Take Heed Lest You Forget The Lord - Deut. 6:12

Introduction:

- One of the Most Frightening Diagnosis of Our Time is That of Alzheimer's Disease

A. Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder characterized by loss of memory

B. Aubrey Johnson - “The counterpart of this physical disease is a sickness of the soul called spiritual Alzheimer’s. Christians suffering from this malady also experience loss of memory. At first ,they lose sight of God’s past blessings, and then they forget their dependence upon Him. Poor judgment follows forgetfulness, and unchristian behavior isn’t to far behind. Eventually there is a breakdown of all meaningful spiritual life.”

1. The Warning

A. Consider how much God had done for them?

- He had brought them out of Egyptian bondage (Deut.8:14)

Deuteronomy 8:14 NKJV

14 when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

B. Led them through that great and terrible wilderness (Deut.8:15)

Deuteronomy 8:15 NKJV

15 who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock;

- Fiery serpents and scorpions

- Gave water from flinty rock

- Fed them with manna

C. Men of All Ages Have Struggled with Spiritual Alzheimer’s

- Romans 1:28

Romans 1:28 NKJV

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;

- 2 Peter 1:9

2 Peter 1:9 NKJV

9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

D. The Very Thing That Moses Warned the People About Happened

- Hosea 13:6

Hosea 13:6 NKJV

6 When they had pasture, they were filled; They were filled and their heart was exalted; Therefore they forgot Me.

- Jeremiah 13:25

Jeremiah 13:25 NKJV

25 This is your lot, The portion of your measures from Me,” says the Lord, “Because you have forgotten Me And trusted in falsehood.

- Jeremiah 2:23

Jeremiah 2:23 NKJV

23 “How can you say, ‘I am not polluted, I have not gone after the Baals’? See your way in the valley; Know what you have done: You are a swift dromedary breaking loose in her ways,

2. What Does It Mean To Forget God?

A. One Can Know There is A God and Still Forget God

- Romans 1:21

Romans 1:21 NKJV

21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

- This was the case with Israel

i. They knew God existed - in fact they continued to “worship” him

ii. Yet they had forgot him

B. We Forget God When We Do Not Allow HIs Word to Guide and Direct Our Life

- Deuteronomy 8:11

Deuteronomy 8:11 NKJV

11 “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today,

- 2 Peter 1:9

2 Peter 1:9 NKJV

9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

C. When We Forget the Covenant of Our God - Deut.4:23; Hosea 2:13; Jeremiah 13:25

Deuteronomy 4:23 NKJV

23 Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the Lord your God has forbidden you.

Hosea 2:13 NKJV

13 I will punish her For the days of the Baals to which she burned incense. She decked herself with her earrings and jewelry, And went after her lovers; But Me she forgot,” says the Lord.

Jeremiah 13:25 NKJV

25 This is your lot, The portion of your measures from Me,” says the Lord, “Because you have forgotten Me And trusted in falsehood.

3. What Leads Us To Forget The Lord?

I. Material Prosperity

A. The warning is specifically a warning about the danger of material prosperity

- Deut.6:10-12

Deuteronomy 6:10–12 NKJV

10 “So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, 11 houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full—12 then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

- Deut.8:11-14

Deuteronomy 8:11–14 NKJV

11 “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, 12 lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; 14 when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

- Hosea 13:6

Hosea 13:6 NKJV

6 When they had pasture, they were filled; They were filled and their heart was exalted; Therefore they forgot Me.

B. Nothing inherently wrong with being Prosperous

- Job 1:3

Job 1:3 NKJV

3 Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.

- 1 Tim.6:17-19

1 Timothy 6:17–19 NKJV

17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

- When We Become Prosperous there Needs to be a big “BEWARE” placed before us

i. Prov.30:7-9

Proverbs 30:7–9 NKJV

7 Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): 8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches— Feed me with the food allotted to me; 9 Lest I be full and deny You, And say, “Who is the Lord?” Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God.

ii. Matthew 19:23-24

Matthew 19:23–24 NKJV

23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

C. Why does material prosperity cause some to “forget God”?

- We mistake material prosperity for spiritual prosperity.

i. Revelation 3:16-17

Revelation 3:16–17 NKJV

16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—

ii. It is viewed as a sign of divine approval

D. We get too busy in the pursuit and enjoyment of our prosperity

- The more that we have - the more we want

- Ecclesiastes 5:11

Ecclesiastes 5:11 NKJV

11 When goods increase, They increase who eat them; So what profit have the owners Except to see them with their eyes?

- Mark 4:18

Mark 4:18 NKJV

18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word,

E. We forget where the material prosperity came from.

- Pride often accompanies material prosperity

- We start thinking - “Look at what we have done” - Deuteronomy 8:14-17

Deuteronomy 8:14–17 NKJV

14 when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15 who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; 16 who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end—17 then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’

- We become much like Nebuchadnezzar - Dan.4:28-30

Daniel 4:28–30 NKJV

28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. 30 The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?”

F. Paul connects his instruction to the rich by reminding them where everything they have comes from

- 1 Tim.6:17-19

1 Timothy 6:17–19 NKJV

17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

- Romans 1:21 - HCSB

Romans 1:21 NKJV

21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

II. Desire To Conform To Those Around Us

- There has always been a desire to conform

- That is why we have instructions like - Romans 12:1-2

Romans 12:1–2 NKJV

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

- Matthew 13:22

Matthew 13:22 NKJV

22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

- Deut.6:14 and Deut.8:19-20

Deuteronomy 6:14 NKJV

14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you

Deuteronomy 8:19–20 NKJV

19 Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. 20 As the nations which the Lord destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God.

