Text: Mark 2:18-22 (ESV)  ^"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”

Jesus' point must not be missed: The gospel could not be patched into the Pharisees form of Judaism (or any other system of works-based righteousness). Attempting to add our efforts to the good news of salvation, thinking in some way we contribute to our righteousness before a perfect and Holy God, will end in our destruction. No works-righteousness system can be patched into the gospel of grace and faith.

If you are trapped in a works-righteousness way of thinking, the only hope you have is that somehow, someway, you can be obedient enough to be accepted into eternity with God. Satan wants to keep you blind to the light of the gospel.

2 Corinthians 4:4: "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

The gospel is beautiful--Jesus paid it all!

As Christians, we can still fall into this works-righteousness trap. If our pursuit of holiness and good works find their motivation in seeking love and acceptance by God, we've missed the point of the cross. We obey, not to be loved and accepted by God, but because we ARE loved and accepted only because of Jesus! We obey, not to get God's attention, but because we have been the object of His attention since before the world began!

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain;
He washed it white as snow!

Paul Tripp writes, "Don't misunderstand me: grace doesn't make obedience optional. Obedience is the life-long calling for followers of Christ. But, your obedience is never a fearful payment. It's a hymn of gratitude to the God who met you where you were and did for you what you could not have done for yourself."

God has given you the Holy Spirit, who creates in you a burning desire for holiness and obedience. So take up all the resources God has provided (including fasting). Get into the Word, see what He commands, and obey His new covenant commands through the power of grace and the Holy Spirit!

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”  Matthew 22:37-40.