WEBVTT 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:06.320 Good morning. It's a real, I can't tell you what a joy and a thrill it is to be here. 00:00:06.440 --> 00:00:11.660 Thank you so much for the invitation to come and share God's Word with you this morning. 00:00:11.740 --> 00:00:18.740 I do apologize that I gave Graham apoplexy this morning because I took a wrong turn on my way here. 00:00:19.160 --> 00:00:23.460 I can't explain it. It's just one of these things you do at my age. 00:00:24.039 --> 00:00:27.240 You just find yourself doing these things. 00:00:27.239 --> 00:00:34.159 And he told me when I came in, he said that it reached the point where he had suddenly began to prepare a sermon. 00:00:35.199 --> 00:00:39.099 And I would love to hear that sermon that he prepared in five minutes. 00:00:39.399 --> 00:00:41.399 I reckon it's probably really good. 00:00:42.099 --> 00:00:48.719 I can't tell you what a joy it is to be amongst people who trace their roots in the Brethren Church. 00:00:49.119 --> 00:00:53.739 Although I'm free church, I grew up half in Brethren circles. 00:00:53.740 --> 00:00:59.079 My best friends in school were guys who belonged to Brethren Church. 00:00:59.219 --> 00:01:06.060 And every Sunday night when I was 15 years old, after our evening service, I would disappear without my parents knowing. 00:01:06.200 --> 00:01:10.560 And I would go off to the Brethren Church because they had musicians there and they had hymns. 00:01:10.780 --> 00:01:15.240 That's where I learned all my hymns in the local Brethren Church. 00:01:15.239 --> 00:01:26.299 And I owe, seriously, I owe a lot of my discipleship during those days to my friends who belonged to Shuttle Street Hall and Paisley. 00:01:27.000 --> 00:01:35.919 And I have nothing but the fondest affection for them and for that time. 00:01:35.920 --> 00:01:39.500 I am, though, troubled about one or two things. 00:01:39.560 --> 00:01:43.480 First of all, you've asked a free church minister to confine his sermon to half an hour. 00:01:44.960 --> 00:01:48.480 But I shall do that even if I have to stop mid-sentence. 00:01:48.939 --> 00:01:56.579 And then you've asked a free church minister to talk about the Sabbath and confine it for half an hour, which is even more difficult. 00:01:57.020 --> 00:02:00.260 And then you've given me a passage because you're going through the Gospel of Luke. 00:02:00.260 --> 00:02:06.760 And there are at least three topics in this passage that each require at least one sermon. 00:02:07.180 --> 00:02:15.500 So I will condense everything as instructed and try and see what we can derive from that. 00:02:15.560 --> 00:02:22.000 We're going to turn to God's Word, to the Gospel of Luke and chapter 5 and verse 33. 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:26.219 Luke chapter 5 and verse 33. 00:02:26.219 --> 00:02:32.280 They said to him, that's the Pharisees, they said to Jesus, 00:02:32.599 --> 00:02:34.740 John's disciples often fast and pray. 00:02:35.319 --> 00:02:39.219 And so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking. 00:02:40.939 --> 00:02:47.659 Jesus answered, can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? 00:02:48.319 --> 00:02:51.319 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them. 00:02:51.419 --> 00:02:53.259 In those days they will fast. 00:02:54.120 --> 00:02:55.460 He told them this parable. 00:02:55.460 --> 00:02:59.960 No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. 00:03:00.360 --> 00:03:03.219 If he does, he will have torn the new garment. 00:03:03.659 --> 00:03:06.280 And the patch from the new will not match the old. 00:03:07.040 --> 00:03:09.680 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. 00:03:09.860 --> 00:03:11.760 If he does, the new wine will burst the skins. 00:03:12.520 --> 00:03:16.159 And the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. 00:03:16.719 --> 00:03:20.180 No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. 00:03:20.180 --> 00:03:25.599 And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says the old is better. 00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:32.019 One Sabbath, Jesus was going through the cornfields and his disciples began to pick some ears of corn, 00:03:32.579 --> 00:03:34.699 rub them in their hands and eat the grain. 00:03:35.400 --> 00:03:39.299 Some of the Pharisees asked, why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath? 00:03:40.199 --> 00:03:44.819 Jesus answered them, have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 00:03:44.819 --> 00:03:51.359 He entered the house of God and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for the priests to eat. 00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:53.900 And they also gave some to his companions. 00:03:54.859 --> 00:03:58.859 Then Jesus said to them, the son of man is Lord of the Sabbath. 00:03:59.939 --> 00:04:02.979 On another Sabbath, he went into the synagogue and was teaching. 00:04:03.099 --> 00:04:05.959 And a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. 00:04:05.960 --> 00:04:10.360 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus. 00:04:10.920 --> 00:04:14.319 So they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. 00:04:15.180 --> 00:04:18.840 But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, 00:04:19.259 --> 00:04:21.040 get up and stand in front of everyone. 00:04:21.180 --> 00:04:22.460 So he got up and stood there. 