Sermon Notes: God Makes All Things New (Isaiah 43:18-19)
How to Live Each Day as a New Day
At the start of every new year, people start talking about resolutions. We make plans. We set goals. We promise ourselves that this year will be different. We treat January first as if it carries some kind of special power. But if we are honest, there is no real difference between December thirty first and January first. Time itself does not renew us.
The idea of a new year depends on human systems. There are more than forty calendars used around the world, and each one marks time differently. Scripture reminds us that time belongs to God, not to calendars. In Genesis 1:14, God says, “Let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years.” Days change because God ordains them, not because a page on the calendar turns.
That is why Isaiah chapter 43:19 speaks with such power. God does not wait for a new year to bring renewal. He says, “I am doing a new thing.” God Himself is the source of true newness. So the real question is not when the year changes, but how we live each day as a new day before Him.
The New Testament echoes this same truth. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Renewal is not tied to a season. It is tied to God’s transforming work in Christ.
Listen again to the words of the prophet. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing.” God speaks these words to a people shaped by failure, exile, and regret. Israel is tempted to live trapped by past sin or comforted only by past victories. And through the prophet, God calls them to lift their eyes from yesterday and recognize that He is at work right now.
Let me show you what this looks like for us today.
First, God gives a call to release the past.
God says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” Now God is not telling Israel to erase their memory. He is telling them not to let their past define them. Past sin. Past judgment. Even past victories. Remembering God’s faithfulness is good, but living in yesterday is not.
Some of us are still carrying guilt from mistakes God has already forgiven. Others are stuck longing for a season when life felt easier, when faith felt stronger, when things made more sense. But God says the past is meant to teach you, not imprison you.
So let me ask you gently this morning. What from the past still controls your thinking? Is it regret? Is it shame? Is it nostalgia? Right where you are, bring that honestly before God. Release it. Choose to trust God more than your memories.
Second, God gives a declaration of His present work.
God says, “See, I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” God does not say, “I will do a new thing someday.” He says, “I am doing it now.” The problem is not that God is absent. The problem is that we are often not paying attention.
Faith is not passive waiting. Faith is active perception. God’s work often begins quietly before it becomes obvious. The seed breaks the ground before the tree appears.
So slow down for a moment. Ask yourself this. Where might God already be working in your life today? In your relationships. In your struggles. In your routines. Pray for spiritual awareness. Ask God to open your eyes so you do not miss what He is already doing.
Finally, God gives a promise of transformation.
God says, “I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Notice this. God does not promise to remove the wilderness immediately. He promises to make a way through it. He does not deny the wasteland. He brings life into it.
Some of you are walking through a wilderness right now. A season of uncertainty. A dry place spiritually. A situation that feels barren and overwhelming. God’s promise is not escape, but transformation.
Name your wilderness today. Do not run from it. Invite God into it. Trust Him to make a way forward and provide what you cannot create on your own.
So church, here is the truth Isaiah 43:18-19 teaches us.
God’s people are called to live forward, not backward. God does not deny the reality of the past, but He refuses to let it define the future. Because God is always doing something new, each day becomes an invitation to trust Him again, to perceive His work, and to walk in the renewal He provides.
So do not wait for a new year to begin again. Trust the God who makes all things new, and choose to live today as a new day before Him.
Amen.
Questions are welcome! Post them in the Sermon Discussion group of our WhatsApp chat community.
At the start of every new year, people start talking about resolutions. We make plans. We set goals. We promise ourselves that this year will be different. We treat January first as if it carries some kind of special power. But if we are honest, there is no real difference between December thirty first and January first. Time itself does not renew us.
The idea of a new year depends on human systems. There are more than forty calendars used around the world, and each one marks time differently. Scripture reminds us that time belongs to God, not to calendars. In Genesis 1:14, God says, “Let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years.” Days change because God ordains them, not because a page on the calendar turns.
That is why Isaiah chapter 43:19 speaks with such power. God does not wait for a new year to bring renewal. He says, “I am doing a new thing.” God Himself is the source of true newness. So the real question is not when the year changes, but how we live each day as a new day before Him.
The New Testament echoes this same truth. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Renewal is not tied to a season. It is tied to God’s transforming work in Christ.
Listen again to the words of the prophet. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing.” God speaks these words to a people shaped by failure, exile, and regret. Israel is tempted to live trapped by past sin or comforted only by past victories. And through the prophet, God calls them to lift their eyes from yesterday and recognize that He is at work right now.
Let me show you what this looks like for us today.
First, God gives a call to release the past.
God says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” Now God is not telling Israel to erase their memory. He is telling them not to let their past define them. Past sin. Past judgment. Even past victories. Remembering God’s faithfulness is good, but living in yesterday is not.
Some of us are still carrying guilt from mistakes God has already forgiven. Others are stuck longing for a season when life felt easier, when faith felt stronger, when things made more sense. But God says the past is meant to teach you, not imprison you.
So let me ask you gently this morning. What from the past still controls your thinking? Is it regret? Is it shame? Is it nostalgia? Right where you are, bring that honestly before God. Release it. Choose to trust God more than your memories.
Second, God gives a declaration of His present work.
God says, “See, I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” God does not say, “I will do a new thing someday.” He says, “I am doing it now.” The problem is not that God is absent. The problem is that we are often not paying attention.
Faith is not passive waiting. Faith is active perception. God’s work often begins quietly before it becomes obvious. The seed breaks the ground before the tree appears.
So slow down for a moment. Ask yourself this. Where might God already be working in your life today? In your relationships. In your struggles. In your routines. Pray for spiritual awareness. Ask God to open your eyes so you do not miss what He is already doing.
Finally, God gives a promise of transformation.
God says, “I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Notice this. God does not promise to remove the wilderness immediately. He promises to make a way through it. He does not deny the wasteland. He brings life into it.
Some of you are walking through a wilderness right now. A season of uncertainty. A dry place spiritually. A situation that feels barren and overwhelming. God’s promise is not escape, but transformation.
Name your wilderness today. Do not run from it. Invite God into it. Trust Him to make a way forward and provide what you cannot create on your own.
So church, here is the truth Isaiah 43:18-19 teaches us.
God’s people are called to live forward, not backward. God does not deny the reality of the past, but He refuses to let it define the future. Because God is always doing something new, each day becomes an invitation to trust Him again, to perceive His work, and to walk in the renewal He provides.
So do not wait for a new year to begin again. Trust the God who makes all things new, and choose to live today as a new day before Him.
Amen.
Questions are welcome! Post them in the Sermon Discussion group of our WhatsApp chat community.