LIVING IN CHANGING SEASONS

LIVING IN CHANGING SEASONS (Fifth part) 7/30/2010

Memory verse: (Mark 2:22) " And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins ”

Life changes with seasons. Changes in seasons of life bring new things in our lives. But Jesus taught a vital principle from ordinary things. Normally they put new wine in new wineskins. The Pharisees saw what God was doing in the ministry of Jesus but they could not have it. The scriptures they used were the same Jesus used, they prayed and Jesus also was prayerful, they taught and Jesus taught also, they gave tithe etc but the results of Jesus ministry and the Pharisees ministry were like heaven from earth. Jesus did miracles, healed the sick, cleansed the lepers, cast out devils, preached with authority and power etc.

Pharisees could not produce what Jesus ministry did. They envied his anointing but could not copy it. There was something unique in the life of JESUS that produced these results in his ministry, which the Pharisees didn’t have. What is it?  Jesus stood up one day and said to all people "the Spirit of God is upon me and he has anointed me" (Lk 4:18-19). They never had the Spirit of God and his anointing. They did not have the anointing because they were old wineskins. A wine skin is a vessel for carrying, containing and keeping wine. Our lives are vessels for carrying God’s Anointing (2 Cor4:7). Whenever a season changes, it requires that there will be changes in our lives if we are to receive the new anointing. God wants to do something new in your life, God wants you to renew your way of thinking, your methods of doing things, your strategies, your styles of preaching, your prayer life. One of the great weaknesses of people is we always want new things, we want to see things change in our families, ministries, businesses, etc but we don’t like to change. We want things to change but we don’t want to change in our lives. We are looking for change without cost. There’s nothing like costless change. Change is costly. Change is painful. Change takes great effort.

The message that preceded the coming of Jesus into the world was ‘ prepare the way of the Lord ’. Change is coming your way, God has new things in store for your life but are you read? God is pouring out the new wine of the end times, are you a renewed wine skin? You can’t afford to miss what God is doing in our age, just begin to allow God to work in your life to change you. There’s no impartation without participation.

Tomorrow’s subject: ‘ New season brings new ability ’