“New Wine Needs New Wineskins”
Isaiah 43:18–19 | Luke 5:37–38 | Acts 1:1-5
Let me take you back to a dusty road in ancient Galilee.
Jesus had just finished healing people, teaching, and challenging the religious elite. Then He said something curious—something that puzzled some and changed others:
“No one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.” — Luke 5:37–38 (also in Matthew 9:17, Mark 2:22)
At first glance, it sounds like a lesson about winemaking. But it was far deeper than that.
What’s This About?
Back in Jesus’ time, people stored wine in pouches made of animal skin. New wine was still fermenting—it would expand and stretch. If you put that bubbling new wine into a stiff, old wineskin, it would tear and spill everything.
Jesus was saying:
“What I’m doing is new, alive, and powerful. It can’t fit into old, rigid (conservative) ways.”
He was challenging the religious leaders—who were stuck in tradition—and inviting people to open their hearts to something fresh.
So What Are the “New Wineskins”?
- The new wine represents God doing something new—bringing life, hope, and freedom through Jesus.
- The new wineskins are people and communities willing to grow, change, and stretch to carry that new thing forward.
This isn’t about being conservative or progressive. It’s about being ready—ready to be reshaped so God can work through us.
A New Heart for a New Move of God
When God does something new, He often starts by reshaping the heart.
That’s why this verse from the Old Testament is so powerful:
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” — Ezekiel 36:26
That’s what God does.
He softens our hearts.
He takes away cold, rigid (conservative) thinking and replaces it with love, compassion, and openness.
Because you can’t carry the new things of God with an old, hardened heart.
Not About Politics or Labels
Let’s clear something up:
“New wineskins” is not a conservative idea. It’s not a progressive idea. It’s a Kingdom idea.
Jesus used it to teach about:
- Transformation
- Renewal
- And the incompatibility of God’s fresh movement with stale structures
This idea stretches both sides. It challenges:
- The church that resists change because “we’ve always done it this way”
- And the church that chases trends but forgets the power of the Holy Spirit
Whether you lean traditional or modern, the question is the same:
Are you willing to become new so God can move through you?
Why This Matters Right Now
Let’s be honest. Many churches today are struggling.
- Worship feels like a routine, not a revival.
- Meetings drag on, but don’t lead to change.
- The next generation is tuning out.
- Technology feels overwhelming.
- We keep repeating: “This is how we’ve always done it.”
That’s the sound of an old wineskin mindset—rigid, fearful of change, and stuck in the past.
The latest data shows that our denomination, PCUSA, is losing huge membership every year and may drop below 1 million members by end of 2025.
But God is not done. God is doing something new!
He is still pouring out new wine—new people, new energy, new ideas, new callings.
The question is:
Can we hold it? Or will we miss it?
Jesus Told His Followers to Wait
Even after rising from the dead, Jesus didn’t send His disciples out right away. He told them:
“Do not leave Jerusalem. Wait for the gift my Father promised… In a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” — Acts 1:4–5
Why wait?
Because they weren’t ready.
They needed new hearts, new strength, and God’s power through the Holy Spirit.
They had to become new wineskins.
Two People God Reshaped
Moses: From Confident to Called
Moses grew up in Egypt’s palace—powerful and educated. But when he tried to help his people his own way, it backfired. He fled into the desert.
There, in 40 years of silence and struggle, God reshaped him. By the time God called him through the burning bush, Moses had become humble, teachable—ready. He became a new wineskin.
Paul: From Religious to Relational
Paul (then Saul) was passionate—but dangerously rigid (conservative). He believed he was doing God’s will by persecuting Christians.
But on the road to Damascus, Jesus stopped him.
Blinded and broken, Paul spent days in the dark. And when the scales fell from his eyes, he saw everything differently.
He had become a new wineskin.
And God used him to spread the gospel around the world.
The Bottom Line
God is not looking for perfect people.
God is looking for people who are willing to be new wineskins.
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” — Isaiah 43:18–19
God is doing a new thing in this generation.
The only question is: Will you make room for it? Are you ready to receive the Holy Spirit?
Your Invitation: Close your eyes . . .
If your heart feels dry… If your church feels stuck… If you long for more…
Let God give you a new heart.
Let God fill you with His Spirit.
Let God make you a new wineskin—ready for new wine.
New wine is being poured. Will you receive it? Let’s pray, follow this prayer after me:
Dear Lord,
I’m tired of the old and empty.
Make my heart new.
Fill me with Your Spirit.
Shape me to receive what You’re doing now.
I’m ready for new wine.
Use me, Lord.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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