See, I Am Doing a New Thing! Isaiah 43:18-21, NIV 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 desert and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise. Hallelujah! Let us greet each other, saying, “May the Lord richly bless you in the New Year!” I would like to share the grace of God under the title, “See, I Am Doing a New Thing,” based on Isaiah 43:18-21. Please repeat after me, “See, I Am Doing a New Thing! See, I Am Doing a New Thing!” The New Year of God’s blessing has come. Unprecedented and wonderful things will happen to you this year. God will lead you into wonderful blessings. Let us obey the Word of God, and march forward with faith. I pray that God will bless you with His miracles, blessing, and grace. Today’s Scripture was given to the Israelites when they were in deep despair, living in captivity in a gentile land. At the same time, the Scripture is given to us as a message of blessing in times of despair. The Lord declared to the Israelites that He would do a new thing although they had been living in despair. The Lord promised to do a new and wonderful thing for them such as making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. Let us obey this Word of promise, marching forward with faith. I pray that the year 2009 will be the most wonderful and the most blessed year of your life. 1. Forget the former things (Isa 43:18). First, the Scripture tells us to forget the former things. Please repeat after me, “Forget the former things.” Isaiah 43:18 says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” The Lord tells us to forget the former things and not to dwell on the past. The Lord is telling us to forget all things in the past?including both good things and bad things. There was one thing that the Israelites never forgot. It was the fact that the Almighty God had delivered them from the hands of the Egyptians after 430 years of slavery. God made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters. By putting the parted waters together, He destroyed the Egyptian chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, who were pursuing them. Isaiah 43:16-17 says, “This is what the LORD says?he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick.” God saved the Israelites and judged the Egyptians in the Red Sea. However, the Scripture tells the Israelites to forget it. They were totally dismayed in such a depressing situation, losing all hope. They dwelt only in the glorious and wonderful past in which God had done great things for them. Being obsessed by their past, they were not doing anything at all. The Scripture told the Israelites that they needed to change their attitude. It will be pathetic if we dwell in the glorious past, without doing anything today. I know a gentleman who used to have a very high position in the colonial government while Korea was under Japanese control. Whenever I met him, he would say, “I had strong power in the past.” He would go on speaking for hours about his power in the past. I do not think it was what one takes pride in, but he spoke about it whenever he had a chance, starting, “In the past, I was...” Although he was unemployed and no one respected or cherished him very much, he spoke about his splendid story of the past to everyone he met, dwelling in his glorious past. All things have passed, whether they were good or bad. He who dwells in the past cannot expect changes in his life. He cannot expect a miracle. The Lord says to us, “Forget the former things and march forward toward the glorious future with faith. Praise God who is doing a new thing.” A psychologist, Dr. Samuel Jones, researched the lives of people and found out that surprisingly, many people are attached to their past. About 40% are confined in the darkness, embarrassment, and mistakes of their past. About 30% think about implausible or empty things. About 12% are attached to their hurtful, furious, and upsetting past. About 10% are too concerned about and obsessed by their health. Only the remaining 8% think creatively and positively. We need to be freed from the past, whether it was successful or not. God’s will for us is that we march forward with faith as mature Christians. He who is obsessed by his past cannot look to the future or create a new future. He who is attached to the past cannot have hope for the future. He will end up with complaints, murmurs, and sighs. The Israelites came out of Egypt under Moses’ leadership by God’s grace. They were heading for the land of Canaan, flowing with milk and honey. However, their journey to Canaan was a little hard and tiring. Their food and drink was limited and their shelter was not comfortable. It would have been nicer if they had endured all suffering, marching forward toward the future with hope. However, they remembered the times they had in Egypt and complained. Exodus 16:2-3 says, “In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.’ ” In Numbers 11:5-6, they said, “We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost?also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” This features people who are attached to their past. If they had endured a little more, they could have entered into the land of Canaan flowing with milk and honey. Instead, they complained and protested against God in unbelief. Those who dwell in the past forget the grace of God. They look at the present with a negative viewpoint. They are apt to think and act negatively. Therefore, in this New Year, we should take off the past-oriented old self and put on the future-oriented new self, marching forward with great dreams and faith. We must anticipate that new things will happen, focusing on the promise of God with hope. God wants His people to march forward with faith. When we march forward with faith, God will bring miracles and blessing into our lives. The past has gone. We are new creations in the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” The new has come! The Lord says, “The new has come!” The old has gone. Sad things, painful things, or good things are all gone. As new creations, we must look to the future and keep marching forward with faith. Paul the apostle confesses in Philippians 3:13-14, “Brothers, 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, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Paul said he was straining toward what was ahead, not just walking toward it. When one runs, one does not have the time to look back. When we run a 100-meter race, we cannot look back. We must concentrate only on the finish line to win the race with a good record. The same is true with our Christian faith. We must run to the goal that the Lord has set with faith, focusing only on the goal. We do not have time to sigh in despair