WEBVTT 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:06.660 Hey all, Pastor John here. Thanks for tuning 00:00:06.660 --> 00:00:09.759 in to the weekly sermon podcast. We pray this 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:12.519 message encourages you, strengthens your faith, 00:00:12.660 --> 00:00:15.080 and helps you to take your next step with Jesus. 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:18.239 If this content blesses you and you'd like to 00:00:18.239 --> 00:00:20.339 be a part of helping us continue to bring the 00:00:20.339 --> 00:00:22.760 gospel to life, we'd love for you to consider 00:00:22.760 --> 00:00:25.739 supporting the ministry of Village. Your generosity 00:00:25.739 --> 00:00:28.339 makes it possible for us to keep creating and 00:00:28.339 --> 00:00:31.489 sharing resources like this podcast. You can 00:00:31.489 --> 00:00:35.250 give safely and easily by visiting sacvillage 00:00:35.250 --> 00:00:39.090 .org slash give or by heading to our website 00:00:39.090 --> 00:00:43.109 at sacvillage .org. Thanks again for listening. 00:00:43.429 --> 00:00:53.590 Now let's dive into this week's message. So there 00:00:53.590 --> 00:00:56.549 is a world we can see and a world we can't see. 00:01:01.060 --> 00:01:05.640 and bad news. And then there's another world 00:01:05.640 --> 00:01:09.560 just as real that is breaking in through the 00:01:09.560 --> 00:01:13.219 cracks. And that unseen world is the kingdom 00:01:13.219 --> 00:01:17.739 of God, the rule and reign of King Jesus breaking 00:01:17.739 --> 00:01:22.379 into every day. Over the past few weeks, we've 00:01:22.379 --> 00:01:26.859 seen that wherever Jesus goes, things begin to 00:01:26.859 --> 00:01:31.180 change. Wherever Jesus goes, the blind, See the 00:01:31.180 --> 00:01:35.079 paralyzed walk. The outcasts are brought near. 00:01:35.859 --> 00:01:38.799 Heaven collides with earth and broken things 00:01:38.799 --> 00:01:44.560 begin to work again. Amen. Last week, our brother 00:01:44.560 --> 00:01:47.400 Kyle, he reminded us how the kingdom breaks in 00:01:47.400 --> 00:01:52.340 through grace that heals broken people who admit 00:01:52.340 --> 00:01:56.540 their need and turns them into agents of mercy. 00:01:58.180 --> 00:01:59.879 And that's where we're going to pick up today 00:01:59.879 --> 00:02:02.079 in passage today. So if you have your Bibles, 00:02:02.079 --> 00:02:04.500 I'd encourage you to turn over to Matthew chapter 00:02:04.500 --> 00:02:09.199 9, verse 14 and 17. Matthew 9, 14 and 17. If 00:02:09.199 --> 00:02:10.680 you don't have a Bible and you want to borrow 00:02:10.680 --> 00:02:12.560 one or you want to take one home with you, there's 00:02:12.560 --> 00:02:15.379 one in the pew, the pew, the seat in front of 00:02:15.379 --> 00:02:20.280 you. Wow. Oh, gee, there. No, they used to be 00:02:20.280 --> 00:02:24.259 right there. There's a Bible under the table, 00:02:24.360 --> 00:02:26.080 under the table, under the chair. Man, I'm all 00:02:26.080 --> 00:02:28.710 over the place. I'm juiced from worship, man. 00:02:28.729 --> 00:02:33.250 I got sweat rolling down my back. There's a Bible 00:02:33.250 --> 00:02:34.650 under the chair. I'm going to slow down a little 00:02:34.650 --> 00:02:36.669 bit. There's a Bible under the chair. That's 00:02:36.669 --> 00:02:38.229 our gift to you if you want to take the Bible 00:02:38.229 --> 00:02:41.530 with you. But right now, turn to page 554 in 00:02:41.530 --> 00:02:45.870 the chair Bibles. 554. Or if you need your Bible, 00:02:45.909 --> 00:02:55.270 to Matthew chapter 9. Get right to it. 554. That's 00:02:55.270 --> 00:02:59.080 it. Matthew chapter 9, 14 through 17 is going 00:02:59.080 --> 00:03:02.680 to show us that once the... We've got a little 00:03:02.680 --> 00:03:08.039 scene going on over here. Praise God, man. This 00:03:08.039 --> 00:03:13.020 is an awesome full house today. Praise God. I'm 00:03:13.020 --> 00:03:18.819 glad that you're here. We're going to get into 00:03:18.819 --> 00:03:22.680 this scripture eventually. And when we get there, 00:03:22.740 --> 00:03:25.870 it's going to tell us. That the kingdom is breaking 00:03:25.870 --> 00:03:28.409 into our lives and into our everyday. And it 00:03:28.409 --> 00:03:32.129 begins to stretch. When the kingdom comes, it 00:03:32.129 --> 00:03:34.530 begins to stretch our old ways of thinking and 00:03:34.530 --> 00:03:38.889 living. They no longer fit anymore with the kingdom 00:03:38.889 --> 00:03:42.289 of God. God can't be contained in our old containers 00:03:42.289 --> 00:03:46.750 of religion, of ritual, or self -righteousness. 00:03:47.330 --> 00:03:51.389 Because the king hasn't come to improve the old 00:03:51.389 --> 00:03:56.509 life. The king has come to make all things new. 00:03:57.449 --> 00:03:59.550 And so we're going to look at Matthew 9 now. 00:03:59.590 --> 00:04:01.389 It's going to be up here on the board as well. 00:04:01.469 --> 00:04:05.930 Matthew 9, 14 through 17. Then John's disciples 00:04:05.930 --> 00:04:09.949 came to him saying, why do we and the Pharisees 00:04:09.949 --> 00:04:14.330 fast often, but your disciples do not fast? Jesus 00:04:14.330 --> 00:04:17.350 said to them, can the wedding guests be sad while 00:04:17.350 --> 00:04:20.399 the groom is with them? The time will come when 00:04:20.399 --> 00:04:22.899 the groom will be taken away from them and then 00:04:22.899 --> 00:04:26.899 they will fast. No one patches an old garment 00:04:26.899 --> 00:04:30.579 with unshrunk cloth because the patch pulls away 00:04:30.579 --> 00:04:34.680 from the garment and makes the tear worse. And 00:04:34.680 --> 00:04:38.139 no one puts new wine into old wineskins, otherwise 00:04:38.139 --> 00:04:40.899 the skins burst, the wine spills out and the 00:04:40.899 --> 00:04:45.420 skins are ruined. No, they put new wine into 00:04:45.420 --> 00:04:51.660 fresh wineskins and both. are preserved. If you're 00:04:51.660 --> 00:04:53.060 taking notes, we're going to have four points 00:04:53.060 --> 00:04:54.519 this morning, and the first point I'll have you 00:04:54.519 --> 00:04:59.959 write down is self -righteous striving. Number 00:04:59.959 --> 00:05:03.100 one, self -righteous striving. Verse 14 says, 00:05:03.180 --> 00:05:06.040 Then John's disciples came to him, saying, Why 00:05:06.040 --> 00:05:08.579 do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your 00:05:08.579 --> 00:05:12.459 disciples do not fast? And you can almost hear 00:05:12.459 --> 00:05:16.120 the tone in that question. It's not just confusion. 00:05:16.480 --> 00:05:18.680 There's a measure of comparison, isn't there? 00:05:19.439 --> 00:05:21.439 Why do you guys do it that way when we do it 00:05:21.439 --> 00:05:24.699 this way? But John's disciples, and we're talking 00:05:24.699 --> 00:05:27.420 about John the baptizer, John the Baptist. We 00:05:27.420 --> 00:05:29.379 met him earlier in Matthew, in Matthew chapter 00:05:29.379 --> 00:05:32.759 three. John the Baptist, back in Matthew chapter 00:05:32.759 --> 00:05:36.259 three, is where he baptizes Jesus and kind of 00:05:36.259 --> 00:05:39.319 the public unveiling of Jesus's ministry, the 00:05:39.319 --> 00:05:42.779 beginning of it. And John had disciples who walked 00:05:42.779 --> 00:05:45.899 with him. And John's disciples and the Pharisees, 00:05:45.920 --> 00:05:49.339 well, they had built their reputation for seriousness 00:05:49.339 --> 00:05:53.959 and devotion in their practices. Fasting was 00:05:53.959 --> 00:05:58.220 a sort of badge of spirituality. And according 00:05:58.220 --> 00:06:00.459 to the law of Moses, Israel was only required 00:06:00.459 --> 00:06:04.300 to fast once a year. On the day of atonement 00:06:04.300 --> 00:06:07.500 in Leviticus 16, you can read about that. That 00:06:07.500 --> 00:06:10.480 day was set apart for repentance and humility. 