00:04:23.180 --> 00:04:27.519 Then Jesus said to them, I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath, to do good or to do evil, 00:04:27.699 --> 00:04:29.840 to save life or to destroy it? 00:04:29.839 --> 00:04:36.239 He looked around at them all and then said to the man, stretch out your hand. 00:04:36.959 --> 00:04:40.599 He did so, but his hand was completely restored. 00:04:41.299 --> 00:04:47.959 And they were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus. 00:04:48.799 --> 00:04:49.759 Let's pray together. 00:04:50.319 --> 00:04:55.559 Our Father, we want to come now to focus our thoughts on your word. 00:04:55.560 --> 00:05:00.379 We pray that your spirit will make clear the truths that we're going to read about, 00:05:00.860 --> 00:05:04.639 so much so that our whole lives are affected forevermore. 00:05:05.040 --> 00:05:07.720 Touch as we pray and take away our sin in Jesus' name. 00:05:08.259 --> 00:05:08.759 Amen. 00:05:13.139 --> 00:05:18.959 If you're anything like me, Amazon is part of your way of life. 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:22.220 We use it regularly, at least I do. 00:05:22.220 --> 00:05:24.280 It's so convenient. 00:05:25.300 --> 00:05:27.280 You don't have to go around all the shops. 00:05:27.440 --> 00:05:29.640 You can just dial up what you want. 00:05:29.740 --> 00:05:31.700 You can ring up what you want on Amazon. 00:05:31.860 --> 00:05:34.540 You can see a photograph of the item that you want. 00:05:34.980 --> 00:05:37.420 And you can see a description of that item. 00:05:37.880 --> 00:05:41.660 You press a couple of buttons and it's yours within a couple of days. 00:05:42.720 --> 00:05:47.140 But if you're anything like me, you'll also know that sometimes 00:05:47.140 --> 00:05:51.620 what you get is not what you expected. 00:05:51.620 --> 00:05:53.399 Now, that can be their fault. 00:05:54.220 --> 00:05:55.360 Sometimes it's their fault. 00:05:55.500 --> 00:06:01.100 But other times, you get something different to what you expected 00:06:01.100 --> 00:06:04.680 because you didn't read the description properly. 00:06:05.300 --> 00:06:07.040 That happened to me a number of times. 00:06:08.060 --> 00:06:09.459 It happened to my wife as well. 00:06:09.639 --> 00:06:13.660 Recently, we were at a wedding and she needed an accessory, I think they call it. 00:06:13.980 --> 00:06:16.620 It was one of these handbags and it had to go with her outfit. 00:06:16.620 --> 00:06:18.840 And she saw one on Amazon. 00:06:19.000 --> 00:06:21.740 There was a photograph of it and she sent away for it. 00:06:21.780 --> 00:06:26.280 When it arrived, it was about three times bigger than she thought it was 00:06:26.280 --> 00:06:30.720 because although she had seen the photograph, it wasn't given in the right proportions. 00:06:31.079 --> 00:06:37.259 And she hadn't got the measuring tape out and reassured herself that this was the size that she wanted. 00:06:37.340 --> 00:06:38.600 And it wasn't quite the right color. 00:06:38.840 --> 00:06:41.079 It wasn't what she expected. 00:06:41.079 --> 00:06:42.819 It was the right product. 00:06:42.919 --> 00:06:44.639 There was nothing wrong with the product. 00:06:45.180 --> 00:06:48.180 It just wasn't what she expected. 00:06:50.099 --> 00:06:55.180 When you read the Gospels, you can't help wondering, 00:06:55.459 --> 00:07:00.240 why was it that the Pharisees hated Jesus so much? 00:07:00.500 --> 00:07:02.159 What was the problem with Jesus? 00:07:02.160 --> 00:07:09.200 I mean, after all, he displayed such power, such unmistakable power. 00:07:10.220 --> 00:07:12.420 Nicodemus, who came to him in John chapter 3, said, 00:07:12.939 --> 00:07:19.740 We know that you are a teacher sent from God because no one could do the kind of things that you do unless God was with him. 00:07:19.800 --> 00:07:21.720 So his power was evident. 00:07:23.220 --> 00:07:25.180 His authority was evident. 00:07:25.400 --> 00:07:27.140 The crowds followed him. 00:07:27.220 --> 00:07:28.980 They listened to him with bated breath. 00:07:28.980 --> 00:07:34.540 He spoke as one with authority and not as the teachers of the law. 00:07:34.620 --> 00:07:43.680 So why was it that within days, it appears, of him going about teaching through all the towns and villages in Palestine at that time, 00:07:44.259 --> 00:07:49.800 why is it that you get the impression, even at this stage, that there's conflict arising? 00:07:49.960 --> 00:07:51.120 There's trouble brewing. 00:07:51.560 --> 00:07:53.580 And, of course, we all know the end of the story. 00:07:53.759 --> 00:07:55.360 This was not going to end well. 00:07:55.360 --> 00:08:00.620 It was going to end with them handing him over to the Romans and him being tried and crucified. 00:08:01.100 --> 00:08:01.980 Why was it? 00:08:02.680 --> 00:08:05.100 Why was it that there was such a conflict? 00:08:06.460 --> 00:08:09.160 And the answer lies with my Amazon story. 00:08:10.680 --> 00:08:13.960 They hadn't read the description properly. 00:08:13.959 --> 00:08:30.399 So when they saw what God had sent to them, they didn't like him because he didn't fit what they wanted. 00:08:30.399 --> 00:08:40.919 We've already seen this earlier on in Luke chapter 5, where after calling Levi to be one of his disciples, 00:08:41.079 --> 00:08:47.220 Levi, as a result of his new life, he wants everyone to know Jesus, so he arranges this dinner for everyone, 00:08:47.399 --> 00:08:52.279 all the sinners, all the low life in the place, 00:08:52.279 --> 00:08:57.240 the people who were on the margins of society. 