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. Luke 5:37-38(NKJV)
Just like in the natural one can be filled and under the influence of wine and do things they couldn’t do before they drank wine, we can also be filled and under the influence of the Holy Spirit and do supernatural exploits we couldn’t do in our own human wisdom and strength.
In our theme scripture above New wine refers to the Holy Spirit and the new wine skins are our new hearts or lives in Christ. The old wine skins are the old life without Christ.
The Holy Spirit cannot fully express Himself, His life, wisdom, and power in an old, dead, without Christ type of heart.
Ezekiel prophesied about the two types of hearts and the New Spirit:
Ezekiel 36:26-27(NKJV) I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do [them.]
The old wine skins is also the old way of living under the old covenant of keeping the law where we depend on our own efforts. It is called works of the law in scripture. Galatians 3:2, 5.
This kind of life is old and dead, it is not compatible with the new, fresh, living, powerful, working of the Holy Spirit who is the New Wine.
The new wine skins is the new way of living where we depend on Christ living in us. It is also called hearing of faith in scripture. Galatians 3:2, 5
Here we trust not in our own efforts but in what Christ has done for us on the Cross.
Are you trying to relate with God and live based on what you do for Him? That’s an old wine skins type of living. You will not experience the life, peace, and joy of the Holy Spirit who’s the New Wine. Instead, there will be the sense of inadequacy, unworthiness, not doing enough, frustration, condemnation, being worn out and burnt out.
Choose to relate with God and live based on what God in Christ has already done in you and for you. This is the new wine way of living that pleases God. Here you’ll experience fullness of life, peace, joy, rest and satisfaction.