This is “A Cup or a Well.” Perspective is a powerful thing. Often our trials are magnified and our blessings, minimized. This is exactly the way the enemy wants you to see things. But God’s truth tells us differently! In this message with Jentezen Franklin you will learn to look past your cup of trials and tap into God’s never-ending well of blessing!

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connection if you let it the world and

all this going on we’ll just go press

you and it’ll keep the whale of living

water and joy and you’ll go around just

focusing on your cup of trials and

forget you got a whale a blessing and

goodness that’s following you all the

days of your life and this is the worst

world will ever know all the trials are

in this world is a cup of trials but

when we get to heaven there will be a

well the blessing streets of gold gates

of pearl and not just in heaven but

there’s blessing here on earth if you

believe it give God a shout of praise

[Music]

Psalms 116 in verse 12 I felt like

preaching now Psalms 116 what will our

render verse 12 to the Lord for his

benefits toward me listen to these words

I will take up the cup of salvation and

call upon the name of the Lord he said

I’m going to take up the cup of

salvation the analogy in the scripture

there are two there’s a cup in the Old

Testament and there is a whale in the

New Testament in John chapter four it

talks about the woman at the well and

Jesus said if you will drink the water

that I offer you you will have a well of

living water that will never run dry and

you’ll never thirst again so I want you

to see that you have in the Old Covenant

a cup of salvation but in the New

Covenant we have a whale of salvation

but you have to decide do you want to

drink out of a cup or do you want to

have a whale you see there’s a

difference between Old Testament

salvation and New Testament salvation in

the Old Testament the blessings of God

the salvation that he offered was

referred to as the cup of salvation God

served his salvation by the cup that’s

why David said in Psalms 23 my cup

runneth over

that’s why Psalms 1:16 said I will drink

of the cup of salvation there was just

enough salvation through the blood of an

innocent animal one day a year the high

priest would roll the sin he wouldn’t

wipe the sins away just roll them over

to the next year and you could drink

that cup it was just enough to cover you

from judgment salvation by the cup full

is the Old Testament language but in the

New Testament he promised a whale of

living water

don’t go around all the time with a cup

hunting for a spigot you can have a

whale

I love the story of the woman at the

well because the Bible said when she

found Jesus and Jesus said follow me

she left her water pots the Bible said

she traded her cup and her water pots in

and left with a whale did you know that

you can leave your cup and your water

pipe here and you can leave with a well

this morning because jesus said that’s

what I came to offer you the Old

Testament cup of salvation was one of

drudgery it it speaks of drawing and

working and laboring trying to somehow

get just enough to quench the tremendous

thirst and it was never enough the Bible

talked about that they had to draw the

woman at the well said I can’t give you

it when Jesus asked for water she said

how can I draw water I don’t have

anything to draw with the only kind of

salvation you could have is what you had

to with drudgery and work conjure up the

little cup fool but jesus said I am

offering you a well of living water now

listen to me carefully the cup full in

the New Testament the cup in the Old

Testament was the cup of salvation and

the whale is in the New Testament but

now I want you to see according to the

Bible the New Testament trials are

referred to by the cup see Jesus so

changed things on the cross that now all

we get in this life is a cup of trials

that’s why he said if it be possible in

the garden of gethsemane let this cup of

trials pass from me so I want you to see

it the New Testament trials are referred

to by the cup fool it’s the it’s the

trials of life but there’s nothing more

than a cup full of them but when he

offers us blessings he offers us a well

full of blessings so life will give you

a

cup full of trials but Jesus says I

offer you a well full a blessing now are

you able to drink from this cup this

this cup of trials because there’s more

than a cup full a blessing that if you

will if you will bear and not fall and

not fail and not quit and deal with your

cup of trials and sometimes we need to

get rid of our cup mentality of of you

know we kind of reverse that around and

we think we have a whale of trials and

tribulations in just a couple blessing

but Jesus reversed that thing and he

says you have a cup of trials compared

to the well of blessings I’ve given you

even this morning no matter what you’re

going through here going to add anybody

watching me I’m telling you that if you

look at your life you may have a cup

full of trials but you have a whale full

of blessings and you ought to be

thankful the enemy wants us to think

that we get troubles by the whale full

and blessings by the cup full but that

concept is not our New Testament

experience our New Testament experience

is we get trials by the cup full and

these light afflictions Paul said it’s

just a little cup full are not worthy to

be compared with the whale of blessings

that God has stored up for those who

love and honor him I don’t know what

you’re going through but the good news

is that if your cup is full of trials

and troubles your whale is full of

blessings and God is not going to leave

you with a cup he’s going to your story

is going to end with a whale of blessing

I thank God today that we can we can

clean out our whale the problem is a lot

of people don’t enjoy their salvation

because their whale gets clogged up with

so much from the world the Bible talks

about in the book of Genesis how that

Abraham dug whales and then the next

generation Isaac came and the tried to

drink from those whales but the

Philistines the Bible said plugged up