00:06:11.180 --> 00:06:14.579 It was the Hebrew word that's there in Leviticus 00:06:14.579 --> 00:06:19.160 16 is a word that literally means a day for afflicting 00:06:19.160 --> 00:06:24.680 your soul. Wow, what a day, right? And afflicting 00:06:24.680 --> 00:06:27.420 your soul, like, yeah, let's take that one, right? 00:06:27.540 --> 00:06:29.759 And use that this week. Like, how did you afflict 00:06:29.759 --> 00:06:33.209 your soul this week? But the Day of Atonement 00:06:33.209 --> 00:06:37.029 was a day set apart to remember, to sacrifice, 00:06:37.050 --> 00:06:39.470 and to afflict your soul. And that word, afflict 00:06:39.470 --> 00:06:42.589 your soul, over time began to be understood as 00:06:42.589 --> 00:06:46.009 fasting. Fasting was afflicting your soul. It 00:06:46.009 --> 00:06:50.310 was denying yourself something. But over time, 00:06:50.329 --> 00:06:52.649 additional fasts were added to the nation of 00:06:52.649 --> 00:06:55.329 Israel's practice, national fasts that were called 00:06:55.329 --> 00:06:58.290 to mourn Jerusalem's destruction. And later, 00:06:58.370 --> 00:07:01.769 weekly fasts that marked religious piety. You 00:07:01.769 --> 00:07:04.089 could show yourself to be religious by fasting 00:07:04.089 --> 00:07:06.730 once a week. Well, by Jesus' time, the Pharisees 00:07:06.730 --> 00:07:09.529 fasted twice a week. So we're just upping the 00:07:09.529 --> 00:07:12.189 game, right? You do one, I'll do two, right? 00:07:13.350 --> 00:07:16.589 And the Pharisees are fasting twice a week. And 00:07:16.589 --> 00:07:19.829 that rhythm had come to define what a serious 00:07:19.829 --> 00:07:22.589 believer actually looked like. Do you fast twice 00:07:22.589 --> 00:07:28.560 a week? Eh, you're mid. You're so -and -so. And 00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:31.279 so they ask, why do we fast but your disciples 00:07:31.279 --> 00:07:35.379 don't, Jesus? And underneath that question lies 00:07:35.379 --> 00:07:39.060 a deeper spirit. It lies the spirit of religion. 00:07:39.800 --> 00:07:42.759 And the spirit of religion is the need to measure 00:07:42.759 --> 00:07:47.519 devotion by performance. The need to measure 00:07:47.519 --> 00:07:50.259 my devotion or other people's devotion by their 00:07:50.259 --> 00:07:54.089 performance. And this wasn't the first time that 00:07:54.089 --> 00:07:57.230 tension had come between John's disciples and 00:07:57.230 --> 00:08:01.449 Jesus and his ministry. In John chapter 3, they 00:08:01.449 --> 00:08:04.509 came to John, his disciples came, and they were 00:08:04.509 --> 00:08:06.170 complaining. They were like, Rabbi, that one 00:08:06.170 --> 00:08:08.389 you testified about, the one you said that was 00:08:08.389 --> 00:08:10.810 coming, everyone's going over to him now and 00:08:10.810 --> 00:08:14.050 getting baptized. Everyone wants to follow him. 00:08:15.089 --> 00:08:17.470 His ministry is blowing up. What's happening 00:08:17.470 --> 00:08:21.339 to your ministry, John? They weren't celebrating 00:08:21.339 --> 00:08:24.360 Jesus' success either. They were threatened by 00:08:24.360 --> 00:08:28.339 it. They saw his growing crowds as competition. 00:08:30.120 --> 00:08:32.899 And now in Matthew 9, that same rivalry shows 00:08:32.899 --> 00:08:36.919 up again. In the narrative, if you think of the 00:08:36.919 --> 00:08:39.080 narrative here in 9 and what we've been following, 00:08:39.259 --> 00:08:42.000 Jesus' ministry is challenged by the scribes. 00:08:42.220 --> 00:08:44.440 And then Jesus' ministry is challenged by the 00:08:44.440 --> 00:08:47.019 Pharisees. And now Jesus' ministry is challenged 00:08:47.019 --> 00:08:52.610 by John's disciples. And that's what a self -righteous 00:08:52.610 --> 00:08:57.309 religious spirit does. It replaces humility with 00:08:57.309 --> 00:09:01.330 comparison. It whispers, why doesn't your ministry 00:09:01.330 --> 00:09:08.710 or your devotion look like mine? How often do 00:09:08.710 --> 00:09:12.370 you fast? How often do you read your Bible? How 00:09:12.370 --> 00:09:16.149 serious are you about Jesus? Let me look at your 00:09:16.149 --> 00:09:20.210 performance. But the kingdom doesn't measure 00:09:20.210 --> 00:09:23.110 by that standard. The kingdom measures faith 00:09:23.110 --> 00:09:26.409 by awareness and acknowledgement. Do you recognize 00:09:26.409 --> 00:09:29.769 who's standing in front of you? And John's disciples 00:09:29.769 --> 00:09:34.629 didn't. They couldn't see who was standing right 00:09:34.629 --> 00:09:38.389 in front of them. Fasting made sense while we 00:09:38.389 --> 00:09:41.070 were waiting for God to act, while we were waiting 00:09:41.070 --> 00:09:44.330 for God to arrive. But what do you do when God 00:09:44.330 --> 00:09:49.340 himself shows up? When the king has come, the 00:09:49.340 --> 00:09:54.379 time for ritual mourning is over. And that's 00:09:54.379 --> 00:09:57.139 why Jesus' disciples weren't fasting. The king 00:09:57.139 --> 00:10:01.720 was already there. You don't fast at a wedding 00:10:01.720 --> 00:10:05.580 when the groom is beaming with joy at the table, 00:10:05.639 --> 00:10:11.220 right? However, that same religious spirit still 00:10:11.220 --> 00:10:15.779 slips into our lives, doesn't it? It looks holy 00:10:15.779 --> 00:10:18.889 on the outside, but it's a heavy weight to carry 00:10:18.889 --> 00:10:21.269 inside. I don't know if you guys ever experienced 00:10:21.269 --> 00:10:24.169 that, the weight of a religion based on performance. 00:10:27.649 --> 00:10:30.509 It's always checking the scoreboard. Who's doing 00:10:30.509 --> 00:10:35.730 more? We can be so busy doing things for God 00:10:35.730 --> 00:10:42.320 that we forget to delight in God. We start thinking 00:10:42.320 --> 00:10:46.419 busyness equals holiness and that activity equals 00:10:46.419 --> 00:10:52.720 intimacy. But religion that starts with us will 00:10:52.720 --> 00:10:56.820 always end in exhaustion. I'm going to say that 00:10:56.820 --> 00:10:59.659 again. Religion that starts with us, us at the 00:10:59.659 --> 00:11:02.080 center, our performance at the center will always 00:11:02.080 --> 00:11:04.899 lead to exhaustion. I've been there before. I 00:11:04.899 --> 00:11:10.620 know some of you have too. The kingdom of God. 00:11:10.940 --> 00:11:14.659 that starts with Jesus will always end with joy. 00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:19.220 That's how you know which one you're playing 00:11:19.220 --> 00:11:23.899 in. Is it ending with endless exhaustion, weight, 00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:27.220 heaviness, keeping up appearances, or is it ending 00:11:27.220 --> 00:11:32.480 with joy? A kingdom that starts with Jesus always 00:11:32.480 --> 00:11:35.940 ends with joy. One strives, the other one abides. 00:11:36.600 --> 00:11:41.899 One is earning, the other is responding. Grace 00:11:41.899 --> 00:11:45.000 doesn't just heal your brokenness. It draws you 00:11:45.000 --> 00:11:51.279 into joyful nearness to Jesus. It frees you from 00:11:51.279 --> 00:11:53.679 comparison. It releases you from performance. 