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:01.500 And they all came round to his house and began to listen to Jesus. 00:09:01.759 --> 00:09:05.439 This does not go down well with the religious leaders of the time. 00:09:05.639 --> 00:09:08.579 And they complained and they grumbled about Jesus. 00:09:10.019 --> 00:09:14.500 But Jesus said, I didn't come for the well people. 00:09:14.500 --> 00:09:15.939 I came for the sick. 00:09:16.620 --> 00:09:20.000 I haven't come to call the so-called righteous people. 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:23.220 I have come to call sinners to repentance. 00:09:23.399 --> 00:09:28.259 In other words, Jesus' message was that the gospel was for bad people. 00:09:29.419 --> 00:09:33.980 Their message, what the scribes and what the Pharisees stood for, 00:09:34.059 --> 00:09:38.379 was that religion was for good people, or who they thought were good. 00:09:38.580 --> 00:09:41.539 But Jesus said, no, you're completely wrong. 00:09:42.539 --> 00:09:49.480 And the Pharisees said, no, we don't like this man because he speaks a different language to us. 00:09:49.480 --> 00:09:51.860 He thinks differently to us. 00:09:53.259 --> 00:09:57.420 We want to send him back to where he came from. 00:09:58.240 --> 00:10:00.420 No, because there's anything wrong with him. 00:10:00.879 --> 00:10:02.039 Quite the opposite. 00:10:02.220 --> 00:10:04.879 There was absolutely nothing wrong with Jesus. 00:10:05.279 --> 00:10:08.480 He was exactly what God wanted to send. 00:10:08.740 --> 00:10:09.980 He was God himself. 00:10:10.779 --> 00:10:12.659 And it doesn't get better than that. 00:10:12.659 --> 00:10:16.259 And this is the amazing thing. 00:10:16.319 --> 00:10:24.019 This is what I still find shocking about the men and the women who should have known so much better at that time. 00:10:24.100 --> 00:10:25.059 They knew their Bible. 00:10:25.219 --> 00:10:27.379 They knew the law and the prophets. 00:10:27.579 --> 00:10:32.059 They knew what had been promised and prophesied about Jesus. 00:10:32.059 --> 00:10:37.839 And despite that, they ended up rejecting him and sending him back. 00:10:39.179 --> 00:10:41.000 Because they hated him. 00:10:41.139 --> 00:10:42.939 He made them jealous. 00:10:43.500 --> 00:10:53.819 They couldn't cope with something that was so new and so revolutionary and so opposed to everything that they stood for. 00:10:53.820 --> 00:10:59.240 And so what you have in this passage that I read are three more issues. 00:10:59.740 --> 00:11:02.000 Rather, I should perhaps say two more issues. 00:11:02.740 --> 00:11:08.080 And both of which, they come into conflict with Jesus. 00:11:08.520 --> 00:11:09.900 One of them was fasting. 00:11:11.400 --> 00:11:12.960 And the other was the Sabbath. 00:11:14.640 --> 00:11:16.840 The Pharisees were fasters. 00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:20.560 Fasters, we'll call them. 00:11:20.559 --> 00:11:25.259 Fasting had become part of their way of life. 00:11:26.599 --> 00:11:29.139 Fasting is where you go without food. 00:11:33.019 --> 00:11:39.399 The idea was not because going without food drew you closer to God. 00:11:40.119 --> 00:11:43.939 There was nothing inherently good about not eating. 00:11:43.940 --> 00:11:54.840 But fasting gave you the opportunity to focus your mind on specific events and occasions where people maybe gathered together for prayer. 00:11:55.060 --> 00:11:56.100 Or where there was an issue. 00:11:56.380 --> 00:11:57.420 Or where there was a war. 00:11:57.560 --> 00:11:59.440 Or where they were confessing their sin. 00:11:59.800 --> 00:12:00.280 Or whatever. 00:12:00.700 --> 00:12:01.940 Fasting gave the opportunity. 00:12:02.720 --> 00:12:05.900 Because people in those days, they took ages to prepare food. 00:12:05.899 --> 00:12:14.799 Didn't have microwaves in those days where you could throw something in and 30 seconds later you've got a meal. 00:12:15.939 --> 00:12:18.879 In those days it took hours to prepare food. 00:12:18.939 --> 00:12:23.319 And these were hours where under certain conditions you could spend in prayer. 00:12:23.980 --> 00:12:26.819 And so there were times set aside for fasting. 00:12:26.939 --> 00:12:29.100 But it was never supposed to be mandatory. 00:12:29.100 --> 00:12:37.259 The Pharisees though, they believed that fasting made them closer, that drew them closer to God. 00:12:37.580 --> 00:12:44.980 They began to regard fasting as inherently something meritorious. 00:12:45.080 --> 00:12:47.200 Something that God was pleased with them for. 00:12:47.500 --> 00:12:51.120 And that meant that the more they fasted, the more pleased God was. 00:12:51.120 --> 00:12:57.940 In other words, they believed that they could please God by their own efforts. 00:12:58.279 --> 00:12:59.679 And by their own rituals. 00:13:00.200 --> 00:13:02.700 And by their own do's and don'ts. 00:13:02.759 --> 00:13:08.779 So religion for them had descended into this routine of what you did at certain times of day. 00:13:08.919 --> 00:13:10.879 And what you didn't do at certain times of day. 00:13:11.100 --> 00:13:12.799 And fasting was part of it. 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:16.100 Twice a week apparently in Jesus' day, they fasted. 00:13:16.180 --> 00:13:20.060 Two days of the week were set aside for fasting, for going without food. 00:13:20.059 --> 00:13:27.099 So they got the shock of their lives when they discovered that Jesus and his disciples, they didn't fast. 00:13:27.839 --> 00:13:29.699 So they went to him with a complaint. 