Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. God's children are nowhere
in the scriptures prohibited from drinking wine, yet they
are given ample exhortations and warnings concerning the misuse
and overindulgence of it. Let your moderation be known
unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Whether
therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the
glory of God. Give none offense, neither to
the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God. Wherefore,
be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with
the Spirit. Wine is a mocker, strong drink
is raging, and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. While these
warnings do indeed exist in the scriptures, for good reason,
the predominant consideration of wine in the scriptures speaks
to the blessing of the Lord's people. After the account of
Noah's misuse of wine, the next mention of it is when Abraham
was returning from engaging in battle. with Cheddar Lamer. Melchizedek,
king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine, and he was the
priest of the Most High God. Is this not a picture of that
which Christ has set forth for his children to remember his
death until he comes? For I have received of the Lord
that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the
same night in which he was betrayed, took bread. And when he had given
thanks, he broke it and said, Take, eat, this is my body, which
is broken for you. This do in remembrance of me.
After the same manner also he took the cup when he had supped,
saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood. This do ye as often
as ye drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat
this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till
he come. We would not spend much time
in either encouraging men in the drinking of wine, nor in
abstaining from it, but we would desire to be found encouraging
the saints of God to remember Him who was crucified in our
behalf. Is this not the cup of blessing which we bless? Often
in the Old Testament the house of Israel was told of the blessings
which awaited them by the promise of wine in abundance. And He
will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee. He will also
bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy
corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kind,
and the flocks of thy sheep in the land which ye swear unto
thy fathers to give thee. Yet the carnal blessings of this
world, wine included, are not to be compared to that greater
blessing which the wine is given to portray. When Jacob blessed
his son from his deathbed, he singled out Judah, as that one
from whose house would come that one who is the lion of the tribe
of Judah. The scepter shall not depart
from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh
come. And unto him shall the gathering
of the people be, binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's
coat unto the choice vine. He washed his garment in wine,
and his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes shall be
red with wine, and his teeth white with milk. He is that same
one of whom we read, Who is this that cometh from Edom with thy
garments from Basra? This that is glorious in his
apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength. I that speak
in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine
apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine-fat?
I have trodden the wine-press alone. Each time that a cup of
wine is set before the sons of God, their eyes ought to be turned
not upon the cup itself, but upon him who poured out his life's
blood in their behalf. He who loved not his own life,
but laid it down as a ransom for those whom he loved. The
Lord's cup of red wine is the grandest of blessings for those
who are athirst. Its power to quench that thirst
is not diminished. He is that one who is mighty
to save. None who drink from his cup shall ever perish, for
it is a life-giving elixir to all who are given the privilege
to taste it. And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come, and let
him that heareth say, Come, and let him that is athirst come,
and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. This
cup is in the hand of the Lord. He giveth it to whomsoever he
will. "'Some might ask who such a people are "'who are so privileged.
"'They cannot be known except in one fashion, "'for there such
as call upon his name. "'For whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord "'shall be saved. "'There such as believe
on him. "'Verily, verily, I say unto
you, "'he that believeth on me hath everlasting life. "'Christ
is that one who is the chief cornerstone "'of the kingdom
of God. "'And whomsoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken,
"'but on whomsoever it shall fall, "'it will grind him to
powder. His mercies are new every morning
for those who are His, while His judgment awaits those who
will not drink of His cup of red wine. Have you drunk of the
Lord's cup? For a free CD containing 15 of
these radio broadcasts, send an email to forthepoor at windstream.net.