Crushed and Poured Out
Crushed and Poured Out
The process of wine making in the Bible times is very interesting. You may not drink wine but it is worth a lesson in understanding the process. The wine comes from grapes and grapes come from the grape vine. Grape is mostly grown for wine though we eat it as fruit in our time.
To produce wine, the grape is crushed by feet at the Treading floor. The juice flows thru a hole into a lower level pool and it is collected in jars for subsequent fermentation. It is then distilled and served as wine.
You get the picture? Today Apostle Paul uses this picture to describe his imminent/eventual martyrdom to show that his efforts in preaching and ministering to the Philippians are worth it. He was ready to be poured out as a drink offering. Are you ready to be poured out? Philippians 2:1-18:
“14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
17 Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. 18 For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me”.
Poured out as a drink offering? The reference here is to Numbers 15:4-5 and 28:7 where a drink offering accompanied another sacrifice. Christ is the ultimate sacrifice. Paul had to be first crushed. He is currently in prison. Most of us want to be sweet wine without being crushed and refusing to go thru the process. God will allow us the privilege of being crushed if we let him. The question is whether we are willing to take the offer.
God wants to make other people’s lives sweet thru us as “poured out wine”. The people of this world are very thirsty but we must offer them the right drink - the word of life, the LIVING Water, Jesus.
Remember Jesus saying if you abide in me you will bear much fruit that will remain. What remains are the saved people; everything else will perish. Paul poured out his life to preach the gospel. Are we willing to do the same? We are not talking about being killed but daily living sacrificial lives wherever we are. We can only do so with the attitude of Christ which Paul is following - to serve and not to be served.
Most of us live in "I deserve it" category instead of the "serving" category. I deserve so and so in my marriage from my spouse. I deserve so and so from my employer (boss). Can we turn it around for Christ and be like Christ? How can I serve the next person at home, work or school or neighborhood?
May be you are going thru pruning right now so you bear more fruit. After that the fruit must be crushed, pressed to produce wine that can be poured out. Then we will be useful to those who drink us (interact with us).
By the way, we are to be poured out without “complaining and questioning” God. Note that Paul is joyful in the process so the wine is a sweet wine. Many will not come near us if all they see and taste is left over bitter wine. Who wants to drink a bitter wine? God’s grace is sufficient for the crushing and pouring out.
Simply, we are being encouraged to be ambassadors for Christ, “(Christ) gave us the ministry of reconciliation [so that by our example we might bring others to Him], 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting people’s sins against them [but canceling them]. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation [that is, restoration to favor with God].
20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we [as Christ’s representatives] plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. 21 He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness]. 2 Corinthians 5:19-20 AMP.
May God help us to be poured out wine so others might be reconciled to God by our preaching and living. Amen. Let’s rejoice because Jesus has paid in full for all our sins.
The process of wine making in the Bible times is very interesting. You may not drink wine but it is worth a lesson in understanding the process. The wine comes from grapes and grapes come from the grape vine. Grape is mostly grown for wine though we eat it as fruit in our time.
To produce wine, the grape is crushed by feet at the Treading floor. The juice flows thru a hole into a lower level pool and it is collected in jars for subsequent fermentation. It is then distilled and served as wine.
You get the picture? Today Apostle Paul uses this picture to describe his imminent/eventual martyrdom to show that his efforts in preaching and ministering to the Philippians are worth it. He was ready to be poured out as a drink offering. Are you ready to be poured out? Philippians 2:1-18:
“14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
17 Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. 18 For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me”.
Poured out as a drink offering? The reference here is to Numbers 15:4-5 and 28:7 where a drink offering accompanied another sacrifice. Christ is the ultimate sacrifice. Paul had to be first crushed. He is currently in prison. Most of us want to be sweet wine without being crushed and refusing to go thru the process. God will allow us the privilege of being crushed if we let him. The question is whether we are willing to take the offer.
God wants to make other people’s lives sweet thru us as “poured out wine”. The people of this world are very thirsty but we must offer them the right drink - the word of life, the LIVING Water, Jesus.
Remember Jesus saying if you abide in me you will bear much fruit that will remain. What remains are the saved people; everything else will perish. Paul poured out his life to preach the gospel. Are we willing to do the same? We are not talking about being killed but daily living sacrificial lives wherever we are. We can only do so with the attitude of Christ which Paul is following - to serve and not to be served.
Most of us live in "I deserve it" category instead of the "serving" category. I deserve so and so in my marriage from my spouse. I deserve so and so from my employer (boss). Can we turn it around for Christ and be like Christ? How can I serve the next person at home, work or school or neighborhood?
May be you are going thru pruning right now so you bear more fruit. After that the fruit must be crushed, pressed to produce wine that can be poured out. Then we will be useful to those who drink us (interact with us).
By the way, we are to be poured out without “complaining and questioning” God. Note that Paul is joyful in the process so the wine is a sweet wine. Many will not come near us if all they see and taste is left over bitter wine. Who wants to drink a bitter wine? God’s grace is sufficient for the crushing and pouring out.
Simply, we are being encouraged to be ambassadors for Christ, “(Christ) gave us the ministry of reconciliation [so that by our example we might bring others to Him], 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting people’s sins against them [but canceling them]. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation [that is, restoration to favor with God].
20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we [as Christ’s representatives] plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. 21 He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness]. 2 Corinthians 5:19-20 AMP.
May God help us to be poured out wine so others might be reconciled to God by our preaching and living. Amen. Let’s rejoice because Jesus has paid in full for all our sins.
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