“Jesus is Calling” - April 6th, 2025 - Pastor Scotty Brown

If you've got a Bible, just real quick, who's going to get baptized today?

You can be impromptu. We can do it in your Wranglers or whatever.

Okay, I've got one there.

We figured it would just be a few, and that's great.

But to follow the Lord in baptism is always a glorious experience.

I know it was when I got baptized at Wild Waters in Las Vegas.

Sin City. It just seemed to fit for some reason.

Had to go to Sin City to get all tuned up with Jesus.

So if you have a Bible, we're going to finish the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Luke.

And I titled the message, Jesus' Calling.

And we're going to look at three things here very quickly,

which is the calling of Matthew or Levi, the bridegroom and the old and new wineskin.

And Jesus is coming off of just healing this guy.

But he didn't heal him immediately.

You remember the first statement that he said to him,

your sins are forgiven.

Have you had that conversation with the Lord where he lets you know your sins are forgiven?

Oh, how good it is to be forgiven.

Amen?

And because we need that forgiveness.

We need to be cleansed.

It's like I said last week, it's the only cure for guilt.

And we've all been guilty of sinning and falling short of the glory of God.

And so I'm just going to start by reading the rest of the chapter.

So that's about 13 verses.

Hang with my slow pace.

We will start in verse 27.

And it says,

After these things, he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office.

And he said to him, follow me.

And so he left all, rose up and followed him.

Then Levi gave him a great feast in his own house.

And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with him.

And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against his disciples saying, why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?

Jesus answered and said to them, those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Then they said to him, why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers and likewise those of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink?

And he said to them, can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?

But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them.

Then they will fast in those days.

Then he spoke a parable to them.

No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one.

Otherwise, the new makes a tear.

And also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old.

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled.

And the wineskins will be ruined.

But new wine must be put into new wineskins.

And both are preserved.

And no one having drunk old wine immediately desires new.

For he says, the old is better.

Let's pray.

Lord, thank you for your word that it is alive and it's powerful, Lord.

And yet our understanding is so limited because of our own limitations as humans, Lord.

So I pray that you would open our understanding as we look at your word.

That it would go out and that it would bear fruit, Lord.

That it would find its place falling on that good ground, Lord, that yields a bumper crop, Lord.

And I pray that that would be our hearts today as we look at your word in Jesus' name.

Amen.

So he starts off there.

He says, immediately after these things.

What things?

The strange things that the people had seen, right?

Remember that in verse 26 where it says, we have seen strange things today.

Strange things.

A guy being healed, taking up his mat and walking home and rejoicing in the Lord.

The healing of this guy was immediate and the people glorified God.

But even more than receiving healing, the man experienced forgiveness and the start of a whole new life.

Our Lord's miracles not only demonstrated his deity and his compassion for needy people,

but they also revealed important spiritual lessons about salvation.

They were object lessons to teach spiritually blind people what God could do for them if only they would believe in his son.

And that was the team here.

That was their whole ploy for going down and ministering to these people and just walking beside them,

feeding them a meal and ministering the truth of who Jesus is.

And when a life's changed and you get to be a part of that,

and to hear the joy in these guys' heart of watching people get changed just because you're willing to step out and be there.

I'm telling you, over the years, the things I've experienced in my life,

there's no greater joy than to see somebody come to Jesus.

To see a man's countenance change like they got to see.

And no doubt this man who was healed, everything about him changed.

His body, the health of his body, no doubt the joy in his heart, the despair was gone.

That's what Jesus offers.

And no form of opulence can bring that to you and me.

Only a rich faith.

And so, Jesus is calling here in these 13 verses.

First of all, he calls Levi.

Notice it says there, and he says,

That's pretty simple, ain't it?

Just follow me.

No further instructions.

Now, you have to realize that this Levi character was a little bit different than the fisherman.

Right?

This is a very prosperous occupation he's involved in here with collecting taxes for Rome.

His name's Levi, which is interesting.

Most believe that he probably was named Levi because he was from the tribe of Levi.

And the Levites were called to be ministers and priests.

And here, this guy, he chose the most vile lifestyle by becoming a tax collector.

And everybody hated him.

And I'm sure you love and invite in for cookies and brief chat the IRS agent that comes to your house and wants to come in and do an audit.

Oh, sure.

Come on in.

No.

I mean, we're Idahoans.

We might meet them with some gunpowder.

