Sermon – “Remember”

11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” 13 Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’ 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; 17 and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’

14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”[a] And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord,[b] the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

7 “Remember the days of old, Consider the years of many generations. Ask your father, and he will show you; Your elders, and they will tell you:

11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations.

He is always faithful. He is forever he is eternal God amen. This morning a message out titled remember. That Karen asked last night what you preach and what’s the name your message does said Remember she says remember what. I said well first of all we remember GOD and we remember those who gave it all we remember those who served not just those who served and died but all those that served we want to remember this is Memorial Day weekend you know it is a federal holiday in United States and it’s for remembering the people that served in the armed forces all of them you know this holiday is a it is observed every year the last Monday in May It originated though as Decoration Day. A day where they would go out and they would decorate the graves of all the fallen they put flags on the graves. It originated and it was originated by the American civil or after the American civil war in sixty eight hundred sixty eight when the Grand Army of the republic an organization of Union Veterans founded in Decatur Illinois and they have stablished it as a time to decorate degrades but by the twentieth century competing Union Confederate holiday traditions celebrated on different days it merged into Memorial Day and eventually extended to honor all Americans who died in the entire service not just one side or the other all who served in the military. And it also marks for us the official start of summer vacation. But it’s more than just about starting the summer vacation it’s about honoring it’s about respecting those who serve those who gave those too. Help us to be able to enjoy the freedoms that we have today that we respect them remember them there’s also tradition at the fly the American flag at half staff from dawn until new Memorial Day. But it is kind of sad that in our modern times our modern Memorial Day it’s become less than an occasion of remembrance and more just an occasion to gather together and have picnics and sporting events and family gatherings and just get an extra day off work with pay. So this Memorial Day Let’s truly take a few moments and remember don’t take for granted. The freedoms that we have in this nation let’s truly honor them let’s remember them remember those that are still with us that have served and be thankful tell them you’re thankful you’re grateful you know I was just set in their thinking and caroms talking about you know our talking about my fellow workers it got furloughed this past week and you know I’ve been in that I’ve been in that place fortunately now for me I’ve been there for many many years thirty seven years and I wasn’t among those but I can remember that day it was back in one thousand nine hundred two or I was one of those young fellas that got furloughed and it is hard you know you have what you think is a steady job and you lose your job but I’m going to say this for me it did turn out to be a good thing because I will say that not that I wasn’t a hard worker but I didn’t have the attitude that I should have had as a young worker to railroad. That two and a half years off when I got back to work I had a much greater respect I didn’t take my job for granted I was more pressure to have of my job and it was also during. In that time you know it’s kind of like you’ve got to hit the low places before you look up it was during that time that we began to seek the Lord and we began to read the Bible we began to search for him and when I’ve got called back to work two and a half years later I went back with a much more persons of attitude and a greater respect for my job and did not take my job for granted so with that much appreciated attitude a few years later in one nine hundred ninety two there was a huge furlough they walked on hundred four people out of there in one day but we heard about it beforehand and I asked one of the bosses I said am I going to be furloughed he says now he says because you’ve got a good attitude you work hard you do what we ask you to do and you get along so now so be respectful be honorable to those and you know respect what we have respect the freedom that we have don’t take it for granted that’s I guess that’s the key this is that was all extra there don’t take it for granted don’t take for granted our freedoms. And honor those who gave us those freedoms last year Memorial Day it seems like I do try to always focus on honoring and remembering somebody and I shared a very heartwarming story from the civil war about a soldier that went through the the fire the the battle to get water for the some that were injured so I guess I might make this a tradition to Sara another heartwarming story but this isn’t about one that was in a battle but it was about the respect and the honor that he showed one of his fallen fallen comrades Here’s a story and it’s called Stop to salute a Memorial Day Captain John rest musician Sayer shares this story I’ll just read it the way he shared it he says. It was raining cats and dogs and I was late for physical training traffic was backed up at Fort Campbell Kentucky and was moving way too slowly probably going to be late and I was growing more and more impatient the place the pace slowed to almost a standstill as I passed Memorial Grove the site