Embracing God's New Thing
Embracing God's New Thing: Why You Can't Mix the Old with the New
Have you ever found yourself trying to hold onto old habits while simultaneously attempting to embrace new spiritual growth? It's a common struggle that many believers face, yet Jesus addressed this very issue through powerful parables about garments and wineskins.
In Luke 5:36-39, Jesus shares wisdom that challenges our tendency to cling to the familiar while God is doing something new in our lives.
The Danger of Patching the New onto the Old
"No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old." (Luke 5:36)
Too often in modern Christianity, we reduce grace to nothing more than a patch for our brokenness. We want Jesus to cover the holes in our lives while we continue living exactly as we always have. We treat Him like a spiritual band-aid or a quick fix for our problems.
But Jesus never intended to be just an accessory to our existing lives. When He said "follow me," He wasn't calling us to patch up our old garments—He was inviting us to completely exchange our old garments for new ones.
The Gospel doesn't simply reinforce our old nature to make it better. It creates in us an entirely new nature: "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Why You Can't Pour New Wine into Old Wineskins
"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins." (Luke 5:37-38)
This powerful metaphor explains why we need to become new creations in Christ. If we want to receive the Holy Spirit to fill our lives, we need to be made new first. Just as new wine would burst old wineskins, the Spirit cannot fully dwell in our old, unchanged lives.
We all want the Pentecost experience—to be filled with the Spirit—but before we can experience Pentecost, we must first experience the cross. Our old nature must die before our new nature can truly live.
Isaiah 43:19 reminds us: "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?" Are you missing what God is doing now because you're somehow stuck in the past? Sometimes it's not just past mistakes that hold us back—it can be past victories too. We get comfortable with how God moved before, and we miss how He's moving now.
Why We Prefer the Old Wine
"And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, 'The old is good.'" (Luke 5:39)
Our souls develop a thirst from the wells we drink from most frequently. Our tastes are shaped by what's familiar to us. The question is: what wells are you drinking from?
Sometimes there are wells in our lives that need to be destroyed—habits, relationships, or comforts that keep drawing us back to our old ways. Like the Israelites who had to cross the Red Sea to prevent returning to Egypt, sometimes we need complete separation from our past to embrace God's future.
There's wisdom in the old saying about explorers who would "burn the ships" upon arriving at new lands—ensuring there was no way to retreat. What ships need to be burned in your life? What wells need to be destroyed? We will miss the new thing God is doing when we've grown too comfortable with the old. When we cling tightly to old comforts and familiar ways, we miss the fresh work of the Holy Spirit.
Life Application
What old thing is keeping you from embracing God's new thing in your life? What familiar comfort is preventing you from moving forward with what the Spirit is doing right now?
Consider these questions this week:
The Lord promises: "I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." But to experience this provision, we must let go of the old and make room for the new. Don't be like the Pharisees who settled for the ways of men. Be like Matthew, who left everything behind to follow Jesus into a new life.
This week, identify one "old thing" you need to release, and take a concrete step toward embracing the new thing God is doing in your life.
Have you ever found yourself trying to hold onto old habits while simultaneously attempting to embrace new spiritual growth? It's a common struggle that many believers face, yet Jesus addressed this very issue through powerful parables about garments and wineskins.
In Luke 5:36-39, Jesus shares wisdom that challenges our tendency to cling to the familiar while God is doing something new in our lives.
The Danger of Patching the New onto the Old
"No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old." (Luke 5:36)
Too often in modern Christianity, we reduce grace to nothing more than a patch for our brokenness. We want Jesus to cover the holes in our lives while we continue living exactly as we always have. We treat Him like a spiritual band-aid or a quick fix for our problems.
But Jesus never intended to be just an accessory to our existing lives. When He said "follow me," He wasn't calling us to patch up our old garments—He was inviting us to completely exchange our old garments for new ones.
The Gospel doesn't simply reinforce our old nature to make it better. It creates in us an entirely new nature: "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Why You Can't Pour New Wine into Old Wineskins
"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins." (Luke 5:37-38)
This powerful metaphor explains why we need to become new creations in Christ. If we want to receive the Holy Spirit to fill our lives, we need to be made new first. Just as new wine would burst old wineskins, the Spirit cannot fully dwell in our old, unchanged lives.
We all want the Pentecost experience—to be filled with the Spirit—but before we can experience Pentecost, we must first experience the cross. Our old nature must die before our new nature can truly live.
Isaiah 43:19 reminds us: "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?" Are you missing what God is doing now because you're somehow stuck in the past? Sometimes it's not just past mistakes that hold us back—it can be past victories too. We get comfortable with how God moved before, and we miss how He's moving now.
Why We Prefer the Old Wine
"And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, 'The old is good.'" (Luke 5:39)
Our souls develop a thirst from the wells we drink from most frequently. Our tastes are shaped by what's familiar to us. The question is: what wells are you drinking from?
Sometimes there are wells in our lives that need to be destroyed—habits, relationships, or comforts that keep drawing us back to our old ways. Like the Israelites who had to cross the Red Sea to prevent returning to Egypt, sometimes we need complete separation from our past to embrace God's future.
There's wisdom in the old saying about explorers who would "burn the ships" upon arriving at new lands—ensuring there was no way to retreat. What ships need to be burned in your life? What wells need to be destroyed? We will miss the new thing God is doing when we've grown too comfortable with the old. When we cling tightly to old comforts and familiar ways, we miss the fresh work of the Holy Spirit.
Life Application
What old thing is keeping you from embracing God's new thing in your life? What familiar comfort is preventing you from moving forward with what the Spirit is doing right now?
Consider these questions this week:
- What "old garments" am I still trying to patch instead of exchanging for God's new garments?
- Are there "wells" in my life I keep returning to that need to be destroyed?
- In what areas have I become so comfortable with tradition that I'm missing God's fresh movement?
- What would it look like to fully surrender my "Egypt" and embrace God's promised land?
The Lord promises: "I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." But to experience this provision, we must let go of the old and make room for the new. Don't be like the Pharisees who settled for the ways of men. Be like Matthew, who left everything behind to follow Jesus into a new life.
This week, identify one "old thing" you need to release, and take a concrete step toward embracing the new thing God is doing in your life.
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