Getting Ready for God's New Thing — David Wilkerson

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God's New Thing in Isaiah 43

I've got a message this morning. Getting ready for God's new thing. Getting ready for God's new thing. Go to Isaiah 43, please. Isaiah 43. We're going to begin reading in verse 18. Do you believe that God is not stale?

He's not stagnant? He's always doing something fresh and new. And God is even now doing a new thing in the land. God, wake us up. Help us not to bypass it, not to see it. God, open our understanding. He's shown us the covenant, now he'll be showing us the new thing that he's going to do.

Start verse 18, chapter 43 of Isaiah. Everybody in the annex and overflow, get your Bibles now and follow me. I'm preaching right into the camera. Remember you're not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

Behold, what's it say? I will do a new thing. Now it shall spring forth. In other words, even now it's beginning. Shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, the beast of the field shall honor me, the dragons and the owls, because I give water in the wilderness and rivers in the desert to drink, to give drink to my people, my chosen.

As people have formed for myself, they shall sow forth my praise. Look at verse 25, I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions, why? For my own sake, and will not remember thy sins. My God, open our eyes and give us a holy understanding.

We are living in days that are frightening to the human flesh, but exciting to the spirit of the living God that abides in us. God, open our understanding. Come upon me, Holy Ghost, and deliver your heart through me.

Sanctify this vessel that there would be no controversy with God or the Holy Ghost, and the word can come forth, Lord, with no hindrances and the blessing and the anointing of Almighty God. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

I call this God's new thing because that's exactly what God calls it. He said, I, behold, I will do a new thing. Then he goes on to promise, and now it shall spring forth. In other words, it's already happening.

Shall you not know it? God won't do it without, he will not hide what he is going to do. God declares, there is none can deliver out of my hand, I will work, and who shall reverse it? God said, when I decide to do something, who's going to stop me?

Who can reverse what I promise to do? Now, God is going to rise up, as I said last Sunday, to defend his holy name that's been defamed. He's no longer going to allow his name to be mocked. He's not going to let men rob him of his glory and the glory of his name.

For my own sake, even for my own sake will I do it. For how or why should my name be profaned? I will not give my glory to another. Isaiah 48, 11. Ezekiel 20, 14. I will act for the sake of my own name.

It shall not be profaned in the sight of the nations. Ezekiel repeats it in verse 22. In one chapter, he repeats it two times. God's saying, I am going to act for the sake of my own name. Jeremiah understood there comes a time that God has to act.

There comes a time that truth is so cast into the mire, the commands of God so mocked and ridiculed, and the holy name of Christ, the holy name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, this great and mighty name is so mocked and so ridiculed and so cast out by society.

God says, I can't carry the pain any longer and God must act. Very clearly, Jeremiah 14, 7. O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy own name's sake. Our backslidings have been many.

The Prophetic Promise of Christ and God's Jealousy for His Name

We have sinned against thee. Now, the new thing that God is going to do and is even now begun to do is going to outshine anything he's ever done in the past. It's going to outshine and be greater than anything history has ever known.

Behold, the former things are come to pass and new things I now declare. Before they spring forth, I tell you of them. He said, it's going to be so glorious, you're going to have to have a new song to sing.

I want you to go to Isaiah 42. If you're in 43, just turn left, please, to 42. But God said, he's going to come and act suddenly because of the jealousy of his name. He's jealous over his name, chapter 42 of Isaiah.

And I want you to, you're going to follow me through a number of scriptures here this morning. Isaiah 42, verses 13 and 14. Here's what he's going to do. The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man. He shall stir up jealousy like a man of war.

He shall cry, yea, roar. He shall prevail against his enemies. I have long time held my peace. I've been still. I've refrained myself. But now will I cry like a travailing woman. I will destroy and devour at once.

God said, folks, I want you to hear this very clearly from the prophet. I've been silent. For years I've taken it. For years I've listened to this rebellion. For years I have done nothing about it. I refrained my anger.

