Now he'll turn once again to
Mark, 2nd chapter of Mark, Mark chapter 2. And while the Lord Jesus, you
remember he had called Matthew. Matthew was a notorious, wretched
rebel against God, and yet the Lord Jesus walked one day in
front of his business. His business was to take taxes
of the Jews and give them to the Romans. The Lord Jesus walked
up in front of his table one day and looked dead in the eye
of Matthew. That eye and that look of God
Almighty piercing the heart of that sinner and he called him
by name and he said, This is that irresistible call
of God Almighty that will be answered by the sinner. Matthew,
follow me. And it says that he left all,
he closed up his books, went out of business, he left all,
and he followed the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation had come to
his house that day. He met the Savior, God Almighty,
and the Lord invaded his heart. And you know what happened? Matthew
said, Lord, come to my house. Come home to my house. You see,
when God does a work of grace in the heart, He changes the
thoughts, the attitude, Matthew was in the business of taking,
taking, taking. Give me your taxes. Now, he has
a generous heart. He's going to give. He invites
not only the Lord Jesus to come home and dine with him that day,
but he also invited all of his tax collecting friends. Maybe
he invited even his boss, Ozakius. He was the chief publican. He
invited all his friends to come home. Come to my house. I want you to meet my Savior.
I want you to meet my Master. And he opened the doors of his
home because God opened his heart. You remember studying through
the book of Acts? When Paul went down to that creek
side where Lydia and the women were worshiping that day? And
Paul preached the gospel to those women. And it says there that
the Lord opened Lydia's heart. Do you remember the rest of the
story? And she constrained Paul and
said, I want you to come home with me. I want you to preach
that gospel to my family. I want them to hear that. You
see, God opened her heart. And she opened her hand. She
was a businesswoman. Seller of purple. in that same
town of Philippi, when Paul was beaten and put in jail. Remember? And that night he sang praises
unto the Lord, him and Silas. And God stirred the heart of
a jailer that night, and he came and cried and said, Paul, what
must I do to be saved? And Paul corrected him. He said,
salvation is not doing. He said, Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. And Paul preached the
gospel to him and God granted faith and God opened his heart
like he did Matthew's heart, like he did Lydia's heart. And
you know what the jailer said? He said, Paul, come to my house. And he took him home. And where
Paul and Silas had been beaten, it says there that he washed
his stripes. And that he and his whole house
were baptized. You see the point I'm making,
when God does a work of grace in the heart, He gives us a generous,
willing, loving, kind spirit and attitude before God. And
this is what we call the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, and all
these things. Now, our Lord declares, that
He came to save sinners in Mark chapter 2 verse 17. He said,
I came to call sinners. I didn't come to call the righteous.
The righteous don't need a Savior, do they? Who needs a Savior? Those who are guilty. Salvation
is for the guilty. Grace is for the guilty. Salvation
is for sinners. He said, I didn't come to call
the righteous but sinners to repentance. Well, in this same
gathering, in verse 18, the disciples of John came to him asking him
this question. The disciples of John and of
the Pharisees used to fast. You remember the Pharisees said,
I fast twice in a week. All the time fasting. All the
time mourning. All the time trying to satisfy
the bondage and the rigor of that law which they never could.
They were miserable. They were miserable. Self-righteousness
will do nothing but make you miserable. And they come to Him
and they say to Him, why do John's disciples and why do the Pharisees,
why do they fast all the time? They're all the time going about
to establish their own righteousness rather than resting in Christ
who is righteousness. And they complained to the Lord
and they said, well, your disciples, they're having a big time. They're
having a party here. They're rejoicing. And they were
jealous. And they were angry at the Lord. Now, what's he going to say?
Now, there's the question. I like when the question is asked
and then the Lord answers the question. I like that. His answers
are powerful. His answers are always correct
and to the point. And He does it this way, and
Jesus said to them, verse 19, you see it? He gives them two
parables, and here's the first one in answering that question. He said unto them, Can the children
of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?
