Mat. 9:16-17:
 
 

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

 "Neither do men put new wine into old wineskins, 
else the wineskins break and the wine runneth out, and the wineskins perish; 
but they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." 
 
 

   The Old Testament was  by fulfillment of the laws; 
by the blood of the animals
that covered their sins and gave them righteousness before God. 

But it was only a forshadow  of the fulfillment of Christ,
dying for the sins of the World in the New Testament. 
 

 The new cloth and the new wine speaks of the new ways in the New Testament. 
The new cloth speaks of the righteousness of Christ given to us 
by the new wine, which speaks of the blood of Jesus Christ,
which was shed on the Cross. 

 Jesus explains here, that the new is not to be attached to, or put into the old, 
but to be separated by itself,  as the old has served it purpose, 
and the old cannot abide with, and cannot contain that which is new. 
 

 Many today are doing that by going into the Old Testament 
and applying it themselves literally. 
We are in the New Testament and we do not put the new, on or into, the old. 
 

We can learn from the Old Testament but we do not do it literally,
unless it is restated in the New Testament, 
especially in the letters to the Churches, but again we look for the spiritual meaning. 
 

 Grace is the new covenant and you are putting Grace on to the Old way which is law. 
You are putting the new on the old when you do this and the rent is great.
 

If you see the Word of God,
as what God has done for me,
you are under grace, 
and you have put the new wine into the new bottle
and both are preserved.

The old is fulfilled in the new. 
We have a new way of life,  and it is under grace, and not under law. 
 

Law is what I must do for God,
and Grace is what God has done for me.

 The garment speaks of righteousness and the wine speaks of the blood. 
In the Old Testament they had righteousness and forgiveness 
of their sin by the blood of goats and other animals,  which only covered theirs sins
and could not truly take away it completely. 

They sacrificed it year after year. 
 In the New Testament our righteousness is by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ
which was shed on the Cross of Calvary once and for all. 
It completely eradicates our sins,  for he has paid the price with
His precious blood. 

We have the righteousness of God which is the new garment and the new wine
through the blood of Christ that was shed on the Cross of Calvary. 
 
 

 The Old Testament are experiences,  of the people of the world, and primarily of the Jewish nation and their relationship to God under different dispensations. 
It was physical,  but contains spiritual lessons for us.

It was not instructions directly to us to do unless it is reemphasized in the letters to the Churches and to Christians in the New Testament.
It has many spiritual lessons for us, 
and Jesus said the one who understands
the spiritual lessons taught in the parables is one who is able to bring out riches
out of the new and the old.
 As a householder of God one should know how to bring out the new and the old
in the right perspective

The only way to understand the Scriptures, 
and to bring out any spiritual messages of God, 
is through the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
Everything is relative to the work on the Cross by Jesus Christ.
Without the Cross there is no life, there is nothing.

Without the Cross we are doomed,  thus to bring out the old and the new
is related to the righteouness (garment) and the blood (wine)
and it is through the Cross of Christ.

Those who do not understand the relation between the old and the new,
do not understand the deeper significance of the Cross and all that was displayed there.
 The Grace, love and mercy of God. 
The Truth, light and holiness of God. 
The power, life and the Resurrected life that is in Christ Jesus. 
They are looking at themselves and what they must do to please God. 
The Cross tells us that we are crucified with Christ on the Cross and 
He has done it all and it is finished. 
 

 Those who are not born again cannot understand the Bible
for they do not have the Holy Spirit to teach them the spiritual things of the kingdom of heavens, thus they are trying to save themselves by works.

Those who are saved and yet emphasize works do not understand the spiritual things of the Bible and cannot bring out the new and the old in the true light. 
When you emphasize works, what I must do for God,
you quench the fire of the Holy Spirit in your life. 

Our part is to believe
and 
God's part is to work in us and through us.

We are saved by grace through faith and we continue in His Grace through faith. 
Gods  part is Grace, and not law, and ours is faith and not works.

 The People before the Cross were looking forward to the coming 
of the literal kingdom to be set up soon. 

When Jesus said to Zacharias;
"This day is salvation come to this house", 
the disciple thought it would appear immediately (Luk. 19:9, 11).

Even after Christ resurrected they asked Him;
"Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" 
 

Only after the Holy Spirit was sent down and indwelled them, 

did they understand that they were to preach and to teach the spiritual things 
of the kingdom of God. 
Jesus said; "The kingdom of God cometh not with observtion:...
for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luk. 17:20-21). 
The Apostle Paul says;

"the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, 
and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit"
(Rom. 14:17). 
 
 

It is not by sight nor is it material things, but spiritual, and from within. 
 

 They did not see the Cross, and thus did not understand spiritual meaning of the parables,
and of other things of the Kingdom of Heavens (the realm of the spiritual)
that Jesus often spoke of.

It is indeed sad when I hear so often teachers of the Word saying, 

"we should take the Bible literally and not spiritually."

While it is true there are many literal things in the Bible, 
it has many spiritual messages in it for us today.

We must look for the spiritual meaning in the literal instructions. 
Although we do it literal the meaning is spiritual.

We baptize literally, but the meaning is spiritual. 
We partake of the Lord's Supper literally the meaning is spiritual. 
If I do not understand the spiritual meaning of these things, it means nothing to me. 

Jesus said of His Supper, "do this in remembrance of me." 
The Apostle Paul said;
"Know ye not that, as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?"

Both of these ordinance are for remembrance. 
The Lord's Supper is that we never forget the love and mercy and holiness of God,
that He gave His only begotten Son for us. 

The Baptism,  is that we know that we are crucified with Him, 
and it is he who is risen and lives in us by His Holy Spirit and by faith.
His Will,  will be accomplished by Him through our earthen vessels as we yield 
(paristemi, to stand beside) to Him. 
 
 

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