A Time to Rejoice and a Time to Mourn
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· 15 viewsRejoice in the presence of the King and fast in the absence of the King.
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Introduction:
Please open your Bibles to as we continue our studies in the Gospel of Mark. The title of today’s message is “A Time to Rejoice and a Time to Mourn”. The title is actually taken from the book of Ecclesiastes
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
Wise people know the right time for things and what to do in those times. And understanding the times can literally change your life and eternity.
But unfortunately, many people are foolish and waste their time. Many squander the time they have. And many will be suffering eternally because they were not able to discern what to do with their time.
And in our story today, many people in Jesus time did not recognize the time of the Messiah’s coming. And just like today, many people did not recognize the significance of who Jesus is. And as a result of wasting their time concerning Jesus, many are lost because they did not understand what Jesus came to do.
A Time to Rejoice and a Time to Mourn
It was one of the happiest days in my life. My closest family were there. My closest friends were there. And our church family was there. It was a time of rejoicing. It’s all smiles.
Weddings are
Contrast that with funerals. Everyone is sad. There are tears. It is a time of grief.
Background
The tension between Jesus and the religious leaders is escalating. This is the third controversy between Jesus and the religious leaders.
The first dealt with Jesus authority to forgive sins. You remember what the religious leader said after healing the paralyzed man?
“Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
The second dealt with Jesus association with sinners. You remember what they said when they saw Jesus feasting with the tax collectors and sharks?
And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
And now this passage deals with Jesus and the question about fasting. Jesus is breaking cultural and social expectations through his ministry. And again, it seems that Jesus is breaking the religious expectations as this passage deals with another controversy, the issue of fasting. So we will see that the religious leaders did not recognize the authority and presence of the Messiah in their midst. And they were fasting and mourning at the wrong time because the king was in their midst.
I. A Question about Fasting
II. The Response from Jesus
III. Two Parables or Illustrations from Jesus
Scripture Reading:
Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”
I. The Question (v. 18)
I. The Question (v. 18)
Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to Mark Fasting and Feasting (2:18–22)
The three main pillars of Judaism were prayer, almsgiving, and fasting. Judaism required but one fast on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur, Lev 16:29–30; m. Yoma 8:1–2). But the Mishnah tractate Ta‘anit, which is devoted to proper observances of fasting, specifies at least three other types of fasts. One type was fasts that lamented national tragedies, such as the destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar (Zech 7:3–4; 8:19); another was fasts in times of crises, such as war, plague, drought, and famine; and a third type was self-imposed fasts for any number of personal reasons (2 Sam 12:16; Ps 35:13). The Pharisees normally fasted on Mondays and Thursdays (Did. 8:1; b. Ta‘an. 12a), although this was not required.
Fasting wan “an expression of mourning for the loss of someone or something (; ). More often it was an expression of contrition anti penitence, a sign of repentance marked by the symbols of mourning ().”
Fasting wan “an expression of mourning for the loss of someone or something (; ). More often it was an expression of contrition anti penitence, a sign of repentance marked by the symbols of mourning ().”
Guelich, Robert A.. , Volume 34A (Word Biblical Commentary) (pp. 108-109). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to Mark Fasting and Feasting (2:18–22)
The discipline of physical privation in fasting was an aid to watchfulness, contrition, and strength and sensitivity in Christian life.
Fasting was a sign of godliness and piety.
The OT mandated fasting once a year on the Day of Atonement.
“And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever. And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments. He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” And Aaron did as the Lord commanded Moses.
“Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, lest the land fall into prostitution and the land become full of depravity. You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.
“Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God.
“You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.
“When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
Levticus 16:
After the Exile, there were at least 4 national fasts. And the Pharisees according to , fasted twice a week usually on Mondays and Thursdays.
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to Mark Fasting and Feasting (2:18–22)
The three main pillars of Judaism were prayer, almsgiving, and fasting. Judaism required but one fast on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur, Lev 16:29–30; m. Yoma 8:1–2). But the Mishnah tractate Ta‘anit, which is devoted to proper observances of fasting, specifies at least three other types of fasts. One type was fasts that lamented national tragedies, such as the destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar (Zech 7:3–4; 8:19); another was fasts in times of crises, such as war, plague, drought, and famine; and a third type was self-imposed fasts for any number of personal reasons (2 Sam 12:16; Ps 35:13). The Pharisees normally fasted on Mondays and Thursdays (Did. 8:1; b. Ta‘an. 12a), although this was not required.
