Would you turn with me to 1 Samuel
chapter 12? I want to read the first part
of verse nine. and when they forget the Lord
their God. Let's pray. Lord, we come into your presence
in the name of thy son. And Lord, we are amazed, we shouldn't
be, but we're amazed that we can so easily be guilty of this
sin that we could forget you. And Lord, we ask that you would
forgive us and that you would cleanse us and that you would
speak in power to our hearts from your word. Lord, bring thyself to our remembrance. Lord, we pray for grace to worship. Oh, may we see something of the
glory of the Redeemer and see something of His beauty and His
glory and enable us to worship Him. Oh, Lord, we ask that you would
forgive us of our sins there ever before us. And Lord, how
we thank you that they're not before you because of the blood
of thy blessed son. Oh, Lord, the power of his precious
blood. We give thanks. I'd be with all
your people, wherever they meet together and grant us. A true
spirit of worship, unite our hearts together to fear your
name in Christ's name. We pray. Amen. Now this is still Samuel's farewell
address and the official coronation of Saul as king. Let's begin
reading in verse six. And Samuel said to the people,
it is the Lord that advanced Moses and Aaron and the brought
your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. What a blessing that
is. Now therefore stand still that
I may reason with you before the Lord of all the righteous
acts of the Lord which he did to you and to your fathers."
Wouldn't it be something if you and I, by the grace of God, would
be enabled to stand still and listen, just like Samuel told
these people to do? Verse 8, when Jacob was coming
to Egypt, your fathers cried unto the Lord. Then the Lord
sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt
and made them dwell in this place." I want to try to concentrate
next week on this concept of the fathers crying to the Lord. How many times did David say,
I cried to the Lord? That's what I want to try to
deal with next week. I've just been thinking about it and reading
what the Bible has to say about it. But look what verse nine
says. And when they forgot the Lord their God, He sold them
into the hand of Caesarea, captain of the host of Hazor, and into
the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king
of Moab, and they fought against them. When they forgot the Lord,
this is what grabbed my attention, they forgot the Lord their God. And I would like to spend the
remainder of our time considering that, I don't know what I'd call
it, concept, issue, they forgot the Lord their God. Now this is something that we
do on a daily and on an hourly basis. We forget the Lord our
God. Every time we sin, we are forgetting
the Lord. Every time we worry, how often
you do that, we are forgetting the Lord. Every time we grow
angry and impatient with someone, we are forgetting the Lord. Anytime we are judgmental of
anybody on any level, we are forgetting the Lord. Anytime
we become desirous of this world and the things of it, we are
forgetting the Lord. Anytime we try to defend ourselves,
we are forgetting the Lord. the Lord. I was thinking about
the Lord where it says regarding Him when He was reviled. He reviled
not again. Now this statement regarding
forgetting the Lord is found numerous times regarding the
children of Israel. How quickly they would forget
the Lord. Now how quickly you and I forget
the Lord. How often are we not even considering
him? And I know it's much harder for
you than me because my job is to go into study and read the
Bible all day, you know, and study. And so I'm in a different
position. But I remember when I had to
work, whatever that's supposed to mean. I worked once, but I
remember I would go all day long, and that night I'd go to bed
and realize, I haven't even thought about the Lord. All day, I've
been so busy trying to get this done and that done, I didn't
even think about the Lord. Now, how is it, what's this all
about? How quickly we forget the Lord.
Now, preaching is to bring things to our remembrance because we
forget so quickly. That's what preaching is all
about. Let me show you that in 2 Peter chapter 1. And while you're turning there,
why do we take the Lord's table? You remember what the Lord said?
