"Change To Live" (Luke 5:36-39)

"Change To Live!"

A sermon preached on January 20, 2013 at Hebron Baptist Church, Denham Springs, Louisiana by Pastor Joe Alain. Scripture Reading: Luke 5:36-39
Meet Twinkie the Kid. He’s a familiar face to many, but he’s now empty and currently living in exile. Who would ever have thought that Twinkies would perish? Weren’t they supposed to last forever, even able to survive nuclear war? The reputation for longevity was reinforced in the film "Zombieland," featuring outspoken pastry fanatic Woody Harrelson embarking on a kamikaze mission for the last Twinkie on earth. In the 2008 movie "WALL-E," a Twinkie is sighted completely undecayed in its wrapper on WALL-E’s truck 700 years after the Earth was rendered uninhabitable for organic life forms. And in the 2012 movie "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance," the character Blackout has the power to decay anything he touches. When going through a lunch he causes a sandwich and an apple to decay in seconds, then is impressed when he is unable to cause a Twinkie inside the lunch box to decay.

Twinkies were advertised as "Golden Sponge Cake with Creamy Filling." However, there was a better chance of real sponge being in a Twinkie than real cream. For the record, Twinkies did have an expiration date, around 7-10 days.

A baker’s strike precipitated the end of production of Twinkies in November of 2012. But the real killer of Twinkies was our changing eating habits and competition. People say, "I loved Twinkies." Ok, "when was the last time you had one?" "Back in the third grade." Exactly. Aside from changing eating habits, there’s much more competition today then there was in the 1940's when Twinkies were first produced. And when Twinkie the Kid was born and made appearances on the Howdy Doody Show in the 1950s, what other shows were there that kids were watching? Time finally caught up with the beloved Twinkie.

The demise of Twinkies is a cautionary tale for the church. We cannot assume that things will continue on in the present as they always have in the past. And "Because change is from God, believers must embrace change as essential to our growth in Christ." We must "Change To Live!"

The Gospel is by its very nature living and active and as a result it must change that which it touches. Furthermore, the nature of the Gospel demands that it be accommodated in forms that can be understood by every generation. God-centered change, rather than dishonoring God, honors God by obeying His Word to proclaim the Gospel to all people.

In our Scripture, Jesus was called to task because he was not following the prescribed norms of religion. He wasn’t doing what was commonly expected (5:33), in this instance fasting. Jesus responded by telling them there would be a time to fast, but not while He the bridegroom was present. No one fasts at a wedding (5:34)! At the heart of the problem here was that the whole religious outlook of Jesus was so new and shocking, the Jewish leaders (the Pharisees) simply could not accept it or adjust to it. They didn’t realize that Jesus was the fulfillment of all that they had hoped for, that the fullness of time had come, the kingdom of God was in their presence. Content with the old wine of the law, they rejected the "new wine" of the Gospel of grace (5:39).

1. Why We Resist ChangeWhy did they resist Jesus? And why do we resist change, even when God is the one who is bringing the change about? There is in certain segments of the church a kind of passion for the old. It’s been said that nothing moves more slowly than a church. Some "think" that the old is always better. That was the case here (v.39). Luke’s not saying that the Law is better, only that it "seems to be" to people who won’t accept grace. The Law seems better for the same reason that it "seems better" for me to order Chicken and Dumplins at Cracker Barrel. It’s a known quantity, it’s safe, I know what to expect, it’s comforting. But what I’ve discovered is that when I venture off the tried and true there are many other menu items that are just as good.

In the church, we forget that what is "old" was once "new." Sunday School was a new method when Robert Raikes started promoting it in the late 18^th century. Hymn singing, the invitation, even the piano in worship – new methods that developed out of 19^th century revivalism with people like Charles Finney, D.L. Moody and Ira Sankey, Billy Sunday and Homer Rodeheaver, and Fanny Crosby. What is "old" and established was once "new" and controversial. But the church adopted new wine skins so that they could faithfully communicate the Gospel in their day.

