A New Thing

Sermon: FCC Marianna 1-2-2022 A New Thing Scripture: Isaiah 43:14-21 As we exit the Christmas Season and enter this period of hope and change, of dedicating our lives to positive changes, let's consider the source of our hope and the reason why any positive change in our lives in even possible. We serve a God who seeks to redeem us, His rebellious creation- without Him, nothing about our lives can result in any lasting change- but BECAUSE of Him, we are able to take moments of clarity and make small course corrections that bring us more in line with His character and His plan for our lives. We live in a culture where church is irrelevant and optional. Church is no longer a priority in peoples' lives, including those who call themselves the "followers of Jesus." Developing a healthy relationship with God, growing one's faith through serving Christ, and making disciples for Jesus is no longer the focus of the Church- our focus has been replaced by the doctrine of moral relativism. It has seen the Church become utterly fruitless and the Christian whole ineffective, because we can no longer tell someone that their behavior is wrong- we can only tell others to try to be a good person and to "believe" in Jesus. We have bought fully into the teaching of St Francis of Assisi to "preach the Gospel; if necessary, use words;" except that in our effort to preach the Gospel to the world by our good actions, we have neglected to actually preach the full truth of the Gospel, specifically the "repent, go and sin no more" parts. Of course, this semi-spiritual, cultural secularism in the church is utter nonsense, especially for the follower of Jesus. We are called to be world-changers, not to be shaped by the world. We are called to be disciples of Jesus who make disciples for Jesus, not to be as much like the world as possible while still holding on to our "Christian card." [Aside: Being like the world can be just as much about our attitudes as our actions. When I hear of churches where people will not go because of the rude and judgmental attitudes that they receive there, I see churches that have the attitude of the world, even if they don't have the actions. These are the same types of people that Jesus called 'white-washed' tombs in Matthew 23:27.] We are to surrender our lives to the Lordship of Jesus, meaning that we relinquish control of our lives to Him and we no longer are in control. We turn the driver's seat over to the Holy Spirit. Thankfully, we serve a God who continues to love and direct us, even when we try to backseat drive and we wrestle with Him over the steering wheel. Thankfully, we serve a God who allows us always stop, course correct, and resolve to return control to His steady hands. There are going to be things and situations in our lives that don't make sense, things that are painful, that God will allow you to go through, times when we can't understand what God could possibly be doing, let alone for our good; those times are rough and confusing, but we need to be thankful for them anyway. These moments or periods also give us opportunity for course correction, for learning specific lessons that God has for us to learn, that help to bring us in line with His character and His plan. Never let a moment of pain deter you from following God's plan for you. You never know what God is trying to do within you in that moment that might be preparation for something He wants to do through you in the future. It is tempting, especially in times of hardship and pain, to lean into the familiar, into the comfortable, to crawl back into bed and dig under the covers, to stay where we are, even if that place is the pit of despair, of anxiety, of hopelessness, to stay in the dark crevices of depression or defeat, of fear or foreboding, in the deep ruts of sameness, boredom, or lethargy. But the beauty of this season is the reminder that we don't have to stay there! Remember the quote that I read from CS Lewis a couple of weeks ago: Jesus came as the rightful king in disguise to engage us in campaign against the enemy, the prince of this world, the prince of the dark crevices of defeat and despair. We serve a God that has a great plan for us- and it never involves just staying still under the covers- it ALWAYS means that we are to be growing more like who He is and walking ever more closely to the path He has for us to walk. -We serve a God that says "You never have to stay in that place. You never have to always be 'that person.' You can always make a change; always put your old self, or even a part of your old self that has been still hanging on, behind you and become more like Me!" -This morning we are going to look at three truths about this season of change and what these changes for the Lord look like both for you and me individually, as well as what it means for the direction and vision of the church. Read Isaiah 43:14-21 here: Pray here! -Share story about diverging paths between Jacob and I after Justin's death. Main point: God has a specific purposeful plan for you and me- sometimes we struggle to understand it, much less follow it. We can always stop and correct our course to bring us into alignment with His plan, but there are also times that God will bring you to a place of trial or transition in order to teach you, to ready you, to prepare you and to equip you for the work that is coming - for the new thing that He is preparing you to do. God brings us into situations where we have to choose whether we will follow Him or not. -Sometimes He brings us to the wasteland because He is trying to do something within us! If we would stop fighting Him and learn the lesson He wants us to learn, we might be able to move along! At times, God will not let us move on until we stop and acknowledge the wilderness before us and surrender to the new thing that He is working within us. -There will be times that God brings you to the wilderness and you won't be able to see what God has in mind for the future, how He's going to create a way through the mess in front of you or what He could possibly want to teach you through it, but you need to just buckle in and trust that God isn't going to fail you in His preparation of you. -This isn't a name and proclaim it Gospel; this is an honest reminder that God is going to allow you to go through some very painful stuff because He loves you as His child and He is ever trying to prepare you to be ready to accomplish what He has for you to do. Hebrews 12:7-8; 11- "Endure hardship as discipline: God is dealing with you as a son. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? If you are without discipline, then you are illegitimate and not sons... No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful; later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it." Ephesians 2:10- "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do the good works that God has prepared- so let us walk in them." -The point this morning? That God has something greater that He wants to do in you and through you! Don't let yourself get caught up in staying in your old mess. Don't The context of this passage in Isaiah is God, who in the first Exodus brought Israel out of Egypt and drowned the Egyptian army, would do an even greater thing Truth #1 God is always ready for you to want to make a new start- to let Him do a new thing in you. - 1 Kings 17:1-24 - Elijah had to obediently follow God's direction, even though the situation kept changing on him. However, he persevered through some rough circumstances, and God eventually used him in an amazing confrontation with the prophets of Baal. Truth #2 Be ready to be pulled out of your comfort zone, both in preparation and in the implementation of this new thing. Leadership Transitions: -Moses to Joshua Deut. 34:9; Joshua 1:1-7 - "Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the Spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites obeyed him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses; After the death of Moses, the Lord's servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, who had served Moses: 'Moses My servant is dead. Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan to the land I am giving the Israelites. I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads, just as I promised Moses... No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous; above all, be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the left or right, so that you will have success wherever you go.'" -Elijah to Elisha 2 Kings 2:8-15 - "Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up and struck the waters, which parted to the left and the right. Then the two of them crossed over on dry ground. After they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, 'Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken from you.' So Elisha answered, 'Please, let me inherit two shares of your spirit.' Elijah replied, 'You have asked me something difficult. If you see me being taken from you, you will have it. If not, you won't.' As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire with horses of fire suddenly appeared and separated the two of them. Then Elijah went up into heaven in a whirlwind. As Elisha watched, he kept crying out, 'My father, my father, the chariots of horsemen of Israel!' Then he never saw Elijah again. He took hold of his clothes and tore them into two pieces. Elisha picked up the mantle that had fallen off Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the mantle Elijah had dropped and struck the waters. 'Where is the God of Elijah?' he asked. He struck the waters himself, and they parted to the right and left and Elisha crossed over. When the sons of the prophets from Jericho who were facing him saw him, they said, 'The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.' They came to meet him and bowed down to the ground in front of him." Truth #3 Just as God will prepare you during the wilderness, He will equip you and give you favor to accomplish the new thing He has on the ascent up the mountain. Joel 2:28 "I will pour out my Spirit on you; then your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams and your young men will see visions." Isaiah 58:11-12;14; 59:21 "The Lord will always lead you, satisfy you in a parched land, and strengthen your bones. You will be like a watered garden and like a spring whose waters never run dry. Some of you will rebuild the foundations laid long ago; you will be called the repairers of broken walls and the restorers of streets where people dwell. Then you will delight yourself in the Lord, and I will make you ride over the heights of the land, and let you enjoy the heritage of your father Jacob. 'As for Me, this is My covenant with them,' says the Lord: 'My Spirit who is on you, and My words that I have put in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children or your children's children, from now and forever,' says the Lord." -Sometimes the successful conclusion of this transition period may not end with a mountaintop experience; it may just be the beginning of more trials, transitions and preparation. God never promises mountaintop experiences; He promises to make a way through the wilderness and wasteland. -Elijah hiding in the ravine, then living with the widow of Zarephath and her son who have given up hope and are about to die; then the widow's son dies and God uses Elijah to resurrect him; then God send Elijah into confrontation with Ahab and the prophets of Baal. Even after such a great victory, however, Elijah doubts God and is ready to die and receives a rebuke and then God announces the end of Elijah's ministry and his replacement. 1 Kings 19: 9-18- "He entered a cave there and spent the night. Then the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?' He replied, 'I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Hosts, but the Israelites have abandoned Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are looking for me to take my life.' Then He said, 'Go out and stand on the mountain in the Lord's presence.' At that moment, the Lord passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Suddenly, a voice came to him and said, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?' 'I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Hosts,' he replied, 'but the Israelites have abandoned Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they're looking for me to take my life.' Then the Lord said to him, 'Go and return by the way you came to the Wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, you are to anoint Hazael as king over Aram. You are to anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel and Elisha son of Shaphat as prophet in your place. Then Jehu will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Jehu. But I will leave 7,000 in Israel-every knee that has not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.'" Question: What does all this mean for you? When you come to a place of transition, of wilderness, of hopelessness, God always has a next step. God always has a purpose and a plan for you. God is going to use the pain and hopelessness that you do through to either do a new work through you or to be the influence in someone else's life to show them what He is preparing them for. Is God allowing you to come to a wilderness time? If so, know that it's because He loves you and He has a desire to edify you and shape you. Is God allowing trials in your life? He wants you to lean into Him and trust that He's got a plan and a purpose for you. Does God have you slogging through a wasteland trail? He's giving you an opportunity to be obedient to the transformation that He wants to do within you. Be faithful in the process. Be faithful, if you find yourself outside of God's plan for you, to stop and do some course correction. Hand that wheel back over to the Spirit; relinquish control of what God is trying to do in you this year. Whatever resolutions you make this, be assured that God's plan is for you to become more like Him and to get better at showing others how to be disciples of Jesus, as well. Question: Church, what does this mean for us as we begin this new year? Maybe God is leading us to a change. Maybe God is preparing us for a good, fruitful work that will change this city and county. What can we do to prepare ourselves for what comes this year? What goals can we set for our body? We serve a God that allows us to stop, reevaluate, and commit to a new resolution. Maybe our resolution as a Body should be to become more welcoming, to become more active in the community? Maybe its as simple as dedicating our Body to being better disciples for Jesus and making more disciples for Him. Invitation: