Turn back with me if you would
to Luke 22. Luke chapter 22. Verse 19 is going to be our text. It says, And he took bread, and
gave thanks, and break it, and gave unto them, saying, This
is my body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance. Remembrance of me. The title of this message is
Remembrance. Tonight is New Year's Eve. We all love New Year's Eve, don't
we? Everybody does. It's a special night. It's a
happy night. It's a night when people celebrate
a finished year, an accomplished year, everything that was accomplished
in 2014. And we celebrate a brand spanking
new year. Brand new one to come. Tomorrow
is New Year's Day. And tomorrow really is a brand
new day. It has a brand new number at
the end of it. One that I'm going to forget
to write for quite a while. But it is a brand spanking new
day. Tomorrow, people are going to
start making new plans, setting new goals. Tomorrow, everybody is going
to try to start figuring out how to do the things this year
that they couldn't do last year, maybe next year. We're going
to get it next year. Tomorrow, every single thing
starts over. It all starts over. But do you
know what? We are not promised tomorrow. We're just not promised tomorrow. I had a moment with that. I took a moment with that. We're not promised tomorrow. Our Lord said, as in the days
of Noah, they were marrying and given in marriage, so shall the coming of the Son
of Man be. And we're not promised tomorrow. We have a lot of plans this week. It's a busy week. A lot of people
have traveled and come in and there's a lot going on this week.
I know two people who really hope tomorrow and the next day
and the next day comes. I know two people who are really
hoping Saturday will get here. And for your sakes, I do too.
It's going to be a happy day. Joyful day, a beautiful day.
That's what Saturday's going to be. A God-honoring day. I hope Saturday comes, Jared. I really do. For the sake of
lost souls, souls who need to hear this gospel, souls who need to cry out to
God for mercy, I hope tomorrow comes. I really do. I hope tomorrow comes. We don't give much thought to
it. Well, of course tomorrow is coming. Well, yeah, tomorrow
is coming. One of these days, tomorrow is
not going to come. It's just not going to come. We are not promised tomorrow. So I believe we would be wise
to make tonight a night of remembrance. a night of remembrance. We have
some things that are worthy to be remembered, very worthy to
be remembered, worthy to be never forgotten. You know the Lord
is so merciful to believers and in time He settles believers
in His Word and He grounds believers in His Word, but there are some
things that should never be forgotten. Never be forgotten. And I want
us to look at four of them, very briefly, and then we're going
to partake of this table. I have four things that I want
us to truly, sincerely, with the heart, and I do mean with
the heart, I sit in this study And I believe the Lord impresses
my heart to write this. And then I beg the Lord, as soon
as I get up in front of everybody and we have a formal setting
and all eyes are looking, get it out of my mind and put it
into my heart. Put it into this heart. Let me
be the only person worshiping. Let me worship with all of you,
but let me worship alone if need be. Let you worship alone if
need be. Put it in the heart. in the heart. Four things we need to remember. The first one is in Ezekiel 36. Turn with me over to Ezekiel
36. Ezekiel 36 and look at verse
31. Then shall you remember your own evil ways and your doings
that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own
sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. Here's
the first thing we all should remember. This is New Year's
Eve, closing out 2014. Let's finish 2014 and start 2015
by remembering this. I am a sinner. And that's it. May I never forget that. Never. May I never forget the pit from
which I was digged, that pit that I was pulled out of, the
miry clay. May I never ever forget that
whatever I am, it's by the grace of God. Whatever it is I am, it's by the grace of God. I'm just a sinner. Nothing at
all. That's it. Nothing at all. Just
a sinner. Nothing at all. Well, shouldn't
you at least be proud of yourself because God elected you? No. I'm just a sinner. Nothing at
all. I am just a sinner. Nothing more. Nothing less. I'm just a sinner. Especially
because God has called me to stand up behind this pulpit. May God allow me to never forget
that I'm just a sinner. Just a sinner. A man said one
time that preaching the gospel is one beggar telling another
beggar where he found some bread. That's all I am. I'm just a dying man preaching
to dying men. I'm just a sinner preaching to
sinners. Man, let's remember that. The Apostle Paul, as great a
man as he was, with all that he knew, he said, I count it
all dung. Every bit of it. Everything I
attained, everything I know, everything I am. He was an apostle. He said, I count it all dung
that I may win Christ and be found in Him not having my own
righteousness. I count it all dung so that I
won't have my own righteousness. The only thing I want to be found
with when that tomorrow never comes and I go to the eternal
today is I want to make sure I don't have my own righteousness.
I'm just a sinner. That's it. I'm just a sinner. The Apostle Paul, even with all
that God taught him, even though God used his hand to write half
of the New Testament. He said, O wretched man that
I am. He never forgot that. He never
forgot it. We are unworthy sinners. Brother Tony and I talk a lot
about how good the Lord has been to this little assembly. We are just so grateful. We're just so happy. He did a lot in 2014, you know
that? This room changed. Those bathrooms changed drastically. We have a nursery downstairs.
