What is the meaning of Jesus' parable about new wine in old bottles?

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the parable of the new wine in old bottles (Matthew 9:16-17) teaches two primary principles about Christianity:

1. Christianity is absolutely new and unique - Jesus was illustrating that His message cannot simply be patched onto old religious systems. Lloyd-Jones explains: "Christianity is unlike everything else in the world tonight. It's unlike anything that had ever been before it. It is absolutely new. It's like a piece of new cloth in contradistinction to an old cloth. It's like new wine in contradistinction to old wine."

2. Christianity is a power - The gospel contains inherent power that transforms lives. The new wine represents the dynamic, fermenting power of Christ's message that would burst old religious containers: "New wine fermenting, thrilling with power. Expanding new wine. It's suggestive of power ready to explode, to burst out any cork or anything you've tied up."

Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that this teaching is why Jesus' gospel couldn't be confined to Judaism's old forms and ceremonies but required a completely new expression.

Why did Jesus use the analogy of new wine and old wineskins in His teaching?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Jesus used the analogy of new wine and old wineskins to show that His gospel message:

1. Requires new forms of expression - "Not only is the message new, it must be expressed in an entirely new way." The old religious systems of Judaism with its temple worship, rituals, and ceremonies could not contain Christ's teaching.

2. Demonstrates the inherent power of the gospel - "The power here is entirely in the gospel itself, not in us. What matters when you come to Christianity is this not what you do, but what the gospel does to you."

3. Shows the destructive effect of mixing systems - Attempting to combine the new gospel with old religious systems would damage both: "If you try and put this in them, it'll burst them. It'll explode them."

Lloyd-Jones notes that Jesus was responding to criticism about His disciples not fasting like John's disciples and the Pharisees. This parable explained why His message couldn't be treated as just an addition to existing religious practices.

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say about the power of Christianity?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes the power of Christianity as:

1. Divine in source - "The power is in the wine. The power is in the gospel. The power is in the message." He quotes Romans 1:16: "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation."

2. Transformative in nature - "Christianity, my dear friend, doesn't merely offer to make you a little better than you are now. It offers to change you completely. It offers to make a new man, a new woman of you."

3. Destructive before constructive - The gospel first "smashes" our pride, self-righteousness, and illusions: "It smashes our pride of intellect, our pride of understanding... And it makes you feel the very self same thing about all your goodness and all your excellencies and all your achievements."

4. Creative in its ultimate purpose - "Having smashed us, it then proceeds to create us anew... We need to be born again. We need to be regenerated. We need to be created anew."

Lloyd-Jones stresses that this power doesn't just help us improve ourselves; it recreates us with "new desires," "new understanding," and the "energizing power of the Holy Spirit" to resist sin and overcome temptation.

How does Lloyd-Jones contrast true Christianity with religion?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, true Christianity differs from religion in several key ways:

1. In its source - Religion focuses on human effort, while Christianity is about God's action: "It isn't man who does the seeking... It's God who comes down and seeks."

2. In its approach - Religion is about "merit" and "saving yourselves by doing certain things," while Christianity is about grace and what God has done for us in Christ.

3. In its expression - Religion relies on "temples," "gorgeous buildings," "vestments and all their dressing up," while true Christianity has "new simplicity."

4. In its power - Religion offers guidance and rules, while Christianity offers transformative power: "Here is something that claims that it is the message of God to us and for us. And this is what we need above everything else."

Lloyd-Jones warns against the common mistake of mixing Christianity with other religious forms: "They've gone back to the Old Testament. Not only that, they've borrowed from the mystery religions, they've borrowed from paganism." He argues this distorts the true nature of the gospel.

What does it mean to be born again according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones' sermon?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes being born again as:

1. A divine work, not human effort - "What do I need? I need to be a new man. I need a new nature. I need a new everything. He gives it me. He alone can. I can't do it."

2. A complete transformation - "If any man be in Christ, he's a new creature, a new creation. All things are passed away. Behold, all things have become new."

3. A new perception - "I've got a new outlook, a new understanding. I see life in a new way. I see death in a new way. I see God in a new way. I see Christ in a new way. I see myself in a new way."

4. New desires and capabilities - "It gives you new desires... Desires for God, desires for holiness, desire to please him, desire to keep his commandments. They no longer become grievous to us, but they become joyous."

Lloyd-Jones uses Jesus' words to Nicodemus to illustrate this mysterious yet powerful transformation: "The wind bloweth where it listeth. Thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh nor whither it goeth. So is everyone that is born of the spirit."