The Cup of Blessing

 

The Cup of Blessing

PS 16:5

LORD, You are my Portion and my Cup of Blessing; You hold my future.

1 COR 10:16

The Cup of Blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

What is in the Cup of Blessing that we should desire to drink of it? What was in Christ’s Cup? 

PS 116:13

I will lift the Cup of Salvation and call on the name of the LORD.

PS 23:5

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my Cup overflows.

The first sip we take is BETRAYAL. Betrayal is bitter when tasted. It dissolves loyalties and gives a false empowerment to the ones who have prepared to betray another person for whatever reason. People who have been with us will turn us into the authorities. Plus betrayal always involves some kind of reward. Judas Iscariot, the treasurer of Jesus’ following, was given thirty pieces of silver to betray The Teacher he followed. Money was more dear to him than people and greed won out over loyalty. 

Judas made the decision to betray Jesus before the Last Supper took place. But it was during the Last Supper that he followed through on his volunteering to betray Jesus. This wasn’t a random amount of money. It was an insulting value of services rendered for a prophet’s work. Zechariah 11:12,13; Matthew 27:9. 

The second portion of blessing in our cups is COMMUNION with Christ. Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-30. COMMUNION is joint partnership, a sharing in of the work that is to be done. COMMUNION is fellowship with Christ, with God and with other saints. We cannot have communion with the world and the world’s many beliefs and gods. Nor can we have communion with unbelievers. 

COMMUNION requires steadfast loyalty: no matter how tough it gets we remain in Christ and He has promised to remain in us. John 15:4. 

COMMUNION with Christ demands Faithfulness on our part. Not just blind loyalty - following because we are compelled to do so - but eyes and ears open to the hearing of The Word of God and the receiving thereof. Job 42:5; Romans 10:17. 

COMMUNION demands holy living, a righteous lifestyle in Christ through The Holy Spirit on us. 2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 Peter 1:15. 

COMMUNION demands loving obedience to The Truth. 1 Peter 1:22; 2 John 1:6; Deuteronomy 10:12,13. 

As we see the bottom of our cup, we are aware there are dregs in this cup. Dregs are the bitterest to swallow. They are the sediments or grounds left in the cup. In a societal sense dregs refers to some people as “worthless, the worst kind of people, the ‘undesirables’. This is our drink. 

We have been deemed UNDESIRABLE. For our insolence in rejecting the demands of this world, we will be hated: some of us will be arrested, judged, punished and even killed. Matthew 24:9-13; Mark 13:9-13; Luke 21:10-19. 

Jesus was an UNDESIRABLE to Israel’s religious leaders and council leaders. Isaiah 53:1-8; Matthew 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-65; John 18:19-24; 1 Peter 2:21-25. 

We will remain silent, as Christ before us remained silent in the presence of His accusers. The Lord’s Silence: Isaiah 53:7; Mark 14:61. Our Silence: Hebrews 12:3; 1 Peter 2:23; 1 Peter 3:9.   

And, yet, it is brought to our remembrance by The Holy Spirit of God that the Cup of Blessing is ours to drink by choice and affiliation. We choose to believe God. We choose to believe and obey God’s Word. We choose to follow Christ Jesus wherever He leads us. We choose to love one another the way Christ loves us: unswervingly, unconditionally, unchangingly. We choose to drink this Cup. 

For in this Cup is our salvation: Psalm 116:13. In this Cup is our redemption. In this Cup is eternal life. For in this Cup is Christ: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. Having drunk this Cup, though our bodies cease to exist, our soul lives forever; we will not taste death. “When we draw our last breath here, we draw our first breath in heaven.” ~ Rev. Billy Graham. 

And when we drink from our cup faithfully, our cup overflows into the lives of those around us. With whomever we come into contact with the contents of our cup is made known to them. Psalm 23:5. 

It is a Joy to drink from our Cup of Blessing. For the rewards of following Christ are to be enjoyed and shared. But woe to the people who drink of this Cup unworthily! For they will be punished for their arrogance and judged by God for their unfaithfulness. 1 Corinthians 11:27-32. 

Are you ready to take hold of your Cup, lift it to your mouth and drink of your Cup of Blessing? You know your own heart. Only you can know if you are ready to drink of it. 

These songs went through me as I studied this morning:

 FILL MY CUP - Andrew Ripp (I've been singing this one since it came out)

WE ARE BLESSED - All Sons & Daughters (this one was on mental repeat)

MY PORTION - Isla Vista Worship (You must know by now how much I love this song)

 

A Crucified Life - - Is Scattered Abroad

 

2 Corinthians 9:9

As it has been written: "He has scattered abroad, He has given to the poor: His righteousness abides to the age."

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 4650

Scattered Abroad: dispersed, distributed

From the word 'skorpizó' (pronounced skor-pid'-zo):  One who dispenses blessings liberally (generously, abundantly, extensively, etc.); to put to flight

Psalm 112:9

He has scattered abroad His gifts to the poor; His righteousness endures forever; His horn will be lifted high in honor.

    Five times this word is used in the New Testament:

-Matthew 12:30

-Luke 11:23

-John 10:12

-John 16:32

-2 Corinthians 9:9

    The born again believer is a gift to be scattered abroad across the nations. We carry the Good News of redemption, repentance and revival within us. We are the light that shines in the darkness of men's lives that the Light of God's Love may shine in their hearts, transforming the old life into the new. 

    While some of us choose to go where and when we are sent, many more are driven to other nations through persecution. It is not a new thing for the born again believer to be under attack from those who do not want to hear about God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. 

    As it was in the early days of the New Testament church, so it is now in these later days, these last hours, of the New Testament church. We follow a Leader who informs us we would be scattered abroad to the nations. Not only that, but how we would be dispersed.

(1) Matthew 24:9-14 (2) Mark 13:9-13 (3) Luke 21:10-19 and:

    Acts 1:8

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

    Acts 8:3,4

But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison. Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 

    And what are we delivering? The message of reconciliation with the Father through His Son Jesus Christ Who died on the cross, wherein He paid the penalty for our sins; Who rose from the dead and walked out of the grave into newness of life. 

    We preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified, as the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth in his first letter to them (1 Corinthians 1:18-25). We preach the Truth and the Love of God (1 John 4); discernment and wisdom. 

    Wherever we go we go with God for He has said to His people that He would never leave us, nor forsake us. So we go in His strength, in His power, in His righteousness, in His victory. Every battle we fight we win, for Christ has gone before us and overcome all our enemies. We're just following His lead, trying to catch up to Him and bring as many folks as we can with us.

IN THE DISPERSAL 

Where You'll Find Me - First15 Worship

Though You Slay Me - Shane & Shane

Every Wave - Summit Sounds

Break - Nikki Mathis

Seek First - Jason Upton

You've Already Won - Shane & Shane

Walk With You - Michael Bethany