UNE NOUVELLE OUTRE POUR LE NOUVEAU VIN

Listen to pasteur MarcSimeon’s message:  UNE NOUVELLE OUTRE POUR LE NOUVEAU VIN

Mt 9:14 ¶ Alors les disciples de Jean vinrent auprès de Jésus, et dirent: Pourquoi nous et les pharisiens jeûnons-nous, tandis que tes disciples ne jeûnent point?
15 Jésus leur répondit: Les amis de l’époux peuvent-ils s’affliger pendant que l’époux est avec eux? Les jours viendront où l’époux leur sera enlevé, et alors ils jeûneront.
16 Personne ne met une pièce de drap neuf à un vieil habit; car elle emporterait une partie de l’habit, et la déchirure serait pire.
17 On ne met pas non plus du vin nouveau dans de vieilles outres; autrement, les outres se rompent, le vin se répand, et les outres sont perdues; mais on met le vin nouveau dans des outres neuves, et le vin et les outres se conservent.

 

CHRIST THE ROCK CONGREGATION

SUNDAY DECEMBER 2ND 2018

Sermon by Rev. Marc E SIMEON

UNE NOUVELLE OUTRE POUR LE NOUVEAU VIN

A NEW WINESKIN FOR THE NEW WINE

MATTHIEU 9 :14-17

Mt 9:14 ¶ Alors les disciples de Jean vinrent auprès de Jésus, et dirent: Pourquoi nous et les pharisiens jeûnons-nous, tandis que tes disciples ne jeûnent point?

15 Jésus leur répondit: Les amis de l’époux peuvent-ils s’affliger pendant que l’époux est avec eux? Les jours viendront où l’époux leur sera enlevé, et alors ils jeûneront.

16 Personne ne met une pièce de drap neuf à un vieil habit; car elle emporterait une partie de l’habit, et la déchirure serait pire.

17 On ne met pas non plus du vin nouveau dans de vieilles outres; autrement, les outres se rompent, le vin se répand, et les outres sont perdues; mais on met le vin nouveau dans des outres neuves, et le vin et les outres se conservent.

 

Mt 9:14 ¶ Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?”

15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

16 “No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.

17 “Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

 

INTRODUCTION

• Leaders have more impact in the lives of their followers than they are aware of.
• Your followers will imitate you in more ways than you wish for.
• Your good and bad attitudes will permeate in their lives.
• Your vocabulary, your style, your manners, your humor, your strength and your weaknesses will manifest in their lives in all aspects.
• In this passage, we are encountering some of the disciples of John the Baptist rebuking Jesus on the account of His disciples, because they did not fast.
• John The Baptist was known for his straightforwardness.
  • John was very confrontational and very vocal when He encountered evil or hypocrisy.
  • His style earned him a great reputation, credited to him, a great spiritual awakening erupted in Israel.
  • Singularly, John was able to build a greater platform than all the religious groups in his time.
  • John introduced Jesus to the larger audience and made the most solemn declarations about Jesus.
  • In a moment of doubt and disillusion, John came to have doubt about Jesus Christ.  
  • While in prison, John sent convoys to Jesus to ask Jesus if He was the real Messiah and should they wait for another.
    • In other words, John was not impressed with Jesus’ performances.
    • Jesus had to straight John up, showing him that he was doing exactly what he was sent for.

Lu 7:22 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the  deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. (NKJV)

22 Et il leur répondit: Allez rapporter à Jean ce que vous avez vu et entendu: les aveugles voient, les boiteux marchent, les lépreux sont purifiés, les sourds entendent, les morts ressuscitent, la bonne nouvelle est annoncée aux pauvres. (LSV)

Lu 7:23 “And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (NKJV)

23 Heureux celui pour qui je ne serai pas une occasion de chute! (LSV)

• • The disciples of John picked up the same style as their master in approaching Jesus.
  • Since they came on their own, it seems that John had already been decapitated by Herod.
  • The concern that the disciples of John had was yet another disappointment on Jesus and his ministry.
  • Spiritual pride can cause a person to violate the basic rules of decency, courtesy, and respect.
  • Self-righteousness gives its victims the right to insult those in the opposite side.
  • Religious pride always causes its victims to live in a pseudo reality as to where they assume their relationship with God to be.
  • John’s disciples approached Jesus as a common rabbi who was not doing such a good job.
  • Spiritual pride, self righteousness, and the spirit of Jealousy were all present in the disciples of John.
  • They might have been jealous of the exposures that Jesus and His disciples were getting, while their movement was stalling badly.

