"Remember The Lord"

I love church history, it is very exciting to me, and yet there is something very interesting that stands out to me not just about history or church history but even more specifically the history of Israel and it is this. History often has a way of repeating itself. One of the major things that we see about God’s people once they left Egypt they often forgot about Him and His Marvelous Works. They forgot about His Salvation, because God who had delivered them out of slavery. Here are just a few accounts of how they forgot.

Deuteronomy 8:11–14 ESV

11 “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, 12 lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, 13 and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,

Judges 8:33–34 ESV

33 As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god. 34 And the people of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side,

Jeremiah 7:22–24 ESV

22 For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’ 24 But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.

The nation of Israel forgot their mighty God. They walked backward, they overlooked and hardened their hearts so much so they forgot their salvation. The opposite of forget is to remember and that is what God desires for His people.

Over 250 times throughout Scripture we see this word Remember or some resemblance of it. The reason I want to talk to you tonight about the importance of remembering is because we too are a people like Israel who forget about what God has done for us. We have the tendency to forget. We so easily can forget things today because we are a busy people and have many things to do throughout our day. We also can forget about significant things that have taken place many years ago and we have just forgotten history.

So, tonight we come together as a church family and we remember the cross. We remember what Christ has done for us. We remember Christ’s life, his service, his humility, his kindness and love. God loved us so much that He willingly laid down His life. So, we remember His sacrifice. Jesus gave up His life so that we may have eternal life. So, tonight we come together not to forget, but to Remember Christ.

First Chronicles tells us to do just this, to Remember the Lord.

1 Chronicles 16:12 ESV

12 Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered,

King David the great Psalmist said, “I remember your name in the night, O Lord, and keep your law.” (119:55)

Tonight we are going to read about Christ and His death on the cross in order for us to be reminded of all that he went through for you and I.

Matthew 27:32–54 ESV

32 As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” 44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way. 45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. 51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Church I want you to know today that Jesus was truly the Son of God. Don’t forget what Christ went through on the cross for you. Don’t forget just how much he loved you, don’t forget his sacrifice was for you, don’t forget that because of his death and resurrection you have been forgiven of your sin, not just some of it but all of it. Past, Present, and Future. Here is how the Apostle John said when he was writing his letter to the seven churches in Revelation.

Revelation 3:3 ESV

3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.

Scripture tells us that early on the first day of the week which would have been Sunday during the time of Christ there were several women who were followers of Christ, and they went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus for burial. Here is what happens when they show up. Luke chapter 24 records this testimony. The angels of the Lord declared:

Luke 24:6–8 ESV

6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words,

Here we see some life changing news about Jesus, but we are also reminded of this rebuke. It is a rebuke because more than once Jesus told his followers that He would be rejected and delivered into the hands of sinful men. They in return would condemn him to suffer and die by being crucified on a cross and then he would rise from the grave. All of these things had been spoken by the Lord. We talked about this on Sunday of how the religious leaders who represented the wicked tenants were found opposing or rejecting Christ. We see this in Luke’s Gospel. Here is what Jesus said.

Luke 9:22 ESV

22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

Also again in Luke 9:43-45 and Luke 18:31-33.

When we stop to see what is going on here it was sad that God’s people forgot His Word and lived defeated lives until they showed up to the tomb that Sunday Morning. But there was good news. And here is the good news that I want to leave us with tonight. Let me give you 2 things to remember. First, Jesus of course has risen, and Second, He has given us His Spirit to help us remember His Words. In fact, I want us to see this in God’s Word, and I want to encourage you to write these verses down because they will encourage you to REMEMBER! Remember the Lord and what He has done.

2 Timothy 2:8 ESV

8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel,

John 14:26 ESV

26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Church, my prayer for you tonight is that you would never ever forget the Lord and His mighty words. Don’t forget that our God is a God of salvation. When Jesus was hanging on the cross shortly before He died he declared these words, “It is finished.” Tonight we will stop with this but there is much more to this story and I hope that you will return on Sunday to celebrate and remember the good news that Christ has Risen.

(Close in Prayer)

(Give instructions on Easter Egg Hunt)