I allowed this to continue year after year. I've been still. But he said to Jeremiah, I'm going to rise. And I'm going to defend my name now. For my name's sake, I'm going to act. Because they have polluted and profaned my name long enough.

And God mentions to Jeremiah that his pain, his pain would cause him to rise up in the last day. And this is exactly what I believe he's doing. I'm going to deal with those who profane my holy name. And folks, when God said he's going to come forth and defend his name, I want you to tell me where you find an army that can stand against his jealousy.

Show me a judge that can stand against his jealousy. Show me a Supreme Court. Show me any government. Show me any power on the face of the earth. When God said I'm going to rise and I'm going to act, show me anyone.

You talk about the Supreme Court of the United States of Europe now. You talk about the Supreme Court of the United States, who now is trying, really standing with the homosexual agenda, making these rules.

They're taking to the Supreme Court now this gentleman in Alabama who has a granite plaque in front of the courthouse that has the 10 Commandments that have been there for 40 years. And now the federal court has ruled to take it away and he refuses.

But one of these days God said I'm going to rise. Do you think this judge is going to have any power at that moment? Does he have a voice? God's going to take away the voice and the power and the authority.

God's going to do something supernatural to defend his holy name. God declares wicked men will not stop my people from praising me. Now all the major prophets saw this new thing God was going to do. They looked down into the future and they saw the incarnation of Jesus Christ in human flesh.

This was the new thing that the prophets saw coming. He would come and dwell in human flesh and he would redeem mankind. This was the primary goal. This was the primary vision. This is a dual prophecy but the real heart of the prophecy is the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to redeem men from sin.

But also it says the Holy Spirit would be a part of that new thing. The Holy Spirit would come to undo men with power to live the life that Christ had supplied by his sacrifice. But there was a dual prophecy.

Also in the last days God would initiate something new. His own initiative. Not because people have prayed for it. Now we fast and pray but folks, I want to tell you, you need to change the emphasis of our prayers and our fasting.

You know, if my people who call by my name shall humble themselves and call me Lord, I will hear their crying and heal their land. But folks, you've got to understand, we need to change the concept of how we pray.

It's God, glorify your name on the earth. Glorify the name of Jesus Christ. Folks, this is all about the honor of God. This is about all the pain in the heart of God and how this country and the nations of the world, Islam and other religions and even in Protestantism now, how the name of Christ is being dragged through the mire and mud, cast into the streets.

The word of God rendered meaningless. And this is all about the honor of God's name. He's not going to do it just for the sake of his church. He's not going to do it because we've been faithful. God says, no, I will do it to defend my name, for my name's sake.

I will arise and I will deal with this. The Bible says, the anger of the Lord shall not return or turn back. In other words, God said, I've made up my mind, nothing will stop me until he has executed, until he has carried out the purposes of his heart.

And in the latter days, you will fully understand this. In the last days, you will fully understand this. That's Jeremiah 32, 20. This is all about the last days and God rising up. Zion is called to awaken and shake off the heavy bands.

Psalms 92, or rather, Isaiah 97, of the increase of his government, there shall be no end. You see, God is always increasing, increasing in mercy, increasing in love and grace. But he's also increasing in the jealousy for his holy name.

And there comes a time when there comes an end. God's been patient up to this time because of the harvest. What a loving, patient God we have. But you see, there's no end of the increase of his government.

And because he increases in authority, because his justice increases, there's always an increasing of his government. There comes a time when his government has to say, Enough, or there will be total chaos.

It came during the flood, it came during Sodom and Gomorrah, and there comes a time when God says, No, this is it. The first manifestation of this new thing was the coming of Jesus Christ, his birth, his life, his death, and his resurrection.

Cleansing the Church and the Coming of God's Rest

But you see, in the last day now, God said he's going to come, he's going to rise up in jealousy over his house, and he's going to cleanse his church. He is going to cleanse his church. Did you hear it?

