3 - Something New

Recap

The Kingdom Is Near - Jesus teaching in parables.

Salt and Light

Jesus taught in parables to reveal Kingdom mysteries to true disciples

Jesus came, sent by the Father to break the curse and begin redeeming and restoring Creation to the Father.

How did He do that? Yes, He died on the cross. But He also took a stand against the work of the enemy and established His Kingdom in the hearts of people.

Introduction

Turn to Luke 5 beginning at verse 27

Early in Jesus’ ministry. Teaching by the sea and around the region of Galilee. He called the first disciples. Cleansed a leper, healed a paralytic, calmed a storm, called Matthew.

Jesus was doing what Jesus always did. He was doing good. He was teaching. He was healing, casting out demons, eating with sinners.

The scribes and Pharisees were doing what they always did. Followed Jesus, tried to trap Him. Complained about everything He did.

Luke 5:27–30 NIV

After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

Why did they have a problem with Jesus eating with sinners?

Religious spirit - mistaking the call to separate from sin as meaning to separate from sinners. Righteousness based on outward action without inner transformation.

Beware the leaven of the Pharisees - the religious spirit

Eating = participation, relationship, fraternization, sharing something together, giving, accepting. Ex. food sacrificed to gods. Communion.

As Jesus ate with tax collectors the Pharisees challenged Him on eating with sinners.

In the earliest parables Jesus reveals He is up to

Something New

Big Idea: Jesus came to establish something new.

New Purpose

Jesus used the doctor metaphor. Not come to call righteous. Calling sinners to repentance.

Luke 5:31–32 NIV

Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Jesus fulfilled the law.

Jesus came not with the purpose of calling the righteous, not to adhere to the law,

but to fulfill the law and establish Kingdom Law in our hearts.

Calling sinners to repentance.

Calling requires a response. Not passive. Not just answer. But follow

Repentance = turning from your sin, turning to Jesus, actively following Him

Matthew got up, left his source of worldly riches, followed Jesus.

Continuing in verse 33 - “They” ask about John’s disciples

In Matthew and Mark it says John’s disciples come asking.

We fast but your disciples eat and drink

Now Jesus relates His new purpose to a

New Bride

Luke 5:34–35 CSB

Jesus said to them, “You can’t make the wedding guests fast while the groom is with them, can you? But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them—then they will fast in those days.”

Fasting – common practice of the religious leaders, John the Baptist and his disciples. Purification. Focus. Seek God, listen for His voice.

In Matthew it says mourn - Not a funeral but a wedding

Wedding guests = friends of the groom serving at the wedding.

Did your wedding include a meal? Did your guests eat and celebrate or did they cry and mourn like they would at your funeral?

Wedding and groom suggest there is a bride.

We learn later that the established Kingdom is the “bride”

Jesus and His disciples eat and celebrate while He is with them.

taken away from them = possibly violently, as in His death on the cross

Next Jesus talks about

New Cloth

Luke 5:36 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.

In a practical sense - Luke says tearing new to patch old ruining both. Matthew says unshrunk cloth patch on old garment.

In a spiritual sense - Garment = covering, character, righteousness of Christ rather than naked - self-righteousness, or old garment - the righteousness of following the law.

Metaphor for Grace. Covering of grace rather than garment of law.

Jesus isn’t just patching the old garment. He is providing Himself as a new covering.

Grace, New Life or New Character

Very likely holds with his first picture of a wedding, so this is wedding garment.

And the wedding feast with

New Wine

Luke 5:37–38 NIV

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.

Practically, wine is squeezed grape juice that begins to ferment.

Wineskin is animal skin used to store new wine. When old it is brittle and inflexible.

Old wineskins and old wine - vessels, people.

Wine represents doctrine, teaching, transformation, the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is bringing new wine and looking for those who are new wineskins to receive.

Luke 5:39 NIV

And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’ ”

Someone who is satisfied with the old way, the old teaching, the familiar. Even when God wants to do a new thing, they are inflexible and unwilling to receive.

How are we doing with that?

Do we want life to go back to the way it used to be? Are we looking for the era when we were young and things seemed better?

Or are we ready to face the new era, the culture as it is today? Are we willing to accept the teaching, the Holy Spirit, the time and place where He has placed us?

Are we ready for a new outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit?

All of this together is pointing to the

New Kingdom

Jesus, establishing His Kingdom in the hearts of people who are willing to receive, willing to turn from their sin and follow Jesus.

People willing to become actively engaged in the battle to take back Creation for the King.

Mt. Rock’s past and Mt. Rock’s future.

“The old wine is better” is a serious crime against what Jesus came to establish. Let’s not fixate on what Mt. Rock used to be. Let’s celebrate our history and heritage. Let’s also look to the future expecting a great journey ahead together.

What About You?

Have you turned from your sin to follow Jesus?

Have you put on the new garment of grace and Jesus’ character?

Are you a fresh wineskin ready to receive the new wine of Jesus’ teaching?

Are you ready for God’s new purpose here at Mt. Rock and in your own life?

Looking Ahead...

How solid is your foundation?