“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits”
Psalms 103:1-2 NIV
Our message today is: Do not forget it!
When you are forgotten by someone, you feel neglected, you feel like someone of little value, and with God it is no different. We should not forget Him and all his benefits.
God has always been concerned with the memory of his people. Throughout the Bible, He is calling our attention to this: Don’t forget! He calls us to remember who He is, Where He took us from, He calls our attention to Jesus’ sacrifice and what awaits us in eternity.
We are so busy in this world, always in a rush, and that makes it easy to forget What God has done for us… We have meetings, jobs, family to take care of, the ministry… and so life pushes us away from God’s presence. Our minds become full of worries and problems.
I usually forget things, sometimes I go to the Supermarket to get things and when I get there, I forget what I had to buy… (Dog’s food) Friend forgot his mom….
I know you also do it …I’m not alone…rss
The bible says two things in these 2 verses: Praise the Lord and do not forget Him, and his benefits.
Praise means: Action of worship
Do not forget: Always remember what he has done for you.
How can we not forget God?
Remembering… it keeps you from forgetting. And today I want to use the bible to help you remember, to not forget God, his commands and what he did for you. May the Lord bless you and open your mind to listen and learn how to not forget!
The bible teaches us what we have to do in order to remember God!
We can see many examples of how the people of Israel forgot God. And God always called their attention to remember His goodness! So, be ready to receive a lesson for your life. Amen?
1- Write in a special place everything that God has told you
“The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the Lord, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by chasing after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your God.’ ””
Numbers 15:37-41
The Israelites wore a blue cord to remember all the commands of the Lord. It was like a sign to remind them about God’s commands.
When they wore this blue cord and looked at it, they feared the Lord, they would remember how God is holy and so we have to be holy.
The priests at the time needed to wear something even better to remember… look:
“Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: HOLY TO THE LORD. Fasten a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban; it is to be on the front of the turban. It will be on Aaron’s forehead, and he will bear the guilt involved in the sacred gifts the Israelites consecrate, whatever their gifts may be. It will be on Aaron’s forehead continually so that they will be acceptable to the Lord.”
Exodus 28:36-38
The priests would wear a plate of gold on their foreheads. It was written: ‘Holy to the Lord’, or ‘I belong to the Lord’.
My brothers, what has God said to you? What is his promise to your life? What has he ever said to your family?
When we don’t remember what God has said to us, we become cold, our faith becomes small and we get scared of the future!
So, I have an advice for you: Whatever God tells you, Write it down. Write it somewhere in the kitchen, some place in your living room, your bedroom. Write verses of the bible and put them around your home and when you read them, you will remember God’s commands!
Write that your family belongs to God!
Write that you and your family will serve the Lord!
Write that God is your protector and you won’t fear any evil!
Do not forget: Always remember God! Taste the power of remembering.
2- Make a Memorial to God
Before Joshua and Israel crossed the Jordan River, God told them to make a memorial to remember future generations.
“So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”” Joshua 4:4-7 NIV
Those stones were a reminder of the miracles people lived in the past.
I now invite you to make a memorial to God. Of course, you don’t need to take a big stone in your arms and carry it into the middle of your home…
But you can select a place at home to pray and worship God. You can build an altar in your house. I have 2 places where I seek God at home: My bedroom and my living room. I close the door and enjoy God’s presence. It’s good to select a place to worship God.
Another way of making a memorial is celebrating what God has done for you. You can call your family and tell testimonies of what God has done in your life.
For example: Every year I celebrate the deliverance God gave me in 13th April of 2013. I had an accident and God gave me a second chance. Praise His holy name! I usually celebrate with barbecue, a time of worship and prayer of thanksgiving.
So, make a memorial to God. Have a place in your home to seek God everyday and also celebrate God’s miracle. Tell your family, friends and neighbour what God does for you.
3- Do it and remember!
“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 NIV
Paul tells us what Jesus spoke about in regards to the Lord’s supper.
Jesus said: Do this in remembrance of me! Jesus was speaking about the Lord’s Supper, but more than that, He was speaking about something very important to the church.
The bible says Jesus took the bread, broke it and said: This is my body.
The body of Jesus was broken for us. He died for us, he gave his life for the Church.
Jesus was broken on the cross for us. Now it’s our time to give our life for him and for the Church.
The bible says we should have the same mindset as Jesus Christ.
