Transformative Presence: Embracing Newness in Christ

Devotional

Day 1: Embracing Change: New Wine in New Wineskins

Jesus calls us to embrace transformation, not just patch old habits with new teachings, but to allow His presence to reshape our lives from the inside out. The discomfort of change is real, yet clinging to old forms can cause us to miss the joy and fullness of life He offers. Instead of simply adding Jesus to our routines, we are invited to surrender our structures and expectations, making space for the newness He brings. This means letting go of rigid patterns and being open to the Spirit’s leading, trusting that what He offers is more life-giving than anything we could construct on our own. [44:06]

Matthew 9:14-17 (ESV)
Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”

Reflection: What is one area of your spiritual life where you sense God inviting you to let go of old patterns or expectations so that He can do something new? How can you make space for that change this week?

Day 2: The Heart of Fasting: Seeking God, Not Just Ritual

Fasting and other spiritual practices are meant to draw us closer to God, not become empty routines or burdens. When we focus on the outward act without engaging our hearts, we risk missing the presence of Jesus right in our midst. True fasting is not about impressing others or earning favor, but about humbling ourselves, seeking God’s face, and allowing Him to transform us. It is a time to break from distractions, quiet our hearts, and listen for His voice, remembering that the goal is relationship, not religious performance. [37:13]

Isaiah 58:3-7 (ESV)
“‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?”

Reflection: When you practice spiritual disciplines like fasting or prayer, are you seeking God’s presence or just going through the motions? What is one way you can intentionally seek God’s heart in your practice today?

Day 3: The Joy of the Bridegroom’s Presence

There are seasons for fasting and lament, but Jesus reminds us that when He is present, it is a time for celebration and joy. We are invited to recognize the gift of His nearness, to rejoice in His love, and to feast in His presence rather than being weighed down by religious obligation. Even in times of waiting or longing, we have access to the Bridegroom through the Spirit, and are called to live in the joy and freedom that comes from knowing Him. [42:42]

John 15:9-11 (ESV)
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

Reflection: How can you intentionally celebrate the presence of Jesus in your life today? What is one way you can shift from duty to delight in your relationship with Him?

Day 4: Loving God and Neighbor: The Core of True Religion

All of God’s commands are summed up in loving Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Religious practices and traditions are valuable only when they lead us to deeper love for God and others. If we are not loving those around us—especially those whom Jesus loves and died for—we are missing the heart of the gospel. Our faith is not measured by how well we keep rules, but by how well we love. [49:43]

Matthew 22:37-40 (ESV)
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Reflection: Who is one person you can show Christ’s love to in a tangible way today? How might loving them well be an act of worship to God?

Day 5: Resting in Jesus: Letting Go of Striving

When we feel worn out by trying to do everything right, Jesus invites us to come to Him and find rest. Our worth is not found in our ability to keep up with religious expectations, but in being loved and known by the One who gave everything for us. He calls us to lay down our burdens, to stop striving for approval, and to simply be with Him—receiving His grace, love, and rest. In His presence, we find the freedom and peace our souls long for. [56:14]

Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Reflection: What burden or expectation do you need to lay down at Jesus’ feet today? How can you make space to simply rest in His love and presence?

Sermon Summary

Today, we gathered to reflect on the ways God is at work among us, both through the ministry of Youth for Christ and in our own spiritual journeys. We heard a moving testimony from Kelsey about the impact of simple, faithful presence in the lives of young people—how a ride home or a week at camp can open hearts to the reality that God cares deeply for each of us. The story of a student who began to believe in Jesus simply because someone showed up for her reminds us that transformation often happens in the ordinary, relational spaces of life.

We then turned to Matthew 9, where Jesus is questioned about why his disciples do not fast like others do. This moment is not just about religious practice, but about the radical newness Jesus brings. He uses the images of a wedding feast, a new patch on old cloth, and new wine in old wineskins to illustrate that his presence changes everything. The old ways—though not inherently wrong—cannot contain the fullness of what God is doing through Christ. There is a time for fasting and a time for feasting, but the heart of both is relationship with Jesus, not mere ritual.