00:11:53.740 --> 00:11:56.860 It invites you to rest in the presence of the 00:11:56.860 --> 00:12:01.340 king. And when the king is here, the emphasis 00:12:01.340 --> 00:12:05.000 shifts from achievement. to awareness and from 00:12:05.000 --> 00:12:08.840 ritual to relationship, from fasting to find 00:12:08.840 --> 00:12:16.379 God, to feasting because he found you. And that's 00:12:16.379 --> 00:12:19.179 where Jesus takes the conversation next. He paints 00:12:19.179 --> 00:12:22.000 a picture of joy that self -righteous religion 00:12:22.000 --> 00:12:27.000 could never imagine. He says, you don't fast 00:12:27.000 --> 00:12:30.159 when the bridegroom is in the room. And so if 00:12:30.159 --> 00:12:31.779 you're taking notes, number two, the bridegroom 00:12:31.779 --> 00:12:37.419 brings joy. Verse 15, Jesus said to them, can 00:12:37.419 --> 00:12:39.980 the wedding guests be sad while the groom is 00:12:39.980 --> 00:12:43.500 with them? The time will come when the groom 00:12:43.500 --> 00:12:46.700 will be taken away from them and then they will 00:12:46.700 --> 00:12:50.299 fast. So you have to understand something about 00:12:50.299 --> 00:12:53.179 ancient Israel. Ancient Israel in their time, 00:12:53.259 --> 00:12:56.519 weddings, weddings were like the most joyful, 00:12:56.779 --> 00:12:59.379 most communal celebrations in the entire village. 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:02.419 And they didn't last for a few hours. Like you 00:13:02.419 --> 00:13:04.200 didn't carve out three hours on your Saturday 00:13:04.200 --> 00:13:06.600 afternoon to go to a wedding or Saturday morning. 00:13:06.679 --> 00:13:09.220 No, you carved out some time. It could be a day. 00:13:09.279 --> 00:13:11.259 It could be two days. It could be a whole week 00:13:11.259 --> 00:13:15.000 of celebration. And it was marked by music and 00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:18.279 dancing and food and laughter, joy everywhere. 00:13:18.299 --> 00:13:24.519 You didn't fast at a wedding. You feasted. And 00:13:24.519 --> 00:13:26.799 to fast while the groom was present would have 00:13:26.799 --> 00:13:31.870 been offensive. It would have an insult to the 00:13:31.870 --> 00:13:35.049 celebration that was going on. And we're told 00:13:35.049 --> 00:13:38.710 in the Old Testament that God himself identifies 00:13:38.710 --> 00:13:42.610 himself as the bridegroom to his people. That 00:13:42.610 --> 00:13:45.009 he is the bridegroom to his people. In Isaiah 00:13:45.009 --> 00:13:47.710 54, he says, indeed, your husband is your maker 00:13:47.710 --> 00:13:52.110 and his name is the Lord. Your husband is your 00:13:52.110 --> 00:13:54.590 maker and his name is the Lord. And we looked 00:13:54.590 --> 00:13:57.110 at Hosea a little while back in our study through 00:13:57.110 --> 00:14:00.480 Hosea. And in chapter two, it says, I will take 00:14:00.480 --> 00:14:02.899 you to be my wife forever. I will take you to 00:14:02.899 --> 00:14:06.019 be my wife in righteousness, justice, love, and 00:14:06.019 --> 00:14:08.240 compassion. Jesus says that one of the ways he 00:14:08.240 --> 00:14:10.759 relates to his people is as a husband to a wife. 00:14:10.919 --> 00:14:16.159 He is the bridegroom. And when Jesus calls himself 00:14:16.159 --> 00:14:18.759 the bridegroom, he's not just using a metaphor. 00:14:18.940 --> 00:14:23.740 He's saying, God has come. The covenant love 00:14:23.740 --> 00:14:29.149 of Yahweh is standing right among you. The commentator 00:14:29.149 --> 00:14:31.909 Craig Keener writes, Jesus' self -identification 00:14:31.909 --> 00:14:35.950 as the bridegroom is a claim to divine prerogative. 00:14:36.350 --> 00:14:39.649 The joy of the messianic wedding feast has begun 00:14:39.649 --> 00:14:45.889 and fasting must give way to celebration. The 00:14:45.889 --> 00:14:48.529 long -awaited groom has arrived to claim his 00:14:48.529 --> 00:14:51.450 bride, to bring his people back into covenant 00:14:51.450 --> 00:14:54.870 relationship. You know, in some Eastern cultures, 00:14:56.659 --> 00:14:59.379 Especially in India. We've got great friends 00:14:59.379 --> 00:15:02.899 here from Pacific Grove. Pastor Sean and Shiny. 00:15:03.320 --> 00:15:05.259 Stand up really quick. We want to honor you. 00:15:05.779 --> 00:15:09.159 They're visiting here today. Pastor Sean and 00:15:09.159 --> 00:15:15.080 Shiny. We're so glad to have them with us. Thank 00:15:15.080 --> 00:15:18.320 you guys. They pastor in Pacific Grove. So not 00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:22.250 too shabby. Beach right over there, right? But 00:15:22.250 --> 00:15:24.870 they have spent their life on Christ. They have 00:15:24.870 --> 00:15:28.529 been missionaries. And Shani hails from India, 00:15:28.669 --> 00:15:33.330 right? And so hopefully I get this illustration 00:15:33.330 --> 00:15:37.289 right. Talk to me afterward if I'm wrong. But 00:15:37.289 --> 00:15:40.289 in Eastern cultures, especially in India, the 00:15:40.289 --> 00:15:42.450 wedding day isn't just about the bride. See, 00:15:42.529 --> 00:15:45.669 in Western cultures, you know, we're all standing 00:15:45.669 --> 00:15:49.539 up here and the bride, right? But in India and 00:15:49.539 --> 00:15:52.159 some Eastern cultures, there's a full -blown 00:15:52.159 --> 00:15:55.259 celebration when the groom is coming, when the 00:15:55.259 --> 00:15:58.419 bridegroom is making his way. There's music and 00:15:58.419 --> 00:16:01.159 dancing, a parade through the streets, shouting, 00:16:01.399 --> 00:16:05.080 laughing, rejoicing, energy. I was talking to 00:16:05.080 --> 00:16:08.279 Nick before. He spent some time in India, I think, 00:16:08.299 --> 00:16:10.429 on a missions trip. And he was saying he was 00:16:10.429 --> 00:16:12.149 staying at a hotel, he and some of the people 00:16:12.149 --> 00:16:14.250 there. And the whole thing was starting like 00:16:14.250 --> 00:16:16.529 right outside the hotel. Like they were gearing 00:16:16.529 --> 00:16:18.990 up and getting ready to go on the procession 00:16:18.990 --> 00:16:24.009 with the bridegroom to get to the bride and get 00:16:24.009 --> 00:16:26.389 this wedding going here. And it was kicking up. 00:16:26.409 --> 00:16:27.850 So he and the friends went out and like, hey, 00:16:27.870 --> 00:16:30.690 can we join? And they're like, yes, it's a celebration. 00:16:30.889 --> 00:16:39.210 Let's go. Let's go. Now, in the literature, at 00:16:39.210 --> 00:16:40.889 least, it says usually it's marked by a white 00:16:40.889 --> 00:16:43.029 horse, but this guy couldn't afford it, so his 00:16:43.029 --> 00:16:44.750 friends kicked in and said, hey, we'll be your 00:16:44.750 --> 00:16:54.330 horse. There's a white horse, yeah. Man, that's 00:16:54.330 --> 00:16:58.549 the energy Jesus is talking about here. The bridegroom 00:16:58.549 --> 00:17:01.789 has come. You don't fast when he rides in. You 00:17:01.789 --> 00:17:05.069 celebrate because his presence means that feasting 00:17:05.069 --> 00:17:09.509 has begun. When the bridegroom is present, there's 00:17:09.509 --> 00:17:15.849 no time for mourning. It's time to rejoice. I 00:17:15.849 --> 00:17:18.690 remember having a friend who had a birthday celebration 00:17:18.690 --> 00:17:21.450 and spent money to gather all of his closest 00:17:21.450 --> 00:17:24.450 friends together to eat some good food and celebrate 00:17:24.450 --> 00:17:26.890 his birthday together. And he wanted all his 00:17:26.890 --> 00:17:30.210 friends there, and he went no holds barred just 00:17:30.210 --> 00:17:32.450 to bless his friends and give them a good time 00:17:32.450 --> 00:17:36.609 on his birthday. And I remember showing up and 00:17:36.609 --> 00:17:40.029 someone showed up at the birthday party and we're 00:17:40.029 --> 00:17:42.069 all feasting and just having good food. And they're 00:17:42.069 --> 00:17:47.849 like, I'm fasting today, sorry. And I'll tell 00:17:47.849 --> 00:17:50.470 you, it sucked the wind out of the party because 00:17:50.470 --> 00:17:53.529 everyone's like, gosh, man, I'm sorry. I'm eating 00:17:53.529 --> 00:17:55.710 this right in front of you. Like, wow, that's 00:17:55.710 --> 00:17:58.529 good. And they're like gloomy in the corner. 