 

• John prophesied that Jesus would rise and him, diminished.

 

John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease. (NKJV)

30 Il faut qu’il croisse, et que je diminue. (LSV)

• But in the reality, the disciples of John did what they could to keep the movement alive.
• More than 20 years later, John followers were still on the scene, namely Apollos and many others.

THE MEEK REBUKE OF JESUS

• Most of us would be vexed by their comments, but, once again, Jesus displayed a great humility in addressing the criticism.
• He could have said: you are just jealous!
• Instead, Jesus took time to explain why the approach of his disciples differed from that of John’s disciples and the Pharisees when it came to fasting.
• Jesus used the opportunity to insert some of the most sublime teachings concerning the church to come with respect to Judaism and the followers of John.

OBSERVATION OF THE PASSAGE

• These four verses from Matthew 9: 14-17 is so compacted with timeless truths, that only the most illuminated minds can phantom a fragment of it.
• With the grace of God, I will scratch the surface with the measure of insights that God has bestowed upon me for this sermon.

 

Mt 9:14 ¶ Alors les disciples de Jean vinrent auprès de Jésus, et dirent: Pourquoi nous et les pharisiens jeûnons-nous, tandis que tes disciples ne jeûnent point?

• The four elements in consideration: 3 groups of people and a person.
  1. The disciples of John (group #1)
  2. The Pharisees (group #2)
  3. The disciples of Jesus (group #3)
  4. Jesus Himself

 

• The similarities between the 3 groups
  1. All three worship the same God
  2. All three use the same sacred Scriptures
  3. All three were trying to please God in the best of their ability.

 

• The differences between the three groups
  1. Each had a different leader
     • Moses, John, Jesus
  2. Each group belonged to a different era
     • Pharisees: Old Testament
     • John’s disciples: End of Old Testament or between the two testaments.
     • Jesus’ Disciples: Belong to the new alliance.

 

• The indignation of the disciples of John with Jesus and His disciples.

 

• 1. That they were not fasting
  2. That they were complaisant in the keeping of the law

 

• The disciples of John referred to the Pharisees positively of for their:
  1. Rigid Religiosity
  2. Adherence to prayer
  3. Adherence to the keeping of the Law
  4. Adherence to preserve the traditions of the forefathers
  5. Adherence to make it right with God by penitence.

 

THE RESPONSE OF JESUS

• Jesus Gave a defensive rebuke to the disciples of John in favor of His disciples, by giving them three illustrations that contain a bulk of wisdom and revelation.

 

The bridegroom and friends illustration

• • • When the groom is present, the reaction should be to enjoy his company.
    • When the bridegroom is absent the friends should lament for his presence.

 

The old garment versus the new garment

• • • One is old and used and frail
    • The other is new, strong, and sturdy  
    • The old cannot be patched with the new
    • Both tissues are from different times of origin and purposes

 

The old wineskin versus the new wineskin

• • • The old wineskin fits the old wine
    • The new wineskin for the new wine
    • To use new wine in old wineskin would cause eruption of the vessel.
    • Each wineskin should match its wine in age.

 

IMPLICATION OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF JESUS

• The Pharisees represent Moses and the law and the traditions
  • The sect of the Pharisees came about in aim to revive the laws of Moses.
  • They served their purposes in their time
  • By the time of Jesus, their mission was already phasing out.

 

• The disciples of John represent the eve of the great reformation, The new alliance between God and mankind.
  • John served his purpose by preaching repentance and righteousness, and a return to God.
  • The revival of John the Baptist served as a bridge to the new era of Christianity.
  • It was also necessary for the movement of John the Baptist to phase out to make way for the New Testament.

 

15 Jésus leur répondit: Les amis de l’époux peuvent-ils s’affliger pendant que l’époux est avec eux? Les jours viendront où l’époux leur sera enlevé, et alors ils jeûneront.

