Forget Not His Benefits

Intro

Psalm 103:2 NKJV

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:

Today I want to monister on the terrible problem that some christians encounter. It may seem like an impossible think to happen. And you may even think: It will never happen to me.

wel the Scriptures tells us:

1 Corinthians 10:12 NKJV

12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

And before you say: i will NEVER do that, Let me remind you of Peter wwhen he said the same thing:

Matthew 26:31–35 NKJV

31 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” 33 Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” 35 Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples.

And he did.

So we must hear this message with a spirit of Humility and self depreciation if we are to take heed to its message.

The message today is on forgetting God.

Now before you ask how that is possible, let me explain what it means to forget God.

Forgetting God is not loosing your memory that He exists. Its not some kind of amnesia athism.

Forgetting God is living your live, without being mindful of Him. It is to live your live excluding God.

You can still go to church, and even still have some shallow prayer life, and read facebook scruptures - and still forget God in your everyday life.

God warns us about this.

He tells us notb to forget his deeds.

Deuteronomy 4:9 NKJV

9 Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren,

He tells us not to forget hjis covenant

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.

And he tells us not to forget His ways and aCharicter.

Isaiah 55:6–8 NKJV

6 Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.

Here is a big question: What would make someone forget God?

That is, what would make someone not be minful of God, his presence and His will?

1: Easy Circumstances

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.

The Ironey of this is not lost on me.

I see it all the time.

People come to God broken, God restores them. Theiur life gets a bit easier and more comfortible - they forget God and stop coming to church. They life falls apart and they come back - rinse and repeat.

It is also very intresting that so many people desire and pray for something that God has expressly warned us about.

2: Idolatry

Idolatrty is not specifically downing down to a stone or wooden statue. Idolatry is whenever we fashon a god to our own liking.

Judges 8:33–34 NKJV

33 So it was, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals, and made Baal-Berith their god. 34 Thus the children of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side;

There are many Idols out there: Money, fame, self importance, sport, personalaties.

Anythink we put on a higher priority than God is an Idol.

Netflix, and socalising, fishing, sleeping - anything that takes time away from being obedient to Gof’s word can become an Idol.

3: Pride and Stubborness

When its yourway or the highway, when you wants everything done how you want it done, its a dangerous path.

Nehemiah 9:16 NKJV

16 “But they and our fathers acted proudly, Hardened their necks, And did not heed Your commandments.

I know people who dont go to church because they dont like the order of a service, or they dont think communion should use rral wine, or because the pastor has long her, or no hear, or a beard, or no beard.

It is rediculous that so many people believe that the cxhurch exists to please and cater to THEM.

And the consequences of this kind of spiritual neglect are very damaging.

Forgetting God results in the gradual butinevitible decay of personal spirituality and Holiness.

Hosea 4:1–3 NKJV

1 Hear the word of the Lord, You children of Israel, For the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: “There is no truth or mercy Or knowledge of God in the land. 2 By swearing and lying, Killing and stealing and committing adultery, They break all restraint, With bloodshed upon bloodshed. 3 Therefore the land will mourn; And everyone who dwells there will waste away With the beasts of the field And the birds of the air; Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.

Your life starts to slide. It starts with listening to a kind of music, then you watch a naughty sitcom, before you know it you are on season 3 of GoT. You suddenly find yourseklf enjoy 50 shades of Grey.

Then you think, porn can be healthy, and before you know you are a member of of Swingers.com.

You may laugh, but im deadly searious.

God Love you And He does not want you to forget Him. So much so, that God has actually ut provision for his people to HELP them not forget. It is the spiritual equivalient of wrapping a red ribbon around your finger.

1: His Word.

Psalm 78:5–7 NKJV

5 For He established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should make them known to their children; 6 That the generation to come might know them, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children, 7 That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments;

God has given you His Word, in your laungage. His word is our daily bread.

If you neglect the regular, daily, morning nd evening, reading, and meditation of God’s Word, then i know exacally why your life is in the current state its in.

If you read your bibvle daily, it will look like it and as the saying Goes: A bible thats falling apart usally belongs to someone who isnt.

2: Covenent Meals

Deuteronomy 16:1–3 NKJV

1 “Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 Therefore you shall sacrifice the Passover to the Lord your God, from the flock and the herd, in the place where the Lord chooses to put His name. 3 You shall eat no leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, that is, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), that you may remember the day in which you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life.

Of course in the New Covenent we only have 1 meal to celebrate: Holy Communion.

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 NKJV

23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

This is why regular church attendance is vital to living victoursly. We gather together, we worship together, we learn together, we pray together, we rrad together and we break bread together.

3: External Signs

This refers to taking your head out of your self importance and looking at creation to be reminded of God’s power, presence and promises.

Genesis 9:12–17 NKJV

12 And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. 14 It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; 15 and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Conclusion:

God has a call to each of us:

He is not pleased with our backsliding and neglect, but He wants you to return to him. to Rember Him.

His call is:

Jeremiah 3:19–22 NKJV

19 “But I said: ‘How can I put you among the children And give you a pleasant land, A beautiful heritage of the hosts of nations?’ “And I said: ‘You shall call Me, “My Father,” And not turn away from Me.’ 20 Surely, as a wife treacherously departs from her husband, So have you dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel,” says the Lord. 21 A voice was heard on the desolate heights, Weeping and supplications of the children of Israel. For they have perverted their way; They have forgotten the Lord their God. 22 “Return, you backsliding children, And I will heal your backslidings.” “Indeed we do come to You, For You are the Lord our God.

amen.