Pegs

Have you ever tried to fit a square peg into a round hole? For the record, it actually is possible to fit a round peg into a square hole but today we are only looking at square pegs. Square pegs don’t fit into round holes. They must first be trimmed and shaped into round pegs before they can be used.

The average newly born or even carnal Christian is like a square peg who desperately tries to fit into a peg board of round holes. The Master Carpenter must shape each square peg through a rigorous whittling and sanding process which takes time but is absolutely necessary. God slowly and meticulously takes off our rough edges as He plugs us in somewhere to be useful. 

The church of Jesus Christ is so much bigger than the white steeple topped building at the corner. His church is much bigger than any one denomination. The kingdom of God has nothing to do with the color of the sanctuary carpeting, the size of the parking lot or the latest Christian shirt. The wisdom of the wise was not taken into consideration when God laid the foundation for His building.  God’s building materials were not man-made but are being fashioned by Him; a building constructed out of living, rough, square shaped pegs. Each peg being carefully placed exactly where the Master wants to put them for His service.

Woe, to the Christian man or woman who discourages any of these newly shaped pegs. We all have something to do for the Lord! Some pegs might not look as sparkly as some of the others but each and every peg is precious to God and useful in His service. Our ordination or anointing also comes from God, not man. There is no membership form to sign, quota to fill or knives to sell in order to be a kid of the King! All of His kids have an important role to fill and will do so in their own time.

Sometimes, when God uses someone they are propelled into the limelight. Some leaders have had large followings and wield a strong and heavy influence in the communities in which they serve. Chuck Smith, David Jeremiah, Billy Graham have had a mighty influence on the eternal destiny of many people God has led into their audiences. 

Unfortunately, sometimes our flesh is drawn to these men because of their charisma, speaking ability or apparent connection with the Holy Spirit but let us never forget that it is God who raised them up and is causing the growth. It’s not hard to see the potential danger these men are in if they begin to believe in their own strength and lean less on God’s. Division can also set into our churches as we take our eyes off Christ and begin to look and trust in men.

Paul wrote about this problem in his first letter to the Corinthian church 1:10-17 “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.  For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am of Apollos," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ."  Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 

 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.  Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other.  For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.”

Paul continues his thought in 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 “Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?  I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.  Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.  For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building.”

So if you sometimes feel like a square peg in a round hole do not give up, for it is God who is doing the shaping and will make you grow! 

New wine

 For thousands of years men have been picking grapes and allowing them to ferment into wine. The first step in the process is picking the clusters and hauling them to a spot where they are crushed. The resulting “must” is then allowed to go through a violent fermentation process that can last from 14 to 21 days. At the end of this primary fermentation most of the sugar has been used up to produce carbon dioxide and alcohol.

Now as fermentation process begins to slow down, the skins, seeds and yeast all settle out onto the bottom as “lees”. It’s at this point that the sediment-free, clear “new wine” is racked off the lees and stored in secondary fermentation vessels. The wine at this stage is the wine that Jesus was referring to in the gospel of Luke 5:36-39.

“Then He spoke a parable to them: "No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved.  And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, The old is better. " 

So in this analogy, Jesus, uses the “old wine skins” to represent Judaism and the law. The “new wine skins” represent the new covenant that Jesus graciously came to the earth to make. After thousands of years of trying to keep the law and endless animal sacrifices now Jesus comes and sets all sinners free! It must have been difficult for Jews, living under the shadow of the law, to listen to Jesus discuss God’s grace and mercy.

Jesus did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it perfectly. In fact, He paid the sin debt that the law demands, for every man, woman and child ever born and who will ever be born. The joy that this truth produces cannot be contained in our old wine skins. You see, in the times that Jesus lived, it was the practice to use animal skins for holding and storing wine and other liquids.

As wine is moved into the secondary fermentation vessel, the new container needs to be flexible and able to expand to compensate for the carbon dioxide that will be given off. Putting new wine into old wine skins was a bad idea and would end up in disaster with all the new wine spilled out onto the ground.