Two groups were there who were fasting: John’s Disciples and the Pharisees.
John’s Disciples followed John the Baptist who was an ascetic. An ascetic is someone who denies themselves physical pleasures to attain greater spiritual fellowship or intimacy with a deity. You remember John came “neither eating or drinking” as the forerunner of the Lord.
They may have also fasted because John was imprisoned or executed under Herod.
The Pharisees were separatist. Jesus would have much in common with them. They were orthodox in their belief in the Scriptures. They believed in a future resurrection. They believed in One God. Their worship centralized in the temple.
And there is Jesus just coming from a feast of sinners.
What separated Jesus from the Pharisees was their tradition or what is referred to the “tradition of the elders.” After the exile of the Jews in 586 b.c., Rabbis and scribes became the prominent religious leaders of the day. And the main job of the scribes and rabbis were to interpret the law. And they not only studied the Torah, or the Law, but they studied the oral tradition of those who have gone before them. Again, Jesus has much in common with them, but when it came to man-made religion and tradition, he rebuked them for placing tradition over Scriptures. Commentators tell us:
And many times these traditions went against the Scripture themselves. Commentators tell us:
Guelich, Robert A.. , Volume 34A (Word Biblical Commentary) (pp. 108-109). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to Mark Fasting and Feasting (2:18–22)
The Pharisees were regarded as the authorized successors of Torah, who sat on “Moses’ seat” (Matt 23:2).
Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to Mark Fasting and Feasting (2:18–22)
The essential difference is especially evident in Mark 7:1–23, in which Jesus accuses the Pharisees of overvaluing oral tradition and undervaluing the intent of the law itself.
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to Mark Fasting and Feasting (2:18–22)
The three main pillars of Judaism were prayer, almsgiving, and fasting. Judaism required but one fast on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur, Lev 16:29–30; m. Yoma 8:1–2). But the Mishnah tractate Ta‘anit, which is devoted to proper observances of fasting, specifies at least three other types of fasts. One type was fasts that lamented national tragedies, such as the destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar (Zech 7:3–4; 8:19); another was fasts in times of crises, such as war, plague, drought, and famine; and a third type was self-imposed fasts for any number of personal reasons (2 Sam 12:16; Ps 35:13). The Pharisees normally fasted on Mondays and Thursdays (Did. 8:1; b. Ta‘an. 12a), although this was not required.
Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 2
As a religious practice, fasting could express mourning, repentance, or preparation for an event. It also could accompany petitionary prayer.
They focused on mere externals, while Jesus focused on the heart. And here is Jesus coming from a feast with sinners. Fasting was a pillar of Judaism and Jesus wasn’t fasting. So you can almost here the disdain in their question:
Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”
Even John’s disciples accused Jesus.
Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”
Matthew
It would be like a religious leader would preached on prayer, but never prayed. Or if he preached on giving, but never gave. If you are a spiritual man, you obviously would do these things.
And Jesus does not condemn or forbid fasting. As we will see in the next verses, there is a time to fast and there is a time not to fast. The real question is when is the appropriate time to fast and why should a person fast.
The pharisees may have fasted at the wrong time and had the wrong motives because Jesus would teach on fasting on the Sermon on the Mount
“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Matt
When you fast assumes that the disciples are fasting.
But the pharisees were fasting to be seen by others. It was a show to show they were religious and get the praise of men. Their fasting was done not to exalt and long for God, but to exalt and promote themselves.
Lesson: Religious Activity Devoid of the Right Motive or toward the Right Person is Hypocrisy
Fasting can promote legalism and self-righteousness if it is not done in relationship to the triune God. Legalism is any attempt to please God or have a right standing with God based on one’s religious performance.
If you do fast, do it in secret. Do it with the proper motives. Do it at the right time. We don’t fast to earn more spiritual credit before God or to appear more religious than others.
