Full Video from
05/17/2026
This powerful message explores the tension between remembering and forgetting as we navigate our spiritual journey. Drawing from Isaiah 43 and 46, we discover an intriguing paradox: God tells us both to forget the former things and to remember them. The resolution lies in understanding what deserves our memory and what needs to become extinct in our lives.
We're called to remember God's faithfulness, His delivering power, and His unchanging nature - the blood of the Lamb still cleanses, prayer still reaches heaven, and His Word remains truth. Yet simultaneously, we must forget our past bondage, addictions, and shame to the point of extinction, like the dodo bird or dinosaurs that can no longer be found.
The Hebrew word for forget literally means extinction - complete removal without residue or ashes. When God does a new thing, He doesn't just cover our past; He makes it cease to exist. Like the Israelites crossing the Red Sea on dry ground or the three Hebrew boys emerging from the furnace without even the smell of smoke, we can walk through our trials and come out looking nothing like what we've been through. This message challenges us to break free from our comfort zones and routines, recognizing that while change feels awkward, God is positioning us for something greater. The new covenant isn't written on stone tablets but on our hearts, transforming our want-to so that serving God becomes our desire, not our duty.
We're called to remember God's faithfulness, His delivering power, and His unchanging nature - the blood of the Lamb still cleanses, prayer still reaches heaven, and His Word remains truth. Yet simultaneously, we must forget our past bondage, addictions, and shame to the point of extinction, like the dodo bird or dinosaurs that can no longer be found.
The Hebrew word for forget literally means extinction - complete removal without residue or ashes. When God does a new thing, He doesn't just cover our past; He makes it cease to exist. Like the Israelites crossing the Red Sea on dry ground or the three Hebrew boys emerging from the furnace without even the smell of smoke, we can walk through our trials and come out looking nothing like what we've been through. This message challenges us to break free from our comfort zones and routines, recognizing that while change feels awkward, God is positioning us for something greater. The new covenant isn't written on stone tablets but on our hearts, transforming our want-to so that serving God becomes our desire, not our duty.
Practical Applications – The Grace of God
This Week's Challenge Choose one of the following to practice this week:
1. Grace Journaling - Each day, write down one way you experienced God's grace (provision, peace, strength, forgiveness, etc.)
2. Extend Unmerited Favor - Intentionally show grace to someone who doesn't deserve it - forgive and bless someone who has wronged you
3. Prayer Focus - Commit to attending the Wednesday night prayer meeting or setting aside 30 minutes this week for focused prayer, seeking God's face
4. Scripture Meditation -
Memorize 2 Corinthians 12:9 - "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness"
Group Action Steps
Share testimonies next week about how you experienced or extended grace
Support one another - identify anyone in the group facing trials and commit to pray for God's sustaining grace over them
Reflection Questions for the Week
Where in my life am I trying to earn what can only be received as grace?
Am I walking in the freedom of God's justifying grace, or am I still condemning myself for past sins?
How can I become a better steward of the manifold grace God has given me?
What would change if I truly believed God's grace is sufficient for my current situation?
Remember: "By the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain." - 1 Corinthians 15:10
1. Grace Journaling - Each day, write down one way you experienced God's grace (provision, peace, strength, forgiveness, etc.)
2. Extend Unmerited Favor - Intentionally show grace to someone who doesn't deserve it - forgive and bless someone who has wronged you
3. Prayer Focus - Commit to attending the Wednesday night prayer meeting or setting aside 30 minutes this week for focused prayer, seeking God's face
4. Scripture Meditation -
Memorize 2 Corinthians 12:9 - "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness"
Group Action Steps
Share testimonies next week about how you experienced or extended grace
Support one another - identify anyone in the group facing trials and commit to pray for God's sustaining grace over them
Reflection Questions for the Week
Where in my life am I trying to earn what can only be received as grace?
Am I walking in the freedom of God's justifying grace, or am I still condemning myself for past sins?
How can I become a better steward of the manifold grace God has given me?
What would change if I truly believed God's grace is sufficient for my current situation?
Remember: "By the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain." - 1 Corinthians 15:10
Key Takeaways from the Sermon – The Grace of God
When God Does A New Thing – Sunday morning May 24, 2026
Key Scripture Passages
Key Scripture Passages
- Isaiah 43:18 - "Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old."
- Isaiah 46:9 - "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else."
- Philippians 3:13-14 - "Forgetting those things which are behind...I press toward the mark"
- God is always doing new things - His nature is to bring fresh moves while remaining unchanging in character
- Some things must be remembered; others must be forgotten - Discernment is needed to know the difference
- Breaking out of comfort zones is necessary for spiritual growth - God pushes us beyond familiar routines
- Prayer is the foundation for any new move of God
- Modern tools can advance Kingdom purposes - Technology and tradition can work together
5 Day Devotion
Day 1: Forgetting What's Behind
Reading: Philippians 3:13-14; Isaiah 43:18-19
Devotional: Paul understood a powerful truth: we cannot move forward while clinging to the past. When God does a new thing in your life, He calls you to forget the former things—not the lessons learned, but the shame, the failures, and the bondage that once held you captive.
