Remember... Memorial Day 2021

Introduction

Deuteronomy was written by Moses after he knew he was not going to go into the promised land with the rest of Gods people because of his disobedience (Num. 20:12). These are his last words, for he dies as the book ends!

Before he dies, he looks back on his life and especially the 40 years of wilderness wanderings that God led them through, and he is acutely aware of one thing, people forget. … Simple Sermon… My philosophy is you shouldn’t remind people to do something twice, you must remind them three times! Last words are always very important, so over and over again Moses reminds the people to not forget the Lord!

Who of us has driven off, forgetting that you put your drink on top of your car? Or, forget that you did not close the gas-cap? Who has walked out the door, forgetting the very thing you were supposed to take with you? Where’s my phone, keys, sunglasses?

Our society in general does not remember well. Every time I drive to church on Sunday morning a part of me is sad! … The inactivity bothers me and I wonder, Where is everybody? I know where most people are 9 am Sunday morning; in bed… out to breakfast, watching TV. If they are outside, I see them jogging, hooking up their boats, gardening, enjoying nature, Kids on our Cul de sac riding bikes, but I don’t get the impression that most of them are going to Worship the Lord at church any time soon! They have forgotten the Lord and all He’s given them or, they don’t know Him at all. (Unbelievers - General Revelation...).

We are generally forgetful of the Lord as well because we have so much enjoyable stuff at our disposal. Scripture warns that when we get too much, we will become proud and forget the Lord (8:12-14). That is why we need things to help us remember what is important. Strings on fingers, writing on hands, calendars, computer appointments, phone alerts, etc.

The fact is, what we don’t remember is that what we have today both materially and spiritually is because of the sacrifice of what others have done in our stead. Whether it’s remembering those who have fought in wars for our freedom, or acknowledging what God has done in our life, to do them justice and give them the honor they deserve, we must remember three things; Our Past, Our Present and Our Responsibility. These should make us thankful people to God, eager to pass the torch to the next generation.

I. Our Past

So let’s first recount a little bit of the past Israel was to remember:

Deuteronomy 8:2 (NASB77) 2  " And you shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. Deuteronomy 8:11-16 (NASB77) 11  " Beware lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; 12  lest, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, 13  and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, 14  then your heart becomes proud, and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 15  "He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint. 16  "In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end.

It might be that most often we remember only the bad things that happen to us, but those hardships are there for a reason; to draw you back to God, so you can rely on Him and remember how good He has been to you.

As the saying goes, “Those who forget the past are bound to repeat it”. Famous words and very true! This is the reason Moses took time in Deuteronomy to remind God’s people not to forget their slavery and the good He had done for them so the next generation will not make the same mistakes. God brought them out of slavery and took care of them in the wilderness for 40 years! Yet, their faithlessness and forgetfulness toward God was disobedience. Then their disobedience caused God’s wrath to come down on them. They created their own problems by forgetting God! Who wants a repeat of those kinds of hardships in their life? God says, if you remember the good I’ve done for you, and honor and obey Me, you will be blessed.

Fast forward to today, how many people, especially young people are clamoring for socialism, Marxism, the great Reset!! without even knowing what it is or what ideas like this have done to our world in the past! It’s literally trampling on the deaths of soldiers and the sacrifice of their families in past wars! Have people forgotten what freedom means or don’t they know and they take it for granted! Are we bound to repeat mistakes of the past? It’s like sin! It’s the easy way back into slavery. It’s what seems right and good to a man but in the end it leads to death! (Prov.14:12 ) Sin has never been good for us in the long run, and neither has socialism! They have ruined peoples lives and countries and taken away the very thing so precious to mankind; FREEDOM. Israel was to remember the slavery God saved them from and Honor Him.

What has God gotten you through? Remember the good things of the past; Daily life… Jobs… Crisis… hardships… kids… health issues… Shelter… God’s hand in your life’s direction! Look Back! God has always been faithful. This weekend has been set aside so we can remember those who fought and died to pave the way for your prosperity, your freedom. They should be appreciated for their sacrifice! We also praise and honor our Almighty God who delivered us from our slavery to sin by the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ. Like Israel was brought out from Egypt! We need to remember the past sacrifices of others for us and be truly grateful because God has been faithful to us in so many ways.

​II. Our Present

We also need to remember, God is faithful right now! It’s one thing to say , I remember when God did this for me so many years ago, like your testimony, but has God done anything for you lately? Testimonies should be EVERYDAY experiences! God wants us to remember that He’s active right now in our life, caring, leading and guiding us! Otherwise, says vss. 17-18…

Deuteronomy 8:17-18

(NASB77) 17 "Otherwise, you may say in your heart, 'My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.' 18 "But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, (Why?) that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. (God is going to do what He said He would do!)

Moses is at the entrance to the Promised Land overlooking what he will never experience. He takes time to reflect on what God’s people have, what they will posses in the future and Who provides that future! (Land, Crops, Homes they did not toil for - Duet. 6:11). Forgetting where it all comes from is the biggest mistake anyone can make. We do have the tendency to give ourselves the credit when things go well. But let’s remember it is God Who is giving you the power to make wealth! Honor and obey Him.

