I like new things- the smell of a new car or wearing new clothes, (that used to be the highlight of the school year- wearing the new school clothes that my mom had bought for me. It was always kind of frustrating that the first days of school were often very warm and the new clothes were more for the fall. I’d have to wait until it got cooler or looked really silly. But it is fun to get new things.
And who doesn’t like a new start? When you have messed up and desire a start over. When you are young and mess up you are reminded that you can do a re-do. Practice makes perfect, it’s ok to try, try again. You and I appreciate it that we can get re-do’s in our career, in our personal lives, in our faith journey. When we sin, when we make mistakes, when we find ourselves in the throes of addiction- we can find forgiveness and a second chance. God is doing a new thing.
God is great at doing “new things. Just look at creation- look at the very beginning of time: He made a world out of nothing- he made lakes, rivers, plants, animals, birds, fish- human beings- all were new, all were unique, all began at His command. And ever since He created this world and you and me; He continues to create new things.
Isaiah was a preacher and prophet to the smaller kingdom of Judah. Isaiah prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah (Isaiah 1:1). This period was marked by political instability, social injustice, and spiritual decline. Amidst these challenges, Isaiah's message of deliverance offered hope and a call to return to God.
The message of hope and a call to return to God remain applicable to us today. “I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator and King. 16 I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea. 17 I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick. “But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. 19 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.” Isaiah 43:15-19.
God desires to bring you and I through the waters and out of our lives of sin and shame to a marvelous ‘new life’ in Christ. God has brought me and countless others out of the waters of sin and addiction to be renewed- to have Him create a ‘new thing.’ God wants to do a new thing in you. The 1st step to embracing the new thing what God wants to do in your life is to:
1. Change your focus -- quit looking behind start looking head v.18 I love how the verse says, “But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.” Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. If you are continually looking behind you cannot see where you are going. If you are going to move on to new things that Christ has for you, you must learn that:
A. You Cannot Depend Upon Past Victories to Sustain You forget the former things. The question isn’t what has God done –the question must be:
• What is God doing in your life right now?
• What is it that you want Him to do in your life right now?
B. You Cannot Allow Your Past Failures to Possess You: do not dwell on the past. In the beginning you made a commitment to follow Jesus- stuff was going good- then you got tired, you find things to criticize about His church, about the Pastor, about His people. You quit going to church- too busy, you choose to put other things before your commitment to Him. You may not sacrifice a calf to Baal, but you turn in your walk with Christ, for a cheap imitation that promises far less in returns in the end.
God says, through the words of Isaiah- leave the past in the past- leave it all behind- you are to stay new. Begin fresh and go forward- don’t look back. Turning back to your old life, romanticizing your old life will leave you back in the same pit you were in before. God wants to do a New Thing in you- don’t settle for a cheap imitation.
For the people of Israel God was not condemning them for their past. They could do nothing to change it. Instead, God was holding out the hand of hope. If you are going to get anywhere in your spiritual life you must understand:
C. You Cannot Live on Yesterday’s Faith. You and I cannot continue to live as a baby Christian. We are to mature in our faith and in our testimony. Our testimony of what God has done and what He is doing in our lives should continue to change as we do.
Lastly you need to embrace the new thing what God wants to do in your life. For that to happen you need to:
2. Clarify your focus -- discover what God wants for you. “Forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. 19 For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?”
What do you see when you view your life? Do you see possibilities or problems? You can view your past and focus on your problems, or you can focus on God and what He wants to do in your life. You can focus on the way forward or the desert behind. You can find the streams or stay stuck in the desert. How do you want to live your life?
God is able to transform the desert areas of your life into fields of blessing and abundance. God can take a dried-up useless life and trans-form it into a life of purpose and grace.
3. Commit yourself to God’s plan. God has set into motion a new direction and a new purpose for your life -- will you follow Him?
Will you trust Him? Become that new thing in His Hands- He’s got you!