00:13:30.239 --> 00:13:31.000 And they said, why? 00:13:31.399 --> 00:13:37.439 Why is it that your disciples don't fast, but the Pharisees do? 00:13:37.519 --> 00:13:38.979 And here's Jesus' response. 00:13:40.779 --> 00:13:42.819 Jesus' response is simply this. 00:13:42.820 --> 00:13:50.420 That what you have is not what you expected, is it? 00:13:53.200 --> 00:13:56.280 You expect me to be like you. 00:13:57.280 --> 00:14:01.280 To fit in with your routines and your do's and your don'ts. 00:14:02.040 --> 00:14:07.820 To fit in with your religious system by which you think that God is pleased. 00:14:07.820 --> 00:14:09.760 You are entirely wrong. 00:14:10.040 --> 00:14:11.260 What's even worse? 00:14:11.660 --> 00:14:13.080 You've missed it altogether. 00:14:14.420 --> 00:14:18.420 You've missed the greatest news of all, which is that the bridegroom has come. 00:14:19.740 --> 00:14:20.960 This is his response. 00:14:21.120 --> 00:14:24.780 Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? 00:14:24.840 --> 00:14:25.700 Who was the bridegroom? 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:27.340 Jesus was the bridegroom. 00:14:27.420 --> 00:14:28.540 The wedding had come. 00:14:29.879 --> 00:14:31.940 God's promises were now being fulfilled. 00:14:31.940 --> 00:14:38.780 This was the greatest moment on earth where everything that these very people had waited for, it was now happening. 00:14:40.140 --> 00:14:41.400 And they were missing it. 00:14:42.400 --> 00:14:48.300 Because they were so obsessed with their own routines by which they believed that God was going to be pleased with them. 00:14:50.320 --> 00:14:53.600 Jesus answered, I mean, we can all understand what Jesus is saying, can't we? 00:14:53.760 --> 00:14:55.040 It's like going to a wedding, isn't it? 00:14:55.060 --> 00:14:56.720 I mean, none of us would ever go to a wedding. 00:14:56.720 --> 00:15:06.040 Even if you had decided to fast on that day, you would never go to a wedding and sit down at the table at the reception and say, 00:15:06.160 --> 00:15:13.560 well, I'm sorry, I can't eat this wonderful three-course meal into which a lot of money has been invested. 00:15:14.340 --> 00:15:16.420 How discourteous would that be? 00:15:16.700 --> 00:15:22.340 Even if you were fasting, even if you had set that aside as a day of prayer, you would never do that. 00:15:22.340 --> 00:15:30.440 You would never act so discourteously against those who had asked you to the wedding, would you? 00:15:30.560 --> 00:15:31.899 Well, that's what Jesus is saying. 00:15:32.399 --> 00:15:34.399 This is wedding time. 00:15:35.379 --> 00:15:36.840 The bridegroom has come. 00:15:37.220 --> 00:15:38.759 Is this a time for fasting? 00:15:39.060 --> 00:15:42.040 Jesus is saying there is a time and a place for fasting. 00:15:42.720 --> 00:15:48.280 The question, of course, is there still a time and a place for fasting in today's church? 00:15:50.519 --> 00:15:51.900 I'll leave that one with you. 00:15:51.899 --> 00:15:54.419 There's no time to discuss it. 00:15:54.459 --> 00:15:57.639 I would love to discuss it because I think it is such a fascinating topic. 00:15:57.919 --> 00:16:07.259 To go through the purpose of fasting in the Bible and to ask, is there still a place for it voluntarily, on occasion, 00:16:08.199 --> 00:16:14.419 going without food so that we can all focus our minds on prayer? 00:16:14.459 --> 00:16:16.340 I remember we did this once when I was a student. 00:16:16.340 --> 00:16:17.740 It was a long, long time ago. 00:16:18.259 --> 00:16:26.019 About 35 years ago, we all decided that in a Christian group of students, we were all going to set aside this day of fasting and prayer. 00:16:26.160 --> 00:16:27.800 I still remember that day. 00:16:27.799 --> 00:16:34.620 Not because I think that God was especially pleased with us or because we earned God's favor by doing it. 00:16:34.620 --> 00:16:42.759 But I still remember that we were, I remember the concentration that there was in prayer that I've rarely felt. 00:16:42.759 --> 00:16:47.399 Because it came to the point in the day when everybody was only thinking about food. 00:16:47.819 --> 00:16:49.279 And so that destroyed the whole thing. 00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:51.980 Well, it destroyed it at that point anyway. 00:16:52.100 --> 00:16:57.860 And so we decided, well, we better give this up because we're, but I still remember that day. 00:16:57.860 --> 00:17:01.000 It was a really, really precious occasion. 00:17:01.180 --> 00:17:07.319 And the tradition I come from, fasting was practiced on occasions. 00:17:07.860 --> 00:17:09.380 But it was never mandatory. 00:17:09.700 --> 00:17:10.980 It was always voluntary. 00:17:11.259 --> 00:17:16.220 It was always something that Christians decided to do for a particular reason. 00:17:16.380 --> 00:17:21.539 In order to give them the opportunity for focused prayer. 00:17:21.759 --> 00:17:23.759 Fasting and prayer go together. 00:17:23.759 --> 00:17:26.859 So that was Jesus' response. 00:17:27.019 --> 00:17:30.119 That was the complaint that the Pharisees brought to Jesus. 00:17:30.339 --> 00:17:31.740 And that was Jesus' response. 00:17:32.460 --> 00:17:33.759 But here's how he goes on. 00:17:34.119 --> 00:17:37.420 He goes on to explain to them where they're going wrong. 00:17:38.400 --> 00:17:43.279 He's saying, your whole way of thinking belongs to a past generation. 00:17:43.640 --> 00:17:45.799 And it has become old. 00:17:46.059 --> 00:17:48.180 And it's become redundant. 