01 New Wine in New Wineskins the Difference Between the Old and the New — Zac Poonen

Praise the Lord brothers and sisters. It's wonderful that the Lord has Given us the opportunity to come together so freely in this land. We don't take it for granted. There's been more persecution of Christians In India in the last two three years Than I've seen in my whole life so That's the fulfillment of the words of Jesus as we approach the end of time.

It's not going to be popular to be a true Christian. It's not going to be popular to proclaim the standards of Jesus Christ. It's not going to be popular to proclaim the standards of the Bible and the new covenant.

Deception, Persecution, and the Need for the Holy Spirit

And It's not just Persecution from the world and non-christians. There is another greater danger that we face and That is deception from within Christianity. The devil is pictured in the Bible as a lion who fiercely seeks to attack God's people and that is persecution.

He's also pictured as a serpent a snake and a dragon who snake is a picture of deception the wily clever snake. And In the Garden of Eden when the devil had the option of either coming as a lion and And roaring at Adam and Eve and compelling them to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil or Coming as a snake and very subtly Inviting them without threatening them to partake of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

He came as a snake he's a very clever person and Up until that time He was the cleverest of all created beings. He was obviously cleverer than Adam and Eve because he fooled them and I find that the devil is we need to recognize that the devil is cleverer than all human beings and the only way we can overcome his deception and Not be afraid of his persecution is If we really seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Not with the counterfeits that are going around in Christendom today but with that genuine fullness of the Holy Spirit of baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire a continuous burning of that fire a continuous fullness of the Holy Spirit a continuous overflow of Rivers of living water whichever picture you use a continuously having our vessels full of oil so that the lamps can burn every day.

That's the and if we choose the way of the cross the way of death to self Which the Holy Spirit led Jesus along and will lead us along. Then we will not be deceived and we will not be afraid of persecution either.

We believe God will give us wisdom to overcome Satan's wiles and grace and power to overcome persecution. So we don't live in fear. But we have to be careful we have to be wise in these days and The devil is not interested in Attacking all Christians.

If you turn to the book of Revelation and chapter 12, I want you to see how it will be in the last days. It's very important to see this. The book of Revelation is going to be very living and interesting as we approach the end of time.

Revelation chapter 12 and verse 17 says the dragon that is the devil and We are told in In verse 9 that he is the deceiver of the whole world. So it's his deception that is mentioned dragon serpent deceiver its deception that is mentioned here and We read that he also persecutes in verse 17 the dragon was enraged with a woman and Went off to make war with the rest of her children.

The woman is a picture of the nation of Israel through which Christ was born and Through that came the church. That's the rest of the children Who keep the commandments of God who is the devil angry with?

Not every Christian only those children Who obey? God's commandments. Now if you're one of those Who don't obey God's commandments or who feel that some commandments are not so important. They don't have to be obeyed because you are cleverer than God.

God gave the command but you decide you don't have to obey it. Well, the devil is not going to be Angry at you because you're on his side. You're one of those who's helping him. To teach that some commandments are not important.

I mean we are cleverer than God. We can decide that some things in the written in the New Testament are not for us today. I mean, there's so much of that in Christendom today some things written in the New Testament are not for us today.

Who do you think proposed taught that the devil? So he's only angry with those who are determined to keep all the commandments of God. You remember Daniel in Babylon. Old Testament. Babylon is a great example because in Babylonian Christian Christianity today If you want to stand up against it You got to be like Daniel and the one thing written about Daniel is Daniel 1 verse 8.

He refused. He determined in his mind not to pollute himself. And if you look at the commands he was emphasizing. It was not that the other Jews were committing adultery and he said no or the other Jews were committing worshiping idols.

And he said no. It was small commandments. Small little commandments about certain types of food mentioned in Leviticus 11 that you should not eat and In Proverbs 23, it says a certain type of wine should not be drunk.

Very small commandments and Daniel said I don't care if it's a small commandment. I'm gonna obey God all the others said no. No. No, that's not so important. They had they could accomplish nothing for God in Babylon.

And I'll tell you this those who are not particular to read the New Testament. To know what God has commanded will not be able to stand against Babylon and if they build a church, it'll be another Babylon.

