My Cup Overflows...To The Glory Of God
Posted: September 13th, 2008, 1:58 am
HEALING SHELTER MINISTRIES #126b; Re-Written 13SEP08; http://groups.msn.com/AHealingShelter/welcome.msnw
My Cup Overflows— Part Two: ...To The Glory Of God
by rev dave c
Throughout the Bible we witness God repeatedly teaching the ‘Law of the Harvest’ to all people, everywhere—“Reap what you sow...and sow what you reap.” This is clearly the message from Paul to his young charge, Timothy, concerning congregational instruction: Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life (1Ti 6:17-19; NIV). This is the experience and anticipation of King David in Psalm 23:5: ...My cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever (NIV). In Colossians 2:6&7 Paul directs us toward what should be our appropriate response in the face of God’s exceedingly great material, rational, and spiritual gifts: So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness (NIV).
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing (Mt 26:36-44; NIV).
This cup of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection is the thread that binds Holy Scripture from Genesis 3:15 through Revelation 2:8. Listen to the words of Jesus in Mark 16:15-18: ..."Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well" (Mk 16:15-18; NIV). As recorded in the New Testament, all of these signs were literally experienced by First Century disciples, with the apparent exception of “drinking deadly poison with no ill effects.” The verses quoted above from Matthew 26 are an indication that Christ, Himself, drank the cup of sin’s deadly poison for all of us throughout time—and death could not hold Him. As a consequence all those who are called by His name are not defeated by the first death, nor are we subject to the second, as we are lead into the Kingdom of God through the power of the Holy Spirit in the company of the Son who sits at the right hand of the Father.
Notice that Mark 16:17 says, “when they [believers] drink deadly poison,” not “if they drink deadly poison.” While we are in this life we are all subject to getting our feet dirtied by the corrupted and corrupting ways of Satan’s world systems and, as a consequence, we require periodic spiritual cleansing. By grace of God we have One Who has gone before us—One Who did not just taste the sin and death of fallen humanity, but One Who, although perfect in His innocence, voluntarily chose to drink it down to the last dregs. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus rose bodily from the tomb and is now with our Father in Heaven. Just as the Master assumed the role of servant to wash His disciples’ feet, the King of all creation assumed the role of cupbearer for His subjects—knowing full well the cup of poison He was taking up and the sacrifice He was making. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him (He 9:27&28; NIV). Although we must each still taste suffering and the first death, our Savior has rendered death powerless through the sacrifice of His blood and body for all those who call on Him.
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned--for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! (Ro 5:12-15; NIV). It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God (2Co 4:13-15; NIV). Amen.
My Cup Overflows— Part Two: ...To The Glory Of God
by rev dave c
Throughout the Bible we witness God repeatedly teaching the ‘Law of the Harvest’ to all people, everywhere—“Reap what you sow...and sow what you reap.” This is clearly the message from Paul to his young charge, Timothy, concerning congregational instruction: Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life (1Ti 6:17-19; NIV). This is the experience and anticipation of King David in Psalm 23:5: ...My cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever (NIV). In Colossians 2:6&7 Paul directs us toward what should be our appropriate response in the face of God’s exceedingly great material, rational, and spiritual gifts: So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness (NIV).
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing (Mt 26:36-44; NIV).
This cup of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection is the thread that binds Holy Scripture from Genesis 3:15 through Revelation 2:8. Listen to the words of Jesus in Mark 16:15-18: ..."Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well" (Mk 16:15-18; NIV). As recorded in the New Testament, all of these signs were literally experienced by First Century disciples, with the apparent exception of “drinking deadly poison with no ill effects.” The verses quoted above from Matthew 26 are an indication that Christ, Himself, drank the cup of sin’s deadly poison for all of us throughout time—and death could not hold Him. As a consequence all those who are called by His name are not defeated by the first death, nor are we subject to the second, as we are lead into the Kingdom of God through the power of the Holy Spirit in the company of the Son who sits at the right hand of the Father.
Notice that Mark 16:17 says, “when they [believers] drink deadly poison,” not “if they drink deadly poison.” While we are in this life we are all subject to getting our feet dirtied by the corrupted and corrupting ways of Satan’s world systems and, as a consequence, we require periodic spiritual cleansing. By grace of God we have One Who has gone before us—One Who did not just taste the sin and death of fallen humanity, but One Who, although perfect in His innocence, voluntarily chose to drink it down to the last dregs. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus rose bodily from the tomb and is now with our Father in Heaven. Just as the Master assumed the role of servant to wash His disciples’ feet, the King of all creation assumed the role of cupbearer for His subjects—knowing full well the cup of poison He was taking up and the sacrifice He was making. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him (He 9:27&28; NIV). Although we must each still taste suffering and the first death, our Savior has rendered death powerless through the sacrifice of His blood and body for all those who call on Him.
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned--for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! (Ro 5:12-15; NIV). It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God (2Co 4:13-15; NIV). Amen.