Which Cup Are You Drinking From?
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Day and I hope you thanked the one true God, the God of the Bible for His many blessings. I’m sure many people ate a lot of food and had a great day. Personally, I drank some cranberry juice and iced tea along with eating a Thanksgiving meal.
I’m pointing out what I drank yesterday because the message today is about drinking and I’m not talking about alcohol. Well, not so much even about drinking, but more about what you are drinking and which cup you are drinking from. I have to admit that I’m a germaphobe, so I don’t generally take a drink of water or anything else after someone else, except for my wife. So if I’m at a gathering, I tend to watch my cup. If I get confused, I don’t mind asking someone near me, “Which cup are you drinking from?”
The Bible describes two different cups. There is the cup of salvation. I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD (Psalm 116:13). There is also a cup of wrath. Awake, awake! Stand up, O Jerusalem, You who have drunk at the hand of the Lord The cup of His fury; You have drunk the dregs of the cup of trembling, And drained it out (Isaiah 51:17). There are two cups: the cup of salvation and the cup of wrath. Which cup are you drinking from?
Cup Of Salvation
The cup of salvation is praising God for His salvation. Yesterday was Thanksgiving Day. Yes, I praised and thanked God for His blessings. But I also frequently praise God and thank Him for saving me. I recognize that not only did I deserve to drink the cup of wrath from God, but I deserved to drink it for all eternity. If I had died in my sins as an unrepentant sinner, I would have split Hell wide open and I would have drank the cup of God’s wrath.
I would have drunk from that cup forever and ever. The torments of Hell would have held my mind, body and soul captive forever. I would have had no rest day or night. The smoke of my torment would have risen forever and ever. I would have gnashed my teeth and wept without ceasing: for all eternity. So I willingly praise God by drinking the cup of salvation, without a doubt. I thank and praise God now and will do so for all eternity. Thank You Lord for saving a wretch like me.
My friends and I gladly, gratefully, enthusiastically, exuberantly drink of the cup of salvation. We unashamedly thank God and give glory to His name. Praise God! Glory to God! Hallelujah! Thanks be to God for His salvation. Yes, salvation is of the Lord and I readily, happily drink from the cup of salvation. Are you drinking from the cup of salvation or the cup of wrath tonight? Which is it? Which cup are you drinking from? It’s one or the other and can’t be both.
Cup Of Wrath
Are you drinking from the wrath of God tonight? If Jesus is not your Lord and Savior, then you have not taken the cup of salvation as of yet. In other words, if you have never repented and surrendered your life to the Lord Jesus, then you are still lost. You are spiritually dead in your trespasses and sins. You are not saved, you are lost. You’re headed down the broad road to destruction. Your sins have not been forgiven; you are still a guilty criminal and God’s wrath still abides upon you.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18). The foolish shall not stand in your sight: you hate all workers of iniquity (Psalm 5:5). God judges the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day (Psalm 7:11).
The Lord tries the righteous: but the wicked and him that loves violence his soul hates. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup (Psalm 11:5-6).
Children Of Disobedience
But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becomes saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are out of character: but rather giving of thanks.
For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things comes the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience (Ephesians 5:3-6).
But after your hardness and impenitent heart you treasure up unto yourself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God (Romans 2:5). He that believes on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believes not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him (Romans 3:36).
Reality Of Hell
The reality is that Hell awaits those who die in their sins as unrepentant sinners. Jesus said I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish (Luke 13:3). When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Mark 2:17).
Don’t die in your sins and split Hell wide open after you take your last breath in this life. Hell is real. God’s righteous judgment is real and it lasts forever. There is no escape from eternal damnation once you are there. Hell is a place where people are tormented night and day. They have no relief. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeing Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom (Luke 16:22-23).
Torments Of Hell
Please notice that Jesus is the one speaking in Luke 16 and He says that the rich man is in Hell. That’s he’s in torments. Notice torments with an s. As bad as being tormented is, this is even worse. The man is in torments. I didn’t read the rest of the following verses in Luke 16, but the rich man goes on to beg for relief. He literally begs for just a drop of water from the tip of a finger to cool his tongue.
Jesus also describes Hell as a place where there’s weeping and gnashing of teeth. Where there’s wailing and gnashing of teeth. I don’t know about you, but I’ve felt pain before, but never to the point where I gnashed my teeth. I haven’t reached the point of agony where I have ground my teeth. This kind of suffering goes on forever and ever in Hell. People suffering there have no relief.
Is It Fair For God To Send People To Hell?
Now at this point, you may be thinking, this isn’t fair for God to send people to Hell. Who are you to judge the great God of Heaven and earth? What makes you think you know better than God? Even more than this, most people miss the Holiness of God. Unrepentant sinners suffer unimaginable pain and suffering because God is that Holy! One little white lie is enough to damn you for all eternity.
Many people try to bring God down to our level, but this is utter foolishness. God’s ways are not our ways. His thoughts, desires and ways are higher than ours and again, most people miss God’s Holiness. People think God is love. He is love, but they wrongly take that as a license to sin. I can do what I want because God is love. This is a wrong assumption. God never condones sin. He abhors it. Sin is an abomination to God. The angels in Heaven don’t cry God is love, love, love. No, they cry, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty.
Don’t Drink The Cup Of Wrath For All Eternity
Don’t drink the cup wrath and really don’t drink it for all eternity. In the Old Testament God tells the Israelites, why won’t you turn and live? (Ezekiel 18:31). I repeat the same plea today Springfield, why won’t you turn and live? Don’t continue racing toward physical death and the second death (which is never ending death).
Don’t foolishly continue loving your sins and hating God. Turn and live. Recognize that you are a sinner. Confess your sins to God. Cry out for God to have mercy upon you. Repent from your sins and surrender your life fully and completely to Jesus Christ the Lord. Jesus is Lord of your life or He will be your Judge.
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). There is judgment to come. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil (Ecclesiastes 12:14). Judgment Day is coming, whether you believe it or not.
Great White Throne Judgment
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15).
Please listen to what Jesus says in Revelation 21:8: But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Oh, do not die in your sins and go to Hell. Don’t drink the cup of the wrath of God forever.
Repent And Trust Jesus
Instead, repent from your sins and put your trust in Jesus. Please listen to Revelation 21:5-7: And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Don’t drink the cup of God’s wrath. Turn from your sins and live. Repent and believe the Gospel. Drink from the cup of salvation of the Lord. Jesus says that He will give of the fountain of the water of life freely. Don’t reject such a great of salvation. Jesus is the living fountain.
Come to Jesus and be saved. I’m pleading with you to come to Jesus through repentance and faith in the Lord. Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. This is my plea. So I will ask one more time, which cup are you drinking from? The cup of salvation or the cup of God’s wrath?
(This message was proclaimed in downtown Springfield, MO on November 23, 2018)