This do in remembrance of me. That's why we observe the Lord's
table. Now look at what Peter says In
verse 12 of 2 Peter chapter 1, he says, Wherefore, I will not
be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things,
though you know them. and be established in the present
truth. Yea, I think it meet as long as I'm in this tabernacle
to stir you up by putting you in remembrance." Now that's what
preaching is about. It's putting us in remembrance
of who God is, who we are, how he saves, because we forget so
quickly. They forgot the Lord their God. The work of God the Holy Spirit
in John 14 chapter 26 is said to bring to remembrance whatsoever
He has spoken." Now there you think of the work of God the
Spirit to bring things to our remembrance. The purpose of preaching
to bring things to our remembrance. The purpose of the Lord's table
to bring things to our remembrance. Now upon the surface it seems
a sin that a believer could not do. Forget their Savior? Now think about that. to forget their savior? The one who stood as my surety
and said, all you require of him, look to me for. The one
who came and lived for me and kept the law for me? and worked
out a perfect righteousness for me? The one who actually took
my sins upon himself and suffered the wrath of God for me? The
one who was raised from the dead for me? The one who even right
now sits at the right hand of the Father and never forgets
me? Never ever have I been outside
of his thoughts. He never forgets me to forget
him. How is that possible? You can
see it with an unbeliever because he has no love for Christ. Christ
has never made himself known to the unbeliever and he's never
done anything for the unbeliever. They don't even want to remember
Christ, but the believer? Yet how often does the Lord say
they forgot? They forgot the Lord, their God. Now, why? Why? Well, that really is easy to
answer. I hope we all believe this. Because we right now, presently,
have an evil nature. Do you believe that about yourself?
That you have an evil nature? I mean desperately evil. I mean
as bad as a devil. That's the kind of evil nature
I'm talking about. An evil nature which makes us easily distracted
by other things that cry for our attention. You believe that
about yourself? Well, I hope you do because it's
so. It's just so. Turn with me for
a moment to Mark chapter eight. This is the passage of scripture
that I think was brought to my mind about this thing of forgiving
the Lord. Mark chapter eight. Verse one. In those days, the
multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus
called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, I have compassion
on the multitude, because they've now been with me three days,
and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away, fasting
to their own houses, they'll faint by the way, for divers
of them came from far. And his disciples answered him,
from whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in
the wilderness? Now just a few days before, He
fed 5,000 people, and they witnessed it. And it almost sounds like
an unbeliever speaking here, doesn't it? I mean, you think
could a believer possibly speak this way? There's actually an
irreverence to the Lord Jesus when they make this statement.
From whence can a man supply for these? Oh, this is not just
a man, this is the God-man. He can do it, but how soon they
forgot. They actually forgot that He
did this. Now, pick up reading in verse 14 of chapter 8. Now the disciples
had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship
with them more than one loaf. And He charged them, saying,
Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the leaven
of Herod. And they reasoned among themselves,
saying, It's because we have no bread. You know how stupid they seem
sometimes. I mean, just stupid. Well, that
pictures you and I, doesn't it? Just plumb dumb. The things they
came up with, you know, it's because we have no bread. I think
when the Lord said, have I been so long time with you, and yet
hast thou not known me? How long am I going to suffer
this? I think of the Lord being, at any rate, Verse 17, And when Jesus knew
it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread?
Perceive ye not, neither understand? Have your hearts yet hardened? Having eyes, see ye not? Having
ears, hear ye not? Do you not remember? Evidently they didn't. What happens? Where does this
come from that we forget? And the way I have tried to deal
with this, I looked up all these verses of scripture where it
says they forgot the Lord. Now, do you realize that you are guilty
greatly of this particular sin? Do I realize that I greatly am
guilty of this particular sin, forgetting the Lord? Why? I've got Eight reasons I found
in the scripture. First turn to Deuteronomy chapter
6. Now you think of what a horrible
thing it is to forget the Lord. Why would we do that? Look in
verse 10. And it shall be when the Lord
thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware
unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give
thee great, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou
buildest not, and houses full of all good things, which thou
fillest not, and wells digged, which thou diggest not, vineyards
and olive trees, which thou plantest not, when thou shalt have eaten
and be full. Then beware, lest thou forget
the Lord." Fullness, prosperity, and lack
of need. It's the same thing as the church
at Laodicea. Remember what the Lord said to
them? He said, you're rich. You say
you're rich. and increased with goods and
have need of nothing and you don't realize that you are poor
and wretched and miserable and naked and blind. Now when is
it that the children of Israel forget the Lord? When everything
is going so well. Fullness, prosperity, No trials. Everything that we have was given
to us, but we forget somehow and think it came from us. And he said, when you're in that
position, beware. This is a very dangerous time.
