiveness and restoration
• Your mind must line up with the word of God! IN EVERYTHING. Jesus isn’t an addition hes the Equation
• 1 Thessalonians 5:18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
• You should be thanking God for everything that you have, will have, are going through, everything.
• Thankless people aren’t walking in the will of God. If you don’t have the ability to thank someone, that says a lot about where your faith is
• When you are constantly reminded of where you came from, you look for opportunities to be thankful
• This is what I always wonder when people don’t like to worship- I’m like “are you thankful”?
• When I remind myself of this- it makes me want to worship. To thank God for what he’s done!

• 1 Peter 2:15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men
• Christians should be ‘doing good’ like Jesus did!
• Little and big acts of kindness that can spread good in the world. Some people have been Christians for a long time and have never done nothing good to no one ever.
• Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;
• Want to do the will of God? The only acceptable sexual activity according to the word of God is sex between a man and a woman within the confines of a marriage relationship.
• Nothing else. Don’t say that you are doing the will of God- and don’t expect to experience the goodness of God if you’re not abstaining in these areas.
• Ephesians 5:17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is
• You have to have discernment in these times in your wisdom, and if you don’t? find someone who DOES have wisdom and hang out with them-
• Pray- Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
• Do those things- transform mind, give thanks, do good, abstain from sexual immorality, pray

• 4. You must Be willing to suffer for Christ!
• The early disciples were hungry, thirsty, poorly clothed, beaten, homeless. They labored with their hands were reviled, persecuted, defamed, and made the filth of the world. (1 Cor 9:11-13) Some Christians today can’t even handle a 90 min church service in a climate controlled room with a padded seat. Be a Christian that can handle some suffering!
• Job loss, relationship issue, health issue, dry season, emotional issues. No parking in church
• This was the heart of paul: Philippians 3:10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
• Many a Christian has never read this verse, nor have they tried to live out this verse.
• Most people who claim to be Christians would say “ I kind of want to know him, and some of his power as long as it doesn’t get weird or require anything of me. I’ll listen to stories about the resurrection, but never draw on its power, and I definitely don’t want to have to fellowship with other Christians, or have to experience any calamity. Can I got to church where they preach that feel good stuff every week, so I can live the longest most comfortable life that I can imagine?”
• Sounds great. Its just not biblical Christianity. I realize that WE’ve been talking about this a bit- but I think that many Christians struggle and suffer, and they seem to wonder- “is there something wrong with me”?

• NO- There’s something wrong with this world! You weren’t made for this world! You were made for heaven! And you will continue to SUFFER as you go through this life
• John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
• JESUS promised tribulation in this world. He promised that we would SUFFER with HIM
• Suffering produces something in us that joy cannot. Which isn’t to say we shouldn’t experience Joy, but when we suffer it grows us in our relationship with Jesus
• I’m not talking about suffering for making bad decisions, or suffering because of circumstance
• I’m talking about suffering for Jesus. Relationships, people, persecution for your beliefs.
• YES there are worldly sufferings that you will go through as well- but the ones for CHRIST matter!
• 2 Timothy 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
• Many a Christian suffer no persecution because they never do nothing or say nothing for Jesus
• Sometimes the suffering for Jesus is simply doing his will!
• Its when you choose to forgive, when you choose to love, when you choose to serve, You CHOOSE suffering. That’s why the whole “I’ll pray about it” is such bunk. YOU ARE CALLED TO DO IT

• You don’t have to pray to see if you’re supposed to forgive, love, serve, give, help etc etc
• Sometimes you just SUFFER through it. You embrace the pain of being like Christ
• Philippians 1:29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
• If you never do anything that your flesh doesn’t want to do how can you learn to suffer?
• It feels like suffering when You do the right thing and others do the wrong thing and they flourish
• It feels like suffering when you CHOOSE to honor God and other don’t. (suffering 4 JC in Hawaii)
• Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
• You are going to suffer in this life with or without Jesus- why not do it with Jesus?