I'm going to give you all a very warm welcome again as we gather to worship God and come under
his word this evening as we prepare our hearts for the Lord's table tomorrow. We especially
welcome visitors into our midst this evening and also those who are tuning in online. We do ask
that the Lord would bless us all together. We're thankful as we were hearing last evening for all
the heavenly blessings that we have in Christ Jesus. And we come in his name this evening,
thankful for all that he has done for us. And the psalmist asks a question in Psalm 116,
how shall I thank the Lord? And he says, I'll offer salvation, take the cup, on God's name will I call.
And that's what we prepare ourselves for this evening. As believers in Christ, we want to
remember what he has done for us and to take off that cup of salvation. And we pray that God's spirit
will help us and stir us up in that. The Kirk Session meets immediately after the service
in the session room here next door. I'd be delighted to meet with anyone who wishes to join the congregation,
who wishes to profess their faith for the first time, or either moving into the congregation as well,
maybe by certificate too. You'd be very welcome to come and meet with us this evening.
The services tomorrow will be English here in the church at 11 a.m. That'll be led by Reverend
Murdoch Campbell. And the Gaelic service at 11 a.m. in the seminary, that'll be led by the Reverend
Murdoch Campbell as well. And after the evening service tomorrow, there'll be a time of fellowship
in the hall next door where everybody's very welcome to come through for that. And we'll hear
a little more of both Murdoch and Callum's Christian experience. Again, I'll just give a very warm welcome
to Murdoch to the pulpit this evening to lead us in our worship. We do look forward to his ministry
this evening and tomorrow as well, and do pray for him and Callum as they lead us in our worship
over this weekend, that we would know God's blessing as a people together.
Well, good evening. It's lovely to be with you again this evening as we gather together for worship.
I was just thinking as Callum was speaking, it's like the man has just stolen my sermon
before I've started. So that's our text tonight. Before we even get there, Psalm 116 at verse 13.
So Callum gave it all away before we reached there. But it's good to be together and it's good to worship
the Lord together. So let us worship God this evening. We're going to sing to God's praise in Psalm 122.
I don't think he knew that that's what I was preaching on, but it's always amazing when you're
sitting behind someone and they just give it all away. It's so encouraging.
Psalm 122 is in the Scottish Psalter, page 416. We're going to sing the whole psalm.
As you know, Psalm 122, it's one of the songs of ascent. It's one of the 15 songs or it's a Spurgeon
called it a psalter within the psalter. Those songs that were sung by the pilgrims as they went towards
Jerusalem for the feast. And how did they go? They went with joy. How should we come to the Lord's
feast? We should come with joy. And some of us come with sorrow in our heart. It's not joy instead of
sorrow. It's joy in the midst of sorrow. It's joy in the midst of hard providence. It's joy in the
midst of all that we're going through in life. Because as the Bible reminds us, it is only the
joy of the Lord that is our strength. And that's why the psalmist could say,
I joyed when to the house of God go up, they said to me, Jerusalem within thy gates,
our feet shall standing be. Jerusalem as a city is compactly built together.
And to that place, the tribes go up, the tribes of God go thither. So we'll sing the whole psalm of
Psalm 122. And we'll stand to sing, if you're able, to God's praise.
I joyed when to the house of God, O what they said to me, Jerusalem within thy gates,
our feet shall stand in thee. Jerusalem as a city is, come and lead them together. Come to the place that I saw,
the tribes of God
Thank you.
Amen.
Well, let us come before the Lord in prayer.
Let's pray together.
Amen.
We give thanks this evening for those wonderful words we have just been singing.
Remind us of how we are to come to church.
And how often, Lord, we come rushing in.
And our mind is racing and thinking about other things.
But Lord, enable us, we pray this evening, to stop and to come aside.
And to rest a while.
To rest a while at the feet of Jesus.
And to hear his voice speaking to us.
Reminding us and reassuring us.
That he is our saviour.
And that we are his flock.
And Lord, we give thanks for what we have been singing there.
That I joyed when to the house of God.
Go up, they said to me.
And we give thanks, Lord, that there is joy in our heart this evening.
In gathering together in worship.
In singing praise to our great God.
And our great King.
To seek to worship him in spirit and in truth.
To lift up his name.
The name that is above every other name.
Knowing that it will be at the name of Jesus.
That every knee will bow.
And every tongue will confess that he is Lord.
To the glory of God the Father.
And Lord, whatever providence we are going through at present.
Whatever trial or tribulation we are facing.
Whatever struggle or sorrow that is in our heart.
Help us to know that the joy of the Lord.
Remains our strength.
That whatever weakness we may feel in and of ourselves.
Even weakness and vulnerability.
And even professing our faith.
But Lord, help us to know that we find strength in thee.
And in thee alone.
The God who gives us strength.
The God who promises never to leave us.
And never to forsake us.
And help us to see this evening that.
Even as thy word teaches us.
That therefore with joy.
Shall you draw water.
Out of the wells of salvation.
And help us then this evening.
To drink and to taste and to see.
That thou art good.
And to trust in thee and be blessed.
To come to this living water.
And to be refreshed.
To be renewed.
To be restored.
To be reminded once again.
Of this wonderful saviour.
Who loved us and gave himself for us.
