How will you be Remembered?
2 Peter 1:12-15, 3:8-9
DO NOT FORGET THIS ONE THING. We humans forget more than one thing. We forget many things. But Peter is saying, “Don’t forget the Lord and don’t forget that the Lord’s view of time is different than ours. He is not limited by time as we are. Don’t forget that God is faithful. He will do what He says He will do.”
We human beings are forgetful about many things. I’m so forgetful at time that I can hide my own Easter eggs. Sometimes we forget God. We do forget what His Word says. We do forget what we heard in church last Sunday.
Did you hear about the three old men who were talking one afternoon about how forgetful they were getting? The first one said, "Sometimes I get undressed to get into the shower, and suddenly I can’t remember if I’m getting in or getting out."
The second one said, "Well, sometimes I’ll find myself on the stairs, and I don’t remember if I’m going up or coming down."
The third old man said, "Well, so far I haven’t had any of that kind of trouble. I guess I’ll just knock on wood and hope that what is happening to you guys doesn’t happen to me." So he rapped his knuckles on the arm of his wooden rocking chair, and then he said, "I wonder who that is?"
Forgetfulness. We all experience it and it seems to get worse with age. Senior moments, they call them. Some things need to be forgotten but can’t seem to be erased from the memory. Other things need to be remembered but escape easily. And Memorial Day is a day that set aside to remember.
In 1868, General John A. Logan, then president of the Army of the Republic, declared that May 30 would be a day to “decorate with flowers the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion.” After World War I the day was set aside to honor all of the American wars, and the custom was extended to pay homage to deceased relatives and friends, both military and civilian.
We set this day aside as a Memorial to remember and honor those who have given their lives in the service of this country. We have freedom today because of brave soldiers who didn’t mind dying for a Country they loved.
And although I do know of men and woman who have fought and served this country; I personally do not know of any who have died by doing so. So on Memorial Day I take time to reflect on loved ones who have passed on.
I think of family, an uncle who was a preacher who passed on. I think about Grand Parents on both sides of the family. One Grandpa who would sit for hours on a swing on the front porch and whistle as he would sit there and rolled his own cigarettes. Another Grandpa, who was a preacher, and I remember how he was a big practical joker. I remember how one time he killed a snake and culled it up in the cellar so when Grandma went to retrieve some canned goods; she almost had an early departure by having been scared to death. I have lost Aunts and cousins. I remember family and things about each one.
I think about friends, my best friend Chris who cancer took out several years ago at the age of 35. How much fun we used to have camping out and stuff.
The thing about it is when I think about people who have left this world, there is always something that pops in my mind that we shared while they were here.
The Bible tells us in Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment”.
So we all will die someday. So how will you be remembered? What will people think about when they think of you? What will people say about you after you are gone. Let me share with you this morning some things we need to remember now so that we will be remembered in a good way when you are gone.
Remember how you treat others
Now despite what you might think, “Do unto others as you would have them to do unto you” is not found in the Bible. But it does say in Proverbs 24:29 Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me;”
But you will find in 1 John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
I think about the story “Scrooge”. He lived his life and his treatment of others was horrid. So when visited by the three Ghost he saw where his treatment of others lead him, so he went back and had the opportunity to change.
The problem is that was fiction. And the fact is that we don’t have ghost to visit us in the middle of the night. We may never have a chance to make wrongs right. So we need to do that now.
We need to take the initiative to make amends to those who we have had conflict with.
Colossians 3:12-13 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving another, if anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, you also must do.
Now this does not mean that the other person will accept your forgiveness. But when you carry a grudge around, the only person that you hurt is yourself.
You see if you are here this morning, and you have entered into a personal relationship with Jesus as accepting Him as your personal Savior then you may be the only Christ that others will see.
So we do need to follow that golden rule as treat others as we would want others to treat us.
Remember what really counts
When you leave this world there will not be a u-haul behind the hearse. You can’t take your cars with you, your nice house, your cloths, your toys, nor your money.
Reminds me of a story I heard about a man who still had the first dollar he ever made. He would hide money in a mattress in his house and never tell his wife about him hording the money. He developed a serious disease and was told that he only had a few months to live.
He wanted to make sure that in the after life that he would have a head start. So he confessed to his wife about the money but also made her promise the she would take the money when he died and place it in the casket with him.
So the day came and he died and so after the arrangements she went and took out all the money of the mattress and when she went up to pay her last respects to her husband before they closed the casket she secretly fulfilled his dying request by placing a check in the exact amount of money that she had deposited in the bank with the money he had hidden.
How much money you have or how much money you make doesn’t really matter in the big picture. Not that money itself is bad, but the love of money is. What kind of house you live in; what kind of cars you own, what toys you have obtained doesn’t empress Jesus at all. Once again, not that any of those things are bad, if they are given the proper priority.
Matthew 6:19-21 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thrives break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where you treasure is, there you heart will be also.
Another saying that you might have heard is, “Only one life will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last” or “Work for the Lord, the pay isn’t much, but the retirement plan is out of this world”.
It does not matter what we think we accomplish on this earth is we don’t use our accomplishments for His glory. You can be the President, the CEO or CFO of a fortune five company but if you don’t use that for the glory of God, you won’t impress anyone when you leave this world.
When you stand before God one day, He will not ask you about what you have accomplished in this life, but He will ask you, “What have done for Me?”
2 Corinthians 5:9-10 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
Which lead me to my last point.
Remember to have the Right relationship with God
Matthew 16:26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul.
The most important thing in this life is to have the right relationship with God. Being a good parent is an honorable thing, but what good does it do you to raise your kids right on the short time you have on this earth and let them spend eternity without you.
You might be recognized here in this life for what kind of position you have in your job, or what kind of car you have, or how nice of a house that you have, but that won’t matter in the here after. You cannot buy your way into heaven.
It does not matter how good of a person you are here on earth, how much you give to help others, how you always think of the needs of others.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, least anyone should boast.
You can’t earn your way to heaven.
The only way to have the right relationship with Jesus is to first of all enter into a personal relationship with Jesus by accepting Him as your Savior and then living your life to be pleasing to Him.
How will you be remembered when you leave this earth? What will you be remembered on a Memorial Day by others?
I’m not some ghost coming to you in the middle of the night, but I will tell you that you can make any wrongs right this morning as we give the invitation.