So the devil is angry with those who keep the commandments of God. Jesus said there's only one proof That you love him. Everybody sings Lord. We love you. We love you. We love you, but Jesus said in John 14 verse 15 if you love me keep my commandments and I'll tell you something.

Whenever you try to keep the commandments, you've got a bunch of Babylonian Christians who will say ah, you're being legalistic. You're you're living under the law and so many Christians get scared and back off.

Okay. Okay. That's a small commandment. We won't do it because we don't want to be legalistic. I'm not scared. I'm not scared of the devil coming through these false Christians telling me that I'm legalistic because I'm obeying the commandments in the New Testament.

Whether it's a small commandment or a big commandment. I am NOT big enough to question God or his word. Give me a few people like that and we'll shake this country for God. I Hope you'll be one of them brother or sister who are more interested in pleasing God than in trying to get a name for yourself or Backing off because when you love Jesus and you want to keep your commandment somebody calls you legalistic and you get scared and You love that person's honor more than the honor of Jesus Christ shame on you if you're like that.

I Don't believe that you belong in this midst in this congregation. If you've got that type of spirit, we're not building such people. We're building a group of people who will keep the commandments of God and are not scared of the charge of legalism.

Or of coming under the law. I know what it means to come under the law in simple words. It means to try to keep God's commandments in my own strength. That is living under the law in simple words. In other words one who does not seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit to obey God.

I'm not under law. I Was in the old days when I was defeated by sin and the clearest proof That you're under law is Romans 6 14 sin shall not rule over you because you are not under the law, but under grace.

If you are overcoming sin, you are not under law those fellows who accuse us of keeping the commandments. They are defeated by sin. They are under law. They say all these things doesn't matter we got to love everybody well love everybody there's sin in your life.

Then you are under law. The proof that a man is not under law, but under grace is That sin cannot rule over him. That's how I know for myself. If sin rules over me I am under law no matter which church I go to no matter which doctrine I believe.

Even if you sit here in CFC you're under grace when sin is under your foot. So remember that he's angry with those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus to hold to the testimony of Jesus Christ.

That means they stand true to the witness that Jesus Gave on this earth. There's a testimony of Jesus and that refers to his earthly life. The way he lived and he spoke. What is your testimony? When you say the testimony of Zach Poonen or the testimony over there is not just the words I speak it's my life.

It's what people see of my life my wife my children my neighbors the people I deal with in the church and my words. That is my testimony. So what is the testimony of Jesus? It's the way he lived and spoke and did things on earth and There are very few who hold to that and say that is to be the testimony of the church today the testimony of the church must be the testimony of Jesus and we read in Revelation in chapter 19 that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Revelation 19 verse 10. Prophecy is the greatest gift in the church. We are told to seek for the gift of prophecy if we want to build a new covenant Church and Prophecy is not predicting the future like in the Old Testament.

There's a very small part of that in the New Testament. Also, maybe 1 where people like Agabus fulfill it but 99 of Prophecy is the testimony of Jesus in Revelation 19 verse 10. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

The important thing is not the words the spirit when I listen to a man prophesying which means speaking God's Word from a pulpit. I Listen to his spirit and I would encourage all of you to listen to the spirit of people who preach.

Don't just listen to the words and say the doctrine agrees with our doctrine in our church. The devil comes as an angel of light and his ministers are ministers of righteousness and You will be fooled if you go just by the words.

Listen to the spirit. The spirit of that man must be the testimony of Jesus Christ. He must not be exalting himself. He must be drawing you to Christ. He must be connecting you to Christ not to himself.

He must be talking about Jesus and following Jesus taking up the cross and following him. That is the testimony of Jesus and that is the spirit of prophecy that builds the true Church of Christ. So, please remember that that the devil is angry with those who keep the commandments of God and Hold to the testimony of Jesus and who are not scared of Standing up for that as I said when Opposed not by non-christians, but by believers who do not have light on the new covenant.

New Wine and New Wineskins

Now, let's turn to Mark's gospel in chapter 2. In Mark's gospel chapter 2 we read this expression which we have as our theme for this conference. New wine in new wineskins. Mark's gospel chapter 2. We read how?

