DON’T FORGET THE LORD
Ephesians 2:11-20
INTRODUCTION
In a beautiful district of Scotland, a boy from a well-to-do family in England was swimming in one of the lakes. Suddenly he was seized with a severe cramp. Screaming for help, he struggled to remain afloat. A boy about his own age heard his cry, plunged into the lake and with strong strokes brought him to shore. He administered aid and was able to save his life.
Time passed but the English boy never forgot the Scottish lad who saved his life. Making a special trip to Scotland he informed the lad that it was the wish of his family that they might be allowed to pay for his university studies. The Scottish lad chose the field of medicine and graduated with high honors.
Later he entered the field of research and in 1928 found that germs could not exist in certain vegetable mold. He named his discovery penicillin; his name was Dr. Alexander Fleming. The English boy whose life he saved also became famous. His name was Sir Winston Churchill.
That, however, is not the end of the story.In remembering and providing a university education to the person who saved his life, Churchill’s life was again saved. In remembering the one who saved him, he was doubly blessed. While Churchill was on a history-making journey in the near East, meeting with Roosevelt and Stalin, he was stricken with pneumonia. Word was relayed to London and penicillin was flown
to his side.
I wonder how things might have ended if Churchill had not remembered Fleming by providing him with an education. In remembering the person who saved his life,Churchill’s life was again saved.
In regularly remembering the Christ who saved us, our lives are again and again saved from bad decisions, wrong priorities, harmful paths, dangerous Relationships,deadly evils and countless pitfalls. It is so easy to forget important people, places and events in our lives.
The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches often cause us to forget things we should not forget. It happens in every area of our lives but none more so than in the realm of the spiritual. How easy it is to forget our Creator and our Redeemer. We
are so busy and preoccupied with just living.
Assignments come. Promotions call.
Opportunities beckon. Children are born. Interests change. Responsibilities increase. Priorities are altered. The sights and sounds of the world beckon, entice and entrap us! Busy beyond measure we often forget the Lord, the One who created us, redeemed us and sustains us!
We can easily go days without giving Him much thought….or talking with Him….or reading His word….Forgetting has always been a problem for God’s people.
Again and again as the nation Israel prepared to cross the river Jordan and enter the promised land, Moses solemnly charged them saying, “Remember the Lord God!” At the root of most of their troubles was their failure to remember. Hence, Moses continually reminded them to remember the Lord their God.
In Deuteronomy 5:15 he said to them, “REMEMBER THAT YOU WERE SLAVESIN EGYPT…..BUT THE LORD YOUR GOD BROUGHT YOU OUT WITH A STRONG HAND AND AN OUTSTRETCHED ARM.”
God had saved them and He had a plan and a purpose for their lives. In Deuteronomy 6:11-12 Moses warned them that even in prosperity and success they were not to
forget God.
“WHEN YOU ARE IN YOUR LAND WITH WELLS AND VINEYARDS AND
OLIVE GROVES….AND YOU EAT AND ARE SATISFIED….BE CAREFUL
THAT YOU DO NOT FORGET THE LORD….”
To help them remember God even established special festivals that were to be a commemoration of God’s acts. They were to remember their God because memory is
crucial to faith.
BIBLICAL PRINCIPLE:
The Word of God continually reminds us of the importance of remembering. Abraham was sustained by the memory of God’s promise. Joseph’s faith was strengthened by the memory of God’s faithfulness.
The Apostle Paul was motivated by the memory of God’s call to him to preach. Peter overcame the failure of his past by remembering God’s forgiveness.
Remembering God’s grace and mercy is no less important for us today. When we daily allow God’s goodness and love to fill our minds and flood our souls we are able
to live for the right things and thereby fulfill the purpose of our existence. In remembering we are motivated to live holy, Christ-like lives. We are empowered tolive victoriously.
Lapses of memory are at the heart of our waywardness, faithlessness and powerlessness. The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches often cause us
to forget who we are in Christ and why we are here.
