Do It Again: Do It Again

Isaiah 43:18 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” At first glance, this verse seems to imply that God is commanding His people to forget their past of sin and shame so that they can focus on the hope that is coming. But this challenge to forget the former things is also in reference to their positive past— all the ways God had moved in their lives before. Earlier in the chapter God had reminded the people of Israel of one of the powerful ways He had worked— by splitting the Red Sea and so that the Israelites could step into the promised land. It’s as simple as this: God doesn’t want remembrance to overshadow expectancy. This verse is less about forgetting what God has done, and more about living expectantly of what He will do next. God wanted His people to lift their eyes to a “new thing.” See, in God’s Kingdom the glory days are always ahead-- not behind. So, we fix our eyes with expectation, we strengthen our hands with urgency and we lift our voices with faith that the most effective sermon is yet to be preached, the most inspiring song is yet to be sung, the most dynamic worship is yet to be experienced, the most compelling testimony is yet be heard, the most selfless service is yet to be offered, and the most radical generosity has yet to be given. Let’s have a faith that looks forward to what He will do…a faith that anticipates…a faith that dreams. We come together with a faith that expects to be amazed by what God will do in the future. As we move us from memory to expectancy, we come together to say “Do it again God!” Speaker: Kyle Idleman