As long as they have the bridegroom, they cannot fast. Well, they're
too busy. They're taking up with the bridegroom. They're rejoicing with Him. The
days will come though, our Lord says, when the bridegroom will
be taken away. The day will come when I will
go to Calvary Street and I will die for their sins and they will
be scattered. Then they will fast and they
will seek salvation in those days. They will. Now the story
of the Bridegroom and the Children. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
Bridegroom. Don't turn, let me just remind
you. You remember what John said over here? He that hath the Bride
is the Bridegroom, but the friend of the Bridegroom which standeth
and heareth him rejoices greatly because of the Bridegroom's voice.
This my joy therefore is fulfilled. The Lord Jesus Christ, He is
the Bridegroom. He loved the church and gave
Himself for it. He has sovereignly and secretly
chosen His own bride. From all eternity, He chose out
His bride. Sovereignly elected her and chose
her and set His love upon her. Our Lord says that those given
to Him, He said, they will come to Me and they will love Me. And I will love them. We love
Him because He first has loved us. He has no unwilling bride. All that the Father has given
to me, they will come to me. And those that come to me, I
will in no wise cast out. The Lord has sovereignly chosen
His bride. and those who will be his children
in that church of the Lord Jesus. The disciples of Christ here
are called the children, you see verse 19, they're called
the children of the bridegroom. Beloved, John says, now are we
sons of God. Think about that. Beloved, now
are we sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall
be, but when He shall appear, we shall be like Him. We are
children of God by a sovereign adoption of His grace. He chose
us, and He loved us. He's made us sons of God by His
grace, and has affectionately called us to the wedding feast.
Irresistibly called us and compelled us to the wedding feast. And
we do come. And we do embrace the Bridegroom,
the Lord Jesus. Now what the Bridegroom is to
the Bride? What the Bridegroom is to the
Bride and the children, the Lord Jesus Christ is to His Church. He said, I am the Bridegroom
and the children do rejoice in me. And what the bridegroom is
to the bride, the Lord Jesus Christ is to His church. He loves
His own with an everlasting love. He said nothing can separate
the believer from that love of God which is in the Lord Jesus
Christ. He has loved His own with an
everlasting love. He said, therefore, with loving
kindness, I'll draw you to Myself. He takes them into union with
Himself. He loves them with an everlasting
love. He loves them with a sacrificial
love. Does He not? He loved the church
and gave Himself for it. Here in His love, not that we
love God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the sacrifice
for our sins. And He takes us into union with
Himself. What's through the head is through
the body. We are members one of another
in Him. We are His body. Now you think
of that marriage union between Christ and His church. When a
man marries a woman, you know what he does? When a man marries
a woman, he assumes all her debt. Her debt becomes his. And when the Lord Jesus Christ
married us and took us into union with Him, my debt of sin was
laid on Him, and He answered to it fully. And He paid it fully. He paid my debt in full. He assumed
my responsibility before God's law and paid my debt. He bought me with His own blood. We're bought with a price. Therefore,
glorify God in your body and in your spirit. Not only that,
He supplies all our need. And I have many. He supplies
all our need according to His riches in glory through Christ
Jesus. This is what the bridegroom is
to the bride. He loves us. He has chosen us. He has paid all our debt. He
supplies all our need. He is our wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption. Not only that, when a man marries
a woman, you know what she does? She takes his name. Doesn't she? My wife's maiden name is Ross.