TEXT
“Our text for this morning really does not Specifically ask us to do anything. No imperative is given regarding any act or attitude other than remembering. All the focus is on the change Christ has accomplished in our lives and the privilege of new
life in Him.” (147/997/K.Snodgrass)
We must not forget what Christ has done for us and what He longs to do for us.
Memory enables life by providing an understanding of reality within which we live.We remember pain, enjoyment, people, information, and events in order to make appropriate choices for the present and future. Some memories we choose, others are burned into us by the sheer force of the event.(147/997) Memories can be paths to blessing and success or scars that hurt and disable.
The apostle Paul asks that we remember what Christ has done for us. Caught up in the busyness of life it is so easy to forget.
In verse 12, the apostle Paul tells us to remember that “ONCE YOU WERE ALIENATED FORM GOD….WITHOUT HOPE AND WITHOUT GOD.” Once we were lost in sin; separated from God, out of fellowship with him and aimlessly
drifting through life. Condemned by our sin, we were without hope of heaven.
Verse 13 reminds us that although we were once far away from God, we “HAVEBEEN BROUGHT NEAR BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST.” Thanks to Jesus’ death on our behalf we now stand forgiven, restored to fellowship. Now we know God and experience His presence, power and leading daily. “CHRIST HIMSELF BORE OUR SINS IN HIS BODY ON THE CROSS,” declares 1 Peter 2:24. The just penalty of our sin has been paid in full. All the punishment and condemnation that we should have experienced was placed on the Lord Jesus.
Then verse 14 of our text reminds us that “THROUGH CHRIST WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD.” We must daily remember the things that the Lord has done for us. Furthermore, as Ephesians 3:8 declares, “ENDLESS TREASURES ARE AVAILABLE TO US IN CHIRST.” Because of what Christ has done for me, my life has meaning and purpose and hope. In Christ we have power resist temptation and those evils that would ruin us. We can overcome those sins that so easily beset us and live our lives on a higher plane. It is absolutely amazing the wonderful difference that Christ makes in our lives. We must not forget the tremendous blessings that we have in Christ. Yet, It is so very easy to forget Christ and be unfaithful to Him. We end up worshiping and serving “created things ….instead of the Creator. To prevent this from occurring in our lives, the Lord instituted the Communion Table.
In the Lord’s Supper we REMEMBER the Lord’s death and resurrection and the life-changing difference He makes in our lives. My how we need this constant reminder as the dazzling sights and deadening sounds of the world often distract us. We need to daily remember the One who shed his blood for us and who should be central in our lives. Remembering enables us to keep our eyes on Jesus. It helps us keep our priorities straight and stay true to God’s purpose for our lives.
PURPOSE
It is imperative that we keep coming to the Lord’s Table so that we don’t forget our true purpose in life. It is so easy to get side tracked and lose sight of who we are and why we are here. It is so very easy to forget what it is that truly satisfies and fulfills. Our basic purpose in life is to glorify God.
We are commanded to “DECLARE GOD’S GLORY AMONG THE HEATHEN;HIS MARVELOUS WORKS AMONG ALL NATIONS.” (1 Chronicles 16:24&25)
In John 15 Jesus says that we glorify God when we “BEAR MUCH FRUIT.”
There are a number of ways in which we can bear fruit and glorify God. We bear fruit when we through our words of witness and changed lives lead others to the Lord We glorify God when we teach Sunday School, sing in the choir, serve on a committee, help out in the nursery or junior church or take our turn doing any
number of things in the church. We also bear fruit when we serve one another. We glorify God and bear much fruit when we make time to minister to those who are hurting, hungry, lonely, sick, confused or grieving.
In daily remembering Christ’s claim upon our lives we are able to fulfill the purpose of our existence. God has a grand design and purpose for your life. You find it only as you daily remember Jesus and keep your eyes on Him. Christ enables us to do that for which we were created and, in the process, we experience a truly fulfilling and satisfying life. When we forget the Lord we end up living for lesser things. We blindly pursue the fleeting, empty things of this world.
