Spiritual Amnesia
Luke 17:11-19
Amnesia is a strange condition that involves a partial or total loss of memory. It may occur as the result of one of the following:
¡õ a blow to the head
¡õ psychic trauma
¡õ Alzheimer¡¯s
¡õ too much alcohol or narcotic use
Sometimes it is temporary and the memory slowly returns. Almost all of us have experienced it to some degree, especially when it is convenient. For example:
¡õ We forget to pay that debt
¡õ We forgot to keep that appointment
¡õ We forgot about that commitment
¡õ We forgot to pick up after ourselves
¡õ We forgot to take out the garbage
But seriously, there are cases on record in which the victim forgot his own name and address and family. The victim could not recall any significant event that occurred before the affliction appeared.
Did you hear about the young husband who forgot he was married? According to a newspaper account his bride became very upset and burned their dinner the night after their honeymoon. Her first flop was understandable, however because her mate was three hours late getting home from the office. He had absent-mindedly failed to recall that he was married and had gone to his mother¡¯s home instead.
In the spiritual realm as well, people are prone to suffer from a similar condition. Let me suggest four symptoms that issue from this passage in Luke 17.
1. They Forgot the Lord¡¯s Past Mercies
Such was the case with these nine lepers. They got so caught up in the healing that they forgot the Healer! How soon we forget.
Why did only one cleansed leper return to thank Jesus? The following are nine suggested reasons why the nine did not return:
One waited to see if the cure was real.
One waited to see if it would last.
One said he would see Jesus later.
One decided that he had never had leprosy.
One said he would have gotten well anyway.
One gave the glory to the priests.
One said, "O, well, Jesus didn’t really do anything."
One said, "Any rabbi could have done it."
One said, "I was already much improved."
Charles L. Brown, Content The Newsletter, June, 1990, p. 3.
Please notice that the one who did return to express gratitude was a Samaritan!
Illustration: ¡°One Thank You Note to Santa¡±
A postal employee opened and read the mail which come to the Dead Letter Office in Washington, D.C. And was addressed to Santa Claus. In the three months before Christmas, there were thousands of letters asking for something. In the months after Christmas, there was only ONE card that was addressed to Santa Claus to express thanks.
How quick we are to ask and receive. How slow we are to speak the magic word: THANKS! What does this say about our culture?
Have you ever noticed how at Christmas and birthdays, when children are presented with a gift, how quick they are to grab it and run? And if that attitude isn¡¯t corrected in childhood, parents succeed in producing adults that are basically thankless.
What are the blessings of God that we should constantly remember? The list is endless¨Cmercy, grace, salvation, forgiveness, peace, joy, and on and on. We need to heed the words of the Psalmist as expressed in Psalm 103: ¡°Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.¡±
The second symptom of spiritual amnesia is...
2. Allowing Present Troubles to Block Out the Love of God
It¡¯s the old, ¡°What have you done for me lately God¡± syndrome.
Quote: ¡°Though behind us lay the gift of the cross, the miracle of the resurrection and ascension, the care exercised by God over our early years, we are disposed to doubt God¡¯s power today.¡±
- F. B. Meyer
We must not allow the disturbing memories of the past to keep us in the place and gloom. Paul said it best when he wrote, ¡°For getting the things which are behind, I press...¡± This is the place where a bit of amnesia is good.
A third contributor to spiritual amnesia is...
3. Forgetting the Many Promises Made
Promises made in secret to God¨Cto love Him and serve Him and always remain faithful to Him.
Promises made in the open to God and others¨Cmarriage vows, baptismal vows, church membership vows.
They have become empty promises, hallow vows, devoid of meaning.
Psalm 116:14: ¡°How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me? I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people.¡±
Many of us are guilty of having made promises to God when we were in an emotional state, caught up in the joy of the moment¨Cmaking a crisis-centered commitment only to experience spiritual amnesia shortly thereafter. Some seem to think of God as a kind of ¡°spare tire¡±¨Cforgotten for months until suddenly on the road of life, they have a flat.