She doesn't go anymore by Bridget Ross. She dropped that name and
she took my name, Artie. And the believer in the Lord
Jesus Christ, when we're in union with Him and one with Him, we
wear His name. The church of the firstborn,
the church of the living God. Jewels, His sheep, His bride,
His own, His children. He's my Lord. And we wear His
name. We take His name willingly. Take
His name. Not only that, but we rejoice
in Him. We rejoice in Him. We have no
confidence in the flesh. We are the true Israel which
worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and we have
no confidence in the flesh. Can the children of the bridegroom
fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have
the bridegroom, they cannot mourn, but they rejoice in him. Verse 20 of our text, he declares
this. He says, the day is coming when
my disciples here will mourn, they will fast. When I go to
Calvary tree, Calvary's cross, and give my life a ransom for
their sin, there is a time that they will mourn, and they will
fast. Turn over here to Mark chapter
8. Mark chapter 8 verse 31. The Lord died by God's decree
and purpose. He said, no man takes my life
from me. He came knowing that he would
die for the sins of his people. Mark chapter 8. Mark chapter
8 verse 31. And he began to teach them that
the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected of the
elders and of the chief priests and the scribes and be killed
and after three days rise again. And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him and began
to rebuke him. But when he had turned about
and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter saying, Peter,
you get out of my way. You're motivated by Satan. Thou
sabrest not the things that be of God, but the things that be
of man. You see, He must die for our
sin according to the Scripture. And He told His disciples later
on, turn over here to John chapter 16. John chapter 16. He told
them that he was going away to Calvary's tree. And the day would
come when they would be scattered, and that they would mourn. But
he gives them comfort even in that. Turn to John 16, look at
verse 28. I came forth from the Father,
and am come into the world again, and I leave the world and go
to my Father. His disciples said unto him,
Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb, Now
we are sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that
any man should ask thee. By this we believe that thou
camest forth from God. And the Lord answered them, Do
you really now believe? Behold, the hour cometh, yea,
is now come, that you shall be scattered, every man to his own,
and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the
Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto
you that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall
have trouble, but be of good cheer. I have overcome. I have overcome. He went to Calvary's
tree to accomplish our salvation, my friend. The just dying for
the unjust that he might bring us unto God. Now back to the
text. While the bridegroom was with
them, No need to fast and mourn. It's a time of rejoicing. It's
a time of salvation. But he says, when I go away to
accomplish their salvation, that will be a time for mourning and
fasting. Now, the second part of this,
in verse 21 and verse 22, the second part of it, answer he
gives, and he gives this second parable.
Verse 21, No man, no man seweth a piece of new cloth on an old
garment, else the new piece that filleth it up taketh it away
from the old, and the rent is worse. The garment is worse. And no man puts new wine into
old wineskins, else the new wine will break the old skin and the
wine will be spilled and the bottle will be marred. But new
wine must be put into new bottles. Here's what he's saying. A parable
is an earthly story that tells us heavenly and spiritual truth. He gives to us and reveals to
us that salvation is all of grace. It's not a mixture of new and
old. It's not a mixture of law and faith. It's not a mixture
of works and grace. It's not a mixture of Christ
and ceremony. It's not both. They won't mix. Salvation is not a mixture of
something new and something old. something we add or something
Christ gives. Salvation as it's taught in the
Word of God is all of grace and grace alone. Now let's look at
these two parts of this parable, verse 21. The Lord Jesus did
not live and die for us just to patch up our filthy, rotten
rags of self-righteousness. Now that's what I am by nature.
I am that old rotten rag full of holes, dirty and smelly before
God Almighty. The Lord Jesus didn't come to
put a patch or to patch up my self-righteousness, which is
filthy rags. That would make the gospel a
useless thing, would it not? And would make my condition actually
worse. If He just put a patch here or
a patch there, it still wouldn't cover my sin, would it? It would make the garment worse. It may even cause me to look
to myself rather than Christ alone. And we know from reading
the Word of God that saving faith looks to Christ alone. Now, a
couple of Scriptures. I want you to find Isaiah. Isaiah
chapter 64. And look at this. Do we need a patch? We just need
a patch job. Like you take an old inner tube.
When I was a little boy, I couldn't afford a new inner tube on my
bicycle. And I rode those tires off of
that thing. And when the tire wore thin,
I'd find me an old shoe. and cut an old piece of leather
and put a patch under that bicycle tire and put a patch on the tube
and I'd ride it some more. But my friend, salvation is not
like patchwork. I don't need a patch to help
me get along. I need a new life, a new Savior,
a new covenant in Christ Jesus. Here's the reason that patchwork
salvation, patchwork righteousness won't do. It'll make my condition
worse. Look what it says here. Isaiah
64 verse 6. Isaiah 64 verse 6. We're all
as an unclean thing. And all our righteousnesses are
as filthy rags. And we do all fade as a leaf. And our iniquities, like the
wind, have taken us away. Now read on. Look what it says
here. There is none that calls upon
thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee. For thou
hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us because of our
iniquity. But now, O Lord, thou art our
Father, we are the clay, thou our potter, and we are all the
work of thy hand. You see, I need for Him to be
all my salvation, not just a patch, not just a stick-on. Now stay
right here in Isaiah and find Isaiah 61. Saving faith looks
totally to Christ alone. Isaiah 61, stay right here a
minute. The Lord Jesus Christ lived perfectly, died justly,
putting away my sin, Not for a patchwork salvation, but to
completely cover me with a perfect robe of righteousness. Now I don't need just a patch
of salvation, a patch of righteousness. I need a garment that will cover
me from head to toe. A complete garment, perfect righteousness. Well Senator, where's that found? Tell me. Right here is the answer. Isaiah 61, look at verse 10. I will greatly rejoice in the
Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my
God, for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation. Now
who did it? He clothed me. Whose garment
is it? His. Who made it? His. This is
not a patchwork. This is not a stick-on righteousness.
