Do not set aside the grace of God

DO NOT SET ASIDE THE GRACEOF GOD
Luke 5:36-38 No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’”
Leading up to these statements Jesus and his disciples were questioned about eating and drinking with tax collectors and about fasting. Luke 5: 29-34 “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.” 34 Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? 35 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.”
It’s not about the keeping Laws. It’s about grace. Jesus has called a tax collector and Levi had a banquet at his home for Jesus – Grace. Jesus and his disciples eat with sinners – Grace. The disciples eat instead of fasting – Grace. The future of following God is going to be different. It’s not going to be by sticking to rituals and laws. It’s going to be new – And I think Jesus actually knows there need to be time for his disciples to adapt. When Jesus points out that “new wine must be poured into new wineskins.” He then goes on to say... 39 And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’”
Because what is happening in this passage of scripture is the old having a problem with the new. Because some think the old is better. The old way says to fast and pray - new way says you can eat. The old way says don’t eat with sinners - the new way says you can. The old way says there should be prayer and fasting - the new ways says you don’t have to....Because Jesus...the bridegroom is with them...Yes there will be times of prayer and fasting in the future....But now the bringer of the new way is here...And he is ushering in the new wine...He has the new garment...and it’s not going to be about patching up an old garment...It’s about a new beginning...
Jesus knows the old will be hard to let go of....He is sensitive to that...So he, by grace, is going to teach his disciples the principles of the new way...But as we know from the parable of the garment...The old and the new don’t mix effectively...they are incompatible ...As Christians we can see the incompatibility...

Old way...Frequent Animal sacrifice for sin...New way = Once and only Sacrifice of Jesus..once forever
Old way = A people/nation that God worked through New way = is about a person that God works through – Jesus
Old way = Shows the wrath of God towards sin...New way = Reveals God’s grace towards sinners
When I think of these things it’s difficult to believe anyone can think the old wine is better...But this was a tension for the early church in teaching and practice...in Gal:1: 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ...And look at what Paul had to confront Peter with...Gal 2:11 When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.14 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?15 “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles 16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
The Old Testament records the giving of God’s Law, and the New Testament shows how Jesus the Messiah fulfilled that Law (Matthew 5:17; Hebrews 10:9).

In the Old Testament, God’s dealings are mainly with His chosen people, the Jews; in the New Testament, God’s dealings are mainly with His church (Matthew 16:18).

Physical blessings promised under the Old Covenant (Deuteronomy 29:9) give way to spiritual blessings under the New Covenant (Ephesians 1:3).

The apostles and believers were struggling at times with this new garment and old and new wine...Paul was making it very clear about the hypocrisy of Peter...The Gospel is justification by faith in Jesus Christ....not by the works of the law...The Gospel is a gospel of grace
Gal 2:19 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
“I do not set aside the grace of God” “for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”...We are not to set aside the grace of God for ourselves or for others...Because if we do.....if we put on the old garment...drink the old wine....try to gain anything through the law....we will set aside Grace.....and the message we live is that Christ died for nothing! Obviously I’m not discounting praying and fasting – financial giving – material giving – caring for others...But all those things can be done legalistically as a way to find favour with God– and if so – Christ died for nothing...It’s the old wine – the old garment!
But when we are motivated by our relationship with Jesus...We may fast and pray because our heart yearns to...We give money because we desire to serve that way.....with no thought of benefit to ourselves...We give not to be seen as being someone special in doing so...it’s a blessing to be able to give...We do things in secret that God sees but no one else...We don’t live in fear of God punishing us if we fail to keep the ‘laws’.
We will fail...But we have Christ...The life we now live in the body, we live by faith in the Son of God, New wine – New Garment – Life in Christ – We will fail – But when we do – let’s not try to use the law to get ourselves back on track...It won’t work – just dig a deeper hole of failure.
Love words of the old hymn...‘Grace will lead us home’...That’s why we are to live – IN THE GRACE OF GOD...Jesus didn’t die for nothing....He died so we might have life abundantly – by the grace of God...Moses – did Moses part the waters – Grace of God did...Noah – build a perfect water proof Ark – God sealed them in – Grace of God...Daniel – hungry lions – honoured God with his devotional life – Grace...Shadrach Meshach and Abednego – made a stand for God – Grace...ALL BY THE GRACE OF GOD
Then there is the way we look at ourselves too...Jesus forgives us...but do we neglect to forgive ourselves...There is no condemnation in Christ (Romans 8:1)....but do we condemn ourselves for failures...Do we accept ourselves as we are – because Jesus does...We must make sure we accept we are children of Grace...Don’t set aside Grace that we need to experience
Do we beat ourselves up over our failures and sometimes perceived failures...Do we punish ourselves emotionally – I deserve to feel bad....Do we think God does not love us anymore....Do we think no one can love us....Do you think you can’t go on any further....We must always remember that Jesus loves us unconditionally...Not based on what we have done or not done....Not based on if we feel good or bad...It’s based on one thing and summed up in three words...“It is finished” – It is finished – reminds us...There is a new garment...There is new wine...I like to translate it as God saying....I love you, here is my Grace
Don’t set aside the grace of God.....Embrace the grace of God and live in it. Matt 13:52
He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."
Our God is so big that, at least in this life, there will always be something new for us...we need to learn to live in the grace of God embracing the new God gives us...but still being ready and open to the next new thing he has for us.