You know, when you're in trouble, you're always crying to the Lord.
But when everything is going well, beware, lest you forget
the Lord. Look in Deuteronomy chapter 8,
verse 11. Verse 10, when thou hast eaten
and are full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the
good land which he giveth thee. Beware that thou forget not the
Lord thy God in not keeping his commandments and his judgments
and his statutes, which I command thee this day, lest when thou
hast eaten and are full and has built goodly houses and dwelt
therein, and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy
silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied,
then your heart be lifted up. pride, and thou forget the Lord
thy God." Now, I want us to think for just a few, a minute, about
how unreasonable pride is. Everything you have, God gave
to you. Everything I have, God gave to
me. And to be proud That's the most
unreasonable, obnoxious thing. And it's in every one of our
hearts. God hates it. But that's what
causes people to forget the Lord when they start thinking they
have something to do with where they're at and what they have. Look in Deuteronomy chapter 9. Here's another reason why we
forget the Lord. Verse 7. Remember and forget
not how thou provokest the Lord thy God to wrath in the wilderness
from the day that thou didst depart out of the land of Egypt
until you came into this place. You've been rebellious against
the Lord. Now he says from the very first time that I did anything
for you up to this present time, you've been rebellious. You've
been filled with sin. Don't forget that. Turn with
me to James chapter one. This is the same thing. James
chapter one. Verse 22 or verse 21. Wherefore, lay apart all filthiness
and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the
engrafted Word which is able to save your souls. But be ye
doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
For if any be a hearer of the Word, and not a doer, he is like
unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass, a mirror. For
he beholdeth himself, and goes his way, and straightway forgets
what manner of man he was." Now, if I behold myself in the mirror
of the Word, how am I going to see myself? Ugly. Sinful. And what a horrible thing it
is when I go away and forget that. Because when I forget that,
that's when I forget Christ. That's when I forget my need
of Him. You know, it's such a blessing to be enabled to hear the gospel
as a sinner. Whenever I lose that, I don't
hear the gospel. I hear words that I might agree
with, but I don't hear the gospel. And you forget, I forget the
Lord when we forget what we are. And I love the way the Lord said
to them, from the first time right up till now, there's never
been a time when you've been anything but that. Now, somebody
says, well, what about growing in grace? What about, don't believers
overcome certain things? Don't they become better people?
Well, I guess in some respects, in some respects, I don't do
some of the things I used to do. I'm thankful for that. I
tell you this, right now, I am more aware of my need of free
grace than I have ever been. And I'm more aware of my own
personal utter weakness and sinfulness than I've ever been. And I'm
also more aware of my need of Christ doing everything for me
than I've ever been. Thank God that he keeps me aware
of my need of him. And I ask him to keep me that
way. Don't ask the Lord to deliver you from not being aware of your
personal present sinfulness. Beware lest there be in any of
you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living
God, but exhort one another daily while it's called today lest
any of you be heartened through the deceitfulness, the deceitful
character of sin that makes you think you're better than you
really are and prevent you from looking to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now we forget the Lord when we forget what manner of man we
are. Turn to Revelation chapter 2.
What causes people to forget? Now, he had been commending the
church at Ephesus in a very high way. I love this. He says to
them, I know your works and your labor and your patience and how
thou canst not bear them which are evil, and thou hast tried
them which say they are apostles and are not, and you found them
liars. That's a high commendation, isn't it? I'd like for the Lord
to be able to say this about this church. But look what he
says next. You've borne and had patience and for my name's sake,
you've labored and not fainted. What a high commendation. Nevertheless,
I have somewhat against thee because you've left your first
love." You know, I love to preach to
people when I perceive they're in their first love. It's a joy. I want to be somebody who's in
my first love. all the time. But he says to the Ephesians,
you've left your first love. It's kind of similar to the last
point. You don't hear the gospel the way you once did. You've
left your first love. Now what does he say to do? Verse
5, remember. Remember therefore from whence
thou art fallen and repent and do the first works or else I'll
come to thee quickly and remove thy candlestick out of its place,
except thou repent." Now, what are the first works? Now, I do
know this. I can remember how I first heard the gospel's gospel.
