New Wine, New Wineskins: Jesus Calls Sinners to Joy

Devotional

Day 1: The joy of the Lord is our strength.

The call to experience God's joy is not a secondary part of faith but a central source of our strength. This joy is not dependent on our circumstances but flows from a deep and abiding relationship with our Creator. It is a gift that warms our hearts and spirits, enabling us to face life's challenges with resilience and hope. In a world often marked by coldness and grief, the joy found in God's presence is a powerful testimony to His goodness and love. [51:59]

And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Nehemiah 8:10b (ESV)

Reflection: When you consider the past week, what has been the primary source of your strength—has it been your own resolve, or the joy that comes from the Lord? In what one practical way can you intentionally choose to draw from His joy today?

Day 2: Christ the bridegroom brings a time for celebration.

Jesus presents himself as the bridegroom, a powerful image of intimate love and joyful celebration. His presence with his people is not a time for mourning or rigid austerity but for feasting and delight. This reflects the profound truth that a relationship with God is meant to be characterized by deep joy and intimate connection, much like the most joyous wedding celebration. We are invited to live in the reality of his loving presence. [59:22]

And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.”
Mark 2:19 (ESV)

Reflection: How does understanding Jesus as a joyful bridegroom, rather than a distant judge, change your perception of daily life with Him? Where might God be inviting you to exchange a spirit of solemn duty for one of grateful celebration this week?

Day 3: The new wine of Christ requires a new wineskin.

Jesus teaches that the new life He offers cannot be contained within old structures of thought and tradition. His grace, mercy, and transformative power are like new wine, which requires the flexible and receptive heart of a new wineskin to hold it. This is an invitation to continual renewal, asking us to be open to how God wants to work in fresh ways rather than being limited by how we have always done things. [01:07:58]

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.
Luke 5:37-38 (ESV)

Reflection: Is there an area of your spiritual life where you might be trying to contain God’s new work within an old, inflexible mindset? What would it look like to become a ‘new wineskin’ in that area, open and receptive to what He wants to do?

Day 4: The central things unite us; differences bless us.

The body of Christ is beautifully diverse, with a spectrum of beliefs and practices on matters that are not core to the faith. This diversity is not a weakness but a strength, as we are all different members of one body with different gifts and understandings. Our unity is found in the central truths of the gospel: the triune God, the saving work of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. [53:41]

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:12 (ESV)

Reflection: Can you think of a brother or sister in Christ whose expression of faith differs from yours in a secondary matter? How might you choose to see their difference not as a threat, but as a blessing that enriches the whole body?

Day 5: An open heart receives the new thing God is doing.

The parable of the wineskins concludes with a challenging observation: those accustomed to the old often prefer it and are unwilling to try the new. This is a call to humility and openness, to continually examine our hearts for any resistance to the new work God wants to perform. It is an invitation to receive all that Jesus, the bridegroom, desires to give us—His name, His power, and His intimate love. [01:12:32]

And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”
Luke 5:39 (ESV)

Reflection: What is one “old” comfort or familiar way of thinking that might be preventing you from fully receiving the “new” thing Jesus wants to do in your life? What is one step you can take to open your heart to Him in this area?

Sermon Summary

After returning from exile, the community rediscovers scriptures that insist: "the joy of the Lord is our strength." Worship opens with thanksgiving, prayer, and pastoral care—announcements of funerals, Ash Wednesday plans, and community logistics reveal a congregation seeking faithful rhythm in seasons of celebration and seasoned abstinence. The narrative then turns to the Gospel encounter at Levi’s banquet, where Jesus upends expectations by dining with tax collectors and outcasts. The Pharisees object, contrasting John the Baptist’s austere fasting with Jesus’ gracious feasting; Jesus answers with image and parable.

Jesus invokes the bridegroom metaphor to explain timing: while the bridegroom is present, celebration is fitting; fasting will come when he is taken away. That intimacy language frames the relationship between Christ and the community—a present, gracious fellowship that costs nothing to purchase and everything to receive. The parables of the torn garment and the wineskins underscore incompatibility between old structures and the new life Jesus brings. New wine, still fermenting and expansive, requires supple skins; attempts to force it into brittle, old containers will burst both wine and vessel. Those who favor the familiar old wine may dismiss Jesus, but the new offer is wide enough for tax collectors and Pharisees alike—if hearts are willing.