They were so despised, these tax collectors.

And so, but notice what he does.

Jesus gives him a simple instruction.

Follow me.

And he left all, rose up and followed him.

Left a very lucrative job.

These guys is there.

I was talking to both of them.

And I actually last night ran into another one of the guys that were on the team that went down to Mexico.

And they were just talking about prosperity.

And prosperity can be a curse.

Probably more times than not.

And we're a very prosperous society here in America.

And I remember years ago when I went to Africa and all the people wanted to come to America.

Because why?

Because we're prosperous.

They don't have to worry about being hungry.

They don't have to worry about where they're going to lay their head if they come to America.

But the truth is, is that what they lack monetarily, they make up for in faith.

And being rich in faith is the best end game.

Right?

Years ago, I remember seeing the bumper snicker.

Some of you have seen it.

Right?

He who dies with the most toys wins.

And then a Christian made a bumper sticker that was kind of a rebuttal to it.

It said,

He who dies with the most toys wins nothing.

Because you've never seen a hearse with a U-Haul behind it.

Right?

Job had it right.

I came into this world naked.

And I'm going out naked.

And

Pastor Steve's going to teach on 2 Corinthians chapter 5 this week.

2 Corinthians 5 · chapter mention

And it is about being clothed with the robe of righteousness.

That we wouldn't be found naked before the Lord when we stand before Him.

But that we would be clothed with the robe of righteousness that we receive from the Lord Jesus.

Jesus.

And so this guy, just by faith, just left this job.

Now this was a job that he couldn't go back to.

Now we know the fishermen.

Well, you can go fishing anytime.

You can go back to that job.

In fact, Peter, after Jesus, right,

after Jesus is crucified, he said,

that's it, I'm going fishing.

Right?

And he went fishing.

And so they could go back to that.

But this Levi,

who, by the way,

is the apostle Matthew.

Matthew the apostle is this Levi person.

Matthew means God's gift.

And the Lord showed his grace on this Matthew by calling him to himself.

And that's what Jesus does to you and I, first and foremost.

When the Lord calls you, right?

God doesn't necessarily, when he first calls you,

he doesn't call you into a ministry.

Okay?

God doesn't do.

That's not how he works.

He calls you to himself first.

Notice what Jesus say.

Follow me.

Follow me.

He doesn't call you to some ministry.

Because that,

so many people think that their ministry is their relationship with God.

Your ministry,

the ministry God gives you is not your relationship with God.

It's a byproduct of your relationship with God.

That happens when you enter into relationship with Jesus

and you,

you nurture that relationship and you chase after him

and he grows you.

And then he gets you ready.

It's kind of like two a days,

right?

Got to get ready.

You're not going to go play a game first,

first day of a volleyball season or football season,

right?

You're going to go do two days.

You're going to run your hind end off.

You can get some training in.

You're going to learn some things.

You're going to condition your body for what's ahead.

And that's,

that's the way it is,

right?

When Jesus calls us,

he calls us to himself first.

He tells you,

he tells me,

Hey,

follow me,

follow me.

And,

I remember having,

well,

let me back up here.

Five things,

five things that the,

the believer who chooses to follow Christ needs.

Number one,

you need to be in the word.

Number two,

you need to be in prayer.

Um,

number three,

fellowship.

Number four,

worship,

right?

You need to worship.

The Lord can say,

well,

I don't,

I don't like that singing stuff.

Well,

you need to get alone and worship the Lord.

I don't know how you do that.

It says,

make a joyful noise.

If you grunt,

maybe you don't want to sing,

just grunt to the Lord.

I don't know what that is,

but you need to worship.

And then,

and then service.

But service is the last thing.

It's not the first thing.

So,

I remember I had started a church.

So the first,

first four things,

I always get ahead of myself.

I had too much coffee this morning.

Uh,

the first four is just getting close to Jesus,

right?

You're in the word,

you're in prayer,

you're in fellowship and worship.

Those are just getting close to Jesus.

Jesus has called you to himself,

get close to him,

be in the word.

I remember committing as a 27 year old.

I was 27.

Connie and I had been married for a couple of years.

I committed to reading through the Bible.

Lord,

I got to read through this book.

I'd been walking with the Lord for two or three years,

four years,

maybe at this time.

And I remember,

remember making that commandment.

I got to read this Bible.

