It's All About Easter - What was in His cup?

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, that last night, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will" (Matthew 26:39).

Then He said to Peter, "Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"  (John 18:11).

The "cup" was heavy on His mind that night.

But what was in the cup?

Our first thought, is "the coming cross."

But there is more.

In both the Old and new Testaments, the cup of God refers to God's judgment.

In the hand of the LORD is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs (Psalm 75:8).

...you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD, the cup of his wrath, you who have drained to its dregs...(Isaiah 51:17)

See also Jeremiah 25:15, Habakkuk 2:16 and others.

"If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath... (Revelation 14:9)

Through out Scripture, the cup is a picture of the judgment of God, poured out of His wrath on sinful nations and people.

We don't like to talk about the wrath of God. We don't like to think of the reality of the eternal consequences for people who reject Christ.

We like to ignore it and concentrate on other aspects of eternity.

Jerry Bridges, in The Gospel for Real Life, says this:

...how are we to understand the wrath of God? God's wrath arises from His intense, settled hatred of all sin and is the tangible expression of His inflexible, determination to punish it. We might say God's wrath is His justice in action, rendering to everyone his just due, which, because of our sin, is always judgment.

All sin, no matter how small it might seem, is a challenge, an assault, to the sovereign authority of God. It is rebellion against God's authority. 

It was the cup we should have drunk, but Jesus as our representative, drank the cup of God's wrath in our place. He drained it to the last drop.

And He did it for us.

When He cried out "It is finished!" (a Greek word for paid in full) it was not a cry of relief, but a cry of victory.

He had accomplished what He came to do, to save His people from the wrath of God.

He didn't just ask God to 'sweep it under the rug, to 'overlook it this time.' He consumed it Himself.

...we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of His great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2:3-5)

More from Jerry Bridges:

Herein is the glory of the cross. Justice and mercy are reconciled; wrath and love are both given full expression--and all of this so that we might experience the unsearchable riches of Christ!

Approaching Easter - The Historic Symbol of The Cross - Philip Yancey

It took time for the church to come to terms with the ignominy of the cross.

Church fathers forbade its depiction in art until the reign of the Roman emperor Constantine (280? - 337 AD) who had seen a vision of the cross and who also banned it as a method of execution.

Thus not until the fourth century did the cross become a symbol of the faith.

(As C. S. Lewis points out, the crucifixion did not become common in art until all who had seen a real one died off.)

Now, though, the symbol is everywhere: artists beat gold into the shape of a Roman execution device, baseball players cross themselves before batting, and candy confectioners even make chocolate crosses for the faithful to eat during Holy Week.

Strange as it it may seem, Christianity has become a religion of the cross -- the gallows, the electric chair, the gas chamber, in modern terms.

This, the power of the cross

Christ became sin for us

Took the blame, bore the wrath

We stand forgiven at the cross.

  -- Keith Getty

What Happens When He Speaks

"He speaks and the sound of  His voice is so sweet the birds hush their singing...."*

Picture it....imagine it.....Back there in Eden....He walked and talked with them. And the birds stopped their own joyous singing to listen to His beautiful voice and to hear His words!

May I be that eager today to listen....

And eager to experience it just like Adam and Eve did when we get to be with Him in heaven!

Doxology and Maranatha!!!!




*From In the Garden by Charles Austin Miles, 1912

God's Timing - Always Perfect!

 "But when the set time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law" (Galatians 4:4).

In some translations, the first words of this verse, are "In the fullness of time..."

Same meaning. It is a theological and historical phrase marking the precise, divine moment chosen by God for Jesus Christ's incarnation and the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy. All preparatory conditions for Christ's arrival had been met and were in perfect alignment with the arrival of Jesus. It was a exact time pre-determined by God.

You don't have to be a Bible student very long to realize that God's timing is always perfect!

Christ came during a time period called the "Pax Romana" - Latin for "Roman Peace" - the golden age of the Roman Empire - roughly a 200 year period of ancient Rome that is remembered for its  relative peace and order. The common Greek language was spoken and understood throughout the Kingdom. The ancient texts, including the Hebrew Scriptures, had been translated into Greek and available in libraries for all to read.

One government united the provinces of Europe and travel was easy. A vast system of roads enabled the Roman government to dispatch military troops throughout the Kingdom at a moment's notice (These roads also enabled the early church missionaries, like Peter and Paul, and their successors, to travel safely and freely  throughout the kingdom, planting new churches and spreading the gospel!)

Herod had enlarged and modernized the Temple in Jerusalem, where Jesus could preach His gospel message -- His New Covenant, proclaimed in the Old Testament, now being read by all in the common language, including the numerous prophecies related to His ministry, and these could now be verified!

"Is Jesus the One we are waiting for?" people could ask and study to be sure!

Yes, God's timing is always perfect! 

Our human timing is not so good. I remember reading that Napoleon Bonaparte, in the 1790's, discovered that food, when heated, could be preserved for long periods of time and still retain flavor and freshness, if kept in a secure container.

In 1810, a British inventor applied this to his own work, and came up with the world's first canned goods! But his 'cans' were wrought iron and so thick they had to be opened with a hammer and chisel!

About 50 years later an American inventor, with thinner tin cans, came up with an actual can opener that could puncture a can and saw the lid off! It wasn't until 1870 that a rotary can opened appeared on the market that could actually be used by consumers in their own kitchens. (Not electric, of course!).

We are so thankful for all the variety of foods we can now purchase, bring home, and open for use when we please!

We can even can our own food!

But think of it - after canned foods were available, it took over 70 years to get a can opener!

Nothing compares with God's perfect timing in all He does!

Focus on this verse: "For we are God's masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do"(Ephesians 2:10),

In eons past, God had a plan for our lives - work for us to do - and so He arranged for us to be in the exact place where He wants us to be, and equipped us to do exactly what He wants us to do!

Perfect timing...start to finish! Think about it today!

The Greatest Miracle of Easter

Two criminals were led out with Him to be crucified. One taunted and ridiculed Jesus. The other said, "Don't you fear God? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."

   He said to Jesus, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

   Jesus told him, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in paradise."

   What does the criminal realize? What we realize when we come to Jesus.  We are guilty. He is innocent. We are filthy. He is pure. He is not on that cross for His sins, but for ours. Jesus is his -- and our -- last hope.

   And Jesus performs the greatest miracle of the cross. Greater than the earthquake, the darkness of the sun, the tearing of the temple curtain. He performs the miracle of forgiveness. A sin-covered criminal is received by a blood-covered Savior!

   A desperate plea for help and a promise of salvation by the only One who can help!

   This is what we call grace...

          It took a miracle to put the stars in place

          It took a miracle to hang the world in space

          But when He saved my soul, cleansed and made me whole --

          It took a miracle of love and grace!