This is not a pasted on righteousness. This is His garment that covers
from head to toe. With the garment of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness. As a bridegroom
decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself
with jewels. This is the righteousness that
the believer enjoys in Christ Jesus. A perfect righteousness. Well, how perfect is it? Turn
over here to the book of Colossians, chapter 1. Colossians, chapter
1. And let's see just how perfect
this garment is. It's a garment He's provided.
It's the righteousness and the salvation that He has provided.
Will He accept it? Only that which He provides will
He accept. Colossians, chapter 1, look at
verse 19. It pleased the Father that in him should all fullness
dwell, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him
to reconcile all things unto himself. By him I say, whether
they be things in earth or things in heaven, and you that were
sometimes alienated, enemies in your mind by wicked work,
yet now hath he reconciled, how, in the body of his flesh through
death, to present you, not patched up, It's got a stick on, a paste
it on, to present you holy, unblameable, unreprovable in God's sight. Now my friend, I declare unto
you that that's the righteousness that this sinner needs in Christ
Jesus. That's why I turn just over here
to, or back rather, to Philippians chapter 3. That's why we say
with Paul, we count all things but loss, dung, and ruin, that
we may win Christ. Philippians 3, 9. That we may
win Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ. Righteousness which is of God by faith. That's the garment
that will cover this sinner and put away all my sin. Christ Himself is all the believer's
righteousness before God, and it's not something pasted on.
Turn to Romans chapter 4. It's fully imputed, given to
the believer. Romans 4, 6, blessed even as
David also described it, the blessedness of the man to whom
God imputed righteousness. You know what impute means? Accounted, given, reckoned to
your account without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities
are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to
whom the Lord will not impute sin. Back to the text. The Lord himself is that righteousness we made new in Christ. Now the
second part of this parable is this, verse 22. No man puts new
wine into old bottles, else the new wine will break the old wineskin,
the wine will be spilled and the bottle will be marred, but
we put new wine into new wineskins. The old wineskin represents the
old rotted out works religion. that cannot receive the new wine,
the new covenant of grace alone in Christ, it would break their
bottle and dash their hopes in pieces. The old wineskin, the old sin
nature, the old carnal mind, the old natural man is enmity
against God. Let me show you that. Turn back
to Romans. Chapter 8. The old, carnal, natural
man will not take and will not have salvation by grace alone. And here's the reason why. Oh,
they'll hate religion. They're full of religion. But
I'm saying the natural man hates the way of grace. If you're a
lover of salvation by the grace of God, it's only because God
makes you to love it. Look what it says in Romans 8,
7 and 8. Romans chapter 8. The carnal
mind is enmity against God. You know what that word enmity
means? Deep-rooted hatred against God. It's not subject to the law of
God, neither indeed can be. So then, they that are in the
flesh cannot please God. The old wineskin, the old carnal
natural man will not receive the things of God because he
is at enmity. He is at enmity against God. I want you to find 1 Corinthians
chapter 2. They will not receive the new
wine into that old wineskin. The natural man is opposed to
grace. Did you know that? They are now. Especially the religious man.
1 Corinthians chapter 2. Our Lord
says this in verse 14. The natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness unto
him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned. But he that is spiritual discerneth all things, yet he
himself is understood of no one else but another believer. They
understand. New wine, now look back at the
text here. Verse 22, our Lord says, new
wine must be put into new bottles. What is this new wine? The gospel
of God's grace in Christ Jesus. That new wine, that new covenant.