00:17:58.650 --> 00:18:01.009 And I remember a friend looking at them and going, 00:18:01.109 --> 00:18:07.569 why did you come? Like, leave. We'll talk later. 00:18:07.809 --> 00:18:10.289 We can have communion later, but don't come to 00:18:10.289 --> 00:18:13.930 my party with your gloomy down face when we're 00:18:13.930 --> 00:18:19.410 trying to celebrate. Leave. Now, Jesus isn't 00:18:19.410 --> 00:18:21.690 rejecting fasting. He's not saying don't fast, 00:18:21.950 --> 00:18:26.789 but he is reframing it, right? He's saying fasting 00:18:26.789 --> 00:18:32.309 belongs to longing. Fasting belongs to longing. 00:18:32.910 --> 00:18:37.329 not to legalism. And sometimes we put it in legalism. 00:18:37.349 --> 00:18:39.190 I've got to fast every week. This is just what 00:18:39.190 --> 00:18:41.109 I have to do. This is what Christians do. No, 00:18:41.170 --> 00:18:45.269 fasting belongs to longing. And the presence 00:18:45.269 --> 00:18:50.369 of the groom removes the longing. There's no 00:18:50.369 --> 00:18:54.369 more longing. So fasting is not bad when you're 00:18:54.369 --> 00:18:57.190 in a position to long after the bridegroom. But 00:18:57.190 --> 00:19:00.750 when he's there, There'll be a time to fast again. 00:19:00.769 --> 00:19:02.569 In fact, Jesus says that when the bridegroom 00:19:02.569 --> 00:19:04.970 is taken away. And in the Greek, those words, 00:19:05.009 --> 00:19:08.150 that means like a swift and violent removal. 00:19:09.710 --> 00:19:12.069 And so it seems to be that it's a veiled reference 00:19:12.069 --> 00:19:15.410 to the cross. Jesus is going to be taken from 00:19:15.410 --> 00:19:17.990 them. They're not going to know what happens. 00:19:18.730 --> 00:19:21.930 Their hearts are going to be filled with longing 00:19:21.930 --> 00:19:25.829 to be reunited with Christ again when he is dead 00:19:25.829 --> 00:19:30.539 for those three days. It's going to come. And 00:19:30.539 --> 00:19:32.480 his followers will mourn his death and they will 00:19:32.480 --> 00:19:34.839 long for his return. But for now, while he's 00:19:34.839 --> 00:19:37.420 here, his presence demands celebration. The king 00:19:37.420 --> 00:19:40.380 has arrived. The wait is over. And at its core, 00:19:40.460 --> 00:19:46.170 Christianity is an experience of joy. At its 00:19:46.170 --> 00:19:49.329 core, Christianity is an experience of joy, not 00:19:49.329 --> 00:19:53.150 shallow happiness or naive optimism, but deep, 00:19:53.150 --> 00:19:55.970 unshakable joy that comes from being loved by 00:19:55.970 --> 00:20:00.670 the bridegroom who gave himself for you. And 00:20:00.670 --> 00:20:03.430 I'm sorry if your experience with Christianity 00:20:03.430 --> 00:20:07.130 hasn't been that. I'm sorry if the church and 00:20:07.130 --> 00:20:10.369 other believers have heaped on you pounds and 00:20:10.369 --> 00:20:13.430 pounds of legalism and watched you and critiqued 00:20:13.430 --> 00:20:15.369 you as to whether you were performing and measuring 00:20:15.369 --> 00:20:19.730 up. I'm sorry that the church has acted poorly 00:20:19.730 --> 00:20:25.150 in the example of who Christ is. But what you've 00:20:25.150 --> 00:20:26.970 experienced, if you've experienced what I've 00:20:26.970 --> 00:20:29.529 experienced in the past of legalism in a performance 00:20:29.529 --> 00:20:33.809 -based religion, don't believe that to be the 00:20:33.809 --> 00:20:36.349 true authentic thing. Don't believe that to be 00:20:36.349 --> 00:20:40.599 the genuine article. Reject it. Rejected and 00:20:40.599 --> 00:20:45.019 instead lean into one that centers around a person, 00:20:45.099 --> 00:20:51.079 an act of faith, something that's vibrant, that 00:20:51.079 --> 00:20:57.859 breathes, as we'll see. If we're not careful, 00:20:58.079 --> 00:21:01.160 we can treat the Christian life, the kingdom 00:21:01.160 --> 00:21:06.839 life, like a never -ending religious duty. checking 00:21:06.839 --> 00:21:10.019 boxes, saying prayers. Did I go to church enough 00:21:10.019 --> 00:21:12.720 times this month? There's probably a time where 00:21:12.720 --> 00:21:15.200 you used to be expected to be here every week, 00:21:15.259 --> 00:21:17.859 right? Society's changed. It's now like once 00:21:17.859 --> 00:21:21.359 a month and you're a regular attender. But even 00:21:21.359 --> 00:21:23.519 that is like, did I get my once a month in so 00:21:23.519 --> 00:21:25.619 they think I'm still around, right? And they 00:21:25.619 --> 00:21:28.279 don't make that awkward call like, you doing 00:21:28.279 --> 00:21:34.859 all right, right? It's so easy to slip into that, 00:21:34.920 --> 00:21:37.539 to slip into a performance -based religion. I'm 00:21:37.539 --> 00:21:41.039 not in any way saying that saying prayers or 00:21:41.039 --> 00:21:42.660 going to church or worshiping or anything are 00:21:42.660 --> 00:21:45.640 bad, no. But when it's based on performance, 00:21:45.940 --> 00:21:48.420 when it's trying to measure up and when it's 00:21:48.420 --> 00:21:51.000 compared to someone else, that is bad, that is 00:21:51.000 --> 00:21:53.539 wrong, that is not the kingdom of God. Be free, 00:21:53.700 --> 00:22:01.160 be released. The presence of Jesus Changes the 00:22:01.160 --> 00:22:06.980 very atmosphere of your life. I'm so grateful 00:22:06.980 --> 00:22:08.940 that I had an opportunity yesterday to be at 00:22:08.940 --> 00:22:12.079 a pastor's conference. And I sat right over here 00:22:12.079 --> 00:22:14.240 with one of my good friends, Timothy Stewart, 00:22:14.380 --> 00:22:16.740 who pastors down in Lodi. And if you're looking 00:22:16.740 --> 00:22:19.819 for a fun thing to do on November 16th, come 00:22:19.819 --> 00:22:22.119 on down to Lodi. We're gonna join them in their 00:22:22.119 --> 00:22:26.720 citywide worship service at Vintage Church in 00:22:26.720 --> 00:22:29.359 Lodi on November 16th. And we're just gonna join 00:22:29.359 --> 00:22:31.420 in. We don't go to Lodi. We're not from Lodi, 00:22:31.519 --> 00:22:34.099 right? But we're just gonna go and say, let's 00:22:34.099 --> 00:22:36.539 worship together. We're with you, heart and soul. 00:22:36.759 --> 00:22:38.759 But that's November 16th, we're heading down 00:22:38.759 --> 00:22:40.940 there. But I was with Timothy yesterday and we 00:22:40.940 --> 00:22:42.640 were in the middle of a conference and I think 00:22:42.640 --> 00:22:44.859 one of the speakers was talking at the time and 00:22:44.859 --> 00:22:46.799 me and Timothy were being very bad students and 00:22:46.799 --> 00:22:49.339 just talking to each other right over here and 00:22:49.339 --> 00:22:53.220 making noise and yeah, not playing by the rules, 00:22:53.339 --> 00:22:56.640 which I'm glad because he was so excited to share 00:22:56.640 --> 00:22:58.859 something with me. He pulled out his phone and 00:22:58.859 --> 00:23:01.220 he said, check out this text message. He said, 00:23:01.339 --> 00:23:03.740 Adventist Church, an atheist showed up a few 00:23:03.740 --> 00:23:07.359 weeks back, a month or two. An atheist showed 00:23:07.359 --> 00:23:09.500 up. And they said, you know what? I'm an atheist. 