Sermon #7 Series:
Mark
Title: Don’t Put New Wine in Old Bottles.
Text: Mark 2:13-22
Readings: Office: Buddy Daugherty Auditorium:
Mark Henson
Subject: The Call of Matthew
Date: Sunday Evening - January 12, 1997
Tape # T-29
Introduction:
What Mark relates in our text this
evening is almost identical with the account given by Matthew in Matthew
9:9-17. Yet, there are slight differences in the two accounts of these events.
The differences are no more accidental than the similarities. Though there are
no contradictions between Matthew and Mark, the differences in these accounts,
light as they are, are instruments by which unbelievers are tripped up and
stumble because God has made Christ a stone of stumbling to them. When rebels
will not bow to Christ, when they will not believe the Word of God, God gives
them that which in their minds justifies their rebellion and unbelief.
The slight differences between the way
Matthew tells a thing and the way Mark, or Luke, or John tell the same thing
demonstrates the sovereignty and wisdom of God the Holy Spirit. He used these
men as instruments in his hand, as a man would use a pen or a typewriter, to
write the very words he inspired, exactly as he wanted them written. Yet, he
allows the contrasting personalities of those men to shine through their
writings.
Since we are studying the Gospel of
Mark, we will read Mark’s account. Our text is Mark 2:13-22. I encourage you to
read Matthew’s and Luke’s accounts of these events before you go to bed
tonight. Read with me, beginning at Mark 2:13.
Mark 2:13-22 "And he went
forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he
taught them. (14) And as he passed
by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus
sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose
and followed him. (15) And it came to
pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat
also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they
followed him. (16) And when the
scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto
his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and
sinners? (17) When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are
whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call
the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
(18) And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they
come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast,
but thy disciples fast not? (19) And
Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the
bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they
cannot fast. (20) But the days will
come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they
fast in those days. (21) No man also
seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled
it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. (22) And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new
wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be
marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles."
No doubt, we have all read this
passage many times, probably passing over the things recorded here very casually.
When reading the Word of God, that is always a mistake. The things written here
were written by Divine inspiration and written specifically for our
edification, consolation, and instruction in the things of God. This brief
narrative of a brief segment of our Lord’s earthly life contains four
lessons, four important, spiritual lessons which we need to earn and
lay to heart. May God the Holy Spirit, who inspired these words, now apply them
to our hearts by his grace and power, for Christ’s sake.
I.
The first lesson set before us is the fact that THE LORD
JESUS CHRIST OFTEN CALLS THE MOST UNLIKELY TO BE HIS SERVANTS.
Mark 2:13-14 "And he went
forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he
taught them. (14) And as he passed
by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus
sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose
and followed him."
The man called Levi here and in Luke’s
account is the same person who is called Matthew in the gospel narrative
bearing his name. What we have before us is the early history and remarkable
conversion and transformation by the grace of God of a base publican named
Matthew. This man was transformed in an instant by the almighty, irresistible
call of the Son of God. The publican became a disciple, then an Apostle, and an
Evangelist, because the Son of God passed his way one day and said, “Levi, Follow me!”
There are several things that just leap out as you look at
these two verses.
1. A Specific Time - “As
he passed by!”
2.
A Specific Person - Levi, Matthew, The Publican!
3.
A Specific Call - “Follow
me!”
4.
A Specific Result - “He
arose and followed him!”
We ought never to despair of anyone’s salvation. Our Lord
can take a money loving CPA like Matthew and make him a soul loving evangelist
by the mere call of is almighty, irresistible grace!
We never know who is elected, until
they are called. And once they are called, God’s elect are usually surprising.
II.
Next, in verses 15-17, we see that OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST IS
THE GREAT PHYSCIAN OF SIN-SICK SOULS.
Mark 2:15-17 "And it came
to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners
sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they
followed him. (16) And when the
scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto
his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and
sinners? (17) When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are
whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call
the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
The Scribes and Pharisees were highly
offended by the fact that the Lord Jesus was comfortable in the company of
publicans and sinners and that they were comfortable in his company. When the
Lord Jesus heard the report of their insinuating gossip he told them plainly
that he had come into the world specifically to save sinners.
1 Timothy 1:15 "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all
acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I
am chief."
Matthew 1:21 "And she shall
bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."
Our Lord Jesus performed many mighty
miracles on the bodies of men. And I have no doubt that he still does. I know
what it is to experience his marvelous intervention, when medical help seems
futile. Yet, his miracles of mercy, love, and grace were and still are
indescribably more glorious. The bodies he healed were soon to sicken gain and
die. But the souls he heals are healed forever. The physical healings were
intended only to demonstrate that he has the right and the power to heal the
soul and save his people. I want you to see just two things here.
A. Our great and
glorious Savior saves sinners by three mighty acts of free and sovereign grace,
which he alone can perform.
1.
By Blood
Redemption!
2.
By Sovereign
Regeneration!
3.
By Glorious
Resurrection!
B. Our great
Physician heals every sin-sick soul that applies to him for healing.
Luke 9:11 "And the
people, when they knew it, followed
him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and
healed them that had need of healing."
·
The first step toward
cure is to know that you are sick.
·
No case is too hard
for the Son of God.
·
Your sins will never
keep you from being saved; but your righteousnesses will.
Illustration: The Artist and the Beggar
·
No sinner ever came
to the Son of God for mercy who did not obtain mercy.
