Sermon notes from a while ago

Remember, Remember, the 5th of November. We are called to never forget God’s law, and His covenant. God remembers us faithfully. It’s not like he could forget us…rather it is when God is about to perform some great deed for those people. He will act for the favor of His people. 1) His remembering is covenant-based. i.e. A marriage covenant: within this covenant it binds us with another party which grows to a close and intimate relationship. The memory of the covenant lasts forever. 2) His remembering of us is Christocentric…it is centered and hinged upon Christ. God remembers us because of Christ’s fulfillment of our debt. Christ was our liability for this legal covenant or binding. We belong to Christ and through that, God does remember us. For those outside of Christ…those who are separate, God does not remember. This should stir up within us a passion to want to remember God. We are commanded not to forget Him, but knowing that He never forgets His people should stir up in us an automatic remembering of God and His mercy.

In Genesis 8, God remembers Noah, His faithful servant, and therefore saves him from the flood.
Genesis 30:22 – “Then God remembered Rachel and God listened to her and opened her womb.
In Exodus, God remembers Israel in slavery.
Psalm 103 speaks repeatedly of how great God is for remembering His people.

Now those were just a sample of how much God really remembers us. In fact, it is mentioned 73 times in the Bible how God remembers us. That is a lot, but if you think about it, it’s not that much at all if God remembers us constantly.

A people of God will be shown by if and how they remember God. We are to remember Him not only in time of trouble and suffering, but also in good times. We are to burst forth with praise and obedience. This comes from gratitude of His remembering and love for us. And so, we are not only commanded to remember Him, but to pass down to our children this idea of remembering our God.

Deuteronomy 4:9-14 – “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, especially concerning the day you stood before the Lord your God in Horeb, when the Lord said to me ‘Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’ Then you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the midst of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness. And the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the firs. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; you only head a voice. So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might observe them in the land which you cross over to possess.

We are to magnify His name and spread His mercy. In this way, people will either be attracted to Him, or be repelled by it. The smell of life or the smell of death. We are a people who has been set free. We should start by remembering Him. We God’s name must be carried forth and this must be done through His people who He remembers constantly. He hasn’t forgotten us yet and He won’t anytime soon. We are to pray that God will pursue His glory through us, His people. We pray that we will be salt and light to a world that needs it so very, very badly. We need to let our lights shine before all men so that they may see our good works and know our Father in heaven through them. We must be not only Christocentric, but Theocentric also.