Dr, Barclay with Something to Think About - THE CUP AND THE BLOOD

 THE CUP AND THE BLOOD

When reading the Bible, it’s always important to understand that although it’s to be taken literally for the most part, it also uses allegory and symbolism in many places. Thus, when we speak of Christ asking the Father in Luke to “take this cup away from Me” (22:42), He wasn’t thinking of an actual vessel but of an ordeal, symbolized as a cup full of the entire sin of mankind. God, as a man, sinless and blameless, was to take on (drink) all of mankind’s misgivings throughout history. This would be the fulfillment of the prophecy given by the angel to Mary that her Son would “…save His people from their sins,” (Matthew 1:21). When John saw Jesus coming towards him, he said: “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). 1 John 2:2 puts it this way: “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but for the whole world.”

So Jesus “drank” all the sin of man from the “cup” and as a result took upon Himself the punishment that the presence of sin required - death. Now, from the earliest time, it was felt in the Bible that: “…the life of the flesh is in the blood…” (Leviticus 17:11). In God’s promises to Noah, He said: “…you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood,” (Genesis 9:4). This is why the blood was so important during the sacrifices in the Old Testament. Leviticus is riddled with references to blood being sprinkled or drained or poured out during sacrificial ceremonies. This is referred to in Leviticus 5:9 as such: “Then he [the priest] shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, and the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering.”

So as the blood of animals was shed as a sin offering in the Old Testament, the blood (life) of Christ was shed to atone for our sins in the New Testament. And just as the nations in earlier times were to drink the wine cup of fury: “…Take this wine cup of fury from My hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send you, to drink it” (Jeremiah 25:15), we also, initially, had the same cup to drink from. But Christ did that for us by pouring out His blood, and now the cup is no longer filled with fury but symbolically with His blood. “…He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do…in remembrance of Me’” (1 Corinthians 11:25).

So the cup is no longer a cup of death filled with God’s fury but instead is a cup filled with God’s love (symbolized by Christ’s blood), and becomes a cup of covenant and life. Hence, the statement by Christ in Corinthians: “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me” (1 Corinthians 11:25). Such is only available to those who have accepted Christ and His sacrifice; but for others, who have not understood His action, the cup is still filled with God’s wrath and will still be drunk by all nations, just as Jeremiah prophesied.

Jesus sacrificed His life for us and, since “the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11), Jesus literally poured out His blood on the cross and, in symbolism, filled the cup of covenant with it. This explains why, when Jesus appeared to His Disciples after the resurrection, He said: “Behold My hands and My feet, that it is Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have” (Luke 24:39).

  Resurrected, Jesus was only flesh and bones, no blood. As the blood of the sacrifice had been sprinkled over the altar on the Old Testament, so the blood of Christ has been given for us at the cross and this has allowed us to drink from the cup of covenant and not from the cup of wrath. 

It really is something to think about.

 

Pastor Caroline - Let Us Give Thanks

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Romans Part 27

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - THE CUP

 THE CUP

Scripture tells us that when Christ was in the Garden of Gethsemane He was in so much distress that, while praying, “…His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44). The Bible relates that Jesus knew what was waiting Him and it is often understood that the cause of His distress was the soon-to-take-place crucifixion. After all, in His humanity, He had the same feelings and fears that we all would have and crucifixion was known to be one of, if not the, most excruciating forms of capital punishment ever known.

But was it the cross that He really feared? After all, He said in John 10:18 that: “No one takes it [life] from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” Even though this was the case, there must have been some distress in His being about what was forthcoming.

Still, the Bible does not indicate that it was the cross itself that was causing Him so much discomfort that He sweating “great drops of blood”. He, Himself, does not pray for the ordeal of the cross to be taken from Him. What He says is: “…Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me…” (Luke 22:42); it was the cup He wished to be relieved of, not the cross.

So what does He refer to as “the cup”? It apparently refers back to the Book of Jeremiah, where in chapter 25, the prophet tells the people of Judah that: “…the Lord has sent to you all the servants the prophets…but you have not…inclined your ear to hear” (Jeremiah 25:4). Because of this disobedience, and the fact that the people had been praising and serving other gods, Jeremiah warned that the Lord would take joy and happiness away from them and send the conquerer, Nebuchadnezzar, against them and overcome them. (Jeremiah 25)

Furthermore, Jeremiah said that the Lord God of Israel said to him:

…‘Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath

 and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. 

When they drink it, they will stagger 

and go mad because of the sword 

I will send among them.’

(Jeremiah 25:15-16NIV). 

And so Jeremiah goes on to relate all the nations that this referred to and what would befall them for: 

‘The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth, 

for the Lord all bring charges against the nations; 

He will bring judgement on all mankind and 

put the wicked to the sword… 

…Look! Disaster is spreading from nation to nation; 

a mighty storm is rising from the ends of the earth.’

(Jeremiah 25:31-32NIV)

The people had to drink from the cup of their own sin and therefore would suffer from all that the Lord said world befall them in the passage referred to in Jeremiah. They would lose their joy and become enslaved and their land would become a desolate wasteland. This is the cup of God’s wrath referred to in Jeremiah and also in Matthew when Jesus confronted the Pharisees regarding their legalisms but lack of faith, justice and mercy. 

