I Need a New Normal
Notes
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Intro
Intro
give all glory and honor to God,
acknowledge the angel of this House, Dr. Roy Edwards, other preachers of the gospel
it’s an honor to be invited by Pastor Edwards to stand in the pulpit of Greater New Mt. Zion Baptist Church
you got a real one, real pastor
volunteer and come to Ekklesia, and preach hard to those kids
recognize WMBC
asst. pastor
deacon
son, wife
Intro 2
Intro 2
I love, we love to say God is doing a new thing, or it’s a new season, a new move of God
but we don’t often mention that newness requires change
Rams won Superbowl - new quarterback, new defenders, new receivers
Tampa won year before - new quarter back Tom Brady, other new players
While I love to cheer for the Cowboys, I don’t feel a lot of hope because I don’t see a lot of new - pretty much same players, same coach, maybe even lost a little bit
and new requires new
18 Once when John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, some people came to Jesus and asked, “Why don’t your disciples fast like John’s disciples and the Pharisees do?”
19 Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. They can’t fast while the groom is with them.
20 But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
21 “Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before.
22 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins.”
In order to aid our focus, let me now state now that this is not a sermon about fasting, but it will help us understand verses 21 and 22
18 Once when John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, some people came to Jesus and asked, “Why don’t your disciples fast like John’s disciples and the Pharisees do?”
Jesus was not the only person with disciples. It was common for prominent religious figures and teachers to have disciples.
But some people noticed a difference between what Jesus’ disciples are doing and what disciples of others are doing
the disciples of John the Baptist fasted
the disciples of Pharisees fasted twice per week, giving up food to focus on prayer and meditation
but Jesus disciples don’t fast at all, and someone noticed this difference and asked why
19 Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. They can’t fast while the groom is with them.
Jesus answers by making a comparison to a wedding, “Do people fast at weddings?”
no, weddings are a time of celebration, joy, and excitement about what is happening
and Jesus is saying, I, the Messiah, am here!
Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets foretold of this time, throughout the centuries many have wanted to see this time . . . . so the fact that I am now here, should be a time of celebration, joy, and excitement about what is happening before you very eyes . . . .it’s not time for my disciples to fast
that’s easy enough to see because when you fast, you fast to get closer to God
you fast to hear a word from God
you fast to get a prayer through
But Jesus is God in the flesh . . . .no need to fast, because
they are close to God . . . they can touch him
they are getting a word from God . . . he is teaching every day
and people are presenting their prayers directly to Him
and the blind see, lame walk, the dumb talk, the sick are healed
so right now, his disciples don’t fast
20 “But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.
but when I am crucified, and after I rise, and after I depart to sit at the right hand of God, and prepare for my 2nd coming . . . when I am taken away . . . then it will be time to fast
after answering their question, Jesus takes the time to use the question about fasting as an opportunity to teach an important lesson
21 “Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before.
Here, Jesus is pointing out that yes, my way of doing things is new
because the authority that I teach with is new
the miracles I perform are new, they make you say, “What manner of man is this” . .
it’s not the same old normal, this is a new thing, new level
new requires new
you all are trying to act like I am the same old clothes with just a new patch added on . . . no, I represent a totally new thing
cause I’m not just another prophet in a long line of prophets,
I am Immanuel, God with us
I was born of a virgin
I am the one that Isaiah called, Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, Prince of Peace
I am the long awaited king
I am the way, the truth, and the life . . . my coming is a big deal, a new thing
again, I am not old clothes with a new patch
I am a whole new wardrobe
new requires new
we can understand that . . . when an event is Big, special, once in a lifetime, we get new clothes . . . like a wedding
most brides are not going to to show up at their wedding in what they wore Tuesday at the grocery store, and just try to patch it up with a new lipstick color
when you are stepping into something big, something important, something new - wedding/prom . . . .you get a whole new outfit
and some of you look so new that we can barely recognize you, “Wow, is that really so and so!””
what are you saying preacher?
Whenever you want to go with Jesus, or go to the next level with him, to that new season, walk with him as he does a new thing . . . . new requires new, it’s going to take a new normal, the old clothes won’t do
you may have to change so much, that your friends and family will barely recognize you, “Wow is that really . . . .
too often we try to follow God by just patching up our current life, we figure we can use new patches on old clothes
in other words, just minor adjustments, and no major changes . . . I want God to do a new thing, but I want to keep the same old, same old
same comfortable situation, same routine, same prayer life, same faith, same dedication, same giving, same knowledge of His Word
but I want a new season!