00:23:10.579 --> 00:23:13.619 I'm a hardcore atheist. But I wanted to see what 00:23:13.619 --> 00:23:16.000 this thing was all about. Just wanted to see 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:17.579 what this, you know, don't try to convert me, 00:23:17.619 --> 00:23:19.319 basically. I just wanted to see what this thing 00:23:19.319 --> 00:23:21.420 was all about. And so he started to come and 00:23:21.420 --> 00:23:24.019 he regularly showed up. And then a few weeks 00:23:24.019 --> 00:23:27.299 later, he brings his 12 -year -old son. And now 00:23:27.299 --> 00:23:29.680 his 12 -year -old son is sitting there. And after 00:23:29.680 --> 00:23:33.420 a few weeks, Timothy is doing baptisms on a Sunday 00:23:33.420 --> 00:23:35.960 a couple weeks back. He's doing baptisms, and 00:23:35.960 --> 00:23:38.319 at the end of doing all the baptisms that he 00:23:38.319 --> 00:23:41.019 had signed up, he said, is there anyone else 00:23:41.019 --> 00:23:43.799 who's ready to make the declaration to say, Jesus 00:23:43.799 --> 00:23:46.980 is Lord of my life in public? And he said he 00:23:46.980 --> 00:23:48.640 was looking this direction, and he saw out of 00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:49.920 the corner of his eye the 12 -year -old raise 00:23:49.920 --> 00:23:54.740 his hand. Praise God, but he said he started 00:23:54.740 --> 00:23:58.289 sweating. He's like, the atheist who said, I'm 00:23:58.289 --> 00:24:00.410 an atheist no matter what. His 12 -year -old 00:24:00.410 --> 00:24:03.069 is now raising hand. If I acknowledge it with 00:24:03.069 --> 00:24:04.650 the dad there, we're going to have a scene in 00:24:04.650 --> 00:24:06.410 two seconds. He's going to be like, you're not 00:24:06.410 --> 00:24:08.990 baptizing my son, right? I don't know if he had 00:24:08.990 --> 00:24:14.029 that voice. So Timothy said he tried not to look. 00:24:14.630 --> 00:24:18.410 Tried not to see the toy. Anyone? Anyone? Right? 00:24:19.490 --> 00:24:25.750 And the dad said, my son. My son would like to 00:24:25.750 --> 00:24:30.349 be baptized. And Timothy was like, okay, get 00:24:30.349 --> 00:24:33.910 up here. And he baptized his son. Fast forward 00:24:33.910 --> 00:24:36.670 a week or two. And Timothy gets a text message. 00:24:37.150 --> 00:24:40.710 And he said, the dad says, I'm finding it increasingly 00:24:40.710 --> 00:24:45.089 more difficult to be an atheist. And then just 00:24:45.089 --> 00:24:47.750 yesterday or the day before, he shows me a text 00:24:47.750 --> 00:24:52.420 message down the thread from yesterday. It just 00:24:52.420 --> 00:24:54.359 gives me chills thinking about seeing that. But 00:24:54.359 --> 00:24:56.740 he said, I don't know what happened yesterday, 00:24:56.960 --> 00:25:02.839 but I feel like a new person today. I don't know 00:25:02.839 --> 00:25:04.779 what happened. He was praying, he was reading 00:25:04.779 --> 00:25:06.319 the word, he was thinking, he was studying something. 00:25:06.519 --> 00:25:08.579 I don't know what happened, but I feel like a 00:25:08.579 --> 00:25:14.460 new person. I feel renewed. And he's like, can 00:25:14.460 --> 00:25:16.299 we meet? Can we talk tomorrow? I don't know what's 00:25:16.299 --> 00:25:19.339 going on. Timothy's like, absolutely, let's. 00:25:19.680 --> 00:25:22.759 The presence of Jesus changes the atmosphere 00:25:22.759 --> 00:25:24.960 of your life. The air you were breathing yesterday 00:25:24.960 --> 00:25:30.619 can be brand new air today. Because Christianity, 00:25:30.619 --> 00:25:35.440 it's not a religion of mourning. It is the announcement 00:25:35.440 --> 00:25:40.119 that the wedding has begun. And the proper response 00:25:40.119 --> 00:25:46.730 is joy. You can't treat the new reality of the 00:25:46.730 --> 00:25:50.150 kingdom like the old religion of waiting. You 00:25:50.150 --> 00:25:52.630 can't treat the new reality of the kingdom, the 00:25:52.630 --> 00:25:55.289 new reality of fulfillment, like the old religion 00:25:55.289 --> 00:25:57.609 of longing and waiting. It was good, it was appropriate. 00:25:57.829 --> 00:25:59.509 Something I didn't point out in the first service, 00:25:59.630 --> 00:26:03.049 but you notice that Jesus said both wineskins 00:26:03.049 --> 00:26:06.710 need to be preserved. He didn't discard both 00:26:06.710 --> 00:26:09.359 wineskins, the old and the new. He said they 00:26:09.359 --> 00:26:11.220 both need to be preserved. They both need to 00:26:11.220 --> 00:26:13.480 be intact. But one served a purpose and now I 00:26:13.480 --> 00:26:21.700 need a new one for what I'm doing now. Number 00:26:21.700 --> 00:26:28.920 three. New wine, new way. Verse 16 through 17. 00:26:30.480 --> 00:26:34.339 No one patches an old garment with unshrunk cloth 00:26:34.339 --> 00:26:37.619 because the patch pulls away from the garment. 00:26:38.029 --> 00:26:40.349 and makes the tear worse. And no one puts new 00:26:40.349 --> 00:26:43.630 wine into old wineskins, otherwise the skins 00:26:43.630 --> 00:26:46.630 burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are 00:26:46.630 --> 00:26:51.109 ruined. No, you put new wine into fresh wineskins, 00:26:51.170 --> 00:26:56.410 and both are preserved. Jesus gives these two 00:26:56.410 --> 00:26:58.950 short parables that really make one point, and 00:26:58.950 --> 00:27:01.150 that is the new reality of the kingdom cannot 00:27:01.150 --> 00:27:03.730 be contained by the old systems of religion. 00:27:05.680 --> 00:27:08.380 And these illustrations could have been instantly 00:27:08.380 --> 00:27:10.140 or would have been instantly understood by the 00:27:10.140 --> 00:27:16.000 folks in their day. You don't sew a patch. You 00:27:16.000 --> 00:27:17.539 don't patch an old garment with a new cloth. 00:27:17.599 --> 00:27:19.180 I get this confused every single time. Which 00:27:19.180 --> 00:27:23.000 one's new and which one's old, right? No one 00:27:23.000 --> 00:27:26.319 patches an old garment with a new cloth. Everyone 00:27:26.319 --> 00:27:29.140 knew that fiber shrink. And when you washed it, 00:27:29.160 --> 00:27:32.859 it would pull away and make the tear worse. And 00:27:32.859 --> 00:27:36.559 you don't pour fermenting wine. into an old, 00:27:36.680 --> 00:27:39.839 brittle wineskin, the fermentation process would 00:27:39.839 --> 00:27:42.480 cause it to explode and the skin would be destroyed 00:27:42.480 --> 00:27:44.599 and the precious wine would be all over the ground. 00:27:45.619 --> 00:27:48.319 To do either would be foolish, wasteful, and 00:27:48.319 --> 00:27:51.799 even destructive. And so what Jesus is saying, 00:27:51.859 --> 00:27:54.039 he's saying, I haven't come to patch up your 00:27:54.039 --> 00:27:58.599 old life or fit into your old categories. I've 00:27:58.599 --> 00:28:06.190 come to make you new. Amen? old garment, the 00:28:06.190 --> 00:28:08.609 old wineskin represent the old covenant system. 00:28:08.970 --> 00:28:11.470 He's talking about the laws and the purity codes 00:28:11.470 --> 00:28:13.869 and the temporal ritual that once defined what 00:28:13.869 --> 00:28:17.349 life related to God looked like. And those things 00:28:17.349 --> 00:28:21.750 were good. They were God given, but they were 00:28:21.750 --> 00:28:27.390 temporary containers. They could hold the promise, 00:28:27.430 --> 00:28:30.569 but those containers couldn't hold the fulfillment. 