Thursday
Evening Bible Study
October
6, 2016
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid
to die? Does it speak to the broken
hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision
Is the church loved? Target 3300 words
Video = 75 wpm
Next week we will have new classes: (Oct. 20 – Nov. 17)
David Cathers – using Chuck Smith’s book “Calvary Chapel Distinctives” –
this is what Calvary Chapel is all about.
Dave Ritner – using Warren Wiersbe’s book “50 People Every Christian Should
Know: Learning from Spiritual Giants of
the Faith”. It’s about significant
people in church history.
The English word psalm comes
from a Greek word that means “a poem sung to musical accompaniment”, or in
particular, “stringed instruments”.
The Hebrew name is tehillim,
which means “praises.”
The book of Psalms is the hymnbook of God’s people.
It’s also the “Him” book as well. It’s all about Jesus.
The writer of Hebrews quotes from
Psalm 40:8 when he writes,
(Hebrews 10:7 NKJV) Then I
said, ‘Behold, I have come— In the
volume of the book it is written of Me— To do Your will, O God.’ ”
The author was talking about Jesus.
We’re going to see a lot of Jesus
in the Psalms.
Soul Music
Music touches the soul. It’s
“soulish” in nature. It touches the emotions.
We’re going to find every kind of
emotion possible expressed in the Psalms.
For every sigh there is a Psalm.
For most of us, this is what makes
the Psalms so wonderful. We can identify. We can relate.
If we were honest, even darkest
most depressing Psalms describe the very things we go through day by day.
It is my prayer that as we continue
on this journey through the Psalms, we won’t just look at these songs
academically, with our mind, but that we may also grow as worshippers.
Book III
We are now starting “Book III” (Ps.
73-89) of the Psalms.
Eleven of the 17 psalms in this
section are attributed to Asaph (Pss. 73-83)
, one to David (Ps. 86), three to
the sons of Korah (Pss. 84-85; 87), one to Heman (Ps. 88), and another to Ethan
(Ps. 89). Asaph, Heman, and Ethan were Levite musicians in David’s day (1
Chron. 15:17, 19).[1]
Psalm 73 – Eternal Perspective
: A Psalm of Asaph.
The next eleven Psalms are attributed to “Asaph”.
Asaph was one of David’s three Levitical worship leaders.
This might have been written by Asaph himself, or it might have been
written by a descendant of Asaph, and the name simply used for the entire
family that continued to serve in worship.
Some have suggested that David
wrote these Psalms, but wrote them for Asaph to perform.
Yet the Bible tells us that King
Hezekiah commanded the Levites to praise God with the words of “David and Asaph
the seer” (2Chron. 29:30)
(2 Chronicles 29:30 NKJV) —30 Moreover
King Hezekiah and the leaders commanded the Levites to sing praise to the Lord with the words of David and of
Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads
and worshiped.
:1 Truly God is good to Israel, To such as are pure in heart.
A simple and true statement – God is good to His children.
:2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; My steps had nearly slipped.
Something is going to trip up Asaph for a bit, something that we all
struggle with.
:3 For I was envious of the boastful, When I saw the prosperity of
the wicked.
:4 For there are no pangs in their death, But their strength is
firm.
:5 They are not in trouble as other men, Nor are they plagued
like other men.
:6 Therefore pride serves as their necklace; Violence covers them like
a garment.
:6 pride serves as their
necklace
As Christians, we believe what the
Bible says about pride:
(1 Peter 5:5b NKJV) be clothed
with humility, for “God
resists the proud, But gives
grace to the humble.”
Yet the wicked are not afraid of
pride, they consider it a badge of honor.
:7 Their eyes bulge with abundance; They have more than heart could wish.
:7 They have more than heart
could wish
In our eyes, we think the wealthy
person has everything they could ever want, but the truth is, no one ever has
enough.
(Proverbs 27:20 NKJV) Hell and Destruction
are never full; So the eyes of man are
never satisfied.
It’s been said that the difference
between the man with 6 million dollars and the man with 6 children is that the
man with 6 million dollars wants more.
:8 They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression; They speak
loftily.
:9 They set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue walks through
the earth.
:10 Therefore his people return here, And waters of a full cup are
drained by them.
(Psalm 73:10 NLT) And so the
people are dismayed and confused, drinking in all their words.
:11 And they say, “How does God know? And is there knowledge in the Most
High?”
:11 How does God know?
Lesson
Who’s watching?
