“ How to believe that better is coming “

Isaiah 43:16–19 (NIV) 16 This is what the Lord says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, 17 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: 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.

BELIEVE , not CALLED those things you want to experience

Romans 4:17 (KJV 1900) 17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

Mark 9:24 ( NIV ) — “Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!””

John 11:15–42 (KJV 1900)

15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.

25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

Today’s message

Comes in the form

Of a prophecy

From God

To His people

Thru His man servant Isaiah

When we look

Into Isaiah self

Entitled narrative

We must pause

And take note of the fact

That the first 39 chapters

Of his narrative

It basically speaks

Of God’s judgement

That He pronounce on Israel

Because of there disobedience

It talks about

Judgement on their lives

Because of their own disobedience

God is the God of love

He is the God

That's slow to anger

But He’s also

The God of judgment

In this section

From chapters 44

thru chapters 66

He shares with them

Words of comfort

And consolation

By reminding Israel

Of God’s unfailing love

He prophesies

A new prophecy to them

By telling them

That their children

And their children, children’s

Was going to have to face

Another form of captivity

This time

By the hand

Of the Babylonians

And Isaiah

He's writing this narrative

To encourage them

Despite their current sufferings

That they have to face

And the future

Sufferings that their children

And their children's children

Would have to face

That God

Was not going to

Leave their offspring

In captivity

Because when it came down

To Israel

God had a plan and a purpose

For their life

That's encouraging

All in it’s self

Knowing that regardless

Of our manifold trials

And the plethora of personal problems

That each of us have

God still

Has a plan and a purpose

For our lives

Therefore Isaiah

In writing this word

Of encouragement

As a reminder of sorts

To inform them

That for Israel

What is to come

Is still better

Then what was

The purpose behind

This particular writing

The thematic thrust

That prompted Isaiah

To pin this particular writing

It was to let them know

That when it came down

To God

And how He felt

About them

The best was still yet to come

Isaiah

wanted these children

Of Israel to know

That

1 Corinthians 2:9 (KJV 1900) 9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

I think

That this is

A very appropriate word

Not just for the Israelites

Of the Bible

But for those

Of us in

The building today

That as much

Of the chaos

You've seen

You've been in

And you've gone through

God got better for you

You got to get

This in your spirit

The devil

Would have us to think

That we've already

Experience the best that God has

Jesus always

Saves the best

For last

John 2:1-10 — 162 gallons of water into wine [ The best for last ]

John 2:1–10 (NIV) 1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” 4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

That's what

God has in store for us

His children

But you've got to

Forget some stuff

That you’ve

Been through this past year

And the past

few years

And look forward

To this coming new year

That's right

Around the corner

“ How to believe that better is coming “

This past year

Was a rough year

Some of us

Had to walk some lonely floors

Had to cry some unnecessary tears

Had our back pressed up against the wall

For some of us this was a confusing year

But you made it this far

Everything that has happened

Up until this point

Of your life

Is a canceled check

And today forward

Is a promissory note

I don't know

What promise

God has made to you

But be obedient

And focus on the promise — Joshua 6

“ How to believe that better is coming “

This message

Is a message

Of liberation

This message

Is a message

Of encouragement

The writer Isaiah

Had to admonish them

To do several things

All of which

Would help them to hold on

To this

Precious Promise that God has something better

Let me unpack this text

To share with you

Some Powerful

Practical

But yet

Portable Principles

That we can take with us

Isaiah is saying to us

If we're going

To hold on to the fact

That the best is to come

1st Remember God’s Past Power

Note: We are so engulfed with our present problems to where it makes us forget God’s past power

Example: Grandmama always remembered God’s past power, that’s what keep her

In order to

Remind these Israelites

Who by the way

Was on the verge

Of coming out

Of Assyrian captivity

That God

Was able to deliver

Their children

And their children's children

From captivity

Isaiah had to

Remind them

Of how God delivered

Their grandparents

From Egyptian captivity

Note: Isaiah takes them back by pushing the rewind button to convince them of what God is going to do and remind them of what God has already done.

