Whoaaa! This Is Some Heavy Shift! Sermon

“God is a wheel in the middle of a wheel” sets the tone: God’s character never changes, but His methods do. From Mark 2:1–22, the narrative moves with urgency. Jesus forgives a paralytic’s sins—then heals him—to show that the Son of Man has authority on earth. He calls Levi from the tax booth without a two-week notice and sits at table with sinners, signaling that grace moves toward the sick, not the self-satisfied. When questioned about fasting, Jesus names the moment: new wine must have new wineskins. The point is clear: to be relevant, people and churches must change.

The call is not to abandon truth, but to refuse the rigidity that mistakes tradition for God. The old wineskins in the text mirror old structures today—religious control, cultural idolatry, and racial supremacy. The “old wine” of racism, nostalgia for Confederate symbols, and the idolatry of political strongmen cannot hold the gospel’s liberating power. Nor can a cynical, social-media faith that tears down the very church God has used to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, educate the masses, visit prisoners, and lift the poor. The church remains central to God’s plan, both now and in the age to come.

The word presses home especially to a people cut from a “delicate cloth.” Stop sewing new patches onto old mentalities—self-hate, internal rivalry, and distrust of the very body that carried generations through slavery, Jim Crow, and beyond. New wine requires new capacity: repentance, humility, flexibility, and a servant’s posture. Get a “tall glass” of this new wine and join the work—because individuals, celebrities, and influencers cannot match what a Spirit-filled church can do together.

As the calendar turns, leave the baggage of 2025—bitterness, fear, debt, and shallow predictions—at the door. No one knows what God will do; faith comes by hearing the word in community, not from self-appointed prognosticators. Become a new vessel that can hold what God is pouring next. Walk into 2026 with clear eyes, clean hands, and a ready yes: serve the hurting, defend the truth, honor the church, and trust the Lord who still does a new thing.

Key Takeaways

• 1. God’s plans are always moving God does not change in character, but He often changes how He works. Those who cling to how God moved yesterday can miss Him moving today. Wisdom is learning to discern His motion rather than protecting our nostalgia. Availability beats predictability when the King is on the move. [01:29]
• 2. New wine demands new wineskins Jesus’ images of patches and wineskins expose the futility of forcing new grace into rigid forms. The gospel tears when we try to sew it onto old mindsets, preferences, or power structures. Relevance is not trendiness; it is repentance, flexibility, and formation that can carry kingdom weight. Become a vessel that can stretch with God’s future. [06:13]
• 3. Reject the old wine of racism The gospel dismantles the garments of supremacy, idolatry, and dehumanization. Symbols and systems that demean image-bearers cannot coexist with the kingdom Jesus inaugurates. When political loyalty overrules truth and love, the witness collapses. New wine chooses liberation, integrity, and neighbor-love over nostalgia and fear. [19:24]
• 4. Defend the church’s indispensable witness For generations, the church has fed, housed, educated, visited, and lifted those the world forgets. To despise or dismiss the church is to cut off the very artery of grace that carried our people. Mature disciples strengthen Christ’s body instead of sniping from the sidelines. Join the mission—there’s work no solo hero can do. [25:18]
• 5. Leave 2025 baggage; walk by faith Step into 2026 without the weight of bitterness, cynicism, or shallow predictions. Faith does not come from timelines and hot takes; it comes by hearing the word in a living community. Become a new vessel through obedience, worship, and service. God is pouring—make room. [34:35]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:24] - Post-Christmas joy and setup
• [00:38] - God: a wheel within a wheel
• [02:14] - Leaving 2025 baggage behind
• [03:19] - Forgiveness and authority in Capernaum
• [05:16] - Calling Levi; table with sinners
• [06:13] - New wine and new wineskins
• [08:25] - Do the Right Thing and change
• [14:21] - The church still central to God’s plan
• [15:25] - To be relevant, you must change
• [19:24] - Old wine of racism and idolatry
• [23:31] - Self-love and loyalty to the church
• [25:18] - The church’s enduring power to serve
• [36:54] - Word, preaching, and resilient faith
• [39:52] - Prayer, invitation, and benediction

1. In Mark 2:1–12, what did Jesus do first for the paralytic, and why did He then heal him? What exact purpose did Jesus give for the visible miracle?
2. What obstacles did the four friends face, and what bold step did they take to get their friend to Jesus (vv. 3–4)?
3. When Jesus called Levi at the tax booth, what did Levi do immediately, and who ended up at the table with Jesus (vv. 14–16)?
4. “God is a wheel in the middle of a wheel” was used to capture God’s constant movement. What did that phrase mean in this message’s setting ([01:29])?

1. In forgiving before healing (vv. 5–12), what does Jesus reveal about His identity and about the paralytic’s deepest need—not just his legs, but his life?
2. Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners (vv. 15–17). How does this redefine what holiness looks like in practice, especially toward people others avoid ([05:16])?
3. “New wine must be put into fresh wineskins” (vv. 21–22). In today’s church life, where might “old wineskins” show up—rigid traditions, control, cultural idols—and why can’t they carry the weight of the gospel’s “new wine” ([06:13])?
4. “God does not change, but He changes what He does and how He does it.” How should a believer discern between unchanging truth and methods that must shift to match God’s present work ([12:38])?

1. Where are you trying to pour “new wine” into an “old bottle” in your own life—an old mindset, a hardened habit, a protective preference? What is one practical act of repentance or flexibility you will take this week to make room for God’s new pour ([34:35])?
2. Who is your “Levi” right now—someone unlikely, overlooked, or socially written off—whom you can invite to follow Jesus or at least share a table with? What concrete step will you take to move toward them this week ([04:29])?
3. Leave the baggage of 2025 at the door. Name the one piece of baggage you’re most tempted to carry—bitterness, fear, debt, cynicism—and write down the exact “drop it” step you’ll take before the new week begins ([34:35]).
4. The church’s mission requires a servant’s posture. Where will you lend your hands in 2026—feeding, clothing, visiting, educating, mentoring? Choose one ministry or one neighbor and name the date you’ll start ([25:18]).
5. Reject the “old wine” of racism and political idolatry. Where do partiality, nostalgia for harmful symbols, or loyalty to power over truth try to live in your heart or home? What repentance looks like for you this month—an apology, a conversation, a book to learn, a relationship to pursue, a symbol to remove ([19:24])?
6. Faith comes by hearing the Word in community. What is one change you will make to hear more Scripture and less noise—Sunday gathering, small group rhythm, Scripture plan, social-media limits? Spell out your plan and invite accountability ([36:54]).