Gracepointe Church (Dover, OH)
Gracepointe Church (Dover, OH)
Release The Old; Embrace The New | Shawn Miller
-
God is an awesome God. Do you believe that this morning? Amen. It's easy to sing songs like that. And then with coming out of a year, the current year, going into next year, sometimes we hit crisis that it's actually hard at the time to believe that God is actually awesome or that God is good. But I think we can all testify this morning that he is good. This side has done a lot better in sitting up front than this side has. And I can say that because I was a part of that side. Well, leave it be. Just pay close attention from way back there. All right. Release the old, embrace the new is the title of my sermon this morning. And the thread of reflecting and looking forward will continue this morning. This is a new year's message. Wednesday, this coming Wednesday will be December 31st, 2025. Another year has come, will be coming to a close. 25 years since Y2K, the year 2000. How many of you were alive and remember Y2K, the New Year's Eve of December 31st, 1999? How many of you remember that? Oh, I remember being in the fellowship hall at Marathon Church, and we were all sitting there watching the clock, not knowing what will happen with this first digitized, computerized turn of the century. Will the grid crash? Will everything go down? Will the computers all go blank? And 12 o'clock hit, and everything just kept on going. About 1201, there was a bunch of generators for sale because people had stocked up on generators, people had stocked up on food. We didn't know what was going to happen. So 2026 is just around the corner. In doing that this morning, for some of you, this may have been rejuvenating for you to reflect over 25. It may have been rewarding, it may have been encouraging. And for some of you, you might be sitting here and thinking, I wish 2025 would have never ended or will never end because it was such a good year. For some of you, you might be sitting here and saying, I am so glad that 2025 has finally ended. And for those of you, you know who you are, just know that we're here for you. And none of us knows what's in store for any of us in 2026. Because we don't know the future. We've taken a few moments to reflect on 25, and I'd like to just take a moment of silence to think forward into 2026. Even though we don't know what will bring, what God will be bringing our way in 2026, I'd like for us to just sit still for a moment and to think forward into some of you might already have plans for 26. Some of you might have big plans for 26. Some of you might be sitting here and saying, I have no idea what's going to come in 26. And for the most part, we don't. But what are you anticipating for the next year? Let's take a moment to just reflect or not reflect, but to think forward into 2026. The new year brings new hope. Even if you had a really good year in twenty-five. Do you believe that God wants this next year to be the best year that you've ever had? Let that sink in. God wants 2026 to be the best year that you've ever had. He loves us that much. And that is to where will our focus be in order to find our fulfillment in this coming year. A simple turn of the calendar will not change a lot of things from this year to next year. But with God comes the promise that the future can be better than the past. I'd like to just run quickly through a number of characters in the Old Testament. We're not even going to turn to the scriptures, but I'd like to point out a few men that God used as instruments to lead his people that it seemed were okay with looking forward and not necessarily looking back. Now I will say this, I will preface me um bringing the sermon this morning by one of my prayers this morning was that I could speak kindly and that I could speak with um taking as much as I as God allows me to, taking everybody's personality into perspective. We all have different personalities. I myself am not sentimental. I think my family thinks I don't have a sentimental bone in me. What happened back there happened back there. I'm ready to move forward. There is a lot of you in here that are very sentimental. And I want to be very conscious of that. And this morning, when I preach of or when I speak of releasing the past and embracing the new, or releasing the old and embracing the new, please don't hear me say to blot out the past, blot that out of your memory. And we'll talk about that more later. So I want to be very conscious on how I present based on my personality and based on the personalities that are sitting here. So I pray that God will help each of you to hear me correctly or to hear me graciously when I preach this morning. The first Bible character that I like to just briefly look at is Abraham. God had a promise larger than Abraham could have ever imagined. The barrenness of an old woman changed according to God's promise. And instead of Sarah staying barren, God opened her womb and a nation was born. Even though there was some unbelief when God first announced to them that they will be having a son, I think Sarah actually laughed. Even though there was some unbelief, they believed God's promise and looked forward. And look what happened. Moses. God met Moses at the burning bush and informed him that he was created for more than shepherding sheep. That's where it started. The promise was given to him that he would use his skill set to set Israel free from the Egyptians. In fact, Moses was God's designated leader for the nation that was born through Abraham. Isn't