The moment you begin to think that God doesn’t see you or that God doesn’t know
what’s going on in your life is the moment that you open the door to all kinds
of evil.
Would you live any differently if your pastor was sitting next to you?
To be honest, I don’t want to be your “watchdog”, but there is value in
accountability and hanging out with people who will help you make wise choices.
God isn’t just watching, He’s with you.
:12 Behold, these are the ungodly, Who are always at ease; They
increase in riches.
:13 Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, And washed my hands in
innocence.
:14 For all day long I have been plagued, And chastened every morning.
:13 Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain
Lesson
Dangerous Comparisons
Here is the danger in comparing your life with others, it will cause you
grief and heartache.
It’s okay when you do things you’re designed for, but when you try to be
someone you’re not, you get “stuck”
When you as a believer wish your life was like the unbeliever, you’re
asking for trouble.
You will get “stuck”.
You will wonder why should you bother trying to live in a way that pleases
God?
Illustration
“The Cross Room”
A young man was at the end of his
rope. Seeing no way out he dropped to his knees in prayer. “Lord, I can’t go
on,” he said. “I have too heavy a cross to bear.” The Lord replied, “My son, if
you can’t bear its weight, just place your cross inside this room. Then open
that other door and pick out any cross you wish.” The young man was filled with
relief. “Thank you Lord,” he sighed, and he did what he was told. Upon entering
the other door, he saw many other crosses, some so large the tops weren’t even
visible. Then he spotted a tiny cross leaning against the far wall. “I’d like
that one Lord,” he whispered. And the Lord replied, “My son, that is the cross
you just brought in.”
Ultimately, the only one we ought
to comparing ourselves to is our own selves.
We need to find what God wants for
us, and try to honor Him.
Don’t try to be someone else.
:15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,” Behold, I would have been untrue to
the generation of Your children.
:16 When I thought how to understand this, It was too painful
for me—
:17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their
end.
:17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God
Lesson
Finding perspective
It’s not until Asaph steps into “church”, into God’s presence, into the
Temple, that he finds a healthy perspective.
It’s one of the reasons why it’s important to make sure being in church
regularly is important – to keep you grounded on what’s real and what’s true.
We get perspective in worship.
(Isaiah 6:1–8 NLT)
—1 It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was
sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. 2 Attending
him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered
their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 They were
calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his
glory!” 4 Their voices
shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with
smoke. 5 Then I said,
“It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I
live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” 6 Then one of
the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a
pair of tongs. 7
He
touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now
your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” 8 Then I heard
the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go
for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.”
Isaiah gained a sense of his own sin, his own need for
God.
He found cleansing in God’s presence.
He gained a fresh sense of purpose and direction (“send
me”).
We get perspective from other
believers.
(Hebrews 10:24–25
NLT) —24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and
good works. 25 And let us
not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another,
especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
(Hebrews 3:12–13
NLT) —12 Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own
hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. 13 You must
warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will
be deceived by sin and hardened against God.
This is where Asaph gets his perspective.
He gets it when he enters into God’s sanctuary, into God’s presence.
:18 Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to
destruction.
:19 Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are
utterly consumed with terrors.
:19 They are utterly consumed with terrors
You probably won’t see too many articles in People magazine about the
“terrors” that the rich and beautiful experience.
Yet they experience pain just like you and I, except they don’t have God as
their helper.
:20 As a dream when one awakes, So, Lord, when You awake, You
shall despise their image.
:21 Thus my heart was grieved, And I was vexed in my mind.
:22 I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before
You.
:23 Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my
right hand.
:24 You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me to
glory.
:24 And afterward receive me to glory
Asaph perceived the ultimate “end” of the wicked, and it was that of
destruction.
Our “end” is a little different.
Our lives end with God receiving us into glory.
Lesson
Strength from hope
It’s our hope in the resurrection
of Jesus and in our own future resurrection is the very thing that gives us the
strength to handle our difficult times.
(1 Corinthians 15:30–33 NLT) —30 And
why should we ourselves risk our lives hour by hour? 31 For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily.
This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you. 32 And what value was there in fighting wild beasts—those people of
Ephesus—if there will be no resurrection from the dead? And if there is no
resurrection, “Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!” 33 Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company
corrupts good character.”
:25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon
earth that I desire besides You.
:26 My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my
heart and my portion forever.
:27 For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed
all those who desert You for harlotry.
:28 But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust
in the Lord God, That I may
declare all Your works.
