No More Waddling

I appreciate so much you sharing with us mainline.

That's right up my alley now.

I was going to have a running pit there for a moment,

and I thought I'd calm down and scare you all to death.

If you have your Bibles, turn to Luke chapter 5.

Luke 5 · chapter mention

Luke chapter 5.

Luke 5 · chapter mention

When God does new things, we don't always like it.

We have a patterned way about us.

We kind of like to keep things the way we're familiar with.

God often makes moves that do not follow our patterns,

and that can be upsetting.

Well, let me be honest with you.

God's not concerned about upsetting us.

He's upset folks before.

He taught bringing large crowds in,

and four men brought a paralyzed man

through the roof of the home in which Jesus was speaking,

and he healed that man.

And that didn't follow with some people's pattern,

so they accused him of blasphemy.

When he spoke of fasting,

he didn't say it the way the church leaders wanted him to say it,

and they said that he was misleading.

When he grabbed a handful of grain

out of the corner of a field,

which the corners were to be left

for those who were passing by

as well as for the poor,

but he happened to do it on the Sabbath.

They accused him of breaking the Sabbath

because there was work

running his hand through the head of a week.

When he healed the man with the withered hand,

he healed him on the Sabbath.

That was considered work.

That upset people.

When he reached out to Levi,

the tax collector,

and when he ate with Levi,

the tax collector,

and therefore the thief,

and I sometimes still feel that way,

but anyway,

the tax collector,

and ate with him and his friends,

it didn't fall with people's expectations.

And they called him out

because he was eating with sinners.

He don't mind upsetting us.

And instead of getting punch drunk

from all the fingers being pointed at him,

Christ responded with some stories.

I want to look at a couple of those today.

It's found in Luke chapter 5,

Luke 5:33

verse 33,

and it says this,

and he said to them,

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'll fast in those days.

In other words,

what he was saying here is this,

you fast when you're waiting on God to do something.

When you ask for God's intervention,

when you are in need,

when you have a strong sense,

when you need a strong sense of his presence,

you fast in those times.

The disciples,

however,

were not waiting on Christ to intervene.

Christ was already intervening.

As Jesus said so often,

the kingdom of God was at hand.

He was right there with them.

They were not in need.

He was providing for them.

They felt a very strong sense of his presence.

He was standing there.

It was not time to fast.

It was time to feast

because the kingdom of God was at hand.

That's exactly what Jesus is saying.

He goes on to say in verse 36,

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'll tear the new

and the piece from the new

will not match the old.

And no one puts new wine

into old wine skins.

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 wine skins.

And no one after drinking old wine

desires new

for he says the old is good.

He began by comparing his arrival

and his ministry to a wedding.

One thing I love about the teachings

of Jesus, the master teacher,

is he always met people

where they were

and spoke to them

in a language that they understood.

They were an agrarian people

so therefore he spoke a lot of fields

and of harvest.

They also celebrated weddings

and made a big deal out of it.

And they also mourned at funerals

and they became social events

just like they do in our culture today.

Except their customs were different

than our culture today.

And therefore there needs to be

some explanation.

Because in our day

the most anticipated moment

is when those doors swing open

in the back

and that beautiful bride

comes down that aisle.

That moment is what all little girls

dream of

and they come down that aisle

and everybody sees them

standing looking at them

amazed by the beauty

that they see.

Well, it was different then.

In that custom

the bridegroom came

to claim his bride

and then take her

to the wedding.

And it was an anticipated moment.

It was

the wait for him was

people waiting for him

was so intense

waiting to see

when he would come.

And sometimes he came late

and they would anticipate

that much more.

And Jesus told story after story

about that whole event

and what that meant.

And once that groom came

the anticipation was over

and the celebration began

and I mean celebrate

they did.

A wedding in Jesus' day

lasted a week.

As a man

with two girls

I'm thankful today

and taxed

traditional feasts

were ignored

and the whole community

participated.

It was a celebration

like none other.

So when Jesus uses

a wedding as an example

what he's saying is

don't miss out

on what God's doing.

He's telling them

God is incarnate.

The promise

that the law

proclaimed

and the law

made known

the need of

has now come.

