Sermon Tone Analysis

Worship Call 0671

Thursday June 16, 2022

Worship Call 0671

Wednesday June 15, 2022

Making way for the New

How many of us hold so desperately on to the old and while doing so miss out on the new and better and best.

God’s plan for us requires a forward looking and moving to that which lies ahead.

But can we miss out on it when we refuse to let go of the old?

The noun for “New” in the Greek is Kainos meaning new or fresh.

Something that has not existed prior.

Something new was in the works.

But before one could take hold of the new, they must first let go of the old.

And this is another fine day in the Lord!

Jesus is at the reception that Levi had prepared for him and invited many of his associates.

They were designated as sinners in light of not being religious folks.

Yes, other tax collectors by profession.

Other professions as well but most were comfortable with life living in the society and gave little credence to the ways of Judaism.

As often is the case it is the non-religious types without buildup presuppositions often hear and easily respond to the truth.

On the other hand, they can also be persuaded by the lie.

Mark 2:18–22 (NASB95) — 18 John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they came and said to Him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”

19 And Jesus said to them, “While the bridegroom is with them, the attendants of the bridegroom cannot fast, can they?

So long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

10.56 νυμφίος, ου m: a man who is about to be married or has just been married—‘bridegroom.’ ἐξῆλθον εἰς ὑπάντησιν τοῦ νυμφίου ‘they came out to meet the bridegroom’ Mt 25:1.

In a number of languages a term for bridegroom must indicate explicitly whether the marriage is about to take place or has just taken place.

Therefore, one may have to employ some such phrase as ‘a man who is going to be married soon’ or ‘a man who has just been married.’

A corresponding type of expression may be required for ‘bride’ (see 10.57).[1]

Jesus is the bridegroom, and the time of great celebration is at hand.

The bridegroom is about to be joined with his people who are in his presence are call the Sons of the bridal-Chamber.

11.7 υἱοὶ τοῦ νυμφῶνος: (an idiom, literally ‘sons of the wedding hall’) guests at a wedding, or more specifically, friends of the bridegroom participating in wedding festivities—‘wedding guests’ or ‘friends of the bridegroom.

The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

The long-awaited time that is through the Tanakh and the history of the people who awaited their messiah has come.

A wedding reception would last seven days.

No one would be allowed in the assembly who was in a state of mourning.

Those who were not happy with the arrangement would demonstrate their displeasure by their continence.

They by their own demeanor to be mourning during the time of celebration would obviously be opposed to this union.

Wine was served to lighten the hearts, and all necessary arrangements were was done to make the time to be joyous and memorable.

It was not a time for fasting, these types would be wearing the wrong garments.

Rather than bridal clothes they would be wearing Sack cloth.

They would be asked to leave in no uncertain terms.

There is a time for everything under the sun things that did not go together which had their own time and place.

There was never a time when Jesus was on the ropes.

When questioned the hostile religious leaders Jesus would often reply with a question, so it was normally the opposition who was on the defense having to be questioned.

“the attendants of the bridegroom cannot fast, can they?”

The answer was obvious

“So long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.”

And then Jesus telegraphs the sorrowful time that is ahead when the bridegroom will be forcibly removed,

Mark 2:20 (NASB95) — 20 “But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.

15.177 ἀπάγωa; ἀπολαμβάνωc; ἀποφέρωb; ἀπαίρω: to lead or take away from a particular point—‘to lead off, to lead away, to take away, to take aside.’[2]

Jesus telegraphs his death upon the cross and his burial.

This time is Prophesied in Daniel.

Daniel 9:24–26 (NASB95) — 24 “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.

25 “So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.

26 “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.

And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.

In this we have the celebration of the Messiah which is a time of celebration, and the last part is the time of destress mourning sackcloth and ashes.

Jesus does not bring good enough he brings the best.

the good enough has to be set aside for the celebratory good.

Even in our Christian life we should understand the principle because it’s the policy that God is using for his people.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB95) — 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

He is creating a new man.

A new creature a new life that is worthy of our calling.

When the Holy Spirit moves in, He moves to destroy the entire house and rebuild within us a wonderful new creature having been transformed and washed by the word.

But when we hold on to the old it hinders the work of the spirit.

This will probably be the subject of our Sundays lesson.

Jesus Continues with his teaching that was not received by the hard hearted religious leaders but those who were in attendance would hear and maybe too, they would not fully comprehend but when the helper spirit will come upon them 50 days after Jesus resurrection then many of those who were in attendance that day and who had heard the words of Jesus will understand.

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.”

A Parallel passage is found in Luke

Luke 5:35–39 (NASB95) — 35 “But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.”

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.’

”

Jesus uses two things that are mutually exclusive.

And being exclusive one does not belong with the other.

The cloth that is being mended needs to be mended with material that is compatible with the material other wise when shrinkage happens there is going to be rips and tears and the two things will not match and be out of place

Wine was often stored in wineskins.

New wine into new wineskins would ferment and expand to its capacity.

But when new wine is placed into old wineskins that have already been stretched it will burst and the old skins will be destroyed along with the wine.

Jesus uses this to bring to light that the new covenant will be mutually exclusive from the Law which the Pharisees sought to protect and hold on to.

This is going to the battle that the Apostles and the early church leaders will have to battle.

Even to this day there are those who are well intentioned who say that we must continue to follow the Law as prescribed by God to the people of Israel.

And it will be the reason that the providential hand brought the temple down and it may have been the reason why the anti-Semitic but Christian accepting emperor Constantine came on the scene.

These are points that are argued Law or no Law but one thing is clear

You cannot embrace the new without letting go of the old.

[1]Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996).

In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 119).

United Bible Societies.

[2]Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996).

In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 203).

United Bible Societies.