Sermon Notes
“Do not remember the former things. Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
“God is doing something and our lives are tied to His prophetic word.” – Pastor Billy Johnson
We cannot super-impose onto God what we want. God is doing something and we must have faith to operate in this new thing. We cannot allow things from the past to get in the way of this new thing.
- God is doing it
- It’s happening now
- And you’re going to know it
In going forward with this new thing we have to do what we already know to do. We must exercise our faith, and faith begins where the will of God is known. In exercising that faith we must:
- Have faith to work collectively
- Have the faith (and strength) to war against Satan
- Walk with God closely to hear the word of the Lord
We Must First Know the Will of God
John 6: 38 – 40 – “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Knowing the will of God, we know where to begin, and that is from salvation. It is God’s will that we accept the gift of salvation. God specifically sent Jesus to save us and that was His will. However, just the proximity to God’s word, or simply being in the building of a church does not equate to salvation. God does not wish us to be lost, and so He writes these things so that we might know them. We do not have to wonder because it is in the word.
“When you are born again, the old things are passed away and you are given a new nature.” – Pastor Billy Johnson
We are reminded in the scripture (John 3:16) that God did not send His Son to condemn us, but rather to save us. And with this in mind we have the goal of sanctification, which means one is to progressively become more like Jesus. In other words, something should be happening in your life where there is progress being made to be more like Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 4: 1-4 “Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor.”
Just quoting verses won’t bring us closer to being more like Jesus. We must do the work that is written in the commandments and our walk in life should reflect the progression towards a better reflection of Jesus Christ.
“The scripture says in Galatians 5 to walk in the spirit so as not to fulfill the desires of the flesh.” – Pastor Billy Johnson
In Everything Give Thanks
1 Thessalonians 5: 18 – “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
It is also His will for us to give thanks in (not simply for) everything. At times we compare our lives to the lives of others and find that we may fall short of what we think we need. However, scripture is telling us to give thanks in everything. Find ways to be thankful as opposed to cursing a situation or circumstance. When your car breaks down, instead of cursing it, be thankful that it broke down close to a repair shop and not on the highway.
Live in a Way that Silences the Foolish
1 Peter 2: 15 – “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men –“
“Let it be that your behavior will silence the foolish.” – Pastor Billy Johnson
In closing, your life should reflect the behavior of one who has the faith and willingness to walk closely with God, as you walk into this new thing. Get ready to walk in the new, and trust in the Lord to do the right thing simply because it’s right. And when others speak against you, your behavior should silence their talk.