:26 God is the strength of my heart
Lesson
Cardiac Care
Heart failure is not a fun thing. I
think I have a little experience in this area.
I’ve learned a few things about taking care of my heart since my heart
attack in March, 2015.
Here’s a few things I’ve learned.
Diet
If you want to deal with the health of your heart, you need to tackle your
diet.
Things have to change.
You can’t keep consuming the kinds of things you used to consume, the
things that contributed to the heart disease.
As believers, we need to be careful about what kinds of things we’re
feeding our heart/mind.
(Daniel 1:8 NKJV) But Daniel
purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the
king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of
the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
There are some things that the “world” wants us to consume, things that
will pollute our heart and mind.
We also need to learn to consume things that are healthy for us – like
God’s Word.
We need to change our diet.
Exercise
When you’ve had a heart attack, you don’t seem to have the same strength as
you used to – your heart has been damaged.
Yet the doctor has told me every time I see him, that I need to be sure to
keep exercising.
As believers, we need to do more than just change our diet, we need
“exercise”, or practice what the Bible says.
(James 1:22 NKJV) But be doers
of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Doctor
I don’t know nearly enough about my heart, but my doctor does.
It’s important that I stay in touch with my doctor to make sure I’m on
track with my health.
There are times that frankly I’m a little reluctant to go to the doctor,
but I’m trying to learn to go, even if I’m not sure I’m going to like what
He’ll say.
Our heart doctor is God.
We need to stay in touch with Him about the health of our
heart.
Song
Tran: C G Am F
Verse 1:
C
When my heart is overwhelmed
I will look to You alone
Am F
God my rock, God my rock, God my rock
C
You will stand when others fall
You are faithful through it all
Am F
God my rock, God my rock, God my rock
G
In the blessing, in the pain
F
Through it all You've never failed me
Chorus:
C
You are the strength of my heart
G
You are the strength of my heart
Am F
I can rely on You, I can rely on You
Verse 2:
C
When I've struggled to believe
You have not let go of me
Am F
God my rock, God my rock, God my rock
C
Carried through the darkest storms
You have held me in Your arms
Am F
God my rock, God my rock, God my rock
G
In the blessing, in the pain
F
Through it all You've never failed me
Chorus:
C
You are the strength of my heart
G
You are the strength of my heart
Am F
I can rely on You, I can rely on You
C
You are the joy of my life
G
You are my song in the night
Am
There is no one as true
F
Jesus, I trust in You
Tran: C G
Am F
Chorus:
C
You are the strength of my heart
G
You are the strength of my heart
Am F
I can rely on You, I can rely on You
C
You are the joy of my life
G
You are my song in the night
Am
There is no one as true
F
Jesus, I trust in You
Chorus:
Words & Music by Brenton Brown & Paul Baloche
©2012 Leadworship Songs
Psalm 74 Almighty Helper
: A Contemplation of Asaph.
A Contemplation of Asaph
This song was written sometime after the Babylonian captivity of 586
BC. It speaks of the destruction of Jerusalem.
This would have been written by one of Asaph’s descendants.
:1 O God, why have You cast us off forever? Why does Your
anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?
The Psalmist is struggling with difficult times.
:2 Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old, The
tribe of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed— This Mount Zion
where You have dwelt.
:2 Mount Zion where You have
dwelt
This is the city of Jerusalem,
where God “dwelt” by honoring the Temple with His presence.
:3 Lift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations. The enemy has damaged
everything in the sanctuary.
(Psalm 74:3 NLT) Walk through
the awful ruins of the city; see how the enemy has destroyed your sanctuary.
:4 Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place; They set up their
banners for signs.
:4 They set up their banners for
signs
The enemies’ banners or ensigns in
the Temple area replaced those emblems God had placed in the Temple (such as
Aaron's rod).
:5 They seem like men who lift up Axes among the thick trees.
They destroyed the city like lumberjacks cutting down a forest.
:6 And now they break down its carved work, all at once, With axes and
hammers.
:7 They have set fire to Your sanctuary; They have defiled the dwelling
place of Your name to the ground.
:8 They said in their hearts, “Let us destroy them altogether.” They have
burned up all the meeting places of God in the land.
:7 They have set fire to Your sanctuary
This is the devastation facing Asaph.
The sanctuary (Temple) is destroyed, there are no places to meet and
worship God.
:9 We do not see our signs; There is no longer any prophet; Nor is
there any among us who knows how long.
:10 O God, how long will the adversary reproach? Will the enemy blaspheme
Your name forever?
