Remember

Introduction: In May 1960 the longest running musical comedy had it’s début. It ran until 2002 and it was called “Fantasticks”. The story could not be classified as morally correct, but it did have a song which many of you might remember since it has played on the radio for over 40 years now. It is the song “Try To Remember” Here are the words:

1. Try to remember the kind of September When life was slow and oh, so mellow. Try to remember the kind of September When grass was green and grain was yellow. Try to remember the kind of September When you were a tender and callow fellow. Try to remember, and if you remember, Then follow.

2. Try to remember when life was so tender That no one wept except the willow. Try to remember when life was so tender That dreams were kept beside your pillow. Try to remember when life was so tender That love was an ember about to billow. Try to remember, and if you remember, Then follow.

3. Deep in December, it's nice to remember, Although you know the snow will follow. Deep in December, it's nice to remember, Without a hurt the heart is hollow. Deep in December, it's nice to remember, The fire of September that made us mellow. Deep in December, our hearts should remember And follow.

Fourteen times in that song the word “remember” is used. The word “remember” is usually used in the context of recalling past events that we have experienced or have been told about. God was very wise to make us with the capacity to remember things. Just think what life would be like if we could not remember. Unfortunately there are people like that in the world - they suffer from Alzheimer's disease, or they have suffered some traumatic injury to the head. Otherwise, most of us have the capacity to remember things.

Today is a day of remembering here at North Eulalia. As you well know, today we are celebrating the 110th anniversary of the incorporation of this church in 1896. Obviously none of us here today have any memory of the events of that time since we were not alive to experiencing them. There is a history book of the church on the back table that can aid in this, if you have a desire to know about the church in those days and throughout the 20th century. In the time that you have been coming to this church memories of people and times of worship have collectively been building up. Some memories may be good and some may be hurtful, but they are memories nonetheless.

We need to praise God for the 110 years that this church has been in existence, and that for most of those years, a gospel witness has been available in this part of Potter County. Countless numbers of people have made this church their place of worship with other believers over the years. Many more have visited the church when in the area. Many, many VBS’s have been held at the church. In the early days the Women’s Christian Temperance Union had a group that met in the church after it was built - women who made this their church and took a stand against the sale and drinking of liquor. Many missionaries have visited the church over the years and shared with the people here God’s leading in their life to share the gospel somewhere in this world. Many missionaries have been supported by this church, enabling them to go to the field that God called them to.

I could go on and on with some of the history of this church, but I want to share some thoughts today on the theme of Remembering that will be beneficial to each one here today. I took out Strong’s concordance and looked up places in the Bible where it commands people to “Remember”. I would like to share some of those with you today with the prayer that we too will truly be remembering people with the goal of living for the Lord and obeying Him.

I. Remember This Day In Which Ye Came Out -- Exodus 13:3

And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten.

1. Of course this is referring to the command to remember the Passover meal each year since the LORD had brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. This was a very important day of deliverance from slavery to the Egyptians for over 400 years.

2. Their slavery to the Egyptians is a picture of our own previously slavery to sin and Satan before we were saved. But now we are free from sin and the curse of the Law through the shed blood of Christ, our Passover lamb.

3. Just as the children of Israel did not come out of slavery by their own power, but rather by the power of Jehovah, we too were incapable of saving and delivering ourselves from the slavery of sin apart from the work of God on our behalf.

4. Now if God told the children of Israel to remember a day of physical deliverance, then it seems to me we ought to remember in some way the day we were delivered from the power of sin. Maybe you do not remember the exact day, but you do remember that your salvation was a work of God, and as such, He deserves to be honored and remembered for what He did for you. In a sense, corporately, we do remember what Christ did for us when we remember the Lord’s Table.

5. Give some thought today to remembering that day when you were saved by the power of God from all your sins. Remember the day in which you came out.

