Introduction: The Cup in His Hand
We are here right now to partake of the Lord’s Supper. Before we do that, we’re going to go over some Scripture regarding the Lord’s Supper. Let’s worship God right now in Spirit and in truth as we honor him and remember him.
We’re going to talk about three cups:
- The cup of wrath
- The cup of redemption
- The cup of glory.
Let’s start in Matthew Chapter 26.
Matthew 26:27-28
And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Jesus didn’t ask them to take a sip. He didn’t say “a taste will do.” He said: Drink ye all of it. You can see that right there. He takes the cup. He gave thanks. We should always be thankful. And Jesus tells them to drink all of it.
There’s more in that cup than you think.
Tonight, we gather around the table to remember His broken body and His shed blood. But if you miss the power of the cup, you miss the heart of Easter. Don’t miss out on this wisdom and knowledge that you can learn from the preaching of God’s word right now.
Let’s start with the first of the three cups, the cup of wrath. This is a cup you don’t want to drink. And all thanks be to God that you don’t have to drink of this cup.
I. The Cup of Wrath: What He Took So You Wouldn’t
Psalm 75:8
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.
There is a cup of God’s fury, judgment, and wrath.
That cup had your name on it. It was your cup. That fury, judgment, and wrath was for you.
It was your sins that filled that cup to the brim.
And the moment Jesus knelt in the garden of Gethsemane to pray to his Father in heaven, He stared into that cup of wrath with your name on it. He had a decision to make. He had his own will as a man.
Matthew 26:39
And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
As a man, Jesus was asking is there was any other way. This fury, judgment, and wrath was something even Jesus didn’t want to face. “If it be possible, let this cup pass from me.”
But God didn’t let it pass. Jesus said, “Not as I will, but as thou wilt.” He did what God asked him to do. He drank of that cup of God’s wrath. And it hurt. It wasn’t easy.
He drank it down to the dregs or the settled sediment at the very bottom of the cup. He didn’t sip a small amount of it. Jesus drank it all for you. The cup of God’s wrath is a serious thing. You want no part of God’s wrath.
On the cross, Jesus absorbed the full wrath of God for sin. He didn’t sip of God’s wrath.
He drank all of it. Make sure you hear me. He didn’t take some of it for you. He took it all – all 100% of God’s punishment to you was fully paid by Jesus Christ.
The earthquake, the darkness, the veil torn—it was the fallout of divine wrath fully poured on the Son. Jesus Christ fully took God’s wrath for you and I. We deserve the wrath of God. But Jesus took your cup of wrath and my cup of wrath and he drank all of it.
Not some of it. He drank it all. Remember that. You need to be thankful for Jesus doing that for you. If there’s anything for you to be thankful for right now, it’s that. Now, since Jesus drank the cup of wrath for you, there’s another cup available to you.
II. The Cup of Redemption: What He Offers to You
Matthew 26:27-28
And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
This wasn’t just a drink.
It was a covenant. A contract sealed in blood. Jesus shed his blood for you and I. Because of his shed blood, we can be saved and drink of a far better cup than the cup of God’s wrath.
At the Lord’s Supper, when Jesus handed them that cup, He wasn’t continuing tradition—He was rewriting history. This was the first Lord’s Supper in history.
The cup in His hand symbolized something far more powerful than ritual:
It represented the redemption of mankind through His own blood.
Drink ye all of it…
He didn’t say to drink some of it. He said to drink it all. And you can remember it this way because he took the full cup of God’s wrath.
He took the cup of wrath so He could hand you the cup of redemption. He took the wrath so can be redeemed. He wasn’t a sinner. He didn’t deserve the cup of wrath. We do. But he drank it all for you and I. And now he asks you today, to fully drink that cup of redemption. And it’s a good cup. It tastes good. You want that cup.
Salvation is not a halfway thing. You don’t sip grace—you drink it all. Take it all or nothing. You are only saved by God’s grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
You don’t get halfway forgiven.
You don’t get halfway adopted.
You don’t get halfway redeemed.
He paid it all—and He expects a full response. What must your response be today? If you aren’t saved, you need to be saved.
Acts 16:31
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
It’s so easy to be saved. Jesus didn’t have it easy. He sweated blood. He was beat, whipped, mocked, slashed, and blood was pouring out. Nails through his hands and his feet. He hung on the cross suffering for you and I for six hours. And then he gave up the ghost and died on that cross.
