Pentecost and New Wineskins

I love biblical word pictures, and I love that the way God created the Bible, it's not an encyclopedias from A to Z, because then most people go over their heads. But He used biblical illustrations to portray spiritual truths. And certainly, Pentecost is not just a physical day. It's full of spiritual meaning. And Jesus Christ used an illustration, which has to do with Pentecost. And it's such a profound truth. And yet, how simply He was able to illustrate it through one word picture. And it says that an image is worth a thousand words. And that's the way Christ illustrated one of the great principles of the day of Pentecost. So turn with me to Mark 2, verse 18. Mark 2, verse 18. It says, The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. They were following this Pharisee practice of fasting twice a week, actually on Mondays and Thursdays. And of course, this was a heavy burden. But they noticed Christ and His disciples weren't fasting on that day. Then they came and said to Him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast? But your disciples do not fast. And Jesus said to them, Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they had Jesus Christ there, it was like having God in the flesh. As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. And then He illustrates this principle with two different images. The first one says, No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. And then this is the principle analogy that He used. He said that no one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins. And so here he is, he's dealing with a very religious society at that time, fasting twice a week. They were trying to do it to please God. And Christ basically is saying, you have missed the boat. You don't understand what these spiritual principles are all about. And He uses an example here, right after. It says, Now it happened that He went through the grain fields on the Sabbath, and as they went, His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. And the Pharisees said to Him, Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath? And again, some Pharisaic man-made rules said that you couldn't even take some of the grain and eat it because this was a type of work, threshing. Just like when you're doing work and threshing a field. But here they are, they're just taking a handful because they were hungry.

But He said to them, Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry? He and those with him? How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar, the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him? And He said to them, The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is also the Lord of the Sabbath. So basically, what Christ was talking about with the wineskins to the Pharisees and to the disciples of John is that you need God's Spirit to properly understand God's Word. And these people did not have God's Spirit. They certainly were zealous and dedicated, but they lacked something. And they were not able to absorb new truth from Jesus Christ, and that they needed to change the way they thought, the way they absorbed new truth. Because they had the minds like the old wineskins. They could not take new wine, and so their minds were closed. They had this traditional system based on all these laws that the rabbis had set up, and that's the way they viewed the Bible. And Christ said that they needed to change their way of thinking, and it could only be done through God's Spirit, which is what we have been talking about today. And so I brought here wineskin. This is what they call in Spanish, la bota de vino. And this is genuine leather, and this is used for wine. Why? Because since it's a very pliable and new type of wineskin, when the wine ferments in it, it expands. And then, because it produces the fermentation of this grape juice, it produces alcohol and carbon dioxide. And it's just like a balloon that expands outward, and it can absorb the fermentation process. But an old wineskin, just think about an old shoe that you have. You haven't used it for 20, 30 years. You go there. The leather has all dried out. There is no way to stretch it, to expand it. And if you put the new wine that is going to ferment into it, it cracks and it explodes. And that's what Jesus Christ was bringing up. The need to be able to have your mind be pliable through God's Holy Spirit. That's what it does. It breaks all the old and wrong teachings and the need to be able to expand, to accept new truth. And that is so hard to do. Notice in Mark 7. Mark 7 in verse 1. Here's what Jesus Christ was telling the Jews of his day. They had all these traditions, they had rabbis, they had synagogues, they had the temple. They thought this was a great religion. And up to today, it's still a very powerful religion. What you're dealing with the synagogues and the rabbis and everything else. And so it says here in Matthew 7 verse 1. I'm sorry. Mark 7 verse 1. It says, Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to him, having come from Jerusalem. Now when they saw some of his disciples eat bread and defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.

For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way. In other words, a ritual involved. Holding the tradition of the elders. This is what the law had been added to the Bible.

They had 1,520 different rules in order to keep the Sabbath day. And so people were constantly worried about this rule and this other rule. And they were not enjoying the Sabbath. It was a heavy burden.

And people were stifled by it. And Christ did not want his disciples to do this. Christ was restoring God's law to its original intent. What it should have been. But these man-made laws actually impeded and hindered the true understanding of God's truth. So let's continue. It says in verse 4, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, this people honors me with their lips.

But their heart is far from me. And in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do. He said to them, all too well, you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. And so even today we have to worry about all the people coming in with rabbinic practices and all of these added laws to what God's Word has said.

So we actually have, from one extreme, we have more of this rabbinic, roots-type teachings and traditions. And then from the other side, we have the pagan and Greek and Roman traditions that also have infiltrated Christianity. So we have these two extremes in which God's Word does not mention. And so as we come to what was mentioned in the first message this morning, Acts 2, 1-4, I'm not going to read it because we already covered it.

