After having given their lives to Christ, Robert and Dorothy Hoppe wanted to serve Him. When they finished their studies at the Wycliffe Institute of Linguistics they felt called to serve the Malayo people in Columbia, South America where they would translate the Word of God into their language.They were allowed by the natives to live among them under the condition
that they lived in their huts, ate their food, spoke their language and wore their clothes. The natives didn’t think they would be willing to come under those
circumstances. But they were willing, more than willing! Two tiny mud-walled, thatched-roofed, dirt floor huts became their home. They wore Indian clothes and didn’t cut their hair in keeping with tribal customs. Furthermore, they learned to eat rotten
fish, curdled milk and rat meat. Life among the Malayo people was not easy as these missionaries faced many hardships and much hostility. But they lived their
gladly, more than willing to serve and suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Robert and Dorothy Hoppe knew what it meant to “DRINK OF THE CUP” of our Lord. In the deepest sense of its meaning, they were “PARTAKERS OF THE LORD’S CUP...”
And they did it willingly and joyfully. They never complained. They did something the Lord expects all of His followers to do: “drink of His cup.” The phrase “drink of His cup” has a double meaning. To share in one’s “cup” was to share in one’s fortunes or misfortunes. The “cup” Jesus spoke of was the cup
of suffering which He was going through, a cup which would climax on the cross. It was His “cup,” His lot to
bear in His person the wrath of God’s judgment upon sin. For the believer the cup would be the sharing of Christ’s lot with Him, a solidarity in suffering between the believer and Christ. Drinking of the
cup of the Lord involves much more than just partaking of a cup of wine or grape juice at a communion
table. Christ makes this very clear in our morning text.
TEXT
During the last days of Jesus’ life, His disciples’ concerns were, unfortunately, far different from His.
As the rejection and ridicule of His people as well as the pain and agony of the cross loomed ahead of Him, He had hoped the disciples might understand the
impending crisis.But they didn’t. They were bickering among themselves about who would be the greatest. They were preoccupied with a special place they might have in Christ’s kingdom. They were thinking in terms of power, prestige, position and privilege. They were looking for ease and comfort. Christ, however, was thinking in terms of submission, sacrifice, suffering and service. Erroneously thinking that Jesus was
about to inaugurate a new government on earth, James and John had a special request. Hence, in vs. 37 of our
text they said to Jesus, “LET ONE OF US SIT AT YOUR RIGHT AND THE OTHER AT YOUR LEFT IN YOUR GLORY.” They
desired the two most prominent positions. They had misunderstood the true nature of the conflict.
They had failed to recognize what Christ was all about: what He expected of them.
They had it all wrong. So Jesus said to then the words of vs.38, “YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE ASKING. CAN YOU DRINK OF THE CUP THAT I DRINK?” “The two disciples did not really know what they were asking. The way to privileged position in the Kingdom of God is not by grabbing for power but by relinquishing it through suffering and service.” Christ was asking them if they had what it takes to really follow Him. Would they be willing to pay the price of true discipleship? If the disciples were to share in Christ’s triumph they would have to share in his suffering. He was telling them that there is no crown without a cross. The word “cup” that Jesus used in His response to the disciples’ request was an anticipatory reference to His prayer in Gethsemane. Mark 14:36 tells us that while in Gethsemane Jesus prayed saying, FATHER, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE FOR YOU. TAKE THIS CUP FROM ME. YET NOT WHAT I WILL, BUT WHAT YOU WILL.” For Christ, the “cup” meant suffering, misunderstanding, betrayal, ridicule and the agony of the cross. The cup, symbolizing trouble and suffering as it does here, is a frequent theme of the Old Testament. (see Psalm 75:8 and Isaiah 51:17) Thus, when Jesus asked His disciples if they
could “DRINK OF THE CUP” He was asking them if they would be willing to endure trouble, suffering, hardship, sacrifice and even death for Him. He was asking them if they would be willing to “TAKE UP THEIR CROSS AND FOLLOW HIM…”(Matthew 16:24).
“PARTAKING OF THE CUP OF THE LORD” means to endure hardship and even suffering for Christ and the Kingdom of God. In our hurting, sinful world there is a great need for believers to sacrificially put themselves out in service to the Lord. The enemy is relentless and tenacious and if we are to be used by Christ to make a difference we must be willing to suffer. One aspect of the Christian life is that it is a warfare against the
forces of evil. A battle is raging for the hearts, souls and lives of those all around us. “The Apostle Paul used military terminology to describe the service to which we are called. In 2 Timothy 2:3 he wrote,
admonishing Timothy to be “A GOOD SOLDIER OF JESUS CHRIST.”Good soldiers are called upon to sacrifice and suffer for the cause. Self-denial and cross-bearing are expected. It is a given that they will “partake of the cup of suffering.” Such is also expected of us in this battle that is raging between right and wrong;good and evil; God and the world.
SUFFERING
The communion “cup” speaks of suffering; Christ’s suffering and our suffering. Writing to the Philippian believers (1:29) the apostle Paul said, “FOR IT HAS BEEN GRANTED TO YOU ON BEHALF OF CHRIST NOT ONLY TO BELIEVE ON HIM, BUT ALSO TO SUFFER FOR HIM.”
2 Timothy 2:12 says, “IF WE SUFFER WITH CHRIST, WE
SHALL ALSO REIGN WITH HIM…” If we are truly following Christ there will come times when we will, like Robert and Dorothy Hoppe, be called upon to suffer for Christ. Soldiers of the cross gladly endure sacrifice
and suffering. Suffering for Christ occurs in many
ways.