and sorrow, looking back at the past. We do not have time to waste, doing nothing but dwelling on the past. We do not have time to bury ourselves in the hurts from the past, sighing and lamenting. We must march forward with faith. When we do our best today, the future of hope will open up for us. The miraculous blessing of God will be ours. God will do a new thing in the near future. Your tomorrow will be the scene of God’s miracles. No matter what has happened so far, joyful or sorrowful, hurting or impressive, we need to forget about our past and march forward with faith. May the Lord bless you in the New Year as you forget about your past. The wonderful blessing of God is prepared for you. 2. See, I am doing a new thing (Isa 43:19). Second, the Lord says, “See, I am doing a new thing.” Hallelujah! Please repeat after me, “See, I am doing a new thing. See, I am doing a new thing.” Isaiah 43:19 says, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Hallelujah! The omnipotent and omniscient God is going to do a new thing. The Word of God is a miracle, blessing, and grace. It cannot change. No one can change it. The Lord says, “See, I am doing a new thing!” God is saying that He will do something that has never existed before. God will make new hope sprout from an irrecoverable situation. The Israelites were living in captivity due to their sins. They despaired. They had been in captivity not for a day or a year or a decade, but for seventy years. They had lost all hope. They thought they were finished. Their children were born as slaves. They thought they were doomed to live as slaves. Nonetheless, while they were living in pain and despair, God declared that He was going to do a new thing. Even though we may be in despair, it is not the end. God will do a new thing for you. He says, “See, I am doing a new thing.” There is nothing impossible for God. Nothing is impossible for us in the Lord. We can do all things in the Lord who strengthens us. When Jesus was crucified, two other men, both vicious criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. It seemed that their destiny was ending there, but it was not. When one of the criminals accepted Jesus in his heart, Jesus said to him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” His destiny was changed?from utmost despair to utmost hope. Even the worst sinner or the worst failure can recover in the Lord Jesus. We may look irrecoverably finished due to our failure and mistakes, but we have hope in the Lord Jesus. New things will open up for us in Jesus Christ. Our God is a very good God. When we march forward, trusting in Him, He will bless our spirits, strengthen our bodies, and make us prosper in all things. He will give us life to the full. The problem is our unbelief. Since we are suspicious, unable to believe, we cannot experience God’s blessing. Let us pray to God that we will be people of great faith, conquering each day with faith. Let us pray that God will turn hopelessness into hope, curses into blessing, and sorrow into joy. Let us march forward, anticipating God’s enormous grace. When we go on, trusting in the Lord, He will perform miracles for us. God will do new and wonderful things in our church and in our lives and homes. I urge you to open wide your mouth of faith. Psalm 81:10 says, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.” ? When we march forward with our mouths wide open, God will fill them. The things that God worked in the past were wonderful and splendid, but the things that He will do in the future will be unprecedented and more wonderful. I pray that you will look to the wonderful work of the Lord, marching forward with faith. The NIV version of Isaiah 43:19-20 says, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen (people).” The Scripture describes the things that God will do. Unprecedented things will open up before us. They will be beyond description. God will make streams in the wasteland. He will revive the life in the wasteland. The sea of the blood of Jesus flows beyond time and space, saving not only the Israelites but also all the people in the world. His blood forms the sea of salvation and grace. The river of His blood runs in this world which is like a wasteland. The Lord also promises to make a way in the desert. It is a promise of His blessing to those who are hopeless. It promises new hope for us. Obstacles will be removed and a way will be made. Moreover, it is not a crooked way but a highway of Zion. The Scripture also promises to provide water in the desert. This means that we will be filled with the living water of the Holy Spirit. The living water will overflow in our spirits. John 7:37-38 says, “On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’ ” Streams of living water will flow from within Him! Even though we may face a devastating situation like a wasteland or a desert, God will help us go through it. Moreover, even if we have obstacles in our home, church, or country, God will remove them, making a highway for us. When God does this wonderful work, all creatures, including wild animals, will honor and worship the Lord, being seized by great awe. Isaiah 43:20 says, “The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen (people).” Hallelujah! The Scripture says that God does wonderful things for His chosen people. God is doing such wonderful things that the wild animals will honor Him. God will perform wonderful things for each and every one of you, although there are non-Christians in your homes or workplaces. Your homes will be blessed because you are chosen by God. Your workplaces will be blessed because you are chosen by God. Your area will be blessed because you are chosen by God. Our country will be blessed because we are chosen by God. When we participate in the grace of God who is doing a new thing, our country’s future will be brightened. The glory of God will be manifested. God will do a new thing for you, making wonderful things happen for you. Although the New Year looks like a desert or a wasteland, God will bless us by making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. He will supply all our needs and deliver us from all suffering or trials. He will help us gain victory through our faith. I pray that God’s power will be with us throughout this year and our lives, leading us to the highway of living water. 