Old and New

Old and New

Matthew 9:16-17 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. 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.”

As we leave this old year behind and enter a new one let us consider what Jesus said about the old and the new. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day were hung up on old rituals and traditions, and Jesus told them they couldn’t bring that into the Kingdom of God. Jesus delivered a New Covenant, a Covenant of salvation by grace through faith rather than a Covenant of Law. It wasn’t what the Pharisees did or didn’t do that would save them; salvation comes by faith.

To illustrate that Jesus gave them the examples of patched cloth and wineskins. He said if you patch a hole in old cloth with a piece of new cloth the new cloth will shrink and make another hole. If you put new wine in an old wineskin the new wine will expand and break the old wineskin; then both the wine and the wineskin will be ruined. In other words, you can’t bring the old into the new. Jesus revealed a truth, but the Pharisees denied that truth. They denied the truth that salvation comes by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

As we enter the new year, let’s be sure we’ve left the old behind and embraced the new. Make sure you’re not like the Pharisees who tried to work their way into Heaven. Put your faith in Jesus and God will save you by His grace. Then the Holy Spirit will come into your life and change you from the inside out. Old things will pass away and all things will be made new.

Happy New Year and Have a God Filled Week,

Brother Donnie