And Lord, we pray that even if we have grown cold.
In our Christian faith.
Even if we feel distant from the Lord.
Even if we feel we are not fit enough.
Or good enough.
Or worthy enough to come to the Lord's table.
Remind us Lord, as one of old said.
That feelings come and feelings go.
Feelings are deceiving.
That my warrant is the word of God.
Not else is worth believing.
And help us then we pray to trust afresh.
In the word that remains true.
The word that remains steadfast.
The word of the Lord that remains as it teaches us.
It remains forever.
Help us to come back to it this evening.
And to be reminded and reassured.
That we do love the Lord.
And that we are to do as thy word teaches us.
To take the cup.
That we are to acknowledge that the Lord is ours.
That we are his.
That we are to profess our faith.
And to confess that I love him.
Because he first loved me.
Lord, we give thanks to thee for the wonder of salvation.
Even the fact that we are here tonight.
That we are trophies of grace.
And that we are here on a Saturday evening.
Desiring to be in church.
Wanting to worship with the Lord's people.
Because when we look back over our lives.
When we look back to our past.
Of what we once were when we were strangers to grace and to God.
We had no desire to be here.
We had no interest in the gospel.
We had no thought of eternity.
We had no care for our soul.
We had no love towards Jesus.
And yet we give thanks this evening.
That thou art the God who has so worked in our hearts and in our lives.
By his spirit.
That as we are taught in thy word.
That we were convinced of our sin and misery.
That thy spirit enlightened our minds in the knowledge of Christ.
He renewed our will.
And he enabled us and even persuaded us.
To embrace Jesus Christ.
As he was freely offered to us in the gospel.
Oh Lord help us to see what the Lord has done.
And what the Lord is still doing.
That he has begun that good work in us.
And he promises to bring it all to completion.
At the day of Jesus Christ.
Help us then to trust him.
To trust him even in the darkness.
Knowing that the darkness.
Is still as light unto our God.
For thou art a God who is light.
And in whom there is no darkness at all.
Help us then we pray this evening.
To walk even in the light.
As thou art in the light.
That we would have fellowship with thy son.
That we would learn to love him more deeply.
To walk with him more closely.
To serve him more faithfully.
And ultimately to see him.
In all his beauty.
Lord bless us we pray we ask.
Remember those who are unable to be with us this evening.
Those Lord who are confined to their homes.
Those who are maybe watching online.
Whose heart's desire is to be here.
Whose longing and love is the Lord's house.
That how often they sang those words.
That they joyed going to God's house.
And yet for them providence has it.
That they are at home tonight.
Be gracious to them who they are.
That they would know the peace of God.
That passes all understanding.
That they would know grace to be sufficient.
And strength made perfect.
Even in their weakness.
And so Lord we ask that thou wouldst bless us here this evening.
Bless thy servant over this congregation.
We thank thee for him.
Uphold him and support him.
Strengthen him in the work of the Lord.
That he would know that his labour is not in vain in the Lord.
And we pray for the congregation here.
Even as we see them going about.
And reaching out to their community.
Even the Back to Church Sunday Lord.
We pray for it.
We pray that thou wouldst give to us as thy people.
A boldness to invite.
To call and to entreat.
People to come.
And to hear.
And that their soul might live.
But Lord we pray also for the youth fellowship that we met this afternoon.
And we pray for them.
For these young lives.
And we ask Lord that even in their youth.
That they would come and see Jesus.
That they would come and follow him.
That they would give the best years of their life.
To following this wonderful saviour.
And Lord we pray for our covenant children.
Because we know that these promises.
These promises that are in thy word.
That they are to us and to our children.
And so Lord our prayer is for them.
As it has been from the moment they were born.
Lord our longing is that they too.
Would come to know this wonderful saviour.
That they would follow him.
That they would confess him.
That they would live their lives for him.
And Lord protect them we pray.
Because we know that there are many voices and many vices.
That call out for their soul.
But our longing is Lord.
That they would hear the voice of the good shepherd.
As we heard him.
That they would hear what Jesus has to say.
Because to his folk he speaks peace.
And Lord we give thanks that the shepherd speaks to us.
And that he says to us that my sheep hear my voice.
And I know them and they follow me.
And I give to them eternal life.
And they will never perish.
Neither shall they be plucked out of my hand.
Help us Lord we pray.
To keep praying for one another.
But ultimately to be assured.
That our salvation is secure.
In the hands of this good shepherd.
The good shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep.
The good shepherd who loved his sheep.
And who protects his sheep.
And who walks with his sheep.
And who watches over his sheep day by day.
Help us to see that we are the flock of God.
That we are his flock.
And the sheep of his pasture.
Lord keep us then we pray.
Watch over us we ask.
Bless thy truth to us this evening as we open it.
As we study it together.
And Lord our prayer is that in it we would see more of Jesus.
That he would increase.
That we would decrease.
That we might behold his glory.
The glory is of the only begotten of the Father.
Full of grace and truth.
Oh Lord we give thanks.
That thou hast opened our eyes.
But Lord we pray that as we come to thy truth.
We might have the prayer of the psalmist.
Where he said open thou mine eyes.
That I might behold wondrous things.
Out of thy law.