We are challenged to examine our own spiritual habits. Are we clinging to routines and rules out of obligation, or are we seeking the living presence of Christ? Jesus invites us to unburden ourselves from the pressure to “get it right” and instead to rest in his love and grace. The call is not to abandon spiritual disciplines, but to let them be renewed by the Spirit, so they become means of genuine encounter rather than empty motions.

Ultimately, we are reminded that the Christian life is not about perfecting a system, but about being transformed by the love of Jesus. We are invited to feast at his table, to celebrate the freedom he gives, and to let go of anything that keeps us from truly knowing him. In a world full of noise and distraction, may we learn to be still, to listen, and to rejoice in the presence of the Bridegroom who is always with us.

Key Takeaways

1. Transformation Begins in Ordinary Faithfulness God often works through the simple, unnoticed acts of faithfulness—like giving a student a ride home or sharing a meal. These moments, though small, can be the soil where faith takes root and grows. We are called to be present and attentive, trusting that God uses our everyday interactions to reveal his love and draw others to himself. [10:58]
2. The Newness of Christ Cannot Be Contained by Old Forms Jesus’ teaching about new wine in old wineskins challenges us to recognize when our spiritual routines have become rigid or lifeless. The presence of Christ brings a newness that cannot be forced into old patterns or expectations. We must be willing to let go of what is comfortable in order to receive the fullness of what God is doing now. [43:51]
3. Spiritual Practices Are Meant for Relationship, Not Ritual Fasting, prayer, and other disciplines are valuable, but only when they lead us into deeper communion with God. When these practices become ends in themselves, they lose their power to transform. The invitation is to continually return to the heart of these practices: seeking God’s face, listening for his voice, and allowing him to shape us. [51:14]
4. Unlearning Is as Important as Learning Spiritual growth often requires us to unlearn habits, assumptions, and self-reliance that keep us from true dependence on Christ. Repentance is not just about turning from obvious sins, but about letting go of the need to control, to measure up, or to earn God’s favor. True conversion is a continual process of surrendering our ways for his. [52:38]
5. Resting in Christ’s Presence Frees Us from Striving Jesus invites the weary and burdened to come to him for rest, not more religious effort. When we are exhausted by trying to “get it right,” he calls us to simply be with him, to feast at his table, and to receive his love. In his presence, we find the freedom and joy that all our striving could never produce. [56:14]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[08:58] - Youth for Christ Ministry Spotlight
[10:46] - Stories of Impact: Faith in the Ordinary
[14:00] - Building Relationships Beyond Programs
[15:24] - YFC Camp: A Space for Transformation
[16:21] - Testimony: Camp and Spiritual Growth
[17:46] - Community and Ongoing Support
[19:02] - Making Camp Accessible: Scholarships and Giving
[22:12] - Kids Supporting Kids: Generosity in Action
[23:38] - Introduction to Matthew 9
[28:28] - The Call of Matthew: Resurrection and Change
[32:12] - Reading the Text: Fasting and Feasting
[33:45] - The Question of Fasting: Old Practices, New Realities
[40:23] - The Wedding Feast: Joy in the Presence of Christ
[43:13] - New Wine, New Wineskins: Embracing Change
[46:49] - Isaiah 58: The Heart of True Fasting
[49:00] - The Greatest Commandments: Love and Transformation
[52:38] - Unlearning and Surrender
[56:14] - Rest for the Weary: The Invitation of Jesus
[58:50] - Prayer and Reflection
[62:07] - Communion: Feasting at the Table of Grace

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 9:14-17 (CSB) — > Then John’s disciples came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests be sad while the groom is with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one patches an old garment with unshrunken cloth because the patch pulls away from the garment and makes the tear worse. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. No, they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Isaiah 58:3-6 (CSB) — > “Why have we fasted, but you have not seen? We have denied ourselves, but you haven’t noticed!” “Look, you do as you please on the day of your fast and oppress all your workers. You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today, hoping to make your voice heard on high. Will the fast I choose be like this: A day for a person to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord? Isn’t this the fast I choose: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke?”

