 How many times have you heard someone say that God is doing a new thing? Well, probably a lot. People tend to say that when they're talking about something new or different. When we judge and see what's happening in some of these churches today or what's happening with some of these so-called ministries where people are doing things that just don't seem the same as what we saw in the book. We don't see apostles or prophets or men of God behaving in this fashion or giving vague or incomplete or just altogether false prophecies and then giving an excuse for it. We don't see people, let's say, being slain in the Spirit. We don't see people saying some of the things that we hear today and then they'll say as an excuse or to kind of cover what they're saying that God is doing a new thing, that he's speaking new words, a new revelation. And they'll use this passage that comes out of Isaiah 43 to say that, yes, this is proof that God is doing something new. He's not doing the same thing that he's always been doing. But is that absolutely correct? Matter of fact, it's not even close or remotely correct. So let's go to the passage Isaiah 43 and let's see what's being talked about here. In verse 19, it's what we see, behold, I do something new. Now it will spring forth. Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness rivers in the desert. So the question is, what does he mean by doing something new? And then we're going to see this only happens. He only says this probably two more times depending on the translations, but really three more times in the Bible about something new and all of them pertain to the exact same people and the same thing. Notice when we go back to Isaiah 43, let's scroll up a little bit. Let's go to let's say verse 14. Thus says the Lord your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, for your sake I have sent to Babylon. I will bring them all down his fugitives, even the Chaldeans into the ships in which they rejoice. I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your God, your King. Thus says the Lord who makes a way through the sea and a path through the mighty waters, who brings forth the chariots and the horse, the army and the mighty man. They will lie down together and not rise again. They have been quenched and extinguished like a wick. Do not call to mind the former things or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do a new thing. Now we'll spring forth. Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. The beasts of the field will glorify me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I have given waters in the wilderness and the river in the desert to drink to my chosen people. The people whom I have formed for myself, I will declare my praise. What he says, yet you have not called on me, O Jacob, but you have become weary of me, O Israel. You have not brought to me the sheep of your burnt offerings, nor have you honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, nor wearied you with incense. Now I'll stop there. Who is he speaking to? And who is he speaking about? And if we go back even further, we'll see that he's speaking about. He's comparing what he did when he brought them out of Egypt into the Promised Land. And he's saying, now I'm going to do a new thing. As a matter of fact, let's look and see other passages, interestingly enough, of the four times that the Bible speaks of God doing a new thing. He's one, he's always speaking to Israel. But two, three of those happen to be when he's speaking to or when Isaiah is speaking. So let's go to Isaiah chapter 42, verse nine, where this also shows that he says, in verse nine, behold, the former things have come to pass. Now I declare new things before they spring forth. I proclaim them to you. Again, who is he speaking to? Well, he's speaking to Isaiah. As a matter of fact, if we look at the Book of Isaiah, the Book of Isaiah is Isaiah has given a prophecy. He is a prophet to the southern kingdom, to Judah. And he's speaking about Judah, as well as Israel as well. But he's giving a message of judgment as well as a future restoration. So God is going to judge Israel and he's going to bring about a future restoration. That's the new thing that he's bringing about. He says, as a matter of fact, there's even an emphasis from chapter 40 on that speaks about this restoration. But there's also an emphasis on the Messiah as the Redeemer. Now I want you to notice, verse six, what he says. He says, I am the Lord. I have called you in righteousness. I will hold you by the hand and watch over you. And I will point you as a covenant to the people as a light to the nation. We'll come back to that in just a second, but I just wanted to just highlight that for just a minute. Then he says, to open blind eyes to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from prison. I am the Lord. That is my name. I will not give my glory to another, nor my praises to graven images. Behold, the former things have come to pass. And here it is. Here it is. Now I declare new things before they spring forth. I declare them to you. So he's speaking of what he's going and doing. He's let them know before they happen. I'm letting them know. But did you notice what he says that I'm going to make you a covenant before the people? Well, so that might give some sort of indication as to what he's going to be doing, this new thing that he's going to be doing. If we go to Isaiah 48 verse six, he says, he says, you have heard. Look at all this and you will not declare it. I proclaim to you new things from this time, even hidden things which you have not known. And so again, he's speaking about judgment and restoration and what he's going to do for who. Well, let's go to verse 12 and we'll see exactly who he's. Well, we can go even before then, but verse 12 also reminds us of who he's speaking to verse 12. He says, listen to me, Oh Jacob, even Israel, whom I called. And so his point is clearly he's speaking to Israel. He's speaking about the impending judgment against them, them being taken out and then also being brought back to restoration. So this is not something that we should be using to give excuses or for someone who is doing things that are not just unorthodox, we're just not biblical and then have them to use excuse that I do a new thing. We see some of these folks in some of these, especially these extreme charismatic movements that are doing things and saying things and acting in ways that don't seem to go along, along with the scriptures. And then they want to say that that I do a new thing. Well then ask them to explain it in context. Where does the Bible say that God is doing something new, doing a new thing? And then ask them to give you the context of it. Oh, by the way, if we were to go to Jeremiah 31, 22, we'll see this statement again. And we already know something, at least we've spoken about what Jeremiah is trying to claim in his message. But look what it says in verse 22. He says, How long will you go there, O faithless daughter, for the Lord has created a new thing in the earth, a woman will encompass a man. So what is he speaking of? Well, we know if we continue reading, as a matter of fact, in that very same chapter of Jeremiah 31, verse 29 to be specific, he starts speaking about this new covenant that he is going to have with Israel. And so what is the new thing that he's going to do? It's going to be fulfilled not just at the cross with Israel, but also we see it kind of a full combination of it in the millennial reign of Christ, where he's going to bring back Israel, bring them back into their land, but also not just restore them physically, but restore them spiritually. So when someone is saying, I behold, I'm doing something new, and they're using it to give an excuse for someone's odd or unbiblical behavior in the church for some charismatic reason. Let them know, or at least you should know, that's not what the Bible is speaking of at all. The Bible is speaking of what he's doing and dealing with in regards to Israel. So I hope that's been helpful for anyone. If anyone wants to use that passage out of context, now you know how it ought to be used. Amen.