A NEW HEART FOR A NEW FAITH Luke 5:33-39; Hebrews 8:6-12 SUMMARY: In one of the more difficult parables to interpret, Jesus, in declaring the superiority of the new covenant over the old, seems to refer to the great divide between two systems, two groups of people, and two kinds of hearts. I. A DIVIDE BETWEEN THE NEW SYSTEM AND THE OLD. A. Old System: a dead external religion. B. New system: a spiritual relationship with God. C. The two systems: Incompatible. II. A DIVIDE BETWEEN FRIENDS AND ENEMIES OF THE BRIDEGROOM. A. The Pharisees. B. The Disciples of John. C. Jesus & His Disciples. III. A DIVIDE BETWEEN THE NEW HEART AND THE OLD HEART. A. A new mind & a new heart. B. A new understanding of God: C. A new freedom in Christ's forgiveness. KRETZMANN: "The piety of the Pharisees, the religion of works which they flaunted before the eyes of the people, on the one hand, and the doctrine of Jesus, the preaching of the free grace of God through His blood, on the other, will never agree. If one insists on wearing his old garment of self-righteousness and works, and then believes it possible to cover an occasional revealing sin with the Gospel, he will find but poor comfort. His heart is still bound up in the old garment, and he will only make the incongruity appear the more glaring. It is just as foolish to keep new wine, grape-juice in the early stage of fermentation, in old skins that have lost their elasticity. The result is disastrous: The skins burst, the wine is spilled. But new skins and new wine are perfectly suited to each other. The sweet Gospel of the forgiveness of sins by the mercy of God does not fit into carnal, Pharisaic hearts.