- This is why God wanted the people of the land completely destroyed -Judges 1 and 2

Judges 1 NKJV

1 Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass that the children of Israel asked the Lord, saying, “Who shall be first to go up for us against the Canaanites to fight against them?” 2 And the Lord said, “Judah shall go up. Indeed I have delivered the land into his hand.” 3 So Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Come up with me to my allotted territory, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I will likewise go with you to your allotted territory.” And Simeon went with him. 4 Then Judah went up, and the Lord delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand; and they killed ten thousand men at Bezek. 5 And they found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek, and fought against him; and they defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 6 Then Adoni-Bezek fled, and they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and big toes. 7 And Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to gather scraps under my table; as I have done, so God has repaid me.” Then they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died. 8 Now the children of Judah fought against Jerusalem and took it; they struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire. 9 And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who dwelt in the mountains, in the South, and in the lowland. 10 Then Judah went against the Canaanites who dwelt in Hebron. (Now the name of Hebron was formerly Kirjath Arba.) And they killed Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. 11 From there they went against the inhabitants of Debir. (The name of Debir was formerly Kirjath Sepher.) 12 Then Caleb said, “Whoever attacks Kirjath Sepher and takes it, to him I will give my daughter Achsah as wife.” 13 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it; so he gave him his daughter Achsah as wife. 14 Now it happened, when she came to him, that she urged him to ask her father for a field. And she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you wish?” 15 So she said to him, “Give me a blessing; since you have given me land in the South, give me also springs of water.” And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs. 16 Now the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the City of Palms with the children of Judah into the Wilderness of Judah, which lies in the South near Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people. 17 And Judah went with his brother Simeon, and they attacked the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. So the name of the city was called Hormah. 18 Also Judah took Gaza with its territory, Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory. 19 So the Lord was with Judah. And they drove out the mountaineers, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the lowland, because they had chariots of iron. 20 And they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had said. Then he expelled from there the three sons of Anak. 21 But the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem; so the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day. 22 And the house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and the Lord was with them. 23 So the house of Joseph sent men to spy out Bethel. (The name of the city was formerly Luz.) 24 And when the spies saw a man coming out of the city, they said to him, “Please show us the entrance to the city, and we will show you mercy.” 25 So he showed them the entrance to the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword; but they let the man and all his family go. 26 And the man went to the land of the Hittites, built a city, and called its name Luz, which is its name to this day. 27 However, Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land. 28 And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites under tribute, but did not completely drive them out. 29 Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; so the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them. 30 Nor did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or the inhabitants of Nahalol; so the Canaanites dwelt among them, and were put under tribute. 31 Nor did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Acco or the inhabitants of Sidon, or of Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob. 32 So the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out. 33 Nor did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh or the inhabitants of Beth Anath; but they dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were put under tribute to them. 34 And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountains, for they would not allow them to come down to the valley; 35 and the Amorites were determined to dwell in Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim; yet when the strength of the house of Joseph became greater, they were put under tribute. 36 Now the boundary of the Amorites was from the Ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela, and upward.

III. When We Fell Like God Owes Us Something

- Deut.9:4-6

Deuteronomy 9:4–6 NKJV

4 “Do not think in your heart, after the Lord your God has cast them out before you, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land’; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out from before you. 5 It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God drives them out from before you, and that He may fulfill the word which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 6 Therefore understand that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people.

- We also don’t deserve what God has given us

i. Titus 2:11-14

Titus 2:11–14 NKJV

11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

ii. Romans 4:1-4

Romans 4:1–4 NKJV

1 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.

iii. Grace motivates us to remember the Lord and serve him - 1 Cor.15:9-11

1 Corinthians 15:9–11 NKJV

9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

IIII. When We Fail To See The Wisdom Of God’s Commandments – Deut. 6:24-25

Deuteronomy 6:24–25 NKJV

24 And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. 25 Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us.’

- If we view God simply as one who is in control and likes to dominate his creation we will eventually forsake Him​

- The people of Israel went through times where they questioned the “Goodness of God"​

i. Exodus 16:2-3

Exodus 16:2–3 NKJV

2 Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

ii. Psalm 78:11-22​

Psalm 78:11–22 NKJV

11 And forgot His works And His wonders that He had shown them. 12 Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers, In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan. 13 He divided the sea and caused them to pass through; And He made the waters stand up like a heap. 14 In the daytime also He led them with the cloud, And all the night with a light of fire. 15 He split the rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink in abundance like the depths. 16 He also brought streams out of the rock, And caused waters to run down like rivers. 17 But they sinned even more against Him By rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness. 18 And they tested God in their heart By asking for the food of their fancy. 19 Yes, they spoke against God: They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? 20 Behold, He struck the rock, So that the waters gushed out, And the streams overflowed. Can He give bread also? Can He provide meat for His people?” 21 Therefore the Lord heard this and was furious; So a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger also came up against Israel, 22 Because they did not believe in God, And did not trust in His salvation.

A. They forgot his works (v.11)​

B. They spoke against God (v.19)​

C. They did not believe God (v.22)​

D. They did not trust God (v.22)​

iii. 2 Tim.3:16-17​

2 Timothy 3:16–17 NKJV

16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

iiii. Acts 20:32​

Acts 20:32 NKJV

32 “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.