00:28:31.390 --> 00:28:34.279 And so those containers were good and useful, 00:28:34.460 --> 00:28:38.960 but they couldn't hold it coming to be, the fulfillment 00:28:38.960 --> 00:28:47.400 of it. And now the promise arrived in Jesus, 00:28:47.640 --> 00:28:50.759 and Jesus steps onto the scene, and he's not 00:28:50.759 --> 00:28:54.819 adding a new rule or ritual to the Mosaic law. 00:28:55.359 --> 00:28:59.559 He's fulfilling it. He's fully embodying everything 00:28:59.559 --> 00:29:02.579 that it pointed to. The scholar N .T. Wright 00:29:02.579 --> 00:29:04.759 says the metaphors, the patch and the wineskins, 00:29:04.880 --> 00:29:09.359 point not to reform but to replacement. The kingdom 00:29:09.359 --> 00:29:13.059 is not an addition to Judaism, but it's fulfillment 00:29:13.059 --> 00:29:18.400 and transformation. The old covenant had served 00:29:18.400 --> 00:29:21.140 its purpose. It was like scaffolding around a 00:29:21.140 --> 00:29:22.960 building that was necessary while the structure 00:29:22.960 --> 00:29:25.500 was being formed. You had to have it there in 00:29:25.500 --> 00:29:27.559 order to form the structure. But once the house 00:29:27.559 --> 00:29:29.400 is complete, you don't keep the scaffolding around, 00:29:29.500 --> 00:29:36.420 do you? No, you take it down, you move in. Oh, 00:29:36.480 --> 00:29:41.019 it's like all you crazy people who listen to 00:29:41.019 --> 00:29:45.079 Christmas music the day after Christmas. Like, 00:29:45.099 --> 00:29:50.339 no, no, no. Christmas music got us ready for 00:29:50.339 --> 00:29:53.920 Christmas. Then once it's done, it needs to go 00:29:53.920 --> 00:29:59.039 away for a year. Sometimes two years. But Christmas 00:29:59.039 --> 00:30:01.950 music, it's done, we're over, right? Let's be 00:30:01.950 --> 00:30:05.549 done. Sorry, that's just my pet peeve with Christmas 00:30:05.549 --> 00:30:07.890 music. I know people who take it into January 00:30:07.890 --> 00:30:12.009 and there's little remnants in February. And 00:30:12.009 --> 00:30:14.490 I know some of you guys have Christmas lights 00:30:14.490 --> 00:30:19.789 up still from last year, right? No, the music, 00:30:19.890 --> 00:30:23.089 the atmosphere is getting me ready. It's preparing 00:30:23.089 --> 00:30:25.529 my heart. It's starting to get me excited about 00:30:25.529 --> 00:30:28.869 the fulfillment, which is Christmas. And then 00:30:28.869 --> 00:30:30.589 Christmas is done. I don't need that anymore. 00:30:31.259 --> 00:30:34.180 Like, we done. Let's move on. And that's what 00:30:34.180 --> 00:30:36.480 Jesus is doing. He's inviting people to move 00:30:36.480 --> 00:30:40.240 into a new way of relating with God. Not through 00:30:40.240 --> 00:30:42.660 ritual performance, but through relational presence. 00:30:44.140 --> 00:30:48.240 The old wineskin, which was rigid and brittle 00:30:48.240 --> 00:30:51.799 and structured, can't handle that kind of life. 00:30:53.380 --> 00:30:58.400 The spirit of God expands and stretches and transforms 00:30:58.400 --> 00:31:01.930 everything he fills. You can't put that into 00:31:01.930 --> 00:31:05.190 the old wineskin. You can't put the spirit in 00:31:05.190 --> 00:31:06.910 there. That's why religions that are built on 00:31:06.910 --> 00:31:10.130 control or hierarchy or performance always crack 00:31:10.130 --> 00:31:14.250 under the pressure of grace. It can't stretch 00:31:14.250 --> 00:31:17.309 to hold the dynamic, expansive presence of the 00:31:17.309 --> 00:31:22.740 spirit. Jesus' kingdom is alive. It grows. It 00:31:22.740 --> 00:31:25.380 breathes. It ferments. And when the spirit begins 00:31:25.380 --> 00:31:27.819 to move in someone's life or in the church, the 00:31:27.819 --> 00:31:30.500 old containers of how we've always done it simply 00:31:30.500 --> 00:31:35.039 can't hold what God is wanting to pour out. We 00:31:35.039 --> 00:31:38.400 experience that even here as a church. This church 00:31:38.400 --> 00:31:42.099 has been ministering in the city of Sacramento 00:31:42.099 --> 00:31:47.460 for 110 years. For 110 years, there's a legacy 00:31:47.460 --> 00:31:51.509 of ministry here. And for 70 years, there's been 00:31:51.509 --> 00:31:54.609 a legacy of ministry literally here. This building, 00:31:54.750 --> 00:31:59.869 the sanctuary, was dedicated 70 years ago. And 00:31:59.869 --> 00:32:02.650 it had a presence. And it had seasons where God 00:32:02.650 --> 00:32:05.670 poured out his spirit. And ministry was thriving. 00:32:05.789 --> 00:32:08.509 People were discipled. The community was reached. 00:32:08.670 --> 00:32:11.130 The lost came to faith. The gospel was preached. 00:32:11.210 --> 00:32:13.130 People grew up in their faith. And they went 00:32:13.130 --> 00:32:15.269 through season after season after season where 00:32:15.269 --> 00:32:20.180 God's favor was here. But every time that season 00:32:20.180 --> 00:32:23.660 came to an end, the container needed to be changed. 00:32:24.279 --> 00:32:27.220 And we saw this as we entered into our Renew 00:32:27.220 --> 00:32:30.200 project and our relaunch. We knew that God wanted 00:32:30.200 --> 00:32:32.500 to do something and the old container couldn't 00:32:32.500 --> 00:32:37.099 hold it. And some of it was just really practical 00:32:37.099 --> 00:32:40.660 things. Like most of you guys probably don't 00:32:40.660 --> 00:32:44.200 know, but this wall was all 1970s wood paneling. 00:32:45.240 --> 00:32:49.039 Right here, this wall right behind. Yeah, right 00:32:49.039 --> 00:32:54.119 there. Sam's going to model it like Vanna. Here's 00:32:54.119 --> 00:32:58.680 the... Yeah, so you would be tower, it would 00:32:58.680 --> 00:33:00.920 tower above you right now. And in the 70s or 00:33:00.920 --> 00:33:02.640 80s or whenever that was installed, that was 00:33:02.640 --> 00:33:06.640 great. That was money. But there came a time 00:33:06.640 --> 00:33:08.400 where that couldn't contain what God wanted to 00:33:08.400 --> 00:33:10.500 do in the future, the people that he wanted us 00:33:10.500 --> 00:33:12.940 to reach. And so we made some decisions about 00:33:12.940 --> 00:33:16.849 making some changes to open up. the container 00:33:16.849 --> 00:33:19.789 and let God reshape it for what he wanted to 00:33:19.789 --> 00:33:23.150 do. And many of the relations, amen, many of 00:33:23.150 --> 00:33:26.009 the relationships that we now get to have, many 00:33:26.009 --> 00:33:28.690 of the smiles and encouragements and discipleships 00:33:28.690 --> 00:33:30.990 and collision moments that I get to have and 00:33:30.990 --> 00:33:33.430 you get to have are because we made room and 00:33:33.430 --> 00:33:35.509 space for it. It wasn't an easy decision. There 00:33:35.509 --> 00:33:37.230 was lots of prayer and going, what do we do? 00:33:37.329 --> 00:33:42.289 How do we do this? We did some of it wrong. But 00:33:42.920 --> 00:33:45.279 It was all with the desire, Lord, open this up 00:33:45.279 --> 00:33:49.859 and fill it with new wine. And I thank God for 00:33:49.859 --> 00:33:53.480 what he's done through that act of faith. We 00:33:53.480 --> 00:33:57.119 all went along for that ride, right? But you 00:33:57.119 --> 00:33:59.059 got to be honest. We love our old wineskins, 00:33:59.160 --> 00:34:04.640 don't we? Well, they're predictable, right? They're 00:34:04.640 --> 00:34:06.380 predictable. They're familiar. They're manageable. 00:34:06.720 --> 00:34:09.199 Maybe even for me, like I got really good in 00:34:09.199 --> 00:34:12.590 the old game. Like I'm sitting on the top stats 00:34:12.590 --> 00:34:15.150 in the Pac -Man, you know, arcade game. Like 00:34:15.150 --> 00:34:19.610 that's my name, right? We know the rules. We 00:34:19.610 --> 00:34:24.190 knew what to expect. This sounds scary. This 00:34:24.190 --> 00:34:27.349 sounds dynamic. Sounds like more change is coming. 