Matt 9:14-17 New Wine

Facts:

1.	Who came and asked Jesus a question in verse 14?

a.	John's Disciples

2.	What do they want to know?

a.	Why Jesus' disciples don't fast while they and the pharisees do.

3.	How true is their assertion (that Jesus' disciples don't fast) true? How do we know?

a.	Very true at present. Jesus does not deny it.

1.	Jesus explains the situation by saying that some things don't belong together. Make a 2 column list of things that don't go together in vv 14-17 (In Groups)

a.	Fill in shaded area

Don't belong together
New	Old
bridegroom present	mourning guests
unshrunk cloth patch	old garment
new wine	old wineskins
2.	What are the major contrasts between the two columns? (Fill in unshaded area above)

a.	New and old (things assoc w/ life, changeability vs. death, inflexibility) flexibility of a newborn vs. rigor mortis

3.	Now Jesus has said that these things don't belong together, but He gives some explanation for each. ( For 1 he gives a good reason, for the other 2 a bad result.) Please fill in His explanation for each one in column 3 in your group. Stick to the text-just the facts, please.

a.	Fill in shaded area

Don't belong together	Why?
New	Old	Good Reason (and Bad Results)
bridegroom present	mourning guests	bridegroom will be taken from them, then they will fast
unshrunk cloth patch	old garment	result: patch pulls away, tear worse
new wine	old wineskins	result: skins burst, wine runs out, skins ruined
4.	(Ask if needed) Why is it inappropriate for guests to mourn when the bridegroom is present with them? Stick to the text. I want to hear Jesus' reasoning here now.

a.	The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, then they will fast. (How might you paraphrase that? It's a wedding, not a funeral. Now's the wedding, funeral's later.)

5.	(Ask if needed) Why does no one patch new cloth on an old garment? –or put new wine in old wineskins?

a.	The new is taken away and makes old worse, or skins burst, wine runs out and the skins are ruined. (You all probably know about the stretching wine-skins).

6.	Based on these last two results, how good of an idea is it to combine the new and old? (Call out a response)

a.	Bad idea.

7.	What is the appropriate thing to do w/ new wine? And the result?

a.	Put it in a new wine skin, both the skin and the wine will be preserved.

8.	So how do I get a new wineskin? How do I get rid of the old one? Good questions, but to answer them, we need to finish looking at the passage.

9.	Study this 3rd column, Jesus' reasons why new and old don't go together. Where is Jesus in each of these illustrations?

a.	He is the bridegroom taken away, the unshrunk patch being pulled away, causing the tear, and the new wine bursting the skins and being poured out.

10.	Jesus actually says that there will be a time when the bridegroom will be taken and the guests fast. I want you to look carefully at the facts we've uncovered and tell me when that time was. (In groups)

a.	Cross (take into account the whole chart–bridegroom was put w/ mourning, new wine was spilled)

11.	So at the cross what pulled away, what was torn, what was burst and ruined, and what was poured out? (Read it in Matt 27:50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. 52 The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.)

a.	Jesus was pulled away,

b.	The veil was torn

c.	The graves burst (Jesus' body also)

d.	His blood poured out

12.	What's the significance of this? What really was combined that doesn't go together at the cross?

a.	Jesus and death, divinity and sinful humanity, Life and death, Jesus and Law.

13.	What was Jesus willing to experience, and what was the result?

a.	Jesus was willing to be crushed by coming taking on my sin

b.	What did my sin do? It killed him, but death could not hold him. And He broke open death by dying. (When His blood hit the ground it burst open the ground and new Lives sprung out!–)

14.	So how does one get a new wineskin?

a.	I must let Jesus be poured into my old life, and die the death I deserve in my place. Are you willing to let Jesus do that for you this morning? Are you willing to let Him come and touch your old, hardened, rigor mortised self–the parts of you that you are embarrassed of, the parts of you that are still leaking, bleeding, not working.

15.	What do you think, how good of an idea is it to put together new and old?

a.	Good idea, horrible, but good.

16.	How glad are you that the blood of Jesus won't stay in the old wineskins of your life? How glad are you that He cannot be 'patched' onto your filthy garments. He's got a whole new garment for you. I don't know about you, but I'm not very interested in propping up my old ways of lying and control with a veneer of Christianity. I don't want to make myself better. I want Jesus to put my life to death and give me a new one. (Jesus would make a good insurance adjuster. If you get a tap on the bumper these days they total the car. Jesus says, my life is damaged goods, and it's not repairable. Let me give you a new one. You'll only make the old worse by patching it.)

Applic:

1.	What do you have to say to Jesus in light of what he has done for you at the cross, this morning? How do you feel about the suffering He went through for you, and the benefits He's secured for you this morning. For now I'll ask you to hold onto your testimony about what he's doing in your life. He is doing many good things in our lives today, preserving our health and taking care of our temporal needs, but today I want you to testify about what He has done for you 2000 years ago. Who here is willing to share a prayer of faith, telling God what you think of Jesus' work on your behalf.

2.	What is the basic personal spiritual significance for us today of this no combining new and old principle? (In groups–keep it short this is preliminary 'cause we've not identified everything.)

a.	Get practical, what does this look like in a Christian's life?

b.	Have you ever met someone trying with Christianity to patch up a life that is entirely of their own making? Based on this passage, what will happen to such a person? They will end up with even bigger holes than the ones they sought to patch. And thirstier after refilling than when they began.

c.	My old life can't contain Jesus. It's too inflexible and rigid and he's too alive and changing. It doesn't do any good to patch Jesus on my old garment. It won't make the garment any warmer or more modest. It will actually make the holes worse and I'll be embarrassed.

d.	Illustrate: Christianity cannot be used to 'patch up' a sinful human life. Some of us find it hard to go 'out with the old, in with the new.' What happens. Story of a man/woman who wanted a little of the new to repair the old and make the old good enough.

e.	We want to go to the wedding feast, but we don't want to put on an entirely new set of clothes. "What's the matter, aren't my clothes good enough?" I got brand new iron-on patches on the knees of my old toughskins. (Some of you know what I'm talking about). Why do I need a new 3-piece suit?

f.	(I need to let Jesus burst my old skins. I need to be broken. This is what happened to the disciples. Their old way of looking at Jesus was put in the grave so that they could receive Jesus back new. Jesus body had to be burst and his blood run out into dead earth in order to burst it open and resurrection take place. The temple curtain had to be torn to reveal a new and living way into the presence of God.) Hos 2:9 "Therefore I will take away my grain when it ripens, and my new wine when it is ready. I will take back my wool and my linen, intended to cover her nakedness."