New Wine for New Wineskins November 2020

A number of years ago I read the following in a secular study titled, “Born to Roar”:

“When lions roar loudly and deeply – terrifying every creature within earshot – they are somewhat like human babies crying for attention, although their voices are much deeper. Roaring is similar to what a baby sounds like when it cries – in some ways, the lion is a large replica of a crying baby, loud and noisy, but at very low pitch.”
“A baby cries to have people come to help it. The lion uses similar attention-getting sound, but mainly to say, ‘I am here, this is my territory, get out of here.”

We are born again with the cry, “Abba, Father”. That roar not only gets the attention of heaven, it also warns off the enemy. The enemy is very afraid when he discovers that you know your identity as a child of God. That is why he attacked Jesus’ identity by saying, “If you are the Son of God….”

I’m no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God. That is our anthem, our spirit cry, our righteous roar. Jesus said that the words he speaks are spirit and life. Spirit words can only be truly received and understood at a life-giving and life-sustaining level by our spirit. Our soul is not equipped to properly interpret and process spirit words. That is the reason there are so many different interpretations of what Jesus said.

In 2 Peter 1 we are told that no prophecy of Scripture is of a private or personal interpretation. Sadly, there have been many soulish interpretations that have left people powerless, helpless and hopeless in the face of trouble that they were designed to overcome.

Let’s look at an example that I believe will help us to see this.

John 16: 33

33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

These are spirit words and Jesus is reminding us that he has equipped us with a word that is more than sufficient to keep us in perfect peace – perfect shalom – with nothing missing and nothing broken and with everything that we will ever need already supplied.

In our Hebridean climate – as in many other parts of the world – it is common to experience severe storms as passing weather fronts stir things up. After a storm passes people usually go around checking their property for any damage, because every time there is a storm they expect damage – they expect things to be missing and things to be broken.

In the spiritual realm there are also passing weather fronts that stir up storms as kingdoms clash. However, Jesus says – and these are spirit words designed to produce supernatural life – that if we build our lives on what he says then we can expect to be storm-proof.

According to Jesus, when the storm passes we can actually expect there to be nothing missing and nothing broken. That will always be our spirit’s response to his spirit words but our soul is too often still locked into the world’s way of responding and so instead of hearing the next part of what Jesus says in John 16: 33 in the context of his first statement, the soul that is not in submission to the spirit virtually ignores the second part and receives the first part of what Jesus says as a promise.

In the world you will have tribulation….much trouble….

tribulation, thlipsis (thlip-sis); Strong’s #2347: Pressure, oppression, stress, anguish, tribulation, adversity, affliction, crushing, squashing, squeezing, distress.

Our unrenewed soul expects – and so it accepts – pressure, oppression, stress, anguish, tribulation, adversity, affliction, crushing, squashing, squeezing, and distress, etc as a fact of life, and even more bizarrely, as a fulfilment of what is perceived to be Jesus’ promise.

Which then makes the next part of Jesus’ statement a little hard to comprehend.  In fact it can sound a bit cruel to our whimpering, whining soul.

….but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

Cheer up.

The Amplified Bible says,

be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]….

We all know how much our soul just loves to hear words of encouragement like that in the midst of times of trouble. The truth is that our soul often hates to hear such things and would much prefer to receive sympathy and pampering.

Jesus prayed that we would be in the world but not of the world because we are kingdom citizens and kingdom ambassadors, and his kingdom is not of this world.

The reality is that there are a very small minority of folks who are able to respond to trouble with a natural resilience or optimism. But we as believers who have been born from above and whose spirits have been quickened and brought to life are actually supposed to be resting in peace.

I have often wondered how that phrase get relegated to grave stones. Maybe the confusion arose from the fact that we are already dead to sin and alive to God.

As born again children of God we should no longer passively accept pressure, oppression, stress, anguish, tribulation, adversity, affliction, crushing, squashing, squeezing, and distress, etc as a fact of life. On the contrary we actively and aggressively expect the manifestation of God’s peace to keep us in the place of care-free superabundance in regards to our protection and provision. We actively and aggressively expect the fullness of shalom with nothing missing and nothing broken.

Where does that peace emanate from? Our spirit that is joined to the Lord.

1 Corinthians 6: 17

17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

Romans 5:1

1 Therefore being justified (declared righteous) by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

It’s not something we are striving to attain to – it’s ours right now. We have peace. We have spirit words to cover every situation and circumstance – words that are charged with the supernatural power to keep us in perfect peace.