3. Give praise and thanks to God (Isa 43:21). Third, we need to give praise and thanks to God when the grace of God comes upon us. Please repeat after me, “Give praise and thanks to God.” Isaiah 43:21 says, “The people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.” Since God will do a new thing for His people, they will rejoice, giving thanks and praise to God. He delights in our thanks and praise. When we give thanks and praise to God, our faith will grow, and His wonderful work will be done in our lives. When we praise God, demons will be cast out. Our praise will bring His new blessing and grace to us. When we praise God, it brings the forgiveness of our sins and the healing of our diseases. It will also bring the wonderful blessing and miracles of God. We will experience the power and grace of God through our praise. The mighty work of the Holy Spirit will be done in our lives. When man tries to make a name for himself, his life will be disgraceful. However, when a person tries his best to glorify the name of God, God receives glory from him, lifting him high and working new things in his life. Isaiah 43:7 says, “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” We are formed for His glory. Therefore, in whatever we do, whether we are awake or asleep or wherever we are, we must give glory to God. Then God will do a new thing for us. Isaiah 43:21 says, “The people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.” Psalm 33:1 says, “Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.” Amen. Praise and thanks are the major things that we are going to perform eternally in heaven. Therefore, we need to practice them on earth until we go to heaven. I pray that you will give thanks and praise to the Lord on earth and that you will live eternally before the Lord in heaven, giving thanks and praise to Him. Praise is a bridge from earth to heaven. We must give praise and glory to God for His faithfulness. The Israelites gave thanks and praise to God for His blessing and promise of the land of Canaan. They also praised God for delivering them from their enemies. Exodus 15:1 says, “Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.” Hallelujah! When we give thanks to God in all circumstances, good or bad, God will do a new thing in our lives. Rev. Bob Sorge wrote a book, Exploring Worship: A Practical Guide to Praise and Worship. Rev. Sorge was a praise minister. He was a music supervisor at Elim Bible School and a senior pastor at Zion Fellowship, New York. While he was traveling around the US and all over the world in praise ministry, in 1992 he excessively used his vocal chords. He got an ulcer on his vocal chords. He had an operation on the ulcer, but he lost his voice. He could not sing praises anymore. In distress, he cried and prayed, kneeling down before God, “Lord, was there anything wrong with my songs? Why did You take my voice away from me? I love You and wanted to know You better. Why did such a thing happen to me?” He prayed with tears for several days, “Why did You take my voice away from me, leaving me unable to praise You?” While he was praying in tears, he experienced the grace of the Lord. The Lord came and met him. He could love the Lord more fervently than before. Although he did not cry during the time he sang praises to the Lord, he now cries all the time. He says, “My suffering has turned into greater blessing. I can see praise in a broader sense since I lost my voice. I feel the urge and necessity for us to praise God with our whole life, not just with our voices in a narrower sense. So, give praise to God with your whole life, not just with your voice. Music is not for us but to praise God.” Although he cannot sing now, he gives praise to the Lord with his whole life, playing musical instruments. When we praise God, He performs miracles. Psalm 59:17 says, “O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.” Psalm 68:19 also says, “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah.” The Scripture tells us to praise the Lord God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Let us forget everything in the past, good or bad, and march forward with faith, anticipating the new and wonderful things that the Lord will do in the New Year. Let us go onward with faith, looking forward to the wonderful blessing of God done by His almighty power. Let us also give thanks, praise, and glory to God, rejoicing in the Lord, for we are formed for His glory. Then He will do a new thing. He will perform wonders. Mr. Paul Potts is a Christian singer. He was bullied by his peers since childhood for his awkward speech and homely appearance. He had a dream to be a singer and auditioned to be an opera singer but could never become one. To make things worse, he had a benign tumor and was involved in a car accident, which left him heavily in debt. He broke his collarbone. People said that he could never sing again. He was chubby with broken front teeth. People even called him a failure. Working as a mobile phone salesman, he did not give up. He joined a church choir and began to sing praises to God. He saw a public notice about competing in a talent show. He went there and sang his best. The judges did not pay any attention to him at first, but then they began to listen to him intently. They unanimously chose him as the grand prize winner. He won “Britain’s Got Talent” competition. His life story of adversity was now known as a story of human victory. He is a famous praise minister now. Through his praise ministry, he is helping children suffering from diseases. After his performance in Korea, he donated a huge amount for children in North Korea who suffer from tuberculosis. He was appointed as an honorary public relations amnesty for Aids for Children with Tuberculosis in North Korea. He is continuing his music ministry. Truly, Pott’s life used to be filled with failure and dark shadows. However, new things happened to him in the Lord. When he had dreams, the Lord changed his future. He used to be totally insignificant, but now he is significantly used by God as an honorary public relations amnesty of the Aids for Children with Tuberculosis in North Korea. At the beginning of the New Year, I pray that you will enjoy the great grace of God. I pray that your daily life will be filled with God’s blessing. See, I am doing a new thing! See, I am doing a new thing! Let us march forward, fixing our eyes on the Lord who is doing a new thing. I urge you to step forward boldly with faith, fixing your eyes on the blessing prepared for you. Never look back. Never collapse because of the hurts, bad memories, or failures of the past. Instead, stand up firmly by faith, and march forward with faith. This is my earnest prayer in the Lord. Let us pray. Our Father of infinite love, grace, and mercy, we give thanks to You for Your promise, “See, I am doing a new thing.” We give thanks to You for Your Word of miraculous blessing. Help us to trust in You who are doing new things. Pour Your grace upon us so that we may give glory to You throughout our lives. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.