26-0104a - Detailed Summary

Tom greets the congregation and introduces the sermon titled "Behold, I Am Doing a New Thing," themed around the New Year. He hopes everyone enjoyed welcoming 2026 with family, friends, or rest, noting he worked but received extra pay. He describes 2026 as a fresh year filled with unknown joys, challenges, and God-prepared opportunities.

The preacher reflects on the past year, including moments of gratitude, pain, victories, and unresolved battles, acknowledging that people dwell on the good, bad, and ugly. He discusses New Year’s resolutions for health, finances, relationships, spiritual discipline, and quitting habits, but notes the common pattern of initial enthusiasm fading by February or spring.

Tom questions if this sounds familiar and asks how many have already abandoned resolutions, explaining that human effort alone cannot produce the deep, lasting change souls crave.

God speaks hope through Isaiah: forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. He declares He is doing a new thing that springs up now, asking if they perceive it, promising a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Referencing Isaiah 43:18-19, Tom stresses this is a divine declaration from the Creator, the God of new beginnings, redemption, and life from death. The promise echoes throughout scripture, fulfilled in Christ, and seen in lives like Moses and Paul.

The sermon covers Isaiah’s promise under three headings: first, forgetting the former things by releasing the past’s grip; second, perceiving God’s new works by opening eyes to His present and future actions; third, pressing on in renewal through Christ by pursuing His transformation.

Tom invites stepping into 2026 echoing God’s promise, affirming God can do a new thing in and through them this year, to His glory.

God’s renewal starts with the command to forget former things and not dwell on the past. The language is strong, not suggesting to ignore but to avoid lingering or setting up permanent residence in yesterday. Many people keep revisiting the past, which affects and depresses them.

This is crucial because the past, whether glorious or painful, can powerfully shape the future if allowed.

In Isaiah’s time, Israel in Babylonian exile remembered the miraculous exodus like the Red Sea parting, but clinging to these kept them from expecting new acts from God. They were also paralyzed by failures of idolatry, rebellion, and disobedience leading to exile, as seen repeatedly in the Old Testament.

God promises something greater than the first exodus, urging not to let nostalgia or regret blind them. Paul echoes this in Philippians 3:12-14, pressing on by forgetting behind and straining ahead for God’s heavenly call in Christ.

Paul had an impressive resume as a top Pharisee, likened to Michael Jordan, but also a sinful past persecuting the church.

Paul’s past included religious achievements: circumcised on the eighth day, from Benjamin’s tribe, a Hebrew of Hebrews, zealous Pharisee. Conversely, he persecuted believers, imprisoned them, approved Stephen’s murder, and called himself chief of sinners.

Either pride or shame could paralyze Paul, but he forgets—not amnesia, but refuses to let yesterday define tomorrow. He views achievements and failures as rubbish compared to knowing Christ.

Entering 2026, people might dwell on failures, sins causing shame, unresolved relationships, dead dreams, lingering disappointments, wounds from betrayal, abuse, abandonment, or past spiritual highs they try to recreate instead of advancing.

These become chains; dwelling on them is like driving forward while staring in the rearview mirror, leading to crashes and failure to reach destinations. The advice is to look ahead, considering Moses' example.

Raised in Pharaoh’s palace, Moses knew his calling to deliver Israel. At 40, in his strength, he killed an Egyptian taskmaster, attempting deliverance his way, but fled to Midian as a fugitive after it backfired. He spent 40 years tending sheep, a failed prince turned shepherd, haunted by regret, shame, and lost purpose.

In the burning bush (Exodus 3), God tells Moses to forget former things—his Egyptian failure and 40 years of obscurity—declaring a new thing. This shows God prepared a great calling for Moses despite his past.

Saul breathed threats and murder against disciples (Acts 9:1), ravaged the church, and approved Stephen’s stoning. On the Damascus road, Jesus confronts and blinds him, then calls him. Ananias restores his sight, and Saul becomes Paul, the greatest missionary.

Neither Moses nor Paul erased their past but refused to live in it; God redeemed it, but they released it. 2026’s shape depends on what is carried from 2025—confess, repent, forgive, thank, then release to sovereign God. No need to carry sins; God removes them far as east from west (Psalm 103:12), tossing them into the sea’s depths.