Philippians 4: 6 – 7

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus

Apparently the Greek word thlipsis which is translated as tribulation in John 16 is a word that was used for crushing grapes or olives in a press. As I was meditating on this a few years ago I received revelation that had me shouting praise as I sat at my desk in my study with my hands held high.

You see, it is possible to look at thlipsis from a soulish perspective and think to yourself very piously and religiously, “Oh yes, that is how the new wine is created…. through all of our suffering….through all of our trouble….”

But to be honest, in my experience trouble very often seems to produce more of an old whine in those who
succumb to its pressure. New wine isn’t formed by crushing, squashing, or squeezing – new wine is actually created supernaturally by doing whatever the Lord says. At the wedding at Cana when they had run out of wine Mary told the servants, “Whatever he says to you, do it….”  And as they followed through on Jesus’ instructions new wine was created and the glory of God was revealed.

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace”

We need to stop seeing trouble as opposition, and begin to see it for what it really is – opportunity. Just like Mary did.

I have said more than once since this covid-19 trouble came along that it has presented the church with the greatest opportunity we have had in a long time to stand out as being radically different in our response to the crisis – to the trouble.

It is our opportunity to be courageous [to be confident, to be undaunted, to be filled with joy].

We are not here to try and prove something to God, but we are here to prove something for God.

We are the proof of God’s existence – of his faithfulness, of his omnipotence, of his omniscience, and of his omnipresence. We are here as signs and wonders.

Trouble is our opportunity to reveal God’s glory. We should never be troubled by trouble – trouble should always be troubled by us.

The truth is that our message has never been so relevant. I remember saying toward the beginning of lockdown that we have been prepared for such a time as this and that the message the Lord has been building in us will not change as a result of the pandemic and will still be just as relevant after it is all over.

Remember the storm-proof house? It is a well established fact that the foundation is the most important part of any building if that building is going to remain standing.

Proverbs 9: 1

1 Wisdom has built her house; She has dug out and set up her seven pillars.

Matthew 7: 24 – 27

24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who (dug down deep and) built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

A long time ago I believe the Holy Spirit helped me compile a list of seven pillars that God’s word can establish in us and upon which our lives can be built:

A sin-proof heart; a sickness-proof body; an oppression / depression-proof mind; recession-proof finances; divorce-proof marriage; strife-proof relationships; death-proof life.

A sin-proof heart proves – is the proof – that righteousness is God’s perfect will.

A sickness-proof body proves – is the proof – that healing is God’s perfect will.

An oppression / depression-proof mind proves – is the proof – that freedom from fear and anxiety is God’s perfect will.

Recession-proof finances prove – is the proof – that prosperity is God’s perfect will.

Strife-proof relationships prove – are the proof – that unity and un-offendability are God’s perfect will.

Death-proof life proves – is the proof – that care-free and superabundant longevity are God’s perfect will.

Jesus didn’t say that he had come so that we could endure life – he said that he had come so that we could have and enjoy a life of care-free superabundance.

He didn’t come so that we could endure sickness – he came so that we could enjoy health and strength. Jesus said on more than one occasion that those who endure to the end will be saved. The Greek word translated as endure here is hupomeno.  In the Study Bible that I use this word is defined this way:

hupomeno – to hold one’s ground in conflict, bear up against adversity, hold out under stress, stand firm, persevere under pressure, wait calmly and courageously.  It is not passive resignation to fate and mere patience, but the active, energetic resistance to defeat that allows calm
and brave endurance.

I was just a little dissatisfied with the general translation and definition of this word as it seemed to have too many under’s, and so I decided to look separately at the two Greek words that make up this word.

hupo –  under

meno – remain, continue, abide
 
In John 8 Jesus says that if we continue or abide – and the Greek word used here is meno – in his word then we will know the truth and the truth will make us and keep us free. To me it doesn’t make sense that we are being exhorted to continue under things like stress and pressure.

We are told in 1 Peter 5: 6 to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. We are told that we are under the authority of heaven. And so surely these realities place us over everything else – including stress and pressure, etc.

I believe that to endure is to remain under the Lordship of Jesus Christ which keeps us over everything else.

In fact that is our New Wine Church vision statement: The people of the world under the Lordship of Jesus Christ – Saved, Healed, and Delivered.

That means we are over sin and sickness and oppression.