Redo - Reviewing to Move Forward

Dec 28, 2025 • Justin Williams

This message invites the church to pause at the close of the year and intentionally review the past with God—not to relive it, romanticize it, or condemn ourselves, but to allow Christ to redeem it and use it as a pathway forward. Looking back without God either traps us in nostalgia or regret, but in Christ the past no longer has authority over our future; it becomes material for grace, wisdom, and growth. God calls His people to honest reflection rooted in mercy, not condemnation, because conviction draws us closer while condemnation drives us into hiding. Scripture reminds us that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, meaning our identity is not defined by failures, successes, wounds, or regrets, but by God’s grace alone. Reviewing the year with God is an act of surrender, where we ask Him to search our hearts, reveal what needs healing or repentance, and lead us in everlasting ways. God does not expose our brokenness to shame us, but to shepherd us—working patiently, often focusing on “one thing” at a time so transformation is possible rather than overwhelming. Through examples like Paul, Peter, and the man healed at the pool, we see that God does not erase the past but redeems it, turning pain into wisdom, failure into formation, and regret into instruction. Forgetting the past does not mean denial, but removing its power to define or direct our lives. God’s mercy creates space not for stagnation, but for transformation, calling us to respond to grace with obedience, trust, and forward movement. His mercies are new every morning, declaring that He is not finished, we are not trapped, and our worst days are not our last days. In Christ, we are made new—not by good works or self-effort, but by placing our lives fully in Him. As we prepare for the coming year, God invites us not to rush ahead, but to reflect with humility, repent with hope, and take one faithful step forward, trusting that He who redeems the past is faithfully writing our future.

Reference Scriptures

Psalm 139:23–24 – “Search me, O God… lead me in the way everlasting”

Romans 8:1 – No condemnation for those in Christ Jesus

Romans 8:28 – God works all things together for good

Jeremiah 1:5 – God knew and appointed us before we were formed

Philippians 3:12–14 – Forgetting what lies behind and pressing forward

John 5:1–9 – Healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda

Isaiah 43:18–19 – God doing a new thing

Lamentations 3:22–23 – The Lord’s mercies are new every morning

2 Corinthians 5:17 – New creation in Christ

Psalm 25:6–7 – God’s steadfast love and mercy toward our past

Isaiah 43:25 – God blotting out transgressions