III. The third
thing that we should learn from this passage is this: SOMETIMES TRUE BELIEVERS
BECOME SIDETRACKED AND CONFUSED BY MEANINGLESS THINGS AND FALL UNDER THE
INFLUENCE OF RELIGIOUS HYPOCRITES.
I know that Christ’s sheep will not follow a stranger. I
know that God’s saints have an unction from the Holy One and cannot be deceived
with regard to the gospel. But I also know that God’s saints in this world are
only frail, fickle, sinful men and women of flesh and blood. Sometimes they
fall under the influence of wicked men, thinking that they are doing good.
Sometimes, by bad influence from people they think are sincere, they get
sidetracked by meaningless issues. That is exactly what happened here with
John’s disciples. They got to listening to the Pharisees, with whom they had in
common the practice of religious, ceremonial fasting. Ignoring the far, far,
indescribably greater issues of redemption, grace, and forgiveness, they joined
the Pharisees (Of all people!), carping and criticizing the Lord Jesus and his
disciples because they did not fast.
Mark 2:18-20 "And the
disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto
him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples
fast not? {19} And Jesus said unto
them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while
the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them,
they cannot fast. {20} But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken
away from them, and then shall they fast in those days."
IV. The fourth
lesson is found in the parable given by our Lord in verses 21 and 22. IN
SPIRITUAL MATTERS WE MUST NEVER ATTEMPT TO MIX THINGS THAT DIFFER.
Mark 2:21-22 "No man also
seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled
it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. (22) And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new
wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be
marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles."
Our Savior delivered this parable in response
to the question raised by John’s disciples and the Pharisees about fasting.
There may be occasions when fasting is proper. In times of great strain and
trial, Moses, Elijah, and the Lord Jesus all fasted. But with the Pharisees
fasting had become a common, publicly advertised ceremony. It was an outward
show of holiness, piety, and devotion. John’s disciples seem to have placed
great emphasis upon this religious custom. But our Lord always dealt with it as
an insignificant thing and insisted that when men do fast they must do so in
utter privacy (Matt. 6:16-18). We are never to make a show of religion!
It may have been proper, our Lord says
to John’s disciples, for the friend of the Bridegroom and his disciples to
fast. But to require the Bridegroom and his disciples to fast was as ludicrous
as sewing a piece of new cloth in an old garment or putting new wine into old
bottles, or wineskins.
Actually the parables here given were
simply proverbial sayings that may be applied to many things. But essentially
their meaning is simply this - We must never try to mix things that do not mix.
Many great evils that have arisen in the church could have been avoided if the
lesson of these parables had simply been heeded. And many of the evils exiting
in the church today could be corrected if this lesson was followed.
In
spiritual matters, we must never attempt to mix things that differ. Just as
under the Mosaic law the mixture of linen and wool and the plowing of an ox and
an ass together were prohibited, so in this age, we cannot mix and must never
try to mix law and grace, flesh and spirit, Christ and the world, or carnal
ordinances with spiritual worship.
A. The problem at
Galatia was that they tried to put the old wine Mosaic laws and ceremonies into
the new bottle of grace.
The Judaizers at Galatia were trying to mix Judaism and
Christianity. They tried to hold both to the law and the gospel. They wanted
both Moses and Christ. They tied to mix physical circumcision with spiritual
circumcision. Such mixture can never
take place. Either we are under the law,
or we are free from the law. It cannot be both!
Galatians 5:1 "Stand fast
therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not
entangled again with the yoke of bondage."
Galatians 5:2 "Behold, I
Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you
nothing."
Galatians 5:4 "Christ is
become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are
fallen from grace."
B. In the early
church many tried to mix the philosophies and religious customs of a pagan
world with the gospel of Christ, just as they do today.
Nothing is new under the sun. In the
earliest days after the apostles, and even while the apostles were living,
there were those who attempted to make the gospel palatable to the world by
mixing the religious customs, traditions, and opinions of the paganism with the
gospel of Christ. The result was disastrous then and shall be now. In those
days, compromise paved the road to Romanism Today, men are laying the road back
to Romanism as fast as possible.
We simply cannot mix flesh and spirit
or works and grace in the worship and service of our God.
Philippians 3:3 "For we are
the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus,
and have no confidence in the flesh."
·
Crosses, Pictures of
Christ and Angels, and Religious Symbols.
·
Law, Sabbath Keeping,
and Ceremonialism
·
Crossings, Kneelings,
and Religious Show
C. Many
professing Christians today constantly attempt to stitch Christ and the world
together.
How many there are who seem determined
to prove our Lord wrong, who try to serve both God and mammon. They wear the
name of Christ in profession, but serve the world. They want to enjoy the new
wine of Christ; but they want to drink it from the old bottle of the world.
They will not utterly despise the new garment of discipleship, but they want it
without cost or cross. So they try to sew it to the old garments of pleasures,
covetousness, and love of the world. They will find one day soon that they have
attempted that which cannot be done.
Application:
I send you home tonight to consider
this matter carefully and seriously. I pray that each of us will take it to
heart. Are we trying to serve two masters? Are we still trying to serve both
God and mammon. Are we still trying to put new wine into old bottles?
We must not do so. Don’t
put new wine into old bottles. We
simply cannot mix…
· Law and Grace.
· Flesh and Spirit.
· The World and Christ.
We
must choose one and hate the other.