Topic: God promises to do something new!
We all love the word “new!” It brings up images of something just discovered or uncovered; something that has never been used before; starting over; rejuvenating.... and the list can go on and on! The Bible is full of new things. Isaiah 43 reminds us God has promised the former things will pass away and all things are made new. God doesn’t remember our past with regret, He offers us a fresh new start. Isaiah 43:18-19 says, “Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.”
There are several things I would like to point out from this passage of scripture. You can be sure something new is on the way because of who God is, what God has already done and what God promises to do. Israel was facing obstacles, still in Babylon and uncertain about their future, God said something new is on the way for you.
1. Something new is on the way because of who God is - “This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘For your sakes I will send an army against Babylon, forcing the Babylonians to flee in those ships they are so proud of. I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator and King. I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea.’” God is the Lord your Redeemer. Not only has he redeemed you in the past, but he has taken it upon himself to do so again and again. Your redeemer God has forces that you are not aware of. God knows how to overcome your greatest challenge and conquer your greatest enemy. Besides that, your redeemer God is the Holy One of Israel who cannot lie or deceive. Therefore, He will make good every word he has spoken. He is also the Creator God that made you His people and claims you as His own. Something new is on the way because of who God is!
2. Something new is on the way because God has made a promise. Isaiah 43:18-19 says “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” We must not dwell on the former things. Celebrate them, thank God for them, but don’t try to go back to them. To strengthen our faith in this promise we are to look to the future with great expectation. There are greater things on the way. God has not changed His mind about you. His promises are sure. The fountains of his resources are plentiful. His love and grace are full and free.
We must live in the present with our gaze toward the future. God not only sent deliverance, but He also sent the deliverer, the Messiah. That is why we need to celebrate and praise God. God through Jesus Christ can change any people into His people and claim them for himself. Isaiah 43:21 reads, “The people whom I formed for Myself will declare My praise.” God has created and called us into His church, that He might have glory and praise from His creation. We celebrate his love, his goodness and his great mercy. Glory be to God who causes us to triumph over our enemies; we bear witness that we have received a fresh supply of grace today. No good thing hath God withheld from us. His praise shall continually be in our mouths.
See you Sunday!
Dr. Scott Kallem