Verse 18. John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. John 2 verse 18 and they said To him to Jesus. Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast? But your disciples do not fast.

People under the old covenant and under the law that primary emphasis is on why don't you do this? Small little things I mean fasting is commanded in the Old Testament. Jesus spoke about it in the New Testament, but when that becomes the major thing in your life Something is wrong.

That means you're not Questioning. Why don't you live a godly life? Why don't you love Jesus with all your heart? Why don't you forgive others? Those are not the questions, you know, I've had this spirit of Checking up on the small things I've had people in different parts of the world when I they asked me about our church and say Do you break bread every day?

I Know they are from the Plymouth brethren. Some people say do you people speak all speak in tongues? I know they are Pentecostals. Do your sisters cover their heads. They are from the groups that believe that in America the Mennonites and all now we do all these things we break bread we our sisters veil their heads and We speak in tongues and but that's not the main thing for us.

I've never had anybody asked me Do you people love one another? You see how the devil has Taken away. It's not that we ignore these small commandments as I said earlier, but that's not the major thing.

I Want to know whether the held elders are Humble servants of the people. That's what I want to know. I don't want to know whether the elders are great preachers who can organize and administer a church.

No, are they humble people are their servants? Do they love money? Those are the things I'm interested in. So but these people are particular about the small thing and that is the mark of having the old wineskin of the law and Jesus said When the bridegroom is with them the attendants of the bridegroom cannot fast can they or the bride cannot fast on the bridegroom is there.

But if the bridegroom is taken away verse 20 Then they will fast. We're living in the days when the bridegroom Has gone away He's gonna return and that is why we fast there's no law on that. That's up to you what we do and We see God it's an expression of fasting is an expression of our longing for our absent bridegroom.

If it is not that Your fasting is a ritual that you do to get honor from others and you talk about it to other people. But if it is an expression of your longing for an absent bridegroom, it's a good thing you see how the spirit of the fasting is more important than the fasting itself and Then he says no one can sew a patch of an unshrunk cloth on an old garment.

You know in those days they didn't have terroline and all that they had cotton and you know that when you get a cotton Cloth and you want to stitch a dress with it. You must put it in water and Shrink it first.

Otherwise your dress won't fit you if you stitch it first and then wash it so an old cotton garment has shrunk from its original size and if you Then put a patch from a new bit of cloth onto that. The old garment has already shrunk this new patch when it is in the water.

It'll shrink and what will happen it'll tear The old garment that's what he's saying. So he's saying you can't take a little bit of new covenant truth and add it to your old covenant Legalistic life. It just won't work.

It'll tear the whole thing. It has got to be an entirely new garment. It has got to be an entirely new covenant from A to Z all the way. I'm sorry to say that there are some people who like certain things that we preach.

And say ah, that's a good thing. Let's have just victory over sin and they take that patch and put it on to The rest of their old covenant Church and old covenant life and it doesn't work that's what he's talking about and Then he uses this expression.

No one puts new wine into old wineskins. You see the picture there. That's what a wineskin looked like in the old days. It was made of leather. And you see the grapes are being crushed and the wine goes into the wineskin and When the wineskin is New it has not yet stretched though, you know when grape juice when it ferments it expands and the wineskin stretches.

And it can hold it but if you put this new wine into an old wineskin which is already stretched to its maximum limit and then when the Grape juice ferments and becomes wind up. It'll burst the power of that wine is so strong.

It'll burst that wineskin and So Jesus said new wine and the wine will burst the skins and the wine is lost and the skins are also destroyed. So it's not enough just to have new wine. But you must put it into fresh wineskins.

So he was telling these people who were particular about fasting and things like that. He says it's not being taken up with this letter of the law. You must understand the spirit. That's the new wineskin and then you see another example after that in verse 23 When the disciples were going through the grain fields again, the Pharisees were saying see they are doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath and Jesus Supported them and defended his disciples saying even David ate What was not strictly according to the law permitted to be eaten, etc.

