The Cup
The Cup (1776)
In Luke 22, Jesus told His disciples about His coming crucifixion at the Last Supper. When He later came to the garden of Gethsemane, He prayed three times: Lord, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.
This wasn’t a literal cup; rather, a symbolic cup, meaning to experience something fully. Was He afraid of His coming crucifixion? Did the cup symbolize the physical pain He would soon feel? What was it that caused Jesus to dread the drinking of that cup? It was sin; every sin through all the ages polluted the cup, as well as the punishment of that sin. It was not the physical pain He would feel that caused Him to plead for another way. No; it was the vileness and filth of sin He would soon take on that caused Him agony. And the silence from heaven said, there is no other way.
God will never overlook sin, for He is holy. By His holiness, He has sworn that sin will be punished. So, when Jesus took on our sins, God the Father, in holy justice, treated Jesus as if He were a sinner, and punished Him as such. Jesus knew this, yet He consumed the contents of the cup anyway. He chose it.
In His holy humanity, Jesus shrank back. But in His divine love, He said, “Thy will be done.”
Jesus wrestled between His holy humanity and His divine love. His love won. Adrian Rogers says, “The cross is God’s way to punish sin and forgive the sinner at the same time.”
There is one more cup, one that we drink. Just before Jesus went into Gethsemane, Jesus was at last supper with his disciples. He told them: this is the New Testament in my blood. Drink it.
This is the cup of communion, and it is ours to drink.
He drank the cup of sin that we might have the cup of redemption.
Apply it to your life
Have you accepted the cup of communion? Have you wrestled with submitting your will to the Father? Can you truly say, “Not my will, but Yours be done?” Adrian Rogers says, “As I look at dark Gethsemane, there are two things it tells me. Number one, I want to hate sin. Number two, I want to love Jesus Christ.”
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Have you ever felt like you were going through the motions of life and wondered what it takes to be on fire for the Lord? Then, you need to discover the holy flame of boldness which ignited the First Century church. Join Adrian Rogers as he explores principles of supernatural living from the book of Acts. Truly, these lessons in this two-volume series will help you rise above the mediocrity of life and give you supernatural power to live above the superficial!
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Featured Offer
Have you ever felt like you were going through the motions of life and wondered what it takes to be on fire for the Lord? Then, you need to discover the holy flame of boldness which ignited the First Century church. Join Adrian Rogers as he explores principles of supernatural living from the book of Acts. Truly, these lessons in this two-volume series will help you rise above the mediocrity of life and give you supernatural power to live above the superficial!
About Love Worth Finding
Love Worth Finding began in 1987, as a response to several requests for tapes of messages by pastor and Bible teacher Adrian Rogers. He relates that "soon the requests began to grow to the point that we knew God was leading us into a wider ministry." As an extension of Dr. Rogers' pulpit ministry Love Worth Finding provided that role and continues today.
Dr. Rogers stated, "I believe God wants us to proclaim the message of salvation in the power of the Holy Spirit by every means possible. That’s our commitment at Love Worth Finding."
In response to many who are asking,has that purpose changed since the home-going of Dr. Rogers? No, God wants us to continue to proclaim the message of salvation. The messenger may be gone, but the message must continue. Millions still have not heard the precious name of Jesus or know His redeeming grace.
So our race is not over. We must still run—until Jesus comes. If you believe in what God has called LWF to do,we invite you to help us proclaim God's truth.
Our prayer is that you will join with us in running the race and in broadcasting the Good News that Jesus Christ is truly the greatest Love worth finding.
About Adrian Rogers
He was a devoted family man — husband to his childhood sweetheart Joyce, father to four children, grandfather to nine, and great-grandfather to six. Of all his accomplishments, Dr. Rogers often said his greatest joy centered in his relationship to Jesus Christ, his wife and family, and the church he pastored. The recipient of many honors and awards, the trophy he treasured most was one presented to him by his children one Father’s Day in which he was proclaimed The World’s Greatest Dad.
Under his pastoral leadership, Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, grew from 9,000 members in 1972 to more than 29,000 at his retirement in 2005. And Adrian Rogers was a leader in his denomination, serving three terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
God’s blessing on Dr. Rogers’ ministry became even more evident with the birth of Love Worth Finding Ministries in 1987. Dr. Rogers was the founder and Bible teacher of Love Worth Finding, an internationally syndicated television and radio ministry. The sun never sets on this ministry which is broadcast on radio, television, and the Internet. You can find LWF declaring the Gospel and changing lives in more than 150 countries around the world. In 2003, Dr. Rogers was honored to be inducted into the prestigious Hall of Fame by the National Religious Broadcasters.
Dr. Rogers was active in national leadership and personally consulted and prayed with five presidents of the United States. He visited and had the privilege of sharing the platform with President George W. Bush in the White House on the National Day of Prayer for America.
Dr. Rogers preached overseas crusades in Taiwan, South Korea, Israel, Russia, Romania, and in Central and South America.
Even though the Lord called him home in 2005, his messages of "Come To Jesus" are still reaching around the world. In fact, every country in the world except for one has visited LWF.org.
Please join us in praying that God's messages will continue to penetrate the hearts of young and old ... and near and far!
Contact Love Worth Finding with Adrian Rogers
lwfinfo@lwf.org
http://www.lwf.org/
Love Worth Finding Ministries
P.O. Box 38300
(901) 382-7900