What do you have that someone else hasn’t worked for on your behalf? (Car (you didn’t gather the raw materials, form them into shape or assemble the parts, yet you are the beneficiary of a nice vehicle (or at least back & forth to work). Thank God you don’t have to walk to school or your work uphill both ways!). Food ( you didn’t work to plant, grow or harvest most of it, and yet you live in a country where it’s readily available). That holds true for your salvation as well. What did you do to earn or deserve heaven? Nothing! Do you now have to appeal to God daily to provide for you, cry out to Him for mercy, ask Him to bless you, beg Him for His care? No! All He asks is that you acknowledge Him as the giver! He does that because you are His child and He does what’s best for you automatically! All that you have He has made happen! WE need to be praising God for His goodness to us every day! In essence, everyday is a memorial day!

ILL. A number of years ago Pastor Jack, Pastor Tim and myself attended a session somewhere, where the speaker gave 4 thoughts about God that are meant to encourage us to trust Him more in the present. Tim made little posters for us to hang in our offices. It reads: God is Great; We do not have to be in control. God is Glorious; We do not have to fear others. God is Good; We do not have to look elsewhere. God is Gracious; We do not have to prove ourselves. And I’m going to add a fifth one, God is Faithful; We don’t have to worry He doesn’t know what to do.

The freedoms we enjoy in this country may not last for much longer. Instead of appreciating what we have inherited from others, we have let our freedoms slip away because the church would not stand their ground in the face of evil men. Speak up about what God is doing in the Present.

What is God doing for you in the Present? Is He Great…? Glorious…? Good…? Gracious…? Faithful…? If He is, then remember His goodness and say something to others to confirm His care to those that believe. What a great witness! Even though God was all these things to His people in the wilderness, most of the time all they did was grumble and complain. We don’t want to be them. We want to remember what God has done and what He is providing for us through the sacrifice of others. Whether it’s Jesus dying on the cross for our sin, or men & women dying on the battlefields of past wars, they voluntarily went where we would not go!! They deserve our honor and praise.

III.Our Responsibility

Live like God is Faithful, and people will take notice Let’s go back a few chapters and read:

Deuteronomy 4:5-10 (NASB77) 5  "See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it. 6  "So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.' 7  "For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the LORD our God whenever we call on Him? 8  "Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today? 9  "Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.

ILL. We can pass on many things, Land, Vehicles, possessions, human wisdom, talents etc, but they mean much more as we remember those who gave them to us! I have 8 grandkids… One calls me “stranger Danger” another wants my house… they all think I’m crazy (Monty…). Time will tell what filters down… 1 grandson… Recently I bought us both Yo Yo’s because it was a fun thing from my childhood I thought would be cool to pass on! Also, it’s something we can do together, and it’s my conviction that it is really a lost art! When you see what Roland and I can do with it, soon everyone in this church will want a Yo Yo! BUT, passing on my Christian experience to my Grandkids and what God has done and is doing in my life is much more important for their appreciation of this life than we realize. Don’t forget the Lord in all this! He is whats most important for our enjoyment of everything.

On this Memorial Day we may morn for lost loved one in a war, or morn for where our country is at. Oh, for our country to once again be a beacon of light to the nations! Setting an example of dependence not on ourselves but on the Almighty God and His Word. We recognize that there are many gods that are out there… but let’s show them that there is none like our God. It is our responsibility not to pass out under stress and hardship, but to pass on the ways of the Lord to our children and grandchildren. It’s a sacred honor and duty! We are to carry on like living memorials (stones - 1 Pet.2:5 ) in front of a dying world, reminding them every time they see us, by our actions and words, that there is a God who reigns over everything and we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand so we might walk in them. (Eph.2:10). Don’t have to create them… just walk in them and it will result in unbeliever’s glorifying God (1 Pet.2:12).

Conclusion

As Christmas reminds us of the birth of Christ, as Veteran’s Day… As Independence Day… Men, as Valentines Day keep the spark alive. Jacks class… Joshua… (What do these stones mean?). Church… Lords Supper… So Memorial Day reminds us of the cost of our Freedom which should not be taken for granted but passed down to the next generation.

(The Sermon Notebook: New Testament Every Day Is Memorial Day (1 Timothy 3:16))

In April 1863, in Columbus, Mississippi, after decorating graves of her two sons who died representing their beloved south-land, an elderly woman walked to two mounds of dirt at the corner of the cemetery to place memorial flowers there also. “What are you doing?” friends shouted, “Those are the graves of two union soldiers.” Softly that compassionate mother said, “I know. I also know that somewhere in the North, a mother or a young wife mourns for them as we do for ours.” Remember your past, Present, and your responsibility!

What could you do to not forget? ILL. When our girls were young, for many years we would go to the Military part of a cemetery and pick out a grave where there was no signs of being remembered... pray a prayer of thankfulness, and leave flowers to help the girls appreciate the sacrifices made for them. Take a stroll through a beautiful cemetery with your eyes set on the past, present and the faithfulness of those who have gone before you, and I believe you will gain a new perspective on life. We also taught our girls the Gospel of Jesus Christ in like manner, letting them know of the sacrifice Jesus made for their freedom from sin.

Slavery can be physical or slavery can be spiritual. In either case, freedom is at stake! On this Memorial Day take time to remember what you got and Who gave it to you, so you will know and appreciate those that fought for truth and the freedom of your live and soul. Honor and obey the Giver of all good things, knowing that “if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).