He is going to cleanse his holy house. Remember what Jesus did? He went into the temple with a whip, and he drove out the money chambers, and he said, I'll only do what I see my Father doing. He saw how God finally, the Father, says, So far and no further.

They've turned my house of prayer into a den of thieves. Now go in, because this is who I am, and this is how I act. He said, I do what my Father, I see my Father do. I see what the Father is going to do, the same thing he did through Christ his Son.

He's coming with his own whip to drive out of the church the money changers. Oh, thank God, many are going to be convicted and saved and changed. God, in his mercy, is going to take some of those out of those false doctrines and take some of these false prophets and sanctify them and give them an authority, and they're going to be able to stand up and say, I was there, and they're going to expose their own doctrines that they once pushed upon the body of Jesus Christ.

In Daniel 8, chapter 14, verse, he was asked, How long shall the sanctuary be trodden underfoot? And Daniel spoke of many, many days into the future. He says, The sanctuary will be cleansed. Every prophet said the same thing.

Now let me show you what I believe is going to be the main work of God's new thing. What are we talking about? I believe that God is going to do something. He has yearned to do. He has longed to do. He's made every effort to bring people into this new thing.

It's really not a new thing. It's an old thing that's never been claimed. He's going to finally bring a people into God's promised rest. You see, when you get to Hebrews, you read, There still remains a rest.

It was offered to the children of Israel, and they refused it. It was offered during the time of the judges, and they refused it. It was offered to the time of the prophets, and it was refused. It was offered in the time of Christ.

And the Bible says it was not mixed with faith. And the majority refused it, and only some entered into that rest. But I'm telling you now, God is not coming for a church. Jesus didn't build a church without a people coming into the rest.

There will be a people before Jesus comes that enters into the rest of God. This is the purpose of God's new thing. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. But they did not enter in because of unbelief.

So there still remains that some must enter in. Now here we come to the last of the last days, and only a few. And God says this new thing I'm going to do, I'm going to bring a people into my rest. The rest that He offered through Jesus Christ.

Now, we understand the foundation of this rest is complete confidence in the finished work of the cross. We know that when you believe that Jesus saves and keeps, and you're not living in fear and bondage, but you're trusting in the power of the blood.

That's what brings rest. And rest is the evidence of faith. It's the evidence. The man who believes is going to have a heart at rest. But folks, I want to talk about the practical side, the practical things that God wants us to bring His body into, inside this framework of rest and what is described as the rest of God.

A Purified Church and Sharper Preaching

First of all, He's going to purge out of His sanctuary everything that is false. He said, I'm going to raise up shepherds after my own heart. Oh folks, I see this all over the country. I see and hear from young men that are on their face, they want nothing to do with the foolishness and the hype that's in the church of Jesus Christ today.

These young men are praying, they are firebrands for God. They're hearing and seeing truths and manifestations of God's glory like I've never seen. It's all over the world, even in Russia. You meet young bishops on fire for God and they're starting churches all over Russia.

I mean, they get people saved and within six months they send them out to start another church. And they are hearing from God and they're seeing this new thing that God is doing. The marvelous thing that God is doing all over the world this very moment.

And the Word is going to come forth sharper than it's ever come. It's going to come more convicting than it's ever come. More piercing than it's ever come. And it's through this piercing preaching of holy men that God is raising up.

He's waking up grandfathers that once had the touch of God. They've gone in front of a television set and lost the fire. And the Holy Ghost is coming back saying, I want you to rise up, get back on your knees and be a testimony to this generation.

And God is doing that now. He's awakening old time men and women, mothers of Zion, who've been wasting time in front of a Babylonian idiot box. And God is restoring them once again, awakening their hearts.

Freedom From the Fear of Man

Let's talk about the practical things he's going to do. First of all, he's going to bring people into a rest whereby they no longer fear man. Any man. Never fear man again. Go to Isaiah 51, please, turn right.