God's incarnate

in the flesh before you.

Don't miss this opportunity.

Quit looking

for something else.

The anticipation

is no more.

God does his

greatest work

in new

and different ways.

Even in the Old Testament

the prophet Isaiah

spoke of anticipating

God's new ways.

Isaiah chapter 43

Isaiah 43 · chapter mention

18 and 9

says remember

not the former things

nor consider the things

of old.

Behold I'm doing

a new thing

now it springs forth

do you not

perceive it?

So what I'm saying

is Jesus was definitely

a new thing

but Jesus is not

the only new thing

that God has ever done.

He has done

new things all along.

I mean think

just from the garments

that God provided

for a covering

for Adam and Eve

in their sinful shame

in the garden

to the calling

and the covenant

of Abraham.

God's always

doing a new thing.

From the burning bush

life changing

experience

of the deliverer

Moses.

Remember that bush

was burning

but it was not

consumed.

Amazing sight.

to that wonderful

charge that he gave

to Joshua

who replaced

Moses

and he told him

be strong

and courageous

as you enter

into the land

that you are to conquer

that I promised you.

Be strong.

Be courageous.

God's always

doing a new thing.

From the greatest

strength of the

kingdom of David

to the sad

dissolving

of a nation

after Solomon.

God's always

doing a new thing.

From the fish's mouth

that spit out

Jonah

to the fiery

chariot

that Elijah

took home.

God's always

doing a new thing.

From a virgin birth

of the Savior

to the disciples

feasting

while others

with Jesus

while others

were fasting.

God's always

doing a new thing.

From the wind

of the Holy Spirit

of God

in Acts chapter 2

Acts 2 · chapter mention

to the personal salvation

that every true Christian

has experienced.

God is always

doing a new thing

and that new thing

that he's still

doing today

that he wants

to do in our lives

may not fall

into our pattern

of expectation.

So let me give you

some advice.

First is this.

When God moves

celebrate him.

when God moves

celebrate him

don't miss

the celebration

of his indwelling

presence

in your life.

The Pharisees

and the Sadducees

are standing around

all grim

because the focus

is not on them

and their ways

and that was a change

but they were focused

instead on Christ

and his work

and Jesus

compared that

in two stories.

the first story

that he told

was about patches.

Now I know

some things

about patches

because when I was

growing up

there were three types

of clothing.

There were church clothes

there were school clothes

and there were play clothes.

Now

church clothes

were highly starched

and very uncomfortable.

Okay.

Apparently

it is a sin

to worship

in comfort.

School clothes

were better

but they were comfortable

and they were new.

And then play clothes

were worn out

school clothes.

Church clothes

don't get worn out

praise God.

Church clothes

are kind of like

those clothes

the Hebrews wore

in the desert

for 40 years

that never wore out

you know.

You just outgrow it.

You don't

you don't wear it out.

And if you're

the youngest

of three boys

which I am

play clothes

are primarily

hand-me-downs

because the only way

you get new school clothes

is to outgrow the old

or

to wear a hole

in the knee

of the jeans.

By the way

there was a day

that you didn't

pay extra

to have holes

in your jeans.

And that if you

had a hole

in your knee

of your jeans

you were embarrassed

by it.

Now

I think I'm

just going to

cut up my jeans

and wear them

next Sunday.

Therefore

in order to make

that tear

more discreet

mama would

iron on a patch

that was always

a different color

than the jeans

she was putting them on.

It stood out

like a sore thumb

but it covered

that ghastly hole

but everybody knew

you had patched

jeans on.

Jesus knew

about patched

garments.

He came up simple

and his clothes

got worn

and when there's

a hole

his mother

would have

sewn a patch

of cloth

on that.

However

one thing

she would

never do

is

put a

sew in

an unshrunk

patch

of cloth

because if you

take a new

piece of cloth

that has not

shrunk yet

and place it

on old

clothes

when it's

washed

that new

fabric

will shrink

and it will

pull against

the old

fabric

where it

had been

sewn in

and that

will rip

as well.

Your problem

would not

be solved.

It wouldn't

fix it.