“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!”
Philippians 2:5-8 NIV
We need to have the same mindset as Jesus. We have to consider others higher than us, we have to humble ourselves, we have to be obedient to his word.
If Jesus broke his body, we also have to brake the desire of our flesh. We have to deny ourself, take up the cross and follow Jesus.
Jesus asked 2 things during the supper: Do and remember.
The ‘Do it’ part means:
Participate in the Lord supper with a good heart.
We need to be in His presence, with the church, taking the bread and the juice and allow Jesus to live in us and through us.
-We have a job to do. He died for us on the cross and We have to work for the Lord until he comes. It’s our role. We are part of this wonderful body of Jesus and our goal is to continue the work of Jesus as his disciples.
Remember means:
-Remember who Jesus is:
He is the one who covers our shame!
The bible says God created the world, he created the human being and his desire was to have a relationship with us.
Every day God would come and have a conversation with Adam and Eve.
They were naked because they had no sin. But one day, they disobeyed God, and sin enters their hearts.
When God came to talk to them, they hid themselves.
And God knew they had committed a sin against him. But our Lord is a merciful God so look what He did at that time:
“The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.”
Genesis 3:21 NIV
God killed an animal to make clothes to them.
God helped them to hide their shame.
Do you know what God was showing to the world with that?
He killed someone to hide our shame, He was telling to the world that the is hope. He would provide Jesus Christ to died for us on the cross to hide our shame, to cover our sin and to save us!
God did what man could not do for himself, man could not deal with his shame, but God can and He did something to help! By clothing that couple who were lost and ashamed they were restored to have a relationship with God again.
Jesus is the one who covers our sin, who covers our shame before God.
Remember who Jesus is! This is what we must always do!
-Remember who Jesus is:
He is the one who gives us living water!
The people of Israel were thirsty in the desert so they asked Moses: Give us water to drink! But there was no fountain of water there. The people were thirsty. So, Moses cried out before God and look at God’s answer:
“I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.”
Exodus 17:6 NIV
God told Moses: People need water. I have a fountain of water for them, but someone needs to be struck to give life to them….
With this, God was telling to us that Jesus is the rock of salvation, and When he was struck at the cross, he gave us living water, he gave us life in the desert of this world. Jesus is the rock of our salvation, he is the one who gives us life!
Remember who Jesus is:
He is the Way to heaven!
Jesus is the way to the father!
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6 NIV
We have to remember there is only one way to heaven: This way is Jesus. There is no other way to go to heaven, there is no other option. Nothing you do can take you to heaven, your kindness, your acts, your offering…nothing… only through Jesus you can receive forgiveness and salvation.
The world tells us many ways can lead to heaven…it’s a lie.
Remember: There is only one way. It’s Jesus!
So, today God spoke to us. He said: Do not forget!
Do not forget what God told to you
He is a God of promises! When He speaks he fulfils his word!
Write down what God has once promised you.
Write it around your house, let your family know that God spoke to you and wait on him with faith! Write down a verse of the bible that you like, put it up the kitchen, read it everyday, pray this verse over….it’s nice to remember what God has promised us.
Make a memorial to God
Remember what God has done for you, all the deliverances, help, protection and build an altar in your home. Find a place to seek God at home, to worship him and pray.
Celebrate the miracles He performed with your family. Make a party, invite your friends and worship Jesus for what he has done for you.
Do not forget it: Have the same mindset as Jesus Christ
We need to have the same mindset as Jesus. We have to consider others higher than us, we have to humble ourselves, we have to be obedient to Jesus’ word.
Participate in the Lord’s supper with a good heart
It’s important to have fellowship with the body of Jesus. Today we will have the Lord Supper. Is your heart prepared to join in? It’s a command of Jesus to be here and do it.
Do not forget who Jesus is!
From Genesis until Revelation the bible says who Jesus is.
And I’d like to finish the preaching, telling you who Jesus is:
Do not forget it: He is the bread of life!
“Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
John 6:35
Do not forget it: He is the light of the World!
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.””
John 8:12
Do not forget it: He is the gate!
“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.”
John 10:9
Do not forget it: He is The good Shepherd!
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
John 10:11
Do not forget it: He is the resurrection and the life!
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” -John 11:25, 26
Do not forget it: He is the way to heaven!
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” -John 14:6
Do not forget it: He is everything we need!
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” -John 15:5