What is really new...What God Makes New!

Jan 05, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: In the Good Shepherd’s Secure Hands

God’s mercy never fails those who are in Christ, and He holds them. But this security begins with a choice: choose this day whom you will serve; choose to be held. Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd whose sheep hear His voice and follow. When you belong to Him, He gives eternal life, and no one can force you out of His grip. He is not the author of confusion but of peace, so lean in and listen for His voice today. [28:43]

John 10:27-30: My sheep recognize My voice; I know them, and they follow My lead. I give them a life that does not end. No one is able to force them from My hand, and My Father, who entrusted them to Me, is greater than all; no one can tear them from His hand. The Father and I are one.

Reflection: Where, very specifically, is Jesus inviting you to listen and follow—perhaps a person to call, a habit to begin, or a step you’ve been delaying?

Day 2: New Mercies, New Strength: Daily Exchange

God doesn’t begin your day with pressure; He starts it with fresh mercy. His compassion shows up every morning, opening a new opportunity to forgive, to trust, and to move forward. Yesterday’s finish line becomes today’s starting line because He renews—He exchanges—your weakness for His strength. When you are tired or hurting, ask Him to trade your weariness for His endurance and your heaviness for His joy. Receive the day as your receiving day: mercy, faithfulness, love, and strength made new. [44:58]

Lamentations 3:22-23: We are not finished off because the Lord’s steady love surrounds us, and His compassion doesn’t run out. Every morning it starts fresh again; His faithfulness can be counted on.

Reflection: What weakness or burden will you deliberately exchange for His strength today, and what simple prayer or action will mark that exchange?

Day 3: New Identity: Heart, Mind, and Name

In Christ, God doesn’t just improve the old—you become new. He gives a new heart, renews the mind, and even speaks a new name over you. Identity shifts your perspective: you stop viewing life by mere facts and start walking by truth that sets you free. Like ingredients mixed into one cookie, the work He is making in you can’t be pulled back apart; you are held in His love. Live today from that new identity, seeing yourself and others through His eyes. [01:06:17]

2 Corinthians 5:17: If someone is joined to Christ, that person is remade; the former way has gone, and a new life from God has begun.

Reflection: What old label or storyline have you been carrying that God has replaced, and how will you practice your new name in Christ in one concrete way this week?

Day 4: A New Way: Devotion, Unity, Generosity, Power

God forms a new way of living together, not just new plans. In Acts, believers devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, meals, and prayer, and a fresh unity, generosity, favor, and power emerged. He still orders the steps of the righteous, shaping paths for households, friendships, and churches to walk as one. Let Him build a new culture in your family—exchanged unity for stronger unity, renewed generosity for wider generosity. Start small and steady, and watch Him add life to the community day by day. [58:33]

Acts 2:42-47: They kept gathering to learn from the apostles, shared life together, broke bread, and prayed. Awe spread as God did many signs. Believers stayed together and held their possessions loosely, sharing so no one lacked. Day by day they met with glad and simple hearts, praised God, found favor with people, and the Lord kept adding to them those being saved.

Reflection: Which single habit from Acts 2—learning together, sharing a meal, praying with others, or meeting a need—will you begin with someone this week to cultivate new unity or generosity?

Day 5: Participating as God Makes All Things New

“Behold, I am making all things new” means you get to participate, not just observe. This isn’t about a new calendar but a new heart-response of obedience, offered on the altar and left there. Yesterday’s obedience was good, but today brings another chance to trust, prefer others, and align with His word. As you surrender small, timely choices, you’ll find His joy and strength meeting you on the path He orders. Let your “yes” partner with His ongoing work, confident that His new is eternal. [01:01:15]

Revelation 21:5: The One seated on the throne declared, “Look—I’m actively making everything new,” and He affirmed these words as faithful and reliable.

Reflection: What specific area will you place on the altar this week, and what one small act of timely obedience will you take to join God in His “making” there?

Sermon Summary

What is truly new is not a date on a calendar but the work God initiates. Newness begins with belonging to Jesus, the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. Those who hear His voice and follow Him are held in His hand, secure against anything that would try to snatch them away. New mercies arrive every morning, not as pressure but as God’s first gift of the day. This newness is not God improving the old; it is God creating the new—a new covenant, a new heart, a new identity, and a new way to live.

