JESUS ON THE OLD AND THE NEW
September 3, 2006 PM
Sermon Outline
MK 2:21,22
INTRO: When Jesus came into this world, He came into a religious world deeply entrenched in forms, ceremonies and traditions. He came into a religious world in which the law of Moses had been the law of religious life for centuries. Little wonder, then, that the "religionists" of His day were found opposing Him at every turn. Every day was a day of careful scrutiny by those who quickly became His enemies. He was questioned about what He did and what He said ... often, not by those really wanting to know the truth. So, Jesus was faced with the challenge of helping sincere people to appreciate the old and accept the new. Much of what He said was toward that objective.
I. TWO WORD PICTURES
A. The background?
1. there had already been questions about His forgiving sins, fasting
2. and there would quickly be questions about the sabbath
B. Sewing new cloth on an old garment - Mk 2:21
1. the old garment had a tear, or a hole, in it
2. solution? sew a patch of new cloth on it
3. but as the new cloth shrank, the old cloth would tear ... be made worse
C. Putting new wine in old skins - Mk 2:22
1. old skins had become stretched and had in them residue of bacteria
2. new wine would, over time, begin to ferment quickly with the presence of the bacteria - fermentation would cause gases which would increase pressure
3. finally, the old, stiff skins would burst
D. The truth Jesus sought to impart?
1. the Old Covenant and the New Covenant could not be mixed!
2. trying to do so would ultimately ruin both of the them
3. how did Jesus approach the Old Covenant? Mt 5:17 - notice that He came to "fulfil" ... an important difference between fulfilling and destroying
II. THE STRUGGLE IN THE EARLY CHURCH?
A. Very early there were those who sought to attach the Old to the New
1. I have a strong suspicion that this is a very natural human tendency
2. "I've been a Jew all of my life. Would it hurt if I kept the sabbath?"
3.it is just not easy to release our hold on years of upbringing & tradition
B. This problem is clearly noted in the letter to the Galatian church
1. Gal 4:9,10 - Gentile Christians "patching on" Jewish festivals
2. Gal 5:1,2 - "patching on" circumcision as a required religious ordinance
3. there were those teachers who did not understand that the Old and the New could not be mixed! and there must have been those people for whom this "mixing" was appealing
C. And consider the emphasis of the book of Hebrews
1. Heb 1:1-4 - affirming that Jesus is God's spokesman - Himself Deity
2. Heb 8:4-7 - affirming a better covenant, better promises than Mosaic
3. this entire letter addresses the comparison between the Old and the New and shows why the New is so much better - why, unless there was a problem with "patching on"?
III.HOW CAN THIS APPLY EVEN NOW?
A. The desire for instrumental music based on old covenant usage
1. instrumental music was part of temple observances
2. so, some insist that instrumental music must be acceptable because it was used in the Old Testament
3. however, this is just another "patch on" attempt as those of 1st century and has no more validity than binding holy days or circumcision - ruins the new!
B. Innovations from the denominational world
1. role of women, special clothing for preachers, titles for preachers
2. justification? modernizing - appealing to a broader audience
3. but such "patching on" violates the clear message and intent of scripture
CLOSE: Jesus permitted no "patching on" to the new covenant. It was tried and, in some respects, continues to be tried. Every time it is tried and accepted it results in something other than the church Jesus came to build!
Cecil A. Hutson
03 September 2006