2. Why We Should Accept Change Why should we accept change? We should not be afraid of change when God is the one who is doing the changing. Judaism was passing off the scene, Jesus was fulfilling the Old Covenant, God was doing a "new thing," but they did not know it. God in Christ was about to do what the Law could never do – bring about reconciliation with God, peace with God, resulting in the forgiveness of sins. To resist that change was to resist God’s gracious offer of salvation!

Believing in Jesus as LORD was once a "new thing." We should not be afraid of change when God is the one who is doing it. Why do we make pilgrimages to the mountains in Autumn? To see God’s glorious change on display! The seasons of the year (mostly absent in S. LA, or simply "Hot" and "Rain") are God’s way of displaying both the consistency and constant change that is inherent in His creation. It’s really illogical to outright reject change. We don’t reject other changes in the world. For example, new medical technologies, electricity, automobiles, refrigeration, restaurants, High Def TVs, I-phone’s, jet travel, indoor plumbing, etc.

God is a creative God who has created us to be creators, so we shouldn’t be surprised to see change in our world. But knowledge and creative ability comes from God. The world is not a separate sphere of creation and activity, all of it belongs to God. To outright reject change may be to reject the God who makes it so, just as the Jewish leaders who rejected change and in effect were rejecting God Himself.

3. How We Respond to Change in Negative WaysI’m not suggesting all change is good, there are negative ways to respond to change. Here are three.

(1) Do nothing and hope it gets better. Sometimes we simply fail to respond to changes happening around us. I’m sure there were people at Hostess who realized that not all moms were stuffing Twinkies in their child’s lunch boxes, but no one questioned why? Most of us realize that something is happening in the church, the pews are a little more empty each year, fewer of our neighbors give much thought to God, our culture is heading away from God, but we’re not sure why. And with a few exceptions, most of us keep doing the same things that we’ve always done, wishing things would stay the same or be different, but still just wishing.

(2) Change everything! Then there are times when the church responds with what I would call a "faith fire sale." Out of panic and desperation, weariness some churches throw out foundational faith teachings like curbside refuse, the proverbial baby (in this case "The Faith") gets thrown out with the bath water. Like Esau, they sell their birthright for a pot of gumbo.

I received an email several week’s ago that highlights this extreme response to culture. It was from the historic Washington Cathedral, a place where presidents have worshiped, where state funerals have been conducted, where the Inaugural Prayer Service will be conducted this week. Sadly, the email was an announcement from the Dean of the Cathedral that "effective immediately, same-sex weddings may be celebrated at Washington National Cathedral." What was equally disturbing was the Dean’s enthusiastic endorsement with words such as, "I consider it a great honor to lead this Cathedral as it takes another historic step toward greater equality . . . I am proud" for us as a church. The joyful enthusiastic abandoning of orthodox Christian faith, it causes no disturbance, it’s not even shocking anymore!

More often than not, and closer to our spiritual home, there are subtle attempts made to downplay truth. Changes are made and people are invited to put aside all preconceived notions about church and to experience God. But this God is very generic and anemic and he looks a lot like us, and he resembles very little of the God of the Bible. Biblical truth remains locked up in the attic like a forgotten dusty heirloom. Abandoning "The faith" while trying to make "The faith" acceptable to people without faith, casting precious pearls before swine (Matt. 7:6), is it any wonder the world has no respect, and tramples this kind of "New Christianity"?

Americans, whether Christian or not and Baptists share a steadfast belief in the doctrine of "pragmatism." We worship what works and if a method achieves the desired results, we will overlook most anything, baptize it and make it our own. But when it comes to "The faith," "The truth," pragmatism alone can never be what guides God’s people!

Using what’s been called the "seeker church" model, a church begins by asking people what they want, and then structuring "church" to meet people’s perceived needs. I say "perceived," because do lost people really know what they need? What we want are easy answers, quick fixes, no consequences for sinful actions, sex, food, and on and on. But what people "need" is reconciliation with God! But Christ crucified will never appeal to the "fleshly" person. The cross doesn’t make sense, it’s an offense! But the cross brings life, and if there’s no cross, there’s no life!

