FOUR Cups
Maundy Thursday Sermon Transcript…
Hello Calvary friends and other friends
who are watching this video. I'm pastor
Greg pastor at Calvary this is my wife
Sue. We're going to have a very shortened
communion / Seder meal.
The Seder of the Passover meal there are four different cups that our Jewish brothers and sisters share during the Passover meal. And for the short time we're going to focus on these four cups and the significance that they have within our
life as Christians.
The start of the Seder meal sweetheart usually starts off with the woman of the house - the wife lighting a candle to symbolize the beginning of the meal and then we have a prayer and we say great are you God you are gracious and just you give us life you free us from the sins within our
lives and you redeem us we give you thanks for that Lord Amen.
There’re four different cups that the
Passover meal has within the Seder is
called Passover or the Seder meal. Four
different cups, the first cup is called
the cup of sanctification it's the
starting of the meal. The cup of the
sanctification deals with Exodus
chapter 6 I'm going to be quoting from
exodus 6 6 to 7 throughout this short little video
Yahweh God says I will bring you out of
Egypt I will bring you out of Egypt within this aspect of the meal there is or this cup time there are three pieces of the matzah bread which are taken and are put into a specific bag.
The wife puts them in the bag--- she puts one in the first --- one in the third --- and the middle
portion she takes it and she breaks it in half ---
she puts part of it in the bag ---but she puts the other half into a bag which will be be hidden and later on during the Seder meal the youngest person at the table will go off or really all the kids will go off they will find it and whoever finds it they
get some money for finding it.
During this time there's some questions that the youngest one at the table get to ask ---sweet how here the youngest one at the table today is Sue.
1. on all other nights we eat leaven bread so why on this night do we eat unleavened bread?
2. on all other nights we eat herbs but on this night we bitter herbs why do we do that?
3. on all other nights we don't even dip our vegetables than anything but on this night, we dip our vegetables in salt and sweet apple mix, and we do it twice why do we do this
different?
4. on all other nights we either sit or we reclined at the table and on this night, we only recline why do we do this?
At this point the father of the house the head of the house would answer some of the questions. I'm just going to give some very simple answers the first is the fact that that on this name we have the lamb which is unblemished an unblemished lamb which has been given for our sins.
The bitter herbs, this that the bitterness of slavery for the Jewish people who were in slavery for so many years within Egypt.
The unleavened bread symbolizes the fact
that normally when you bake bread you
have to take time to let it rise but the
Hebrew people had to be ready to leave
at a moment's notice when Yahweh God
called them to leave when the Angel of
Death came, and they had to leave they
needed to be ready to leave right away
so that leaven represented the fact
they had to be ready to leave immediately.
The fact that they reclined if you were a slave you could not recline you could not you
could not have a leisure time but they reclined to symbolize that God was giving them an aspect of leisure that they were moving into a time that they
would have leisure and be free people.
We know that some of these things really represent the fact Jesus Christ the unblemished Lamb he had no sin within them Jesus Christ who gave His life. We know that within the Passover they sacrificed the lamb but then they put the blood on the top of the doorpost on the side and on the other side and to me. I find that amazing because it makes the sign of a cross the top and the two sides.
We also know that Jesus talks about the sin in the Pharisees or the leaven of the Pharisees
in their sin and how sin goes through our lives and yet the sacrifice of Jesus Christ removes that sin.
So the first cup that we have the first cup within the Seder meal the cup of sanctification
making us clean purifying us forgiveness
of our sins.
At that point in time we will have our second cup this is called the cup of plagues and it's interesting because this cup of plagues it is a cup to remind the Hebrew people of the plagues that took place the ten plagues in the land.
Before they drink the cup of plagues what they would do what they do is take their finger and they put their finger in the cup and they recite all
the plagues – blood- frogs- lice- flies-cattle -disease -boils -hail- locusts- darkness death of the firstborn son.
The cup of plagues Exodus chapter 6
continues by saying, I will free you from slavery. At this point in time at a seder you know I continue to call it a seder or a Passover meal those names are together they're the same at this point in time. We would have a feast the wife would have made a lamb with all of the trimmings that go with it and we would be like a huge Thanksgiving meal but a huge feast
After the meal I find this so amazing,
the third cup that they have is called the cup of
redemption. The cup of redemption--- now the bread that was hidden would be found and the youngest would find it and would bring it out and would give it to the head of the house.
And at this point we believe this is when Jesus in Luke chapter 22 he breaks the bread and he passed it around and gave it to the disciples and he said this is my body which is given for you.
And after that we know in Luke 22 it says after they had had supper he picked up the cup I love this aspect this cup is called the cup of redemption -- so we've already had the cup of
sanctification I will bring you out of Egypt I will the cup of plagues I will free you. And now the cup of redemption I will redeem you I will buy you back I will pay for your sins whatever you've done in your life you come to me, I will pay for your sin.
Yahweh God and what does Jesus say here at this point ----he says this cup is the New Covenant in my blood whenever you drink of this
remember me.
At this point in time when the meal is done the after meal is done and they would they move into within the Passover meal the fourth cup the fourth cup --- called the cup of praise -- the cup
of praise and throughout the whole Seder
meal our Jewish brothers and sisters
are reading from Psalm 113 up to Psalm
117 118. You can read these at home
if you want.
I would like to read to just Psalm 117 because we know that in Matthew 26 it talks about after they had the cup of redemption the third cup
they went out Matthew 26 s to the Mount of Olives singing their hymns well there's a good chance they sing
Psalm 117:1-2 (NIV)
1 Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.
2 For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD.
Sooo it’s believed that that that Jesus did not partake of this last Cup because he actually says I will not drink of the fruit of the vine and so the my father's Kingdom.
We know that we read in the Book of Revelations Revelation chapter 19 that the last cup will be drunk together at the wedding feast between the lamb Jesus Christ the one who gave his life for us the one who offers a sanctification the --- one the one who takes away the sin ---the place who frees us ---the one who has bought us back ---the cup of redemption and the one who gives us praise --- Revelations 19 says at that
wedding feast of the Lamb Jesus Christ the King of Kings and the Lord of lords and His Church and those chosen who have accepted him as their life.
At that point in time we will be drinking of the final cup of praise with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Family and friends made this Maundy Thursday time made this Good Friday time
be a time for you and your family to celebrate the fact that Jesus Christ gives us
- sanctification the first cup
- the second cup the cup of plagues to
remind us that we were in sin and yet we
can be free from our sin
- because of the cup of redemption the gift on the cross that Christ gives to us but he doesn't stay in the grave for three days does he rises and
- there's that saying that says it's Friday but we know Sunday's coming it's Friday but we know Sunday's coming we know that there will
- be the cup of praise when we are with
the Lord for eternity may the Lord bless
you and keep you
May God lift his grace upon you
may he grant you grace and strength in
your life Amen.