In many parts of the world suffering for Christ involves torture and even death. In scores of countries it is not uncommon for Christians to be abducted, tortured and even killed simply because they follow Jesus.Imprisonment, forced labor, loss of employment and property come to many
believers.Our suffering might come in the form of misunderstandings or ridicule.In identifying with Christ we might be viewed by some contemptuously.
Others might ostracize us.Persecution can occur in a variety of subtle forms. It can’t be otherwise for Jesus said in John 15:20, “…THE SERVANT IS NOT GREATER THAN HIS LORD. IF THEY HAVE PERSECUTED ME, THEY WILL ALSO PERSECUTE YOU.” Our suffering for Christ might come in the form of sacrificial service. Effective ministry often demands a willingness to truly suffer by putting ourselves out for the Lord and His people.
It might be financial sacrificial or a sacrifice of some leisure time. Whatever form it might take, suffering will come to us. And the ironic thing about this suffering is that it is good for us as well as the cause of Christ. Let’s quickly look at the benefits that result as we “partake of the cup of
suffering.”
SUFFERING ADVANCES THE GOSPEL
The Gospel was effectively proclaimed to the
Malayo people because missionaries were willing to “partake of the cup” of the Lord. The Gospel advances when God’s people are willing to “DENY THEMSELVES, TAKE UP THEIR CROSS AND FOLLOW CHRIST” through suffering, sacrifice, persecution
and even death. (Matthew 16:24) When we “take up our cross” we identify with Christ in His self-denial,
sacrifice and suffering. In fact, God makes suffering and persecution serve the Great Commission which is found in Matthew 28 and says,“…GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM IN THE NAME OF THE
FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT AND TEACHING THEM TO OBEY EVERYTHING I HAVE COMMANDED…” Suffering and persecution pushes the church into outreach. This certainly was the case in the early church as Acts 8:1 makes clear. Persecuted beyond measure the church
scattered and, in the process, grew in leaps and bounds.
This is certainly the case today. The area where there is the greatest amount of suffering and persecution is where the church is growing the fastest.Take Communist China, for instance.It has been estimated that in this country there are now 50 million Christians, most of are new believers and they have been forced underground because of relentless persecution.
Undaunted by the threats of torture, jail and a host other indignities, Chinese believers are spreading the
word in unprecedented fashion. There are millions of secret house churches from which the Lord’s work is being done. By contrast, comfort, ease and security cause spiritual stagnation. It seems that the believers that have it the easiest do the least.The early church had a saying: “The death of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” Persecution and
suffering advance the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom is
advanced when God’s people are willing to endure suffering, sacrifice and persecution so that others
might hear the good news of Jesus. There is no question but that effective service for Christ demands some degree of suffering and persecution and self-sacrifice. It has been said, rightly so, that “prosperity ha soften been fatal to Christianity but persecution never.”
SUFFERING DEEPENS OUR FELLOWSHIP WITH CHRIST
In Philippians 3:10 Paul wrote that he wanted to “…KNOW CHRIST….AND THE FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SUFFERINGS….”
Through suffering Paul learned so much about Christ.
Suffering for Christ caused his relationship with the Savior to deepen and intensify.It can do the same for us. It is through suffering that we gain a better understanding of our Savior and learn to more fully appreciate what He has done for us. Suffering assists us in comprehending Christ’s great love for us.It binds us to the Savior in an unbreakable bond of love and oneness. As we suffer for the Lord our
relationship intensifies. We get to know Him on a far
deeper level
SUFFERING PURIFIES OUR LIVES
It is through suffering that God purifies our lives,
refines our character, making us more like Christ.
“In the furnace of affliction the dross of earth is removed, passions are mortified, pride is humbled and our graces confirmed and strengthened. The purpose of our existence is to be conformed to the image of Christ and this cannot occur without knowing the ‘fellowship of his suffering.’”
Perhaps more than anything else, God uses suffering to improve our character and purify our lives. This is evident in many biblical characters including Joseph.
“From the pit of the well to Potiphar’s plotting wife,
from Pharoah’s prison to his palace, Joseph’s
suffering for the Lord God fashioned the fabric of his character and soul.” God often uses suffering to draw forth our best qualities. Peter speaks of this fact when writing to a suffering church he said, “AND THE GOD OF ALL GRACE, WHO CALLED YOU TO HIS ETERNAL GLORY IN CHRIST, AFTER YOU HAVE SUFFERED A LITTLE WHILE,
WILL HIMSELF RESTORE YOU AND MAKE YOU STRONG, FIRM AND STEADFAST” (2 PETER 5:10). Suffering extinguishes
our love for the world, altering our values and changing our priorities, making us more like Christ.
It makes us more caring, compassionate and sympathetic.
God uses it purify our lives and build our character.
CONCLUSION
Service in the armed forces of the United States is more than free tourism or government-funded education.
It is perilous duty in service to a nation that has enemies. The crew and families of the USS Cole were reminded of this on October 12, 2000, when terrorists caused the deaths of 17 and injured dozens more while the ship was refueling in Yemen. Recruitment posters many emphasize seeing the world or getting financial
help with college, but the harsh truth is that enlistment in our nation’s armed forces carries serious and grave risks. There is also a price to be paid for following Christ. Good soldiers of Jesus Christ endure hardship, sacrifice and suffering.
They are more than willing to deny themselves and
bear their crosses.
No wound? No scar? Yet, as the Master so shall the servant be. And pierced are the feet that follow me; But thine are whole: can he have
followed far Who has no scar?