So Lord teach us then we pray.
Bless us we ask.
And prepare us for thy day tomorrow.
If we are spared to see it.
The great privilege it is for us as thy people.
To sit at the Lord's table.
And we know we are not worthy.
We know we have done nothing to earn it.
We know Lord that.
Oh there is nothing good in us.
For as thy word teaches us.
That from the sole of our foot.
To the crown of our head.
There is no soundness in us.
But Lord we look not to ourselves.
But to Christ Jesus as our Lord.
We look to the one who has prepared the table for us.
We look to the one who is the head of the table.
And we pray that in preparing ourselves to come to this table.
We would see him more and more.
We would see him and love him.
And want to follow him more.
We confess oh Lord how much time we waste.
How often we procrastinate.
Doing the things we shouldn't do.
And not doing the things we should.
But Lord we pray that even this communion season.
Would be a means of renewing us.
Would be a means of reminding us of what is important.
That we are to seek first the kingdom of God.
And his righteousness.
Knowing then that all other things.
Will be added unto us.
So Lord remember us then we pray.
Bless those who lead us in the singing.
We thank thee oh Lord that thou hast given us.
Even voices to sing.
That we might show our worth.
How worthy the Lord is of our praise.
That we might lift our voices in praise and adoration.
And sing that worthy is the lamb.
Who was slain.
Cleanse us then we pray.
Take away our iniquities.
Receive us graciously for Jesus sake.
Amen.
We're going to sing again.
This time in Psalm 116.
The psalm we're looking at this evening.
Psalm 116.
We're singing from the beginning.
It's on the Scottish Psalter.
Page 395.
We're singing from the beginning down to the verse marked 6.
Psalm 116.
And as you know it is the confession of the Christian.
Where the Christian says.
I love the Lord because my voice and prayers he did hear.
I while I live will call on him.
Who bowed to me his ear.
Of death the cords and sorrows did.
About me compass round.
The pains of hell took hold on me.
I grief and trouble found.
Upon the name of God the Lord.
Then did I call and say.
Deliver thou my soul O Lord.
I do thee humbly pray.
I'm going to sing on down to the verse marked 6.
Of Psalm 116.
And we'll stand to sing if you're able.
To God's praise.
Amen.
I love the Lord.
May cross my voice.
And may urge me dear.
I while I live will call on him.
Look unto thee.
Look unto thee this year.
O death the cords and sorrows did.
Have I take help as round.
The pins of hell took hold on me.
I leave that trouble found.
oses empez, glorinated try Levine,
Especially with other questions of such else on earth.
O Lord, I do Thee humbly pay.
O mercy, full and righteousness,
In which justice is our Lord,
O Lord, since the King I was brought to you,
He did me help before.
I'm now going to read the Word of God,
as we find it first of all in the book of Exodus.
The book of Exodus and chapter 6.
Exodus chapter 6,
and then we're going to read Psalm 116.
Exodus chapter 6, we're reading from the beginning,
and we're reading down to verse 8.
Let us hear the Word of God.
But the Lord said to Moses,
Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh.
For with a strong hand he will send them out,
and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.
God spoke to Moses and said to him,
I am the Lord.
I appeared to Abraham,
I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty,
but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them.
I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan,
the land in which they live as sojourners.
Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel,
whom the Egyptians hold as slaves,
and I have remembered my covenant.
So therefore,
to the people of Israel,
I am the Lord.
Say therefore to the people of Israel,
I am the Lord,
and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians,
and I will deliver you from slavery to them,
and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm,
and with great acts of judgment.
I will take you to be my people,
and I will be your God,
and you shall know that I am the Lord your God,
who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham,
to Isaac, and to Jacob.
I will give it to you for a possession.
I am the Lord.
And then we're going to read also in the book of Psalms,
Psalm 116.
The book of Psalms, Psalm 116,
we're going to read the whole psalm.
I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy,
because he inclined his ear to me.
Therefore, I will call on him as long as I live.
The snares of death encompassed me.
The pangs of Sheol, or the grave, laid hold on me.
I suffer distress and anguish.
Then I called on the name of the Lord.
O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul.
Gracious is the Lord and righteous.
Our God is merciful.
The Lord preserves the simple.
When I was brought low, he saved me.
Return, O my soul, to your rest.
For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
For you have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
I believed, even when I spoke.
I am greatly afflicted.
I said in my alarm, all mankind are liars.
What shall I render to the Lord?
For all his benefits to me.
I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.
I will pay my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his saints.
O Lord, I am your servant.
I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.
You have loosed my bonds.
I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of the Lord.
I will pay my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
in the courts of the house of the Lord,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord.
And so on, may the Lord bless those readings
of his own holy word.
But before we come back to Psalm 116,
we're going to sing again in Psalm 116.
I'm just going to pick up where we left off
in the Scottish Psalter, page 396.
Psalm 116, page 396.
We're picking up at verse 7
down to the verse marked 12.
O thou, my soul, do thou return
unto thy quiet rest.
For largely, lo, the Lord to thee
his bounty hath expressed.
For my distressed soul from death
delivered was by thee.
Thou didst my mourning eyes from tears,
my feet from falling free.
We'll sing on down to the verse marked 12
of Psalm 116.