00:34:28.050 --> 00:34:33.389 Yes. The problem with old wineskins is they don't 00:34:33.389 --> 00:34:37.210 stretch anymore. They don't stretch anymore. 00:34:37.489 --> 00:34:39.789 They've gotten hard and brittle. They can't stretch. 00:34:41.840 --> 00:34:44.340 And if you try to pour the living, breathing 00:34:44.340 --> 00:34:49.719 life of the Spirit into a rigid heart or into 00:34:49.719 --> 00:34:53.559 a rigid structure or a rigid church, it will 00:34:53.559 --> 00:34:58.519 crack. It'll crack and it'll spill out. It will 00:34:58.519 --> 00:35:00.780 not be able to contain it. And that's why sometimes 00:35:00.780 --> 00:35:05.699 God will actually let things break. He'll start 00:35:05.699 --> 00:35:08.840 to pour the Spirit in. That act of life will 00:35:08.840 --> 00:35:14.239 not jive and bah! It'll pop. And God says, do 00:35:14.239 --> 00:35:16.900 you trust me to give you new wineskins for the 00:35:16.900 --> 00:35:22.000 new wine that I want to pour into? He breaks 00:35:22.000 --> 00:35:24.980 old patterns because our old patterns can't hold 00:35:24.980 --> 00:35:28.860 his presence. He breaks your pride because your 00:35:28.860 --> 00:35:32.440 pride can't hold his grace. It can't contain 00:35:32.440 --> 00:35:37.000 it. It can't keep it. So he breaks it. He breaks 00:35:37.000 --> 00:35:40.130 your religion because it can't ever hope. to 00:35:40.130 --> 00:35:42.309 contain the fullness of God. And village, the 00:35:42.309 --> 00:35:44.250 kingdom of God doesn't just patch your old life, 00:35:44.349 --> 00:35:47.409 it replaces it. He doesn't pour his spirit into 00:35:47.409 --> 00:35:50.110 the same old habits and attitudes and routines 00:35:50.110 --> 00:35:55.130 that used to define you. He makes you new. That's 00:35:55.130 --> 00:35:58.030 what Paul said in 2 Corinthians. If anyone is 00:35:58.030 --> 00:36:02.190 in Christ, they are a new creation. The old is 00:36:02.190 --> 00:36:06.030 gone, the new has come. When the kingdom breaks 00:36:06.030 --> 00:36:08.750 in, it doesn't fit into what's familiar. It changes 00:36:08.750 --> 00:36:11.429 your form. It calls you to surrender control. 00:36:11.789 --> 00:36:16.789 And guess what? That's good news. Because what 00:36:16.789 --> 00:36:20.190 it means is God isn't finished with you yet. 00:36:20.969 --> 00:36:23.949 No matter what your age is, no matter how many 00:36:23.949 --> 00:36:25.829 times you've been around the block, how many 00:36:25.829 --> 00:36:28.269 times the spirit is poured out, he wants to do 00:36:28.269 --> 00:36:33.539 a new thing. But it requires surrender. And it 00:36:33.539 --> 00:36:36.440 requires allowing him to change the form of your 00:36:36.440 --> 00:36:41.239 life. And because he wants to, man, that's good 00:36:41.239 --> 00:36:45.400 news. He wants to still use you and me. He still 00:36:45.400 --> 00:36:47.719 wants to reshape us so that we are useful in 00:36:47.719 --> 00:36:51.320 his kingdom. So that we are honoring to him and 00:36:51.320 --> 00:36:54.559 reflect the glory of who he is. He wants to pour 00:36:54.559 --> 00:36:57.360 new things. He wants us to discover more than 00:36:57.360 --> 00:36:59.280 just usefulness. He wants us to discover the 00:36:59.280 --> 00:37:03.099 depths of who he is. And his spirit guides us 00:37:03.099 --> 00:37:06.179 there. We don't know how to get there, but we 00:37:06.179 --> 00:37:10.980 need to make space. He's still stretching you 00:37:10.980 --> 00:37:14.760 to hold more of his spirit. Tim Mackey, who's 00:37:14.760 --> 00:37:18.360 associated with the Bible Project, he says the 00:37:18.360 --> 00:37:21.500 gospel of the kingdom doesn't fit into our lives 00:37:21.500 --> 00:37:25.780 as they are. It recreates our lives around itself. 00:37:27.860 --> 00:37:31.380 Our lives. you know, used to be outside of Christ. 00:37:31.480 --> 00:37:33.900 I don't remember who said it. Someone can remind 00:37:33.900 --> 00:37:36.659 me afterward, but our lives are bent in on ourselves. 00:37:37.659 --> 00:37:39.739 That's what I'm like that outside of Christ. 00:37:39.840 --> 00:37:41.719 We just, our lives are bent in on ourselves. 00:37:42.860 --> 00:37:47.780 Everything is about self bent in the spirit reshapes 00:37:47.780 --> 00:37:51.099 us around the good news that Jesus Christ is 00:37:51.099 --> 00:37:54.039 King around the good news that he has brought 00:37:54.039 --> 00:37:57.880 salvation around the good news in the mission. 00:37:58.460 --> 00:38:02.320 Of his kingdom. It changes our form. So what 00:38:02.320 --> 00:38:04.059 do we do with all this? Well Jesus says. The 00:38:04.059 --> 00:38:06.679 old can't contain the new. And that means every 00:38:06.679 --> 00:38:09.199 follower of Christ. Has to make a choice. Will 00:38:09.199 --> 00:38:12.480 I cling to what's comfortable. Or be stretched 00:38:12.480 --> 00:38:16.340 by what is coming. The new wine is being poured 00:38:16.340 --> 00:38:18.639 out. The bridegroom is in the room. And the kingdom 00:38:18.639 --> 00:38:21.840 of God is breaking in. Not to improve the old 00:38:21.840 --> 00:38:26.619 you. But to create the new you. So if you're 00:38:26.619 --> 00:38:28.599 taking notes, the final point is number four, 00:38:28.619 --> 00:38:34.000 from mourning to longing. The time will come 00:38:34.000 --> 00:38:36.480 when the groom will be taken away from them and 00:38:36.480 --> 00:38:42.579 then they will fast. Those words hold both a 00:38:42.579 --> 00:38:44.539 shadow and a promise. The shadow is this, that 00:38:44.539 --> 00:38:47.780 Jesus will be taken away. A phrase, again, that 00:38:47.780 --> 00:38:51.440 hints at his violent death on the cross. But 00:38:51.440 --> 00:38:53.519 the promise is this, his disciples will fast 00:38:53.519 --> 00:38:56.559 again, but this time they'll not fast as mourners 00:38:56.559 --> 00:39:01.019 of a lost cause. They're not going to fast because, 00:39:01.059 --> 00:39:04.519 man, we missed out on getting our thrones or 00:39:04.519 --> 00:39:10.340 whatever. They're going to fast now as lovers 00:39:10.340 --> 00:39:14.039 longing for reunion. They're going to enter in 00:39:14.039 --> 00:39:17.940 to that dark night of their soul because their 00:39:17.940 --> 00:39:22.570 master, Their king, their bridegroom, Jesus, 00:39:22.690 --> 00:39:24.869 is no longer with them and their heart is going 00:39:24.869 --> 00:39:32.090 to long to be with him. So here's a question. 00:39:32.190 --> 00:39:34.550 What does fasting mean for followers of Jesus 00:39:34.550 --> 00:39:39.489 now in the age of the Spirit? If the bridegroom 00:39:39.489 --> 00:39:42.230 is both gone and present, how do we live in that 00:39:42.230 --> 00:39:46.250 tension? Jesus said, I am with you always in 00:39:46.250 --> 00:39:49.480 Matthew 28. And his spirit dwells within every 00:39:49.480 --> 00:39:51.739 believer. We're not fasting because we've lost 00:39:51.739 --> 00:39:56.940 him. He's right here. But in another sense, the 00:39:56.940 --> 00:40:00.219 bridegroom is still away, isn't he? We haven't 00:40:00.219 --> 00:40:03.719 yet seen him face to face, even though our hearts 00:40:03.719 --> 00:40:08.019 long. And sin still lingers and suffering still 00:40:08.019 --> 00:40:10.780 wounds. and death still casts its shadow over 00:40:10.780 --> 00:40:14.099 our lives. So we fast now in the space between, 00:40:14.219 --> 00:40:16.699 living in that tension of the already but not 00:40:16.699 --> 00:40:22.139 yet. We fast not as people without hope, but 00:40:22.139 --> 00:40:27.980 we fast as people with a holy hunger. Amen? I 00:40:27.980 --> 00:40:31.019 love the way Pastor John Piper puts this. He 00:40:31.019 --> 00:40:35.139 says, Christian fasting is not the hunger of 00:40:35.139 --> 00:40:40.449 emptiness. but the hunger of fullness, a homesickness 00:40:40.449 --> 00:40:47.550 for God. We fast because we've tasted the wedding 00:40:47.550 --> 00:40:50.710 wine. We fast because we've tasted the wedding 00:40:50.710 --> 00:40:53.650 wine and we long for a day when the cup won't 00:40:53.650 --> 00:40:58.210 run dry. In the old covenant, fasting was often 00:40:58.210 --> 00:41:01.889 a ritual of mourning or self -punishment. It 00:41:01.889 --> 00:41:04.429 was a sign of sorrow or guilt or desperation. 