Go! And Drink Deeply: Christ Revealed in the Four Cups of Passover
Introduction: The Table That Tells a Story
The Passover table was never meant to be just a meal. It was a message. A sacred story passed from generation to generation. It spoke of deliverance, redemption, and belonging. And within that story, God embedded four cups—four promises—each overflowing with divine significance. Today, in our "Go! And..." series, I invite you to Go! And Drink Deeply, as we discover how each of these cups reveals the glory of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Let us open with the foundational passage:
Exodus 6:6-7 (NLT): “Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment. I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt.’”
These four "I will" promises frame the four cups. Let us now explore each one.
1. The Cup of Sanctification — "I will bring you out"
This cup represents God calling His people out of Egypt, setting them apart for Himself. The Hebrew verb yatsa (???) means to bring out, to lead out. It implies initiative by God, not man. This is sanctification — to be set apart, made holy.
John 17:17 (NLT): "Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth."
God doesn’t begin with your ability but His identity: "I am the Lord." He calls you out before He cleans you up. Like a potter pulling clay from the mire, He pulls us from sin's grip.
Imagine a rescue team pulling someone from a collapsed mine. They don't wait for the victim to clean up before saving them. They act because the person's life matters. That is God’s heart for us.
Max Lucado wrote, "God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus."
Lucado reminds us: sanctification begins with grace but ends in transformation. God calls us out to call us upward.
Have you responded to God’s call to be set apart? He’s not waiting for you to be perfect. He’s offering rescue.
2. The Cup of Deliverance — "I will rescue you"
This promise goes deeper. The Hebrew word natsal (???) means to snatch away or deliver. After being brought out, Israel still needed to be freed from Egypt within them.
Romans 6:14 (NLT): "Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace."
Deliverance is not just external. It’s internal. Jesus doesn’t just relocate you; He liberates you.
A caged bird released might still cling to the perch. But freedom isn't truly freedom until the wings spread and the bird soars. God calls you to fly.
Charles Stanley says, "We are not to be controlled by the past, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds."
Stanley's wisdom reminds us that deliverance is more than event—it’s an ongoing work of God, as the Holy Spirit renews us from the inside out.
Are you still living like a slave when Christ has made you free? Come to Him for complete deliverance.
3. The Cup of Redemption — "I will redeem you" (8 mins)
Redemption requires payment. The Hebrew word ga’al (???) refers to a kinsman-redeemer—one who pays a debt to restore freedom or inheritance.
1 Peter 1:18-19 (NLT): "For you know that God paid a ransom to save you... It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God."
Luke 22:20 (NLT): "After supper he took another cup of wine and said, 'This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.'"
At the Last Supper, this was the third cup—the Cup of Redemption. Jesus redefined it with His blood.
In 1830, George Wilson was sentenced to death for mail robbery. US President Andrew Jackson pardoned him, but Wilson refused the pardon. The Supreme Court ruled that a pardon must be accepted to be effective. Redemption is offered, but you must receive it.
John Piper writes, "Christ did not die to forgive sinners who go on treasuring anything above seeing and savoring God."
Piper nails it. Jesus didn’t die to give us religion. He died to give us Himself.
Jesus Christ, the perfect Lamb, shed His blood for your sins. He was crucified, died, buried, and rose again. He conquered death to give you eternal life. Will you repent and trust in Him today?
The price has been paid. The cup is full. Will you drink of it by faith?
4. The Cup of Praise — "I will take you as My own"
This final promise is about relationship. God doesn’t just free and redeem us—He claims us. The Hebrew laqach (???) means to receive or marry.
Revelation 21:3 (NLT): "Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people."
Matthew 26:29 (NLT): "Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom."
Jesus didn’t drink the fourth cup. He’s waiting for the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Like a groom saving a toast for his bride, Jesus is saving the fourth cup for you. He is preparing a place and preparing a celebration.
Tim Keller said, "The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed... yet at the same time more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope."
Oh friends, Keller captures the heart of the fourth cup. Jesus didn’t just save us. He celebrates us. We are His beloved.
Live with joyful expectation. The final cup awaits.
Conclusion: Go! And Drink Deeply
The four cups are not merely a ritual of remembrance. They are a revelation of redemption:
Sanctification — God calls you out.
Deliverance — God sets you free.
Redemption — God pays the price.
Praise — God claims you forever.
So go! And drink deeply. Go and remember the Lamb. Go and live as the redeemed.
Invitation to Salvation:
Friend, if you have not yet received Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, today is the day. Repent of your sin. Believe in His sacrifice. Trust in His resurrection. Drink from the Cup of Redemption and receive eternal life.
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13)
Come to Him. Be forgiven. Be made new.
Benediction:
May you go this week with a heart full of hope and a soul filled with the sweetness of salvation. May the Lord sanctify you, deliver you, redeem you, and rejoice over you. Go in peace, live in purpose, and walk in praise, until the day we drink the final cup together in glory. Amen.
