A Time for New Wine, Part 2

What relationship Dr. Tony Evans is Christ didn't come to just fix us up rather to bring us a brand-new line became to be the center house revolve around celebrating. This is the alternative Dr. Tony Evans authored speaker, senior pastor of Oakland Bible Fellowship in Dallas Texas and president of the urban alternative potholes in the roadway can be concealed for a season or two with the temporary patch or they can be eliminated altogether with the full depth roadway replacement today. Dr. Evans explains that when it comes to failures and imperfections in our spiritual path, God wants us to choose his lasting full replacement method rather than a quick but short-lived repair job must join him as he elaborates chapter 5 Jesus says, called disciples to himself beginning in 20 party by Matthew the tax collector has a big reception for Jesus at his house, according to verse 29, and a great crowd shows up. I just want you to know by way of introduction, my body is an interesting group at the party with all that there were tax collectors and sentence me this will not be approved crowd at the party by the religious beliefs of the day the Pharisees find out that there is jam going on Jesus is and so they began complaining to the disciples water you drink with tax collectors and sinners verse 30. That's the problem to me why you got a party going on to what we may want divided tax collectors and some of the people that we don't have time for you will eat and drink with that have to do with fellowship. You will hang out with them so they have a problem with this with the group that's showing up to the party. Jesus answers and tells them that if not those who are well positioned, but those were sick. It's not well focal development for folks who need help. I'm not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. He says the reason why Baptist body is what this party because my party is designed to make a spiritual impact, the party just a I have a party to make a spiritual impact, I'm not just calling the saints. I'm also after the sinners and so this is a spiritual purpose to it. Even though Yama complained about that sets the scene for the reset God is going to take us on a journey on right now so the religious leaders. The Pharisees started three disciples of John, often passed and offer prayers disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but yours eat and drink okay. That's the problem with last fasting is giving up a craving of the physical for a need in the spiritual quest with passing and that's what we do we do it the religious leaders.

Even John's disciples doing and remember John the Baptist disciples were designed to get ready for the coming of Jesus is that so we do it they do it fast, and your body will be the spiritual ones. So what they are bringing up is our religious commitment is greater than your religious commitment because we passed we would be your party would be out here praying about. I had given up food. Did you know that there was only one required fast in the Bible. Leviticus chapter 16 verses 29 and 31. That was the only required fast. It was no required fast in the Bible, but that one young couple, the day of atonement in order for the people to get right with God to have their sins address.

There was this one last required every other fast in the Bible was voluntary not demand and those fast happened on a voluntary basis because there was a great crisis great grief a great deed that you needed the additional presence of God to invade what the Pharisees had done was make fasting a requirement. They made a requirement to do twice a week. What the Pharisees did was create a mountain of requirements.

Some of us were raising churches like that. That gave us a mountain of requirements didn't come from God or maybe a principal came from God, but they kept adding stuff to it so that it was no longer of God. It was a man, but because God's name was attached to which it sounded legitimate and so they made religion a big deal centered in this case in fasting. You know what we've done in American Christianity. We've created something God never had he never had in mind that our religious order would replace our spiritual intimacy in our spiritual relationship and that was the complaint that was their concern. They were into their ritual fasting. We pray you folks upon dollar eating and drinking, and you're doing it with folk who are unacceptable to us so that's the problem. So Jesus now has to help a brother out. He says when the bridegroom is there. You don't fast Jesus is the bridegroom. Why because his church is the bride.

He says the bridegroom is here, so there's no need to fast the words you don't fast when you're celebrating 20 say with celebrating with celebrating with these publicans and sinners with celebrating because Jesus was right in their bits so we do have a party politics, but he says there's coming a time in verse 35. The dates will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them. Then they will fast in those days, so he goes on to make a powerful point about the religion of my is the presence or absence of Jesus that determines whether it's feast or famine. The reset God is trying to do in our lives is to make it more about him that it is about church to make it more about him than it is about human personality. There are times when life becomes overwhelming, but that's the time the drawing the reset. God wants us to go through to all these conveniences that he has allowed us to face is to reset our spiritual priority to our relationship. That doesn't negate a program, but it puts the program. Proper place.