Practical implications are pastoral and ecclesial: joy and celebration belong with Christ’s nearness; fasting and penitence have their place when longing deepens. Denominational variety is acknowledged without diminishing the triune essentials: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; Jesus’ atoning death and resurrection; the outpouring of the Spirit. The closing charge is an invitation to receive the bridegroom’s gifts—name, power, and intimacy—and to allow the kingdom’s newness to re-form personal and communal life. The congregation is encouraged to open minds and hearts, to welcome the transforming gospel, and to participate in the church’s ministries with faith, hope, and sacramental expectancy.

Key Takeaways

1. Joy is the believer's strength True spiritual strength is not stoic endurance but joy rooted in God’s presence. When Christ is near, celebration is itself an act of worship that sustains perseverance and mission. Joy resists legalistic piety because it trusts the Father’s provision and delights in grace. [26:01]
2. The bridegroom signals present celebration Christ’s presence reframes appropriate spiritual posture: celebration rather than continual austerity. The bridegroom image locates intimacy at the heart of discipleship—relationship, not ritual, defines the time. Fasting will have rightful place when longing intensifies in his absence, but not when feast marks his coming. [56:05]
3. New wine demands new wineskins The gospel brings qualitative change that cannot be shoehorned into old systems. New life in Christ expands expectations, practices, and communities; rigid forms risk rupture when pressed to contain what is alive and growing. Fruitful adaptation requires humility to receive new structures rather than cling to comfortable, familiar containers. [64:10]
4. Open hearts receive transforming grace Resistance to change often masks attachment to identity and security found in the old. Transformation begins with willingness—an unguarded heart ready to accept the bridegroom’s gifts of name, authority, and intimacy. Such openness invites both personal renewal and communal reformation toward gospel-shaped living. [72:49]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[25:41] - Scripture: Nehemiah and Joy
[30:22] - Opening Prayer
[31:01] - The Lord’s Prayer
[31:44] - Memorial Announcement
[32:46] - Ash Wednesday & Community Notices
[46:42] - Preaching: Series Introduction
[47:14] - Levi Called to Follow
[49:44] - Pharisees Challenge: Fasting vs Feasting
[56:05] - Bridegroom Metaphor Explained
[64:10] - Parables: Garment and Wineskins
[72:49] - Invitation to Receive Christ
[85:14] - Benediction
[88:16] - Closing Announcements and Contact Info

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading: Luke 5:33-39 (ESV)
And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”

Observation questions

What two groups of people did the Pharisees contrast with Jesus' disciples in their question?
What two metaphors did Jesus use to explain why his disciples were not fasting?
According to Jesus' parable, what are the two negative outcomes of putting new wine into old wineskins?
What reason does Jesus give for why someone who has had old wine does not want the new?

Interpretation questions

Why do you think the Pharisees used the example of John the Baptist's disciples, whom they also disliked, to challenge Jesus? [55:37]
The relationship between a bridegroom and his bride is described as the most intimate we can experience. [59:46] What does it mean for our relationship with Christ that he uses this specific metaphor to describe his presence with us?
The old wineskins represent rigid religious structures. What might the "new wine" of the gospel be trying to expand or change within a person or a community that an "old wineskin" mentality would resist? [01:08:57]
Jesus says that those who are accustomed to the old wine say, "The old is good." What are the potential comforts or securities found in familiar religious routines that can make someone resistant to the new life Jesus offers? [01:11:02]

