Pursuing God in the New Thing

The new thing can become an idol when God’s people get more interested in the gift than the God who gives it. The question presses deep: would God’s people still pursue Him, still build His kingdom, still be faithful, even if they never got to see the new thing come to pass? Isaiah’s word came long before Israel saw deliverance, and the greater new thing, Jesus Christ, came centuries later. God’s people before them had to cut the path, build the kingdom, and leave a legacy for somebody else to receive.

Israel’s failure began when the pursuit of God gave way to the pursuit of comfort, happiness, control, and personal kingdoms. Spiritual apathy opened the door to disobedience, because disobedience is hearing God’s Word and choosing not to do it. Faith feels uncomfortable because faith means relinquishing control. God calls His people out of where they were, and He is not content to leave them comfortable, stale, and stagnant.

Isaiah 43:21-24 brings God’s loving correction. God made Israel for Himself and for His glory, yet Jacob refused to ask for His help and grew tired of Him. Prayer had been neglected, not merely in the sense of saying fewer words, but in the deeper sense of no longer seeking God’s will before moving. Prayer can become habitual, rushed, and powerless when it becomes a way to bless human plans rather than surrender to God’s plans.

The relationship had also become a chore. God’s people could carry Bibles, attend church, sing songs, and still neglect wholehearted pursuit of Him. Offering had been neglected as well, because giving reveals whether God is truly trusted or merely treated like a spiritual Santa Claus. The widow’s offering showed that God sees the heart, the sacrifice, and the love behind what is given.

Worship cannot be borrowed forever from somebody else’s praise. God desires spiritual harmony, a fragrant offering that rises from hearts already touched by His presence. Sanctification cannot be traded for “just a little bit” of sin, because a little bit of sin is still sin. God’s grace does not give permission to keep living in what dishonors Him.

Communion brings the call home. Christ’s table becomes a place of repentance, recentering, and choice. God already knows the sin of commission, the sin of omission, the struggles, and the things held too tightly. His loving invitation remains: come home, surrender, pursue the God of the new thing, and leave the results up to Him.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Pursue God, not merely His gifts. The new thing can become more important than the God who is doing it. God’s people are called to remain faithful even when they do not get to see the full harvest. Spiritual legacy means giving a life away so that somebody else can walk into what God began long ago. [02:45]
• 2. Prayer is surrender before movement. Prayer is not meant to bless decisions already made. Prayer puts God back in His rightful place as Lord, source, and guide before a path is chosen. A hurried, habitual prayer life can reveal a heart that has learned to rely on comfort, resources, and human plans instead of God. [28:32]
• 3. Relationship with God cannot become chore. Religious activity can keep going while love for God grows cold. Church attendance, singing, giving, and Bible reading lose their life when they become obligations instead of responses to God’s presence. God’s question still lands hard: “Have you grown tired of me?” [34:22]
• 4. A little bit of sin matters. Sanctification means being set apart by God for God. Sin becomes dangerous when it is justified, normalized, or excused because everybody else is doing it. Grace calls God’s people out of compromise and into lives that bring Him honor and glory. [50:29]
• 5. Communion calls for honest repentance. Christ’s table is not a place for pretending. God gives His children an opportunity to acknowledge sin, turn around, and surrender again. The new covenant declares that Christ made a way, but each heart must choose whether to hold on to sin or come home.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [01:42] - Pursuing the God of the New Thing
• [04:19] - Faithfulness Before Seeing the Promise
• [06:27] - Building a Spiritual Legacy
• [09:17] - When Personal Kingdoms Take Over
• [13:23] - Spiritual Apathy and Disobedience
• [16:19] - God’s Loving Call to Come Home
• [21:38] - Isaiah 43 and the Cost of Pursuit
• [27:14] - Neglecting Prayer
• [34:08] - Neglecting Relationship with God
• [37:09] - Neglecting Offering and Trust
• [43:33] - Neglecting Worship
• [48:36] - Neglecting Sanctification
• [53:17] - Communion, Repentance, and Surrender

Bible Reading

Isaiah 43:21-24
“I have made Israel for myself, and they will someday honor me before the whole world. But, dear family of Jacob, you refuse to ask for my help. You have grown tired of me, O Israel. You have not brought me sheep or goats for burnt offerings. You have not honored me with sacrifices, though I have not burdened and wearied you with requests for grain offerings and frankincense. You have not brought me fragrant calamus or pleased me with the fat from sacrifices. Instead, you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your faults.” [21:38]

Mark 12:41-44
“Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 'I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are contributing to the treasury. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” [37:09]

1 Corinthians 11:27-29
“So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself.” [53:17]

Observation questions

1. In Isaiah 43:21-24, what does God say He formed His people to do, and what areas of neglect does He name?
2. What does Isaiah 43:22 reveal about Israel’s prayer life and their attitude toward God? [27:24]
3. In Mark 12:41-44, what contrast does Jesus make between the widow’s gift and the gifts of the wealthy?
4. According to 1 Corinthians 11:27-29, what should believers do before taking communion, and why does that matter? [56:28]

Interpretation questions

1. Why is it significant that God’s correction in Isaiah 43 comes alongside His promise to do a new thing? What does this show about God’s love and His purpose for His people? [22:19]
2. Israel “refused to ask” God for help. How can prayer become a way of asking God to bless plans already made instead of seeking His will before moving forward? [28:38]
3. Jesus praises the widow’s offering even though it was small in amount. What does this reveal about how God measures generosity, sacrifice, and trust?
4. Paul’s warning about communion calls believers to examine themselves. How does honest self-examination protect communion from becoming a routine religious act with no repentance or surrender? [57:56]

Application questions

1. Is there a “new thing” you have been asking God for—a change, answer, opportunity, or breakthrough—that may be receiving more of your attention than God Himself? What would it look like to pursue God faithfully even if you do not get to see the result you want? [02:41]
2. Where are you most tempted to pursue comfort, control, happiness, or your own plans instead of trusting God’s kingdom and His timing? What is one area you need to surrender to Him this week? [12:01]
3. Think about your recent prayers. Are they mostly rushed words, requests for God to fix a situation, or invitations for Him to direct your steps? What practical change could help you pause and seek His will before making decisions? [31:47]
4. Have Bible reading, church attendance, worship, giving, or serving started to feel like a chore? What may be causing that weariness, and what would help restore a wholehearted relationship with God? [34:22]
5. What does your attitude toward giving reveal about your trust in God? Is there a specific way you could give more freely, gratefully, or sacrificially without treating God as a way to get what you want? [42:08]
6. Is there a “little bit” of sin that you have excused, normalized, or compared to what others are doing? What would repentance and a clear step toward holiness look like in that area? [50:29]
7. Before coming to the Lord’s Table—or during a regular time with God—what sin of commission or omission do you need to honestly acknowledge? How can you respond to God’s invitation to turn around, receive His grace, and come home? [58:21]