and just let me fix up, sew up, tape up, hem up, and patch up what I already have
but new requires new
if you want to go with God, go to the next level with God, if you want to go higher, Jesus is teaching that you must be willing to put the patches away and get a whole new life wardrobe
in other words, Jesus is saying that it will take major life changes, or major attitude adjustments, or major shifts in the way you think, or major changes in the way operate, when God is doing a new thing and you want to go with Him
Peter, Andrew, James, and John had to leave their fishing nets to follow Jesus
Matthew had to quit hit tax collecting job to follow Jesus
after meeting Jesus on the Damascus road, Paul had to change his whole purpose and direction in life to follow Jesus
new requires new
Why is complete change necessary? Jesus said you can’t use patches because it will result in “leaving a bigger tear than before”
in other words, newness is needed because there is already a tear there
in other words, the old way is already insufficient
and let’s look at why we have tears in garments
some garments have simply been worn down over time, there were good at the time, good for a time, but its season has passed and you can’t patch it up
it’s simply time for a new garment
God did this, and God did that, and much was accomplished, but it is a new season
then some garments get tears because we outgrow them, they’re busting at the seams
some of you have grown spiritually, but are trying to fit your growth in your same old lifestyle . . . and you have split your spiritual pants
and you find yourself trying to cover up, trying to hide what you can really do
for example, maybe you want to remain in the background, but God has called you to the foreground
I know you don’t want that change, and definitely don’t want new responsibilities, but your clothes are beginning to tear
and sometimes you get a tear, because something in life has snagged your clothes, your garment caught on something and ripped, and made a tear
it wasn’t your fault, it came out of nowhere, the enemy reached out and snagged your clothes, and now there’s a tear in your favorite outfit
you want to keep it, but the tear is too large, can’t patch it up
you thought you would be able to use that outfit for a while, but God allowed it to tear, so reluctantly you have to let it go, and get some new clothes
whatever the reason, new requires new, just trying to patch up those tears won’t work . . .Jesus said eventually the patch will come off and make the hole bigger, the situation will be worse
you need a new garment, because staying the same is not really an option!
Then Jesus breaks it down further in verse 22
22 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins.”
Skins of animals were used in those times for containing liquids; and new wineskins were still elastic and could stretch to handle the process of fermentation. But old wineskins were hardened and no longer elastic, and thus the fermentation from new wine would burst them, resulting in the loss of both the wine and the wineskins . . . that’s why new wine calls for new wineskins.
when speaking spiritually, wine always represents the Spirit of God, and along with God’s spirit comes God’s presence, power, fruitfulness, and blessings
Again talking to Christians, if you want more of the presence of God in your life, if you want to experience more power in your life, more fruitfulness, if you want all of the blessings that God has for you . . . then Jesus says there needs to be some newness . . . because no one puts new wine into old wineskins.
God will not pour more of himself in to you, and thus more power, fruitfulness, blessings, spiritual understanding if you are not willing to change out of the old wineskin/lifestyle
In other words, the new things that God wants to do for you . . . cannot be contained in your old lifestyle, old mindset, old habits
and that’s now saying that what you are doing now is bad, but what God wants to do with you, through you, and for you is bigger than your current lifestyle
cause your old ways are set and cannot be stretched to handle a new move of God in your life
Thus God can’t pour newness into you, because it would only make a mess
It’s always amazing to me those who feel called to teach or preach the word, or lead in the church, but don’t want to be a dedicated church member.
I want to stay an average member in Biblical knowledge
I want to stay average in service and dedication
but I want a new role, “I want God to just start using me” . . . that would only make a mess
you would end up running folks out
folks might run you out
cause staying average won’t get it in church life
lose the wine and the wineskin
new requires new
new heart for serving God’s people, more time, more love
a new dedication to learning the word, so you can rightly divide the word of truth
it’s possible that some of you who want a good Christian man/woman, but you cannot handle a good Christian man/woman in your present way of living
the change, the stretch would be too great . . . and you would break, mess up your life and theirs
let me break this one down, if you truly got a good man/woman (Christian)
they would irritate you about we need to go to church/Bible study
that would give money by faith, and you would call them crazy
they would tell you to forgive that relative who did you wrong, instead of trying to help you get them back
They would say, “let’s wait til marriage”, and you would say, “I got needs”
the whole situation would just be a mess. cause the old lifestyle is not ready for new wine!
some of you want God to bless you with a new financial blessing, but you can’t handle it, it would make a mess
any pastor with experience gets a little nervous when a member gets a financial blessing (like a car)
when they needed a ride, they were calling folks to get a way to church
but when they got their own car, now they are driving up to the lake on Sunday,
that one who used to be a good member, now barely comes
it became a mess
some want to start a business, but you give half effort on your present job, and you don’t want to put up with anything . . . you can’t handle the new wine of owning a business . . . that’s more work than ever before, that’s putting up with more than ever before
your employees end up not getting paid, people suing you . . . a mess
if you want the new wine, it’s going to call for a new you, a new requires new
I get it, the old way is comfortable
I get it, the old way is comfortable
even if it is hard, at least you know it
or for some of us, you just got used to it, it was new just last year
but new requires new
Do you really want a new season?