it amazing how God's plan disconnects all the dots? What would have happened if Moses would have actually stuck to his belief that he could not do what God was asking? He was very unsure. God actually used Aaron as a spokesman. But Moses was willing to look forward and leave his past life and move the direction that God was asking him to. Turn your Bibles to Joshua chapter 1. This will not be the text, but I'd like to read this this morning. To just note Joshua's willingness to anticipate and look forward to what God had for him. I also know that some of you have some monumental things coming up in 2026. And if this is you this morning and you're sitting here and you're not sure how this will all go in 2026, these nine verses are for you this morning. Joshua 1, verses 1 through 9. After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, Moses, my servant, is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon, I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the great seed toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you in all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses, my servant, commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you, be strong and courageous, do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Are we all willing to claim that promise as we go into the next year? Do not be frightened, do not be afraid. God will be with you no matter what comes. David, in 2 Samuel 7, we read about the covenant that God had with David. God intended for the nation of Israel, his people, to have a city, to have a temple to worship him, and a throne that will be established forever. Then we go into the Hebrew prophets. The Hebrew prophets are a good example for us this morning of looking forward. They wrote about a lot of things, a lot of prophecies that they had no idea how would happen or when would happen. They didn't understand everything that they were writing about. Think about that. They wrote most of what they wrote, all of what they wrote, they had very little experience in it. But they wrote about it. The prophecies of a king that would come and sit on the throne, one greater than Moses or David. This king would establish a kingdom of people with new hearts, which will then be God's temple in which God lives. Even though they surely didn't fully understand it, they seemingly embraced the future of what they were writing about. All of these people I just mentioned, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, the prophets, their faces were turned toward the future. Yes, I'm sure they looked back, and where they came out of helped them with whatever task God had for them. But they embraced what God brought and they moved forward. As a child of God, are you anticipating what God has for you in 2026? Even though we have no idea what that is. Are you anticipating what God might bring for you? The New Testament also picks up on the theme of new things. I'm not going to go through a lot in the New Testament, but two things that I'd like to just point out, because this is a way that we can, with faith and trust, look forward because of what God did for us. 1 Peter 1:3 talks of a new birth, abundant life. A new birth because of God sending his son. And then a new life in Romans 6.23. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is free, eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. As we go into 2026, let's remember that newness does not come from within ourselves. It only comes from God the Father. We cannot change anything within ourselves without His help. I think we'd all agree that God is not finished with us. God is not finished with me, and I'm so grateful He's not. Because I know I have a lot of growth ahead of me. The new year is not about living in the past, but it's recognizing and responding to what God is doing now. I know we've talked a lot about what happened this year and some about what will happen next year, but we are right now in the present. What am I doing to get in tune with what God is trying to do in my life right now? Yes, the new year is about anticipating what God will bring. And the new year is a natural pause for us to reflect like we did this morning and to reset. So our family, Mernita and myself, and Bo and Andy, we are planning a trip to Jamaica, leaving on Thursday on New Year's Day. And as I was studying for this sermon, the illustration of packing for Jamaica aligned with going from an old year to a new year. Maybe it's a crude illustration, but I'm going to use it. So on Wednesday, we'll be packing our suitcases, and we'll be packing empty suitcases when we pack for Jamaica. Going from the new year, the old year into the new year, and taking all the baggage from the old into the new would be like us grabbing our suitcases and they'd still be packed from the last trip we took. And instead of emptying out, we just stuff more things into our old baggage. Now, when we come home from Jamaica, or when we get to the Montego airport in Jamaica, we'll get off the plane and then, of course, we'll go to the area where we're all familiar with. They call it the baggage claim. So we're gonna claim our old baggage again, or we're gonna claim our baggage. My question this morning is what are you doing with the baggage of 25? Are you claiming it and dragging it into 26, or are you releasing it, not forgetting about it, but releasing it, leaving it there, and opening yourself to a new page, to an empty suitcase for 26? Some of that baggage might be regrets, it might be successes. When I talk