EMBRACE THE NEW

Revelation 21:5a – “Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’”

2 Corinthians 5:16-17 (NLT) – “So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know Him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person [NIV: new creation]. The old life is gone [CEV: the past is forgotten]; a new life has begun!”

1. Embrace the new in people 

Acts 9:20-21 – “And immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is indeed the Son of God!’ All who heard him were amazed. ‘Isn’t this the same man who caused such devastation among Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem?’ they asked. ‘And didn’t he come here to arrest them and take them in chains to the leading priests?’”

Acts 9:22-24 – “Saul’s preaching became more and more powerful, and the Jews in Damascus couldn’t refute his proofs that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. After a while some of the Jews plotted together to kill him. They were watching for him day and night at the city gate so they could murder him, but Saul was told about their plot.”

Acts 9:25-27 – “So during the night, some of the other believers lowered him in a large basket through an opening in the city wall. When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer! Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus.

Acts 9:28-31 – “So Saul stayed with the apostles and went all around Jerusalem with them, preaching boldly in the Name of the Lord. He debated with some Greek-speaking Jews, but they tried to murder him. When the believers heard about this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus, his hometown. The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers.”

Prioritize the power of Jesus over the prison of people’s past.

2. Embrace the new moves of God

Ezra 3:10 – “When the builders completed the foundation of the Lord’s temple, the priests put on their robes and took their places to blow their trumpets. And the Levites, descendants of Asaph, clashed their cymbals to praise the Lord, just as King David had prescribed.”

Ezra 3:11 – “With praise and thanks, they sang this song to the Lord: He is so good, His faithful love for Israel endures forever! Then all the people gave a great shout, praising the Lord because the foundation of the Lord’s temple had been laid.”

Ezra 3:12-13 – “But many of the older priests, Levites, and other leaders who had seen the first temple wept aloud when they saw the new temple’s foundation. The others, however, were shouting for joy. The joyful shouting and weeping mingled together in a loud noise that could be heard far in the distance.”

Isaiah 43:15-19a (NLT) – “I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator and King. I am the Lord, Who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea. I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all of its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick. But forget all that- it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.”

Isaiah 43:19a (MSG) – “Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?”

Discussion Questions:

1. What stuck out to you in this message?

2. Have you ever felt imprisoned or trapped by how others relate to you?

3. Do you feel that some people are relating to you from the past even though the Lord is changing your life?

4. Can you think of some people or moves of God in which you focused on the negative instead of celebrating the positive? Why do you think you were drawn to focus on the negative?

5. Share one or two good things you see God doing around you in people or organizations.

6. What are some ways you can practically be better engaged in prioritizing the power of Jesus over the prison of people’s past?