And we'll stand to sing, if you're able,
to God's praise.
O thou, my soul, do thou return
unto thy quiet rest.
For our dear, O the Lord, to thee,
his bounty hath expressed.
For my distressed soul from death
delivered was by thee.
Thou didst my mourning eyes from tears,
my feet from falling free.
I am the land of those that will,
will walk the Lord before.
I did believe, therefore I say,
I was a fainted soul.
I said when I was in my haste,
that all may my haste be.
What shall I render to the Lord
for all this gift to thee?
Well, if we could, this evening,
with the Lord's help and the Lord's enabling,
if we could turn back to that second portion
of Scripture that we read,
the book of Psalms and Psalm 116.
Psalm 116.
As you know already,
we're looking at verses 12 to 14.
So we'll read there.
Psalm 116 at verse 12.
Where the psalmist writes,
What shall I render to the Lord
for all his benefits to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.
I will pay my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
As you know, for many Christians,
Psalm 116 is their favorite psalm.
It might be your favorite psalm.
And when you read through this psalm,
as we did earlier,
and as we've just sung through most of it,
it's easy to understand why it would be
your favorite psalm.
Because Psalm 116,
it opens with that powerful
and even personal confession of faith
that I love the Lord because my voice
and prayers heeded here,
I, while I live,
will call on him
who bowed to me his ear.
And as you know,
that's the confession of faith
of every Christian.
Everyone who loves the Lord
is someone who follows the Lord.
And you know,
I want to say from the outset this evening
that that's the qualification
for coming to the Lord's table.
Because the qualification
to come to the Lord's table
is not,
are you good enough?
Or,
do you know enough?
Or,
have you followed the Lord
long enough?
No, the qualification
to come to the Lord's table,
as our Bible teaches us,
it is simply to believe in your heart
that Jesus Christ
is your Lord.
And you are willing
and wanting
to confess with your mouth
the opening words of this psalm,
I love the Lord.
That's your qualification.
That's your qualification
for coming to the Lord's table
tomorrow.
And you know, my friend,
if that describes you,
then you come.
You come.
Because even though Psalm 116
is the personal testimony
of every Christian,
it's the personal testimony
that must also be made public.
Which is why the psalmist
says here in verse 12,
he says there,
what shall I render to the Lord
for all his benefits to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.
I will pay my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
So Psalm 116,
it calls us right here
to profess our personal love
for the Lord
by publicly sitting at his table
and partaking
of the Lord's Supper.
But this evening,
I'd like us to think about this cup,
the cup of salvation
mentioned there in verse 13.
Because prior to Jesus
instituting the Lord's Supper
for the first time,
the cup of salvation,
it was actually one of four cups
that were used during the Passover.
Passover.
And that's what I want you
to imagine this evening.
I want you to imagine
in front of you
that there's a table.
I wish I could actually do this.
There's a table here
and there are four cups.
There are four cups
on this table.
And each cup
had a name.
And each cup
represents
God's work of salvation
in the life
of the believer.
And what I want us to see
this evening
is that all these four cups
at the Passover,
these four cups
that were used
at the Passover,
they all point us
to the one Christ.
So I want us to think
about this evening
four cups,
one Christ.
Four cups,
one Christ.
And so when
the Passover meal
would take place,
the first cup
that was used
during the Passover
was this cup,
the cup of sanctification.
the cup
of sanctification.
That's the first cup
we're going to look at
this evening,
the cup of sanctification.
Now,
as a psalm,
Psalm 116,
it's actually a hymn.
Because as you know,
the book of Psalms,
it's a book of Psalms,
hymns,
and spiritual songs.
The only reason
it's called
the book of Psalms
is simply because
there are more psalms in it
than hymns
or spiritual songs.
And so Psalm 116,
it's a hymn.
And it's part of a group
of six hymns.
They're called
the Egyptian Hallel hymns.
The Egyptian Hallel hymns.
And they are the items
of praise
that are numbered here
in the book of Psalms
from Psalm 113,
so 113,
114,
15,
16,
17,
and 18.
So Psalms numbered
113 to 118,
they're part of this group
called the Egyptian
Hallel hymns.
And we know that
these particular items
of praise are hymns
because both Mark
and Matthew,
they both tell us
in their gospel
that after Jesus
had instituted
the Lord's Supper
for the first time,
we're told there
that Jesus
and his disciples,
they sang a hymn
and then they went out
to the Mount of Olives.
And the hymn
that they sang
was the last hymn
of these Egyptian
Hallel hymns,
Psalm 118.
It was always
the last hymn
that was sung
at the end
of the Passover meal.
And it's a hymn
of thanksgiving.
That's why we
traditionally sing
Psalm 118
as we come
to the Lord's table
because it's a hymn
of thanksgiving.
And the Lord's table,
as you know,
is a table
of thanksgiving.
And the Lord's supper
is a Eucharist.
It's a meal
of thanksgiving.
And so these
six Egyptian
Hallel hymns
numbered
113 to 118
in the Psalter,
they were originally
sung during
the Passover meal.
And of course
they're called
Hallel hymns
from the word
Hallelujah.
Praise the Lord.
They're Psalms
that praise the Lord
for the Exodus
at Egypt.