about the old, I'm not just talking about the bad stuff. We all had wins in 25, and sometimes it's tempting to try to ride those wins into 26, but those winds will only take you so far. Turn your Bibles to our text in Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 43, and I have two verses that I'd like to look at over the next few minutes. Isaiah chapter 43, and we're going to focus in on verse 18 and 19. And before I read the text, I'd like to give you the context of this passage in order for it to make sense of going from one year, the old, into the new. In this passage, God is speaking to his people Israel, and he's simply saying, Don't live in the past. If this was spoken to Israel during the time and I'm they were either just in captivity or just ready to go into exile. They were displaced. Just before these verses, God reminded Israel of what he had done for them up to this point. Their exodus out of Egypt, the greatest deliverance on record. But God tells them don't dwell on that. Not that it didn't matter, but that God was not done with them yet. God had future plans for them. The new thing that God is promising them as we read these verses is a new deliverance, different from the past, where he would make a way through the wilderness, as John the Baptist would later proclaim, and provide a new way through his son Jesus. This was a message of hope for the Israelites, and it's a message of hope for us today to remain faithful in 2026. Let's read the text. Isaiah 43, verses 18 and 19. This is God speaking. Behold, I am doing a new thing. Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. I'm going to read that again. Verse 18 Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing. Now it springs forth. Do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. This morning, I would like to bring four points out of this out of these two verses that I hope can make a difference as we go from this year into next year. The first part of 18, remember not the former things. My first point is part of the title, release the old. Be it good or be it bad. Be it positive or be it negative. You cannot move forward while living backward. You cannot move forward while still stuck in the past. Remembering not does not mean erasing it from memory. But it does mean don't live, don't let the past define your present. And don't let the past define your future. Now I realize we all have things that happened in the past that shaped us who we are as people. You've heard me preach about crucible moments, those moments when you can point back to, you can remember the spot you were at. You can remember the place you were at, the time, the date, when something happened that changed your life. And we all have those things that have shaped us who we are. But in the recent past, is it a win or is it a negative thing? Don't let it shape your present and your future. When we're driving down the road and we would continually be looking into the rearview mirror, we'd eventually drive off the road. We'd quickly drive off the road. Just using that as an example of don't get stuck in the past as we move into the next year. God doesn't say that our past doesn't matter. It does matter. But what he's saying is it's not meant to steer our future. What needs to be released to God so He can do something new for you in 26? So the first point was release the old things that happened in 25. Number two, recognize that God is at work now. Recognize that God is at work now. Going back to our passage in verse 19a, behold, I am doing a new thing. How do you think the Israelites felt of just on the verge of going into exile or exile starting, knowing what God did for them up to this time? And here it probably seems like he's just deserting them. But here God is saying, I am doing a new thing. I am working on something. I haven't fully revealed it to you yet. But trust me. Trust me. It's coming and it will be a good thing. God's work often begins before we notice it. The first part, behold, I've been doing a new thing, and then the next four words. Now it springs forth. So we're in the dead of winter. And as we progress into March, first part of April, probably the last, maybe I'll go the last part of February, first part of March, the ground, the fields, the grass will still be looking like it is now. But then it always amazes me how literally within a few weeks, things are green, buds on the trees are starting, flowers are starting to poke their heads through the ground. Folks, it looks like things are dormant now, but there's things happening underneath the soil right now. That's how it is when God's plan is unfolding for us. Even though it seems like nothing's happening, things are moving. Things are happening. Some of you might be sitting here this morning and saying, Yeah, I hear what you're saying, but literally in my life, it's there's nothing happening. Trust me, God has a plan that he's working on. God has a plan that he's working on. Just because you don't see it yet doesn't mean God isn't working. New things often start underground, out of sight. So how can we figure out what that is? Ask God for spiritual awareness. In your quiet time, it's okay to ask God, God, what's the next thing you have for me? When's the soonest? When's the quickest that you can reveal it to me? May I know what it is. Talk to God as if He's sitting right beside you, as if He's your best friend. Don't miss the new because you're attached to the old. Don't miss the new because you're hanging on to the old baggage. So number one was release