From Genesis to Revelation,

I need to know what people are talking about,

especially my,

my dad and my grandpa and my brother.

They would have these conversations about people in the old Testament that I'd never heard of.

Who?

What?

And,

uh,

never heard some of these things.

And so I was provoked.

I was prodded by the Holy Spirit to put God's word in my heart.

And the more of the word that you put in your heart,

the more these other things follow.

The more of God's word that's in my heart,

the more I want to pray,

the more I want to worship,

the more I want to fellowship.

and,

and share God's word with one another.

And so I'm,

I'm,

I started this church in the Burley Rupert area.

And we went there for a year.

I remember my wife telling me she was pregnant with our youngest.

And she says,

Scotty,

we're not ready for this.

And I'm going,

no,

come on,

let's go.

Let's sell everything.

Move to Cashew County.

Okay.

Minidoka.

I mean,

maybe have to flip a coin.

I don't know which one's worse.

But,

so we went there and we were there for a year.

And the second to the last service I did there,

I mean,

we,

we were kind of growing along.

We were meeting in a little grange and,

and we were growing along and,

and our son was born.

And so now we have four kids and we're dragging them over there every weekend and every Sunday.

And,

and,

and I was also doing rodeo Bible camps and I had a job and I was riding coats on the side.

I mean,

I was a busy boy and trying to make a living and all that stuff.

and,

and we had to have a rodeo Bible camp and I had this guest speaker.

He was an old buckaroo from Nevada that used to travel with Franklin Graham.

And I asked him,

I said,

Hey,

last day of rodeo Bible camp,

would you come over and share at the little church we're doing in the Burley Rupert area?

He goes,

yeah,

sure.

Scotty.

Oh,

come on.

He'd talk like this,

you know,

he'd get up there and say,

how many of you are glad you're not dead or in prison?

And he had this preaching finger that was crooked.

Arthritis had set in,

right?

Cause that's where I'd be if it wasn't for you.

He was just a,

he's an incredible guy.

Still call him occasionally.

He's just waiting around for Jesus to come or,

or for him to take his last breath,

but he still loves the Lord.

And,

and I remember him,

he preached that day and I was sitting in the front row,

the very front row.

And he looked at me and he said,

Scotty Brown,

he said,

Jesus has called you to himself first.

And it like rocked my world.

It's like,

Oh,

Oh,

I was thinking this church thing is really my identity.

He says,

no,

Jesus has called you to himself first.

And,

uh,

I was just thinking,

no,

this is,

this is,

this is,

uh,

this is who I'm going to be as a Christian is a,

is starting this little church in the Minicazia area.

About two or three weeks later,

I shut it down.

And,

uh,

and as we're driving away from the last time,

I remember the Lord whistling to my heart,

dude,

you got a ministry,

right?

Number one,

you got to minister to your own heart.

You got to take care of this.

Keep it right with me.

And when you keep it right with me,

ministry is going to happen.

It's just going to happen.

And,

and,

um,

you got a wife and you got kids,

you know,

put your focus there.

What are you doing?

Starting a church.

Your wife was right.

You're not ready for this.

And I wasn't.

And,

um,

so my job,

they called me,

uh,

the chaplain,

right?

At my job.

I was an equipment operator,

worked with a bunch of dirt guys,

dirt bags,

same thing.

Equipment operators,

right?

They're all,

they're all,

uh,

a little flowery.

And,

uh,

and you got a ministry there.

Oh,

wow.

I didn't know much,

but the Lord began to teach me.

And,

and there was this,

this sequence that happens in,

in the life of a believer.

And it,

it was a commitment to,

to seeking the Lord's word.

And,

and,

um,

and so,

um,

you know,

if you feel like the Lord has a calling on your life,

then just,

just chase after Jesus.

Right?

I get people coming to me all the time.

Man,

I got a calling on my life and,

but their life's a mess.

Right?

I,

I really want to minister to this people group.

This is a people group that I'm,

I'm really connected to.

Yeah,

but you're shacked up with your girlfriend.

You got a drinking problem.

Right?

You're not ready for this.

Right?

God,

God's got to kind of clean things up so that you can actually be fruitful.

Lest you cause people to stumble.

And,

and that happens so often.

I love,

I love the zeal.

Cause I know I had the same zeal on my heart.

Praise the Lord.

I,

uh,

wasn't smart enough to really,

uh,

get in too big of trouble.

And the Lord was faithful to shut me down when I was going in the wrong direction.

