NJ - LET IT SPRING UP

GOD IS DOING A NEW THING

Isaiah 43:18-19

INTRODUCTION

Good morning and welcome to church, it is great to see you all hear as we worship God and thank Him for all He has done for us. If you are visiting with us today, we pray that you will be blessed and that you would encounter Jesus and all He has for you. We look forward to catching up with you after our service around morning tea.

Today we begin our next THEME: There's A New Thing Coming

During our time waiting on God for His direction, Rachel and I have felt for some time now that there is a new thing coming, then a couple of weeks ago Ps Derrin shared his message: New Thing Coming. In conversations with all of our team we felt that this was conformation.

And we know that God is described as constantly doing new things in people's lives, bringing fresh opportunities and transformations. Isaiah 43:18-19, which encourages us His believers to look forward to the new thing God is doing, rather than dwelling on the past.

BIBLE READING:

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.

We know that God's creative nature allows Him to surpass human expectations, bringing about changes in various aspects of life such as health, relationships, and personal growth.

This process of renewal is linked to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in believers, which is continuously active and life-giving.

It is importance for us to be open and to embrace the new things God is doing, even if they seem uncomfortable or unfamiliar, this is part of our spiritual growth and transformation.

LETS PRAY

Father we love You and thank You, we thank you for Your grace is sufficient for us; we thank You that in our weakness You are strong. I ask that Your Holy Spirit would bring revelation of Your word and give us strength that we may have the power to overcome. Amen

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.

POINT 1

WE NEED TO STEP INTO THE NEW

There are so many things, that if we let them, will stop us from stepping into the new that God has for us. The enemy (satan and his demons do not want us to have what God has for us, they want us to stay in our past).

John 10:10 NIV

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

James 1:2–5 NKJV

2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

So what has God promised you, what do you need to remind yourself of?

2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Revelation 21:5 NIV

5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

LOOKING BACK PREVENTS US FROM REALISING WHAT IS AHEAD (DON’T DWELL ON THE PAST) We need to step into the new.

Living in the past obscures the future!

WHAT WE SEE IN THE NATURAL IS NOT ALWAYS AN INDICATION OF WHATS HAPPENING IN THE SUPERNATURAL

We need God in the middle of our lives

Philippians 3:13 NKJV

13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

The Samaritan Woman at the Well of Jacob

John 4:15–18 NKJV

15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”

Jesus goes on to ask the woman: Where is you husband?

Her past has her drawing water when there is nobody around

She goes from shame to freedom, from hiding to being open

WE NEED TO STEP INTO THE NEW

POINT 2

CHANGE IS GOOD

We need to remind ourselves that change is good, Ps Derrin spoke with us a couple of weeks ok about this, if you remember he mentioned in his message about: THE OLD FEELS SAFE / THE OLD FEELS FAMILIAR / THE OLD FEELS COMFORTABLE. So let us not get stuck in the mindset of the old being safe, familiar and comfortable and let us embrace the new things that God is doing in our lives.

That doesn’t mean that we throw away the things of our past, but use them to build our faith and trust in God as we step into the new. So we should remember the things that build our faith in God:

Remember the miracles of the past

Exodus 15:1–2 NKJV

1 Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and spoke, saying: “I will sing to the Lord, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! 2 The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.

This scripture Begins by reminding them of His past faithfulness.

So, on the one hand, this scripture tells us to remember the past

The past is to remind us of the faithfulness of God.

He is from everlasting to everlasting. He does not changes.

(He is the same yesterday, today and for ever)

The same God who delivered their forefathers can and will deliver them.

Don’t stay in the past

Don’t dwell on the past.” It is good to draw lessons from it.

We can learn from past experience.

It is a good thing to encourage ourselves in the faithfulness of God by remembering what He’s done for us.

A couple of weeks ago Ps Rachel asked those that have experienced a miracle to put their hand up. There were many.

We need to live in the NOW! and into our future, No matter how bad or how good things were in the past that is not where we are now.

So we remember the past, and embrace the hope God had set before us for the future.

CHANGE IS GOOD

POINT 3

IT IS SPRINGING UP

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.

