New Wine

Jesus is questioned about fasting.

Jesus is questioned about something the people know is good for them.

It is not even something you naturally enjoy. But in time they have learned to love what fasting is for them.

Luke 5:36–39 NASB95

36 And He was also telling them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. 37 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. 38 “But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 “And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough.’ ”

No one, after drinking the old wishes for new; for he says ‘The old is good.’

Good enough is often the enemy what God wants to do.

When Jesus turned water into wine it was better than their best of that day.

We are in the beginning stages of a move of God.

We are in the beginning of a move as a church body.

What we have and had are good enough, but we dont want good enough we want what God wants to do.

We have seen God move in worship in ways that were amazing.

Why would we want something new?

Last week we did one song for over 45 minutes. Some of you heard other voices that were not sining on the mics.

Some of you said Angels were singing with us.

Some of you knew how to leave what we know is good, songs that we can sing together.

Some of you knew how to embrace what is right in front of us, space in a song that has no words or clear structure yet.

Meg sat down opened up her journal and began to right what was in her heart.

Others started singing in your spiritual language.

The challenge with when God has done something so good in the past is that we want to always go back to that good song or that way of singing that we know tastes good.

God is doing something new.

This new wine wont work in that old wineskin.

We have seen God show up in this building and bring healing to many.

Why would we leave that?

In between Good enough and better, is a space of letting go and exploring.

We have to let go of what is good.

Then we get to explore what this next stage looks like.

That exploring is the wine getting good. It is not good at the beginning.

It needs time to become great.

If you try to fit what God is doing now in the way we experienced God before it will make a mess of what was.

The structure will burst.

I believe that is a global word for the church.

We can not fit what God is about to do in the church boxes of before.

Has how Jesus talks to you or shows up for you changed?

I used to just put worship on and I could have a great time with Jesus.

Afterwords I felt full and refreshed and like life was better.

I can still worship from that place and it is in honor of what Jesus had done during those time before.

I dont need Him to show up that way so I show up for Him with my heart in that place.

Now I could stay in that place of honoring how Jesus had shown up for me and never look for more.

That would be fine.

I want more of Jesus in my life though.

The way I connect with Jesus has changed and I have had these encounters with Jesus that are visual experiences that stick with me deeper than worship ever did.

These encounters with Jesus feel like their meant to change me and who I see Jesus to be.

The way He is letting me see Him is changing the tempo of my life.

It is changing the way I see Him and even more so changing the way I see myself.

The only problem is they are not near enough.

I can’t make Him show up when I want Him too and how often I want Him too.

How to leave what is good:

Some people have made a habit of making something out to be bad so they can let it go.

We can let go of something that was good.

Then we can embrace the process of what we have in front of becoming made into great.

You do not have to hate something or have something be bad to let go of it.

You can let go of what is good with honor.

Then embrace what isn't even good yet so it can become great.

We let go by being grateful for what is good and giving that back to God.

We let go by trusting Holy Spirit to guide us on the new path of what God is doing now.

After we embrace the letting go, and exploring of what is in front of us, it becomes something great.

Then God will ask us to do this all over again.... lol

What is destined to be great needs a new structure to fit that greatness.

Closing:

We are about to move to a new building.

What God has done here for many of us has been amazing.

God has shown up here.

We are letting go of what is good with grate-fullness and honor.

We are embracing our new space and trusting Jesus to show up in great new ways.

Challenge:

What are you grateful for God has done here?

What else is God telling you to let of of?

How can you embrace what is new in front of you?

Other Resources:

Mark 2:21–22 NASB95

21 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; otherwise the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear results. 22 “No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.”

Matthew 9:14–17 NASB95

14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, asking, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 “But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. 17 “Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”