Isaiah

Is writing to a people

Who is on the verge

Of being delivered

From Assyrian captivity

Isaiah tells them

How God is going

To deliver them

And their children

And the children's children

From Assyrian captivity

He tells them

In verses 16 & 17

That you got to remember

What God has done

In the past

Isaiah 43:16–17 (NIV) 16 This is what the Lord says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, 17 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:

Isaiah is saying

If God did that

For your grandparents

God can do this

For your grand children

[ God’s Power — Elohim Power ]

1st Remember God’s Past Power

2nd Remember God’s Present Power

Note: God is doing SOME RIGHT stuff

Remember

Isaiah is writing

To a people

Who is on the verge

Of coming out of

Assyrian captivity

( If ) he's writing

To a people

Who is on the verge

Of coming out of

Assyrian captivity

The mere fact

That they are receiving

This letter

Is a harbinger

That they have survive

The captivity

What have captivated them

Has not killed them

Even though

They are captive

They have not been cut off

There have been times

That we have been

Isolated

But we was still insulated

And even though

There's been times

That we was incarceration

We still had liberation

In incarceration

Because our celebration

Is not defined

By our liberation

Our celebration

Is defined

By the manifestation of God's presence in our life

Acts 16:25 KJV 1900

25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

Isaiah

Says to them

If we’re going

To hold on to the Fact

That what's to come

Is better than what was

You got to

1st Remember God’s Past Power

2nd Remember God’s Present Power

3rd Release the Past

Isaiah 43:18 (NIV) 18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.

“ Forget the former things “

Don’t dwell on the Past

Note: KJV says “ consider “ [ Hebrew - to look at ]

“ Consider “ — stop talking about it

Example: Most marriages can't move forward because they keep looking at or talking about the past

The Lord says

Forget the former things

Don't even talk about

What has happened in the past

When he says

These words

In verse 18

He is talking about

What has just happened

In verse 16 and 17

[ Explain: What God did back then ]

If What God did

Is so phenomenal

Why would God

Want you to stop

Looking or talking about the past

God says

I want you to forget

About it

Because if you thought

That was something

You ought to see

What I'm getting ready to do in your life

Note: If God is telling them to forget what [ He’s Done ] I believe as well God want you to forget some things you've done — the devil wants to throw your pass in your face.

Note: the best feature you have on your phone and computer is the delete button

Delete — some stuff

Delete — walked out on you - Talked about you - betrayed you - Smiled in you face - Ex/Husbands - Ex/Wives - bad break up - layoff

Example: answering machine/ “ you've reached my voicemail and I'm making some changes in my life and if I don't get back to you that means you're one of them”

1st Remember God’s Past Power

2nd Remember God’s Present Power

3rd Release the Past

4th Recognize His New Provisions

Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)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.

This new thing

Refers to the exile

The time in which

The next generation

Of Babylonian captivity

Was going to be

Sent back to

Their homeland

But what's interesting

About the text

Is this

In verse 16

He talks about

The old Exodus

In verse 19

He talks about

The New Exodus

In verses 16 & 17

He talks about

The Old Deliverance

But in verse 19

He talks about

The New Deliverance

In verses 16 & 17

He talks about

The Old Blessings

But in verse 19

He talks about

The New Blessings

God is saying

How I did it

Last time

May not be how

I'm going to do it this time

Note: Don’t BOX God in

Verse 19 KJV

God says

In the mist

Of a wilderness

In the mist

Of the desert

This place that's categorize

By little

To no rainfall

This place

Which is a region

Of land that's barren

And no vegetation

With no living

Or live thing there

God is saying

I'm going to make

A way out of no way

Verse 19 “ Spring forth “ — to come out of nowhere

Close: Still a third and more glorious “Exodus” will take place when the Messiah returns to regather His people (cf. 43:5–6) and establish His millennial reign on earth.