R sbc
Date: January 16,2005
Series: “ Christ The Sum & Substance of The Bible
Subject: “ The Cup”
Text: John 18:1-14
Sermon # 27
Intro: This no doubt was one of the low times in the life of Christ. It was a time nearing his death, a time when those whom he had chosen, called, and sent forth would not be able to bear with him.
It was a time when prophecy would find it’s fulfillment in Christ our Lord. David prophesied of this crossing of the brook Cedron, listen to what he says about it...vs 1
Psa 110:7 “He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head..
It was a time when other prophecies would find their fulfillment in one of the twelve, Judas Iscariot...vs 2 Jesus said prior to this act of betrayal at the institution of the Lord’s supper about Judas:
Matthew 26:24 The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.
It was a time when Christ was fully aware of what was going down vs 4 Note what he said... “all that should come upon him” It was a time of unwaveable bravery.
Jesus ask “ Whom seek ye”? They answer “Jesus of Nazareth” the Lord says clearly to them “ I am he” The power of his voice causes an immediate action they fall to the ground..
It was a time when the Lord thought of the safety of his disciples for he knew how frail human flesh and weak they were. He says to them that come after him “ vs 8 Let these go their way” As you know are should know Peter takes it on his own to cut the servant of the High priest ear... Luke 22:51 “ And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him. Christ heals the man’s ear and they still didn’t get it. This brings me to my main message this morning “ THE CUP CHRIST DRANK OF”
Whenever we use a cup we all know that we use it to consume a beverage out of it. Christ uses it in a spiritual sense here in this text. The contents of his cup was horrible to say the least. In the bible there is references to the cup that one must drink.. Let me sight them:
Jer 16: 7 Neither shall men tear themselves for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother. Christ would receive no cup of consolation, no comfort, nothing but what was in this cup he speaks of.
I... “CHRIST’S RECOGNITION FROM WHENCE COMETH THE CUP” ..VS 11
It is not from the Devil, it is not from the people even though they were the instruments in God’s hand, it was from the Father himself. In the word of the LORD often we see the Father’s hand in dispensing this bitter cup to his son for us..
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief when shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
Acts 4:26-28
II.. HIS SUBMISSION TO IT: VS 11 “ SHALL I NOT DRINK IT?
There is no question that Christ as a man felt every bit of the bitterness of this cup we have read it many times in the garden where the sweat was as great drops of blood. We try to reason in our minds the agony of Christ and we fail to do it.
1st. His submission is seen in his statement “ Not my will but thine will be done”
2nd. His submission is seen in his not defending himself before those who tried him.
Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
Matt 27: 12 “ And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.
John 19:9 And went again into the judgement and saith to Jesus Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer”.
3RD. His submission is also seen in his fearlessness..
He feared not what man could do to him. All the time knowing what waited him at the hands of wicked men. He said in John he needeth not that any man testify to him what was in man for he knew.
III... “ WHAT OF THIS CUP”?
It takes some thinking at this point of the message to find with scripture references what our Lord had to swallow to pay for our sins that we could not pay for.
1st. He drank of the cup of humiliations:
The condensation of Christ from heaven to earth, from glory to no glory, from a state where there was absolute purity to an earth of depravity and all kinds of impurities that Christ encountered.
Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Keep in mind this never changed him, this never caused him to be a sinner, neither did it cause him to be less than GOD. This was all necessary to his part in the covenant of redemption.
Even though in reality he was not looked upon as GOD nor as the Messiah by many he still remained perfect man and perfect God.
2nd. He drank of the cup of poverty:
It started as Mary was about to deliver him he had no place to be born except in the field:
Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
He often referred to his poverty:
Luke 9:58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
Paul said:
2 Corinthians 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
3rd. Christ drank of the cup of rejection:
No one likes to be rejected, no one likes to be ignored, no one like to be put down. There is no doubt that our LORD drank this cup all the way to the cross being rejected and despised by many. John 1:11 “ He came unto his own and his own received him not:
The prophet Isaiah said that he would be despised and rejected of men, and so it was and still is that way today.
Matthew 21:42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
He was rejected as Messiah, he was rejected as the son of God, he was rejected as prophet, priest, he was rejected as King, he was rejected as the one that could change men’s life...
The crowd rejected him and took a murderer instead of the LORD:
Matt 27:21-23 “ The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas . Pilate saith unto them, what shall I then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, let him be crucified.
All of this was done so we could be saved and go to heaven and live with Christ forever. Not thinking of himself but those whom the Father had given him to die for.
4th. Christ drank of the cup of the legal punishment for our sins:
What an awful thing Christ had to do for us. His father in heaven would lash out at him with his divine wrath upon him for us. He would be satisfied at the expense of his own Son.
No wonder the heaven turned black, no wonder Christ cries out My God My God why has thou forsaken me, no wonder Christ death caused the earth to shake uncontrollable...what a day when Christ died for us.
2 Cor 5-21 “ For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.