But just grow,

grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord.

You have this sense that God's has a,

has a,

has a calling on your life and he's going to begin opening doors.

My wife and I,

we were rodeo and we were doing ministry and the rodeo thing.

And I got introduced to the rodeo Bible camp in 1991.

And I was overwhelmed.

I'm going,

Oh my gosh,

I got to do this.

By then I was ready.

And God began to open doors.

And so we began to do these things and,

and do,

do the cowboy ministry stuff.

And,

um,

and we were growing.

Peter tells us in second Peter three 18,

but grow in the grace.

Listen,

and the knowledge of our Lord and savior,

Jesus Christ to him,

be glory both now and forever.

Amen.

You grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord.

And then when God begins to bless what you're doing,

you have enough maturity to realize this.

It's not you.

It's him.

And he gets all the glory.

Because he won't share his glory with anybody.

So if you or I try to tap into the glory of God,

we're foolish.

Because it's his.

And it's not to be touched.

So Billy Graham used to say,

right?

Don't touch the glory,

the money,

or the girls.

Those three stay away from.

And that's why we need to grow.

Then,

then as we,

as God grows us up,

then we're ready to minister.

So Levi is so excited that he meets this Jesus,

and he's chosen to follow Jesus,

that he throws him a party.

Right?

He throws,

he throws a party.

And the religious people

can't get their head around

about what Jesus is doing.

Let's just read those first few verses again.

And after these things,

he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi,

told him to follow him.

Verse 28,

so he left all,

rose up,

and followed him.

And then Levi gave him a great feast

in his own house.

Probably a very,

very nice home.

And there were a great number of tax collectors

and others who sat down with him.

And their scribes and their Pharisees

complained against his disciples,

saying,

why do you eat and drink

with tax collectors and sinners?

Right?

Here's some believers in God

who've separated themselves from the world.

And actually that they see themselves

better than the world,

should I put it that way.

You know,

people like that.

They think they're better than you.

Or,

or you and me.

I'm,

I'm shocked

at my hypocrisy

as I drive down the street

and I'll see people

and think,

well,

that dude's a scumbum.

Right?

And the Lord convicts me

and goes,

hello,

scumbums.

Aren't all of you scumbums?

and he always puts me in my place.

And he always puts me in my place.

The religious people can't get their head around

about what Jesus is doing.

Here's this rabbi.

They've seen him do incredible things

and they know that,

that,

uh,

there's something different about him.

And in verse 30,

the scribes and the Pharisees

were quick to diagnose

the needs of others,

but they were blind

to their own needs

for they were sinners

like everyone else.

And Jesus,

Jesus nails it

in the next two verses

in 31 and 32.

Right?

be careful

when you look down your nose

at people.

In fact,

don't.

Because you're no better

than anyone else.

None of us are.

Now,

we're better off

if we know Jesus,

but we're not better

than anyone.

And God has been

so gracious to us,

uh,

we should be excited

to go and share,

uh,

like the team here

did in Mexico

with those who

don't know the Lord

or,

or maybe just lost

and,

and,

and a mess.

And I can't remember

if I told you about the,

the,

the fellow that I

saw on the bike

the other day,

but just,

it absolutely over,

no doubt he was homeless,

but it just overwhelmed me

for several days thinking,

how dare I?

Think of him that way.

This is a soul

that God loves.

And Jesus died for.

And I need to have

that same compassion.

And these,

these Pharisees

are looking down

their nose

at the people

that,

that Jesus is hanging with.

They,

they're,

they were the

dregs of society,

these tax collectors

and,

and sinners.

And Jesus answered

and said to them,

those who are well

have no need

of a physician.

but those who are sick.

I have not come

to call the righteous,

but sinners to repentance.

Really,

it was kind of

a slap in the face

if you think about it.

Jesus said,

I didn't come

to call you.

I didn't come

to call the righteous.

You think you're righteous.

They didn't know

how wicked they were.

Self-righteousness

is such a stench

in the nostrils

of the Lord.

He despises it.

In fact,

Jesus throughout

His ministry

will see,

He will be harder

on the scribes

and the Pharisees

than anyone.

Harder than a murderers,

harder on them

than adulterers.

He lambates them

because they're not

getting it.

They're so blind.

They're not seeing

their own wickedness.

I haven't.

The sick need a physician.

Are you sick?