00:41:04.789 --> 00:41:08.110 But in the new covenant, fasting becomes an act 00:41:08.110 --> 00:41:13.510 of desire, not despair. It's how we say, Lord, 00:41:13.650 --> 00:41:16.110 we want to experience more awareness of your 00:41:16.110 --> 00:41:19.150 presence, more of your power, more of your renewal 00:41:19.150 --> 00:41:24.570 in our world. Fasting doesn't move us closer 00:41:24.570 --> 00:41:28.070 or move God closer to us. It moves us closer 00:41:28.070 --> 00:41:34.000 to an awareness of him. He is with us, and yet 00:41:34.000 --> 00:41:37.519 we long for him. You think of a spouse whose 00:41:37.519 --> 00:41:40.860 partner is deployed overseas somewhere, and every 00:41:40.860 --> 00:41:43.159 night pulling up her phone and looking at the 00:41:43.159 --> 00:41:46.579 photos and pictures of her loved one or her lover 00:41:46.579 --> 00:41:51.139 who's not with her. It's not because they've 00:41:51.139 --> 00:41:54.440 forgotten their beloved, is it? No, it's because 00:41:54.440 --> 00:41:59.519 they remember their beloved. That picture keeps 00:41:59.519 --> 00:42:04.400 love alive. in the in -between. Fasting for the 00:42:04.400 --> 00:42:08.019 believer is love's aching heart seeking reunion 00:42:08.019 --> 00:42:12.159 with the beloved. It's the longing of a soul 00:42:12.159 --> 00:42:15.619 that says, I know you're there, but I want to 00:42:15.619 --> 00:42:21.139 see you face to face. In Acts 13, the early church 00:42:21.139 --> 00:42:23.940 fasted not out of ritual, but out of response 00:42:23.940 --> 00:42:26.659 and to tune in to how the Lord wanted to accomplish 00:42:26.659 --> 00:42:29.880 his mission through them. They worshiped and 00:42:29.880 --> 00:42:32.519 fasted and the Holy Spirit spoke to them and 00:42:32.519 --> 00:42:35.579 they heard him and followed him. Fasting is how 00:42:35.579 --> 00:42:38.340 the church says we're available for what you 00:42:38.340 --> 00:42:43.019 want to pour out next. And that might look to 00:42:43.019 --> 00:42:46.019 you like fasting from food to focus on praying 00:42:46.019 --> 00:42:49.019 for your one more. That person in your life that 00:42:49.019 --> 00:42:50.860 the Lord has put on your heart to pray for their 00:42:50.860 --> 00:42:54.119 salvation. Not because you're far from God, but 00:42:54.119 --> 00:42:56.619 because they're far from God. And you've experienced 00:42:56.619 --> 00:42:59.139 the life of God and you want them to experience 00:42:59.139 --> 00:43:01.079 that too. You've tasted and you want them to 00:43:01.079 --> 00:43:03.840 taste now. It's your heart of longing that they 00:43:03.840 --> 00:43:08.380 would meet Jesus, the beloved. It might include 00:43:08.380 --> 00:43:11.239 fasting from distraction, technology, entertainment, 00:43:11.460 --> 00:43:15.579 noise, to create space to hear the Spirit so 00:43:15.579 --> 00:43:20.179 you can respond. It might be fasting as a church 00:43:20.179 --> 00:43:23.639 to say, Lord, make us flexible wineskins to be 00:43:23.639 --> 00:43:27.840 ready for the new thing you're about to do. See, 00:43:27.900 --> 00:43:31.800 that's not legalism, that's longing. It's how 00:43:31.800 --> 00:43:37.449 the bride prepares herself for the groom. And 00:43:37.449 --> 00:43:39.670 that's the tension we live in. We are a feasting 00:43:39.670 --> 00:43:43.389 people because Jesus has come and we are a fasting 00:43:43.389 --> 00:43:47.750 people because he's coming again. And when we 00:43:47.750 --> 00:43:50.150 fast, we're reminding ourselves that no earthly 00:43:50.150 --> 00:43:53.909 comfort, no success, no possession can satisfy 00:43:53.909 --> 00:43:58.570 what only his presence can fill. And we fast 00:43:58.570 --> 00:44:00.889 because we've tasted grace and it makes us hungry 00:44:00.889 --> 00:44:08.269 for glory. I love what the Christian scholar 00:44:08.269 --> 00:44:10.730 Chad Bird says. He said, we fast because the 00:44:10.730 --> 00:44:14.070 bridegroom has been taken away, but we feast 00:44:14.070 --> 00:44:16.309 because he's coming back. And you notice he just 00:44:16.309 --> 00:44:17.829 said the opposite of what I just said, right? 00:44:18.909 --> 00:44:22.690 And we're not in conflict because both is true. 00:44:22.769 --> 00:44:29.360 Do we fast or do we feast? Yes. Yes. We fast 00:44:29.360 --> 00:44:32.179 because we long for his presence to be reunited 00:44:32.179 --> 00:44:34.860 with him. We feast because he is with us. His 00:44:34.860 --> 00:44:37.679 spirit he is with. And we can rejoice and be 00:44:37.679 --> 00:44:41.460 joyful. And we do both. And we live in that tension. 00:44:42.940 --> 00:44:46.079 It doesn't mean fasting is irrelevant. You can 00:44:46.079 --> 00:44:49.739 long for him and feast on his presence. Even 00:44:49.739 --> 00:44:54.260 while denying yourself something to focus on 00:44:54.260 --> 00:44:57.400 him. We fast because the bridegroom has been 00:44:57.400 --> 00:44:59.440 taken away, but we feast because he's coming 00:44:59.440 --> 00:45:01.639 near. So in conclusion, the kingdom is breaking 00:45:01.639 --> 00:45:04.500 in and the old life can't stay the same. And 00:45:04.500 --> 00:45:06.659 God is building his kingdom with broken stones, 00:45:06.800 --> 00:45:09.400 as Kyle said last week. He's building his kingdom 00:45:09.400 --> 00:45:11.840 with broken stones and he's shaping these stones 00:45:11.840 --> 00:45:15.699 into new vessels for his presence. He doesn't 00:45:15.699 --> 00:45:18.900 just forgive you, he... reforms you he he doesn't 00:45:18.900 --> 00:45:21.719 just use your story he fills it with new wine 00:45:21.719 --> 00:45:24.940 and if you've been patching up holes with a self 00:45:24.940 --> 00:45:28.659 -righteous religion instead of surrendering let 00:45:28.659 --> 00:45:33.820 him make you new today if you've been clinging 00:45:33.820 --> 00:45:36.679 to the familiar trust him to stretch you for 00:45:36.679 --> 00:45:41.340 more i know it's not our temperament some of 00:45:41.340 --> 00:45:43.260 our temperament is not for stretching we hate 00:45:43.260 --> 00:45:48.400 change right Some of us, I'm sure, right? I'm 00:45:48.400 --> 00:45:52.260 not naming names, right? We don't like change. 00:45:54.420 --> 00:45:57.400 But can we trust him to stretch us to whatever 00:45:57.400 --> 00:45:59.920 point he wants to stretch us, to fill us with 00:45:59.920 --> 00:46:03.599 the new wine, to see what this kingdom breaking 00:46:03.599 --> 00:46:06.380 in might look like. By the Spirit, the bridegroom 00:46:06.380 --> 00:46:10.000 is here. And by the Spirit, we long to be with 00:46:10.000 --> 00:46:12.980 the bridegroom. And so we fast and we feast. 00:46:14.579 --> 00:46:17.199 I'll just ask us the final question. Will you 00:46:17.199 --> 00:46:18.239 make room for him today?