:9 Nor is there any among us who knows how long
Not only are things bad, the Psalmist doesn’t know how long this will all
last.
Jeremiah will eventually speak that Jerusalem would be desolate for 70
years.
Have you ever experienced a time like this?
Things look bad and there doesn’t seem to be a way out. There might not even be a way out.
I think about folks in our church who are struggling with long term health
problems.
One brother with Crohn’s disease for ten years.
Another with a bad knee caring for his wife and her recovery from back
surgery for the last five years.
Another with horrible debilitating back pain for the last ten years.
One couple where they are each fighting cancer.
:11 Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand? Take it out
of Your bosom and destroy them.
:12 For God is my King from of old, Working salvation in the midst
of the earth.
:12 God is my King from of old
Asaph is now going to remind himself of just who his King really is, and
take us back to the Exodus.
:13 You divided the sea by Your strength; You broke the heads of the sea
serpents in the waters.
:13 divided the sea
Referring to the parting of the Red Sea.
The “heads of the sea serpents” might refer to the destruction of Pharoah’s
chariots in the Red Sea.
:14 You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces, And gave him as
food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
:14 Leviathan … as food
Leviathan was a mythological seven-headed monster, and probably again a
reference to Egypt’s power being crushed as God brought the nation out of Egypt
into the wilderness.
:15 You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up mighty rivers.
:15 broke open the fountain and the flood
Probably refers to the water coming out of the Rock as Moses struck it with
his staff.
:15 You dried up mighty rivers
When Israel crossed into the Promised Land, God stopped the flow of the
Jordan River, though it was at its annual flood stage.
The Jordan River used to have a LOT
more water flowing through it than it does today. A lot of water is taken by Israel and Jordan
to use for farming, and by the time it gets to the Dead Sea we might call it
the Jordan Creek.
:16 The day is Yours, the night also is Yours; You have
prepared the light and the sun.
:17 You have set all the borders of the earth; You have made summer and
winter.
:16 You have prepared the light and the sun
Sometimes we need to remember just who God is when we pray.
He is the Almighty God. Nothing is
too difficult for Him.
:18 Remember this, that the enemy has reproached, O Lord, And that a foolish people
has blasphemed Your name.
:19 Oh, do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the wild beast! Do
not forget the life of Your poor forever.
:20 Have respect to the covenant; For the dark places of the earth are full
of the haunts of cruelty.
:21 Oh, do not let the oppressed return ashamed! Let the poor and needy
praise Your name.
:22 Arise, O God, plead Your own cause; Remember how the foolish man
reproaches You daily.
:23 Do not forget the voice of Your enemies; The tumult of those who rise
up against You increases continually.
:22 Arise, O God
Lesson
Ask the Strong One
The Psalmist started by stating the fact that things are going badly.
Then he reminded himself of just WHO he was praying to – the Almighty God.
Then he turned to bring his request to God – asking for help.
When Jehoshaphat was faced with a
coalition of three nations joined to fight against him, he prayed, but started
his prayer like this:
(2 Chronicles 20:6 NLT) He prayed,
“O Lord, God of our ancestors,
you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of
the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you!
When Hezekiah was faced with the invading Assyrian army, he prayed for
help, but started his prayer like this:
(Isaiah 37:16 NLT) “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, God of Israel,
you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the
kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth.
Amazingly, some people actually doubt that there is a God who created
everything.
Look at the size of the universe next time you’re struggling.
(Isaiah 40:12 NKJV)
Who
has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, Measured
heaven with a span And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the
mountains in scales And the hills in a balance?
God made it all.
He’s big enough to help you.
When you are discouraged, take time
to remind yourself just who you are talking to.
He is Almighty God.
(Isaiah 40:15 NKJV) —15 Behold,
the nations are as a drop in a bucket, And are counted as the small dust on the scales; Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.
Isaiah wrote,
(Isaiah 40:25–31 NKJV) —25 “To whom
then will you liken Me, Or to
whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high, And see
who has created these things, Who brings
out their host by number; He calls
them all by name, By the greatness of
His might And the strength of His
power; Not one is missing. 27
Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: “My way is
hidden from the Lord, And my just claim is passed over by my God”? 28
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The
everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His
understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives
power to the weak, And to those
who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31
But those who wait on the Lord Shall
renew their strength; They shall
mount up with wings like eagles, They shall
run and not be weary, They shall
walk and not faint.