00:17:50.700 --> 00:17:53.319 What they belonged to was the Old Testament. 00:17:53.759 --> 00:17:55.079 Now, don't get me wrong. 00:17:55.160 --> 00:17:57.339 I'm not saying that the Old Testament is redundant. 00:17:58.319 --> 00:18:16.180 But what happened was that they had become so dependent on God's law and all the ceremonies and all the rituals that they had forgotten that God's law pointed them towards the coming of Jesus. 00:18:16.180 --> 00:18:26.880 And now that Jesus had come, God's law was being fulfilled in the Messiah, in the Son of God. 00:18:26.880 --> 00:18:38.220 But instead of recognizing him, they clung so fast and so hard to their old routines and their old rules. 00:18:38.360 --> 00:18:42.260 The rules that they had actually created for themselves. 00:18:43.660 --> 00:18:48.920 That they were now missing the greatest event in the history of humankind. 00:18:48.920 --> 00:18:51.980 And Jesus puts it this way. 00:18:52.060 --> 00:18:52.740 He says this. 00:18:54.220 --> 00:19:01.420 He says, no one sews a patch of new material onto an old garment. 00:19:01.560 --> 00:19:06.300 Because if you do, the new material will pull the old one apart. 00:19:06.299 --> 00:19:07.299 And I've never done this. 00:19:07.339 --> 00:19:08.399 I've never seen this happening. 00:19:08.500 --> 00:19:09.619 But perhaps some of you have. 00:19:09.980 --> 00:19:10.980 Apparently this is true. 00:19:11.180 --> 00:19:18.200 If something's really old and if it's all gone hard and it's all worn out, it's very, very brittle and very vulnerable. 00:19:18.759 --> 00:19:24.480 And especially if you try and make it good by sewing a patch of new material onto it. 00:19:24.480 --> 00:19:26.539 The same is true. 00:19:26.539 --> 00:19:30.539 It's exactly the same thing with the new wine into old wineskins. 00:19:31.900 --> 00:19:34.079 Wineskins were used to store. 00:19:34.259 --> 00:19:39.519 They were animal skins that were all sewn up to form a container. 00:19:41.160 --> 00:19:46.500 And they would pour the new wine into this container, this, so that it would ferment over. 00:19:46.599 --> 00:19:48.240 I don't know how long it would take to ferment. 00:19:48.240 --> 00:19:56.440 And as it fermented, gases would be given off and it would expand so that you had to, the container had to be flexible. 00:19:57.019 --> 00:19:59.720 If it wasn't, if it was brittle, it broke. 00:19:59.920 --> 00:20:02.720 And the wine went all over the place and the whole thing was destroyed. 00:20:03.140 --> 00:20:06.640 In other words, Jesus is saying you can't pour new into old. 00:20:07.559 --> 00:20:10.880 If you're going to pour new into anything, it has to be new. 00:20:11.220 --> 00:20:15.539 You have to have a new way of thinking. 00:20:15.539 --> 00:20:18.259 One which has progressed. 00:20:18.460 --> 00:20:21.159 One which is ready for the Son of God. 00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:34.299 And as long as you continue to insist on your do's and your don'ts and your rituals and your ceremonies and all of these things that you love, 00:20:34.759 --> 00:20:38.240 because you actually think that you're winning God's favor by them, 00:20:39.299 --> 00:20:44.039 you'll never recognize the way that God has chosen to forgive our sins. 00:20:44.039 --> 00:20:50.539 Of course, we're talking about his Son, who's the only way in which our sin can be forgiven. 00:20:51.480 --> 00:20:55.000 Your way of thinking has to change, said Jesus. 00:20:56.039 --> 00:21:03.980 In your present form, unless God changes you, then you're not going to see me for who I am. 00:21:04.180 --> 00:21:09.339 And the last verse in this chapter is actually one of the most solemn verses. 00:21:09.339 --> 00:21:10.419 Look at it with me. 00:21:10.539 --> 00:21:11.379 Verse 38. 00:21:12.459 --> 00:21:13.539 Sorry, verse 39. 00:21:14.159 --> 00:21:20.279 And no one after drinking, no one after drinking old wine wants the new. 00:21:21.259 --> 00:21:24.279 For he says the old is better. 00:21:24.359 --> 00:21:31.379 Now this has nothing to do with vintage wines or old wines or all of these things that so many people today go on about. 00:21:31.459 --> 00:21:32.619 That's nothing to do with that. 00:21:32.619 --> 00:21:42.139 He's talking about a person who has gone for years of his life only drinking one kind of wine. 00:21:43.579 --> 00:21:51.379 And he's so used to it that when somebody comes along with new wine and says, try this, he says, I don't even want to try it. 00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:53.599 I don't even want to look at it. 00:21:53.599 --> 00:22:00.000 Because for me, nothing's going to be superior to the old wines. 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:00.539 A little bit. 00:22:00.599 --> 00:22:06.059 I'm going to give you a completely ridiculous example just to prove my point. 00:22:06.099 --> 00:22:10.679 I used to work as a traveling engineer many, many years ago before I went into the ministry. 00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:15.379 And the company took on this young engineer once. 00:22:15.819 --> 00:22:19.019 And he had never traveled in his life. 00:22:19.019 --> 00:22:20.379 He had never gone to another country. 00:22:20.460 --> 00:22:21.299 He had to get a passport. 00:22:21.680 --> 00:22:26.879 And he had to be introduced to the ways and routines of traveling. 00:22:27.240 --> 00:22:34.500 And his life had been so sort of restricted that any time he went out, he only ate fish and chips. 00:22:36.279 --> 00:22:39.980 He only ate, I'm kidding you not, he only ate fish and chips. 