Listen

Jesus didn't

come

to patch

the existing

religious

systems.

He didn't

come to fix

parts of the

law.

Jesus came

to fulfill

the law.

Jesus came

to supersede

the law

and to bring

victory

where defeat

had been.

Think about

it this way.

What did

the law

do to

these men?

What had

it done

to Paul?

Paul said

that all

of his

effort to

fulfill

the law

he counts

as lost

now compared

to knowing

Christ Jesus.

It was a

hindrance to

him as a

matter of

fact.

He placed

his confidence

in the

accomplishments

that he

had done

and therefore

he held

off putting

his faith

in Christ

because he

thought he

was enough

because those

things that

looked religious

and right

seemed to

be sufficient

because they

made him

feel good.

They didn't

save him.

Only Christ

saves.

The law

didn't make

him better.

Instead of

pointing the

need of

Christ out

to him,

it instead

filled him

with pride

or possibly

guilt.

these

Pharisees

and Sadducees

who knew

the law

so very

well had

to know

as well

they could

never

fulfill it.

Had to

deal with

that.

So what

do you do

with that?

You well

up with

pride.

Hopefully

pride will

cover up

your

imperfections.

Hopefully

somehow you

can hide

what you

don't get

right if

you're

pride enough.

Have you

ever been

to Dairy

Queen and

got one

of those

dipped ice

cream cones

where they

dip it in?

I mean it

is nearly

magical.

It looks

so good.

It is

soft serve

ice cream

with a

hardened

chocolate shell

over it.

And even

if the ice

cream is

melting away

on the

inside,

that chocolate

shell is

strong

until you

take a

bite.

That's the

biggest trap

they've ever

made out of

ice cream

because it'll

make the

biggest mess

because once

you bite

through that

hardened

shell,

what you'll

find is

oftentimes a

soft mess

and it all

just crumbles

in your hand.

When I think

of pride and

the way

scripture

describes pride,

that's what I

always think

of is a

dipped ice

cream cone

because it

looks so

good.

But when

you really

bite into

it and get

into the

meat of

it,

it'll fall

in your

lap and

mess.

Matter of

fact,

scripture

says pride

comes before

a fall,

a haughty

spirit before

destruction.

And the

reality is

once Jesus

took a

bite into

their pride,

it crumbled.

When Christ

came and

turned the

tables,

not only

physically but

spiritually,

on all these

guys that had

invested their

time and

their effort

and pride

into it,

they were

crumbling

because we

don't like

new things.

We like to

know what's

coming,

we like it

the way we

like it,

even when it

comes from

God.

But Jesus

came to

turn the

table of the

law and to

bring refreshment

where drought

had been.

And when God

moves,

don't fight

it.

Celebrate

him.

Second thing

is this,

when God

moves,

be refreshed.

Because Jesus

is not a

patch.

Jesus is

restoration.

He's not a

swallow that

does not

satisfy.

Jesus comes

to refresh,

bring new,

make whole.

And he

speaks of

the wineskin.

Now the

wineskin was

made from the

skin of a goat.

They would

take the skin

of a goat and

they would

clean it and

they would

prepare it and

they would

cut it and

then they

would sew it

into a pouch

and they

would place

fresh squeezed

juice into

that pouch.

And that

skin,

because it

was new,

when it was

used,

it had

elasticity in

it.

And that

elasticity allowed

that wine to

ferment and as

it fermented,

it would

expand.

The wine skin

would expand as

well.

if you

place fresh

juice into

an old

wineskin,

when it

fermented and

expanded,

the wineskin

would burst

and the

drink would

be lost.

He gives

that illustration

because Jesus

didn't come to

fit into our

system.

He didn't

come to fit

into their

system,

but Jesus

didn't come to

fit into our

system either.

He came to

make things

new.

all things

new.

When God

moves,

throw out

the old.

Arthur

Blessed is an

interesting

character.

Arthur

Blessed is a

man who got a

burden to

carry the

cross of

Christ across

the world.

He did a

lot of it

starting, I

believe, in

the 70s

and in the

80s.

And in

1989, he

made news

because he

carried the

cross of

Christ, or

cross that

symbolized that

one, from

California to

Washington, D.C.,

across the

country.