Matthew 11:28-30 (CSB) — > “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from

Sermon Clips

We have this desire sometimes to keep ourselves set apart from society, to be different because God has called us to be holy and set apart. And yet Jesus has also sent us on mission and set an example to be with people who are different than us, who need the hope of Jesus. [00:30:05]

Who we spend time with influences who we are. We're always being formed and transformed into someone. The question is what? What are we allowing ourselves to be influenced by, transformed into? [00:29:48]

Jesus is going to flip things on its head and say, "Listen, I know this change is hard for you." But we can't just keep doing the same old thing and expecting something different to come of it. Things are going to change a little bit. [00:31:57]

Fasting again often comes with this time of waiting, anticipation, heartache, struggle, challenges throughout scriptures history. Scary moments like we see in the book of Esther where God's chosen people are in like their well-being is in question as there's this plot to have them all killed and there's a call for a three-day fast. [00:37:48]

There is this desperate need to keep seeking the religious duty that they've been set to to pour out their responsibility as good upstanding godly people who are set apart and holy. Now Jesus has just set this controversy that you don't have to become the people that you're eating with. [00:38:41]

You are not what you eat. We always say that jokingly, right? You are what you eat. And therefore, I eat way too much of this. I'm going to turn We say that to kids. You're gonna turn into a popsicle. You eat too many popsicles. [00:39:40]

Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests be sad while the groom is with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them and then they will fast." Jesus is referring to this messianic kind of promise, this wedding feast of God's people being reunited with him, this wedding banquet. [00:40:29]

If you remember from our Sabbath studies and our Sabbath practices, Sabbath is not a time of fasting. It's a time of rejoicing and feasting. It's a time of stopping and being still. And so, if you remember, there's this rhythm of life that God is continually helping his people understand. [00:42:19]

We have talked about fasting as a way of quieting our hearts and crying out for him. We have talked about a fasting as a way of breaking from some of our selfishness, some of our own desires and wants within our own life. [00:50:47]

Sometimes we rely so much on that structure, that understanding, those new habits that we still haven't taken the time to unlearn everything, and just step humbly before the source and say, "What do you want from me?" [00:53:12]

It is going to be about a relationship with the savior who dies to bring life, who becomes that stream of living water and restores all things. Things are shifting. And if you keep trying to cram my teachings back into I didn't come to abolish the law. [00:45:11]

But when we find a way to deal with the change, to deal with the new, to kind of wrestle through what this means for my life and how I'm going to live in it, when we really let him take hold and ownership of that life, it will be better and more important regular and daily part of our lives than any car, cell phone, or internet service has ever been because it is truly lifegiving. [00:55:27]

Jesus called us to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. This recognition that you are right here in the presence of the one who sacrificed everything. The one who breaks the chains of wickedness, the one who sets us free that we just talked about a few weeks ago on Easter morning. [00:49:07]

If we are not loving those around us well who Jesus died to save, are we demonstrating our love for him when his demonstration of love for them was to give everything for them? All the law and all the prophets hang on these two commands is what Jesus said. [00:49:29]

We get so wrapped up in that. Am I doing it right? Am I doing it wrong? Are they doing it right? Are they doing it wrong? That's not the right kind of person to be hanging out with. Do you really think they're forgiven? I'm not so sure. [00:46:12]

But in all honesty, we live in a busy society of cars and cell phones and internet and lots of noise that wants to form us and shape us. And sometimes we're so busy and so distracted by all the stuff that it is difficult for us to be still. [00:50:54]

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