 Jesus actually begins developing this idea in Luke 5:12 where Jesus reaches out to touch a leper in order to heal him, which was forbidden by the law. Then in Luke 5:17 Jesus forgives a man his sin, in order to heal him, which was blasphemy and also against the law. The religious teachers of the law are now watching very closely as Jesus dines with sinners, which was something the religious upright would never consider doing.

It’s actually at this point in time that some of these religious leaders begin plotting on how to get rid of Jesus. He is bringing new wine but their old skins are just not able to contain the power of the Holy Spirit. The new wine of God’s grace and mercy is too wonderful; it’s too joyful to be shackled by law and what Judaism had made of it. 

In Luke 6:1-5 the religious leaders watch as Jesus and His disciples pick and eat grains of wheat on the Sabbath. They accuse them of breaking the Sabbath law by harvesting and winnowing wheat in the palms of their hands. However, they actually got this one wrong, as it was permitted and allowed for in the law listed in Deuteronomy 23:24-25.  Jesus doesn’t argue with them but reinforces His point “The Son of Man is also the Lord of the Sabbath.”

What’s so amazing to me is that these are the same men who prided themselves on knowing the law and  didn’t recognize the One standing in front of them was the very One who wrote it in the first place. They held the law higher than the sufferings of people. 

Jesus was proving to the world, by touching a leper, forgiving a man’s sin and eating with undesirables that the grace and mercy that He was giving to the world was a far better way to live then by the letter of the law.

The King of Glory left us with a gift, the Holy Spirit, who now lives inside of us, although, He can’t be contained in our old vessels. http://newwineoldwineskins.blogspot.com

 

Our strong foundation

Do you know what the single most important part of a house is? Some might say the roof is the most important part as it seals the structure from rain water that can intrude into the supporting framework causing dry-rot. Others will point out the value of using copper water pipes instead of iron or plastic pipe which can rust or deteriorate in the sun. Some believe using better house wrap along with thicker insulation in the attic, under the floor and in the walls helps to keep the inside temperature steady. To many women the most important part of a house is found in the cosmetic appearance of cabinets, countertops and lighting. However, to the men and women who design and build houses the single most important element of a building is its foundation. 

Any structural engineer or building designer will tell you that the integrity of a building rests solely on its foundation.  The foundation is what the building is anchored and bolted to. Making the decision to build on the wrong foundation is a recipe for disaster. Every year we watch as heavy winds, rain and flood waters rip incorrectly attached houses off their foundations depositing the debris along the storm path.

Today engineers calculate and design the right foundation before building commences. During the first step contractors excavate trenches, install steel rebar and pour concrete into them. The concrete covers and encases the strong steel skeleton forming a solid footing that is keyed into the earth. If the wrong concrete or steel is used in the wrong proportions then when the storms come the building will not be able to withstand nature’s forces and disaster results.

Jesus Christ is our foundation and everything we build here, that edifies God’s eternal kingdom, will remain standing on the solid rock footing which is Jesus Christ.

“For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building.  According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,  each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is.  If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.  If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” 1Corinthians 3:9-17.

As Christians or followers of Jesus Christ we are to be imitators of Him. We are to obey our Master and live our lives in a way that pleases Him. In the passage above our salvation is assured as we abide in or stay fastened to our foundation which is Jesus Christ! If we remain attached, bolted and connected to the Lord through prayer, reading the bible and fellowship with other believers then we will be ready when the storms of life come raining down upon us.

We can’t lay another foundation which is built on our works, our goodness or our intellect, no we must stay fastened to the only foundation that God has provided in his only Son. God offers salvation to the whole world that they might choose to become part of His building.

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?  If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” 

Just as our homes’ foundation is constructed by encasing steel rebar and anchor bolts inside of concrete, our own bodies become filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives within every believer and He is a seal upon them; a guarantee of an inheritance to eternal glory with God. 

“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.” 2 Corinthians 5:1-5.”