The focus shifts from self-motivation to God’s initiative. In Christ, anyone can become a new creation; old things pass away and all things become new. Identity precedes circumstance: when God changes who a person is, perspective changes from facts to truth, from sight to faith. New strength is not a refill but an exchange—His strength for human weakness—so life can move from strength to strength, with the joy of the Lord as a durable power source.

Newness also has a communal shape. The first believers modeled a new way of living—devoted to teaching, fellowship, prayer, generosity, and unity—resulting in favor and daily growth. God forms new families and renews households, not just individuals. Steps are ordered by the Lord; alignment and obedience make any place the best place. Obedience today cannot rest on yesterday’s obedience; it is a present-tense, altar-shaped offering that stays surrendered.

God is not finished. “Behold, I am making all things new” signals an ongoing process that invites participation. Like ingredients baked into a pastry, what God has made new—heart, mind, name—cannot be separated from those who belong to Him. This new life is practiced in ordinary moments: receiving mercy each morning, exchanging weakness for His strength, laying hands in faith, and asking for wisdom. The invitation stands—choose whom to serve, embrace God’s newness, and live with a renewed devotion that makes Jesus visible.

Key Takeaways

1. Secure in the Shepherd’s hand Security is not wishful thinking; it is rooted in union with Christ, the Good Shepherd who lays down His life. Those who hear His voice and follow are promised eternal life and cannot be snatched from His hand. Assurance flows from His power and the Father’s authority, not human performance. This is covenantal safety that frees the soul to rest and obey. [28:43]
2. God’s new begins with mercy God does not begin the day with indictments but with fresh mercies. Newness is His initiative, not self-improvement or calendar resets. He creates rather than patches; He gives new hearts, not recycled versions of the old. That daily gift of mercy makes repentance possible and hope reasonable. [44:22]
3. Renewal is an exchange, not a refill Biblical renewal means God trades human weakness for His strength. He moves people from strength to strength, not by stretching yesterday’s reserves, but by giving today’s portion. Joy in Him becomes power, and dependence becomes endurance. The practice is daily, simple, and expectant. [49:40]
4. Identity precedes circumstance When God makes a person new, identity changes before conditions do. Seeing through truth rather than mere facts reorders decisions, desires, and endurance. A new heart, a renewed mind, and even a new name anchor life in who Christ says one is. From that place, obedience becomes possible and freedom durable. [47:48]
5. A new way of living together New life in Christ creates a new community marked by devotion, unity, generosity, and power. This shared life opens doors of favor and multiplies gospel fruit as God adds daily. Families and churches can expect fresh patterns, renewed culture, and Spirit-shaped practices that make Jesus visible. [58:55]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[26:18] - Mercy that never fails
[28:00] - Sheep who hear His voice
[29:36] - The Good Shepherd’s sacrifice
[36:59] - What is really new?
[37:56] - Seeing goodness in the crowd
[42:27] - Nothing new under the sun?
[43:35] - God creates new, not patches old
[44:10] - New mercies every morning
[49:11] - Renew means exchange
[52:23] - From strength to strength
[55:10] - Steps ordered by the Lord
[56:42] - Acts 2: a new way of living
[1:00:40] - God’s new is eternal
[1:03:37] - The Danish: inseparable newness
[1:09:33] - Obedience today, not yesterday
[1:13:40] - Prayer of consecration and renewal
[1:19:55] - Practice renewing: speak and lay hands
[1:21:28] - Midweek invitations and close

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- The passage to read together: John 10:27-30

Observation questions

In John 10:27-30, notice the order: the sheep hear, are known, follow; Jesus gives eternal life; they never perish; no one snatches them. What does each part show about Jesus’ role and the sheep’s role?
“The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.” How was “good” defined here, and how did that challenge common ideas of being “good” at home or work? [29:36]
What happens “every morning” in Lamentations 3:22-23, and how was that tied to the idea that God starts the day with mercy, not pressure? [44:22]
In Acts 2:42-47, list what the first believers devoted themselves to and what happened as a result. Which of those practices are shared, not solo? [56:42]

Interpretation questions

If no one can snatch Jesus’ sheep from His hand or the Father’s hand, what does that say about assurance resting in God’s power rather than human performance? How could that free someone to rest and obey? [28:43]
If God’s mercies are new every morning, why does that make repentance doable and hope reasonable after a hard day? What morning mindset follows from that? [44:22]
If renew means exchange (not a refill), what exactly is being traded each day? How does that help explain going “from strength to strength”? [49:40]
If identity in Christ comes before changing circumstances, how does looking through truth (not just facts) reshape decisions when pressure is on? Share a real situation where truth should outweigh mere facts. [48:31]