You read that we don't have time to go into that. But the point is this we have in Christendom people who go by the letter of the law and judge others and There are others who keep those commandments, but don't judge others.

They keep it in the right spirit. It's not that we neglect the commandments, I don't believe there's a single single commandment in the New Testament that we must neglect once the day of Pentecost was come.

Everything written in the Epistles is for us, but we don't keep it in the spirit of the Old Covenant so this new wine and new wineskin the new wine speaks about this new life of Jesus that is Communicated to us through the Holy Spirit and that's why we read in Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 18.

Ephesians 5 and verse 18 it says Don't be drunk with wine. But be filled with the Holy Spirit. Wine there is uses a picture of the Holy Spirit and says that physical excitement that comes through wine in The New Testament the equivalent of that is being filled with the Holy Spirit.

So the new wine is the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The old wine was that life under the law Also given by God, but we read that the Old Covenant was abolished on the day of Pentecost and the new covenant was established through the blood of Jesus Christ and that Life in the spirit is described as a new wine.

The New Covenant and the Indwelling Spirit

It's the life of Jesus. The Holy Spirit could not dwell in any man. Right from the time of Adam in up to Jesus not even John the Baptist the Holy Spirit came upon people. I've often used the example of a glass if you keep the glass upside down and pour water on it the water will flow around the glass and A picture of blessing many people that's how all the Old Testament people blessed people.

The glass was upside down their heart was closed. But the Spirit came upon them and flowed and blessed millions John the Baptist Moses Elijah everybody but on the day of Pentecost that glass could be turned up and So that the Spirit could fall inside come inside man's heart.

Cleanse it fill it and then the water overflows and Flows to others and that's a different type of blessing see Samson could Accomplish God's will but his heart never got changed even David his heart wasn't changed.

John the Baptist sat in prison doubting whether Jesus was the Messiah. His heart could not be touched because Nobody's heart was clean. The Holy Spirit could not come into an unclean heart. The first human being that walked on the earth inside whom the Holy Spirit came and dwelt and Overflowed was Jesus Christ and on the day of Pentecost.

The New Covenant was established where Jesus said you can have the same experience. I praise God. I'm not a follower of Elijah. I'm not a follower of Moses or even John the Baptist whom I admire a lot.

Because none of them had the Holy Spirit within. I'm a follower of Jesus Christ. I hope you are Where the Spirit of God comes inside and gives us power inwardly to overcome The lust in our heart and overcome sin and that overflows Into a life of blessing and I'll tell you this.

I believe the words of Jesus in Matthew 7 verse 14 the way to life is narrow and very few find it. I Don't want to make you feel condemned or guilty. But from what I have seen even in our own churches very few Have found a way to life even in CFC churches.

Very few can testify to an overcoming life in their personal thoughts in their family life or in their church even among the elders. Very few have found the way to life. Why is it. Because they are not hungering and thirsting for it.

They're satisfied like Jesus said they drink the old wine and they say the old is enough. This the old is enough. Why? Seek for the new. I Remember years and years in my life when I was satisfied with the old wine.

Till a time came my life when I was fed up and I said Lord enough of that. I don't want to. I want the new wine. It's very important for us to understand this and the new wineskin is This new covenant Church, which is very different from the old covenant congregation that Moses had.

That was a huge we can say a mega church with a one-man leader and Any mega church with a one-man leader is an old covenant old wineskin. And there are believers sitting in those churches. There are new wine sitting in the old wineskins after a while.

The new wine will run out because you keep on hearing the message in those churches whatever life you got by listening to a godly man will disappear and then you'll be left with and an old wineskin and.

Maybe you do a lot of good a lot of social work and even mission work, but it will not accomplish What God wants to accomplish? Through a new covenant Church. So it's important for us to understand that.

Christ's First Miracle and the Meaning of New Wine

Let me turn now to John's Gospel chapter 2. In John's Gospel chapter 2 we read about the first miracle that Jesus did. Have you ever thought about it? Why did Almighty God? Father and the Holy Spirit lead Jesus To do the first miracle as Changing water into wine.

Why didn't he do what we would call a more spiritual miracle like raising Lazarus from the dead. Start off your ministry with a Spectacular thing like raising Lazarus from the dead. I think with my human wisdom.

