From the first chapter of Genesis, we see the account of God doing a new thing—a creation out of chaos and darkness into a place of order suitable for all life. We see God bringing judgment to a world that was corrupted by evil by a flood and setting forth a new beginning through Noah and his family. We see God intervening in the days of Nimrod to separate the people into nations to halt the plan for an evil one-world dictatorship. We see God doing a new thing by choosing Abraham and his descendants to receive His Word, preserve His Word, share His Word and be the lineage of the Redeemer—His Son. God initiated covenants with them as a permanent and public record. Among them is the Abrahamic Covenant from Genesis 12 which is repeated and passed down to Isaac and Jacob. Later, God gave the Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 19-24), often called the Torah, or the Sinai Covenant, and the Davidic Covenant found in 2 Samuel 7. Each covenant that God established and implemented in Israel’s history was built on previous covenants—but only one covenant was presented in contrast to the others—the New Covenant. This promise of a New Covenant was made in some of the darkest days of Israel’s monarchy. Ten of the twelve tribes of Israel and been conquered and carried off into captivity by the Assyrians. Judah and especially Jerusalem her capital, were now facing a similar fate at the hands of the Babylonians. The nation of Israel was broken because of unbelief, and disobedience. God had appointed the prophet Jeremiah to describe even darker days that lay ahead. But, in the midst of these dire predictions, God gave Jeremiah some glorious news to share. God is always doing a new thing but we may not always see it or feel it. It seems that we are at this point in our nation and world today but I believe that God is about to do a new thing bigger and greater than ever to let the world know that He is real, He has a plan, He is in control and He loves us! God is not finished! May God show us His glory! Let us prepare for it and be encouraged by His Word!
Let us review the promises God made through Jeremiah in 31: 31-34. God promised a New Covenant to Israel—to put His law in their minds and write it on their hearts—to be their God and they His people—a time when every person will “know the LORD.” A time when God will forgive iniquity and sin and remember it no more! The promise is for a time when lives would conform to an inner reality—within the heart of what it means to know God and to be His people. What are the conditions of the New Covenant? The next mention of the New Covenant is from Jesus in the New Testament as He connected it back to Passover, the Festival of Redemption that began when God miraculously delivered Israel from tyranny and bondage in Egypt through the blood of the Lamb pointing to Jesus—the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world!
Jesus had gathered His closest followers to celebrate Passover, the Festival of Redemption and He made a Passover announcement. Jesus took a piece of unleavened bread, gave thanks for it, then broke it and passed it to His disciples and said: “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” (Luke 22: 19) After He had taken the bread, Jesus picked up “the cup” (v.20) after supper and said: “This cup is the New Covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” In other words, during the Passover celebration, Jesus announced that His blood was ratifying the New Covenant. Jesus’ disciples had already realized that their rabbi was the Messiah (Matthew 16: 16). Now He’s chosen the Festival of Redemption—Passover to announce that the days that Jeremiah said “are coming” were finally here.
Now that the day of the New Covenant had come, it was time to reveal the requirement for receiving it. Covenants were most often confirmed in blood and that was true of the New Covenant as well. Jesus was about to lay down His life and allow His blood to be shed as the ultimate condition upon which the New Covenant rested. And in His act of self-sacrifice, He put an end to the need for any other blood sacrifice…because He did what all the other sacrifices could only point to. Once and for all, atonement was made for all who will admit their need and trust in God’s provision. When Jesus died on the cross, the veil which separated everyone but the high priest from the holy of Holies in the Temple was torn from top to bottom. He made it possible for all to have access to the Holy One of Israel.
The question is: “How does this relate to us today?’ As we have noted before, Passover on the Hebrew calendar did not coincide with Resurrection Day on our calendar this year. According to scripture, it is celebrated on the 14th day of the 1st month which is Nissan which was April 22, 2024 and continues for 8 days ending today, April 30th. Paul in 1 Corinthians 5: 7-8 gives us the answer: “Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Leaven in scripture is a symbol of sin so we must press through in prayer and trust God to reveal anything in our lives that is separating us from Him. Jonathan Edwards said: “When God is about to do a mighty new thing, He always sets His people praying.”
It is the act of laying aside or discarding one’s old self, which is characterized by sinful habits, desires, and ways of thinking. This concept is rooted in Ephesians 4:22, which states, “That ye put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.” This old self is described as being corrupt and deceitful, and it is necessary to put it off in order to be renewed in the spirit of our hearts and minds. In essence, putting off the old means to stop serving one’s own sinful desires and to start serving God and His will. It is a decision of faith, requiring a willingness to let go of the old way of life and to adopt a new way of thinking and living. This process involves a transformation of the mind, a renewal of one’s spirit, and a putting on of the new self, which is characterized by true righteousness and holiness. We may not always understand the things God does in our life, but if we follow His lead, we will see the fruit of what He is doing. We must pray for God to control our circumstances to bring His will and purpose for our life. Let us claim the promise of Isaiah 43:19.
Let us consider 5 signs that God is doing a new thing in our life:
God opens and closes doors to show us which way to go. God gives repetitive messages to confirm His direction. God stirs up a passion within us to desire to see His hand moving. It means we will have the strength, wisdom and peace to do it. God leads in a new direction. Opportunities open up in the direction God is taking us and everything flows. God sifts our relationships separating us from those He wants removed and bringing those people into our life that will be a positive influence. How to prepare for the new thing God desires to do:
Cover yourself and family in prayer and in the blood of Jesus. Dig into the Word asking God to bring clarity to your study that it will come alive to you. If the new season involves a career change or new ministry, focus on developing the skill you need for the new position. Make time to develop new relationships that nurture you in God’s ways—God connections. Patiently wait for the Lord to align things in your favor as He does a new thing in your life. Your waiting will never be in vain, it will prepare your heart for the new and help you let go of the old. It is time for us to wake up, fess up, get up and fix our eyes on Christ the Author and Finisher of our faith who is able to do a new thing within us and prepare us for the new thing God is going to do to reveal His glory at such a time as this! God sent an angel to Zechariah to give him a revelation of God’s mighty power! He said: “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts…He shall bring forth the headstone (Christ) thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace!” (4: 6-7) “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5: 10-11)