People are spiritual in nature (Eccl. 3:11), that has always been true and still is, but people are not basically "seeking" God. "There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God" (Rom. 3:11). The "seeker" myth has been effectively demolished, the myth being that if you make church like the world lost people will come and have a glorious experience with God. But the church is throwing parties for people who don’t care and who are not coming. The unpleasant reality is that many of our changes appeal to people who are already believers. But don’t lose heart in all of this, because that never has been God’s plan anyway. Jesus said "Go!" He never did say "Ya’ll Come!"

3. Hold on Aggressively. Another radical response to culture is to circle the wagons and hold on to what we have with a death grip. This is where most of SBC is. "You can have my religious traditions when you pull them out from my cold dead heart!" It’s been said repeatedly that if the 1950s ever make a comeback, most of our churches will be ready. The mistake here is to think that God only blesses our traditions, but one problem with that is that when you look at the Bible, God seems to bless the unorthodox, the oddballs, the people who don’t go through the normal channels.

4. A Model for God-Centered Change So how can we respond to change in a positive God-honoring way? Jesus’ words provide some guidance for what should change, what should remain, and how to tell the difference.

(1) On one level, this passage is teaching us that the Gospel is like the "new wine," which is living and active, and cannot be contained in old wine skins. The Gospel must be expressed in forms that may be understood in every generation. New wine (the Gospel) must be embodied in "new" or "fresh" wineskins. "Bottles in Palestine were made of skin. When new wine was put into them it fermented and gave off gas. If the bottle was new, there was a certain elasticity in the skin and it gave with the pressure; but if it was old, the skin was dry and hard and it would burst."

We should not be afraid (as the Pharisees were) of new methods that faithfully embody the Gospel message. "That a thing has always been done may very well be the best reason for stopping it. That a thing has never been done may very well be the reason for trying it." The question we should and must ask is, not do "I" like this method (as if following Jesus was a ‘pick and choose,’ ‘wine-tasting’ affair), or is this what we’ve always done," but "will this method help us to faithfully embody the Gospel of Jesus in our community?"

Sometimes "newer" methods may be old methods revived. In our passage Jesus hints that his disciples will once again "fast," that is, an "old" tradition will be revived. So we’re not making the assumption that everything new is good and everything old must be discarded. Often an old piece of clothing fits better; and if it has not been worn in a long time, it may even be perceived as new. Where is God at work? When we discern that, then we’re ready to ask "what method will help us express the Gospel in our context?"

(2) On another level, and at the heart of this passage is the truth that what the Gospel touches must change. The Gospel is "new wine," it’s living, it’s active, it’s constantly changing whatever it touches, both people and institutions. You’re either growing (changing) or dying. You cannot know and follow Jesus and remain unchanged! "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Cor. 5:17-18). God in Christ effects this marvelous transformation, this "metamorphosis" (Rom. 12:2). To remain unchanged (i.e., to live in disobedience to God’s call) is to invite stagnation, which is the evidence of our futile attempt to keep from living, which in effect results in our dying. Jesus said to save your life is to lose it, and to lose your life for my sake is to gain it. Believers don’t have to become cold, indifferent and die. Neither do Churches. But we do have to let the Gospel new wine change us. We have to change to live!

And change is always a choice. Out of all creation, human beings are the only ones who can chose to change or not. Be different, don’t wish it to be so, obey God, choose life! Likewise, as a church we have to make a choice to live. We cannot continue to do what we’re doing and expect different results, I think that’s called insanity. But for us to change, we must first be changed by the "new wine" of the Gospel. Hearts have to be changed. We must be willing to put God’s Word and obedience to Christ first in our lives. Are you ready to do that?

If so, there will be incredible joy for God’s kind of Gospel change ("new wine") brings joy to our hearts. When I accept God’s kind of change, I’m able to see God at work in the world and I’m able to accept my brothers and rejoice. I experience freedom, freedom from jealousy, from envy, from rivalry, from self. And God is glorified and His kingdom is furthered.

Interestingly, Twinkie the Kid may be resurrected from the dead! Talks are now underway for another company to take over that division. So state fairs can rejoice, fried Twinkies may be back on the menu soon. To change is a choice, a choice to grow. If we fail to chose, we still have made a choice. Chose to grow, to live! Change for the sake of the Gospel! Ask yourself, "Is the life that I am living living?"

For His Glory!
Pastor Joe