Don’t Forget!

MELVIN NEWLAND, MINISTER RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK

DON’T FORGET!

TEXT: Deuteronomy 4:9-10, 20; 5:15-19; 6:5,10-12; 11:2,18-21; Judges 2:10; Joshua 24:14-18; 1 John 2:16;

(The inspiration for this sermon came from an excellent message by Esther Collins which she contributed to Sermon Central.)

(Powerpoints used with this sermon are available at no charge. Just email me at mnewland@sstelco.com & request PP#388.)

At the beginning of this year we began a chronological study, a story of God’s dealings with man, beginning with Adam & Eve, Noah, His promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob & his 12 sons, one of whom was Joseph.

Joseph was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, & through his trust in God, became 2nd in power only to Pharaoh in Egypt, ultimately bringing his father & all his family to Egypt where God continued to bless them.

But during the next 400 years the Egyptian Dynasty changed, & the new Egyptian dynasty feared the descendants of Jacob, & began oppressing them.

Finally, God raised up Moses to lead his people to freedom, to make a distinct nation of them, giving them His commands & laws to guide them. Many of these laws & commands dealt with the functioning of a family. And I want to highlight a few of them.

I. PASS IT ON!

A. First, pass on to your children all that God has done for you.

Deut. 4:9-10 says, “This is what Moses told them, “Be careful never to forget what you yourselves have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live & be sure to pass them on to your children & your grandchildren.“ (NLT).

As human beings, our memories are limited. We tend to forget. Therefore, God reminds us not to forget the wonderful things He has accomplished in our lives.

And what are we to do with them? Pass them on to our children & grandchildren. I remember times when it seemed God stepped in to give guidance, provision & protection in my life. I think these stories can encourage & help strengthen faith in my children & grandchildren too.

B. We are also to lead them to love God above all else.

We read in Deut. 6:5 these words of Moses, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul & with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart & you shall teach them diligently to your children.” (NKJV)

We ourselves are to love God so much that our children will realize this themselves. When we love God with all our heart, soul, mind & strength, our children should be drawn to follow in our footsteps & love God the same way.

C. We are to have no idols in our lives. In Deut. 5:15-19 Moses warned against any form of idolatry, & he gave the reason for his warning in Deut. 4:20.

He said, “Remember that the Lord rescued you from … Egypt in order to make you His very own people & His special possession, which is what you are today.” (NLT)

So God’s purpose was clear. He told the Israelites that He was their God, & they were not to worship any other so-called gods.

I believe that is what God want today as well. We are His people & He will not tolerate any other gods or idols in our lives. He desires to have top priority in our lives.

D. And we must not forget God when all is well.

We read in Deut. 6:10-12, “So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac & Jacob, to give you large & beautiful cities which you did not build,

“houses full of good things which you did not fill, hewn out wells which you did not dig, vineyards & olive trees which you did not plant – when you have eaten & are full – then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.” (NKJV)

This was a caution Moses gave to Israel. They were moving into the land of Canaan – a land of abundance that God was giving them & he knew what could happen.

The Bible clearly tells us that every good & perfect gift comes from God. If we do not acknowledge this we will be ungrateful people who have overlooked the Giver because we are obsessed with the gifts.

The commands of God to families can be summarized this way.

First, remember the goodness of God & pass it on to our children.

Second, our love for God must surpass everything else.

Third, there should be no other gods or idols on the throne of our hearts.