the

Wales with filth and I’m telling you

today that we need to remember that

there’s a whale that we have but if

we’re not careful the world will plug

that whale up the cares of life the

carnality and sin and and the filth that

we see in the filth that we hear in the

world that we live in and the negative

stuff that we see and feed on it clogs

up the wail of salvation and you have to

do what Isaac did Isaac the Bible said

cleaned out the whale what we have to do

is get the junk out of the whale I tell

you if you let it the world and all this

going on would just oppress you and

it’ll keep the whale of living water and

joy and you’ll go around just focusing

on your cup of trials and forget you’ve

got a whale a blessing and goodness

that’s following you all the days of

your life and this is the worst world

will ever know all the trials are in

this world is a cup of trials but when

we get to heaven there will be a whale a

blessing streets of gold gates of pearl

and not just in heaven but there’s

blessing here on earth if you believe it

give God a shout of praise clean out the

whale clean it out and I just want to

say that we need to go back and redo

some of the whales that our fathers dug

and taste that water again and clean out

our whales the problem is our whales are

so full of we’re worldliness and the

lust of the eyes the lust of the flesh

the pride of life that we are so

consumed with this present world we

don’t enjoy the living whale of water

inside of us we have to clean out the

whale clean your life out clean your

mine up clean your spirit up get clean

on the inside so the whale can spring up

I remember the night I received the

baptism in the Holy Spirit it was

something else I was in a little

Pentecostal church my mom and some of

them were praying for me my daddy was

praying for me too

he had those women in my ears one of

them screaming hold on hold on one of

them screaming let go let go

they were my mom used to they didn’t

believe in cutting her hair much and she

would put her hair way up up it up up

higher than the Tower of Babel and and

and and she would get the shouting

sometimes you need to shout like that

she would shout and shout her hair down

it’d be like a horse whip one just the

woman’s hair and they would dance and

but let go hold on I didn’t know what in

the world is going on here but I got a

taste of that well you make fun of me

you can laugh at me you can say I’m

crazy but I’m gonna tell you something

this whale will give life to your

marriage it’ll give life to your

children it’ll keep your family in the

21st century

it’ll bless your home it’ll bless your

life there’s nothing the world can offer

you that can compare to living water

whoo hallelujah I’m trying to calm down

but I feel like shouting right now I

just have a cup of trials but I’ve gotta

weigh all the blessings in my life take

a praise break and I’m gonna keep

preaching clean the well up there’s a

lot of carnality there’s a lot of

frustrations and burdens and family

problems that can that can call the

whale up clean it out get back to God

this morning it’s up to you you can

leave here with a cup full of blessing

another sip

that’ll last you another week or you can

leave your cup here and walk out with

the whale the woman at the whale he said

if any man thirst

she had a thirst Jesus began his

ministry with hunger for 40 days he

ended his ministry with thirst on the

cross when he said I thirst he he went

the whole spectrum for you and I he

hungered and he thirsted so that he

could say with conviction blessed are

they that hunger and thirst for they

shall be filled do you hunger for God

God hungry me and God hungry women God

hungry men find God God hungry women

find God blessed are the hungry and the

thirsty for they shall be filled

you got a hunger for more Paul said in

Ephesians 5 do not be drunk with wine

where is in excess maybe that’s the

problem

maybe we’re so full of the intoxicating

things of the world that there’s no

living water in the whale anymore so

caught up and we need to be cleaned out

and he said don’t be drunk on wine where

is excess but be filled with this Holy

Spirit speaking to yourself in hymns and

songs and spiritual songs singing making

melody in your heart and to the Lord in

other words you’re in love with Jesus

again the Bible said that the living

water would spring up in us God’s

language is up God’s language is up

God’s language is always up that’s why

the Bible said stir up the gift and

stand up and will be called up and look

up your Redemption draweth now because

God’s language is always up Jesus was

preparing for the Last Supper and he

told his disciples go to the city and

you’ll see a man there who has a pitcher

on his head an empty pitcher he’ll be

carrying it on his head

follow him and he’ll take you to an

upper room and you rent it and buy it

and I’ll meet you there and we’ll have

the Last Supper

what do you following him for cuz he

knows where the water is well you and I

are supposed to be pitcher bearers God

has called us to be the ones that are

thirsty world looks at and if they want

to know where the water is they see us

and they know that if I follow them the

thirst that I can’t get quenched

anywhere else I can get it quenched if I

follow them they know where the water is

John

chapter 8 the Feast of Tabernacles goes

for seven days they would read from

Isaiah he that is thirsty let him come

and drink freely and right in the middle

of that reading of that scripture a tall

Galilean by the name of Jesus steps up

and he says these words with a

thundering voice if any man thirst let

him come unto me and out of his belly

will flow rivers of living water this

spake he of the Spirit which they had

not yet been given the Old Testament

spear experience was a cup full and it

always left him thirsty one priest with

one cup a year would reach into the pool

of Salome and he would pour it out

signifying the feast of tabernacles was

over and that was it if any man now it

was only a priest that could that could

do that ceremony but Jesus says if any

