Time to Remember
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Our Lord doesn’t call us to success, as if the results were up to us: “Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Cor 3:7). No, our Lord asks us to be faithful laborers in the service of souls he has purchased with his own blood (Acts 20:28). Nor does our Lord expect us to have all the answers: “I will give you a mouth and wisdom” (Luke 21:15). Jesus, the eternal Word of the Father, is the Answer who gives us words when we need them to give to our neighbors when they need them. After all, Jesus sees deeper into our hearts than we do; he knows what we need. He is the Wisdom of God in every generation (1 Cor 1:24).
What the Lord does expect from us is rememberance. Forgetfulness has no part in the Christian life. Now of course I am not speaking of forgeting the car keys, or an important date. No what I am talking about is making as part of our spiritual discipline the conscience act of remembering what God has done for you. Even if you are a brand new Christian or someone who has been walking with the Lord for years you are commanded to remember. it is absolultly imparative that you remember what God has done for you and others in your life. First His Mercy is seen everyday even among the nonbelievers, But once you believe on the Lord Jesus and are born again then not only are you to remember His mercy, but now we are to remember His act of Grace.
Today we are back in our series studying the Book of Psalms, the psalms are a collection of poems, songs, and prayers that are written with imagery and beautiful descriptions of the truths of God. They may not be written like narritives but they are absolutly the word of God and we can learn great theological truth, we can be encouraged, we can learn what repentance is, and we can learn how to pray. today we are looking at the importance of remembering. Remembering should be a daily practice for us. Remembering not only brings God glory, it clears our mind of fear, doubt, pain, confusion, and fills it with rational thoughts, calm, peace, and God’s love.
Today we are going to be looking at Psalm 9 and see the importance of rememberance in our lives
If you take a close look at your life your current situation it may be hard to identify with the words of David. I mean any of you kings, former shepherds, hiding from cave to cave avoiding a death sentence, leading a group of rag tag merceinaries? Probably not lol. But one thing we have in common with David is we all have troubles. Hopefully another thing you have in common with David is that you Love God and want to serve Him, you have allowed Him to be your strength and your certanty.
As we begin this morning I want to look at the first two verses because they outline something precious to us. If you want a glimps into what your daily practices should be, meaning your disciplines or at least what you need to focus on in order to grow closer to God and to get your mind calibrated correctly pay close attention to these verses.
ps 9:1-2 “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.”
We are given a glimps into the heart and practice of David (this is huge). As Christians we are called to imitate Godly men and women 1 Cor 11:1 “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” For us 3 things I would like to point out to you
We are to have a heart of gratitude - God has given us so much for our good Ps 103:1-2 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,” Think back over your life, think who has God given you, the trials that you have endured the strength He has given you. 1 Thess 5:18 “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Col 3:17 “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
We are to fill our minds with the past - God has allowed us to go through so much with His help strength and power. He has allowed you to overcome and strive, all the while growing in your faith. Some of us have been through some of the most gut-wrenching things, but here we remain. That is not by your own power or resilance but by God. Deut 6:12 “then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” 2 Thess 2:15 “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.” Isa 41:10 “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
We are to have a Joyfull Countenance - Joy should overflow, it should not only be internal but external as well. Not just happy but joyfull. I have said this before that a miserable christian is a lousey witness of the Lord. And if you are miserable then everyone knows it. If you are joyfull everyone should know it as well. Rom 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Rom 12:12 “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” How do I express Joy when I am going through pain? God has you covered on that as well 1 Pet 1:8 “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,”
I hope you find something familier about these verses they are also what has been spoken throughout the ages. Even Jesus spoke them… Mark 12:30 “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”
How do we get to a point in our walk with God that this is possible? It is by the daily practice of rememberance
I. We are to remember God’s past deeds - vs 3-6. There will be times of doubt, confusion, fear, uncertainity in our lives. By remembering what God has done for us and through us, and even in the lives of other believers we are reminded that He will not leave us nor forsake us. David mentions a few things that he remembers Eph 2:11-12 “Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” Deut 8:2 “And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.”
a. How God overcame those who would do him harm - vs 3
b. He remembered how God sustained him in his calling - vs 4 we all have a calling
c. He remembers God has pronounced judgment on the unrepentant - vs 5
II. We are to remember the present realities - vs 7-12 why? we have short memories. I can be a superchristian one day, then wake up to bad weather and next you will see me flying off the handle on social media. We have short memories. But there are some things that is essential when we are struggling Heb 1:3 “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” Heb 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Mal 3:6 ““For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.”
a. God is on His throne - vs 7
b. He judges the world - vs 8 the lawlessness of the present circumstances have already been judged and God will have justice. He is the epitome of Holiness and righteousness
c. He is the only true stronghold - vs 5 it means place of refuge and safety a place of peace in the midst of war… Are you in a war right now? run flee to your stronghold
III. We are to remember our prospective hope - vs 17-20 No matter what has happened in the past even though the past hurt, no matter what chaos you are going through right now…You have hope. Now disclaimer some of the stuff you are going through right now…Is your own doing. By not listening to the counsel of God’s word, the holy spirit, or your christian friends you can and will get in a mess. But we are reminded that we have a loving God, who will allow us to learn from our mistakes, but will also comfort us and encourage us when we learn our lessons. Our Hope Jer 31:9 “With weeping they shall come, and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble, for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.” Rom 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Isa 40:31 “but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Rom 15:4 “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
a. He does not neglect those who hurt - vs 12
b. The needy will be cared for - vs 18 God will send help, himself, angels, other christians
c. God’s rightous Justice will be served - vs 19-20 This should encourage any follower of Jesus Christ and scare anyone who is not a believer, and rejects God’s Grace.
Application
we must live out our belief even in the face of evil, pain, suffering…we are different than the world
We must live by faith - vs 10
We must live our lives as worship - vs 11
We must proclaim - vs 11
Are you a Christian, not just by name only but really a christian living a life dedicated to honoring God through Jesus Christ?
if not make that change right now become born again out of a life of sin and rebellion and into a life that is holy
You can do that right now, acknowledge you are a sinner and in need of a savior, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did for you on the cross, that by His death burial and resurecction that He has provided you a way to have a relationship with God the father, and offers you salvation by grace through faith. And then call to Him through prayer and say cry out to Him. Say jesus I am a sinner and in need of salvation, I know that you are the only one who can provide that, right now I renounce my sin and want to live a life of holiness, Now I want to make you Lord of my life, Lord Jesus save me.
I want to give you an oppertunity to make that real in your life so if you feel led to, during this final hymn come down the isle and say pastor I want to make this real in my life i want to be a christian can you pray with me?