Well, it is definitely a privilege
to be here, and I thank the Lord for this blessed time to be able
to be with the Lord's people. What a joy. I'm going to ask
you to take your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Jeremiah
chapter 2. Jeremiah chapter 2. I'd like to begin by reading
the first part of the second verse of Jeremiah 2. The Scripture says, Go and cry
in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I remember
thee. Let's pray together. Our Father, how thankful we are
this morning for this blessed time to be able to assemble ourselves
together in the name of the Lord Jesus. Lord, I pray, would You
bless the Word to our hearts, cause us to hear. Lord, may we
be able, by Your blessing, to truly worship. For Christ's sake
we ask these things. Amen. Jeremiah the prophet revealed
through the inspiration of God's Spirit in verse 1 of chapter
2, Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Now
you know there's a lot of people that go into assemblies, I'm
sure, this morning, and they're saying, we worship the Lord. Well, I'd like for us to just
look at God's Word and just see who actually spoke to Jeremiah. Jeremiah says, the Word of the
Lord. came to me." Well, according
to the Scriptures, the one that actually spoke to Jeremiah, the
one that the Word from the Lord that came to Jeremiah, the one
that was actually speaking, I know from the Word of God, first of
all, is the eternal God. Jeremiah chapter 1, And verse
4 says, "...then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying..."
Now, whatever comes next, the next word that comes from the
word that Jeremiah says from the Lord, the one that Jeremiah
said spoke to him, the next word is going to reveal the character. of the one that spoke to Jeremiah. Jeremiah 1 verse 4 says, "...then
the word of the Lord came unto me, saying..." And the next word
in verse 5 is this, "...before." Before. When there was non-occurrence. I looked that word up. Before.
Before. Before he did anything in time. The word before means not yet. Before. He is the eternal God. In the beginning, Genesis 1,
1 says, God. John 1, 1 says, in the beginning
was the Word. So I know that whoever spoke
to Jeremiah, the Lord that Jeremiah says spoke to him, I'm not talking
about the Lord that this world worships, the one that has to
be helped in order to do something for man. I'm not talking about
that Lord, that little L Lord. I'm talking about the capital
L, capital O, capital R, capital D. I'm talking about Jehovah.
The Word of Jehovah came to me saying, I am the eternal God
before. And I'll tell you who else He
is. He is the omnipotent, all-powerful,
Creator. He says in verse 5 of chapter
1 of Jeremiah, Before I formed thee in the belly. Before I molded and fashioned
your shape. The potter is speaking here. John 1.3 says, All things were
made by Him, and without Him was not anything that was made. Now, at this point, many would
still say, possibly, that's the God I believe in. I believe in
the eternal Creator. But let's continue to read. Let's
see what the Lord says. Jeremiah 1 verse 5, before I
formed thee in the belly, now listen to this, I knew thee. I knew thee. I designated thee. I cared for thee as a familiar
friend. I knew you in grace. I knew you in mercy. I knew you
in love. I've loved you with an everlasting
love. And before thou camest forth
out of the womb, I set you apart. I sanctified thee. I declared
you to be in my Son. Holy. I declared you to be Mine, and
I ordained thee, I appointed thee a prophet unto the nations."
This is the Lord that spoke to Jeremiah. Here is the One that
speaks to His people. This is the God that we worship.
He is the Sovereign. He is the One who does as He
will in the army of heaven. and among the inhabitants of
the earth. This is the one that no man stays his hand. No man
has a right to question Him. This is the one who has mercy
and compassion on whomsoever he will. This is the potter who
has power over the clay to make one vessel under honor and another
under dishonor. This is the one who has chosen
his people. in Him, in the Lord Jesus Christ,
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy
and without blame before Him in love. This is who spoke to
Jeremiah. And for everyone that knows him,
this is who speaks to you. Now, concerning the great God,
the Lord, that we love and serve, I'd like for us to look for just
a few minutes about three precious promises, truths, concerning
him and his remembrance. That's what he said in Jeremiah
2.2. He said, you tell, you put in
the ears of my people the true Jerusalem. I remember thee. Here's the first
precious truth. He has given a precious promise. I remember you. Oh, what a token of love. He
thinks upon his people in mercy and compassion. When Moses said,
Lord, would you show me your glory? Would you show me your glory?"