Christians, be careful of judging your brother or sister when they fast or not.
Jesus is not condemning fasting, he is condemning the wrong kind of fasting and fasting at the wrong time. There should be Christian liberty in this area as teaches us.
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
And the pharisees were passing judgment on Jesus because he was eating and drinking with tax collectors. That is why they called him a drunk and a hedonist.
Romans 14:
What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”
Transition: Notice Jesus response to their question which shocked them.
Transition: Notice Jesus response to their question which shocked them.
II. The Response (vv. 19-20)
II. The Response (vv. 19-20)
And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.
One of the happiest days of my life was March 10, 2012. I remember that day. That was the day when Helen and I got married. It was a beautiful sunny day. My closest family were there. My closest friends were there. And our church family was there. It was a time of rejoicing. It’s all smiles.
And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
We served our favorite food from one of our favorite restaurants. We had appetizers, cupcakes, and the main meal was Stonefire grill. There was chicken and tri tip, sides, and wine.
I don’t remember any people crying or mourning or fasting. I don’t remember any of my groomsmen weeping when I said “I Do”. If you did, you should not have been invited to my wedding!
I don’t remember any people crying or mourning or fasting. I don’t remember any of my groomsmen weeping when I said “I Do”. If you did, I should not have invited you to my wedding!
If you choose groomsmen, make sure they will be happy for you. Make sure they are not mourning and fasting when they the groom says to the bride “I do”.
Why? Because weddings are a time of rejoicing. It is unthinkable to call for a fast during a wedding.
Jesus is using the image of a wedding. Jesus is the bridegroom. And the disciples are the guests or groomsmen. Weddings usually lasted seven days in ancient Israel. It was the talk and the event of the village. The groom and bride would usually stay home at there would be continual feasting at the house.
Fast during superbowl, or endgame, birthday, graduation, wedding, or Christmas.
John the Baptist even identified himself as the best man. He was a good best man because all the attention was on the groom.
The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.
The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Jesus first miracles he revealed his glory was at a wedding. What is the significance to that? Jesus is previewing the age to come. And he used the image of a wedding to communicate what heaven will be like, a time of rejoicing and celebration.
This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
OT Bridegroom/Groom is Yahweh
For as a young man marries a young woman,
so shall your sons marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you.
God was the bridegroom in the OT. So it seems to me that Jesus is the bridegroom coming to rescue his bride. Jesus is the One implicitly identifying himself as God.
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
Heaven and salvation are pictured as a great wedding feast. Wedding communicates joy and happiness. Jesus taught in parables concerning the kingdom using wedding imagery.
Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
Revelation
The Wrong Time to Fast
And the Pharisees did not recognize that the Messiah was in their midst. They had a religion of the dead, not a relationship with the living God because they misunderstood who was standing right in front of them!
What if the pastor said to the congregation, “In order to show that we are truly separate from the world and don’t buy into all that worldliness of the culture, we’re going to fast during Superbowls, Thanksgivings, Christmases, and Easter.” I’m sure most people would not take that advice because it would seem the wrong time to fast.
Now, again, there is Christian liberty in this issue. You can fast during thanksgiving or during Christmas, but the point is that the Pharisees missed the opportunity to rejoice in the presence of the King.
RELIGION IS COLD DRY AND DEAD WITHOUT JESUS. Jesus came to bring “gladness, not sadness”.
THE WRONG TIME TO FAST
Rejoice in the Presence of the King!
Rejoice in the Presence of the King!
And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
Christians should be the happiest people in the world. We have Christ. We are not only the guests. We are the bride of Christ. And our King is coming again! This joy should give us hope in the midst of trials.
We should have joy and rejoice when we gather. Does our church look like a celebration? Or does it look like a funeral of the deceased?
Christian, you should sing with joy. One pastor said, “Dead people don’t sing!” If you never sing songs of praise or sing with joy in your heart, maybe you are not a living Christian.
Our worship should preview what is to King. Our fellowship should give the world a preview of the future wedding.
THE CHURCH IS THE BRIDE AND DISCIPLES ARE THE WEDDING GUESTS
We are the wedding guests inviting others to come to this feast. We want everyone to be at this wedding. Jesus gave a parable to illustrate this:
“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.” ’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business,
Matthew 22:
THE RIGHT TIME TO FAST
Mourn and Fast in the Absence of the King!