Application questions

Hearing and following: What helps you recognize Jesus’ voice right now (Scripture, prayer, wise counsel, inner nudge)? What is one concrete step of following you will take this week? [28:20]
New mercies morning practice: Tomorrow, before phone or tasks, how will you receive God’s new mercies—maybe a short prayer, a verse aloud, a deep breath of gratitude? What exact words will you use? [44:22]
Exchange, not refill: Name one place you feel weak or worn. How will you practice the exchange—handing God your weakness and receiving His strength and joy—in that exact spot today? Be specific. [49:40]
Ordered steps over my agenda: Where might you need to press pause on your plan to obey God in the moment (honor, serve, prefer, tell the truth)? Name the likely moment and what obedience will look like. [01:09:57]
A new way of living together: Which one Act 2 habit will you adopt in your home or group this month—devotion to teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, prayer, generosity, or unity? What’s your first small step and when will you do it? [56:42]
Join what God is making new: Where do you sense God is “making things new” in you (heart, mind, name, habits, relationships)? What is one act of participation you will take this week—confession, reconciliation, serving, sharing the gospel? [01:00:59]
Practicing renewal in ordinary moments: When pain, numbness, or worry shows up, how will you respond—pray, lay a hand and speak life in Jesus’ name, ask for wisdom, and take wise next steps? What words will you say? [01:19:55]

Sermon Clips

43s

#SacrificialGoodness

“I can tell you all the other good stuff, but that's what makes him good. He sacrificed his life for you. That's what good is. If you wanna put good on anything, that's the definition of good. So if you say you're a good dad, you're a good dad only if you sacrifice your life for your children. You wanna be a good worker? God's definition right here of a good shepherd is someone who sacrifices himself. That's what good is.”

33s

#GodsInitiativeNew

“If God doesn't step in, it's just the same life with a new date. Your marriage is the same if if if if God's not there, it's it's the same as last year. It's just a new date. So God is the author of the new. I want you to think about this. New doesn't start with motivation. New starts with God's initiative.”

30s

#EternalNewFamily

“He adds to that family. You see that the church was added to what? Daily. The family continues to grow, grow, and grow. It gets bigger and bigger. God's new is not temporal. God's new is eternal. God is a God that changes not. Remember, I read the scripture, no man can pluck you out of God's hand. See, that is something eternal.”

37s

#EveryDayIsNewStart

“Every day is a better day. Yesterday's finish line is today's starting line. Because I'm not stuck in the past, I keep moving to the full future. Keep moving to the present because this is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. For this is what? My receiving day. What am I receiving? Mercy, faithfulness. I'm receiving God, his love. So I grabbed this opportunity, this opportunity to be a light in the darkness, it'd be this opportunity to be a place where God is seen, love is felt, lives are changed, all in who? Jesus' name.”

35s

#ExchangeForStronger

“What needs to be made new? What needs to be exchanged? I know you're strong, but what needs to be exchanged for stronger? I know you have joy, but what needs to be exchanged? I know you have vision, but needs what needs to be renewed? What needs to be exchanged for a new vision? Does your faith need to be renewed? Does your joy need to be renewed? Your vision? How about your obedience?”

26s

#ObeyTheWordDaily

“don't don't get stuck on yesterday's obedience because today, there's gonna be another opportunity for you to obey. And all you have to do is obey the word of God. Know the word, see the word, focus on the word, speak the word, live the word, read the word. It's easy. See, I don't know how it is. It's easy.”

38s

#IdentityInChrist

“God doesn't change the circumstance. He always changes circumstances. Or let me say it this way, God doesn't just change the circumstances. I've seen him change circumstances, but more than that, he changes identity. When he changes your identity, you're able to identify as Christ identifies. It's not by your eyes that you look through, it's through his eyes. It's not your perspective, it's his perspective. You don't look through fact, you look through truth. When you look through truth, that sets you free”

35s

#NewGenerosity

“Then we see also in this, there's a new generosity. Y'all all gave generously last year. Your time, your treasure, your talent, your testimony. Very, very generous. But you know what? God's gonna do a new generosity. New generosity that happens. And then there's the last one that we saw too in there. It was a new power. A new power. It was added to the church daily. God doesn't just make new people. He forms new families.”

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