Folks, I'm not preaching out of my own head. I'm giving you Bible. Isaiah 51, verses 7 and 8 right now. Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law. Fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

For the moths shall eat them up like a garment, the worms shall eat them like wool. But my righteousness shall be forever and my salvation from generation to generation. Look at verse 12 and 13. I, even I, am he that comforteth you.

Who art thou that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die? Look, what kind of a believer are you? What kind of training have you had? Folks, if you've been coming to this church, I'll ask you, Who are you to fear man?

Why are you afraid? You've been, I mean, you've been grounded in the word of God. I boast not on my preaching, but I'll boast what everything I've heard from men and women of God in this pulpit. Why are you afraid?

Of man that shall die and of the son of man which shall be made as grass. Oh, these Supreme Court judges, it's grass. God said it's all going to burn. Why are you worried? Why are you afraid? And you forget the Lord thy maker, who stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundation of the earth.

And you've continually, you've feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy. Where is the fury of the oppressor? Oh, come on, folks. Listen to the heart of God.

He said, Who are you, my people, that you should be afraid of all these revilings, all of this spouting out, all of this, all of this stuff that's coming out of the hearts and lips of ungodly men? Who are you that you should fear?

Why should you be afraid? God says they're going to be eaten like a moth. There's going to be desolation. God said that he's coming out to despise everything they say, and I'll deal with it. I'm reading from Psalm 37.

One, fret not yourself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity, for they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and they're going to wither like green herbs. Fret not yourself because of him who brings wicked devices to pass.

Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be envious at the wicked. Now, folks, that word envious is important. Christian, listen to me. That word means provoke. Do not allow these things you see and hear to provoke you.

And it means also don't provoke them. Leave them alone. Don't try to take wrath in your own hands. The wrath of men cannot accomplish the purposes of God. Leave them alone. God said the day's going to come, I will laugh at them.

Don't fret about it. Don't let it in your spirit. Don't let it get hold of you. Oh, folks, I know. David said, how long, Lord, shall the wicked triumph? How long shall they speak these hard things? And all the workers of iniquity boast.

They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and they afflict thine heritage. And what he's saying, Lord, all these things. He said it breaks the heart of your people. Sure, it breaks our heart. Sure, it makes your spiritual blood boil.

You see the rampant in your face militant homosexuality. You see the lewdness. You see Hollywood mocking Christ. You see all of the mockery. You see the drunkenness. You see the narcotizing of our society.

You see and hear all of these things, and it gets to you. And God said, no, don't let it in your spirit. You're here to praise me. Don't let it get into your heart. They set their mouth against the heavens.

And their tongue walks through the whole earth. And the righteous say, does God know about this? That's in verse 11 of Psalm 73. But God said he's going to do a new thing. As in a dream, when one dreams, so, O Lord, when you awake, you will despise this, even their image, how soon they're going to be brought to desolation.

Rest Without Fear of Calamity or Bad News

We'll take it a step further now. This resting clue that God is bringing his people into in this last hour includes no fear of any calamity or any bad news. No fear. Scripture says those who are, he's talking about the righteous.

He shall not be afraid of evil tidings. That's bad news. His heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. Oh, hallelujah. I'm going to tell you something. There are so many in this church doing this blackout that had not one moment of fear.

They weren't panicked like others. For instance, a dear sister in this church, she was stuck on an elevator for about two hours with her two children. And there was another lady in the elevator, and that lady panicked.

That other lady panicked, literally panicked. This dear sister in my church, she's probably here this morning. She just prayed. Just said, Lord, this is up to you. Not afraid. And some man walking by, there was no superintendent, nobody in the building that could do it.

Some man walking by told her later, he just walked by and he thought, there might be somebody stuck in an elevator and said, I better go and check. And this man, off the street, walked in and brought the elevator down and got her out.

She shall not be afraid of evil tidings. Her heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. There's another lady. I'm sure she's here this morning. She'd been praying for a long time that God, I don't know if she's in the choir.

She'd been praying for a long time. This story was brought to me a long time. She'd been so busy, Lord, I need some quiet time with you. I need some quiet time with you. She's in her apartment, the lights go out.