Application questions

True spiritual strength is found in joy rooted in God’s presence, not stoic endurance. [26:01] What does a life of "joy in the Lord" look like for you on an average Tuesday, and how is it different from just trying to be a good person?
Christ’s presence as the bridegroom reframes our spiritual posture toward celebration. [56:05] In what areas of your life might God be inviting you to shift from a mindset of austerity or obligation to one of celebration and gratitude for his nearness?
The gospel brings a qualitative change that cannot be shoehorned into old systems. [01:04:10] Is there a long-held belief, a personal tradition, or a way of doing things that the Spirit might be prompting you to re-examine because it can no longer contain the new work he wants to do?
Resistance to change can mask an attachment to identity and security found in the old way. [01:12:49] What is one thing you feel you would have to risk or give up to more fully receive the new identity, authority, and intimacy that Christ offers?
Fasting has its place when we are longing for Christ's presence in his absence. [01:02:50] How could intentionally creating space through a fast (from food, media, an activity) help you focus your desires more acutely on Jesus this week?
The new wine was for people like Levi, the outcast. [01:09:17] Who are the "tax collectors and sinners" in your community that you, or your church, might be tempted to avoid, and how does Jesus' example at the banquet challenge that tendency?

Sermon Clips

But he says to them, no one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Can you imagine going out to the the mall or or some other store, looking through the clothes, finding a maybe a new shirt that you appreciate, buying it, taking it home, and then getting out one of your old shirts and then cutting out a piece out of your new shirt in order to sew that onto your old shirt. That would be silly. [01:04:03] (36 seconds) #DontPatchNewToOld

They were so stuck on the old wine, on that old taste, that old flavor, that old way of doing things, that old way of being, that old way of understanding God and who they are and what they were called to be and to do that they couldn't open their hearts, their minds for Jesus. [01:12:02] (23 seconds) #StuckOnOldWine

The important thing is that all Christians hold the central things, that God is father, son, and holy spirit, the triune God, that Jesus is the son of god who came into our world, the word made flesh, that he revealed his heavenly father to us, that he died on the cross for our sins, that he rose from the dead, that the holy spirit has been poured out upon believers. And we could go on and on focusing on the things that all Christians share in common. [00:53:02] (31 seconds) #EssentialsOfChristianFaith

Can you? Can you open your heart and mind to Jesus? Can you receive this bridegroom who's offering his body to you? Who's offering his name to you? Who's offering his title, his power, his wealth, his glory to you? Can you receive him? [01:12:25] (30 seconds) #ReceiveTheBridegroom

And Jesus often refers to himself several times in scripture as the bridegroom, as the groom, and the church as his bride. And Jesus gives the bride, he gives us his body, he gives us his authority. He gives us his power, his wealth. He gives us his name. That is who Jesus is. That is how much he loves us, how much he gives to us, how much he desires to be in an intimate relationship with us, his bride, both as as the body of the church and as individual members of his church. [01:00:07] (55 seconds) #JesusGivesAll

But it's about rebuking our our desire to simply be pleasured by this world, by food, by drink, by chocolate, whatever the case may be, and to know that these things are not our ultimate joy. They are not our ultimate pleasure, but he is. And so we abstain from things for a while in order to focus on him, in order to rely upon him, in order to to say, Lord, you are my source of life and joy. You are my greatest hope and desire, not the the pleasurable things of this world, which cannot truly satisfy. [01:03:01] (40 seconds) #JoyBeyondPleasure

Jesus is in a sense saying that he is the new wine. He is bringing something that his Jewish, fellow citizens have never experienced before, which we can understand. Jesus being the son of God, Jesus being, you know, the word made flesh, Jesus coming as the one who would die for the sins of the world. [01:08:01] (31 seconds) #JesusIsTheNewWine

And how sad that is because as we read this morning from the book of Nehemiah, the joy of the Lord is our strength. We are called to experience life in all its fullness, and that includes not only the love of God, but the joy and the peace and the presence and all that goes with that, all that he provides to us. [00:51:49] (26 seconds) #JoyIsOurStrength

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

What does new wine represent in Jesus' teaching?

When is fasting appropriate according to Jesus?

Why does Jesus compare himself to a bridegroom?

New Wine, New Wineskins: Jesus Calls Sinners to Joy

Devotional

Day 1: The joy of the Lord is our strength.

Day 2: Christ the bridegroom brings a time for celebration.

Day 3: The new wine of Christ requires a new wineskin.

Day 4: The central things unite us; differences bless us.

Day 5: An open heart receives the new thing God is doing.

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

New Wine, New Wineskins: Jesus Calls Sinners to Joy

Share