The Gospel of JohnThe Cup

John 18:10 “Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus.
11 Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?
12 Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him,
13 And led him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year.
14 Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.”

1. A Time Not To Fight
2. A Time To Drink

1. A Time Not To Fight

Verse eleven: “Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?”

Peter, Put up thy sword!

This was not the time to fight with the sword.

It was not the right time to fight with a sword then, and it is still not the right time to fight with a sword today.

Now, Bible-believing Christians believe in the individual freedom of religion, and they believe in honoring the free-will of all men everywhere to worship according to their own conscience.

You will never find a true Bible believing Christian forcing with the sword or with torture in order to coerce another person to a particular religion.

Read: A PLEA FOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY by Roger Williams. Baptists believe in religious freedom for all!

When will we learn?

We learn from history that men never learn from history! The Crusades in times past, formed literal armies, armed with the carnal weapons of warfare, with swords, with spears and with guns. The carnal weapons of warfare are not the appropriate weapons of warfare in this age of GRACE; far from it!

The Christian’s weapons of warfare are not CARNAL!

I repeat; the weapons of Christian warfare not carnal [not of the flesh]. It is not a physical fight with physical weapons.

The Christian is not trying to establish a physical kingdom here on this Earth.

You say, give me chapter and verse. Well, here it is. Are you ready for it?

First, turn to Luke chapter seventeen, verse twenty: “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:”[Luke 17:20].

Now, let’s nail it down, go to Second Corinthians chapter ten, verse four: “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)” [2 Corinthians 10:4]

Now do you get it? Look at how many religious wars have been needlessly fought in the last two thousand years with millions of people being killed, or persecuted … all in the name of RELIGION … all because man is trying to establish a literal physical world-wide kingdom. My friends, all of the Earth, and all of mankind are worn out over this.

Here is the nature of our warfare.

 In the age of GRACE, or the CHURCH age, it is a time of SPIRITUAL WARFARE against the spiritual enemies in high places. [Ephesians 6:12] “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

You say: “What are the weapons of spiritual warfare?”

The spiritual weapons of our warfare for the last two thousand years consists for the believer in Jesus Christ … of prayers, the preaching, and teaching of God’s word, and of witnessing to the lost souls of men, and begging them to be reconciled to God, testifying to them of the saving power of Jesus Christ. “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.” [2 Corinthians 5:20]

To fight this warfare “against spiritual wickedness in high places” we will need to be properly attired with the armor as given by the Holy Spirit in the book of Ephesians chapter six. What is this ARMOR? Let us take a look at it. First, verse thirteen: “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” [Ephesians 6:13].

Now, this whole armor is made up of several [six] pieces, which are TRUTH, RIGHTEOUSNESS, PREPARATION, FAITH, SALVATION and the WORD of GOD.

Now, were ready to read verses fourteen through seventeen: “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” [Ephesians 6:14-17]. The physical pieces of the armor described here allow us to see with are carnal eyes the supernatural things!

But there is more to add to this “whole armour.” We need to add PRAYER and WATCHING. “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” [Ephesians 6:18].

 If you have all this, [the “whole armour” with the “Praying” and the “watching”, then you are ready to fight this fight.

2. A Time To Drink

Verse eleven: “Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?”

Eventually, it will all to come down to this. We must all drink of “the cup” at some point. It will be a cup filled with something.

The something that you will drink will depend on your true state. If you are not saved by the BLOOD of the Lamb of God, then it will be “the cup” of the wrath of God that you will drink.

Yea, you will drink of it! It will be a cup that God will pass to you. You will drink of it. The lost people, or the wicked of this world, will all be made to drink of it.

Brother St.James, how can say such a thing? Where did you get this?

It is not me, my friend, saying such a thing. It is THE BOOK that says it! It is the GOD of that BOOK that says it!

Be patient with me. Turn with me to Psalm eleven, verse six and we will find this there: “Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.” [Psalm 11:6]

God will do this! You can see this same thing again in Psalm seventy-five: “For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.” [Psalm 75:8]

Yes, there are consequences to everything we do, or not do, in life. The old adage runs like this: “the chickens will all come home to roost some day.”

Now, you have heard of this saying before, haven’t you?  In other words, there are consequences to everything we do in our lives, [these are the acts of commission] [what we have done in the flesh while we were on the face of this earth].

There are also, consequences for everything we choose not to do in our lives, [these are the acts of omission] like not receiving Jesus Christ as your Savior.

 In the final analysis, it is that particular act of the omission … of not receiving Jesus Christ … that will be totally fatal to you.  It will put you into HELL!

In the book of the Revelation [chapter fourteen] those who take of the mark of the of the Beast will “drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:” [Revelation 14:10].

Now, what we have at hand here, in verse eleven of John eighteen, is this. The Son of God is contemplating [or praying] about “the cup” which His Father has given Him to drink.

We see this playing out in Matthew twenty-six, verse forty-two: “He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.” [Matthew 26:42]

The cup was “the offence of the cross.” [Galatians 5:11] “And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.”

It was the will of the Father for the Son to DRINK!

Drinking this cup meant being “made” “sin” “who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” [2 Corinthians 5:21]

This cup that that Jesus Christ was to drink would involve the shedding of HIS BLOOD. Look at this with me in Colossians chapter one, verse twenty: “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” [Colossians 1:20]

Turn with me now, to the book of Matthew chapter twenty, verse twenty-two and twenty-three.

We need to see something very important here.

There is a BAPTISM involved with the drinking of this cup here, in John eighteen. The Son of God was to drink of this cup, which drinking was to be a baptism. “But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.” [Matthew 20:22-23]

Now, you read this. Did you see that we shall drink of THIS CUP?

Did you notice that we will be baptized with THIS BAPTISM?

When we received Jesus Christ as our Savior, we made a decision drink of HIS CUP.

See what the BOOK says in Psalm one hundred-sixteen, verse thirteen: “I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.” [Psalm 116:13]

We, as believers, as often as we observe the Lord’s supper drink of THIS CUP. Amen! [Luke 22:20] “Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”

When we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are baptized with this baptism.

Look with me in Romans chapter six, verse three: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” [Romans 6:3-4]

 “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” [1 Corinthians 12:13]

So now, in this age of GRACE, as we stand in the LIGHT [Jesus Christ], we can read Psalm sixteen by the inward illumination of the Holy Ghost with complete understanding. “The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.” [Psalm 16:5]

And with this is found in Psalm twenty-three: “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup Runneth over.” [Psalm 23:5

Now, look at verse fourteen, and see this strange counsel of a [lost] Pharisee: “Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.”

Caiaphas had a carnal thought but with spiritual implications. Jesus Christ would indeed go to the cross for the sins of the people.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” [John 3:16-17]