That's what I would have suggested. I would never. With human wisdom dreamt of suggesting turning water into wine. Say Lord, that's a marriage feast. Why in the world they already had one round. Why do they need to have another.

Are you going to start your earthly ministry with? Giving extra wine to people who are already drunk some. You know what God says? My ways are not your ways. My thoughts are not your thoughts as the heavens are above the earth.

So are my ways and your ways my thoughts and your thoughts. One of the great things I learned from John chapter 2 is My human wisdom is not good enough to do God's work. I'll do it wrong. I'll go into raise Lazarus first instead of turning water into wine.

Water into wine. I said, oh, I'm not. I'm a man of God. I'm not gonna be involved in all that. That is how stupid we are. We think God is not interested in these earthly things. Is God interested in making sure that a wedding doesn't end in a fiasco with Embarrassment.

Jesus is interested in a small thing like that. Amazing. I'm so encouraged that he's interested in the down-to-earth ordinary practical things of daily life but more than that, I think the meaning behind that first miracle is connected to the new wine.

We read there in the marriage in Cana and marriage is a picture of Jesus and his bride. Look at the spiritual meaning of that Jesus and his bride the church and There we read first of all the old wine.

There was an old wine served there. How was the old wine produced? Through many Hours of labor and crushing. In the old days they used to get people to stamp on it. Hours of stamping on the grapes and that's how they produce the wine.

I Presume they wash their legs before they stamp the wine but that's how they produce the wine in those days called trampling the grapes in the Pit in the pit and that's how they produce the wine. A lot of labor and effort.

That's life under the law and what happens finally it runs out. You're frustrated. You're depressed. You're discouraged. I believe that all depression and Discouragement and bad moods are clear proof that a man or a woman is living under the law.

I Know it was like that in my life even after being Accepting Christ and being baptized. I was bad moods depressed discouraged. I did not know that I was under the law till I really experienced what it is to be filled with the Holy Spirit to Understand the new covenant to have faith in this new covenant life and to go all out not only for the new wine But also for the new wineskin and to take up the cross and follow Jesus then I Was delivered permanently permanently from depression Discouragement bad moods and a hundred and one other things like murmuring grumbling complaining which most Christians live with.

Imagining this is the normal Christian life. Oh how the devil has fooled you. To make you think that is the normal Christian life. That is not the testimony of Jesus. Where do we see Jesus in a bad mood grumbling complaining upset because somebody called him the prince of devils never.

Are you holding to the testimony of Jesus or the testimony of some earthly preacher whom you admire. You see oh that brother. He's a godly man, and he lost his temper. So what are you holding on to that man's testimony or the testimony of Jesus?

I? Remember a preacher once was depressed and who said to me well Elijah was also depressed. I said well if Elijah is the author and finisher of your faith. You've got every right to be depressed. But Elijah is not the author and finisher of my faith.

Jesus is the author and finisher of my faith. I hold to the testimony not of Elijah or Moses or David, but of Jesus. Many Christians Go to the Old Testament to find comfort for their sin when they commit adultery.

They go to David when they get depressed they go to Elijah. They go to this book not to get victory over sin. But to find comfort in their sin and God says go ahead. You will be deceived because you come to my holy word not to get freedom from sin.

But to find comfort for your sin. When they fight with other believers they go to this book and say Paul and Barnabas also fought. God says you will always fight in your life. Because you go to my book not to obey me but to find comfort in your disobedience to justify your lack of fellowship with other believers and You will always be like that till you humble yourself.

Repent of your sin and say Lord. This is not the way I should live. Maybe you've lived like that for 10 15 20 30 years. Humble yourself and say Lord. I've missed it for 30 years, but I'm gonna get it now.

New wine and new wineskins, that's what I want. So you see how the old wine was. Produced with a lot of effort and you have put in a lot of effort to try and live this Christian life. You heard the message in the church.

Oh, you must live this godly life, and you tried and tried and tried and tried and failed miserably. How was the new wine produced in a moment. By the command of Jesus. In a moment, that is how grace is.