Mourn and Fast in the Absence of the King!
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.
Mark 2:1
The word taken away is a violent removal. Jesus is previewing his death on the cross. The same language is used in the prophet Isaiah.
Groom will be taken away. But the groom will come back and it will be time of rejoicing.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
Jesus was taken from the disciples and they did mourn. He was taken away by being judged for our sins on the cross as our substitute. And He rose again from the dead so that he could guarantee for us an invitation and a seat at the table of the great wedding. You and I have our names written in the wedding banquet of heaven. It is reserved because of what Jesus has done.
There is a time for fasting. Our Lord is present with us in his Spirit, and in His Word, and in His people. But in a sense, it is appropriate to fast as we long for the great wedding in heaven and His second coming.
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to Mark Fasting and Feasting (2:18–22)
The discipline of physical privation in fasting was an aid to watchfulness, contrition, and strength and sensitivity in Christian life.
when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The church fasted while appointing leaders and sending out Paul and Barnabas. They fasted for protection and safety as Paul made his way to Rome.
Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 2
As a religious practice, fasting could express mourning, repentance, or preparation for an event. It also could accompany petitionary prayer.
Fast with the aim to pray and long for God
Fast for a particular need or to increase spiritual awareness.
Fast for the coming kingdom so you can say, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus.”
Fast for leaders and when we choose new leaders.
Church—Fasting should be recovered. We Christians should be rejoicing, but there are times to mourn and fast as we long for greater intimacy with God. We don’t do this to get spiritual points before God, but to pray for some pressing need or even pray for his coming.
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life has a chapter of fasting I would encourage you to read.
Christian—Rejoice when you gather with God’s People. Be joyful. But there are times to fast and pray to heighten spiritual sensitives and cry out to the Lord for some particular need.
Transition: The question, the response, and the illustrations.
III. The Illustrations (vv. 21-22)
III. The Illustrations (vv. 21-22)
Jesus is a master teacher. He uses illustrations and parables to communicate important spiritual truths about himself and the kingdom. Here he gives two.
No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”
A. New Patch vs. Old Patch
No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made.
Mark 2:21
If you have a old piece of clothing, and you have a rip on it, if you place a new patch on the old clothing, and you wash it, the new patch will shrink and it will end up ripping the old clothing or destroying the whole piece altogether.
And he gives a second illustration to prove this point.
B. New Wine vs. Old Wine
And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”
A wineskin was normally taken from goat skin and was tied together to contain water or wine. The goatskin allowed the fluid to be contained in an elastic and flexible space.
If you want to know what a wineskin looks like, just google it or watch a Star Wars movie and see what the Jedi’s drink water out of.
But if you were to put new wine in a old wineskin, the new wine would ferment and expand the old wineskin and cause the old wineskin to burst along with the old wine in it.
What is Jesus saying?
Adding the new to the old. Iphone charger to a flip phone. You cannot put a CD in a cassette tape. You cannot put a Blue Ray into a VCR. You cannot plug an iphone cord in a dial up socket.
You cannot mix the old with the new.
You cannot put a Iphone charger to a flip phone. You cannot put a CD in a cassette tape. You cannot put a Blue Ray into a VCR. You cannot plug an iphone cord in a dial up socket. You cannot add Jesus to a dead religion or the old man.
Many of you heard of the recent news of how Notre Dame cathedral caught on fire. The people of Paris were shocked and it was world news.
People donated millions of dollars for its repair because it is a historic icon and symbol of France.
But when repairs are made, you cannot just put new steal or any material in the building because you might destroy it because it is old and fragile.
And Jesus is saying you cannot mix him with legalism or dead religion. In other words, Jesus is not just an addition or a patch you add on to your old way of living.
This is the problem with American churches and an American gospel. The Jesus of many Americans is Jesus plus or Jesus addition.
I want Jesus because I want to have a better self-control over my finances. I want Jesus to my life because follow him will help me find a godly spouse. Or I want to add Jesus to my life because it is respectable and to get my parents of my case. Or I want to add Jesus because that is the tradition our family follows.