It puts it in the place where it belongs.

Now here's the question, how do you do that how do you get this reset remodel church unity into biblical Christianity because we got Christians, divided foolishly. Christians talking foolishly, acting foolishly, walking foolishly without any sense of Jesus Christ. But that carrying on the program as prescribed by the religious order while back to Luke chapter 5 Jesus throws a Hail Mary through to illustrations. One having to do a close and the other would have them do with why you will notice in verses 36 to 38.

The word new new new new new new new new. But all the times the word new shows up so the focus is best. Jesus says I have come to bring you something new.

I'm not just trying to get you to fix up some old K this is remodel I'm tearing up your religious order, not biblical truth, but all the stuff you stacked on top of it. I hope you know religion without Jesus can make you a slave can hold you hostage it can make you miserable serving Jesus Christ without a smile because you try to keep up with all the regulations never being able to satisfy because here's when you know you're in false religion because they keep adding new stuff they keep adding new stuff and is a never-ending barrage of religiosity of Pharisaism.

Jesus says no one verse 36 carries a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. Otherwise he will bolt care of the new piece from the new will not match the old says you do take a new garment and put a what an old garment one when you wash it in the new priest shrinks this goal tear away from the old piece that's worn and then is not match will be the exact color will be the exact fit you're going to have lines that indicated someone in Outlook is not a match. So the first one is a garment you don't take a new piece of cloth to an old garment. It's not going to match. Dr. Evans will have more for us when he returns in a moment to complete this message from his brand-new series divine reset if you're tired of being locked up in a pattern of defeat. This series is just a set of keys you been praying for you. Discover how to redefine success the way God sees it, how to unlock God's power in your life to shift your focus to lift up those around you, and much more. There's a lot packed into this powerful series in all 10 messages are yours, is our gift when you make a contribution to help support our work here on radio on TV and with a growing network of pastors and churches, along with the audio messages available on CD or digital download will also send you Tony's helpful booklet winning your spiritual battles. This convenient reference guide can demystify the devil's craftiness and quell any fear or anxiety. He attempts to place in the way of your marriage health career finances virtually any area of your life. Visit us@tonyevans.org before the special, limited time offer runs out or call us at 1-800-800-3222 to get them in person help for my resource team all have our contact information again for you after part two of today's lesson and this are you hungry for more history and more wisdom than you need to connect to God's word attending Evans training center with exclusive city and I from Dr. Tony interactive online study experience allows you to explore theology, biblical history and application of the kingdom anytime Tony Evans training to get started next 10 Evans training is 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. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. Wineskins were most goat skins over time. However, the skin became old and brittle. So if you put new wine in skin that was now old and brittle and new wine is fermenting, which means it's releasing gas into this old wineskin the old wineskin is going to crack and therefore the new wine is going to spell and so you're going to lose the wineskin when you try to put new into the worn-out old you're not gonna make something better, you will make it worse.

What is Jesus saying I didn't come here to do patch work on your religion. I didn't come here to put my new message in your old church in didn't come here to be an added to your faith I bring in new stuff. I'm not just bring it, bring it. I'm bringing Brad things the all the wine what's the all. Why must the old cloth. It's the traditions of men that have been stacked on to our faith that's turned it into old stale Christianity, no matter how good the choir sings how good the preacher may be how awesome the ministries. If you're simply asking Jesus to be an admission to come on top of we not change anything we not going to amend our priorities become all Jesus.