man thirst and then he says these words

he says out of your belly will flow

rivers it’s plural not a cup not one

river but rivers in this specky of the

spirit that you and I can have rivers of

living water not just one river but

multiple rivers flowing in every area of

our life flowing in to every aspect of

our life this well is the Holy Ghost

flowing out of us a little boy ten years

old received the baptism in the Holy

Spirit in children’s church and his

mother asked him what was that like and

he said these words

I got a tiger in my tank not like that

because that’s really the only

description there’s a difference between

walking down and shaking the preachers

hand and signing a confession card and

getting a tiger in your tank and what

this generation needs is more than a

handshake in a card filled out we need

to get a tiger in our tank called the

holy spirit come on somebody out of your

belly will flow rivers of living water

I’ll pour water upon him that is thirsty

Jesus said David said all of my springs

are in you that’s what you call an inner

spring that’s why we bounce so much the

only experience that ever brought

dissatisfaction in heaven is recorded in

the book of Peter when it says with the

Holy Ghost he has sent down from heaven

which things the Angels desired to look

into in other words there’s been only

one time when the inhabitants of heaven

became dissatisfied with the glory that

is in heaven and they saw something on

earth that made them dissatisfied with

what the head and they said we desire to

look into that and guess what it was it

tells you what it was when the Holy

Spirit was poured out upon the church

the angel said we’re dissatisfied with

this we want some of that we go around

with a cup barely making it barely even

thinking of God when we’re supposed to

be a well of living water full of the

holy spirit with joy the scripture said

in Isaiah we draw from the whales of

salvation the cup experience is over the

whale is flowing do you understand that

don’t lose your excitement clean out the

whale clean out the junk the thing about

this well as he said he that drinks of

this water will never thirst again

here’s the difference one sin always

calls for another sin sin is always

is thirsty one drink calls for another

drink

one drug calls for another drug one

affair calls for another affair one lust

calls for another less it’s always

unsatisfied but he that drinks of this

water will never thirst I don’t know

what you came to get out of this service

I would say a lot of people just came to

get a little cup here’s my cup Lord but

why settle for a cup when you can have a

whale

why don’t you exchange and throw your

cup down like the woman at the well she

left her pots at the whale and at that

natural whale she threw her pots down

and took the whale home with her Jesus

[Music]

I’m saying to you that if you’re thirsty

there is a river that is available to

you today there is a source of joy that

the world cannot offer you there is

something that only heaven can satisfy

on you and it’s the river of living

water lift your hands up high open your

mouth wide and go to praising God for

about 10 seconds hallelujah

whoa Jesus there’s somebody here so

thirsty there’s somebody here who’s who

just needs the river of living water

rivers God has so much more he’s missed

you he told me to tell you come home

come home if you’re weary come home

you’ve trodden the path of sin too long

come home maybe you’ve just been busy

with the cares

maybe the whale you you know it’s there

but it’s been clogged up with the things

of this life

come home I wonder I want to give a

little different altar call this morning

but I wonder how many of you would say

pastor Franklin

I would I would love for the river

I would love to exchange my cup for

River this morning I’d love to leave my

cup here and take a well home I’d love

for the dry spell to be over and I’d

love to get a fresh taste of heaven of

living water this morning you don’t have

to do it doesn’t mean you’re not

spiritual for you don’t do it but if

there’s a hunger and a thirst for more

get out of the seat and come stand as

close as you can get to this to this

platform this morning come quickly come

quickly

why don’t you come trade your cup of

trials in for your whale of blessing

this morning come on hurry there’s more

there’s more there’s more get in here

get in here God’s gonna bless you when

you move on a word let’s lift our hands

toward heaven and if you know you’re far

from God come home

he’s calling you pastor pray for me

you’re preaching and talking to me right

now

boldly raise your hand right now now’s

the moment if you know your back slid

you’re not right with God and you want

to get right with God raise your hand

high right now raise it high on a shame

beautiful beautiful hands all over this

room all the way up in the balcony

raise them high raise them high raise

the mind everybody who has a hand raised

I want you to keep your hand raised and

I want you to look around you if you see

someone with your with their hand raised

reach over and put your hand on their

shoulder

let’s pray this prayer together miracles

of salvation miracles of cleansing

miracles of forgiveness

brand-new cleansing the whale is being

unplugged today pray this prayer Lord

Jesus wash me cleanse me forgive me I

receive your forgiveness I believe

you’re the son of God you are the Lord

there is no other name whereby I can be

saved and I receive him take me back

open wide your arms of love Lord I’m

coming home now fill me with this whale

of living water I’m trading in my cup

for a whale and I’m gonna take you home

with me in Jesus name

fill me so full that none of the other

things will be able to destroy me in

Jesus name I want you to give the

biggest cheer of

morning to the king of kings and the

Lord of lords here at free chapel our

mission is simple to inspire people to

live for Jesus with incredible worship

and messages by senior pastor Jentezen

Franklin

you will leave encouraged to thrive

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