I'm sick.

I'm sick.

In fact,

I told a lawyer

this week

in a deposition

I'm a liar

and a deceiver.

He looked at me.

That's your testimony?

Yep.

If the shoe fits,

you gotta wear it.

It's just a knowledge,

right,

of the Word of God.

How God sees humanity

depraved and lost

until we're redeemed.

And then there is

this walk of humility

that needs to take place

to those who believe

and those who,

especially those

who are called

to follow Jesus.

Now,

the scribes

and the Pharisees,

they're struggling.

These people

are having a good time.

Right?

It's a party.

There's joy.

How dare you have joy?

You should suck

on green persimmons

like me

and look like

you're about ready

to mess your pants.

Right?

No,

we're to have joy,

folks.

This walking with Jesus

is a joyful thing.

Is it hard?

Well, sure,

it's hard.

And if you get serious

about it,

it's one of the hardest

things you'll ever do

in your life.

But is it worth it?

Yes.

Does it end well?

Yes.

It's a good thing.

It's a glorious thing

and they don't get it.

Right?

They're struggling

with the joy,

the obvious joy

that this party

is bringing.

Right?

And I don't know

about you,

but I know

my joy is full.

And the Bible says

the joy of the Lord

is our strength.

So,

Jesus was into

the joy thing.

He wasn't a sourpuss.

John 15,

11,

these things

I've spoken to you

that my joy

may remain in you

and that your joy

may be full.

Jesus lets them know,

listen,

I've come to

heal and forgive,

to heal the sick,

to call the sinner.

You remember

when we get there,

it's,

we've got quite a bit

of time before we get there,

but I love that passage

there in Luke 18

when Jesus says,

hey,

men ought to pray

always

and not lose heart.

And then he tells

the scenario

of the Pharisee

and the publican

or the tax collector,

the sinner,

that goes

and they both pray

to God

and he profiles

their prayer.

And the Pharisees,

just like these guys,

what,

how disgusting,

such disgusting tax collector.

Lord,

I thank you,

I'm not like this man,

I fast twice a week,

pay my tithe,

make long prayers.

And the other dude,

you know,

does the whole chest thing.

Oh God,

forgive me,

a sinner.

And Jesus said,

that man,

unlike the other one,

went away justified.

Right?

He knew what he was.

These people had lost sight.

Right?

They,

their,

their religion had deceived them.

And so,

it's the contrast

between a physical sin

or an outward sin

like,

like adultery

or,

or thievery,

which tax collectors

were accused of

from skimming off the top

because they worked for Rome.

And,

there's quite a contrast

between that

visible sinfulness

and sinfulness

of the heart

or that hidden one.

Oh,

on the outside,

they look like

they got it all together.

We live in a culture

like that around here.

Got to look like

you got it all together.

Cut your hair this way,

wear these kind of clothes,

good to go.

Much like the two prodigals,

right?

The one,

you remember him?

I resembled the younger one.

And he went away

and he squandered his sustenance

with riotous living.

Did we have any riotous livers?

Yeah,

around here?

I lived riotously.

But when you look at that story,

when the boy finally

eats with the hogs

and realized,

no,

I got to go home.

At least my dad

feeds his servants bread.

I'll just go be a servant

to my father.

And the older son,

he's the real prodigal

because he covered it up.

He who covers his sin

will not prosper,

the scripture says.

And so just be open

and out there with it.

And let the chips fall.

When you got nothing to hide

and you can tell the truth

about yourself,

it's a really good thing.

In fact,

you don't have to have

a very good memory

if you tell the truth.

If you're a liar,

you got to have

a really good memory.

Let's see,

which one did I tell that time?

Yeah.

So,

Jesus lets them know,

listen,

I came to heal,

right?

I have not come

to call the righteous

but sinners to repentance

because there are none righteous.

Right?

The scripture teaches that.

Old and New Testament,

right?

There is none righteous.

No,

not one.

And so they shift gears here

in the next verses there

in verse 33 through 35.

It says,

then they said to him,

why did the disciples of,

did the disciples of John

fast often

and make prayers

and likewise

those of the Pharisees

but yours eat and drink?

They're,

now they're contrasting,

comparing.

Well,

how come

John's disciples fasted?

You know,

we fast.

John's disciples fasted.

They're closer to being like us

than you guys are.

You don't even fast.

You just party on,

dude.

