New Levels - Rise

Adding new levels to your foundation

Subject: Spiritual Growth

Theme: God builds new levels onto our lives, so we continue to rise

Proposition: 3 new levels of faith that he wants to build onto you foundations

3 points

Make way for new wine

2. Don’t mix your drinks

3. New level of Obedience. Can you contain God’s fresh work in you, or will it be wasted on the ground

Luke 5:36–39 NIV

He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’ ”

Subject: Spiritual Growth

Theme: God builds new levels onto our lives, so we continue to rise

Preposition: 3 new levels of faith that he wants to build onto you foundations

3 points

Make way for new wine

2. Don’t mix your drinks

3. New level of Obedience. Can you contain God’s fresh work in you, or will it be wasted on the ground

Intro

There is nothing better than mum’s roast, Jo cooks a great roast but there is something about that meal, it offers memories of child hood, sitting around table with family, Christmas dinners and presents. Oh there is nothing like the good old days.

Point One - Make Way for new wine.

Deuteronomy 7:13 NIV

He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and olive oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.

Deut. 7:13

Good brings blessing and increase with new areas of growth.

Christians need to be looking to grow new spiritual fruit in each new season.

Wine was one of the seven fruits of which the Holy land boasted. Each promise has it’s origin in new produce! (New wine, calves, lambs, babies)

Challenge

Do you claim to have your life all sorted out?

Is everything in your life the way God intended it to be?

What area of your life could you make way for Jesus to take you to a new level?

Raising teenagers -This season requires patience and instruction. Repition and clear boundaries need to be constantly reinforced and self-image needs to be built up.

Point 2 - New levels are unique/fresh/original. Don’t mix your drinks

5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:5–8 NIV

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It’s not a good idea to pour the out of date milk in with the new bottle bought today, the mix will turn the entire bottle off.

The New International Version. (2011). (2 Pe 1:5–8). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.I want to have my old life and add to it new things. In the Christian life there is weights that must be thrown off or they will hold you back from building new levels of faith. A new wine lets off gas in the process and will stretch its container, the old wine skin has already done it’s stretching and will burst under more pressure pouring all its contents out.

Trying to mix my desires for my life and Jesus desires for my life rarely ends in spiritual effectiveness and productivity

“I want to have my life and add to it spiritual things”. In the Christian life there is weights that must be thrown off and cleared away or they will get in the way of building new levels of faith.

If I spend all my time making money at work I can’t expect rich relationships at home. I can’t desire multiple sexual partners and expect my marriage to be awesome. I can’t run around gossiping and slandering other people and expect people to trust me. They just don’t mix.!

Challenge

Do you always rely on lessons of the past or have you demonstrated a willingness to learn new lessons from our Lord?

Have you experienced seasons of productivity in your Christian walk but don’t see it in your present life?

Are you willing to add some new attitudes, beliefs and behaviour to your life that would benefit you and others?

Point Three - New levels of Obedience.

A new wine lets off gas in the process and will stretch its container, the old wine skin has already done it’s stretching and will burst under more pressure pouring all its contents out.

Obedience means you will say “yes” to a course of action and you will not deviate or change course unless asked to do so.

When your running a race you have to run all the way to the finish line. Sometimes we pull up short from God’s best because it gets to hard! We make justifications

“but I gave it a go! I have tried that before and it didn’t work”

“I prayed for God to help me with accepting my dad but he still irritates me”

“I tried to be patient with my husband last month, how much of this do I have to put up with”

“I tried to stop my behaviour (lying, harmful substances, abusive language, manipulation) but I just can’t help myself, I did ask God to help for two whole months.”

Challenge

Can you contain God’s fresh work in you, or will it be wasted on the ground?

Are you willing to have your world stretched to contain God’s destiny for you?