00:22:40.160 --> 00:22:41.379 I don't know what he ate in his house. 00:22:41.559 --> 00:22:44.339 I'm sure he expanded his horizons a wee bit. 00:22:44.440 --> 00:22:46.879 But when he went out to a restaurant, he only ate fish and chips. 00:22:46.880 --> 00:22:49.980 Sure enough, for the first couple of nights, it was fish and chips. 00:22:50.100 --> 00:22:52.740 So we started going off to the continent. 00:22:52.920 --> 00:22:54.960 And of course, they don't do fish and chips on the continent. 00:22:56.120 --> 00:23:02.320 And we took him to the continent and said, well, here's this menu with 20 different exotic items on the menu, 00:23:02.420 --> 00:23:05.980 each one of them costing a lot more than he was used to. 00:23:06.260 --> 00:23:10.180 And he would not try any of them. 00:23:12.640 --> 00:23:13.720 Totally refused. 00:23:13.720 --> 00:23:16.700 He says, if they don't have fish and chips, I'll just have bread. 00:23:16.880 --> 00:23:18.640 And I'll have a cup of tea. 00:23:21.460 --> 00:23:24.240 It was about a year before he tried anything different. 00:23:24.500 --> 00:23:26.400 That was what these men were like. 00:23:26.920 --> 00:23:34.440 They refused to even contemplate that God was going to do something different to what they were used to. 00:23:34.440 --> 00:23:50.360 Somebody said once, the greatest barrier to repentance is familiarity with the past and fear of the unknown. 00:23:52.539 --> 00:23:57.059 And these were people, the Pharisees, who were so familiar with the past, 00:23:57.059 --> 00:24:02.980 they refused to contemplate what was unknown to them. 00:24:04.259 --> 00:24:05.419 That's not faith. 00:24:06.359 --> 00:24:07.519 That's legalism. 00:24:08.819 --> 00:24:09.960 That's legalism. 00:24:09.960 --> 00:24:12.620 And it still happens to this day. 00:24:12.720 --> 00:24:16.519 People who think that religion is all about what you do for God. 00:24:17.319 --> 00:24:19.120 It's all about doing your best. 00:24:19.519 --> 00:24:21.160 It's all about your efforts. 00:24:21.160 --> 00:24:26.580 And it's all about the person who says, well, surely, if I live a decent life, 00:24:26.920 --> 00:24:30.000 then God's going to accept me at the end of the day. 00:24:31.120 --> 00:24:34.660 Surely, if I'm kind to people, and even if I go to church, 00:24:35.220 --> 00:24:36.960 and if I think good thoughts, surely, 00:24:37.200 --> 00:24:40.140 surely it's all going to work out well in the end. 00:24:40.140 --> 00:24:43.500 That's not the gospel. 00:24:44.160 --> 00:24:46.340 The gospel is about Jesus. 00:24:48.160 --> 00:24:55.700 And the gospel is about a person's relationship with Jesus as the Son of God and our Savior. 00:24:56.620 --> 00:25:00.140 The gospel is not about what you do for God. 00:25:00.840 --> 00:25:05.740 It's about what God has done for you in Jesus. 00:25:06.900 --> 00:25:08.700 And that's why it's such great news. 00:25:10.140 --> 00:25:15.259 Because the moment I go down the road of trying my best to please God, 00:25:15.340 --> 00:25:16.480 I'm never going to stop. 00:25:16.740 --> 00:25:21.180 Because I can never, ever live the kind of life that would please God. 00:25:21.320 --> 00:25:22.540 My life is full of sin. 00:25:23.380 --> 00:25:24.880 It's full of uncleanness. 00:25:25.580 --> 00:25:26.840 It's full of filth. 00:25:28.800 --> 00:25:32.280 And even if I was to try my best to please God, 00:25:32.640 --> 00:25:36.600 who's going to forgive all the stuff that I've done wrong? 00:25:37.860 --> 00:25:39.600 Only God can do that. 00:25:39.599 --> 00:25:41.959 And he's promised to do it in Jesus Christ. 00:25:42.039 --> 00:25:43.740 Let's quickly move on to the next chapter. 00:25:44.219 --> 00:25:46.379 The next chapter which is about the Sabbath. 00:25:46.659 --> 00:25:50.599 Once again, a clash between Jesus and the Pharisees. 00:25:51.659 --> 00:25:53.399 This time it's not about fasting, 00:25:54.059 --> 00:25:57.279 but this time it's what Jesus' disciples were doing. 00:25:57.379 --> 00:25:58.779 They went for a walk in the field. 00:25:58.899 --> 00:25:59.480 They were hungry. 00:25:59.879 --> 00:26:02.699 They picked up the corn and they rubbed the corn in their hands 00:26:02.700 --> 00:26:04.920 in order to just have a snack, 00:26:04.920 --> 00:26:07.240 to keep the wolf from the door. 00:26:07.240 --> 00:26:12.160 But this didn't go down well with the Pharisees. 00:26:12.400 --> 00:26:13.559 They began to complain. 00:26:13.680 --> 00:26:16.019 Why are you doing that is unlawful on the Sabbath? 00:26:16.420 --> 00:26:19.079 And Jesus said, have you never read what David did? 00:26:19.359 --> 00:26:22.359 He goes all the way back to the Old Testament to make a comparison. 00:26:22.640 --> 00:26:25.400 He entered the house of God and taking the consecrated bread. 00:26:25.660 --> 00:26:28.140 He ate what is lawful, only for the priests to eat. 00:26:28.140 --> 00:26:32.759 And then Jesus said to them, the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. 00:26:34.580 --> 00:26:35.660 Let's keep that in mind. 00:26:35.980 --> 00:26:39.120 The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. 00:26:42.140 --> 00:26:43.080 Let's keep reading. 00:26:43.360 --> 00:26:46.740 On another occasion, he went into the synagogue and was teaching, 00:26:46.900 --> 00:26:48.980 and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. 00:26:49.220 --> 00:26:50.580 Jesus knew what was going to happen. 00:26:50.700 --> 00:26:54.259 Once again, the Pharisees were on the lookout to trap him, 00:26:54.380 --> 00:26:57.860 to see if he was going to do just as they expected on the Sabbath. 