A New Thing

This powerful message centers on Isaiah 43:18-19, where God declares He is doing a new thing and commands us to forget the former things and stop dwelling on the past. The sermon uses the ancient metaphor of wineskins to illustrate a profound spiritual truth: new wine requires new wineskins. Just as fermented wine would burst an old, hardened wineskin that had lost its flexibility, God's fresh anointing and new work in our lives cannot be contained in our old patterns, old thinking, and old ways of being. The message challenges us to examine whether we've become spiritually hardened—comfortable in our routines but no longer pliable in God's hands. Real transformation requires more than desiring change; it demands that we become new vessels through honest self-examination, hard choices that may offend others, and a complete renewal of our thoughts and attitudes. We're reminded that 80% of the year still lies ahead, and it's not too late to stop settling for mediocrity and instead pursue the excellence God has for us. The call is clear: if we want God to pour out something new in our lives, we must give Him something new to work with—a heart softened by fresh oil, hot tears, and genuine hunger for His presence.