The gospel of Christ must be put into new bottles. What is
that talking about? What is this new bottle? What
is this new wineskin? I'll tell you what it is. It's
the new nature. It's the new man. It's the regenerated
believer made new in Christ Jesus. If any man be in Christ, he's
a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold,
all things have become new. New. Let's turn and read that. I want you to mark this in your
Bible. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. That new wine must be received
by a new heart, a new spirit, a new nature. Because the old
rotten wineskin of the flesh will not have grace alone. Christ alone, faith alone, to
the glory of God alone will not have it. must be made new. That's why it says over here
in 2 Corinthians 5 verse 17, Therefore if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creation, a new creature. Old things are passed away, and
behold, all things are become new. New. We've been given a
new nature. Turn over here to Ephesians chapter
4. We've been given a new nature.
That's what happens in regeneration. Regeneration is not fixing up
this flesh. This flesh is flesh. That which
is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the spirit
is spirit. He creates within us a new man. A new nature. Look what it says
here in Ephesians chapter 4. That's why that new wine must
be put in a new bottle. New life. You had the quickened
who were dead in sin. Ephesians 4 verse 24. Put on the new man which after
God is created in righteousness and true holiness. That's that
new nature. Now I want you to find 2 Peter
chapter 1. 2 Peter chapter 1. New wine must be put into new
bottles and both will be preserved. kept by the power of God. 2 Peter
chapter 1, look at verse 3. According as his divine power
hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness,
through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory
and virtue, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious
promises, that by these ye might be partakers of a divine nature,
having escaped the corruption that is in this world through
lust. Now, I want you to find Ezekiel. Ezekiel. You had Isaiah there
a moment ago. You find Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentation, Ezekiel. Ezekiel
chapter 36. And he talks about this new wine
being put into new bottles. Ezekiel 36. Verse 25, Ezekiel 36, 25, Then
will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from
all your filthiness, and from all your idols. And I will cleanse
you, and give you also a new heart also will I give you, and
a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away that
stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of
flesh. Take away that stony fleshly
heart and give you a new heart. And I'll put My Spirit within
you, and cause you to walk in My statues. And you shall keep
My judgments and do them. And you shall dwell in the land
that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be My people, and
I will be your God." And that's a picture of what God does in
salvation. He saves us by His grace. I want
to show you something here in Matthew. In Matthew 9, when Matthew
writes of this parable, In Matthew 9, turn over there. Matthew 9,
17. Matthew 9, 17. Neither do men
put new wine in the old bottles, else the bottles break, and the
wine runs out and the bottles perish, but they put new wine
in new bottles and both are preserved. Kept by the power of God. Kept
by the power of God. Now I want to show you one other
thing here. I think it's Luke chapter 5, turn over there. And
he must do this because Luke gives us a little bit more on
that parable. In Luke chapter 5, look what he says right here.
And here's the old carnal natural mind who will not have the way
of grace. Luke chapter 5 verse 39, you
see it? Luke 5, verse 39. No man also having drunk old
wine straightway desires the new, for he says, Oh, the old,
the old is better. And that's what the old, rotten,
sinful flesh says. The old is better. He doesn't
want the new way of grace in Christ Jesus. In closing, remember
this. Never receive the Lord Jesus
Christ as a part Savior. Never receive Him just to make
up some deficiency in your righteousness because we have no sufficiency. Never receive Christ as a part
Savior. To those who believe Christ crucified
is not part, eat everything. In Him dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily, and in Christ we stand complete. He
is all of our salvation. He is all of our righteousness
before God. Never receive the new wine of
the gospel as something... Now listen to me. Never receive
the new wine of the gospel, that new covenant of grace, as something
that must fit into our old ways, our old traditions. It won't
fit. It's like trying to put a square
peg in a round hole. It won't fit. You cannot mix
works and grace. Never receive the new wine of
the gospel as something that must fit in with your old tradition
or old ways. There's a way that seems right
unto men. The end of that way is death. The Lord Jesus Christ
is the only way of salvation. There is salvation in no other,
no other, but in Christ Jesus alone.