Things that cannot possibly satisfy, fulfill or give our lives adequate meaning. Regret, emptiness and disillusionment always result.
Dr, Henry Schaefer is a research scientist and university chemistry professor. His specialty is quantum chemistry which is the study of molecules through mathematical equations that describe the way subatomic particles move and behave. He has been nominated three times for the prestigious Nobel prize in chemistry. The most interesting thing about this brilliant scientist, however, has nothing to do with
chemistry. He intersperses his lectures with references to the resurrection of Christ,the faith of famous scientists and testimonies of the difference God has made in his life. In his classes he stresses that virtually all pioneer scientists like Kepler, Faraday and Maxwell were committed Christians.
Why does he do this? Because he realizes that the ultimate purpose in life transcends research and teaching. He is here on earth to glorify God. So are you….and every time we come to the communion table we are reminded of the One who died so that we might know life in all its fullness. We are reminded of our ultimate purpose in life; serving God and others. In realizing our true purpose, we can keep our priorities
straight.
PRIORITIES
Something else happens when we regularly come to the Lord’s Table. The natural tendency for most of us is to end up living for the wrong things. Wrong priorities
result in our living for things that cannot last and that cannot satisfy.
Jesus addresses this serious but common problem in Matthew 6. In verse 25 he speaks of our worldly needs such as food, clothing and shelter. He warns us against
allowing our pursuit of these legitimate needs to keep us from our spiritual pursuits.
Concluding His thoughts He said, “SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS AND ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU AS WELL.”(6:33)
Richness and fullness of life comes by seeking first the things of God. Spiritual pursuits, therefore, must be an absolute priority in our lives. That is why we must daily remember our Lord. When our priorities are wrong, we have little or no time for the things of the Lord Worship…..prayer….fellowship…..study of God’s Word
get crowded out of our hectic lives and we lose our way.
Florence Nightengale is universally known for her contributions to the nursing profession. Through her efforts hospital conditions and nursing procedures were
forever changed for the better. She should, however, be remembered for something else - her commitment to the Lord and her desire to “SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD.”
At the age of 30 she wrote these words in her diary, “I am thirty years of age, the age at which Christ began his mission. Now no more childish things, no more vain things. Now Lord, let me think only of thy will.” Years later, near the end of her illustrious and heroic life, she was asked her life’s secret and she replied: “I can give only one explanation, I have kept nothing back from God.”
Daily, hourly,remembering the Lord, her priorities were right. Likewise, we must continually reflect upon our Lord and His will for us.
CONCLUSION
Our world abounds with memorials to the rich and famous. Ancient tombs and enormous pyramids still stand as memorials to the high and mighty. Throughout ourland there are countless memorials of huge granite blocks in cemeteries, statues in town squares and more recently presidential libraries. Everything from stained glass windows to ornate buildings are used to help us remember particular individuals.
In stark contrast to all of these memorials, Jesus took an upper room and instituted the Lord’s Supper. This is His memorial! It is a memorial that is for our good.
“THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME,” declared Jesus. Jesus knew how easily our vocations, hobbies, houses, land, investments, pursuits, pleasures, businesses and families could cause us to forget Him, pushing Him to the periphery of our lives. Oh,it is not that we don’t believe in Him.We do! But we so easily forget Him.
Therefore,we need daily to remember Him....cross in my pocket…. Bible on desk…note on the mirror…
In regularly remembering the One who saved us through the shedding of His blood we are again and again saved and blessed.
As I daily, even hourly, remember my Savior, I am able to do what is right; best for me. I am saved from wrong paths, bad decisions, harmful habits, empty pursuits and vain ambitions. When Christ and his ways are in the forefront of our minds we can avoid dangerous relationships and deadly evils. Jesus saves us from a self-centered life of wrong priorities and unsatisfying purposes.
Let’s come to His Table…..and remember Him. This remembrance will help keep us on track. It will enable us to resist pull of the world…..the lure of temptation.
Through Him we can avoid so much pain and so many regrets It will help us to live our lives for Christ and for the things that truly count.
