New Wine

We've been singing “New Wine” by Hillsong Worship for a couple of months now. It carries rich biblical imagery.

It is also deeply rooted in scripture, reflecting themes of surrender, transformation, and the process of becoming more like Christ. The imagery of crushing, pressing, and yielding aligns with biblical concepts of growth through trials and God’s refining process, making the song both a powerful prayer and a declaration of faith.

Here are key lyrics from the song and how they connect to scripture:

This lyric reflects the biblical theme of growth through hardship. The imagery of wine-making, where grapes are crushed to produce new wine, parallels the idea of God working through difficult seasons in our lives to bring something new and better.

• Isaiah 65:8 (NLT): “But I will not destroy them all,” says the Lord. “For just as good grapes are found among a cluster of bad ones, and someone will say, ‘Don’t throw them all away—some of those grapes are good!’ So I will not destroy all Israel. For I still have true servants there.”
  • This verse connects to the idea that in the midst of difficult situations, God still sees and preserves the good, just like in the process of making new wine.
• John 15:1-2 (NLT): “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.”
  • The concept of pruning reflects the “crushing” or “pressing” we experience as God works to refine us for His purposes.

This lyric echoes the biblical theme of surrender and allowing God to work in our hearts, often through trials, to create something new. The imagery of soil refers to the condition of our hearts and the readiness to receive God’s word.

• Mark 4:3-8 (NLT): “A farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it. Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow… Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
  • This parable of the sower emphasizes the importance of the condition of our hearts (soil) in allowing God’s work to flourish.
• Isaiah 43:19 (NLT): “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”
  • God promises to “break new ground” in our lives, bringing about renewal even in places that seem barren.

Yielding or surrendering to God’s will is a central biblical theme, acknowledging that His plans for us are ultimately for our good.

• Romans 12:1-2 (NLT): “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”
  • This passage speaks to surrendering our lives to God and allowing Him to transform us.

This reflects the heart of surrender, offering ourselves to God for His purposes.

• 2 Timothy 2:21 (NLT): “If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.”
  • This verse connects to the idea of becoming a “vessel” that God can use for His purposes.
• Romans 6:13 (NLT): “Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.”
  • Surrendering to God means giving ourselves as instruments for His will and glory.

This line is a prayer for transformation and renewal, asking Jesus to produce something new in us through His power.

• Matthew 9:17 (NLT): “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.”
  • This verse highlights the importance of spiritual renewal and the necessity for God to create something new in us.