New Thing

 

A man rushed into a suburban transit station one morning and, almost breathlessly, asked the ticket agent: “When does the 8:01 train leave?” “At 8:01,” was the answer. “Well,” the man replied, “it is 7:59 by my watch, 7:57 by the town clock, and 8:04 by the station clock. Which time am I to go by?” “You can go by any clock you wish,” said the agent, “but you cannot go by the 8:01 train, for it has already left.”

There are many who think they can live by any schedule they choose and that, in their own time, they can turn to God. But His time is the right time!

Luke 19:44 – Jesus wept over Jerusalem because they didn’t recognize the time of their visitation

Numbers 14:40 – A group of Israelites tried to possess the land of Canaan the day after God told them the opportunity had passed and were defeated

1 Chronicles 12:32 – The sons of Issachar understood the times and knew what Israel ought to do

Ecclesiastes 3:1  To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

One of the great disasters of history took place in 1271. Nicolo and Matteo Polo (the father and uncle of Marco) were visiting the Kublai Khan, at that time a world ruler over China, India and all of the Far East. He was convicted by the story of Christianity as Nicolo and Matteo told it to him and said: “Send me 100 men skilled in your religion, and I shall be baptized. And when I am baptized, all my barons and great men will be baptized, and their subjects will receive baptism too. So there will be more Christians here than there are in your part of the world.” However, nothing was done for about 30 years. Then 2 or 3 missionaries were sent – too few and too late! It baffles the imagination to think what a difference to the world it would have made if China had become fully Christian in the thirteenth century and the Far East had been given to Christ. These men missed this incredible opportunity, and God’s purpose was frustrated.

Isaiah 43:19   Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

Notice the words “spring forth” – when God moves, he often seems to wait “until the last moment,” but then He does a quick work. Things shift quickly.

Romans 9:28  For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.

Luke 18:7-8  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Sometimes God takes us right down to the wire, but your “shift” may be closer than you think! Never give up on God – He’s always right on time!

Illustration:  Dr. Harry Ironside at Dallas Seminary, on day of foreclosure – “Lord, we know that the cattle on a thousand hills are Thine. Please sell some of them and send us the money.” – “Harry, God sold the cattle!”

Isaiah 43:19   Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

God is ready to do a new thing – are we ready to receive it?

There are two major Greek words translated “NEW” in the New Testament:

NEOS (nehos) – recent, newly arrived, just appearing, youthful, rejuvenated – new in the sense of TIME (numerically new but not different) – i.e. this year’s crop, new car, new outfit, new book, a baby

KAINOS (kaheenos) – better, superior, fresh, different, not previously experienced or encountered – new in the sense of QUALITY (numerically and fundamentally new) – i.e. horse & buggy vs. SUV, morse code vs. cellular phone, pen & paper vs. wireless laptop

You could say that NEOS is “more of the same” and KAINOS is “radically different” – both are new, but one is far superior!

Mark 1:27  And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.

John 13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Mark 16:17  And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

Matthew 26:28  For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

 

Revelation 3:12  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

 

2 Corinthians 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

 

Ephesians 4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

 

2 Peter 3:13  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

 

Revelation 21:1-2  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

 

Revelation 21:5  And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

 

In the Old Testament, the equivalent Hebrew word for KAINOS is CHADASH (khawdawsh) – a fresh, new thing.

 

Jeremiah 31:31  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

Lamentations 3:22-23  It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Ezekiel 36:26  A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

CHADASH is used several times to refer to our WORSHIP. Why? Because “fresh worship” always accompanies a “fresh move” of God’s Spirit!

Psalm 33:3  Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.

Psalm 40:3  And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.

Psalm 96:1  O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.

Psalm 98:1  O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.

Psalm 144:9  I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.

Psalm 149:1  Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.

 

Revelation 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

 

God is ready to do a new thing – are we ready to receive it?

 

Isaiah 43:19   Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

 

Illustration:  From time to time, lobsters have to leave their shells in order to grow. If they did not abandon it, the old shell would soon become their prison and finally their casket. The scary, vulnerable part is the transition period – for a while, that old shell must look pretty good. We all like the new shell “in theory” – we just don’t like the process of getting there!

 

Luke 5:36-39  And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new (KAINOS) garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new (KAINOS) maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new (KAINOS) agreeth not with the old. And no man putteth new (NEOS) wine into old bottles; else the new (NEOS) wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new (NEOS) wine must be put into new (KAINOS) bottles; and both are preserved. No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new (NEOS): for he saith, The old is better.

Jesus did not come to “patch up” your old worn out life, but to provide a new and superior garment. Cast off that old clothing!

Isaiah 61:3  To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

Isaiah 61:10  I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

The wine of the Holy Ghost cannot be improved upon; it is new, but not different. We have the same experience the Apostles had!

But if you put this powerful wine into an old wineskin, it will burst because it’s too dry to stretch as the wine matures. New wine must be put into FRESH, RADICALLY DIFFERENT wineskins. That’s what salvation does for us.

But that’s also what needs to happen when God wants to do a NEW THING in His church. We need to have our wineskins renewed. We can experience RE-vival, RE-newal, RE-storation, when God brings us back to something we had before. That’s wonderful.

But there are seasons when God wants to not only restore us, but transform us. When He is finished, we won’t feel or look the same. We’ll be radically different and ready for more Holy Ghost wine! We’ll experience a new level in God that we’ve never experienced before.

Some people don’t want new wine because it makes their old wineskin uncomfortable. They say, “Why push? I’m content with the old wine.” But they don’t realize that their old wineskins are dry and empty.

God is ready to do a new thing – are we ready to receive it?

 

Isaiah 43:19   Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.