Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: New Patch/New Wine - Old Garment/Bottle (Matthew 9:16-17, Mark 2:21-22, Luke 5:36-39} (01/04/24)
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TITLE: New Man, New Life | Previous Challenge Entry
By Lakella Davenport
01/06/24 -
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2 Corinthians 5:17- “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are new.”
Luke 5: 36-38- “And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles; and be spilled, and the bottles perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.
According to jesusfilm.org, if new wine is put into old wine skins (wine bottles) it will cause the skins to tear or burst because “fermented drinks like wine expand.” “If you put new wine into an already expanded or “stretched old wine skin; the new wine will tear the seams. This is why new wine needs to be preserved in new wine skins. As the wine expands the new skins will stretch to accommodate it,” (jesusfilm.org).
This parable of New Patch/New Wine speaks volumes about the salvation of the believer. Once an individual gets saved by confessing their belief in Christ, confessing their sins, repenting of their sins, and is baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; they must embark on a new journey. Their old sinful nature must be crucified by living in obedience to God’s holy, divine word. Their new life: their new man doesn’t agree with their old fleshly, worldly life or old man. We must live in the world but not be of the world. Therefore, the new believer must “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold I do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert:” (Isaiah 43: 18-19).
In order for God to do a new thing in our lives, we must forget that old sinful past and sinful practices and embrace a new way of living according to God’s word. Jesus is our way out of the wilderness of sin. Jesus is our way to our eternal reward of eternal life and everlasting joy in God’s kingdom. When God brings us out of our wilderness of sin (our former life) we must not look back to desire that old life again. Lot’s wife looked back upon the sinful wilderness of Sodom and turned into a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26). While in Sodom Lot and his family were around sinful people and sinful circumstances. As a believer we should not put our saved selves in the company of ungodly people and ungodly circumstances. Evil company corrupts good manners. The Bible says: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night,” (Psalms 1:1-2). We must change our circle of influence. Born again believers must surround themselves with like-minded Christians who have the mind of Christ.
Once we are saved, we must no longer continue in sin and practice sinful works. “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them,” (Ephesians 5:11). We must hate a lifestyle of sin. We must learn what God requires of us and obey God’s commands. Our obedience to God and his ways of living is evidence of our love for God and our savior Jesus Christ. Our new man must seek to bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit, not the unfruitful works of darkness.
The Parable of the Sower tells what can happen to our new wine (our newfound faith) if we continue to be influenced by the sinful world. We don’t want the word of God to get choked out of our lives and our new wine skins burst because we are too focused on worldly things (Mark 4: 18-19). We can’t let the lusts of this world enter into our new heart and fill our heart; pushing the love of God’s word out of it; making it unfruitful. We must fill our heart instead with God’s word and desires for heavenly things; not desires for worldly riches, possessions, and power.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
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Every word you brought forward is true-of course, it is written under His Spirit's dictation.
Thank God the Holy Spirit is our guide, our living water and our joy on this pilgrimage, otherwise self-crucifixion can so easily become legalism again.