When you Jesus becomes an add on like a topping to a pizza or a side to the main meal, Jesus has no effect on your life because the two cannot mix or co exist.
When a person becomes a Christian, he does not need resuscitation of the old man, but death to the old man and resurrection to the new man.
The Christian needs not moral reformation, but new birth.
The Christian needs not behavior modification, but new life from the grave.
Baptism symbolizes this glorious event. Dead to the old man. Life in the new man.
Is Jesus an add on to your life? Is he just a topping on your life? Is he just the side dish to your main meal in your life?
Some of you have never experienced the real Jesus because you thought that Jesus was just that add on or the side to your life, not the center or the new patch or new wine of your life.
A New Birth is Needed
2. The Gospel has power inherent in it.
Thomas Chalmers, Scottish minister and professor, wrote an essay The Expulsive Power of a New Affection
The heart follows our desires. And we need to displace those sinful desires with the glory of God.
A man may love food. And then he becomes healthy and fit. Why? Not because he doesn’t love food anymore. He has a greater love. But his affection and love for health or looking good becomes greater than the food. He Hence, he is able to deny the affection of junk food in order to post ripped muscles on instagram. He now has more followers. He writes a book about dieting. His greater glory displaces his lesser glory of junkfood.
THERE are two ways in which a practical moralist may attempt to displace from the human heart its love of the world - either by a demonstration of the world's vanity, so as that the heart shall be prevailed upon simply to withdraw its regards from an object that is not worthy of it; or, by setting forth another object, even God, as more worthy of its attachment, so as that the heart shall be prevailed upon not to resign an old affection, which shall have nothing to succeed it, but to exchange an old affection for a new one.
When told to shut out the world from his heart, this may be impossible with him who has nothing to replace it - but not impossible with him, who has found in God a sure and a satisfying portion.
The best way of casting out an impure affection is to admit a pure one; and by the love of what is good, to expel the love of what is evil. Thus it is, that the freer the Gospel, the more sanctifying is the Gospel; and the more it is received as a doctrine of grace, the more will it be felt as a doctrine according to godliness.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Jesus has to be received alone because only Jesus has the power to change and renew. His cross and resurrection gives us the power of the Spirit for those who believe in him. Jesus is the new wine and the new patch that gives us completely new life.
3. The Exclusivity of the Gospel
=
What is a Christian?
And what these two parables also illustrate to us is the exlclusivity and the power of the gospel.
Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
You cannot take the old patch or the new wine and place it in old clothing or oldwineskins because it will burst or rip away the old.
The gospel is exclusive because there is only one way to be saved and that is through the finished work of Christ.
The gospel is powerful because Jesus brings new life, not just reforming the old. He brings a completely new life principle in the soul of man.
The Life of God in the Soul of Man
The Gospel changes hearts, which changes affections, which changes wills, which changes behaviors.
It brings about a new birth, new life, new mission, new hope, new affections and completely new purpose for living.
Affection Illustration
A man may love food. And then he becomes healthy and fit. Why? Not because he doesn’t love food anymore. But his affection for health or looking good becomes greater than the food. Hence, he is able to deny the affection of junk food in order to post ripped muscles on instagram.
True glory displaces lesser glories.
Change happens not just by giving the mind new arguments but by feeding the imagination new beauties. Tim Keller
We don’t add to the gospel. We must hold forth the beauty of the gospel so that we can rejoice in Christ. Any time the gospel is muzzled or hindered, we mourn because of the inherent beauty and power of the gospel.
Summary:
Question about fasting. The pharisees did not recognize the Messiah in their midst.
The response from Jesus. The bridegoom has come to rescue his bride through his death and resurrection and is coming again so that all who believe in him will have a seat at his wedding table.
The illustrations. You cannot mix the old. Jesus is the new patch and the new wine who gives new life and new power to those who need new life.
Conclusion:
Heaven is the greatest celebration and greatest party that will ever take place because of who will be there and who we will be celebrating.
The question is whether or not you will be in heaven’s great wedding feast and whether you were wise enough to discern the significance of who Jesus is and what He has done for us.
Lloyd Jones quote about Miserable Christians.