New Year State of Mind

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43:18-19)

I used to hate that my favorite worship jams would get played for a few months in church service and then discarded from the set list just as quickly as they arrived. I would think, "Come on! I want to hear Exalted One again!" Plus, how many different songs can be written about the same thing, that is, worshipping God? I guess if Taylor Swift can keep making break up songs then Hillsong can keep pumping out fresh tracks lifting up the LORD.

Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. (Psalm 96:1)

The reason we sing new songs to a God that never changes is because His very nature is newness. That's the concept I want to introduce today - the concept that God IS New. Theologians, relax, I'll explain. God is indeed the Ancient of Days (ref - Daniel 7:9) and He has been around long before the mountains, the earth and the universe itself. His throne was indeed established from of old (ref - Psalm 93:2). But despite His presence being felt from everlasting (ref - Proverbs 8:23), He's still very, very NEW.

Hear me out - if God never changes (refs - Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8) and He makes all things new (ref - Revelation 21:5) then I think it's safe to say that He is in a constant state of everlasting newness. God ain't getting younger, but He certainly isn't getting any older either! So you see, His nature is to be new. It's written all over creation in the seasons, in nature, and in every creature. Think about the Autumn - leaves fall to make room for new ones. Think about the weather - rain falls, the water is gathered up and recycled back into rain. And think about reproduction - the old gives way to something brand new.

If God's nature is to be new then it is no wonder why everything He touches becomes new. If something is old, He renews it. If something is broken, He recycles it. If something doesn't exist, He creates it. And that's not even the best part, my friends. What does God do with us?

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Inviting Jesus Christ into your life is like asking God to touch you and renew you...forever. I remember when I first committed my heart to Him. I changed fast. I became a whole new person - my thoughts, my attitudes, my desires and my actions. Even my hobbies and friendships took some turns. And now, after walking with Christ for over a decade, I find that through each experience/year/season of life, I become even newer. That's because the old cannot stand in God's presence. And since new things eventually become old, what does God do? He makes them new again. In Christ, the newness never ceases.

I'm getting older in age and body. But I'm getting newer in mind and spirit. And that is because life with Jesus is all about renewal. He teaches us some of the most important lessons this way. Consider forgiveness, for example. He teaches that when someone does wrong to us, we are to forgive them. We are to erase their debt to us and start over. We give our debtors a clean, new slate. Not once, not twice, but over and over. That mirrors God's love for us. God gave us a new slate, free from sin, through Jesus Christ and He continues to shower us with that same mercy daily (ref - Lamentations 3:22-23).

The most important element of God's newness is His Son. Jesus died as payment for our sins, only to be raised to NEW life. This demonstrates God's ultimate plan for renewal in us - that when we die, we have the hope of NEW life in Christ. We look forward to the resurrection of our bodies and the newness of eternal life, when we place our faith in Jesus.

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Romans 6:4)