They praise the Lord
for rescuing
and redeeming
the Israelites
from slavery
and bondage
in Egypt.
That's why
they are the
Egyptian Hallel hymns.
They point us back
to the Exodus
at Egypt.
And you know,
every Christian,
we tonight,
we are to sing
these hymns
because we're to
give our
Hallelujah
to the Lord.
We are to give
our Hallelujah
to the Lord.
Let no one tell you
that we never sing
Hallelujah
in church.
We give our
Hallelujah to the Lord.
We praise the Lord
because we have been
rescued
and redeemed
from the burden
and bondage
of slavery
to sin.
Now, as we said,
on this table,
there are four cups.
Four cups
that were used
during the Passover meal.
And these four cups,
they were all filled
with wine.
And these four cups,
as we said,
they all point us
to the one Christ.
Four cups,
one Christ.
And each cup
is associated
with the blessings
and benefits
that the Israelites
received
at the Exodus
from Egypt.
In fact,
these four cups,
they were all given
their name
because of four promises
that the Lord made
to his people.
There are four promises
that we read there
in Exodus chapter 6.
Four I will promises.
Because the Lord said
to Moses there
in Exodus chapter 6,
he said,
Say to the people
of Israel,
I am the Lord.
I will bring you out
from under the burdens
of the Egyptians.
I will deliver you
from slavery to them
and I will redeem you
with an outstretched arm
and great acts
of judgment.
I will take you
to be my people
and I will be your God
and you shall know
that I am the Lord.
Again and again,
the Lord says
to his people,
I will do it.
I will save you.
I will redeem you.
I will bring you out.
Not Moses.
He's my servant.
I'm going to do it.
And based upon that
I will passage,
there were four promises
from the Lord.
Four I will promises.
I will bring you out.
I will deliver you.
I will redeem you.
I will be your God.
And those four promises,
they were the basis
for these four,
the names of these four cups
that were used
during the Passover meal.
So the first cup
is the cup of sanctification.
Then there's the cup
of deliverance.
Then there's the cup
of salvation.
And lastly,
there's the cup of praise.
And these four cups,
as we said,
they were filled with wine
and they were drunk
during the Passover meal.
These four cups,
they point us ultimately
to Christ.
Four cups,
one Christ.
And so when the Passover meal
was prepared,
there were many elements
that would have been
on the table
among these cups.
There would have been
the four cups,
but there would also have been,
as you know,
there would have been
the Passover lamb.
Which at the Exodus,
you know the story
of the Exodus,
the Passover lamb
was prepared
by shedding
and smearing
the blood
of the Passover lamb
on the lintel
and the doorposts
of their home
so that everyone
in Israel
was sheltering
under the blood
of the Passover lamb.
And then the Passover lamb
was roasted in fire
to give this vivid
and visual pointer
towards the Passover lamb.
Our Passover lamb.
Our Jesus.
Who would take away
the sin of the world.
Another element
that would be on the table
would be the bitter herbs
or the maror.
That's what it was called.
And the bitter herbs,
they were this symbolic reminder
of the bitter slavery.
This burdensome labor
that the Israelites
experienced
and endured
while they were in Egypt
under Pharaoh.
And then there's this other element
that was on the table.
The unleavened bread
or the matzah.
It would have looked like
flatbread.
It was made from flour
and water
without any yeast.
And the separation
of the yeast
from the dough
was a symbol
of separation.
A symbol of separation
from slavery
and sin.
It was a symbol
of the Lord's people
being set apart,
being separated
and sanctified
to the Lord.
And that's the idea.
The idea of being
separated and set apart
and sanctified
to the Lord,
that's what connects us
to the first cup.
The cup of sanctification.
Because as you would have been
sitting around
the Passover table,
it would begin
by first of all singing.
You would sing
the first Egyptian
Hallel hymn,
Psalm 113.
A hymn that begins
and ends with the word
Hallelujah.
Praise the Lord.
The hymn writer says
there in verse 1,
Praise the Lord.
Praise, O servants
of the Lord.
Praise the name
of the Lord.
Blessed be the name
of the Lord
from this time forth
and forevermore.
From the rising of the sun
to its setting,
the name of the Lord
is to be praised.
Praise the Lord.
And then after singing
the first Egyptian
Hallel hymn,
the cup of sanctification
would be taken
and it would be shared
among all those
who were participating
in the meal.
And as we said,
the cup of sanctification
was based upon
the Lord's promise,
I will bring you out.
I will call you out.
Because the Lord
promised his people,
he promised his people
is that what he said
was that he will bring them
out of the empire
of slavery in Egypt
and he will bring them
into the promised land
of freedom.
I will bring you out.
I will call you out.
I will separate you.
I will set you apart.
I will sanctify you.
And you know,
although we can't take
the cup of sanctification
at communion,
is that not what the Lord
has done for us
in salvation?
He has brought us out.
He has called us out.
He has separated us
from the world.
He has sanctified us
to himself.
He has set us apart
as his saints.
We don't feel like saints,
but that's what the Bible
describes us as.
We are his saints.
Paul reminds us
that we have been brought
out of the kingdom
of darkness
into the kingdom
of his dear son.
And Peter tells us
in his letter,
he says that we were once
not a people,
but we are now
the people of God.