No radio, no nothing. So for the next five hours, hallelujah, she said, thank you, Jesus, for the time alone with you. She had all night. And outside, everybody's running around sucking beer and getting drunk and wondering what's going to happen next.

And full of fear and anxiety. And a little lady is sitting in her apartment saying, thank you, Jesus. That's what the Holy Ghost is trying to tell us. That's the rest of God. Oh, hallelujah. Furthermore, those who are going to be brought into the rest are going to be infused with a militant faith.

Militant Faith in the Last Days

I mean a militant faith. I want to tell you something, and I believe with all my heart. Jesus is not coming back for a passive, lazy, beaten down church. He's not coming back for that kind of body. Luke 18 .8, Jesus said, when the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Now it doesn't say, Jesus didn't say, when I come, I will not find faith. He just asked a question, will I find faith? My answer, yes, yes, yes. You will find faith because God's going to see to it. That's part of the new thing he's going to do.

He's going to infuse a militant faith in those who seek him. In a holy remnant. And that's going to be a great multitude worldwide. You put his remnant together in China, and in India, in Africa, United States, and in Russia.

I mean, they have millions now turning to Jesus in China. And you put that holy remnant together, you're going to have a multitude which no man can number. Infused with a militant faith. God's going to cause it to happen.

Now, it might be hard for some of you. He's the sovereign God, but God says, I will cause you to walk in my ways, that's the new covenant. I will give you a new heart, that's the covenant. But he says, he's going to cause this great infusion of faith.

It's going to be something he initiates, something he chooses to do. He's going to baptize this last generation with faith like no other generation has known. And we're going to have warriors that are not overcomings, but more than overcomers.

That are going to use the weapons that are not carnal, but mighty through God and pulling down strongholds. Here it is. God shall cause, Isaiah 61 -11, God shall cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

There's a spring going to come up. You know the Holy Ghost in us is a spring of living water? He's going to come forth with a spirit of faith. A militant faith. That doesn't mean it's not in your face.

It's not following the agendas of this world. But it's those who are going to have faith for nations to be saved. Even nations. I want you to listen to this please. Isaiah 48, go to 48, 6 and 7. I want you to see it in black and white.

Start in verse 6, Isaiah 48, Thou hast heard, see all this.

Let's see if I have the right verse here.

Isaiah 48, 6 and 7, yes. Thou hast heard, see all this, and will not ye declare it? I have shown thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them. They are created now, and not from the beginning.

Even before the day when thou heardest them not, that thou shouldst say, Behold, I heard them. Yea, thou heardest not, yea, thou knowest not. You see, the ear has to be open from that time that thine ear was not open.

Now listen to me please. God said, I'm showing new things from this time, even this time, hidden time. I'm not preaching some new doctrine. I'm preaching something old that's in there that's been hidden.

And God says, I'm going to bring it out. I'm going to bring it out. Now, if you will look at verses 3 and 5. I have declared the former things from the beginning, and they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them.

I did them suddenly, and they came to pass. Verse 5, I have even from the beginning declared it to you. Before it came to pass, I showed it thee. As thou shouldst say, mine idol hath done it, my graven image, my molten image hath commanded it.

God says, the old things. Everything I promised you, suddenly I did it. He said, now I'm telling you, that's the past. Now, I'm going to tell you now something hidden, something new you haven't heard from before.

He said, I'm telling you now. Now, he's talking, of course, about the incarnation of Christ. He's talking about Jesus Christ first and primarily. But he's also talking about what happens at the end of the last days.

That was the beginning of the last days. At the final end of the last days, I believe this with all of my heart. And there are other proof scriptures for it. Because he said, this you will understand in the last days.

I declare it, showing you new things from this time, hidden things that you did not know. They are created now, and not from the beginning. God said, I'm going to create something new. This is a creation.

Faith will be created. A creation and infusion of faith in the body of Jesus Christ in the last days. Hallelujah. I searched through my commentaries on these verses. And not one commentary had made any sense on this.