But this was the time when the church received God's Spirit. Miraculous signs were shown at that time, and these people became the witnesses to the truth. And they received the capacity now to understand spiritual truth, to be able to absorb, to have that type of the wineskin that is pliable, that is adaptable. And as you grow in life, you have to maintain that softness and pliability and accept God's correction, guidance, and truth.

And what exactly did they receive when they received God's Spirit? We already have covered some of that in Galatians 5. It mentions some of the fruits of God's Spirit. But I want to focus on another part of Scripture that describes what God's Spirit actually does, what it produces when you receive it. And that's in 2 Timothy chapter 1 verses 6 and 7.

Let's go to 2 Timothy chapter 1 verses 6 through 7. Paul, speaking here, he says, Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. He's talking about stirring up God's Spirit.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Now the translations have for the sound mind, good judgment. You receive through God's Spirit good judgment. What does that mean? I want to focus on these three aspects of God's Spirit and ask ourselves, how are our minds developing? Are they turning into old wineskins? Are we just not interested in growing spiritually? Are we becoming less and less interested in that new love of God's truths? It can happen. Are our minds turning into old wineskins? There's no room for spiritual growth. Or are they more like new wineskins, ready to grow in grace and knowledge, always within God's laws, but developing them so we are allowing God's Spirit to guide us?

So let's look here in the first element in 2 Timothy. God's Spirit develops power. And the question is, are we growing in spiritual power? Now what does that mean, spiritual power? Does it mean that you're physically going to be stronger, or your voice is going to change? None of these things. Spiritual power, in essence, means you're able to overcome more and more of your own human nature, of the world's false teachings, and the wiles of Satan. That's what God gives us power, not to move walls around or become this type of a Samson.

No, it's something private. He gives us power to be able to overcome our human nature, the foibles, the temptations, the attractions that are there. We cannot let ourselves go with the world. We cannot become spiritually weak. Notice in Revelation chapter 2, Revelation chapter 2, verse 24. Christ speaking here, He says, And to Him I will give power over the nations. He shall rule them. So we have to overcome. That's why it's a level playing field for everybody.

Are you a widow? Well, how are you doing? Overcoming. Being able to overcome your human nature and draw closer to God and hindering the world from coming in into our thoughts and minds and taking over, as well as not letting Satan inject us with wrong thoughts, with all kinds of depression and all kinds of negative type attitudes. So again, the only way we can do that is by getting closer to God.

Through prayer, Bible study, meditation, of God's Word, and occasional fasting. Those are the tools to strengthen us. And so when we're talking about power here, and He's telling Timothy, God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, of timidity, of weakness, that we can't go against the world. Yes, we can, as it has been brought out time and time again in these messages. Greater is the one that's with us than who is in the world.

So don't ever get discouraged. God's power is there, but we have to draw closer to Him. That's the message that, just like the new wineskins, we have to grow in understanding and grace and knowledge. Are we growing closer to God or to the world? This is a good indicator of how the Holy Spirit is growing in us or not.

Secondly, God not only gives us power, but He gives us the spirit of love. So it's not enough to overcome. It's not just something that you are repelling society, you're not becoming corrupted by society, that you are overcoming. That's not enough. Because you also have to develop the attitude of love, of selfless help toward others.

So we have to work on our attitudes and our actions. Are we becoming more service-oriented or self-oriented? These are indications whether God's Spirit is growing in us or getting weaker in us. It's a good measure of progress. Notice in James chapter 3, in verse 13, look at the difference of these attitudes. We can also gauge ourselves and see what kind of fruits are being produced. James chapter 3, verse 13, it says, Who is wise and understanding among you?

It's talking about being spiritually wise and understanding. Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. The meekness, not the pride, not the seeking attention, but meekness is the same word that is used as humility. Humility usually is toward God. Meekness is humility toward your fellow man. To show that type of spirit. He goes on to say, But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. These are not things that are produced through God's Spirit.

This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic, for wherever envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. Self-seeking, envy, vanity, all of these things are dampers on God's Spirit. People can get away with things in the short term, but in the long term, God is not going to be there. That's not what God rewards and helps.

That's why we never should forget that biblical servant leadership. We are here to serve others in the church and not self-serve ourselves. It's so important. Put the other person first. Ministers should put the congregation first, not themselves. We are servants. We are to be there for you, help you in your needs and trials and difficulties. One of the greatest honors you can have as a minister is be there in those last minutes of a widow's life.

And you've got her hand, and you're assuring her, and you're strengthening her, and you're there to give her comfort. That's a great privilege. Continuing on, then he shows the proper attitude of a spirit-filled person. Verse 17, but the wisdom that is from above is first pure. It's not thinking evil. It's not there with ultimate or ulterior motives. It doesn't have anything behind what they do. It's pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, willing to not always insist on being first, or that the other person has to yield.