We are those who had
once not obtained mercy,
but now we have
obtained mercy
because we have been
called out of darkness
and we've been brought
into his marvelous light.
We've been separated
from the world.
We've been set apart
by the Spirit
and we have been
sanctified to the Lord.
You know,
it's a wonderful cup
to remind us
of what we are in Christ.
It's the cup
of sanctification.
The cup of sanctification.
But then as we move
along the table,
we see the second cup,
the cup of deliverance.
So that's the second cup,
the cup of deliverance.
So after sharing
the first cup,
the cup of sanctification,
after passing it
around the table,
they would then sing
another Hallel hymn.
And the Hallel hymn
that they would sing
is, of course,
the next one,
Psalm 114,
which is a hymn
that begins with the words
when you see there
in verse 1,
it says,
when Israel went out
from Egypt.
When Israel went out
from Egypt.
So it's a hymn
all about God's wonders
and God's works
at the Exodus.
And then having sung
Psalm 114,
the second cup,
the cup of deliverance,
that would be shared
among those
who were sitting
and participating
in the meal.
And again,
it was given the name
because of the Lord's promises.
The Lord's promises there
in Exodus 6
where the Lord said,
I will deliver you.
But what's interesting
about this cup,
the second cup,
is that as this cup
was passed around
the table,
the Passover table,
as it was being shared
at the Passover,
the story of the Passover
would be told.
The story of the Exodus
would be explained.
They would be reminded
of how the Israelites
were in slavery in Egypt
and how they were there
under the ferocious
and formidable Pharaoh
and how the Lord
sent plagues,
those ten plagues
to display
and demonstrate
his great power
and how the Lord
kept proclaiming
to Pharaoh,
saying,
thus saith the Lord,
the God of Israel,
let my people go.
Let my people go.
But as you know,
Pharaoh,
he hardened his heart.
He stubbornly refused
and rejected
the Lord's command.
But that was until
the final plague
of Passover
when the angel
of the Lord
passed over Egypt
and every firstborn son
from the playground
all the way
to the palace,
they all died
in Egypt.
The only reason
the Israelites' sons
didn't die
was because of the sign
of the Passover.
The Israelites,
as you know,
they were sheltering
under the smeared blood
of the Passover lamb.
And the Lord
had said to them,
the Lord had promised
to them,
when I see the blood,
I will pass over.
When I see the blood,
I will pass over.
Beautiful reminder
to us,
is it not,
of what the Lord
sees when he looks
at us.
not our sin,
but the blood,
washed and cleansed
in the blood.
You know,
the sign of the Passover,
though,
even for the Israelites,
it was a public
proclamation.
Putting that blood
on their lintel
and their doorposts
was a public
proclamation.
Having that blood
covering them
was a public
proclamation,
which is what we're doing
this communion season.
We are making
a public
proclamation
that we too
are sheltering
under the shed
and smeared blood
of Jesus Christ.
We too
are proclaiming
publicly
that there is
a fountain
filled with blood
drawn from
Emmanuel's veins
and sinners
plunged beneath
our flood
lose all
their guilty
stains.
We are proclaiming
this Lord's day
that we have been
delivered,
my friend,
not with the
corruptible things
of silver and gold,
but by the precious
blood of Christ
as of a lamb
without blemish
and without spot.
And so after
sharing the cup
of deliverance
and after hearing
the story of the
Exodus,
the Passover meal
would then be eaten.
They would then
enjoy the Passover meal
with the Passover lamb
and the bitter herbs
and the unleavened bread,
which brings us
to consider
the third cup,
this cup,
the cup of salvation.
The cup of salvation.
So there's,
on this table,
our imaginary table,
there is
the cup of
sanctification,
the cup of
deliverance,
and then the cup
of salvation.
The cup of salvation.
That's what he talks
about in verse 13.
I will lift up
the cup of salvation
and call on the name
of the Lord.
The cup of salvation
was given its name
again because of
the Lord's promise.
The Lord's promise there
back in Exodus chapter 6,
the Lord said,
I will redeem you.
I will save you.
I will give you salvation.
I will bring salvation.
The cup of salvation
was given its name
because of the Lord's promise
of salvation.
And the cup of salvation,
it's mentioned here
at the close of Psalm 116
because after eating
and enjoying
the Passover meal,
after sharing
in this Passover meal,
they would then sing
some more.
They would sing
the next two
Egyptian Hallel hymns.
They would sing
Psalm 115
and Psalm 116,
which as you know,
and I'm sure you've read
them before,
they're hymns
which confess
our faith
and our commitment
to the Lord.
They're hymns
which confess
our faith
and our commitment
to the Lord.
Psalm 115,
it begins with
this confession
of faith
and commitment
to the Lord.
That our life song
in this world,
it's not unto us,
Lord,
not to us,
but do thou glory take
unto thy naming
for thy truth
and for thy mercy's sake.
And Psalm 116,
it also begins
with this confession
of faith
and commitment
to the Lord
with those wonderful words,
I love the Lord
because my voice
and prayers
he did hear.
I, while I live,
will call on him
who bowed to me
his ear.
But you know,
Psalm 116,
it has this confession
of faith
and this commitment
to the Lord.
