If you use any or all of this message--would you be willing to fire off a quick email to:pastorjerryvargo@juno.com? I would like to have an idea of how often my sermons are actually being preached to strengthen the Body of Christ. Thanks!
God’s New Wine!
Pastor Jerry C. Vargo
I. Introduction.
A. This teaching for the next few weeks is like a huge mountain range. It looks different depending on which direction from which you approach.
B. In other words, this study is rich with many different angles. It is seen in so many ways.
C. My hope is to stir you up to consider this: Are you viewing life and the Christian faith as you did 5, 2, or even 1 year ago.
D. Then you are like the man who drives up the mountain every day—taking the same ol’ road. You have lost your appreciation for the complexity of God’s beauty and truth.
E. I want to challenge all of us to drive up the mountain using different roads for a few weeks. Open up your windows…see the new sights…smell the new fragrances…see your life from different vantage points.
F. Let me start by having you turn to Luke 5:33-38. We will reference this often over the next few weeks.
II. Body.
A. Verse 33 – The Pharisees did fast—but with an outward practice that often covered up a selfish heart.
B. Verses 34-35 – Jesus was saying: You don’t fast during a wedding celebration—No, this is a time for rejoicing—not mourning. "I am ushering in the Kingdom of God; there will come a time for fasting—after I depart—but not now." NOTE: Jesus often used vineyard analogies to show us the NEW WINE of the Kingdom of God coming to earth—Read Matthew 20:1-16 at your leisure.
C. What was happening here is that the Pharisees were working hard to get Jesus to conform to their "religious" way of thinking—insisting that He conform to their TRADITIONS—He would have nothing to do with it.
D. So, in verses 36-38 Jesus uses two very important illustrations to give them (AND US) understanding.
Patched Garments
A. Jesus was not about to try to fit His NEW teaching into the Pharisees OLD ways.
B. Look closely at the contrast between the OLD and the NEW. This is the major point of the whole parable.
C. Jesus is clearly saying, "You cannot attach the new to the old." Both will be destroyed.
New Wine
A. In verse 37, Jesus is trying to teach His disciples something exciting.
B. He says, "And no one puts new wine into old wineskins." What does this mean?
C. Well, we are not as informed as those that were there that day were. In those days, new wine was produced by "stomping" (good message here—if the skins don’t break—you turn into a raisin—if you are stomped, the seeds come forth and you produce fruit).
D. As the juice was produced it was put into goatskins that had been sewed up tight. That way, the leather would be soft and flexible and expand as the fermentation took place.
E. If you were to add new wine to an old wineskin of a goat, it would burst because the old wineskin was no longer flexible (good message here) and it was brittle (good message here).
F. The new wine and its fermentation would cause the old to burst—thereby ruining the new AND the old.
Is the Old Better?
A. Now, look at verse 39 in this passage. Listen to what Jesus said, but listen with discernment.
B. In the natural, old wine tastes better. However, I do not believe Jesus is advocating the Old. I believe He is sending a message to the Pharisees who were holding onto the traditions of the day—the old ways of Judaism.
C. What was that message? When you have the OLD you don’t "wish" for the NEW. For you say, "The OLD is good enough."
D. You see, many Christians like things to remain as they are—the do not feel comfortable with change. Change involves RISK—and many do not want to RISK anything.
E. Listen closely—God never stands still. We need to stay open to the NEW things—AND the leading of His SPIRIT—we must stay FLEXIBLE as he pours in the NEW WINE.
Illustrate
We need to ask ourselves two questions…
1. First—are we in a church that is flexible, soft, and ready to change as God directs?
2. Second—are we personally ready to be flexible, soft, and ready to change as God directs?
AE WE READY TO LET GOD POUR IN NEW WINE?
STILL NOT CONVINCED?
GO TO JOHN 2:1-11
A. Notice what is said here. Most men serve the "good" wine first. The old wine is the best interpretation.
B. "But you have saved the "good" wine—the NEWLY created wine for last."
C. Do you get this? The NEW wine is the BEST wine. The OLD wine was served FIRST…now it is time to serve the NEW wine.
STILL NOT CONVINCED?
GO TO ACTS 2:1-22 (SKIP THROUGH IT)
A. When God poured out His Spirit—it was something NEW. Many thought they were drunk. However, they were just responding to this NEW thing that God was doing in their midst.
STILL NOT CONVINCED?
GO TO MATTHEW 21:28-32
A. Who went to work in the VINEYARD – the place where NEW WINE is produced? The one who was religious and said, "Oh, I will participate in VINEYARD work." Or, the one who said, "No way—I’m not getting involved in this NEW WINE PRODUCTION (but later regretted it and participated)."
B. Which one did the will of the Father—the religious one who said he would participate and didn’t? Or, the one who said he wouldn’t participate—and later did?
III. Conclusion.
A. Listen—what God did yesterday was good. However, what He has planned for today is even better. In addition, what is planned for tomorrow is incomprehensible.
B. What He wanted to do through us yesterday may not be what he wants to do through us today.
C. We need to ask ourselves, "What are the structures of my old ways that are incompatible with God’s New Ways?"
D. Listen—God is doing new things on the earth!
E. The knowledge we had yesterday was OK—but the new revelations of today are better!
F. Isn’t that true for you? Are you satisfied with what you were like in days gone past? NO—a thousand times NO. We are growing people!
G. I don’t know about you—but I’m getting drunk on God’s New Wine!
H. Let us make this our prayer: "Lord, fill me up with the New Wine of your Spirit. Help me to be able to contain it—rather than seeing it lost through my own inflexibility or stubborn ways. Father, you want to move in my life in NEW ways—Help me to be open to Your Spirit and not miss what you have planned."
"The New Wine is the anointing of God to release the abundance of God’s life, joy and blessing in the lives of His people!"
Chuck Pierce
