GOD DOES A NEW THING

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.
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.
The wild beasts will honour me, the jackals and the ostriches,
for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people,
the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.
Isaiah 43:18-21

The words of Isaiah often contained a secondary message. There was often an overlap of announcements and promises that touched on Israel’s present situation as well as prophecies of things to come. This passage of Scripture contained a hint of God’s new work, through a radical and transforming event that would be greater than the Israelites’ rescue from Egypt. It would be even more astonishing than the signs and wonders of the Exodus.

The first Exodus led to the formation of the nation of Israel. The new thing that was declared by Isaiah pointed to a new and greater Exodus –  Jesus’ blood would set humankind free from the slavery to sin and death.  We see the reference also in Jeremiah 31:31-34, and later acknowledged as a new covenant by Jesus in the Upper Room in Luke 22:20.

Here are three lessons for us for the New Year

  1. Acknowledge God
    Our identity is most secure when it is shaped by God who loves us and redeems us
  2. Don’t dwell on the past
    Our gain in Christ is more glorious than our past failures and regrets
  3. Trust God’s new work
    Our joy is greatest when it is built upon God’s joy in transforming us for His glory’s sake

Lessons from Isa 43Summary of a message by Pastor David Tan

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