Dale Evans attended a communion service in an old cathedral in London. There were seven present. She asked an English friend why so few were there. He replied, ¡°Well, its like this: we English are a nation of crisis. We are at our best in a crisis situation. Then we get on our knees and ask God to help us. After the crisis has passed, we thank Him for help and go our own way again.¡±
Have you ever made a vow to God in a threatening or stressful situation only to later forge it?
Illustration: ¡°Two Letters¡±
During the Second World War, on the night before a scheduled attack, many soldiers wrote letters to their parents. The chaplain who censored the mail was unable to read them until after the battle had taken place. When he did, he found two letters in the same handwriting¨Cone written before and one after the battle. In the first, the young soldier wrote his mother, ¡°I vow before God that if I come through tomorrow, I am going to live for Him.¡± The second letter, written after the danger had passed was addressed to a friend in another regiment: ¡°I¡¯v just come through a scorcher up on the front. If you can get leave and meet me in Paris, let¡¯s plan on getting drunk together.¡±
Eccl.5:2,4,5: ¡°Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God: for God is in heaven and you upon the earth; therefore let your words be few...when you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.¡±
The fourth and last symptom of spiritual amnesia is...
4. Forgetting Our Calling
According to the Bible, every single believer is called to be:
1. an ambassador
2. a witness
3. a steward
4. a soldier
5. a disciple
We have multitudes in the body of Christ today who are just wandering around with spiritual amnesia. With physical amnesia, the person is helpless nd cannot be blamed for the condition. The Christian, however, doesn¡¯t need to continue in his sate of forgetfulness.
If you¡¯re not engaged in some form of ministry, then you have forgotten why you were saved! The devil has clubbed you on the head and you have forgotten your calling.
Ephesians 2:8,9 are favorite verses of many Christians and they have committed them to memory: ¡°...for by grace are you saved..¡± But we stop too soon. We need to go on to verse 19" ¡°For we are God¡¯s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.¡±
During the reign of Oliver Cromwell, the British government began to run low on silver for coins. Lord Cromwell sent his men on an investigation of the local cathedral to see if they could find any precious metal there. They returned to him and said, ¡°The only silver we could find is the statues of the saints standing in the corners.¡± And Cromwell replied, ¡°Good! We¡¯ll get them out of the corners, melt them down and put them into circulation.¡±
No bad theology. In just a few words Cromwell had commanded the essence of Christianity¨Cthe practical goal of our faith.
Not rows of silver saints, highly polished, frequently dusted, crammed into corners of elegant cathedrals.
Not plaster people cloaked in thin layers of untarnished silver and topped with a metallic halo, but real people! Melted saints, circulating through the mainstream of society.
In the shop¨Cwhere unbelieving employees test the mettle of everyday Christianity.
At home¨Cwhere confusion and chaos often reign supreme.
On the high school or college campus¨Cwhere students struggle with growing pains and peer pressure.
On the team¨Cwhere self-control is x-rayed under pressure.
In the hospital bed¨Cwhere grim reality never takes a nap.
On the highway¨Cwhere manners are tested and honesty is scrutinized.
On the golf course¨Cwhere behavior is closely observed by fellow-hackers.
Conclusion
Is there any hope, medically speaking for those who suffer from amnesia? Yes, but that person must depend on others¨Cdoctors, nurses, therapists. He must submit himself to such things as medication, rest, surgery and therapy.
The same is true in the spiritual realm. If his memory is to be restored, it will take the power of God. Perhaps, even ¡°shock treatment¡± will be necessary. Perhaps God will use a sermon, a verse of scripture, a song or even a tragedy or testimony to awaken the memory of His goodness.
Illustration: ¡°The King¡¯s Archives¡±
There is a story of a Persian king who was elevated from a poverty-stricken home to the glory of a royal throne. When he became king he sent his servants to the old shack where he was reared, with orders to gather every relic of those days. They brought fragments of his home many broken toys, and old torn and tattered shirt, a crude wooden bowl from which he ate. All of these he arranged in a special room of his palace, and each day he spent one whole hour sitting among the memories of his humble past. On the wall hung a plaque: LEST I FORGET.
:et us keep such a chamber of memory and daily praise Him who has delivered us from the kingdom of darkness into His glorious kingdom of light.
Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all of His benefits.¡±