We want the new just the committee and make it nice because you know you can sound good when you spring Jesus's name. You can sound like you really spiritual. Jesus did not come to be an he came to be the assets. The centerpiece, the newness and house must revolve around Jesus, don't go to church because a Sunday go to church to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ just happens to be done on Sunday devotions because her birthday keeps the devil away because you were told to go to because you want to let the Lord know you are devoted to him today. You want to spend time with him is not just an add-on. Jesus was spending time with publicans and sinners because they would be easier to work with the scribes and Pharisees say that again Jesus spent time with publicans and sinners because they would be more responsive while because they had been beaten to death with religion. A lot of folks leave the church because they get beat up by religion, because they never run in the Jesus so they'll leave church never go back because they were beat up or abused by religion.

He says he spoke to don't know about you, I can work with him because I will have to plow through all this religious nonsense that job accumulated over the years is so religion without Christ is like putting BenGay on a broken leg.

It may make you feel better, but you haven't fixed the thing and a lot of the things we offer people is more and more and more religion you must reject the free and anyone who compromises the central motif of Jesus Christ, even to get the habit want to get heaven help you water the centerpiece has to be Jesus Christ and with my church, your church, any church when church is making about the relationship of Christ and the program surrounds that now will be time for a party will be those times of fasting because we got pandemics in our personal lives and debits of the culture but when we get the relationship right there will be rules were forced to do will do the legitimate rules because we want to review what remember the story of the woman was married to Bob. Bob was a taskmaster with they were married. They gave her a list of 25 rules to follow to be a good wife. She did her best to keep the 25 rules to be a good wife, and hated. She hated the institution of marriage. While she tried to keep up with Bob's 25 rules because to make herself acceptable to Bob just to keep all the rules and the rules were just beaten her to death. Some years later Bob died. Bob died.

She was free from Bob but then a little time later. She met John. She met John on a trip they got to know each other and she thought Ellen love with John. John said, will you marry me. She married John some time later, she was cleaning out one of her bureau drawers and noticed something.

Bob's list your 25 three that she had to do to make herself acceptable to Bob when she saw the list she left.

She grinned she broke out in joy and celebration know why she was so happy because it dawned on her.

She was doing all 25 things that Bob required she was doing all 25 things required John and loving every moment of you know why because she was keeping rules out of a relationship not keeping rules out of her religion not keeping rules to make herself acceptable keeping rules because she was already acceptable when you and I know how much Jesus loves us. We do not know.

We already accepted the Bible says in the below when you and I know he already cares for you.

You have to earn his acceptance. You do what you do because you have his acceptance and you know about this. Adding religion you're responding to relationship Dr. Tony Evans will come back to share the ultimate divine reset just a moment the first if you like to review this lesson on your own or pass it along to someone you care about just get in touch with us for details on the message titled a time for new wine you get the full length version that includes content. We didn't have time to bring you on the air today.

Better yet, get it is a part of Tony's brand-new audio series divine reset. As I mentioned earlier, it's available right now is our gift to you and appreciation for your donation toward Tony's ministry, along with a special bonus, the paired booklet winning your spiritual battles visit Tony Evans.org today to get all the details before time runs out. Again, that's Tony Evans.org or call us at 1-800-800-3222 our resource center is open 24 seven that's 1-800-800-3222 society's view of success usually boils down to a list of things we ought to have tomorrow. Dr. Evans will explore how God's definition of success is far different and far more excellent. For now though, he's back to share this closing thought. So here's the divine reset the divine reset is a spin this year pursuing a relationship.

And yes, keeping the rules, but keeping his rules, not man's rules because you want to please the one who already lunch.

You'll have to earn his love is a reset spiritually. If you have accepted Christ do that right now you can do that you can acknowledge your sinfulness and your need for sake by placing your faith in Christ to look to Christ alone. You can express in prayer. Jesus, I look to you alone.

I will send and I want to be forgiven not one eternal life across the alternative with Dr. Tony Evans is brought to you by the urban alternative celebrating 40 years of faithfulness, thanks to the generous contributions of listeners like you