And Jesus said,

can you make the friends

of the bridegroom fast

while the bridegroom

is with them?

But the days will come

when the bridegroom

will be taken away

from them.

Then they will fast

in those days.

You know,

there's not a command

to fast in the New Testament.

Some of you go,

well,

why do we do it here then?

because it is

a spiritual discipline,

right?

But it's not a command.

There was only one day

that they commanded a fast

in the Old Testament

and that was on the day

of Yom Kippur,

the day of atonement,

that you're to afflict

your souls.

Remembering the sacrifice

that was made for you

and atoned for you.

That's the only time.

And so,

it was

not a

New Testament command.

It was only that

Old Testament command

on one day.

But Jesus says,

when the bridegroom

liking it to a wedding,

well,

that's party time,

right?

Who likes to go to weddings?

I like to go to weddings,

right?

They're fun.

Girls really like

to go to weddings.

more so than most guys.

But a Jewish wedding

lasted a week

and were times

of great joy

and celebration.

It's interesting

that the feast

had seven blessings.

The feast

of the wedding

had seven blessings.

It's funny.

The first one

was,

this was a blessing.

Blessed are you,

Lord our God,

ruler of the universe,

who creates

the fruit of the vine.

Yeehaw!

Right?

And it speaks

of joy

that this is

a celebration time.

Wine throughout Scripture

is a type of joy.

Not that

that gives you

the license

to go get tipsy,

right?

And have

a few too many.

But,

but it's a type

of joy

wine is.

And,

and he doesn't

stop here

with that idea

of a wedding.

So by using

this image,

Jesus was saying

to his critics,

I came to

make life

like a wedding feast,

not a funeral.

Right?

It's not a funeral.

Now we have funerals,

we have our times

when we're,

we're as Christians,

where we're

in a time of mourning

and when we've lost

loved ones

and,

and that's a legit

real thing.

but the Christian life

is to be a joyful life.

We're not to be

those judgmental,

sour folks

that just rains

on everybody's parade.

And verse 35

says a lot

that there's actually,

actually a battle coming.

Jesus said,

listen,

the bridegroom

is going to be taken away.

Jesus isn't going to

always be walking

with these guys.

Then they'll fast.

then they'll fast

because it's going

to get intense

and they'll get serious

about seeking the Lord

and being

on their knees

and on their faces.

And so,

and Jesus told us

when the one

demon-possessed man

where they couldn't

get the demon out,

they said,

how does this do this?

And he said,

however,

this kind does not

come out

except by prayer

and fasting.

Right?

Speaking of the

spiritual battle,

that it's not

all just joy,

but it's a,

it's,

it's,

it's a,

it's a battleground.

Well,

I'm going to wrap it up here.

We're going to get ready

to do the baptisms,

but verse 36

through 38,

Jesus makes

a couple

comparisons

here in this parable

when he says,

and he spoke

a parable to them.

no one puts a piece

from a new garment

on an old one.

Otherwise,

the new makes a tear

and also the piece

that was taken

out of the new

does not match the old

and no one puts

new wine

into old wineskins

or else the new wine

will burst

the wineskins

and be spilled

and the wineskins

will be ruined.

But new wine

must be put

into new wineskins

and both

are preserved.

and no one

having drunk

old wine

immediately desires

new

for he says

the old is better

and that's true.

Wine connoisseurs,

you get that old stuff,

it's pretty good.

But he's liking it.

He's liking

these two allegories

to the two covenants.

The old piece of cloth

with the new piece of cloth.

They just don't,

they're not compatible.

It doesn't work.

It always tears away.

You remember

the old knee patches

that you ironed on

and had the sticky stuff

on the back?

Right?

My wife would,

or excuse me,

my mom would wash my britches

and the only thing

would be left

was the patch.

And it just didn't,

didn't work.

And so he said

it pulls away

from the new.

And then the,

the,

so the,

the,

the covenants

are different

and they,

they're separated.

They don't,

they don't mesh

the covenants.

they're both good.

No doubt.

Right?

Cause he,

he says that there,

right?

That,

uh,

he says,

and the wineskins

will be ruined.

What,

what,

what,

the old wasn't

to be ruined.

It was to stay

in its place.

Right?

It was to stay

in its place

and don't mix

the wines

because if you put

that new wine

in there

and it begins

to ferment,

what's it do?

It just breaks it.

And that's kind

of what the,

the old covenant

is,

right?