God doesn’t command forgetting without better focus; He immediately declares seeing the new thing. It springs up now; do you perceive it? The urgency emphasizes it’s happening presently.

Imagery includes a highway in wilderness, rivers in wasteland; life explodes where nothing grows. Tom relates to his workplace where trees grow amid dirt, rocks, chemicals, illustrating God creates life anywhere, even in barren spiritual lives.

For Israel, this points to a new exodus from Babylon, greater than from Egypt. Ultimate fulfillment is Christ: Revelation 21:5, "Behold, I am making everything new." In Christ: new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31, Hebrews 8), new heart/spirit (Ezekiel 36:26), new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), new heavens/earth (Isaiah 65:17, Revelation 21).

Paul, once destroying churches, now plants them across the Roman world; the persecutor becomes persecuted for Christ.

Moses, the stuttering shepherd, becomes a leader confronting Pharaoh and parting the Red Sea. Fixation on former things hinders perceiving God’s new work, dimming spiritual eyes.

Paul strains forward, eyes on Christ, like a runner leaning to the finish. Cultivate perception by renewing minds (Romans 12:2), daily scripture immersion, expectant prayer, worship declaring present faithfulness, community helping see what’s missed.

In 2026, God is already bringing forth new opportunities to serve others, share the gospel, deepen fellowship in relationships, heal wounded hearts, grow in boldness to teach the lost about Jesus, and experience fresh joy in daily worship and walking with Him. God might be initiating something new even during today’s worship service. Believers must be diligent, pay attention, and perceive these works.

Tom encourages daily prayer: "Lord, what new things are you doing in my life, my family, my church, my city? Help me perceive it." He admits personally struggling with perception and needing God’s help, noting that others may need to point out what God is doing. God has something new prepared for everyone in 2026.

God’s new thing is not passive; believers are called to actively participate. Paul models this by pressing on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of him, pursuing the goal to win the prize. This requires effort, discipline, perseverance, and sacrifice, illustrated by Paul’s athletic language of straining, running, and pursuing.

Pressing on demands work and active engagement rather than passivity, but it is not self-powered effort alone. It is grace-empowered pursuit. Paul declares in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through him who gives me strength." Believers must do their best while relying on Jesus for strength, especially on hard days.

The key difference between failed New Year’s resolutions and lasting renewal lies in the power source: human willpower depletes, but Christ’s strength is inexhaustible. Moses spent 40 years feeling disqualified and initially responded to God’s call with excuses—who am I, what if they don’t believe, I’m not eloquent—yet once he obeyed, God used him powerfully as Israel’s great leader who delivered the people from Egypt and received the Ten Commandments.

Paul, after conversion, did not wait or study for years but immediately began preaching Christ (Acts 9:20). Similarly, the demon-possessed man (Legion) was instructed to return home and declare what God had done for him (Luke 8:39). Believers are often scared to speak about faith, but immediate action is needed to share Christ.

Paul endured beatings, shipwrecks, and imprisonment yet pressed on because Christ had taken hold of him for a purpose.

Tom provides practical steps for pressing on in 2026:

God promises to restore the years the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:25), redeeming time itself as He did for Job by giving double blessing. For Christians, all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28)—even bad years, sins, and failures can be turned for good and greater blessing than imagined.

In this new year, God declares: "See, I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up. Do you not perceive it?" Believers must forget former things that chain them, release regrets, hurts, and even old successes to God. Open eyes to the fresh streams He is bringing forth right now. Press on in faith, empowered by Christ, for the prize of knowing Him more and making Him known.

Moses transformed from fugitive to deliverer; Paul from persecutor to apostle. God has great plans for everyone this year—believers must perceive, pay attention, and act to glorify Him.

For those who have never trusted Christ, today is the day to become a new creation. For believers carrying old burdens, lay them down and step forward in freedom.

As the invitation song is sung, the altar is open for salvation, renewing commitment, praying to release the past, or any need. Members are available to pray with anyone. Do not miss what God is doing—go forth in the power of the God who makes all things new.