Luke 2:19
Dec 16, 2018 AM
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland
I. Introduction (Matthew 16:5-10)
A. Christians are too quick to forget the goodness’s of God
1. The apostles forgot how marvellous it was just being with Jesus and panicked
2. They forgot about Christ’s great care of them and of everyone
3. Never letting anything happen out of His control
B. God gave us a memory for good reason
1. It is how we learn – precept upon precept
2. It reminds us to believe God
3. It is why we can praise and be thankful to God – no memory, means no reasons
4. It is how we measure time – not just the ticking of a clock
5. Memories are what we can enjoy when we have nothing else (Pro 15:15) All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.
C. A Christian’s memory is usually a good thing – what comes us into our thinking, and the things that we remember from our past
D. But sometimes memories can be a curse
1. We mainly keep so many bad memories stored up
2. Remembering a long list of so many hurts, sorrows, losses
3. Especially at Christmas!
E. Did you know that the Bible is a Book of Memories – God’s actions throughout history
1. God makes a promise to remember some things
a. Lev 26:45 But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.
2. He ALSO makes a promise to wonderfully FORGET some things too
a. Heb 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
b. Heb 10:17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
3. They key is learning to do both
4. The Bible is not one sided – only good memories
F. But we NEED to be actively making GOOD memories
G. How do WE make good memories? Especially at Christmas
II. Message
A. Make Special Days Special on Purpose (Exod 12:14; 13:3)
1. God told the nation of Israel to make the Passover a day to remember
2. Actually told them to remember Seven feasts
3. Christmas - The angels made Jesus’ birthday a special day to remember
4. Birthdays and anniversaries – good memories
5. What memories are our children and grandchildren making?
6. Resurrection – Made the first day of the week more important and more memorable than the Sabbath
7. Remember to make Sunday a memory day too (Exod 20:8)
8. A special day can be any and even every day (Rom 14:5) One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
9. The tendency is for people to have less and less special days – that’s okay, but don’t neglect to have SOME special days
a. Where you invite people to a celebration, and minister to and be a blessing to others simply because it is a day you want to make into a memory
b. Like when your son comes home (Luke 15:20-25)
c. I guarantee you that THAT day was never forgotten. It was a wonderful memory for everyone in that house… except the older brother! Sad
10. Mary the mother of Jesus was good at this (Luke 2:16-19)
B. Make Room for Good Memories (2Cor 10:5)
1. We are very prone to hold onto the memories of past hurts, and disappointments and even failures
2. Those are memories, but they have too much prominence
3. Often, we truly believe that those events define who we are
a. An addiction
b. A failure in marriage
c. Financial ruin
d. Stupid decisions
4. And so we constantly replay those kind of memories over and over and over until they are burned into our thinking
5. It is important to dethrone them
6. Can’t cast them OUT but you can cast them down!
7. Cast down wrong memories – strongholds
8. Remember to forget some things (Philp 3
a. In other words, don’t remember everything
b. And the things that hurt so much, NEED to be forgiven and forgotten by the help of the Spirit of God
9. So, Make room for some better memories
10. I heard an example of a marriage counsellor on a radio talk show
a. And this woman called in and said she was just constantly depressed because of her boyfriend dumping her. She described being suicidal, and unable to work, and totally defeated.
b. He sat and listened to her go on and on and on, and when she said, Well?
c. He said, I am going to give you ONE word that is the answer to your problem.
d. She said ONE WORD?
e. Yep! One word. You will put down your phone and go open the front door to your house and at the top of your lungs scream as loud as you can, NEXT! Tell the world you are expecting men to line up for interview! And you are going to move on and enjoy companionships again, and start making relationships again!
f. She laughed and then laughed some more and then realised she hadn’t laughed in a long time
11. I think that is priceless!
a. The devil causes us to focus on our hurts, and convinces us we have be mortally wounded, and cannot ever get over it
b. When God says, we have made that event, that hurt, that failure bigger than it actually is in God’s kingdom
c. And you need to get up and shout NEXT!
d. Open the door to your heart and life and make room for some good memories
C. Organise your Heart and Mind with the Bible (Psalm 119:11)
1. We often have so much stuff coming into our heads that we don’t know what to do with it all
2. The media, and TV and Facebook don’t help – overwhelm us with covetousness, and more disappointments
3. But the Bible has a way of organising our thoughts and our understanding so that whatever comes at us can be filtered and handled
D. Remember PEOPLE more than duties (Luke 10:38-42)
1. Technology has taken over the family and people
2. We are so prone to seek to have a thing that does stuff
3. Alexa “obeys” our command
4. My iPhone connects me to the world
5. Yet our families do not know one another – do not know where they came from, and what everyone is going through
6. People are afraid to talk about life, and God, and politics, and death
7. Make people important
8. Sit with people
9. Listen to people around you this Christmas
10. Do not be like Martha – cumbered about, and panicking
11. Just fix something simple to eat and the sit down and talk and laugh and sing and listen
12. And especially remember the Lord Jesus at this time of year – more than anything else
a. Shopping
b. Fixing dinners
c. Running around
d. All the parties and activities
e. Keep It Simple Saints (KISS)
E. Keep a Journal - Write down and review the works of God (Ex 13:14)
1. The Passover was an event that encouraged people to review the goodness of God
2. To allow people to ask what is so special about this day? (Exod 12:26,27)
3. Nehemiah did this when he wrote the Book of Nehemiah
4. Elihu wrote down a journal for Job to remember what God taught him through his disaster
5. David kept a journal through all HIS troubles and blessings – that journal is called the Psalms
6. Matthew wrote down a journal of all that Jesus said and did with him, as did mark, and Luke and John (John 21:25)
7. The Book of Acts was Luke keeping a journal of all the wonderful things God allowed to happen to him and Paul and the other early believers
8. Nobody may ever read it, but for YOU, it will be good memories
F. Anchor everything to your walk with God (Micah 6:8)
1. Instead of every event just coming out of the blue…
2. Make every day a walk with God, so then, whatever happens, is seen as it truly is – as having come from God’s hand
3. Too many of our memories are made when we feel alone
4. Don’t ever allow yourself to feel alone
5. Experience everything with the Lord’s presence
a. Heb 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
b. Ps 16:8 I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
c. Ps 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
d. Psalm 139:1-12
G. Do something worth remembering! (Mark 14:3-9)
1. It will be sad if you only sit in front of the TV or on your phone all Christmas
2. You don’t have to buy something incredibly expensive
3. Just do something incredibly nice for someone else
a. That’s what GOD did when he gave His only begotten Son
b. That’s what God does every day when he raises the sun upon the good and the evil
c. Rom 12:20,21 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
d. Just be a blessing to others!
H. Allow your pastor to ALWAYS put you in remembrance! (2Pet 1:12-15)
1. That means, put you in “remembrance mode” in your mind
2. Stirring up your PURE minds, not the filthy memories or thoughts
3. Asking you to recall your salvation (1Cor 15:2) By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
4. Asking you to recall how Good God always has been
5. How RIGHT God is
6. How wonderful heaven will be
7. How important souls are
8. How precious good memories are!
Conclusion