Two Conversations by Brother Duke Hansen

         Our message is going to begin first out of Matthew chapter 9. We will start reading at verse 10 and read down to verse 17. In this scripture, Jesus has two separate conversations that will lead us onto a much bigger message he wants to share with his people.

        10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.

        11 And the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?

        12 But when Jesus heard that he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

        13 But go ye and lean what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

        14 Then cam to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but thy disciples fast not?

        15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.

        16 No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.

        17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

        As we can see from the reading, Jesus was eating with publicans and sinners. The pharisees were always looking for fault with Jesus, and Jesus' eating with them was a red flag in the Pharisee culture. Men of God didn't dine with sinners of any sort. They were separate in following the laws, public in their prayers, in the giving of offerings. It was always about elevating themselves in the public and believing they were better than the sinner. The pharisees thought they were good. This was them showing their own testimony. Look, God is never going to press your flesh, sit on your conscious or force you to do anything for him. He leaves it up to you on your decision AND your level of commitment to the gospel. 

        The first sacrifice in scripture was in the Garden of Eden. It was done by God himself to pay for Adam and Eve's sin which got them cursed and removed from the garden. He would do it again with his death, resurrection, and ascension for us today. A fault of mankind has been his selective hearing. He hears only what he wants to hear. This is why you have so called believers this very day going through what little scripture they read and pulling out the parts their flesh don't like, or ignore parts because "well, that was for the early church then". They are no different than the people back in Jesus' day with their animal sacrifices in the temple. Going back to the time of Israel's temple and Levite tribe, Jews would sacrifice goats, lambs, birds, for different things, but by the time Jesus is on earth, the sacrifice has become a business. Where in the law you had to raise and care for that lamb that it has no spot or blemish for sacrifice, now they could just go up to the gates of the temple and shop for the animal. When Jesus cleared out that temple with a whip, the only person who could have acted to stop the money making and sacrifice selling at the temple were the priests, and they weren't there. 

        Those who are walking around under the belief like the Pharisee that they are righteous or saved because they merely repeated a prayer from someone, or they got baptized and the spirit guides them when they have not truly waited and prayed for the Holy Spirit. They are not truly seeking God. Their faith is performance in public settings. Let us look at the second conversation which starts in verse 14. The disciples of John with their pity party. When Jesus says that the bridegroom shall be taken from them then shall they fast in verse 15, Jesus was speaking about they would not be with him and not them abstaining from eating food. Jesus gives the analogy about the wine and bottles. Why did Jesus come and die on the cross? What did he preach? Save the lost, die, and send back the Holy Ghost. He gave us his name to protect ourselves and spread to others. If we want the blood attached to our life, we need to preach true repentance. Sorry does not and has not saved anyone. Here is something you may have a hard time agreeing with me on. The New Testament begins in the book of Acts. The four gospels were still in the old covenant and Old Testament.

        Remission of sins is how the blood is applied in your life. It has nothing to do with getting the Holy Ghost unless you are persistently seeking it. This body is a vessel, a temple for the Holy Spirit. The spirit will not enter a dirty, foul, and broken up vessel. Who can fix and restore their vessel? The answer is you with the help of Jesus. The process of true repentance is about making changes. How you go about it is up to you. I can tell you this though, Jesus isn't going to put in the work you should do yourself. You can face the process head on, you can barely touch upon it, or you can be publicly loud and obnoxious like a pharisee to distract yourself from the real work you need to do. True repentance is not just "I'm sorry." It is go and sin no more. 

        There are things that are corrupting your vessel. It can be things of this world you allow and accept, it can be a stronghold or generational curse passed down the family line. When you cry out to God, he knows the difference between sincerity and false sincerity. There are four steps in true repentance. 

        1) Prove the repentance to God

        2) Prove the repentance to yourself

        3) Resist all forms of temptations both seen and unseen

        4) Gain some spiritual ground and some victory in your life

        In Ephesians chapter 4 verses 17-32 Paul breaks things down to the church of what things to put off and away. In Colossians chapter 3 verses 1-14 he hits on that again. Stop thinking like the lost man and start putting on the mind of Christ. The feeling of doubt is our go to in the flesh. If you never find true repentance, you are going to stay separated from God and remain spiritually blind. You want to know a life lived you can use for inspiration? Look at the story of Paul.

        The process of salvation is laid out like this. There is repentance, baptism in Jesus name, and the Holy Spirit. Afterwards is the true walk. That process just gets you off the starting block. That walk is about living and growing into a spiritual maturity. You start off first with milk and over time you should start getting meat. Your growth should never end. How do people know that you love Jesus? Is it the scripture you post on Facebook? The t-shirt your friend printed for you that all your friends have? Is it the fruits of your spirit? No, it is you keep his commandments. If it is in the Bible, you do it. Take all the emotion, the feelings, and your basic logic out of reading. Those things get you skimming over or skipping parts of the Bible you need and have you go to the parts that make you feel good. You need to be prepared for work and a battle with your flesh. Remember it is how many times you get back up and not how many times you fall that matter to Jesus.