 

‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! 

For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, 

but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 

Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, 

that the outside of them may be clean also.’

(Matthew 23:25-26)

Jesus was not as worried about the crucifixion as He was about receiving all of the sin of mankind in the cup of God’s wrath. The man who was without sin was preparing to drink the cup filled to the brim with all the sins of mankind so that we ourselves would not have to suffer the consequences of our lifetimes of indiscretions and sin. It was knowing that this burden would soon be put upon Him that caused His agony and His request that the cup be removed from Him. But He said: “Father, if it is your will take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours be done.”

Jesus obeyed His Father’s request and drank the cup containing our sins and disobedience and thus saved us from the penalties awaiting. If we would only be half as willing to obey the Father’s direction, what a better world we might all be living in.

It should give you something to think about. 

 

Pastor Caroline - A Time for Everything

Your Time with The Lord

 

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Romans Part 26

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - WHAT IF

 

 WHAT IF?

At the end of September, Eastern Canada was subjected to apparently the worst storm ever to hit this area. Except for changes to the landscape, most people, although not all, escaped with little major damage. And not long after this, a second storm did much greater damage to the state of Florida.

There have been multiple examples of severe weather around the globe of late: droughts in parts of the US and Africa, as well as Europe; massive rain in other areas; persistent flooding in areas such as Pakistan; and other unusual weather events. Much, if not all of this, has been blamed on climate change, caused by the activity of man and the use of fossil fuels.

But what if there is more to the story than just the activity of man? We have been told in Deuteronomy 30:15 that mankind could choose between “…life and good, death and evil…” This was based on the blessings that God said would come “…if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God…” or the curses that would follow “…if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God…” (Deuteronomy 28:1,15). Likewise, in Judges, there are multiple examples of what developed when Israel obeyed God and the blessings that ensued and the misfortune that befell the country when they turned away from Him.

In addition to weather changes, multiple other events are happening around the globe which brings up the question asked to Jesus by His disciples in Matthew. Chapter 24, verse 3 says: “…‘Tell us’ [they said]…‘what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?’” Jesus simply replied: “…‘Take heed that no one deceives you…You will hear of wars and rumors of wars…these are [but] the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:4,6,8).

One of the primary problems today seems to be sorting out real news from disinformation or “fake news” as one person puts it. The war in Ukraine, as well as wars in other places, and rumours of nuclear conflict, as well as war with China are widespread. “…There will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places…” (Matthew 24:7). It is well known that we have just gone through three years of a pandemic with COVID, and both HIV and polio are resurging. There have been at least fifty significant earthquakes so far in the world this year and at least five famines threatening lives in various regions. “…many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another…And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:10,12). Such is evident all around.

“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring…[with]…men’s hearts failing them from fear…” Luke 21:25-26) These scripture describes a lot of what has just been  happening in many places. All around the world, fear is probably at the  highest peak it has been for many years. Although the world has experienced all of these problems before, it seems now that they are all developing at the same time.

Now, if one does not believe in God, then all of the above may just be silly rambling. Then, after all, the Bible would not be reliable and really just a gathering of stories and fables. But what if, as Christians believe and evidence supports, the Bible is just what it says it is and God is just who the Bible declares Him to be? Then perhaps there is more behind what is happening in the world than just human pride and man-made climate change. What if, because of our intransigence, God has once more allowed mankind’s own foolish ways to dominate and lead us into the disasters that we appear to be facing? What if there really is coming an age of tribulation “…such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:21-22).

What if you really have to be among the “elect” to avoid God’s wrath and eventual judgement? What if, the only way to do so is to follow Christ’s statement that He is “…the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through Me.” (John 14:6) What if the way is not as easy as we’ve often been led to believe? Matthew 7:14,13 says: “…narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. [So] enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.”

What if there are not as many people on the right path as we ourselves think? What if the Gospel has been so watered down and liberalized that we no longer get the true picture anymore? What if the words the Bible are literally true and the curses proclaimed by God, back in Genesis, are real? “…Cursed is the ground for your sake…Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you…” (Genesis 3:17-18). What if the punishments for disobedience as listed in Deuteronomy 28:15-28 are equally valid?

But it shall come to pass, 

if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, 

to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes 

which I command today, that all these 

curses will come upon you and overtake you:

Cursed shall you be in the city, and…in the country.

Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land…

The Lord will make the plague cling to you… 

[and] will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation…

The Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust.

The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies…

[and] will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of heart.

These and other listed all come “…upon you and pursue you and overtake you, until you are destroyed…Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything” (Deuteronomy 28:45,47). 

Are hurricanes, tornados, floods, famines, wars, etc., all just the makings of mans activities or is perhaps something else more involved than we realize? What if God is trying to teach us the same lessons He gave to the Israelites in the days of the Book of Judges? Of course, many would consider this unthinkable. But just what if? What if?

It is certainly something to think about.

 

Pastor Caroline - Be Steadfast in The Lord

Your Time with The Lord

 

There is still no power in some areas

 

Again our apologies but because the power is still out in some areas, there will be no sermon again this Sunday.

There probably will be no Something to Think About or Bible study this week either.

When things return to normal, we will resume posting as usual.