00:26:57.859 --> 00:27:00.899 So they would accuse him of breaking the Sabbath day. 00:27:02.299 --> 00:27:06.139 Jesus once again said, which is, I ask you, 00:27:06.240 --> 00:27:08.619 which is lawful on the Sabbath, to do good or to do evil, 00:27:08.699 --> 00:27:10.419 or to save life or to destroy it? 00:27:10.679 --> 00:27:13.839 And he looked round at them all, and he said to the man with the shriveled hand, 00:27:13.919 --> 00:27:15.099 stretch out your hand. 00:27:15.339 --> 00:27:20.159 And he stretched out his hand, and he healed him in a split second. 00:27:20.819 --> 00:27:23.699 And that was the moment when we read these chilling words. 00:27:23.699 --> 00:27:27.740 They were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do. 00:27:27.859 --> 00:27:28.359 To Jesus. 00:27:28.599 --> 00:27:32.000 This time it was the Sabbath day, which was a big issue for them. 00:27:32.359 --> 00:27:37.099 The Sabbath day went all the way back to the Ten Commandments. 00:27:37.179 --> 00:27:40.379 The fourth commandment is, remember the Sabbath day to keep in holy. 00:27:40.959 --> 00:27:43.459 Six days you shall labor and to do all your work, 00:27:43.719 --> 00:27:45.839 but the seventh is the Sabbath to the Lord. 00:27:46.199 --> 00:27:50.639 Because in six days, God created the heavens and the earth. 00:27:50.640 --> 00:27:53.600 And on the seventh day he rested. 00:27:53.740 --> 00:27:56.759 Now, how do we understand the Sabbath? 00:27:59.000 --> 00:28:01.120 You can't do it without going all the way back. 00:28:01.240 --> 00:28:02.920 It's not just part of the Ten Commandments. 00:28:03.240 --> 00:28:05.720 It goes all the way back to the very beginning of time, 00:28:05.820 --> 00:28:08.420 when God created the heavens and the earth, the universe. 00:28:08.800 --> 00:28:10.840 And at the end of that process of creation, 00:28:11.040 --> 00:28:13.360 he rested on the seventh day. 00:28:14.960 --> 00:28:16.380 Right away, there's so many questions. 00:28:16.380 --> 00:28:18.180 Why does God need rest? 00:28:19.080 --> 00:28:19.980 God's God. 00:28:20.260 --> 00:28:21.140 He's done with our body. 00:28:22.180 --> 00:28:23.520 Why does he need rest? 00:28:23.620 --> 00:28:25.240 Well, again, I'll leave that with you. 00:28:25.680 --> 00:28:27.980 But Exodus tells us something fascinating. 00:28:28.600 --> 00:28:30.440 Exodus tells us, 00:28:31.280 --> 00:28:33.540 and it wasn't just that he rested, whatever that means, 00:28:33.920 --> 00:28:37.680 but that he took delight in what he had created. 00:28:37.680 --> 00:28:42.259 So for God, his rest was to rejoice. 00:28:43.360 --> 00:28:44.900 I hope when we think of God, 00:28:45.000 --> 00:28:48.519 we think of a rejoicing God this morning, 00:28:48.720 --> 00:28:50.960 because that is what he is. 00:28:52.080 --> 00:28:54.580 The Bible describes him as the blessed God, 00:28:54.720 --> 00:28:58.840 which means that there is joy in heaven this morning. 00:28:59.820 --> 00:29:02.539 Heaven is a place of unbroken joy. 00:29:02.539 --> 00:29:07.700 And God took delight in the Sabbath day, 00:29:07.779 --> 00:29:09.019 because it was an occasion, 00:29:09.200 --> 00:29:14.879 that occasion when he finished the work that he had started 00:29:14.879 --> 00:29:17.339 in creating the heavens and the earth. 00:29:17.639 --> 00:29:21.960 And so he established a pattern for humankind, 00:29:22.319 --> 00:29:25.200 where humankind would work six days of the week, 00:29:25.259 --> 00:29:26.819 and they would rest on the seventh. 00:29:27.019 --> 00:29:28.079 And he made it a law. 00:29:28.159 --> 00:29:29.519 He had to make it a law, 00:29:29.720 --> 00:29:31.279 because we think we're invincible. 00:29:31.279 --> 00:29:33.259 We don't think we need rest. 00:29:33.319 --> 00:29:35.660 We think we can go on 24-7, 00:29:36.180 --> 00:29:39.379 because we're so full of ourselves as sinful human beings. 00:29:39.700 --> 00:29:40.720 That's why God said, 00:29:41.399 --> 00:29:43.839 you must rest on the seventh day. 00:29:43.980 --> 00:29:45.139 We need to rest. 00:29:45.240 --> 00:29:52.339 The rest principle is embedded in God's human rights agenda for mankind. 00:29:55.299 --> 00:29:56.980 But the Sabbath did something else. 00:29:57.059 --> 00:29:58.599 It didn't just provide an occasion for rest. 00:29:58.599 --> 00:30:03.099 It looked forward to another occasion, 00:30:03.259 --> 00:30:04.279 that ultimate occasion, 00:30:04.399 --> 00:30:08.779 when once again God would finish his work. 00:30:09.859 --> 00:30:12.359 Except this time it wasn't the work of creation. 00:30:12.619 --> 00:30:15.179 It was the work of our salvation, 00:30:16.059 --> 00:30:20.480 which was the day that Jesus rose from the dead, 00:30:20.480 --> 00:30:24.960 which was the first day of the week. 00:30:26.579 --> 00:30:29.440 The Sabbath was all about Jesus. 00:30:30.860 --> 00:30:35.220 It was all about the Old Testament people looking forward to the coming of Jesus 00:30:35.220 --> 00:30:36.660 and what he would do. 00:30:37.319 --> 00:30:38.480 The Sabbath for us, 00:30:39.180 --> 00:30:40.240 the first day of the week, 00:30:40.339 --> 00:30:42.059 we call it the Lord's Day. 00:30:42.059 --> 00:30:44.179 We come together like this 00:30:44.179 --> 00:30:46.379 to celebrate and to rejoice 00:30:46.379 --> 00:30:49.919 the fact that Jesus has risen from the dead, 00:30:50.619 --> 00:30:53.159 just like the church has been doing for 2,000 years 00:30:53.159 --> 00:30:55.480 and still does to this day. 00:30:57.220 --> 00:30:58.639 When Jesus says, 00:30:58.819 --> 00:31:01.440 the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath, 00:31:02.240 --> 00:31:03.519 that's present tense. 