• The first response of Jesus of Jesus implied that His religion was going to be one of relationship instead of ritual assignments.
  • Jesus signaled that He was Bridegroom; hence the Christ was the God whose face they were trying to seek by their endless fasting and observances of the law.
  • Jesus announced his death and resurrection by saying that his disciples will one day be seeking for his presence by fasting and prayers just like them because He will be taken away from them, yet He will be within distances from them, and that they will be yearning for His promised return.

16 Personne ne met une pièce de drap neuf à un vieil habit; car elle emporterait une partie de l’habit, et la déchirure serait pire.

• The second response of Jesus implied that His new religion will run in a new shell.
  • Judaism and Christianity will never run together as one or the same.
    • Though both served as pathways to lead to God, each is only effective in its time.
    • Judaism is the old contract for the Jews and the God fearers in the times before Christ beginning with Moses.
    • Christianity is the new and final contract for both Jews and gentiles to map their way to God.
    • Christianity is the fulfillment or the intended final destination of Judaism.
    • The old garment is old and susceptible to rupture.
    • The old garment was once new and served its purpose.
    • The new era demands a fitted garment that adheres to its new tenure.

WINE SKIN

17 On ne met pas non plus du vin nouveau dans de vieilles outres; autrement, les outres se rompent, le vin se répand, et les outres sont perdues; mais on met le vin nouveau dans des outres neuves, et le vin et les outres se conservent.

• The third response of Jesus implied on the impossibility for present generations to anchor their faith on the Laws of Moses as their means to relate to God.
• Wine skins are wine containers made out goat, sheep, pigs, or other animals’ skins.
• Still in use in Italy and other countries.
• The new skin can expend like a balloon.
• During the fermentation process of the wine, the new wineskin can extend to its limit to accommodate the dynamics of the new wine.
• Once died, the wineskin cannot extend anymore.
• A new wine will always demand expansion, and under pressure, an old wineskin will burst open because it would no longer have the elasticity needed.

 

• The old wineskin was made in the same fashion of the new wineskin.
  • The materials were the same
  • The procedures of manufacture were the same
  • The contents in the two containers were the same in essence
  • The purposes of both wineskins were the same for their own era.
  • Yet the one is not the other.
  • Each container was dated and was effective for its own time and generation.
• The behavior of the disciples of Jesus will differ that of the disciples of John or the Pharisees.
• A personal relationship with the bridegroom changes everything.
• When I am not in line with the will of God, The Holy Spirit reacts immediately in me by displaying the areas that need to be repaired.
• I fast and pray and agonize in the presence of God.
• Once I acknowledge my sin, I repent, and I ask God for forgiveness.
• Once forgiven, the joy of my salvation gets restored, and my intimacy with God gets reestablished and exhibited in a manifold of fashion.
• This exercise will never require the same demands of the Old Testament.
• The lip service and the endless sacrifices and rituals cannot bring us one inch closer to God now, whereas they could in the old era in some cases.

CONCLUSION

• Of which school of thought do you belong?
  • Are you one who is related to God based on rituals and religious activities?
  • Are you one who wants to drag the old ways in your new relationship to God?
  • Or are you one who has a personal relationship with the bride.
  • Is your relationship to God based on mutual love or religious duties.

John 14:15 ¶ “If you love Me, keep My commandments. (NKJV)

15 ¶ Si vous m’aimez, gardez mes commandements. (LSV)

 

Joh 14:21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” (NKJV)

21 Celui qui a mes commandements et qui les garde, c’est celui qui m’aime; et celui qui m’aime sera aimé de mon Père, je l’aimerai, et je me ferai connaître à lui. (LSV)

 

Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. (NKJV)

23 Jésus lui répondit: Si quelqu’un m’aime, il gardera ma parole, et mon Père l’aimera; nous viendrons à lui, et nous ferons notre demeure chez lui. (LSV)

 

Joh 4:23-24 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. (NKJV)

23 Mais l’heure vient, et elle est déjà venue, où les vrais adorateurs adoreront le Père en esprit et en vérité; car ce sont là les adorateurs que le Père demande. (LSV)

24 “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (NKJV)

24 Dieu est Esprit, et il faut que ceux qui l’adorent l’adorent en esprit et en vérité. (LSV)

AMEN!