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PARABLES: Parable of the Wineskins

How many of you had an 8 track player back in the day?  Look at all of the different containers we’ve used to contain music in our lifetime:  8 tracks, albums, cassettes, CD’s, Mp3 players…  It’s all music – in 5 different containers – in less than 30 years. 

“And He was also telling them a parable: ‘No one tears a piece 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.  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.  But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.  And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough.’”   - Luke 5:36 - 39

Wine is the substance.  Wineskins are the container.  New wine needs new wineskins. 

We can keep the substance the same – but change the container.  You cannot play an 8 track in an Ipod.  You cannot play a CD on an album turntable. 

God is always pouring out new wine.  He is a God of the new thing:

• A new covenant:  Hebrews 12:24,  Hebrews 8:13
• A new song:  Psalm 33:3, Psalm 40:3
• A new creation:  2 Corinthians 5:17
• The new thing:  Isaiah 42:9,  Isaiah 43:19
• A new name:  Isaiah 62:2
• New strength:  Isaiah 40:31
• A new heart – a new spirit:  Ezekial 36:26
• The new self:  Ephesians 4:24

God is always up to something new – but we have to adjust our containers and style for the new thing God wants to do in our lives. 

1. We can’t have newness in life with limited, hardened, or restricted attitudes.

We can’t have the new thing in life with an old crusty container – an old attitude, old thinking, an old outlook, old mindsets, an old heart. 

2. We have to let the past go in order to make room for the new. 

If you don’t make room for the new thing, it will never come. 

New wine bursts old wineskins.  Celebrate the old – but move on with life.

One thing I’ve learned:  Life has no rewind buttons. 

The church is not supposed to be the same as it was 30 years ago, not even 30 months ago.

Next week we start a video series.  There are literally thousands of churches utilizing video to multiply their ability to reach people. 

For some people, a video message will be a brand new thing.  Some people, before even trying it, will decide “I don’t like it” simply because it’s different. 

God is doing a new thing!   

3. New wineskins are equivalent to a fresh heart, a fresh mind and a fresh spirit.

Just as the church is called to change, Your life is not supposed to stay the same. 

Come into the future.  A life with God means glory to glory, faith to faith, blessing to blessing, strength to strength, brighter and brighter! 

4. Stay loyal to core values - but stay flexible to changes in the culture and trends.

It’s easy to get comfortable with the old.

Luke 5:39

Make sure we don’t confuse loyalty to core values with loyalty to an old style or old structures.  Do not say “The old days were better.”  New is always coming with God. 

5. Recognize change is a necessity for growth in life.

The constant companion of growth is change. 

What used to work doesn’t always work now.  What was good for one season is not good for the new season. 

6. New wineskins are filled with anticipation and faith for the future.

God doesn’t change for change sake – and neither should we. 

Stay flexible, adaptable and buoyant – because we know God is pouring out new things!  We desire a breath of fresh air!  We are expectant for better days!