And he confesses
his faith
and his commitment
to the Lord
because as he says
throughout the Psalm,
the Lord has listened
to his longings.
The Lord has delivered
him from death.
The Lord has saved
his soul.
Therefore,
in response
to the Lord's redemption,
in response
to the Lord's salvation,
he asks the question
there in verse 12,
what shall I render
to the Lord
for all his benefits
to me?
What shall I render
to the Lord
for all his blessings
towards me?
What shall I render
to the Lord
for receiving
every spiritual blessing
in heavenly places
in Christ?
What shall I render
to the Lord
for receiving
from the hand
of King Jesus
what I do not deserve?
And we are to respond,
verse 13,
we are to respond
by obediently
and publicly
making this confession
and commitment
to the Lord.
I will lift up
the cup of salvation
and call on the name
of the Lord.
I will pay my vows
to the Lord
in the presence
of all his people.
We are to respond
by obediently
and publicly
making a confession
and commitment
to the Lord.
Now when it comes
to Jesus instituting
the Lord's Supper
for the first time,
some suggest
that it was this cup,
the cup of salvation
that Jesus took.
But there are many,
I've read many,
differing and diverging
views on this.
And what often adds
to the confusion
when you read up on this
is that they all use
different names
for these different cups.
And it takes a while
to decipher
which cup
they're actually
talking about.
There was one professor
in the Free Church College
a long time ago,
R.A. Finlayson.
He was a professor
of systematic theology
from the 1940s
to the 1960s.
And he wrote
a brilliant book.
Maybe you've read it.
If you don't have it,
I suggest you go
to the religious bookshop
and get it.
It's called
The Cross
in the Experience
of Our Lord.
The Cross
in the Experience
of Our Lord.
And R.A. Finlayson,
he says that Jesus
used the fourth cup
to institute
the Lord's Supper,
which was the cup
of praise.
He didn't use,
as he suggests,
the cup of salvation.
But the fourth cup,
the cup of praise.
That's the cup
I want us to consider
next then.
So there's four cups,
the cup of sanctification,
the cup of deliverance,
the cup of salvation,
and the cup of praise.
Four cups
pointing us
to one Christ.
One Christ.
So the last cup
is the cup of praise.
And like the other three,
the fourth cup,
it's given its name
because of the Lord's promise.
The Lord has promised
His people.
He's a covenant-making God
and a covenant-keeping God.
He makes promises
and He keeps His promise.
And He says to His people
about this cup,
I will be your God
and you shall be
my people.
I will be your God
and you shall be
my people.
But the cup of praise,
it wasn't shared
among the Passover meal
until another Egyptian
Hallel hymn was sung.
This time it was
the shortest one.
As you see there
in Psalm 117.
It's the Hallel hymn
that exhorts us
and encourages
the nations of the world
to also give
their hallelujah
to the Lord.
We're all to praise
the Lord,
he says.
We're all to praise
the Lord for His
steadfast love
and faithfulness
because His love
endures forever.
But what's remarkable
is that this short
Hallel hymn
praises the Lord
and proclaims His promise.
The promise that was given
way back in Genesis 12
to Abraham.
The promise that
through the seed of Abraham
all the nations,
all the families
of the earth
would be blessed.
All the nations
and all the families
would come to know
this great and precious promise.
And they're blessed
says the psalmist
he reminds us
because the Lord
promised His people
I will be your God
and you will be my people.
There's ownership.
We belong to Him.
We've been redeemed by Him.
I will be your God
you will be my people.
And so after singing
Psalm 117
the cup of praise
was then shared
among those sitting.
at the Passover meal.
And it was shared
before they would come
to sing the final
hymn of thanksgiving.
Psalm 118.
However,
Ari Finlayson
the professor
in the Free Church College
in the 1940s
he named the fourth cup
not the cup of praise
but the cup
of the Messiah.
Because Ari Finlayson
he claimed that
when this cup
was shared
no one was to drink it
until the Messiah
would appear
and drink it himself.
And Ari Finlayson said
it was at this point
during the Passover meal
with the fourth cup
the cup of praise
or the cup of Messiah
whatever name you want
to give it
it's here that Jesus
the Passover lamb
put the Passover meal
to one side
as it were
indicating the end
of the Passover
the end of the period
of the Passover
and then institutes
the Lord's Supper
for the first time.