He said, I'm going to cause all of my goodness. And here's all
of His goodness that He causes to pass before His people. His
Son. His Son. There's the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. You consider what He has said
concerning His remembrance. Now, just for the sake of time,
I encourage you, if you've got a marginal reading there in your
Bible, when He says in verse 2, you've looked these things
up. I looked them up. I can tell you based on what
God says concerning His statement right here. This is what He was
saying. He said in verse 2, you go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem
saying, thus saith the Lord, I remember thee. The kindness
of thy youth. Here's what he was saying. You
run these references right here, and he says, I remember the hatred
that the world has for my people, the Lord's bride, and the faithfulness
that she maintained while in this world. That's what he meant
when he said this. I remember the kindness of thy
youth. Your faithfulness toward me.
Secondly, he said, the love of thine espousals. I remember the
time of love when I called you out of spiritual darkness and
the tender longings that you have for me. I remember. I remember when thou wentest
after me in the wilderness in the land that was not sown. He
said, I remember. the precious trials that I sent,
the trial of your faith wherein you were proven and found by
my grace for you to be faithful. I remember, and my brethren know
that He never changes. The way He's always thought,
He thinks now. God doesn't change. He remembers
His people right now. Eternally, when there were no
depths, no fountains abounding with water, no mountains, He
was ever brought up before Jehovah daily. His delight, the Scripture
says, rejoicing always before Him, that after the creation,
He was ever rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth,
and His delights were with the sons of men. He said, I remember
you. His joy, that blessed remembrance
of those who, as of yet, were not physically born, they were
with Him. And he ever remembered them. That's what he told Jeremiah
in 1 John 5. Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew you. I've always known you, Jeremiah.
You've always been mine. I've always loved you. I've always
looked upon you in mercy. There's never been a time, Jeremiah,
that I didn't look upon you in compassion, in my son. Oh, what
a promise! What a promise! He remembered
them written in the Lord, in the Book, in that Book of Life
that was written from before the foundation of the world.
Psalm 139, 16, here's what the psalmist wrote, and perfectly
are these words of the Lord Jesus Christ, but even to His people,
We say, being found in him, thine eyes did see my substance, yet
being unperfect in thy book, all my members were written,
which in continuance were fashioned. The margin says there in what
days they should be fashioned. All of my members were written,
when as yet there was none of them. Lord, You've always looked
upon me. You've always remembered me."
Whenever the Lord created all these things, made man, even
in the creation, He ever remembered His people. Now listen to this,
Deuteronomy 32.8. This is a... what a revelation of God's purpose,
will, and power. Listen to this. It says, "...the
Most High..." divided to the nations their inheritance, when
he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people
according to the number of the children of Israel." He placed everybody in this world
where he did according to his elect. Why? because he remembered them. Just
like that high priest would go in, tabernacle in the wilderness,
and he bore upon that breastplate that he wore those precious stones
and names of the tribes of Israel, those twelve tribes, written
in those stones upon his heart, a glorious picture of our Lord
Whoever remembers his own, they've ever been on his heart. They've
always been on his mind. They were his Father's gift to
him. My Father gave you to me. I laid down my life for you. I bought you. I purchased you, I redeemed you."
And in time, He gives them a new heart. And in regenerating grace,
they now willingly come to Him, obey Him, love Him, follow Him. He said, I remember you. I know
you. Well, based upon that which our
Lord One spoke to Jeremiah and the one speaks to all his people.
That same way, based upon the remembrance that he has of them
and the surety of the fact that all that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. Based upon that fact, I want
you to listen to the glorious effect that it's going to have
on God's elect. He who remembers His people is
going to give them a heart, Sammy, to do something. He said, they're
going to come. They're going to come. And those
that come to Him, they're going to make a precious request. He gave a precious promise. Now,
I want you to listen to this precious request. Turn with me
to Luke 23. Luke 23. You know this story. You know
exactly what's happening here. Luke 23, based on His power,
based on His will, based on His purpose, not leaving His people
to themselves, those that are made willing in the day of His
power, you listen to this. Luke 23, verse 39, and one of
the malefactors which were hanged, railed on
him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the
other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God? Seeing thou art in the same condemnation,
and we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our
deeds. But this man hath done nothing
amiss, Here is the one who knew no sin. Here is the one who made sin
for us. He who is perfect and holy and
just and good made sin. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me. When thou comest
into thy kingdom, O dear friends and brethren, does not those
words that came from a helpless, dying sinner in himself, does
that plea that he made to the Lord not ring in your heart?