00:31:03.519 --> 00:31:08.000 Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. 00:31:08.819 --> 00:31:10.879 And we are here today to rejoice 00:31:10.879 --> 00:31:13.480 in the coming and in the death 00:31:13.480 --> 00:31:16.940 and in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ 00:31:16.940 --> 00:31:17.900 from the dead 00:31:17.900 --> 00:31:21.039 as the finished work of our salvation. 00:31:21.420 --> 00:31:24.220 And we're here to discover him 00:31:24.220 --> 00:31:27.779 and to rediscover him time and again. 00:31:27.779 --> 00:31:30.059 And so today, 00:31:31.259 --> 00:31:32.740 the Pharisees 00:31:32.740 --> 00:31:34.799 didn't get 00:31:34.799 --> 00:31:36.559 what they expected. 00:31:37.139 --> 00:31:39.059 There was inevitable conflict 00:31:39.059 --> 00:31:41.399 because the Pharisees, 00:31:41.519 --> 00:31:42.579 the leaders at that time, 00:31:42.680 --> 00:31:44.220 they expected one thing 00:31:44.220 --> 00:31:47.240 and Jesus bitterly disappointed them. 00:31:48.339 --> 00:31:50.579 Instead of stopping 00:31:50.579 --> 00:31:52.460 and asking the question, 00:31:53.079 --> 00:31:55.119 maybe we're wrong. 00:31:55.119 --> 00:31:57.359 Maybe our expectations 00:31:57.359 --> 00:31:59.079 were all wrong all the time. 00:32:00.579 --> 00:32:02.179 Maybe we should sit down 00:32:02.179 --> 00:32:03.559 and look at this man Jesus 00:32:03.559 --> 00:32:06.500 and with a fresh pair of eyes, 00:32:08.259 --> 00:32:09.879 perhaps we should ask God 00:32:09.879 --> 00:32:13.000 to reveal himself in Jesus. 00:32:14.699 --> 00:32:16.639 If they had only done that, 00:32:18.159 --> 00:32:20.299 then their lives would have been changed 00:32:20.299 --> 00:32:21.259 and they would have discovered 00:32:21.259 --> 00:32:24.519 the marvel of who Jesus was 00:32:24.519 --> 00:32:26.379 and what he came to do. 00:32:28.460 --> 00:32:29.500 Instead of that, 00:32:30.579 --> 00:32:31.519 they went away 00:32:31.519 --> 00:32:32.799 bitter, 00:32:34.099 --> 00:32:34.700 disappointed, 00:32:35.799 --> 00:32:36.319 hateful, 00:32:36.519 --> 00:32:37.079 determined 00:32:37.079 --> 00:32:39.339 to put him to death. 00:32:41.299 --> 00:32:42.799 Jesus puts it this way. 00:32:45.299 --> 00:32:46.900 He came to his own, 00:32:47.160 --> 00:32:48.539 that's Jesus talking about himself, 00:32:48.639 --> 00:32:49.700 he came to his own, 00:32:49.759 --> 00:32:50.440 his own people, 00:32:51.259 --> 00:32:53.759 and his own did not receive him. 00:32:54.519 --> 00:32:55.720 That's exactly what's happening 00:32:55.720 --> 00:32:56.660 in this passage. 00:32:57.319 --> 00:32:59.359 His own people did not receive him. 00:32:59.440 --> 00:33:00.279 If only they had. 00:33:01.700 --> 00:33:04.359 But as many as did receive him, 00:33:05.579 --> 00:33:06.700 he gave them 00:33:06.700 --> 00:33:10.420 the right to be children of God. 00:33:13.099 --> 00:33:14.519 That is what salvation 00:33:14.519 --> 00:33:15.720 is all about this morning. 00:33:15.859 --> 00:33:17.539 It's about being a child of God. 00:33:17.539 --> 00:33:23.539 I cannot think of anything 00:33:23.539 --> 00:33:25.279 I would love to have more 00:33:25.279 --> 00:33:26.740 than to be a child of God. 00:33:28.279 --> 00:33:30.000 Because being a child of God 00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:32.240 means that God 00:33:32.240 --> 00:33:34.420 is the reason for my living. 00:33:35.619 --> 00:33:37.539 That God is my salvation 00:33:37.539 --> 00:33:38.639 and he has taken away 00:33:38.639 --> 00:33:39.440 all my sin 00:33:39.440 --> 00:33:40.180 and he's given me 00:33:40.180 --> 00:33:41.379 everlasting life 00:33:41.379 --> 00:33:42.420 in his son, 00:33:42.559 --> 00:33:43.259 Jesus Christ. 00:33:44.299 --> 00:33:45.259 And I would invite you 00:33:45.259 --> 00:33:45.660 this morning, 00:33:45.720 --> 00:33:46.879 if you've never come 00:33:46.879 --> 00:33:47.740 to that relationship 00:33:47.740 --> 00:33:48.339 with him, 00:33:49.180 --> 00:33:50.640 then he invites you 00:33:50.640 --> 00:33:51.039 to come 00:33:51.039 --> 00:33:52.960 and he invites you 00:33:52.960 --> 00:33:53.640 to take him 00:33:53.640 --> 00:33:54.920 to be your saviour 00:33:54.920 --> 00:33:56.640 and your God 00:33:56.640 --> 00:33:57.700 so that you discover 00:33:57.700 --> 00:33:59.960 that Jesus is 00:33:59.960 --> 00:34:05.039 who he says he was 00:34:05.039 --> 00:34:07.140 and he is everything 00:34:07.140 --> 00:34:09.980 that God wants for us, 00:34:11.599 --> 00:34:12.559 our saviour 00:34:12.559 --> 00:34:15.559 and our Lord. 00:34:16.039 --> 00:34:16.760 Let's pray together. 00:34:16.940 --> 00:34:17.660 Father in heaven, 00:34:17.780 --> 00:34:19.119 we thank you for 00:34:19.119 --> 00:34:21.160 your word 00:34:21.160 --> 00:34:21.500 and the way 00:34:21.500 --> 00:34:23.460 it always points us 00:34:23.460 --> 00:34:25.559 to the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:34:25.680 --> 00:34:27.059 We pray that our hearts 00:34:27.059 --> 00:34:28.619 will be awakened 00:34:28.619 --> 00:34:32.039 and that they will be aroused 00:34:32.039 --> 00:34:34.240 by him afresh this morning. 00:34:34.740 --> 00:34:36.360 For we ask in Jesus' name. 00:34:36.619 --> 00:34:36.940 Amen. 00:34:37.139 --> 00:34:38.139 Amen. 00:34:38.139 --> 00:34:39.139 Amen.