Things new and old...

Peace.

There are “new and old” things to hear about the kingdom of heaven. Not everyone will enter in to the understanding of those things.

Matthew 13:51-52 KJV
(51) Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
(52) Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

“New wine” (the knowledge of our Lord Jesus revealed to our ears) must be put into “new bottles” (we must put on the new man) and both are preserved.

Natural men cannot receive the “new” for the spiritual things are foolishness to them. The “new wine” spills as they cannot retain it and the bottles shall perish as they refuse to receive the knowledge of our Lord.

Luke 5:37-39 KJV
(37) And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish.
(38) But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.

No man having drunk the “old wine” immediately desires the “new” for they still think that the “old” things that they have been hearing man preach is better.

(39) No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.

But some will receive it…..hearing Him and having been taught by Him. They will receive it with joy…. the “new wine” brings them joy within their hearts.

Ephesians 4:21-24 KJV
(21) If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

The “old bottles” perish. We must receive the “new wine” in a “new bottle”….putting off the old man and put on the “new man” and being renewed in the spirit of our minds.

(22) That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
(23) And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
(24) And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Paul/Saul heard the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord and did count all of his own religious things that he was zealous about as a “loss” and counted them as “dung” (strong language here) so that he may win Christ.

Philippians 3:7-11 KJV
(7) But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
(8) Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

Paul was found in Christ when he heard the knowledge of the Lord and did not seek going about defending his own righteousness but had faith in what he heard. Some men will do the same today while others will go about defending their own religious thoughts and ways.

(9) And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
(10) That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
(11) If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

To be continued…

The Lord will send out His messengers to speak His words of spirit and life to our ears….and we are to take heed on how we hear so that more shall be given to us. These things will be “new” to our ears.

Let no man despise your “youth”….that is, the NEWNESS of what is being preached. Some will no doubt contend with the “new” things that they hear for no man immediately desires the “new” yet. But those who preach “new” things are to handle them with love, faith and purity so no one despises the newness of the preaching.

1 Timothy 4:12-16 KJV
(12) Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
(13) Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
(14) Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
(15) Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
(16) Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

If any man will DO His will, he shall know of the teaching….whether it be of God of not. We show that we know God by having love for one another….even if we hear a “stranger” speaking things that are “new” to our ears. Let us not be forgetful to entertain strangers and their words.

Hebrews 13:1-2 KJV
(1) Let brotherly love continue.
(2) Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Again, if any man will DO His will (have love for one another), he shall know if the teaching is of God or not.

John 7:14-20 KJV
(14) Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.
(15) And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?
(16) Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
(17) If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
(18) He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.

Those who go about “killing the messenger” who speaks the true words of God are not of God but of the devil (slanderer). They will not be able to enter in to understand His words.

(19) Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?
(20) The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee?

It is as simple as this: those who commit sin (speaking evil words towards the messenger…their brother) is of the devil. But he that does righteousness is righteous and is born of God. We must overcome our initial wrath of hearing “new” things and be found in Christ.

1 John 3:7-13 KJV
(7) Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
(8) He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
(9) Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

In this the children of God are made manifest: they show that they love their brothers….even when they speak something “new” to their ears. God is love and those who love are born of God and cannot sin…speak evil towards what they hear.

The children of the devil will go about trying to “kill the messengers” with evil speaking and contentions in envy and strife. We must put on the “new” man at the hearing of His voice and overcome our wrath.

(10) In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
(11) For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
(12) Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.
(13) Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

The “fowls” of the air (the evil words) come and devour up the Word of God in those who will not receive His words. They will not enter in to understand and will be full of wrath and speak out in wrath of what they hear in their unbelief. They will trample it down.

Matthew 13:3-4 KJV
(3) And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
(4) And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

Matthew 13:18-19 KJV
(18) Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
(19) When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

To be continued…

When we hear something “new”, let us “still our soul” within us….overcoming the wrath we might have at the hearing of something we initially might not agree with. Let us become like a “child”….humble in our response. Let us calm the “sea” within us that might be raging at what we hear.

Psalms 131:2
(2) But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.

Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a “little child” (in meekness) shall not be able to enter in to understand the mysteries of the kingdom. Outside that understanding are those who will not be found doing His will….not obeying the reign of God in our lives who commanded us to have love for one another.

Luke 18:17 KJV
(17) Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

We must lay aside the raging of our wrath…..the evil speaking, the envying, etc…..and be as “newborn babes”, desiring the SINCERE milk of the Word so that we may grow with it. We shall not be able to enter in to understand without doing this.

1 Peter 2:1-4 KJV
(1) Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
(2) As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
(3) If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
(4) To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,

Let us be like “babes” (children) regarding evil….

1 Corinthians 14:20-21 KJV
(20) Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.

…for we shall not be able to understand without doing so: With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people….yet they still will not hear It will sound like a foreign language to those who will not become as a “child” in regarding evil.

(21) In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.

Humble beginnings….becoming as little children, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:3-5 KJV
(3) And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
(4) Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
(5) And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.

We must humble ourselves at the hearing of His voice ….becoming as newborn babes. Humble beginnings: Picture the infant Jesus laying humbly in a manger…who was still…wrapped in swaddling clothes. We must become likewise as Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

To be continued…

He that has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says when the Lord reveals His heavenly knowledge to us.

These things will be “new” to our hearing ears and so will challenge our own beliefs….our own religious thoughts and ways. We are to "lose our lives" to save them....counting all of our religious thoughts and ways that we are zealous for as a loss in order to receive His knowledge.

We are to take heed on how we hear for whosoever has, to him shall be given….

Luke 8:18 KJV
(18) Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.

….for God gives wisdom to all generously that have faith and do not speak evil of what they hear. It is man (not God) in James 1:5 who should not “upbraid” what he hears. Most translations have it that God does not “upbraid” when it is man who must not defame what he hears. If the man who hears in faith does not rail at what he hears, then it (the wisdom and knowledge of God) shall be given him. Whoever has faith, to him shall be given.

James 1:5-8 KJV
(5) If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

But those who waver in their faith are like a wave of the sea driven with the wind (the Spirit that they hear) and tossed…they are rejected. The “wind”....the hearing of the Spirit... churns up the “seas” of unbelieving men who will rail at what they hear. A doubter contends with what he hears.

They become agitated (in their unbelief) towards what they hear the Spirit saying in their wavering and contend with it in their agitation towards His revealed wisdom. The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt as they speak evil of what they hear the Spirit saying. There is no peace for the wicked who will not receive His wisdom in faith.

(6) But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

Let not that man (who wavers) think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
They will not have understanding....the wicked shall not enter in to understand. Whosoever has not (faith), from him shall be taken even that which he seemed to have.

(7) For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
(8) A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Those who will not respond to the Light in faith (we are to believe in the Light) will not enter to understand and that Light shining within us will depart...."Jesus departed and did hide Himself from them" because of unbelief.

We are to respond to the Light of His shining knowledge within (the bright and morning Star arising in our own hearts) with light...with good works (the revealed evidence of our faith). Good works completes our faith towards the hearing of His knowledge while faith without works is dead.

John 12:36-40 KJV
(36) While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.
(37) But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:

Because of their unbelief….

(38) That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?

….the unbelievers shall not be able to believe as judgment upon them. The wicked shall not understand as God will blind the eyes of their understanding and harden their heart so that they cannot understand.

(39) Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,
(40) He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

Whosoever hath not (faith), from him shall be taken even that which he seems to have. They shall not be able to have faith because they did not have faith to receive the revealed knowledge of the Lord our Savior. Their faith shall be taken away from them for they had no faith in their hearing of the Spirit of Truth.