He brought people. He has blessed us. He has been
so good to us and all of His goodness and all of His blessings
We did not deserve one of them. Not one. What makes us to differ? We are unworthy. Unworthy, that's
all. All we did in this flesh, in
spite of all of His blessings, all that we did in this flesh
was rebel in sin against a good and kind God. Thank God His Spirit
overrules this flesh. Because all I did in the flesh,
when it was left up to this flesh, was rebel and sin against a good
and kind God. We have some elements down here,
and they're precious. And it's just some ingredients
that was in our cabinet and some wine from the store. And there's nothing special in
the ingredients, but these are elements that we're about to
partake of. And as we look at these elements, knowing what
they represent, I believe everybody in here knows what these elements
represent. May each person in this room
say in his or her own soul, I'm a sinner. As we look at these
elements, I'm a sinner. May we never forget that. Number
two, turn with me to Psalm 30. Psalm 30 verse 4 says, Sing unto
the Lord, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance
of His holiness. Here's the second thing I want
us to remember tonight. As we close out 2014, and as
we start up 2015, this is what I want us to remember. God is
holy. God is holy. I am a sinner and
God is holy. That's sobering. That's sobering. What does holy mean? It means
right. That's what it means. It means
He must do what's right. He must. It means He must punish
sin. He must. He's holy. It means I cannot approach Him or I'm going to die because He's
holy. I'm a sinner and God is holy. Look at Psalm 7. Psalm 7 verse 11 says, God judgeth
the righteous. Or if you have a margin, it says,
is a righteous judge. God is a righteous judge. And
God is angry with the wicked every day. And that's me. That's
me. I'm a sinner. I'm a sinner. Verse 12 says, If he turn not,
he will wet his sword. He hath bent his bow and made
it ready. He hath also prepared for him
the instruments of death. He ordaineth his arrows against
the persecutors. That's me. Behold, he travaileth
with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood. He's a liar, and that's me. He made a pit, and digged it,
and is fallen into the ditch, which he made. That's me. That's
me. I am wrong, and he must do what's
right. And you know what? God has, I
believe, given all of us a heart to say, Amen. Amen. I am wrong and He must do what's
right. Amen. He will by no means clear the
guilty. He can't. He's holy. He's holy. As we look at these
elements right here, knowing what they represent. May each person in this room
say in his or her own soul, God is holy. God is holy. Now do I have any hope? If I'm
a sinner and if God is holy, do I have any hope? Is there any hope for this Admitted
sinner. If he must punish sin, and if
I'm a sinner, is there any hope for me? The answer is yes, there
is. Now here's the good part. Here is the good part. I'm here tonight because I need
to remember something. I really am. I'm here tonight
because I personally need to remember something. Go with me
to Psalm 20. Psalm 20 verse 7 says, Some trust
in chariots, and some in horses, but we will remember the name
of the Lord our God." What is his name? When the angel appeared to Joseph,
why did he say, call his name Jesus? He said it because He
shall save His people from their sins. You know what that means?
That means He makes His people no longer sinners. That's what
it means. From their sins. I am a sinner. And God is holy. But Christ came
to save sinners from their sins. I want to remember that for years
to come. I want that to never grow old
to these ears right here. I don't want to ever get tired
of hearing that. Go to Psalm 77. Psalm 77 verse 11 says, I will
remember the works of the Lord. Surely I will remember thy wonders
of old. That's why we're here. That's
why we're here. We really do forget. You know
that? You know, we really do get out
into the world, into the weak, and we really do forget. I mean, we really do forget. Yeah, we know these things somewhere
over there in our mind. But we really do forget, and
then we come in and God's Holy Word opens up, and we remember
Christ really did come to save sinners. If it be so, why am I thus? It's because I'm a sinner. But
Christ came to save sinners. You know what? I think He came
to save me. I really do. And we will remember
His wonderful works. What has He done? We just sang
it. Lo, the great King of kings,
with healing in His wings, to every captive soul a full deliverance
brings. And through the vacant cells
the song of triumph rings, the Comforter has come. He broke His body, He shed His
blood, He gave His life for sinners like me. Thank God for Christ. You know why we have these elements
right here? You know what we're saying? Thank God for Christ. E'er since by faith I saw the
stream, Thy flowing wounds supply. Redeeming love has been my thing. By God's grace it shall be till
I die. Thank God for Christ. I think
that's the only message I have. Thank God for Christ. For all
eternity God's sheep are going to be crying, thank God for Christ. When they're standing at the
judgment, And they're going to see the judgment. And when they
watch God punish sinners for their sins, with every one that's
led away, they're going to say, thank God for Christ. Thank God for Christ. Thank God for Christ. Go to Lamentations
3 with me. Lamentations 3 verse 19 says, remembering mine affliction and
my misery, the wormwood and the gall, my soul hath them still
in remembrance and is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind,
therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that
we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness. The
Lord is my portion, saith my soul, therefore will I hope in
Him. As we look at these elements,
knowing what they represent, may each person in this room
say in his or her own soul, Christ came to save sinners. He came
to save sinners from their sins. Now here's the last glorious
thing to remember tonight. Turn with me to Malachi chapter
3. And man, this is glorious. Malachi 3, look at verse 16. Then they that feared the Lord
spake often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard
it. And a book of remembrance was
written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought
upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith
the Lord of hosts. In that day, when I make up my
jewels, I will spare them. As a man spareth his own son
that serveth him. Because of Christ, God has remembered
me. That's something worthy to be
remembered, you know that? I am a sinner. And God is holy. But Christ came to save sinners
from their sins. And now, because of Christ, only
because of Christ, God has remembered me. That thief said, Lord, would
you remember me? The Lord said, Remember you? I've already prepared a place
for you. You're going to be with me in
paradise. As we partake of these elements,
we're about to partake of these right now. As we partake of these
elements, knowing what they represent, may each person in this room
say in his or her own soul, because of Christ, God has remembered
me. That's what we're saying. this
do in remembrance of Him. Okay, Brother Tony, you come
read for us.