Matthew 9:14-17 New Wineskins

Intro:

Last week my son wanted to have some friends over to the house after a minimum day at school

I asked him what he wanted to do and he told me that they were going to walk down to the mall

I suggested that they go to a movie

At first, his response was “I don’t watch movies.”

Then I made some comment about watching 8 hours of youtube

He then replied what would they see

I told him to go and see Top Gun

He looked at me like I was a dinosaur

He then proceeded to tell me that they were gonna watch Sonic

Today is pentecost Sunday

Read Matthew 9:14-17

Transition

This passage is used for a lot of purposes

Anytime someone wants to do something new they quote New Wineskins

While there is some truth to that sentiment, it is veers off point

Jesus brought a new work to Israel and the old religious customs and routines weren’t going to work

The same is true today

Jesus wants to do a new work in His church, but many churches are adamant that He do it within their old system

If Jesus is going to move in our church He is going to do it on His terms and in His way

Our job is to be so aligned with the Holy Spirit that we can sense how He is moving

For that to be the case we need to be wary of a couple of things

I. Ruts Ruin Revival vs. 14

The first warning sign we need to be understand is that Ruts ruin revival

Attitudes like “We’ve always done it this way” hinder the work of God

The Pharisees and John’s disciples fasted twice a week

But the Pharisees lacked any morsel of spiritual life and John’s disciples submitted to the strict discipline of their leader

The Old Testament prescribed only one fast, the one on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement

But Jewish tradition had come to require fasting twice a week, and these disciples were careful to follow that practice.

Along with alms giving and certain prescribed prayers, twice-weekly fasting was one of the three major expressions of orthodox Judaism during Jesus’ day

The Pharisees looked on these practices with great seriousness and were careful not only to follow them faithfully but to do so as publicly and ostentatiously as possible

They did not see religion as a matter of humility, repentance, or forgiveness, but as a matter of ceremony and proud display

Luke 18:11–12 ESV

The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’

Religious ritual and routine have always been dangers to true godliness.

A fast is always meaningless if it is performed from habit and does not result from deep concern and mourning over some spiritual need.

Going to church on Sunday is hypocritical if it is done apart from a genuine desire to worship and glorify God

Fasting is a good thing

Every disciple of Jesus should fast

It is a process of denying our flesh and elevating on the spiritual

No one should be able to tell you’re fasting by your actions

The Pharisees would walk around with dour faces, often throwing dust on themselves for added effect.

That was done for human applause

Those practices that were once powerful have become ruts and done without meaning

If we want to see God work in the church we need to examine our motivations behind what we are doing

II. Desire Presence over Perception vs. 15

The second way that we bring in a new work of the Lord is to desire presence over perception

Jesus replied to John’s disciples by giving them an analogy of a wedding

In those days a wedding would usually last seven days, and the bridegroom would choose his best friends as attendants to be responsible for the festivities

It was forbidden to fast during a wedding ceremony

The disciples were with Jesus and there was no need to fast because He was in their presence

One day he would be gone and they would long for Him

Luke 17:22 ESV

And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.

Fasting is meant to bring us closer to Jesus

The Pharisees were more concerned with perception than they were the presence of God

III. New Work Requires New Vessels vs. 16-17

The final way we see is that a new work requires new vessels

It would be easy to interpret vessels as churches or even people, but that is not what Jesus is saying

He is telling us that God never works through our old methods

If we want to see a new work in this church we have to be open to God working in a new way

That doesn’t mean we change who we are or how we do things

It means we are open to new ideas and new avenues

Two years ago God put on my heart to start D-groups

We weren’t doing anything like that

I pitched it to the leadership and they bought in

After 3 semesters we are starting to see the impact

It puts feet on your faith and is filling people with encouragement

He did not come to improve the old system but to renounce and undermine it.

His way had nothing to do with the old ways, and the old ways had no part in the new

Cloth of that day was primarily wool or linen, and both would shrink when washed.

If a patch of new, unshrunk, cloth is sewn on an old garment, Jesus reminded them, then the first time the garment is washed, the new patch shrinks and pulls away from the garment, making a worse tear than before.

In the same way, Jesus’ new and internal gospel of forgiveness and cleansing cannot be attached to the old and external traditions of self-righteousness and ritual.

Wine is a symbol of growth and fruitfulness

When the new wine begins to ferment they give off gases

It would make the wineskin expand

This is why they used the bladder of goats because they were able to expand when they were new.

An old wineskin had already expanded and anymore stretching would make it burst

Today they use oak and stainless steel barrels

Oak barrels impart flavor into the wine.

The chemistry of fermentation integrate the flavors into the wine.

New barrels impart a lot of flavor.

After 5 fills (years) they don’t impart any flavor.

Stainless is like using older barrels. No flavor just pure fruit expression.

It should be made clear that Jesus’ doing away with the old and bringing in the new did not refer to setting aside the divine law and ushering in grace—as many interpreters have claimed throughout church history, and as some still claim today.

The old wineskins were not the teachings of the Old Testament but the rabbinical traditions that had come to overshadow, supersede, and often contradict the divinely revealed truths of the Old Testament

A true believer forsakes legalism and ritualism

When Jesus does a new work he chooses to do it in a new way, not through old rituals

It would be wasted because those systems and people are inflexible

Every revival and movement of God has been through the least expected and criticized by the status quo

Personal Application

How do you see God do a new work in your life?

Don’t stop doing the daily disciplines of reading, prayer, & serving

Stop & repent of any sin

Stop going thru the motions

Set your mind on things above so that you can sense the leading of the Spirit

Step out in faith

Church Application

Commit to prayer, worship, & fellowship

Be open to new ministry opportunities