the old. Number two, the second point was recognize that God is at work now. And my third point is respond with a strong faith. Respond with a strong faith. Verse 19b. Do you not perceive it? Behold, I am doing a new thing. Now it springs forth. Do you not perceive it? New things will require new faith. God invites participation. And I think it was Nevin that said in his testimony this morning that he feels God is asking him to jump in. Man, that's hard. That's hard. It's a lot easier to try to be a spectator of something that you hope or you think God is doing than to actually participate. But my challenge to you this morning as we go into the new year is jump in. Be a participant. Strong faith leads to action. Faith means stepping forward even when everything isn't clear. That again depends on our personalities. Some of you are risk takers. As soon as that door is cracked open, you're ready to burst through it and go. We'll begin and then we'll start asking questions and figuring out how we'll get there. And some of us, some of us others are like, no, I need it all written out before I'm even open, before I'm even checking if the door is open. Strong faith leads to action. Faith means stepping forward even if everything is not clear. This might even mean unintentionally making a wrong turn. So most of us by now are used to using a GPS. And all of us have probably made a wrong turn. My question is this has that GPS ever shamed you? What in the world do you think you're doing? You just made a wrong turn. Weren't you paying attention? Were you texting on your phone? No, it simply says recalculating. It never shames you, it never makes you feel like an idiot. It never makes you feel like you weren't paying attention. It just in its own quiet way just says recalculating. God will not shame you if you take action before there's clarity and if you make a wrong turn. But that recalculating only works if you keep going. Some people stop when life doesn't go as they expect it will or as they planned it. But God says, keep moving. I'm recalculating. I'll redirect you. Faith is continuing even when the route changes. Faith is continuing even when the route changes. My fourth point this morning is trust God for the way forward in 2026. Trust God for the way forward in 2026. I'd like to read the last verse, the last part of verse 19. I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. A wilderness equals confusion. A wilderness is a picture of uncertainty. A desert obviously is a picture of dryness. A desert is a picture of discouragement. Or he doesn't promise them that he'll take the wilderness away. But he says, I'll make a way through the wilderness. God doesn't remove every wilderness in our life. And some of you will probably be facing a wilderness in 2026. Some of you might feel like you just are at the tree line of the wilderness of 25. God doesn't promise that he'll take it away, but he promises that he'll make a way through it. My illustrations are kind of all around driving this morning, so I'll use one more. And trusting God for the path through the wilderness is kind of like driving at night with our headlights. To where we only can see as far as the headlights shine. But by trusting the light that's in front of us, we keep moving. Which brings us to our destination. If you find yourself in a wilderness, or if you know that you have something big coming up in 26 that looks like a huge wilderness, just remember that you don't need the whole map in order to step out and start walking. You only need to trust your guide. And he will, he promises us, he will make a way through the wilderness and provide rivers of refreshment in the dry parts of our life in the desert. In conclusion, this morning, 2026 equals a new opportunity for us to build our faith and to trust God. Going from 25 to 26 is like stepping over a threshold into another room. If I'd open the door back here and I decide to step into the space behind me, I can for a moment be right on the threshold with a foot in each space. But as I go over that threshold, I am leaving this space and I'm going into a new space. That's us going from 25 to your 26. God says, let go, let go of what was, look for what is now, and step into what is next. Let me repeat that. Ask God to tune your spiritual awareness to what is happening now. And then step into what is to come. My challenge to all of us this morning, first to myself and to all of you, is this don't just turn the page on the calendar on Thursday, January 1st. But tune your heart into, and that it might be just simply asking God, tune your heart into what he is trying to accomplish now in your life. And then anticipate, look forward to with eagerness, and embrace whatever he'll bring in 2026. Expect God to make that way through the wilderness and expect him to bring those rivers of water in your dry spaces in the deserts. God wants 2026 to be the best year that we've ever had. Praise God for that. Let's pray. Our Father God, as we come before you and as we're exiting 25 and going into 26, I pray that you could help us to trust you and to hold on to your hand as we go into the future. Lord, 2025 was monumental for a lot of us. And I pray that we could not forget what happened in 25, but that we could use those as stepping stones, but also not drag it with us as we go into a new page of 26. Lord, this morning, thank you for your promises in Scripture, and thank you for you as our guide. Lord, build our faith. We want to trust you as we move forward. I pray this on your name. Amen.