Do you catch yourself thinking that your best days are long behind you, in your marriage, your work, your church? This sermon returns to the words God spoke through the prophet Isaiah to the exiles in Babylon: ‘Forget the former things… behold, I am doing a new thing’ (Isaiah 43). It shows that the past, both the glorious and the painful, is a good teacher but a terrible place to live, because even after the shaking of the pandemic God is doing new things around us that are already springing up. Listen and look around: what new thing might God want to do in your life?
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Isaiah 43:18 God tells His people in Babylonian exile, "Do not remember the former things." Why might these words have sounded strange to people with a great past who also tended to forget God's works?
- God reminds Israel that He redeemed them, that they are precious in His eyes, and that He is announcing something bigger than a return from exile. According to the sermon, what was this "new thing" already springing up?
- The sermon names two mistakes in looking back: past successes that give a false sense of greatness, and past failures that paralyze. Which one is closer to you, and how does it show up in your life?
- What is the difference between remembering the past with gratitude, learning from it, and settling down to live in it? How can you tell when someone is stuck in the past?
- The pandemic took a lot away, but the speaker sees it as a chance to test what our faith rests on. What did that season reveal to you about your relationship with God and with your community?
- The speaker notes that we often say, "Send him or her, just not me." Where can you look this week for the new thing God is doing, and what concrete step can you take, such as calling someone or inviting a friend?
