God is preparing us for great and mighty things in this generation. We have to be willing to do new things if we want to see new outpourings of the Holy Spirit.
LUKE 5:33-39
33 They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.” 34 Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? 35 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.”
36 He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’”
BREAKDOWN
Wine: A season in time where we must discern God’s heart and God’s plan for His people
Wineskin: Our appropriate response to God is a given season
Old Wine: Season of preparation for Messiah’s coming, repentance and contrition Old Wineskin: Fasting 2x a week, ascetic lifestyle, “sackcloth and ashes”
New Wine: Season of divine visitation, miracles and mercy flowing from the Messiah (Matthew 11:2-5; 16-19)
New Wineskin: Feasting and rejoicing with Messiah and the inauguration of God’s Kingdom
APPLICATION
(1) KNOW THAT GOD IS IN CONTROL: Understand that history and world events unfold according to God’s sovereign plan (Gen. 8:22; Rom. 11:33-36; Col. 1:16-17; Isa. 45:7-9; Lam. 3:37-39; Acts 4:27-28; 17:26-27).
(2) KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS: God’s word contains insight to allow you to interpret the signs of the times and understand what He is doing at the present moment (Mat. 16:1-4; 1 Ch. 12:32; Dan. 11:32-35; 12:1-4; Mat. 24:32-35; Eph. 5:15-20)!
(3) BE WILLING TO CHANGE: Just like in Jesus’ day, we must be willing to set aside old traditions and ways of thinking in order to cooperate with what God is now doing in our lives, our churches, and in the world.
(4) NEVER BE WILLING TO CHANGE: While many things in this world change, God does not. We must not compromise God’s Word or His standards to appease this fickle, unfaithful generation (Isa. 40:6-8; Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8).
WHAT IS GOD DOING IN 2020?
- God is shaking (Hag. 2:6)
- God is judging (1 Pet. 4:17-19)
- God is dividing (Mat. 13:29-30)
- God is purifying (Mal. 3:1-5)
- God is saving (Acts 2:17-21)
WHAT MUST WE DO IN 2020?
- Preach (Mat. 24:14)
- Pray (Luke 18:1-8)
- Plug Away (Mark 13:32-37)
