Remember
Notes
Transcript
Re-Gathering
How we will be careful
Two weeks to get there- Consecrate ourselves: Psalms of Ascent and Guided Bible Studies, In-gathering for the re-gathering, Fast and Pray, Prayer Drive
Not so much a consecrate thing but to build anticipation: video “One reason I’’m excited to regather as a church...” or “I’m looking forward to worshipping in person again because...”.
It was originally termed ‘Decoration Day’. Those who had lost loved ones in the Civil War found solace in placing flowers on their graves. Remembering is healthy. Sometimes it hurts, but it fulfills the last great wish anyone has: to be remembered.
Remembering is healthy in our faith life as well. When we forget, we fall. “Those who dont know history are doomed to repeat it”. It is true in society. It is true in family. And it is true in our faith!
1 King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand.
2 Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them.
3 Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.
4 They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
5 Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote.
6 Then the king’s color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together.
7 The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”
8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation.
9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his color changed, and his lords were perplexed.
10 The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, “O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your color change.
11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers,
12 because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.”
13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, “You are that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah.
14 I have heard of you that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you.
15 Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not show the interpretation of the matter.
16 But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”
17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation.
18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty.
19 And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled.
20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him.
21 He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will.
22 And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this,
23 but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.
24 “Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed.
25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin.
26 This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end;
27 Tekel, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting;
28 Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”
29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
30 That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed.
31 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.
There is danger in not remembering.
37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.
Belshazzar did not remember this confession. When I say he did not remember, I dont mean he forgot. He did not hide in his heart the sight of Nebu crazed and living among the wild animals.
He had a condition that made him want to forget. It was called PRIDE. There was a common thought about the very day of this story. It was believed by the Jews to be the exact day their 70 years in captivity was to end. Belshazzar knew it. This party and the defiling of the sacred temple goods was his pride railing against it. These vessels were to be used in worship of God. They were profaned, defiled by being used toward drunkenness. Which furthered the desire to forget and strengthened the need to thumb their nose at God. The danger of not remembering is ignorance. It is foolishness. It will lead one to sin against God.
One of the great things about studying through the Psalms in preparation to regather in a couple of weeks is the psalmist’s call to remember the mighty works of God. To remember the things He had done for Israel. To recall His great works. There is great value in remembering and great folly in forgetting.
For the believer today, remembering fills us with confidence, courage and boldness to speak God’s word. To allow God’s word to speak to us. Yes, it takes courage to allow God’s word to speak to us!
Daniel was such a great servant of God because, even though he was removed from Jerusalem he remembered. He remembered his heritage, his training, his roots. He remembered his God and the ‘set apart’ life he was asked to live. He remembered to pray.
The reason Belshazzar’s life was required of him that night was because he chose to forget.
We lose a sense of reality.
We dont have to look very far in our current culture to see this truth played out. Many have chosen to forget the God-centered foundation of our nation. This show up as a loss of reality. As all that was once revered and sacred is now ridiculed and scoffed at we are witnessing the rise of an alternate reality that has no foundation. It is a house built on sand. It cannot withstand the rains that will certainly come.
If our life and our culture is not rooted in the reality and truth of God’s word we are a house built on sand. We cannot withstand the rains that will certainly come.
Some of us are dealing with a painful, personal example of the loss of reality that comes from forgetting. The cruelty of not being able to remember. So when people entrusted with the protection of the greater good CHOOSE to forget, it stings!
Ultimately, choosing to forget separates us from God. There is no greater danger than to draw our last breath separated from Him. It seals our eternity. So we want to help people remember. We want to remind. We want to have the courage and boldness to proclaim the word!
We lose a sense of restraint.
Our text is a clinical case in the loss of restraint. The night this massive party was thrown, thumbing his nose at the same God his father praised, he called for (took the advice of the wine) the gold and silver from the temple to be brought. Their minds were numbed with drunkeness, inhibitions were gone and then nothing was off limits.
Drunkenness is condemned in scripture for this very reason. Prophets, priests and royalty were forbidden to be part of it. BTW, can we recognize the three things believers are understood to be are prophets, priests and royalty? According to what Christ did for us, the Holy Spirit lives in us making us prophets. We have the priesthood of the believer (priests) and we are joint heirs with Christ making us royalty. Drunkenness has no place in our lives!
But restraint, cast off, is a death sentence for a society. We have seen wildly successful nations fall because of a lack of restraint. Egyptian. Greek. Roman.
When we stop remembering, we lose a sense of restraint.
But when we remember… God gives a new hope, life and future.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.
Does that scale down? Society? Culture? Business? Family? Person?
YES!
So how do we remember? Although there is great value in remembering our historical lessons and our multiplication tables, I’m not talking about any of that stuff you learned in school.
Be in the Word.
Talk about God.
Converse with God.
There may be a part of what has been said, what you heard or read today that has pricked your heart. Before you put your vehicle into drive, before you leave this parking lot, tell Him about it. Tell Him “this is my problem. I struggle with this. Will You be my solution? I surrender this to you.” Believers must live a life of surrender. It is who we are called to be.