Do you really want God to do a new thing in your life, family, church?
Let me give you some warnings about the old way, the clothes with the tear, the old wineskins that can’t handle new wine.
Your old way seems good, but is actually bad
Your old way seems good, but is actually bad
if you take a little time to analyze your old way, you will see that it is actually bad
For example, I’m working on a new normal of what it means to be full when I eat
my old normal, is when you feel stuffed, then you are full
when you say “whew!” then it’s time to stop eating . . . and we rejoice cause we ate good
but when I took a good look at it, I realized that every time I finished eating like that, I felt bad
bloated, need to lay down, a sickly feeling, wouldn’t feel like moving until hours later
. . . that normal seemed good, but was actually bad
remember the Pharisees and their disciples?
their fasting and righteous living seemed good: well respected by many
but Jesus said that the were just like graveyards, look nice on the outside, but in reality full of dead bones
are you in a dead normal that seems good, looks good, but is actually bad?
for example, some people stay in bad relationships, because you think that feeling insecure, angry, and unappreciated is normal . . . but if you pause and step back, you will see that you felt better when you were by yourself
that might be your new
Your old way is good, but could be much, much better
Your old way is good, but could be much, much better
This is represented by John the Baptist and his disciples
he was a true and mighty prophet, and it was good to be following such a prophet
but admitted himself that Jesus was the Lamb of God, he admitted that he was not even worthy to tie Jesus shoes
Some of John the Baptist disciples got the message and left and followed Jesus, but others stayed with John
John was known for a diet of locust and wild honey (grasshoppers and honey)
what you think his disciples ate?
on top of that they had to fast
they could have been with Jesus!
eating better food, earlier in this chapter, they just had a banquet
don’t have to fast at all
better teaching
seeing more miracles
following, Jesus the Christ, son of the living God!
and just like them, our old way is good, but can be much, much better
one more truth
Application
Application
let me give some application examples, because this is not a feel good sermon but an application sermon
and let me clarify, this is not
a self improvement word
i have to become worthy, so God will bless me
this is a put yourself into position to be blessed, used, to fulfill your calling in Christ Jesus
God will do the work, provide the power, open the door, make a way, move the mountains
but you have to be willing to say yes to a new way, a new normal
So let me make it plain
it could be some things that you need to give up
humble yourself, pray, seek God’s face, turn from wicked ways . .
could be a bad habit, or relationship
it could be somethings that you need to take on
get a new circle of friends, start a new career
working harder, working smarter
going back to school, eating healthier
pray more, get in the Word more, get more active in church
better prayer life
most likely a combination of things that you need to give up and things that you need to take on . . . and that’s going to feel like a whole new lifestyle
but new requires new
you can’t go with God and stay the same
You can’t fulfill your calling in your comfort zone
if you want new fruit, you must plant new seeds
I used to shop the old way (get dressed, get in car, walk instore, walk the aisles)
but eventually, I tried Amazon
it was awkward at first,
going on line, setting up an account, user name and password, verifying the email address, inputting your address, nervous about submitting my card info, not being able to touch the actual product . . . just too much change, too new
but once I got a taste of it, and got used to the system, it took my shopping to the next level
get pretty much anything, while sitting on my couch
saving time, money, and gas
don’t have to drive somewhere and hope that something is in stock
compare prices, same day, or next day delivery
I am so glad that I have new normal in shopping now
The Choices
The Choices
This sermon a personal invitation from God to you: He is inviting you to move up to another level of life.
and he is not asking you to do anything, he hasn’t done
Jesus did it
Jesus did it
it’s summed up in this scripture
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus took on a new normal
Jesus gave stuff up: divine privileges and glory
Jesus took stuff on: position of a slave, human form, even took on the cross
and when Jesus took on a new normal, though he suffered a while, he ended up in the highest place of honor
a name above all other names
cause at his name every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess
and he will sit upon the throne forever!
and he did it all for me, cause my old normal was being a man lost in sin, on my way to hell
but Jesus took on a new normal, so that I could have a new normal
saved - new normal
sanctified - new normal
full of the Holy Ghost - new normal
fire in my soul
joy unspeakable
on my way to glory
where i have a new home
where i have a crown
no more sickness
no more death
no no more sorrow or crying
Jesus set the example for us, some things can change, if you’re willing to accept the call to a new normal
Invitation
Invitation
this is not new language
there is always a big change in following Jesus, and the first step is accepting him as Lord and Savior
this is not new language,
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
if you are not a Christian, you need to get the first step of newness, by accepting Christ