When a "new thing" is not what you thought.

1 Sep 24

Nairobi, Kenya (ANU and Ruiru Church)

Turn to Isaiah 43 and Hebrews 11.

I understand that the theme for ANU this year is Isaiah 43. God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah said,

Isaiah 43:19 ESV

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Question – what do you do when this “new thing” is not what you thought, not what you wanted, takes longer than you anticipated, or challenging, uncomfortable?

As I thought about this verse, I realized that I have heard v19 many times throughout the years from pastors and other church leaders. It’s usually meant to encourage, to inspire, to motivate, and to generate excitement for what God is about to do – perhaps in the local church, a particular ministry, or even in our own lives. It should be encouraging – that was God’s intention.

However, we often anticipate this new thing and wait with expectation because we assume that this new thing is going to be good, it’s going to be great – and it will be to our benefit! In America, and maybe here as well, we often interpret a verse like this from a very Western perspective, meaning that this new thing will be bigger, better, faster, more prosperous. We church leaders tend to think of bigger congregations, more finances, more effective ministries, and an outpouring of blessings. We just assume that this new thing will always be in our favor and to our liking.

But what’s the context of Isaiah 43 and what is this new thing that God is about to do? Let me give you a quick summary. Isaiah was a prophet to Judah; this was during the divided kingdom – Israel in the north with 10 tribes, and Judah in the south with 2. So Isaiah lived during a tumultuous time – there was high tension between the southern and northern tribes of Israel – and tension with the surrounding nations, especially the superpower of the day, the Assyrian Empire. Because of Israel’s disobedience and idolatry, the northern tribes would soon be conquered and taken captive by the Assyrians, leaving Judah on their own. They held out a little longer, a little more faithful to God, but eventually succumbed to idolatry as well and consequently went into exile under Babylon.

So before the exile, Isaiah was a spiritual leader of his day, doing all he could to warn Judah and to call them back to allegiance to God, to repent and worship Him only. The theme of Isaiah’s ministry, I think is in chapter 1.

Isaiah 1:16–17 ESV

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.

That was the call of Isaiah during his life.

When we get to chapter 43, we find a warning of future judgment, hardship, and exile. Isaiah repeated what he said in chapter 39 when he told king Hezekiah that Judah would eventually be carried away to Babylon, and nothing would be left. And intermixed with all these warnings and prophecies about exile, God also communicated that He would protect His people and deliver them - that even though they will go into exile, this was not the end of Israel. God gave them hope that they would return to Jerusalem. That is the context of this new thing in v19. God also gave glimpse of a future suffering servant, a Messiah, one who would bring ultimate deliverance from captivity. In context, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world is also the new thing in v19.

This is critical. Understand, Isaiah ministered between 739 B.C and 686 B.C. – give or take some years. Judah and Jerusalem fell to Babylon in 586 BC., 100 years or so after Isaiah. Now, all Israel was in exile and would be for another 70 years. If I’m doing my math correctly, it took approximately 170 years for this new thing to become a reality. Then, it was another 500 years or so before the next new thing arrived - the Messiah, Jesus. In America we ask, are you picking up what I’m putting down? Are you connecting the dots.

Think about it – none of God’s people during Isaiah’s time saw this new thing God promised to do. We don’t like that, do we? We want the new thing now, and we want it to be exciting and big and successful now - but let’s be honest, “bigger, better, now” is not always reality, and it’s not always God’s plan. Listen to

Hebrews 11:1–2 ESV

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation.

Hebrews 11:13 ESV

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

The OT saints had faith, lived by faith, they are commended for their faith, but they did not experience the new thing God promised.

In my experience, before God can do a new thing, there needs to be some shaking, refining and purifying, maybe some breaking, and sometimes, some dying.

John 12:24 ESV

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

I think we need to be honest. In Isaiah 43, God promised His people that He would do a new thing, and I believe He still promises to do new things today. However, that new thing does not always look like we expect or want. Sometimes, that new thing means going to places we don’t want to go and loving people we don’t want to love (e.g. Jonah). Sometimes that new thing means letting go of “old wineskins” and embracing the new. This new thing that God promised in Isaiah was fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but there is no resurrection without death, and no death without the cross. You follow me?

In Acts 9:16

Acts 9:16 ESV

For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

God was doing a new thing, which involved the Apostles taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria – and they suffered for Christ.

To be fair, sometimes this new thing is exciting, wonderful, and God answers our prayers and exceeds our expectations. Sometimes there are miracles and blessings, and this new thing really is good. I just wanted us to understand that sometimes getting to that new thing can be challenging, difficult, and sometimes we don’t even get to experience it. Regardless, we continue to follow Christ.

Look, this new thing from Isaiah 43 is still happening today as we make disciples in the nations and wait patiently for Christ’s return. You and I are a part of that new thing, which means we are a part of a bigger picture, a bigger story – God’s story – a story that is not yet finished.

Question - are you willing to be a part of the process – a part of the story that creates the new thing, even if you never see it? What if you are not the recipient? What if God says, “I want to use you to create a new thing for someone else?” Are you willing to be a part of a new thing if it’s smaller, lesser, tougher, and farther away?

Ultimately, this new thing, whatever it is, is not about this world, or us … it’s about souls. And so I remind us,

2 Peter 3:9 NIV

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:14–15 NIV

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.