Gentle. Go along with things. Full of mercy and good fruit, without partiality. So it doesn't mean you have favorites, that somehow you treat somebody better than other because of what you can receive from them. No, it's the same rules for everybody. And without hypocrisy. That's without acting or pretending.

Now, the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. So to be able to be peacemakers, we first have to be peace producers in us. We have to have peace in us to be able to give peace to others. It's like a lifeguard. You have no business being a lifeguard if you can barely swim. If somebody's drowning and you don't know how to swim very well, you go out there. You both drown. But what happens with a lifeguard? You learn to be able to have the strength and the skills that when somebody's out there, you go there and you know how to swim for the other person and be able to bring them in without you, yourself drowning.

But that takes time. You first have to be a lifeguard in your own life. And then you can extend the hand and help somebody else.

I remember going through the lifeguard course when I was a young teenager in one of those public school types of pools, public places. We had to be there. I remember we had to swim the equivalent of a mile. And you had to know the different strokes and how to be able to do it so you don't drown with someone else. Well, it's the same way here. We all have to be able to deal with us, our own problems, and then help the others out. As Christ once said, a physician healed thyself. Because if the recipes don't work for you, then the recipes aren't going to mean very much to others. And that takes us to the third principle. So we have to be keeping the wineskins soft and pliable to accept truth and expand on it. Incorporate it into your life. Don't let the wineskin crack. Because, oh, I can't accept this truth. It's going to be too hard for me to incorporate it. Well, that's what happened to the Pharisees. They couldn't accept it. And the wineskins burst because they could not assimilate and incorporate Christ's teachings. It cannot happen to us. Because there can be a moment in our life when we said, no, I don't want to change anymore. No, I don't want to accept these things. We have to be docile. We have to be flexible like those wineskins. And so the third one has to do with a sound mind or good judgment. So, okay, you have the power, you're overcoming, you have the love, you have the spirit of service, you're able to help others. But now you have to grow in godly balance as we apply God's laws. Some people don't have a balance. And the application of God's laws are something that causes damage. And you can either go to one extreme or the other. Let me give you an example. In Hebrews 5, verse 12 through 14, I'd like to read it to you in the New Living Translation. Paul is talking to some of the brethren of Hebrew background. He says, You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God's Word. You're like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn't know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. According to God's Word, they know how to exercise it. They know how to apply godly wisdom. They know when to do something and when to step back. The flexibility that you need to always be adaptable. Even today, you had to be adaptable. With this surprise that they did that, but it wasn't time to blow up or to offend or anything else. No, we're going to make lemonade out of lemons. And we all chipped in. The crew was there. And you know what? We got the services carried out because everybody's working as a team. I apologize personally because it was on my watch that this happened. And so, of course, it's not going to happen again, believe me. But you learn. You learn that you can't control everything. And like I mentioned, I was with that representative the whole week trying to get... ...and they knew that this was going to cause a problem and they didn't want to face it. So, okay. That's not my fault then, but we have to go forward with things.

So, we have to study God's Word. 2 Timothy 2, verse 15.

I try, and I hope just about everybody does, is that when you make a decision, try to think of a biblical scripture that gives you a backing for it. Because that's what God's Word is, to apply these godly principles to real-life circumstances and decisions that we should make.

2 Timothy 2, verse 15.

Paul tells Timothy, Be diligent to present yourself, approve to God a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. A person that is just working every day, just like that little turtle, it'll beat the hair. And most times, because they're just constant, they're always studying, they're always learning, they're always incorporating new principles to apply in a person's life. So it tells us here to be diligent, not negligent.

We have to learn to properly apply God's Word and not go to the extremes as the Pharisees did. Notice in Matthew chapter 23, verse 23. Matthew 23, verse 23. See, Christ had perfect wisdom, knew how to speak and how to apply God's Word perfectly. And here's our example. Matthew 23, verse 23. He says, Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, which means they're acting, they're pretending, they love to be seen righteously and to be called a rabbi, which means my great one. And people got spoiled with those type of titles. He says, For you pay tithe of mint and anise and coming, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, talking about tithing, without leaving the others undone. And then he says, blind guides who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel. So they majored in the minors and minored in the majors. They never could get things right.

They were so meticulous, even weighing the leaves of the mint and taking a tenth out. Oh, they were meticulous about that. But then with their pride, and they could offend people, they were proud, arrogant, even greedy.

They loved money. Christ mentioned all of these major character flaws, and they were oblivious to them. They couldn't see it, how important it was.

And again, God's Spirit balances things out. We should major in the majors and minor in the minors and know the difference between the two.