Psalm 75 Thanks for Judgement
: To the Chief Musician. Set to “Do Not Destroy.” a Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
a Psalm of Asaph
This Psalm is thought to have been written at the time of Hezekiah’s
deliverance from the Assyrians (2Ki. 19), around 700 BC.
You can read about the amazing thing God did in Isaiah 36-37.
The Assyrians were the unstoppable army.
They had laid siege to Jerusalem and everyone expected Jerusalem to fall
like all the other cities.
Hezekiah prayed, and one night God sent a single angel who killed 185,000
Assyrians.
:1 We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works
declare that Your name is near.
This is a song of thanks.
:2 “When I choose the proper time, I will judge uprightly.
:3 The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved; I set up its pillars
firmly. Selah
:2 When I choose the proper time
This is God speaking in vss. 2-3.
God will work when it’s the right time.
Lesson
The right time
God knows when it’s the right time
for things.
In 722 BC, when Sennacherib was
threatening Hezekiah, God would deliver the nation of Judah.
In 586 BC, when the Babylonians
were threatening Jerusalem, God would NOT deliver them, but they were carried
off to Babylon.
When God decides it’s right, Jesus
will return.
:4 “I said to the boastful, ‘Do not
deal boastfully,’ And to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn.
:5 Do not lift up your horn on
high; Do not speak with a stiff neck.’ ”
(Psalm 75:4–5 NLT)
—4 “I warned the proud, ‘Stop your boasting!’ I told the wicked,
‘Don’t raise your fists! 5 Don’t raise your fists in defiance at the heavens or speak with
such arrogance.’ ”
:6 For exaltation comes neither from the east Nor from the west nor
from the south.
:7 But God is the Judge: He puts down one, And exalts another.
:6 exaltation comes neither from the east … west … south
There’s no mention of the “north”.
It could be because “exaltation” or deliverance would come from the north,
and that’s where God is.
1. The Assyrians would be attacking
from the north. The idea might have been
that help wasn’t coming from the north because that’s the direction the trouble
was coming from.
2.
It more likely refers to God’s help being in the “north”.
Sacrifices were to be made on the
north side of the altar.
It is thought that God’s throne was in “the north”. Look at Satan’s boast:
(Isaiah 14:13 NLT) For you said
to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I
will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north.
Zion is described as being in the “north”
(Psalm 48:1–2 NKJV)
—1 Great is the Lord,
and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, In His holy mountain. 2 Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, The city of
the great King.
:7 He puts down one, And exalts another
The old King James version reads like this in verse 6:
(Psalm 75:6 AV) For
promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the
south.
That word “promotion” is interesting because in vs. 7 it talks about
putting down one and exalting another.
Lesson
God as promoter
Whether it’s in our current job, our dream job, our ministry, or just life
in general, it’s a healthy thing to let God take care of your “promotion”.
(Colossians 3:22–25
NLT) —22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to
please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them
sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. 23 Work
willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather
than for people. 24
Remember
that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master
you are serving is Christ. 25 But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong
you have done. For God has no favorites.
You might think that your boss isn’t paying enough
attention to you, but your boss isn’t the one you need to be pleasing.
God is the one who sees you. All the time.
He will take care of promotion.
:8 For in the hand of the Lord
there is a cup, And the wine is red; It is fully mixed, and He pours it
out; Surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth Drain and drink
down.
:9 But I will declare forever, I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
:10 “All the horns of the wicked I will also cut off, But the horns
of the righteous shall be exalted.”
:8 in the hand of the Lord
there is a cup
This is the cup of God’s wrath.
Lesson
Thanks for justice
The final point of this song of thanks is giving God thanks that one day He
will judge this world.
Some folks struggle with the idea of “God’s wrath”, but that’s because they
aren’t looking at it right.
It’s when God takes all the wrongs of this world and makes them right.
When the time is right, judgment will come.
(Revelation 14:9–10
NLT) —9 Then a third angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships
the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand
10 must drink
the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of
wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence
of the holy angels and the Lamb.
Jesus also faced a “cup”
(Matthew 26:39 NLT)
He
went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My
Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet
I want your will to be done, not mine.”
His cup also spoke of judgment.
He would face judgment for our sins so we wouldn’t have
to.
He gave us a “cup”
(Matthew 26:27–28
NLT) —27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it
to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms
the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to
forgive the sins of many.
Jesus took His cup so we couldn’t have to take God’s
cup.
He’s given us a different cup to remember what He’s done.
It’s something we too should give thanks for.