A NEW THING IS SPRINGING UP A NEW THINGS IS COMING. Can you sense it? It’s breaking through even now. God is making a way where there seemed to be no way. He’s releasing fresh vision where there’s been confusion. He’s opening doors where there’s been delay. He’s bringing streams to dry places. The season of just “holding on” is giving way to a season of stepping in.

Don’t cling to the old. Don’t mourn what God is removing. He is making space for the new.

Your greatest struggle will be your greatest breakthrough

We often try to understand it and make sense of it when what we really need to do is praise him for it You word says that you can’t put new wine into old wine skins (Matthew 9:17)

Lord, today we choose to let go of the past, those things that are hindering us Lord, we choose to step into the new As you voice says, come follow me – we will follow We say yes to your presence We say yes to you calling We say yes to the new things you have for us – IN JESUS NAME

CONCLUSION

POINT 1

WE NEED TO STEP INTO THE NEW

POINT 2

CHANGE IS GOOD

POINT 3

IT IS SPRINGING UP

SALVATION OPPORTUNITY

CLOSE

Father we thank you that we have heard Your word today, we ask Holy Spirit to help us to understand Your word and apply it to our lives that we can walk in the fullness of Your plan for our lives.

Make A Joyful Shout To The Lord

Psalm 100 NKJV

A Psalm of Thanksgiving. 1 Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. 3 Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

Lazarus Raised From The Dead

John 11:38–44 NKJV

38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

Certainly! Here’s an exegesis of Isaiah 43:18–19, focusing on the original context, theological meaning, and contemporary application.

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📜 Isaiah 43:18–19 (ESV)

18 “Remember not the former things,

nor consider the things of old.

19 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.”

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🔍 1. Literary and Historical Context

These verses are part of a prophetic message from Second Isaiah (chapters 40–55), written during the Babylonian exile (6th century BC). The prophet addresses a discouraged Israel who feels abandoned and powerless. Isaiah 43 offers words of comfort, hope, and renewal, assuring them that God’s redemptive purposes are not over.

Verses 16–17 recall the Exodus—God parting the Red Sea and defeating Egypt. Verses 18–19 then pivot: “Forget the former things… I am doing something new.”

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🔤 2. Word Study and Key Phrases

• “Remember not the former things”: This isn’t a call to total forgetfulness but a shift in focus. The Exodus was great—but God isn’t limited to past miracles.

• “I am doing a new thing” (Hebrew: chadash): Signifies something unprecedented—not just a repetition of past acts, but a creative, redemptive intervention.

• “It springs forth”: Like a seed breaking the soil, God’s new act is already in motion—alive, surprising, and life-giving.

• “A way in the wilderness… rivers in the desert”: In ancient times, wilderness and desert symbolized danger, dryness, and desolation. God promises life and direction in barren places.

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🕊️ 3. Theological Themes

a. God’s Creative Power

God is not bound by the past. He brings newness where there was once devastation. The “new thing” points to both physical deliverance (return from exile) and spiritual renewal.

b. Hope in Desolation

God’s new work happens in the wilderness and desert—symbols of hardship and loss. Renewal doesn’t wait for ideal conditions.

c. Redemptive Trajectory

This “new thing” anticipates not just the end of exile but also the greater redemptive work in Christ—new covenant, new heart, new creation (see 2 Cor. 5:17, Rev. 21:5).

2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Revelation 21:5 NKJV

Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

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📖 4. Application

a. Don’t Idolize the Past

Past victories or failures can blind us to God’s present work. Sometimes we cling to the old so tightly that we miss the new thing God is doing.

b. Perceive God’s Work Now

“Do you not perceive it?” suggests we may be unaware of God’s unfolding plan. This verse calls for spiritual attentiveness and faith.

c. God Makes a Way in the Wasteland

For those walking through burnout, loss, or confusion—God is still the one who makes paths in chaos and brings life to dryness.

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✝️ In Christological Light

Christ fulfills this promise of a “new thing”:

• New exodus through Jesus (Luke 9:31, the “exodus” of the cross)

• Living water in the desert (John 7:38)

• New creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17)

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✅ Summary

Verse Key Theme Application

v.18 Don’t get stuck in the past Trust God beyond past experiences

v.19 God is doing something new Be spiritually alert and expectant

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