Lord, remember me. Are you drawn by God's Spirit
to come to Him afresh? You know, the Scripture says,
He that cometh, cometh and comes. You know, religion says, I came
to the Lord. I came to the Lord. I was 14,
I was 17, I was 35, 40. I came to the Lord. A believer
says, I'm coming to the Lord. He that cometh to me, That old thief right there hanging
on that cross, he said, Lord, You who have lived for Your people,
establishing their righteousness by Your perfect obedience before
Your law, Lord, would You remember me, Lord? Lord, would You remember
me, and may Your life of righteousness be imputed to this sinner. Lord, would you robe me. Lord,
you who have redeemed your bride, redeem them. I'm watching you. Hang on this cross. You who have
redeemed your elect by your own precious blood, Lord, may your
death, may your blood be my redemption. Lord, you remember me. Lord,
you, whoever liveth to make intercession for your sheep, would you pray
for me? Lord, remember me. Lord, would
you remember me? I know that in me, that is, in
my flesh, I know there dwelleth no good thing. I know that in
myself I deserve, I deserve, to be cast out. That's what I
deserve. I know I have no good works to offer you. I've never done one good thing
before you. All of my hope is bound up in
your mercy. Lord, if I don't lift up my eyes
out of hell in the next few minutes, it's going to be totally because
I found grace in your eyes. Lord, would you remember me?
Lord, here's my dying request. Lord, I'm going to leave this
world in just a few minutes. And you who said of your people,
I remember thee. Lord, for your sake and for my
good, would you remember me? And the one who said, Him that
cometh to me, I will in no wise cast him out, looked at that
dying thief and said, Verily I say unto thee, today shalt
thou be with me in paradise. And that thief could close his
eyes in death and say, he remembered me. He showed mercy to me. And finally, to his regenerated
sheep, here's a precious exhortation. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians
11. 1 Corinthians 11. Verse 24, 25. 1 Corinthians 11, 24, when he had
given thanks, he broke that bread and said, Take eat. This is my
body which is broken for you. This do. in remembrance of me. And after the same manner also
he took the cup when he had sucked, saying, This cup is the New Testament
in my blood. This do ye, as oft as ye drink
it in remembrance of me." Here is our merciful Lord setting
forth how His people is to remember Him. He who is worthy to be remembered,
jealous for His honor. I've given you this illustration
before. That's okay. It's a good one. It's a good one. I'm sure I told you before Brother
Scott died, I was sitting in the study, and he walked in there and he
laid a pocket knife down on my desk. He said, I'm going to give
you this pocket knife right here so that when I'm gone, you can
remember me. And I told him. I said, Scott,
you think I need a pocket knife to remember you? But do you know I can't take
that pocket knife out without remembering Him? He took some bread and broke
it. He took some wine and poured
it. He said, every time you eat this
bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death until
He comes. This do in remembrance of me. Oh, how frail our frame is. Our memories are weak. And we
need to be exhorted to remember Him. We come this morning to
remember the Lord. And when we observe the Lord's
table, we eat that little piece of bread, drink that cup of wine,
and we remember. But one might ask, Are you insinuating
that I would forget Him who never forgets me? You mean forget Him
who's loved us eternally and poured out His blood for our
redemption, salvation? Can that be possible? Yeah. And not only possible, but our
conscience confesses. and owns up to the crime. But listen to this, Revelation
2. Revelation 2, verse 1 to 5. Oh, this precious letter that
was written to the church at Ephesus. Revelation 2, 1 to 5,
"...Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write these things,
saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who
walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, I know thy
works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst
not bear them which are evil. Thou hast tried them which say
they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars, and
hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast labored,
hast not fainted. I have somewhat against thee,
because thou hast left thy first love." Now listen to this precious
word. Remember. Remember. "'Remember therefore
from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first
works, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove
thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.' Oh, He who has promised, I'll
never leave you. I'll never forsake you. Even
when we say, as the bride, when He speaks, and we, by that old
man that still dwelleth in us, well, I've taken my coat off. I've already laid down for the
evening. And he who will not leave us
to ourselves puts his hand in the hole of the door of our heart
and draws us to himself. I remember you. Lord, remember
me, for Christ's sake. Amen.