He was

interviewed, and

I vaguely

remember him

being on

television.

Since that

time, he has

carried that

cross across

43,000 miles

and 324

nations, island

groups, and

territories by

his own

testimony.

Now, Arthur's

an individual.

He's

charismatic, and

he ran for

president in

1976 and

didn't do very

well.

I imagine I

don't agree with

Arthur on a

whole lot of

things, but I

like what R.T.

Kendall said

about him as I

was studying for

this sermon.

Arthur was in a

meeting with 39

other men in

Phoenix, Arizona

years ago.

It was a prayer

meeting, and they

were praying for

revival.

And they went

around that circle

with those 40 men

in that circle, each

one of them

praying.

The first one

prayed for God to

bring revival.

The second one

prayed that God

would bring revival.

The third one

prayed that God

would bring revival.

And Arthur

blessed was number

seven in that

list.

And Arthur

prayed that God

would bring revival.

And after he

prayed, he did

something that was

absolutely scandalous.

He opened his

eyes, and he

looked up while

those other men

were praying.

And when Arthur

looked up, he

looked out the

window.

And he saw a

restaurant across

the street.

And he walked

out.

Walked across the

street to the

restaurant.

When he walked in

the restaurant, he

announced as he

entered the door,

does anybody here

want to be saved?

And the waitress

said, I do.

He went to the

waitress and he

said, I do.

He said, the

church across the

street, do they

ever come here?

She said, they do.

She said, do you

ever see any other

members?

She said, yes.

He said, have you

ever been to that

church?

She said, no.

She said, I see the

members on Sunday

at lunch.

She said, have they

ever talked to you

about Jesus?

She said, no.

He said, how many, how

long have you been

working here?

And she said, many

years.

Arthur led her to

Christ.

And then he walked

back across the

street.

The prayer meeting

was still going on.

And he announced,

stop your praying.

God's answered your

prayer.

It's time to share

Christ.

I thank God this

morning in a restaurant

across the street,

don't you?

But yet you know and I

know there is.

There is there all

around us.

Don't ever try to get

God to fit inside your

expectations.

limitations.

Don't ever try to get

God to fit inside your

limitations.

Don't ever try to get

God to fit inside your

way of life.

Give your life.

Give your life to Jesus

and throw out the old.

Let's quit mourning over

who we are or who we're

not and become what God

wants us to be.

Let's quit trying to

patch our lives with a

little bit of Jesus and

putting on, instead put on

the new self in Christ.

Let's quit pouring God

into our own worn out

ways and start afresh with

him.

Maybe by just walking

across the street.

So when Kierkegaard was a

19th century Danish

theologian and he wrote a

parable about ducks.

He said there was a little

town of ducks and every

Sunday the ducks waddled

out of their houses and

waddled down Main Street to

their church.

They waddled into the

sanctuary and squat in

their proper pews.

The duck choir waddled in and

took its place.

Then the duck minister came

forward and opened the duck

Bible because even ducks have

their own version of

scripture.

And he read it.

And he said, ducks, God has

given you wings.

And with these wings you can

fly.

And the duck said, amen.

Amen.

And he said, with these wings you

can mount up and soar like

eagles.

And the duck said, he said, no

walls can confirm you, confine

you.

And the duck said, no fences can

hold you.

And the duck said, you have

wings.

And the duck said, God's given

you wings and you can fly like

birds.

And all the ducks said, with

enthusiasm together, amen.

And then they all waddled home.

Hey folks, let's don't waddle no

more.

Let's don't waddle anymore.

Let's trust God to do something

new.

Not just in us, but in us.

And may he be honored and

glorified by our obedience.

With every head bowed and every

eye closed, if you're here this

morning and you've never asked the

Lord Jesus to come into your heart

and life and to save you, I want

you to know the greatest

opportunity that you'll ever have in

this life is to give your heart and

life to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And if you'll tell him today that

you are sorry for the sins that

you've done, the wrong that you've

committed.

know, the only that you have the

Allah I get.

He heard that early, he was

good.

That's that much more

highlighted.

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