19 Nov 2017
Sermon Outline Topic: See and Embrace This New
Thing
Isaiah 43:18-21.
God is doing a new thing. He is a God who make all
things new.
To embrace this new thing of what God wants to do
is to see that :-
Isaiah 43: 18-21
18 “Forget the former
things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I
am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. 20 The wild animals honor
me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the
wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21 the people I
formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.
V19, God wants to do a new thing in our lives, in
our church and in our nation because He is a God that makes all things new. He
is a God who is active and dynamic, never sleeps or slumbers, always providing a
way, always refreshes and renewing our lives. He is a God who was, who is and
who is to come for He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He wants to do new
things in our lives such as in our marriage, home, workplace or any area in our
lives. Today, God is inviting us to a fresh awareness of all that He is doing
and a new understanding of who he is.
(1) This new thing is fresh (v18-19)
Isaiah 43: 18 “Forget the former things; do not
dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a
new thing! ….”
God first and foremost wants to change our focus on
how we see our past victories. In Isaiah 43: 18, when God said to forget the
“former”, God was referring to the time when Moses was leading the Israelites
out of Babylon where He had to introduce the the10 plagues, parting of the Red
sea, rain bread from heaven or Moses striking his rod so that there is water to
drink in the desert. These were not bad things and they should be remembered but
God wanted to us to move on to receive fresh new things that He has in store
for us. God also do not want us to focus on our past failures, just like when
the Israelites returned God’s blessings of good things for evil things. God
gave them the Temple but was returned with idol worship, His truth was returned
for lies, His commands was taken as suggestions, wealth given was used to abuse
the poor and when He gave Himself, He was rejected. Despite this God still extended
His hand of hope and love. Just like the Israelite, we too cannot alter what
had happened in the past but we can put our past at the altar and let the blood
of Jesus sanctify us and we move on to the new things of God and not let our
past possess us.
Philippians 3:13-14
13 Brothers and sisters, I do not
consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting
what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press
on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me
heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Here Paul wrote that he cannot go forward without
forgetting what is behind. Likewise, we cannot focus on the new things of God
and what he can do for us while we are still focussing on the past of what we
had done either good or bad. Paul knew that we have to lay aside our past
success or failures to possess our future. God wants us to move forward to new experiences
in a fresh new way right now for God will not do the same thing, in the same
way as in the past.
2) This new thing springs up (v19)
1 Cor.15:58
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters,
stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of
the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
The analogy of planting a seed and for a while,
nothing may seem to be happening, however, the seed is germinating, taking root
before sprouting and finally breaking forth above ground. This is liken to the
seed we sow in prayer, investing in time and talent in our ministry, family or
work place where we do not see any result for a while but 1 Cor.15:58 states
that our labour will never be in vain.
3) This new thing makes way (19-21)
The Israelites spent 40 years wandering when they lost
their trust and faith in God which brought forth the wrath of God and the
unbelieving generation died off never to enter the promised land. This
generation of Israelites felt that they deserved all these as they had felt
discouraged, disappointed and felt that God will not have anything to do with
them. We too may feel the same way regarding our past turning our lives into a
wasteland and we cannot move away from this desert. From relationship problem,
family, financial, loss of employment, failure, parental failure, pain and
sickness and ministry failure etc, we feel lost, discourage confused, unworthy
and condemned. God seemed to have stopped moving in our midst. This is not true
as He is making a way in the wilderness, for he will provide water in the desert.
God will transform the desert area of our lives into fields of blessings and
abundance. A dried up life can be transformed to a life of purpose and grace. God
delights in involving us in His plans. The plans and place where God is
advancing are often in a place of wilderness but as we journey with Him, he is
more than adequate to refresh us and He wants us to serve effectively in the
area that He has placed us. Proverb
3:5-6 ”Trust in the Lord …..and he will make your paths straight.”
Our God is the God of the new thing and if we only
expect God to move in according to what we are familiar, then we run the risk
of missing out on what God wants to do a new thing in our lives, family and
church. May we thirst after God in His unfolding of His new things in our
lives.
Questions:
1. How do you perceive the new things God has in store
for you?
2. How can past victories and
failures hinder you from walking in experiencing the new things that God wants
to do in you, for you and through you?
3. How can you overcome past failures
discouragement, wilderness experiences, complacency and move on into the new
things God has for us?
