The Importance of Memories 1 Chronicles 16:7-15 by Cooper Abrams

Introduction:   Tomorrow is Memorial Day which is a day set aside by our country to remember those who gave the supreme sacrifice and died for their country and our freedom. We owe a debt we could never pay to these brave men and woman and it is well that we honor their memory and their sacrifice.

          At present we have men and women fighting in wars various fronts in the Middle East. These volunteered to serve their country and are prepared to give their very lives to their nation.

The US Department of Veteran Affairs has released these statistic:
U.S. Military Service (as of September 2006)
During in All Wars ........................................43,185,893
Battle Deaths.....................................................653,708
Other Deaths (In Theater)...................................14,560
Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater)...........525,930
Non-mortal Woundings...................................1,447,281
Living War Veterans......................................17,835,000
Living Veterans (War & Peacetime)..............23,698,000

          Due the liberals in our society it is not popular in our society to statute our flag or honor and be proud of our country. Our present President has for the last year been going around the world bowing to our enemies who openly declare their intent to destroy us. He has apologized repeatedly dishonoring all our nation stands for to those who have chosen to be our enemies. We saw the disgracefully way he allowed the President of Mexico this past week to degree our nation before the congress of these United States.

          It is well this morning that we honor our countrymen who have died for our freedom and this morning, as a proud citizen of this country, a serviceman, and veteran I invite you to join with me in showing love and support for our country by saluting and pledging our allegiance to our great flag. Would you stand with me.

          Memories can be precious things if they are of good things that happened in our lives. I have wonderful memories of things that happened in my life and the most important was the day I was saved on January 22, 1972. That day my whole life changed and the way I viewed life and everything in the word.

          The occasion of David delivering this psalm was on the returning of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. The location of the Ark in Israel moved several times before David's times. It was during the time of Samuel at one time in Shiloh. It was then captured by the Philistines and it was taken to Ashdod and remained with the them for seven months. God brought diseases among them and they returned the Ark to Israel and it was brought to the house of Abinadad at Kirjathjearim, in Gibeah. and was there for twenty years (1 Sam. 7:1). David sought to bring it to Jerusalem but ignoring God's instructions put it on a cart and when it began to tip, Uzzah reached up to steady it and God killed him instantly. David uncertain as to what to do left the Ark for three month in the house of Obededom the Gittite. Then the priests, obeying God, put staves through the rings in the sides of the ark and brought it to Jerusalem.

          The Ark was a symbol of the promises and grace of God toward Israel. From this passage we can see the importance that God places on remembering His salvation, grace and works in our lives.

I. The remembrance was one of thanksgiving to God for his promises and blessings.

A. Israel had experience many time the blessings of God and of Him delivering them from their enemies. The blessing of God centered on His mercy and grace to them. The was at the heart of the giving of this psalm and the great joy that David and Israel felt in seeing this visible symbol of God presence in their nation returned.

B. It is also a wonderful thing for those who have heard the Gospel, who have believed and put their faith in Jesus Christ alone to remember the day they were saved and reconciled to God.

1. In contrast we can also remember the state we were in before we experienced God's grace.

2. "He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings." (Psalms 40:2)

3. Paul vividly states the former condition of the saved man:

          "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." (Ephesians 2:1-3)

4. God warns the unsaved who are rejecting God's grace.

          "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

5. The saved man needs to remember before he was saved he was the enemy of God, but now has received the joy of the Lord Jesus Christ in our hearts.

          "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." (Romans 5:10-11)

          1 Chronicles 16:12 states, "Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth; (1 Chronicles 16:12)

II. The child of God should remember the love of God and the great work He has done on our behalf. (John 3:16)

          "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

A. God's love in shown in that ". . . God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

1. "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross" (Colossians 2:14)

2. "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)

B. Jesus Christ has paid our sin debt making salvation available to all who will receive Him. "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God"

(Romans 3:25)

          "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1:7)

III. The child of God should remember he is a witness for Jesus Christ and a missionary.
A. Jesus gave us His Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (Matthew 28:19-20)

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

B. The apostles even when beaten and thrown into prison were undeterred in their commitment to witness for their Savior.

          "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." (Acts 5:42)

IV. The child of God should remember to honor the Lord Jesus by His life.
A. Christ died for us. "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." (1 John 3:16)

B. As Jesus sacrifices His life for us we should offer ourselves as a sacrifice to Him.

          "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12:1-2)

C. Believers should seek to live by God's will for their lives.

         "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:17-18)

         "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer." (Psalms 19:14)

V. The child of God should remember what God has prepared for us in the future.
A. God has promised the believer that when death comes we will instantly be with the Lord.

         "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: . . .We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:1-2, 8) B. Paul spoke of the wonders God has prepared in heaven for the believer.

         "How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter." (2 Corinthians 12:4)

C. Believers have the assurance of the blessed hope.

         "For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel" (Colossians 1:5)

         "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:3-5)

D. Believers have the promise of the resurrection.
A. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 record the return of Jesus Christ for His bride and the resurrection.

B. Paul expressed the knowledge of the coming resurrection had on his life.

         "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death" (Philippians 3:10)

Conclusion:
1. In God's word we have wonderful, powerful and comforting memories.

2. Our memories of God's word assure those who have believed and put their faith in Him of their present state of salvation and relationship with our Savior.

3. John reminds us that "And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (1 John 3:3)

4. One sad memory is what the God's word the Bible says about those who have not believed and received Jesus Christ as their Savior. Paul writing to the Thessalonians speaking of the end of the unsaved said, "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:" (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8)

Peter warned of the coming judgment of the unsaved, "But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. " (2 Peter 3:7)

God tells us of the coming final judgment of Jesus Christ when He will judge the unsaved by their works, "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." (Revelation 20:13-14)

5. Yet, God in His love offers salvation freely to all who will receive it. No man, woman, boy or girl needs to stand at the Great White Throne Judgment.

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9-10)



,2010

It is always encouraging to receive email from those who find the messages helpful, or who have comments.