FASTINGS REVELATION
"CONTAINER OF NEW WINE"
PART 2

The disciples of John the Baptist asked Jesus a question about fasting.

Matthew 9:14-15
Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?"
And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?
But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

The day that Jesus is talking about is the change from the Old to the New Covenant; it's our day.
Then all of a sudden, for no apparent reason, Jesus goes on to say this:

Matthew 9:16-17
"No one puts a piece of un-shrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.
Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.
But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

The disciples of John came to Jesus and said, "The Pharisees fast often, and so do we. But we have noticed, Jesus, that these men who follow You don't fast at all."

Then Jesus answers, "No, they don't have to fast while I'm with them. I'm the Bridegroom."

At this time in the disciples life, they were between the two covenants, the Old Testament and the New Testament, and they walked under the covering and anointing of Jesus.

So Jesus says here, "No, while I'm with you, you don't have to fast, because I put My anointing on you.
But the day will come when I'm taken away, and there will be a change of covenants and on that day you will fast.
And would you like to know why you will fast in that day?
Because you don't put new wine in old bottles and new patches on old garments."

Jesus said, "When I'm taken away from you, there will be a change of covenants.
Your spirit is going to be seated with Me, but, unfortunately, I'll have to leave you in the old wineskin."

Fasting is going to have the same effect on your old wineskin as if you went out and bought a new one.

IV. Fasting will preserve your old wineskin so the new wine, "THE POWER OF GOD" can work in you!

My power, can operate through it until as I give you a new wineskin or a "glorified body."

So fasting has the same effect on your old wineskin as if you had gone out and bought a new wineskin.

Instead of operating out of the flesh, we can continually operate out of the Spirit!
It helps destroys the deeds of the flesh while the new wine operates within the old wineskin.

The secret of fasting - fasting destroys the deeds of the flesh and gives us God's strength!

Fasting does not weaken us, against the devil.

Question:
Why was Jesus led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil?

Because He, as our Substitute, was being tempted in our place.
Then after He overcame the devil, He gave us the perfect standing with God.
He defeated Satan in the temptations of the flesh.

That's why Jesus could later say in Luke 10:19:
"Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy:
And NOTHING shall by any means hurt you."

Nothing can be declared perfect unless it cannot be improved upon.

The victory Jesus has given to us over the flesh and the devil, could only be declared perfect if it had withstood Satan's most diabolical testing and schemes.

Jesus had to be subjected to the worst that Satan could give.
The worst torments, fears, pressures, and cares, the worst temptations of lust and riches.
This was the entire reason Jesus was led into the wilderness.

Now we can enter into God's Presence; clothed with power from on high.

Not because of what we have done but because of what Jesus has done!


  Dale Boehs

11.01.2007