The Gospel of Luke: The Call to Different - Audio

City Light Church Sermons

Sermon Date - 1/5/25 Pastor: Brian Crawford Luke 5:33-39 . Check us out at: https://citylightvicksburg.org/ Or check us out here: https://www.facebook.com/citylightvicksburg . Why don’t Jesus disciples fast? In this text, we find a people who are struggling with “newness.” These Pharisees are totally not getting or understanding why Jesus is doing things differently from themselves. But they were adding more regulation to God’s instruction. It was solely their opinion that certain acts should have been followed. And Jesus gives them two responses. 1) we are enjoying this party because Joy has arrived. And 2) and we are enjoying this party because New has arrived. Joy - the parable we see is one of marriage and brides and grooms. Jesus’ answer is simply - “what wedding have you ever gone to, where they fast during the feast?” It’s a celebration! Jesus’s presence symbolizes the marriage portion of a wedding - there’s no reason to be sad, or grieve. The Groom is here! For those “married” to Him, now means we are now eternally saved! There’s NO REASON to be sad - even on the occasions when our life crumbles around us. New - he told them a parable about new patches on old garments, and new wine in old wine skins. In the example in the garments - when you patch an old shirt with a new shirt. You wind up just destroying two shirts when you try and do that. Jesus is telling the Pharisees that Salvation is not a patch the Pharisees use to fix up their way of doing things. It has to replace it! With the wine skins - during fermentation, gas is released from the grape juice, so when the container is sealed it has pressure built up, so the new wine skin can stretch. Old wineskins, however, do not have the elasticity left in the container. They will burst under the pressure of new wine. Jesus is saying that the vessel needs to be new to hold the Joy and Gospel. Sometimes we approach our old life, with new wine mentality. We need to change totally and completely. If I take my old life and try to add upgrade it a little bit, I will break. I must be willing to trade the old way of viewing things, for the new way of viewing and doing things. Are you viewing your Christian life like new wine in old wineskins? Or are you sincerely and genuinely asking the Lord to completely and totally recreate your life, so that it centers around Him? Jesus says He didn’t come here to modify your story. I’m here to completely and totally transform it.