The Cup of Trysting
The sermon emphasizes the significance of communion as a symbol of unity and heavenly blessings, and encourages believers to recognize their connection with Christ and with each other.
G.W. North emphasizes the profound significance of the communion cup, which symbolizes the cumulative blessings found in Christ's blood, representing a covenant of trysting between believers and God. He highlights that this cup is not merely about redemption but embodies the blessings of life that believers contribute through their heartfelt gratitude and communion with one another. North illustrates the unity of the Church as one body, where each member adds to the collective blessings, creating a rich tapestry of shared faith and life in Christ. He reminds us that as we partake in communion, we are not only receiving but also giving, reinforcing our connection to Christ and to each other. The miracle of this communion is that all believers are one in Christ, sharing in His life and blessings.
Text
How truly we each in turn bless the cup so full of blessing to us, which signifies the sum total of all heavenly blessings in Christ. It gathers blessing unto itself as we thankfully own our communion to be in His precious blood and in turn bless and add our blessings to it. The symbolic blood in the cup is not to be thought of in this aspect as redemptive, sanctifying or cleansing, but as the blood of the cup of trysting and covenant, cumulative of blessing. It is His blood containing the blessings of His life, to which we add the eulogistic, heartfelt blessings of our life also, so that it overflows with the blessings of Christ and His Church.
It is the communion of the body; the Head with the members and the members one with another and all together.
We eulogistically aggregate the conscious mystic communion of our lives too as we break the bread, for it is we who are that one bread. In the other passages it is written that the Lord is the bread, and so He is, and thanks be to God that this is the aspect most deservedly emphasised. But in the jubilation of our thanksgiving for this, let us not overlook the clear insistence of the apostle here, 'we being many are one bread and one body'. The bread is ours and us, the wine is ours and us, the body is ours and us, the blood is ours and us.
O the miracle of it! 'All things are yours', writes this inspired man, 'and ye are Christ's and Christ is God's; ye are the body of Christ and members in particular; as the body is one and hath many members so also is Christ'
Sermon Outline
- The Cup of Trysting
- The Communion of the Body
- The Miracle of Unity
- We are One Bread and One Body
- All Things are Yours
- The Body as a Whole
Key Quotes
“The bread is ours and us, the wine is ours and us, the body is ours and us, the blood is ours and us.” — G.W. North
“O the miracle of it!” — G.W. North
“''All things are yours'', writes this inspired man, ''and ye are Christ''s and Christ is God''s; ye are the body of Christ and members in particular; as the body is one and hath many members so also is Christ''” — G.W. North
Application Points
- Recognize your connection with Christ and with other believers as one bread and one body.
- Understand that all things are yours in Christ, and that you are part of the body of Christ.
- Celebrate the miracle of unity and the blessings that come from being connected with Christ and with each other.