We are all experiencing something new in 2021: new president, new Covid vaccine, new opportunities, new fears, etc. Regardless of all these new things we are experiencing, let us look at what Jesus has to say about the ultimate newness that He has brought into this world.
Matthew 9:17
“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.”
Jesus is the new wine. Everything new we are experiencing is nothing compared to the new wine. They are all tasteless and unsatisfying. We must always look to Jesus and seek Him out to satisfy the deepest desire of our souls.
We are the new wineskin. We have been transformed into a new creation when we have received Christ in our lives. The old wineskin was cheap and broken. Our new wineskin is precious and strong. We must no longer live in sin and shame but with truth and courage.
We must live in our newness of life. In order for Jesus to work effectively in our lives, we have to embrace our new wineskin. We must remember that the old has gone and the new has come. We are not living for ourselves anymore but we are living for God. Let us all face this new year with boldness knowing that our eternal home is not in this world but the world to come.
我們都在2021年遇見新事：新總統，新疫苗，新機會，新恐懼等。不管我們遇到甚麼新事，讓我們看看耶穌怎麼說，祂為這世界所帶來的新事。
“也沒有人把新酒裝在舊皮袋裡；若是這樣，皮袋就裂開，酒漏出來，連皮袋也壞了。惟獨把新酒裝在新皮袋裡，兩樣就都保全了。”（馬太福音9:17）
1. 耶穌是新酒。與這新酒相比，我們正在經歷的所有新事物都算不了什麼，這些都是索然無味、不能令人滿足的。我們必須始終仰望耶穌，並尋求祂，來滿足我們靈魂最深切的渴望。
2. 我們是新皮袋。當我們接受基督在我們生命中時，我們已經變化更新，成為新的創造。舊皮袋便宜破舊，新皮袋則既珍貴、又結實。我們不再活在罪惡和羞辱中，而是活在真理和勇氣中。
3. 我們必須活在新的生命中。為了讓耶穌更有效地在我們的生命中工作，我們必須擁抱我們的新皮袋。我們必須記住，舊的已經過去，新的已經來到。我們不再為自己而活，而是為上帝而活。讓我們大家勇敢地面對新的一年，因為我們永恆的家不在這個世界上，而是在那將來的世界。
～ Min. David Or 柯啟洋傳道～
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