But it doesn't mean that we have to do nothing. That's the other extreme. You know Christians have this disease called many Christians have the disease called Pendulum pendulomitis. Have you heard of pendulomitis?

We don't see much these days. The olden days used to have clocks which had a pendulum. It when goes to one extreme, you know, pretty soon. It's going to go to the other extreme and So Christians are like that.

They went they've lived their life in one extreme then they swing to the other extreme. That means they have lived their life struggling struggling struggling struggling struggling struggling and failed.

They say ah Let's come to the other extreme. We do nothing. Jesus has done it all he's in us and God sees Him doesn't see me doesn't matter how I live. I Don't have to try to be patient. Christ is my patience.

I don't have to seek to love. Christ is my love even though the Bible has commands like pursue after love. No, no, no, they don't look at those commands. Christ is my love and I tell you there's some very famous Bible teachers.

Very well-known Bible teachers and In Christendom, I won't mention their names who teach that. But what is the test has it produced patience and obedience and love in your life? If not, you're living in a delusion.

I'll tell you that I read a book called the normal Christian life and I'll tell you honestly, it did not lead me to the normal Christian life. Maybe it led you who didn't lead me. It did not lead me to the place where I could overcome sin.

I Have a great respect for watchman me, but I don't. I only say that book didn't lead me to the normal Christian life. Because it did not show me how Jesus was tempted like me. It didn't show me how I needed to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

It didn't show me how the new covenant was better than the old covenant. That's why he was a godly man a great respect for him in any areas what I say is Let's hold to the testimony of Jesus. Did who did Jesus produce that wine from nothing he could have.

Those empty water pots in Cana. He could have said be filled with wine. They'd have been filled with wine, but then he would have done it all himself. He wanted to teach from the beginning of his ministry that whether it's life or ministry.

It's a partnership. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me and In the villages in India. We know what a yoke is two Bullocks under one yoke. It's not one Bullock doing all the job. The yoke is on the other Bullock as well.

Maybe the one Bullock is senior experienced and perfect and the other Bullock is me weak inexperienced, but I he needs me. Wonder of wonders he needs me the head one Corinthians 12 cannot say to the foot.

I don't need you. I May be the foot the lowest member in the body, but the head Jesus does not say to the foot we read in 1 Corinthians 12. Never says I don't need you. He needs me and so in the Christian life.

Whether it's serving God or Living the Christian life. It's a partnership. It is not I do everything or he does everything that is pendulum itis. It is a partnership. One of the clear verses that describes that is Romans 8 13 if you Through the Holy Spirit Put to death the deeds of the body you will live.

That's the new covenant life. Through the Holy Spirit I Need that power, but I have to do it. The Holy Spirit will not do it. I Can't do it. That's life under the law. The Holy Spirit will not do it by himself.

Romans 8 13 is the balance you Through the Holy Spirit put to death the deeds of the body you will live that's the new covenant life and that's it's all I mean the glory goes to Jesus because However much water I pour into the water parts.

It'll never become wine in all the miracles of Jesus. He taught his disciples you do the easy part. I'll do the difficult part. You pour the water. I'll turn it into wine. You bring me five loaves and two fishes.

I multiply it into thousands of loaves and fishes. You cast the net on the other side I will fill it with fish. That's another picture in John 21 on life under the law struggling all night and catching nothing life under the law and then Jesus could have commanded all the fish to jump into the boat, but then it would have been his work.

He said no you got to do something to Peter. Cast your net on the other side they do that and the fish come into the net. It's always you see that. What about the raising of Lazarus from the dead you do what you can do?

What is that roll away the stone? I'll do the difficult part raise him up from the dead. Every single miracle teaches us one lesson. It is a cooperation. But we have to do the easy part. He wants us to do that.

So it's not he doing everything on me doing everything. And the wonderful thing we read in the miracle at Cana is this. That when this new wine was tasted. Everybody had to acknowledge boy. We have never tasted wine like this.

This is far better than life under the law and I'll tell you this if you really experience the new covenant. You will never want to go back to life under the law again. You will never want to go back to that life of grumbling and occasionally getting angry and depressed and lusting after women and all no.