II. Remember The Sabbath Day To Keep It Holy -- Exodus 20:8

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

1. Under the OT law, the seventh day, or Saturday, was to be a day of rest and worship, and this it was up until the beginning of the church age. It was then that Christians began to worship the Lord on the first day of the week to commemorate His resurrection from the dead.

2. I know the command is given to Israel, but Christians have made the Lord’s Day a day to worship Him and to have one day of rest from one’s work. I also realize that some Christians have to work on Sunday and that this should not be considered as breaking the Sabbath day. In truth, we should worship the Lord every day of the week.

3. I also know that many Christians have totally forsaken the assembling of the believers for many other things, one of them work, when that work is voluntary not mandatory Others stay home from church because they simply are not interested enough in coming to church to worship the Lord and to fellowship with God‘s people.

4. On this day of remembering the past, present, and future of this church, let me encourage you to remember to make each Lord’s Day a special day of worship and rejoicing with God’s people. That is what those who came before us did in this place, in this building.

III. Remember The Days Of Old -- Deuteronomy 32:7

Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.

1. This sounds like a verse that a history buff would take as their life verse, and it would be wise to do so. As the old saying goes, “If we do not remember the past we are apt to repeat it.” The generation that was about to go into the land needed to remember what God had done for the past generations before them. In the next verses Moses mentions the dividing of the nations with the change of languages as one of the things that they needed to know and remember that God had done. They served a great and mighty God and were about to enter the land of Canaan where they would need to rely on the LORD.

2. If they didn’t know their history, they needed to ask their father or the elders of Israel and they should be able to tell them.

3. For our sake today, I found this verse interesting. We need to pass on the history of this place - the way the Lord has worked here, and the times the Lord may not have been allowed to work - to those that will come after us. I realize that not everyone is interested in such things, but there are things to learn from those who have come before us.

4. The same is true in our families. It is good to recall the stories told by those who are older than us, and some who are already in Heaven, of how the Lord helped them and guided them. It is sad that many equate old with worthless, but God didn’t think that way. He commanded that they remember the past years.

5. Let me encourage you to start remembering what God has done in your family for several generations, and in this church.

IV. Remember God’s Works, Wonders, and Words -- 1 Chronicles 16:12; Malachi 4:4

Remember his marvelous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.

1. This verse is taken from David’s psalm of praise to God upon the occasion of the placing of the ark of the covenant in the tent he had prepared for it in Jerusalem. He wrote the psalm and then gave it to the musicians to sing on this special day.

2. When was the last time you marveled at some of the great wonders of God’s creation? It is so easy to become so busy that we do not take note of the wonders that are found all around us.

3. The children of Israel had many great works and wonders of God to consider. They should remember the crossing of the Red Sea and the destruction of the Egyptian army in the sea. They should remember how God fought for Israel in the conquest. God had cared and protected them many times over. He had also judged them many times because of their disobedience to Him.

4. David also encouraged the people to remember “the judgments of His mouth.” I understand this to be speaking of God’s Word. David refers to the covenants that God has made with Israel - but that is still God’s Word. We have the completed scripture - all of God’s Word for us. We need to remember what God had told us in His Word. To remember it you have to read it or hear it read and accept it as truth.

5. On this day of remembering, let me encourage each one here to remember all of God’s works, wonders, and words.

V. Remember God In The Days Of Your Youth -- Ecc. 12:1

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth,

1. It is pretty easy to understand who this verse is directed toward. Any young people here today? Every one is young of heart, I’m sure.

2. Obviously God does not want us to forget him when we are old, so why mention those who are young? Those in their youth have many things which vie for their attention and the tendency is to forget God and then head down a path that leads them further and further away from God. When a young person knows and loves God with all their heart, and remembers God each day, their life will be very pleasing to God. The young have much energy and drive to get things done and should whole-heartedly serve God.

3. As we age we are often beset by many ailments and troubles that let us know the truth of Ecc. 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. This in no way implies that as we age we cease serving the Lord. The aged saint has so much wisdom from years of walking with God that should not be wasted. The scriptures instruct the old to teach the young.