His blood was shed for us and that cup we drink of today is a picture of the blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus redeems us, and it’s only Jesus. We don’t add anything to the blood of Jesus Christ for salvation.
Believing in him is only him. It’s not me or you or church or repenting of sin or baptism in water. It’s not preaching the Gospel and getting people saved. The Savior is Jesus Christ and that’s it. We’ve seen the cup of wrath and the cup of redemption. Drink it all. Now let’s talk about the cup of glory.
III. The Cup of Glory: What Awaits in the Kingdom
Matthew 26:29
But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.
He drank the cup of wrath. He drank it all.
He offers the cup of redemption. We drink it all.
But He’s saving the cup of glory. Let me be clear. Jesus is saving the cup of glory. Again, he says: “I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine UNTIL that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
That’s going to be a great day. Right now, today, we’re drinking of that cup of redemption all because of Jesus Christ. But one great day that we await in the future, we will be drinking the cup of glory with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. “I drink it NEW with you IN my Father’s kingdom.”
The next time Jesus drinks?
It’s with us. You can see the great love that he has for us. And you need to realize the magnitude of his love for us. Sometimes we just don’t realize. That’s why we remember the Lord by partaking of the Lord’s Supper.
We will drink the cup of glory with Jesus Christ:
When every enemy is crushed.
When every tear is wiped away.
When faith becomes sight.
We are living between the cups—and the next one is eternal joy. Remember that. If you’re saved, you drank all of that cup of redemption and you are redeemed. And we continue to drink of the cup of redemption as we remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us.
Understand the love Jesus has for you. The next cup will be a cup filled with the joy of everlasting life. We will be in the kingdom of God the Father and Jesus will be there with us. Our Savior – the one who loves us more than anyone. We’ll have a great celebration with him.
We will drink of the best tasting cup that ever existed with the one who loves us the most. As we head towards partaking in the Lord’s Supper, I have a question for you. What cup are you holding?
It’s time to take a look at yourself. That’s why we do this once every three months. It’s time to take a look at yourself. God commands us to do this.
IV. Personal Examination: What Cup Are You Holding?
1 Corinthians 11:28
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
Tonight, we approach the table.
But don’t come casually. This is a time to be serious. Don’t come distracted. Don’t come without self-examination. Only people who are saved and have been baptized are to partake of this cup. If you’re saved, you’re saved. The first step of obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ is to be baptized. That’s why I want you to be baptized before partaking of the Lord’s Supper.
There are only two cups available to you in this life. It’s either the cup of wrath or the cup of redemption.
- If you reject Christ all your life, you will drink the cup of wrath yourself.
- If you’ve trusted Christ, you’ve been handed the cup of redemption—and one day, the cup of glory. And you want that cup of glory. But you won’t get it until you’ve drank the cup of redemption.
- You won’t drink of the cup of wrath and the cup of glory. It’s wrath or redemption, and it’s your choice.
Jesus drank your judgment—have you believed that? If you have and you’ve been baptized, I invite you to join us as we partake of the Lord’s Supper.
Call to Action: Drink Ye All of It
Jesus said, “Drink ye all of it.” Not “Try a little religion.” Not “Add me to your life.” Not “live your life for me.” Not ask Jesus into your heart. Not repent of all your sins to be saved. Not turn from all your sins to be saved. He said drink all of that cup of the Lord’s shed blood. His blood redeems us from the curse of death and hell.
Drink it all. As we do that together, remember that Jesus paid it all. All to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.
Believe the Gospel. Embrace the cross. Walk worthy of His blood. Come to the table with reverence, with joy, with awe.
We’re all sinners. The penalty for sin is death and hell. We deserve that penalty. If it weren’t for Jesus, we would die and end up in hell. Because he drank the full cup of God’s wrath, we can know we’re going to heaven. We put all 100% of our trust on him, and him alone, and he saves us in that very moment. Born again. A child of God. Sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.
It’s a done deal. Drink that cup of redemption through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
As we partake of the Lord’s Supper tonight, remember:
- He drank your wrath.
- He poured out redemption.
- He’s waiting with a cup of glory.
And He says to you right now:
“Drink ye all of it.”
And please listen. If you aren’t sure you’re going to heaven, please don’t partake. If you aren’t trying to get things right in your life, don’t partake. This is a serious time. And there are warnings within the word of God.
Let’s pray and then we will partake of the Lord’s Supper. Remember, we come together as the body of Jesus Christ right now.
Pray with me.
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