They could not see it. But not one of them could refute what I'm telling you now. That this refers to the end times. Not one of them. This new infusion of faith into the hearts of the righteous has to do with trusting in the strong arm of God.

Trusting in the strong arm of God. The arm of God means power, might, and strength. Isaiah 52 .10. The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all nations. And all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Isaiah 51 .5. My righteousness is near. My salvation has gone forth. My arms shall judge the people. The isles shall wait upon me. Listen to this. And on my arm shall they trust. On my power, my might, on what I initiate.

Simply because I defend my own name. My people will trust for things that they could have never conceived they would trust for before. Now folks, I believe that has to do with the saving of entire nations.

That doesn't mean that I believe or we're going to have the kind of faith where we say, Everybody in the nation is going to be saved. But this church, there's evidence of what I'm talking about breaking out in this church body right here.

And not only here, but all over the world, especially in China. Faith now. You go out and look at all of those hundreds and even thousands of pins on those boards. With all the nations there on those boards.

The little red pins where people are praying for nations. And praying with faith now. Praying, God, tear down the ruling power. And I'm telling you right now, Islam is in danger. In great danger. God is raising up people now with faith to believe.

No more cowering behind the sin. Islam is taking power. Not afraid of terrorism. Not afraid of anything that Islam can bring upon the world or this nation. No, no, no. Because there's a militant faith now arising.

We believe that God can bring down Islamic power on any nation on the face of the earth. But God needs His people. God needs His people to believe Him. And to pray it to pass. Pray that God will honor His name through this.

Isaiah 30, 30. And the Lord shall rise. The Lord shall cause His glorious voice to be heard. And He shall show the lightning down of His arm. With indignation of His anger and the flame of divine fire and scattering and tempest and hailstone.

Folks, she said, I'm going to come as lightning. And I'm going to deal with it that quickly. Folks, do you remember how quickly the iron curtain came down? I mean, it happened in one week. Suddenly, it was down.

I mean, they had axes, they were hammers. People were hammering and the gates were thrown open. The great gates were torn down and burned. The bamboo curtain is falling left and right. Because the lightning arm of God, the lightning strength and power of God is moving all over the world.

Hallelujah. There are literally millions being saved in China. Russia is wide open to the gospel. The gospel has been preaching all over. It's been preached in Siberia. In fact, we have a church in Siberia that we're sponsoring.

And God's moving in Mongolia now. This church prayed for so long for Mongolia. And God has raised up His jealousy. And He said, no longer will they keep me out. Folks, the gospel is being opened to every nation on the face of the earth.

In Pakistan this past year, an American evangelist had 50 ,000. 50 ,000 people came to hear the gospel in one meeting. And Islam couldn't stop it. The government couldn't stop it. We now are sending advanced teams into Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

We are planning a crusade in Uzbekistan, the Lord willing. And we're inviting them in from Tajikistan and all the stands all around it. Afghanistan, Pakistan, and all the stands. They're coming from all over.

First time in history. And they tell us we're going to have no less than 5 ,000. Folks, that's just the beginning. God is raising up a militant army of faith as the world has never before seen. This, folks, how does God glorify His name?

He does it through people. He does it through those who are not afraid of the devil, afraid of man, afraid of calamity, and people who are walking in faith, believing that God can do all things. That is the man.

That is the woman who glorifies God on the face of the earth. Hallelujah. God will deal with the judges. He'll deal with others. But in the meanwhile, He's going to raise up these people with power and authority.

Divine Order in Christian Lives and Families

Finally, the Lord's going to bring His people into rest by bringing divine order into individual lives and into our homes. Folks, the devil has been unchallenged long enough. Folks, it's time that this chaos in the Christian family and individual Christians has to stop.

For too long, he's allowed unchallenged to come and bring depression, fear, and anxiety. He has come to try to destroy marriages. He has come to try to take away your children and destroy the destroyer.