I do remember that. And when I first heard the gospel's
gospel, I didn't have any evidences to make me think I was saved. I didn't have anything about
me that gave me any comfort at all. And when I first heard the
gospel, I knew that Christ must be all in my salvation. And I
believed him to be. I really, that is hearing the
gospel in your first love. And then when you depart from
that, and Ephesus did. Where's the church at Ephesus
today? He said, if you don't repent, I'll remove your candle. So, may the Lord deliver us from
losing our first love. And look what he said to the
church at Sardis in Revelation chapter 3. And unto the angel of the church
at Sardis write, These things saith he that hath the seven
spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your works, that
you have a name, that you live. Talking about a reputation. You're
living in the past. You're thinking about the way
it used to be to give you present assurance right now. I remember
when I was touched, when I was moved by a message. I can remember when I was just
overwhelmed and smitten by this message. I must be saved because
that happened. That's looking the wrong direction.
Now understand this. If I have to look Back one second
for assurance. It's a false assurance. I look
to Christ right now. I'm not living in the past by
the grace of God. And this is what he's warning
the church at Sardis. You're living in the past. You
have a name that you live. You're looking on how you used
to be. And that's what happened to them.
They had a name that they live and you're dead. Now look what
he says to do. Verse 2, be watchful and strengthen the things which
remain that are ready to die for I've not found your works
perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast
received and heard. Hold fast and repent. Remember how you received. How
did you receive? Freely. Freely. You knew. How did you
hear? Get out of the past is what he's
saying. Get out of the past. That will cause someone to forget
the Lord because you're looking to a past experience. You're
looking to a past feeling. You're looking somewhere other
than the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn with me to Jeremiah chapter
3, verse 21. Verse 20, surely as a wife treacherously
departed from her husband. So have you dealt treacherously
with me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord. A voice was heard upon
the high places, weeping and supplications of the children
of Israel, for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten
the Lord their God. Now, what is the reason for forgetting
the Lord? Treachery. Treachery. That's a strong word, isn't it?
Just as a treacherous woman departs from her husband or a treacherous
husband departs from his wife and enters into an illicit wrong
relationship, that is precisely what you've done with me. You
forgot the Lord. I think that's a good word to
describe this, don't you? Treacherous. Treacherous. And look in Deuteronomy
4, Deuteronomy chapter 4, verse 9. Only take heed to yourself. You know, I was thinking about
this. If I would obey this command,
I wouldn't have time to have to worry about the things you're
doing. I wouldn't even think about them if I would take heed
to this to myself. only take heed to yourself. And keep thy soul diligently,
lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest
they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life. But teach
them thy sons and thy son's son." Lack of watchfulness. lack of watchfulness. I want
to watch over my soul, don't you? I want the Lord to be the
one who calls me to do it. But I want to watch over my soul
with this thing of forgetting the Lord. And the last thing
I thought of was Hebrews 13, 16, where it says, to do good
and to communicate, forget not. There's that word forgetting.
To do good, to be merciful, to be gracious, to do people good.
to communicate, to give, forget not, for with such sacrifices
the Lord is well pleased. When we forget, quite often it's
because of an unwillingness on our part to sacrifice. Pretty
simple, isn't it? It's an unwillingness on our
part to sacrifice, therefore we conveniently forget. Oh, may the Lord make us to where
it's no sacrifice. Whatever we do for Him, it's
no sacrifice. Now, which one of these things,
I've named these eight things, which one of these things have
I not been guilty of? I've been guilty of every one of them.
May the Lord bring Himself to our remembrance, keep Himself
in front of us, and deliver us from forgetting Him. and deliver us from forgiveness.
We will not forget Him if we don't forget we're sinners. It
really is that simple. May the Lord keep that. Not just
that we're sinners, but I'm not talking about wallowing in your
self-deprecation and so on. That's not what I'm talking about
at all. But as I am nothing but a sinner, it's so easy to look
to Christ. And anytime I'm not, every issue
becomes clouded. May the Lord enable us to do
just that. Not forget Him.