God’s More Interested In Your Future Than Your Past

GOD’S MORE INTERESTED IN YOUR FUTURE THAN YOUR PAST

Isa. 43:18-19

INTRODUCTION

A. DO YOU KNOW YOUR TEAMS?

1. WHICH TEAM: CHIEFS OR EAGLES?

a. Which team holds the NFL record for the loudest crowd-noise in their stadium? (142.2 decibels) Chiefs.

b. Which team has the most “intense rivalry” of all time with another team – according to the NFL Network? The Eagles – with the New York Giants.

c. Which team has sold out every home game since the 1999 season? Eagles.

d. Which team used to be based in Texas? Chiefs. (Was called the Dallas Texans). Which team is knicknamed the “Legion of Doom?” The Chiefs.

e. Which receiver has over 90+ catches in each of the last seven seasons – an NFL record? Travis Kelce.

B. SOME SUPER BOWL HUMOR

1. Where do players go when they need a uniform? New Jersey. Why do football players never wear glasses at the Super Bowl? Because it’s a contact sport!

2. The 49ers star Christian McCaffrey wishes both teams would lose – due to their winning or being in Super Bowls that last few seasons.

3. 53 millionaires walked into a bar to watch the Super Bowl. The Bartender says, “Woah! It’s the Dallas Cowboys! What can I get you guys?”

C. SIGNS YOU NEED CHANGE

1. YOU’RE SPIRITUALLY STAGNANT. You’re spiritually stagnant if your Christian walk hasn’t changed much. You haven’t grown lately. You don’t sense the moving of the Spirit, or your prayers don’t seem to reach heaven.

2. YOUR SPIRITUAL FOOTPRINT IS TOO SMALL. Are you living a life that’s LESS than the life God created you to live? You haven’t RELEASED or enjoyed the gifts, skills, talents, and abilities God has put in you? Can you sense THERE’S MORE than you’re experiencing right now?

As long as you stay in your comfort zone, you’ll never know the reason God saved you! JESUS DIDN’T DIE ON THE CROSS SO YOU COULD SIT ON A PEW ONCE A WEEK! He died so you could fulfill your destiny. God didn’t save you just to go to heaven; He saved you and invested talents and abilities in you because He has a job for YOU to do. A third sign is...

3. YOU’RE SPIRITUALLY BARREN, UNPRODUCTIVE. You haven’t seen anyone saved through your personal ministry recently. Studies indicate that 95% of all Christians are barren. How do you minister to unbelievers? Do something fun with them. Ladies, invite your unbelieving friends to go shopping. Men, take your lost friends to a Cajun restaurant, gun show, fishing, or a ballgame. Ministry begins by being yourself and having fun.

D. TEXT & THESIS

1. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 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.” Isa. 43:18-19.

2. God has a revelation for you this morning. The title of this message is, “God’s More Interested in Your Future Than in Your Past.”

I. THINGS TO LEAVE BEHIND

A. DISILLUSIONED & DISCOURAGED ISRAEL

1. Isaiah gave this prophecy during King Hezekiah’s reign. The nation had been through a wild and unpredictable time. King Hezekiah’s father, King Ahaz, had been an evil king, even burning one of his sons in the fire to the god Molech. Ahaz had set up idols in the Temple area and led the Israelites astray. Israel narrowly escaped being crushed between 2 bigger countries.

2. When Hezekiah became King, he cleaned out all the idols from the Temple and purified it. He reestablished the Passover, the worship of Jehovah, and strengthened the forts and cities.

3. But in the 14th year of Hezekiah, Assyria (Sennacherub) seized all of Judah’s cities except Jerusalem. He surrounded Jerusalem and said he would take it, but God sent an angel who put to death 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp. Sennacherub withdrew to his country and was assassinated.

4. Israel had been devastated by an evil king and with multiple invasions by foreign armies. The people had to be disillusioned and discouraged – they had just barely escaped destruction.

5. But the word of the Lord came to Isaiah the prophet to rebirth their vision and purpose!

B. YOU’VE PROBABLY HAD A TOUGH TIME. Many people had tragedies and difficulties occur in 2024. Many people have been hurt. Others have lost loved ones. Others have big problems that don’t seem to go away! So what do we need to do?

C. LEAVE SOME THINGS BEHIND

1. LEAVE YOUR RESENTMENTS BEHIND. We all have someone who has hurt us or mistreated us. The unforgiving heart continues to live in the past. We cannot erase our

memories, but we can let the offense go.

2. LEAVE YOUR WORRIES BEHIND. Worries are very much like rocking chairs; they give you something to do, but they never take you anywhere. Habitual worrying is life-controlling and damages our health and relationships – Give it up!