“GOD IS DOING A NEW THING!” Isa. 43:18-19
FBCF – 9/15/24
Jon Daniels
INTRO – “Nu Thang” – DC Talk – 1990
Probably never had anyone introduce a sermon like that ever in the 137-yr history of FBCF! Don’t worry. We aren’t about to start doing 1990’s DC Talk Christian rap songs on Sunday morning – I like my job too much to do that! Ha! Just wanted to grab your attention w/ the words that are the title of this sermon – “God is doing a new thing”, or “nu thang” as DC Talk said it 34 yrs ago!
But what does it mean that “God is doing a new thing”? Did that just apply to the children of Israel in the OT, centuries before Jesus came, or does it still apply to us today? Let’s jump into the Word & discover how it DOES still apply to us today – right now at THIS moment in THIS place as we gather to worship Jesus, the Savior of the world who wants to do a NEW thing in YOUR life today!
- He wants to give you new life today! – Romans 6:4 – “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (NIV)
- He wants to implant a new heart in you today! – Ezekiel 36:26 – “I will give you a new heart…”
- He wants to bless you w/ a new spirit today – Ezekiel 36:26 – “I will give you…a new spirit…”
- He wants you to experience new birth today! – John 3:3 – “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (KJV)
- He wants us to live by His new commandment – John 13:34-35 – “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
- He wants you to put on a new self today – Colossians 3:10 – “…you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” (NIV)
- Revelation 2:17 says He wants to give you a new name that’s written down in glory.
- Revelation 21 tells us that, one day, He will move us into a new home & will make ALL things new!
New life – New heart – New spirit – New birth – New commandment – New self – New name – New home – ALL things new! Looks like that, when it comes to Jesus, that word “NEW” is pretty important!
EXPLANATION – Isaiah 43:18-19
The OT book of Isaiah was written some 700 yrs before Jesus came & gives us the most comprehensive prophetic picture of Him in the entire OT. So many powerful prophecies about Jesus in it. Written some 700 yrs before Jesus came into the world, the prophet Isaiah gave us some great insights into the Messiah who would come. Here are a few:
- Isaiah 7:14 – “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive & bear a son & shall call his name Immanuel.”
- Isaiah 9:6-7 – “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; & the government shall be upon his shoulder, & his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
- Isaiah 11:1-2 – “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, & a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom & understanding, the Spirit of counsel & might, the Spirit of knowledge & the fear of the Lord.”
- Isaiah 53 – The Suffering Servant
- Isaiah 61:1-2a – Jesus quoted these very words when He preached for the first time in His hometown of Nazareth: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, & the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
Isaiah 43 is also another prophecy about Jesus, though not as blatantly obvious as some of these other ones. In Isaiah 43, God is encouraging His people with the news that something new is coming – better yet, SomeONE new is coming! The “former things” refers to the oldness of the judgments of the OT Law. It also refers to the all the past troubles & suffering b/c of their sin & rebellion. Through JESUS, God’s plan for forgiveness, salvation, & new life would be fulfilled!
APPLICATION – We need to look for the new things that God is doing in our lives.
GOD IS DOING A NEW THING…
…WHEN HE MOVES US TO GO IN A NEW DIRECTION
God has always & is always moving His people in new directions.
- All through the Bible – Noah – Jonah – Moses – the calling of the disciples – Paul’s missionary journeys
- Isaiah 30:21 – “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice behind you sayin, ‘This is the way. Walk in it.’”
- God used this verse to call Vicki & me to go in a new direction when I became the pastor of CWBC
That very well may be what’s happening in our midst at FBCF as God continues to bless His Church in so many amazing ways. He continues to move as He stretches us, challenges us, tests us, blesses us, teaches us, convicts us, encourages us, & astounds us. As the songs says, He’s our “Waymaker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness; my God, that is who you are!”
…WHEN HE MOVES US TO A NEW DEPTH OF FAITH
Whenever God does a new thing & moves His people in a new direction, He requires a new depth of faith.
- Back to the biblical characters I mentioned – Every one of them had to move to a deeper level of faith if they were going to go in the new direction He was leading them in.
- It’s a clear biblical principle: We cannot & will not experience the movement & blessings of God in our lives without taking some serious steps of faith. The blessings of God & faith go hand in hand.
- Don’t misunderstand: We don’t obey & step out in faith to try to make God bless us. He can’t be manipulated in that way. But there is clear biblical evidence that we experience God’s blessing when we trust Him & step out into a deeper level of faith. And there’s clear biblical evidence that we miss out on so much when we refuse to take a new, deeper step of faith.
- This is why you have to stay in God’s Word! “As you feed upon and digest God’s Word, that truth becomes the raw material that will build faith. It is faith food.” (YouVersion)
“Immeasurably More” testimony – Jeremiah 29:11-12
…WHEN HE MOVES US TO A NEW DECISION OF OBEDIENCE
Just as the blessings of God & faith go hand in hand, it’s also true that the blessings of God & obedience to His Word go hand in hand. You simply cannot consistently live in a state of disobedience to the Lord & expect that He will bless you.
God WANTS to do a new thing in your life. And He WILL do a new thing in your life IF you will obey Him. And NOW is the time to obey Him. If we’ve learned anything w/ the events of this past week in our church FAMILY, it is that there is NO TIME TO WASTE in obeying the Lord. None of us is promised tomorrow, so TODAY IS THE DAY TO OBEY!
- For you who need to be saved – when are you going to obey?
- For you who need to be baptized – when are you going to obey?
- For you who need to join this church – when are you going to obey?
- For you who are not discipling anyone in their walk w/ Christ – when are you going to obey?
- For you who sense God’s call on your life to go into the ministry or to the mission field – when are you going to obey?
- For you who are holding onto your ongoing secret sin, or your bitterness & unforgiveness, or your stagnated relationship to Jesus – when are you going to obey?
God WILL do a new thing in your life TODAY IF you will obey Him TODAY!
…WHEN HE MOVES US TO A NEW DEPENDENCE ON HIS PROMISES
Undergirding every new thing that God has done, is doing, & will do in our lives are the unchanging promises of God. The Bible is filled w/ them & they are given to US! And we can depend on them!
One of the main ways we grow in our walk w/ Jesus is when we learn to lean on His promises more & more.
- Promises from Psalms – Found at least 1 promise in 148 of the 150 Psalms.
What’s your favorite promise from the Lord that you depend on?
- John 3:16?
- Romans 8:28?
- Philippians 4:19?
- How about these promises from Isaiah 43:1-3 – “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”
“My God is doin' a brand nu thang
But, since time began, He remains the same
Faithful, forever to His Word
And solid, a cornerstone unstirred” (DC Talk, "God is Doing a Nu Thang")
CONCLUSION – Today is a new day. The Lord has blessed you & me w/ one more opportunity to experience Him doing a new thing in our lives. And if you’re ready for Him to do that new thing in your life, then step out right now! Make your decision right now:
- To go in a new direction in your life
- To move to new depth of faith
- To make that new decision of obedience
- To move to a new dependence on His promises
He’s ready to do a new thing in your life! Take that step & find out what that new thing is for you today!