Peter showed he matured. And Peter really had a learning curve when you think he was a fisherman. He had a little fishing business. Didn't get much practical education, but he got the best college degree three and a half years in Jesus Christ University.

And that was eight hours a day. That was 24-7. They actually went with a professor everywhere for three and a half years. But it would take time for Peter to learn how to apply godly wisdom using God's Word. As you know, he tended to be impulsive, got himself into trouble several times. But God's Spirit slowly molded that man. And basically, when you read the Epistles of Peter, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, if you read the Epistles of Paul, who was a man trained under the feet of Gamaliel, he had the equivalent of a doctorate degree. And yet, when you see the two Epistles, each one is about the same spiritual level.

Peter had reached that spiritual level. He allowed God's Spirit to work in him, just like God's Spirit can work in any of us. Notice in 2 Peter 1, 2 Peter 1, we're coming to conclude soon. I was going to go and pass this wine skin, but I thought, if I pass it, somebody's going to want to have a swig of it, and then we're going to get into trouble. 2 Timothy 1, verse 3. Peter was quite ancient at this time. He would not live much longer. But notice what he says here in this introduction. 2 Peter 1, verse 3. He says, let's start in verse 2. It says, Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. What's he saying? The wine skins that he hopes that God's grace and peace multiplies in you, in your mind, in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. That's what he was applying. That was what he was focusing on. As his divine power has given to us that Holy Spirit, all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by glory and virtue, we can know Jesus Christ through the Bible, just like Peter got to know him personally. He says, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises to each one of us, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature. That's the goal. Having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. So that's one of the things we have to overcome. Not let lust get a hold of us, because it's a very cruel master.

And it's not going to let you go easily. Verse 5, and then he gets positive here. He says, but also for this very reason giving all diligence as he had, add to your faith virtue. So the faith is a foundational. It's believing in God, believing in God's word, that he's a rewarder of those who follow him.

And then you put virtue, which is the right attitudes in a person's life. You're living it. And you add to virtue knowledge, knowledge of God's word. Never get tired of it. I certainly don't. It just always is a marvel how many truths just come out all the time because you're exploring, you're examining, you're asking yourself questions about it. And to knowledge you add self-control because if you don't have discipline, if you don't control yourself, nobody's going to do it for you. You have to learn how to discipline, to examine yourself, what are the problems, how to overcome them, how can we live a life of discipline?

To self-control you add perseverance, stamina, the don't give in and don't give up attitude. I know I was talking to Sharon Roybaugh. She's telling me about Caitlin because, of course, we've been praying about her getting better and she's getting better.

She runs the Boston Marathon, 26 miles. You talk about perseverance. Boy, I'd like to have that perseverance, but in the spiritual field. That's an example that we can take and say, well, look, we can go further. We cannot be weary of well-doing.

To perseverance, you add godliness. The way God thinks, the way God acts, and to godliness, brotherly kindness. Again, godly servant leadership, kindness, the loving, the way to treat others so that you treat them as your superiors.

That people are superior to oneself. And then to brotherly kindness, love, which is the overall and the finishing touch.

That sacrificial love, by the way. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's going to produce fruits. These wineskins are going to expand as we grow in knowledge and wisdom and application of God's Word.

Verse 9, it says, for he who lacks these things is short-sighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. If you're not growing, you're going backwards. And that's something we shouldn't do. Verse 10, it says, therefore brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure. For if you do these things, these things that Peter's talking about, what God's spirit about Pentecost is all about, if we do these things, you will never stumble. You'll be strong. You'll be able to have God supporting and upholding you through the trials. For so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That's the goal. That's why we pray, thy kingdom come every day. That's why we desire that kingdom to come.

And so here are three action steps we can apply in our lives. First, the question, are we letting God's spirit lead us, or are we hindering it from empowering us to grow more? Are we letting God's spirit lead us? Are our wineskins pliable in accepting more of God's spirit and his truths? Or are we hindering it from empowering us as we grow more?

Secondly, are we taking advantage of the opportunities to better serve and show God's love to others in our actions? Are we taking advantages, the opportunities to better serve and show God's love in our actions? After all, this is a laboratory, and we are there to apply the principles of God and see the results. So all of these opportunities are there in the church, outside the church, in our families, to show how God's principles apply.

And lastly, are we studying more to learn to balance our lives and the decisions we make? Are we growing in godly wisdom, or are we just stuck? Is this a plateau that if you have another situation come up in your life, are you going to repeat?

Does disaster that have been done before, or do we learn from it and then be able to apply it properly? So life is full of these opportunities. What are we going to do with them? God has given us His Holy Spirit, but that Holy Spirit is not going to work unless we put it into practice, put it into use.

And that is why I will end with a question. In what shape are the wineskins of your mind? In what shape are they? Have a nice afternoon.