4. Young people, remember God now, not just when you are old. God will bless you abundantly if you will for your whole life through remember Him, His Word, and obey it.

VI. Remember Those Who Have Rejected God and Return To The LORD -- Isaiah 44:21

Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me.

1. The context of this verse is about the foolishness of those who go to the metal workers and have them make a god for them from the elements that God created. They then worship this man-made God and expect it to help them but it does nothing.

2. God tells His people Israel to remember such people and their foolishness and to not walk in their steps by making images of false gods and worshipping them. Many in Israel’s history had done that and were doing it at the time Isaiah wrote these words.

3. Though many had forgotten God, God states in this verse thou shalt not be forgotten of me. Verse 22 says more, I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. God is pleading with them to return to Him since their sin has been forgiven and they have been redeemed. There was nothing on God’s side blocking their return to God. If they still did not return to the Lord it was their own doing.

4. Is there somebody here today that needs to remember the Lord in this same way? You know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior but have drifted away from the Lord. God wants to remind you that your sins have been forgiven by the blood of Jesus. They are totally hid from Him even as a dark cloud blocks the light of the sun. He is standing ready to greet you even as the Father looked for the prodigal son to return to him.

5. Maybe you need to remember those you know who claim to know the Lord but have never returned to the Lord and are trusting in some other god of their own making. Most likely their life is not what they thought it would be. Because they left God out of their life they are now suffering the consequences. Maybe you identify with such a person because that describes your life. Don’t forget, God forgives sin, all sin, just come back to Him.

VII. Remember Where You Used To Be Spiritually And Return To The Lord -- Revelation 2:5

Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

1. This statement is directed to the church of Ephesus, the first of the seven churches Jesus addresses in Revelation 2-3. The end of verse 4 states that they had left their first love - their first love for Jesus. Jesus is telling them to look up and remember where they used to be spiritually when they first got saved and loved and served God with all their heart, soul, and mind.

2. This last point is similar to the last point, but with a difference. Here it clearly states that if they did not remember, repent, and return to the Lord, their candlestick would be removed. Their influence for the Lord as a church would be lost. Their effectiveness for God would be lost.

3. Are there some Christians here today who need to come back to their first love for Jesus? We allow so many things to take the place of our love and adoration of Jesus that we soon forget what it was like to be a new Christian madly in love with the Lord Jesus Christ. How does one get back to that? Well, the best example I can think of is marriage. Each couple here who has been married for many years knows how things go from those love-sick days before marriage, and then the bliss of marriage, to eventually taking your spouse for granted. That often results in marriage problems, but the counsel of many is to again take time for each other and to fall in love again and keep the flame burning.

4. Many Christians have not spent time with Jesus for a very long time. They have not communicated with Him and waited for Him to speak to them through the Word and the Holy Spirit of God in a very long time. They skip more days in church than they come, and then wonder why they feel nothing for the things of the Lord.

5. God tells us to remember from whence thou are fallen and repent. If you have fallen you are most likely on your back looking up to where you just fell. You are likely not feeling very well and hurting in many places. From the physical point of view you may need others to help you up, but from the spiritual point of view we just need to repent - turn from the direction we are going and turn back to the Lord. Spend time with the Lord. Talk with the Lord. Commune with the Lord.

Conclusion: I started this message by reading the words of the song “Try To Remember”. Permit me to read the last two verses again with the truth of what we have examined about remembering the Lord, and returning to the Lord with a love that is overwhelming.

2. Try to remember when life was so tender That no one wept except the willow. Try to remember when life was so tender That dreams were kept beside your pillow. Try to remember when life was so tender That love was an ember about to billow. Try to remember, and if you remember, Then follow.

3. Deep in December, it's nice to remember, Although you know the snow will follow. Deep in December, it's nice to remember, Without a hurt the heart is hollow. Deep in December, it's nice to remember, The fire of September that made us mellow. Deep in December, our hearts should remember And follow.

Remember The Lord and then follow the Lord.