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MARK 2:18-22

18 Now the disciples of John and the Pharisees used to observe days of fasting. So some people came to Jesus and asked, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast but your disciples do not fast?” 19 Jesus said to them, “Are the wedding guests able to fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as the bridegroom is with them they are not able to fast. 20 But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them and then they will fast.” 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does the patch will tear away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear will be made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins because the new wine will burst the skins and the wine will be spilt and the skins destroyed. New wine is to be put into new wine skins.”

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18 Now the disciples of John and the Pharisees used to observe days of fasting. So some people came to Jesus and asked, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast but your disciples do not fast?” 19 Jesus said to them, “Are the wedding guests able to fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as the bridegroom is with them they are not able to fast. 20 But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them and then they will fast.” 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does the patch will tear away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear will be made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins because the new wine will burst the skins and the wine will be spilt and the skins destroyed. New wine is to be put into new wine skins.”

FIND A NATURAL SECTION BREAK IN THE MIDDLE

1ST SECTIONRead, read, tell’n’check, tell’n’check

18 Now the disciples of John and the Pharisees used to observe days of fasting. So some people came to Jesus and asked, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast but your disciples do not fast?” 19 Jesus said to them, “Are the wedding guests able to fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as the bridegroom is with them they are not able to fast. . 20 But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them and then they will fast.”

2ND SECTIONRead, read, tell’n’check, tell’n’check

21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does the patch will tear away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear will be made.

22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins because the new wine will burst the skins and the wine will be spilt and the skins destroyed. New wine is to be put into new wine skins.”

3 Q’s

1. WHAT HAD GOD MADE US AWARE OF ?

WHAT HAD GOD MADE US AWARE OF ?

1. Both the Pharisees and the disciples of John observed the twice weekly fasts (Monday and Thursday)

2. Jesus and his disciples didn’t observe these two traditional fasts.

3. Some people came and asked Jesus why, if he was supposed to be a spiritual hot shot, did NOT fast on Mondays and Thursdays.

WHAT HAD GOD MADE US AWARE OF ? [2]

4. Jesus drew an analogy between fasting and a wedding.

5. He said the reason why he and his disciples DIDN’T fast was the same as the reason why guests didn’t fast at a wedding: i.e. a wedding was a time for celebration and fasting was not relevant as an expression of celebration.

6. He also presumed that HE was like the bridegroom in the analogy and HIS PRESENCE was reason to celebrate, therefore fasting was inappropriate.

‘inappropriate ?’

absurd, balmy, beyond all reason,

bizarre, cockeyed, foolish, goofy,

idiotic, ill-conceived, inane, odd, out

of all reason, outrageous, ludicrous,

peculiar, preposterous, ridiculous,

silly, strange, weird.

religious fasting and spiritual fasting

Fasting ?

WEDDING HAPPENING

bridegroom present

WEDDING OVERbridegroom not

present

WHAT HAD GOD MADE US AWARE OF ? [3]

7. Jesus said there was another issue involved in the matter of religious and spiritual fasting.

8. It was a matter of recognizing that something NEW was happening and the OLD and the NEW would never mix together.

9. He used two analogies to explain this: old and new cloth being sewn together and old and new wine and wineskins.

10.He warned that if you try to make the NEW fit with the OLD it will end up destroying both. New only works with new and old will always be old.

theGOSPEL COVENANT

must have aGOSPEL LIFESTYLE

Beware the old – presenting as preferred because it is more familiar, predictable and comfortable

Beware the re-badged old

presenting as if it is new but totally old

3 Q’s1. WHAT HAD GOD MADE US AWARE OF ?2. WHAT IF THIS WERE HAPPENING IN MY

LIFE?

WHAT IF THE PEOPLE WHO LISTENED TO JESUS HAD GOT THE

MESSAGE?

• The Pharisees and the disciples of John would have joined the wedding celebration time and would have enjoyed getting to know the “BRIDEGROOM.”

• They would have learned the difference between regulated religious activities and genuine spiritual relationship with God.

• They would have become aware that God was doing a new thing. The fulfillment time was happening before their eyes and everything the Scriptures were talking about was happening in their presence.

• They would have learned the difference between what they had made of the old covenant and the true intention of God as Jesus represented it every single day. (forgiveness, healing, freedom, love, acceptance, lack of discrimination etc.)

WHAT IF I GET THIS MESSAGE?

• I will remove fasting from the list of things I do to try and twist God’s arm about something and realize that it has to do with REGAINING the LOST EXPERIENCE OF HIS PRESENCE.

• I will do an AUDIT on my SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES to see whether they express a relationship with Jesus or are simply religious habits.

• I will do the same audit on my lifestyle to see if it reflects the freedom and values of the gospel covenant or a religious version of the old covenant.

• I will seek to follow Jesus and allow his values and priorities to become mine, by supernatural transformation – not religious rigour.

3 Q’s

1. WHAT HAD GOD MADE US AWARE OF ?2. WHAT IF THIS WERE HAPPENING IN MY

LIFE?3. WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?

3 P’s

1. PRACTICE doing whatever it is that qualifies as a response to what God has

said.2. PLAN when and how you are going to do it3. PRAY and ask God to do in you what the

practice represents faith for.

PRACTICE:

time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Heb.5

11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this

HOW and WHAT SHOULD I PRACTICE?

• Valuing and recognizing his PRESENCE and fasting when I lose the experience of his presence.

• Building spiritual activities around relationship with Jesus e.g. Bible study and prayer.

• If I find that my lifestyle does not reflect the gospel I will make changes and practice what I am not doing until it becomes a valued part of my lifestyle.

• Seeking transformation where I have been relying on simply trying to do the right thing.

3 P’s

1. PRACTICE doing whatever it is that qualifies as a response to what God has

said.2. PLAN when and how you are going to do it3. PRAY and ask God to do in you what the

practice represents faith for.

theGOSPEL COVENANT

must have aGOSPEL LIFESTYLE

WHEW!THAT WAS

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she nearly dropped the phone