A New Thing

How many of you are ready to get rid of more baggage this morning?

Let me ask you a question. Do you know anyone that seems to have a hard letting go of the past? Maybe someone that keeps reliving their glory days in high school. Kind of like Uncle Rico in the movie Napoleon Dynamite. Take a look at this clip.

Video - Napoleon Dynamite Uncle Rico’s Speech

What is it about the past that keeps our attention, even as time continues marching forward into the future?

How many of you have ever said, “I wish things would go back to the way it use to be?”

Maybe you look at the past and it seems more attractive to you. Even if you have painful memories of the past, at least you know what happened and maybe you think you could change it knowing what you know now.

However, the problem with this mindset is, you can’t very well move forward while also living in the past.

So, today, here is what I want you to do. I want you to leave the past baggage behind you. No matter if it was good, bad or in different. Today, I want you to move confidently into the present reality of God’s provision for us.

If you have your Bibles, go to Isaiah 43. We will read a few verses beginning at verse 14.

Isaiah 43:14–19 NIV

14 This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “For your sake I will send to Babylon and bring down as fugitives all the Babylonians, in the ships in which they took pride. 15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator, your King.” 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.

In our text Isaiah is foretelling the Israelites what is about to happen. He is telling them that just as the Babylonians will come and take them into captivity, they will also be defeated. Isaiah is giving them an insight into what will take place from that point. Isaiah is prophesying this about a little over 100 years before it happens.

Then Isaiah makes a reference to the first captivity in Egypt. Look at verses 16 and 17 again.

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:

God is letting them know, “Hey! I got this!” Yes. You will go through something terrible, but in the end you will have something far greater.

Look at what He tells them next. Verse 18.

Isaiah 43:18 NIV

18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.

Some of you have been holding onto some baggage from the past. Just as God told the Israelites to let the past go, God is telling you to let the past God.

Then in Verse 19 He tells them what He will do for them.

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.

Look at how the Message puts it.

Isaiah 43:18–19 M:BCL

18 “Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. 19 Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands.

God is telling you today that your future is brighter than your past.

Here is something I want you to put in your spirit. Write this statement down where you can see it every day.

The Best is Yet to Come!

Make that your plan every day. God has something brighter in store for you. I promise you the best is yet to come.

How many of you have ever anticipated something exciting that you knew was coming? Maybe a trip or the birth of your child. Maybe you can remember the anticipation of your wedding or a special event. Do you remember how excited you were about that event? Do you remember the anticipation anxiety that you got and the excitement that you felt?

I’ll never forget the anticipation of my children being born, especially Mailey. She was our first. We were excited. Weeks and days before she was born we moved into a new apartment. We put furniture together. We figured out how to install a car seat. We made lots of plans for the new arrival that would change our life forever. There was an excitement in the air, an anticipation.

Here is a fact. As believers, we have an eternity in paradise with God, Jesus, and all the saints ever before us. This is why we “fix our eyes on Jesus.” In John we are told...

John 14:2 NIV

2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?

The same excitement you feel about your upcoming trip or party or wedding or new birth or whatever you are anticipating, should pale in comparison to the excitement you feel over an eternity in heaven’s paradise.

Paul confirms to us in Galatians 5:1

Galatians 5:1 NIV

1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

We were set free and we have a new hope in Jesus. We have a future to look forward to that is better than the one we have now.

Stop looking at the past. The best is yet to come.

We have something far greater waiting for us and yet, many of us are trapped, bogged down by the baggage of this life as we continue looking behind us to things in the past.

Let it go. The best is yet to come.

You may be looking at the future right now and you are telling me, “I don’t see it.” I don’t see anything good in my future.

The Israelites probably couldn’t see anything good either. All they knew was God was telling them that they would be taken from their homeland. They would be moved to a foreign land. Families would be split up. Some even killed. They saw no hope, they saw no future. They were helpless and hopeless.

But God tells them, when that place comes and you have been taken from your homeland, just remember what I did before and I will do it again.

He tells them that what He did in Egypt will not even compare to what He will do.

Maybe you’ve already seen God do some exciting and new things in your life or in someone else’s life. God is telling you today that those things won’t even compare to what He is going to do.

I believe that He is telling Cliff Terrace, this church, the things in your past were great. We saw people saved, healed, and delivered. Some of you have told me your stories of where you were in this church when God ministered to you. But I believe that He is telling us today that those things won’t even compare to what He is about to do. You need to let the past go and prepare to receive the greater things. The best is yet to come.

Do you hear me? The best is yet to come.

Have you ever had a blindfold placed on your eyes? If they do it right, you can’t see nothing. You are in complete darkness. You will have to rely on those around you to help guide you.

Some of you are saying to God, “just give me a blueprint of what is coming.” But He’s telling you if I give you a blueprint you will mess it up. Just trust me. I will lead you. I will guide you. Even when you can’t see where you are going, I will not leave you nor forsake you. I will make sure that I get you where I want you to go.

There will come some distractions along the way. There will come some road blocks along the way. You can’t avoid them. They are going to happen. It is those things that will get us stronger on the journey. You just have to put your faith in God, let Him lead you, and trust the process.

You don’t have to understand everything right now.

However, there is one thing that you get to decide on. You get to decide whether or not you are going to hang on to the baggage from the past or not.

When God is laying out the plans for our future and He is telling us how bright it is going to be, we like to look back and give Him the baggage why the future won’t get any better.

God, I’m not good enough.

God, I’m not smart enough.

God, I don’t have the right skills.

God, I never finished college.

God, I never amounted to anything.

God, I did some time in prison.

God, I’ve been divorced.

God, I don’t make enough money.

You know what God says, “Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history.”

Then He let’s you know something. He tells you.

I’m good enough.

I’m smart enough.

I have the right skills.

I’m the creator of everything.

I’m the one that set you free.

I’m the one that has forgiven you.

I’ve got enough money. I own it all.

I am the same yesterday, today, and forever.

I will never leave you nor forsake you.

And when the time is right, I will give it to you and you will do something far greater than you ever imagined.

Get ready because, I’m about to do something brand-new.

Just because you don’t see it yet doesn’t mean that it won’t happen.

Just because you don’t understand it doesn’t mean that it won’t happen.

Get you head up.

Let go of the past. There is a new future ahead of you. The best is yet to come. Greater things are still to come.

Cliff Terrace, the best is yet to come.

I said, the best is yet to come.

It is time to lay some baggage down. You’er carrying too much weight. You need to let it go and stop looking at your past mistakes.

Oh and by the way, your past victories can get in the way as well.

Something good happens and you want to dwell on it. You want to enjoy the moments. You want to revel in the victory. You want to enjoy the excitement of what God did back then.

Easter Sunday was exciting here. We had 75 people in service. That was a good number for us. We had new faces here, but God says I’m not done just yet. The best is yet to come.

He’s telling us we have more work to do. There are more people that need to hear the message of hope. There are more people that need a safe place to come and worship. There are more people that need the love of Jesus. There are more people that need to hear the truth of God’s Word.

The best is yet to come.

Leave the past behind and look ahead to the future.

The Best Is Yet to Come.

Let’s Pray