The Hebrew word for "forget" means extinction—completely gone, never to be found again. Just as you cannot find a living dinosaur, the sins God has cleansed from your life are extinct. They no longer exist in His memory. Stop trying to remember what God has already forgotten. Today, identify one thing from your past that God has already dealt with, and consciously choose to leave it behind. Walk forward on the dry ground God has prepared for you.
Devotional: Paul understood a powerful truth: we cannot move forward while clinging to the past. When God does a new thing in your life, He calls you to forget the former things—not the lessons learned, but the shame, the failures, and the bondage that once held you captive.
The Hebrew word for "forget" means extinction—completely gone, never to be found again. Just as you cannot find a living dinosaur, the sins God has cleansed from your life are extinct. They no longer exist in His memory. Stop trying to remember what God has already forgotten. Today, identify one thing from your past that God has already dealt with, and consciously choose to leave it behind. Walk forward on the dry ground God has prepared for you.
Day 2: Remembering God's Faithfulness
Reading: Isaiah 46:9-10; Lamentations 3:22-23
Devotional: While we forget our past failures, we must always remember God's faithfulness. He is God, and there is none like Him. He declares the end from the beginning, and His counsel will stand. Every morning, His mercies are new—a fresh demonstration that God is still doing new things in your life. Remember that His name is a strong tower where the righteous run and find safety. Remember that His Word is truth, unchangeable and eternal. Remember that when you pray, He hears you and will answer in His perfect timing. Today, take time to write down three specific ways God has been faithful to you in the past year. Let these memories strengthen your faith for the new thing He's preparing to do in your life right now.This is where the description goes.
Devotional: While we forget our past failures, we must always remember God's faithfulness. He is God, and there is none like Him. He declares the end from the beginning, and His counsel will stand. Every morning, His mercies are new—a fresh demonstration that God is still doing new things in your life. Remember that His name is a strong tower where the righteous run and find safety. Remember that His Word is truth, unchangeable and eternal. Remember that when you pray, He hears you and will answer in His perfect timing. Today, take time to write down three specific ways God has been faithful to you in the past year. Let these memories strengthen your faith for the new thing He's preparing to do in your life right now.This is where the description goes.
Day 3: Breaking Out of Your Comfort Zone
Reading: Exodus 14:13-22; Hebrews 8:6-13
Devotional: The children of Israel faced an impossible situation—the Egyptian army behind them and the Red Sea before them. God's new thing required them to step out of what they knew into what seemed impossible. When God parted the waters, they didn't walk through mud; they walked on dry ground. This is how God works when He does something new—He makes the impossible not just possible, but comfortable. God brought a new covenant, no longer written on stone tablets but on the fleshly tablets of our hearts. This means your desire to worship, pray, and serve Him comes from within, not from external obligation. You're in church today because you want to be, because He changed your heart. What comfort zone is God calling you to leave? What new thing is He asking you to trust Him for? Take one step of faith today.
Devotional: The children of Israel faced an impossible situation—the Egyptian army behind them and the Red Sea before them. God's new thing required them to step out of what they knew into what seemed impossible. When God parted the waters, they didn't walk through mud; they walked on dry ground. This is how God works when He does something new—He makes the impossible not just possible, but comfortable. God brought a new covenant, no longer written on stone tablets but on the fleshly tablets of our hearts. This means your desire to worship, pray, and serve Him comes from within, not from external obligation. You're in church today because you want to be, because He changed your heart. What comfort zone is God calling you to leave? What new thing is He asking you to trust Him for? Take one step of faith today.
Day 4: The Power of Prayer in the New Thing
Reading: 2 Chronicles 7:14; Luke 11:1-13
Devotional: Jesus declared, "My house shall be called a house of prayer." If anything will move us into the new dimension God has prepared, it will be prayer. Prayer is not a ritual or obligation—it's the communication channel through which God reveals the new things He wants to do. When we pray, we position ourselves to hear His voice, receive His direction, and participate in His purposes. Prayer changes us before it changes our circumstances. It aligns our will with His and stirs our hearts with His passion. The early church was birthed in a prayer meeting on the Day of Pentecost, and every great move of God has been preceded by prayer. Make prayer a priority this week. Set aside time—even if it's just ten minutes—to pray without asking for anything, simply to be in His presence and listen.
Day 5: Pressing Toward the Mark
Reading: Philippians 3:7-14; Hebrews 12:1-2
Devotional: Paul said, "This one thing I do: forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Notice the word "press"—it takes energy, effort, and intentionality. Not everyone will press into the new thing God is doing. Some will stay in the outer court, comfortable with where they are. But there's a group who will press beyond the veil into the most holy place, hungry for all that God has for them. This generation is the one that will see Christ return. We must use every tool, every opportunity, and every moment to reach people with the Gospel. God is stirring His people, raising the tide so every boat rises. What is God stirring in your heart? Press into it today. Don't settle for less than all He has for you.
As you complete this devotional journey, remember: God's promises are true and forever settled. He is doing a new thing—can you perceive it? Walk forward in faith, leaving the past behind and embracing the future He has prepared for you.