Now as I said
there's many different
and many diverging
views on this
and I think
it's fascinating
and that's why
I want to
share it with you
this evening
because even rabbis
they disagree
they debate
about all of this
this table
and these four cups
and the question
that they all debate on
is should there be
four cups
or five
should there be
four cups
or five
and you're thinking
Myrtle surely
not another cup
but you know
the reason they debate
and they disagree
about the answer
to this question
is because to this day
Jews
when they sit
and partake
of the Passover meal
the Jews
they drink
from all four cups
they drink from
the cup of sanctification
and the cup of deliverance
and the cup of salvation
and the cup of praise
and because the Jews
drink from all four cups
some suggest
that there was
a fifth cup
that like
Ari Finlayson said
it remained untouched
and this fifth cup
was called
and still is called
the cup
of Elijah
the cup of Elijah
now it seems
that the cup of Elijah
was actually added
later on
at a later period
and it was added
later on
towards the end
of the period
of the Old Testament
and it was added on
primarily because
of a promise
another promise
in the closing words
of the book of Malachi
the last book
in the Old Testament
the Lord says
behold I will send you
Elijah the prophet
before the great
and awesome day
of the Lord comes
and so it seems
that after Malachi's prophecy
which was about 400 BC
that whenever the Passover
was celebrated
after that point
the Jews would fill
a fifth cup
the cup of Elijah
and before concluding
the Passover meal
the Jews
they would
before they would sing
the hymn of Thanksgiving
the hymn
the Psalm 118
they would go to the door
the door of their home
wherever they were
celebrating the Passover
and they would open
the door
of their home
and they would open
the door
in anticipation
for Elijah's arrival
because they were waiting
for Elijah
to herald the arrival
of the Messiah
and of course the Jews
they're still waiting
for Elijah
to appear
but this
also means
that there were
five cups
at the Passover
when Jesus
instituted
the Lord's Supper
and for this reason
I believe
that I was using
the fifth cup
the cup of Elijah
that as Paul tells us
on the night
when Jesus
was betrayed
he took some
of the leftover bread
on the table
the unleavened bread
and when he had
given thanks
he broke it
and he said
this is my body
which is broken
for you
do this
in remembrance
of me
and then in the same way
also
he took the cup
the cup
of Elijah
the cup
of Elijah
because Elijah
had come
we're told
that when John the Baptist
appeared
he preached
a baptism
of repentance
in the spirit
and power
of Elijah
Elijah had come
the promise
had been fulfilled
and John the Baptist
had claimed
and pointed
to Jesus
saying he must
increase
I must decrease
John the Baptist
confessed that
he is the Lamb of God
who has come
to take away
the sin of the world
everyone knew
Elijah had come
and so when Jesus
instituted the Lord's Supper
he took
the cup of Elijah
and he said
this cup
is the new covenant
in my blood
do this
as often
as you drink it
in remembrance
of me
and why are we
to do it
my friend
why on
this communion season
are we to do it
Paul tells us
for as often
as you eat the bread
and you drink
the cup
you make a
proclamation
and what are you
proclaiming
you are proclaiming
the Lord's
death
until he comes
you are proclaiming
that you
worship
and serve
a saviour
who died
in your place
and rose
triumphant
over the grave
and God willing
that's what we'll be doing
tomorrow morning
we will eat the bread
we will drink the cup
we will proclaim
the promise
that we have
eternal life
and we have
eternal life
through nothing
we have achieved
in and of ourselves
we have eternal life
through the death
and resurrection
of our Passover
Lamb
the Lord Jesus
Christ
and my friend
if you've never
come to this table
if you've never
been at the
Lord's table
you're invited
to come
you're invited
to confess
that you love
the Lord
you're invited
to commit
to him
by partaking
of his supper
because he bids
us to come
to come
and sup
with him
so four cups
or five cups
however many cups
there remains
only one Christ
and that's who
we look to
the one Christ
may the Lord
bless these thoughts
to us
let us pray
oh Lord
our gracious
God
we give thanks
that
wherever we
open the Bible
we find Jesus
on every page
and that he
is there
to be found
all his promises
are there for us
to be claimed
and confessed
his word
is there
to be
lived
and loved
and Lord
help us
we pray
to do so
as thy people
to be obedient
to the call
of thy word
to come
and take
the cup
and confess
that the Lord
is one who
loved me
and gave himself
for me
that we would
all be able
to say
with the apostle
that I am
crucified
with Christ
nevertheless
I live
yet not I
but Christ
lives in me
and the life
that I now
live in the flesh
I live by faith
in the son of God
who loved me
and gave himself
for me
so Lord bless us
we pray
we ask
and oh Lord
we pray
that thou wouldst
prepare us
for thy day
if we are spared
to see it
that we would
truly come
with joy
into the Lord's
house
knowing that we
do not worship
a saviour
who is dead
but one who
has risen
one who has
defeated death
who has conquered
the grave
and brought life
and immortality
to light
through the gospel
hear us then
we pray
go before us
we ask
for we ask it
in Jesus name
and for his sake
Amen
we're going
to bring our
service to a
conclusion
this evening
we're going
to sing
the words
of Psalm 116
the closing
words there
in the Scottish
Psalter version
Psalm 116
page 396
in the blue
Psalm book
from verse 13
down to the end
of the Psalm
I love salvation
take the cup
on God's name
will I call
I'll pay my
vows now to the
Lord
before his people
all
and then down
to the end
of the Psalm
within the courts
of God's own
house
within the midst
of thee
O city of Jerusalem
praise to the
Lord
give ye
so we'll sing
these verses
of Psalm 116
and we'll stand
to sing if you're
able
to God's praise
my vows at the!
pero praise for it
não Victor
so he'll die
attle
in order
to the George
I give thy answer to the Lord before his people all.
Here in those sight is this instead, thy servant Lord am I.
Thy servant's true, thy learned, it's not, my balance thou didst untie.
The thought of things I to thee will give, and all God's name will call.
I give thy vows back to the Lord before his people all.
When the ender meds of thee, O Saintia, Jerusalem,
praise to the Lord, dear thee.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all, now and forevermore. Amen.