The old covenant,

uh,

its contents

were good,

but it,

the only thing

it can do

is condemn

and judge.

And it was easily

broken.

The law's easily

broken.

We're all lawbreakers.

We've all broken

the law.

And so it

maintains its

place.

But the new

wineskins was

once different.

You put the wine

in there

and it was

new and fresh

and it,

and it,

it would expand

kind of like

breathing.

The new covenant

is a picture

of life.

The old covenant

is a picture

of death

and it had

life in it.

That,

that new wineskin

and,

and that wine

would be a picture

of the Lord

inside of us.

The joy of the Lord

and even in the law

because what

was the law

good for?

The Bible tells us

it was a schoolmaster.

Right?

It was a schoolmaster.

And so

Galatians chapter 3,

Galatians 3 · chapter mention

I'll close with this.

Verses 24 through 26.

It says,

therefore the law

was our schoolmaster

to bring us to Christ

that we might be

justified by faith

but after that

faith is come,

we are no longer

under a schoolmaster

for we are all

the children of God

by faith

in Christ Jesus.

Right?

And so what's,

what's really cool

about this is,

is,

that law,

it has its place.

It can't save us.

It can't make us righteous.

It's limited.

Hebrews tells us

it's obsolete.

It's obsolete.

There in Hebrews 8,

Hebrews 8:13

verse 13,

it says,

a new covenant.

He has made the first

obsolete.

Now,

what is coming,

becoming obsolete

is growing old

and is ready

to vanish away.

But it won't vanish away

until after the great

white throne judgment

because that's what

God uses to judge

the unrighteous dead

and the unrighteous angels

and Satan himself,

that,

that

old

wineskin.

And so,

it's not to be

totally done away with,

but just embrace

the new one

and you'll have joy

forevermore.

Let's pray.

Father,

thank you.

Thank you for this day.

Thank you for,

Lord,

giving us joy.

Lord,

that we can have joy

in the face of heartache.

We can have joy

even when we fail

because of what you've done.

that your mercy

and your grace

is part of that new wine

that gives us

and affords us

that relationship

with you

that is so beautiful.

And I just pray

for anyone today,

Lord,

who hasn't come

and tasted

and seen how good you are.

Lord,

that maybe in this message

that you're calling,

just as you called Matthew

and said,

follow me.

And maybe you're knocking

on the door

of someone's heart today.

I just pray

that they would come forward

and be prayed for

and know that

they can experience joy,

that you

replace the heaviness

of sorrow

and you replace

the weight of the guilt

that we all carry sometimes.

And so we just thank you

that you've paid that price

for us

and that you're

calling us,

you're preparing us

for a ministry.

Lord,

it could be as simple

as just ministering

to one another,

a husband and wife

and a marriage,

Lord,

or just the little ones

that you put

in their lives,

Lord.

But you've called us all

to be this fruitful vine

that bears fruit,

that when you come,

you'll find faith

on the earth.

In Jesus' name,

amen.

Hey, let's all stand

and I'm going to ask

the prayer team

to come up

and I'm going to close

with a song here.

And if you need

the prayer team

to pray for you,

if you need to give

your heart to Jesus

and you're thinking,

man, I want to get baptized.

And if you want to get baptized

and you got questions about it,

come up here.

These guys will kind of

line you out.

And then after this song,

we'll dismiss

and head kind of

towards the pool

and watch some people

follow the Lord

in baptism.

I'm hot now.

Well, at Valleygate

the other night,

Jason Lance did this song

and I hadn't heard it.

It's a Zach Williams song,

but it's called

Face to Face.

Oh, I'm a traveler

Far from home

I get lost

I press on

Cause there's a mansion

And streets of gold

Where I belong

If there's a day

Coming soon

Where the old

Be made new

And heaven's glory

Shines like the morning

Before our eyes

When we all

See Jesus

When we all

See Jesus

Face to face

See Jesus

Face to face

Then we will sing

With angel voices

There will be

A great rejoicing

Holy, holy

Worthy

Worthy

Worthy

Worthy

Worthy

Is the Lamb

When we all

When we all

When we all

See Jesus

When we all

See Jesus

Face to face

God bless you guys

Have a great week

If you want to

Witness the baptism

We'll be in the pool

When we all

See Jesus

When we all

See Jesus

Face to face to face

When we all

See Jesus

Face to face

Face to face

you