built to honor the soldiers who died in the gander airplane crash the worst redeployment accident in history of the one hundred first Airborne Division because because it was post Memorial Day a small American flag had been placed in the ground next to each soldier’s memorial plaque my concern at the time however was getting past the bottleneck getting out of the rain and getting to P.T. on time all the sudden infuriatingly just as traffic was getting started again the car in front of me stopped a soldier a private of course jumped out in the pouring rain and rain over toward the grove I couldn’t believe it this knucklehead was holding up everyone for who knows what kind of prank horns were honking I waited to see the bud chewing that I wanted him to get for making me late. He was getting soaked to the skin his beady yours was plastered plastered to his frame I watched as he ran up to one of the moral plaques picked up the small American flag that had fallen to the ground in the wind and the rain and set it up right again then slowly he came to attention and saluted and ran back to his car and drove off he says I’ll never forget that incident that soldier whose name I will never know taught me more about duty honor and respect than a hundred books or a thousand lectures that simple salute that single act of honoring his fallen fallen brother and his flag a capsulated all the army. Use in one gesture for me it said I will never forget I will keep the faith I will finish the mission I am an American soldier I thank God for examples like that and on this Memorial Day I Will Remember all those who paid the ultimate price for my freedom and one private soaked to the skin who wanted them and quote what an amazing story so this Memorial Day weekend or this Memorial Day If you have to be gone by a cemetery and you see all those flags because we know that thousands will go to the National Cemetery and others that are in cemeteries and put flags out as you drive by don’t just they want you know that your mind wander but think of what each one of those flags represents. The honor that they deserve. So thinking about remembering and thinking about Memorial Day Let’s look to Exodus or scripture for today Exodus three verses eleven through seventeen. But Moses said the God who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt so he said I will certainly be with you and this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you when you have brought the people out of Egypt you shall serve God on this mountain so God is saying to Moses This is he’s at the burning bush that’s where Moses is that when he’s communicating with God about bringing the children of Israel Egypt out of Egypt he says you will serve me you will come back to this very mountain this is where you’ll serve me the Moses said the God Indeed when I come to the children of Israel and they say and say to them the God of your fathers has sent me to you and they say to me what is his name what shall I say to them and God said to Moses I am who I am and he said the. You sell say to the children of Israel I AM has sent me to you moreover God said to Moses. Thus you still say to the children of Israel the Lord God of your fathers the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob has sent me to you this is my name for ever and this is my memorial memorial to all generations how lujah this is Mama Morial to all generations even to this generation today go and gather the Elders of Israel together and say to them the Lord God of your fathers the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and you got God of Jacob appeared to me saying I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and Amorites and parasites and the HIV ites and the jebus lights to a land flowing with milk and honey and I want to read this in the E.S.B. version just two verses verses fourteen and fifteen. God said to Moses I am who I am and he said Say this to the people of Israel I AM has sent me to you God also said to Moses say this to the people of Israel the Lord the God of your fathers the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob has sent me to you this is my name forever and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations Amen May God at its blessings to the hearing and reading of His Holy Word let us take a moment pray Father we do thank you and praise you we thank you that you identify yourself who you are in what you are to us Father that you are the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob we give you praise and. The way for that we thank you Father for your love we thank you for your presence in the Holy Spirit and father may your spirit be present today father touch all of our hearts and may we never forget never forget who you are never forget what you have done for us of all the May we be faithful to always respect you to honor you and that other city the honor that we have for you and the love that we have for you and desire it by just may your spear work in and through us to your glory in Jesus’ name amen. If you look up the definition of memorial you are going to find serving to keep in memory to try to keep in memory a deceased person or an event but also to keep in remember it’s not just a deceased person but a person an event or something like that you know I am not a I’m pretty sure you come up here and you look at this plaque it’s going to say in memory of it’s to try to keep in memory of a special person someone who was near and dear to someone’s heart. And that I am the meaning of these words have been explained in various. Various ways the veil gate translate who goes some some says I am who am. The Septuagint I’m not even going to attempt to say that Greek word well may not be Greek but it’s Greek to me it says I am he who exist. So God It is the I AM who exists the SCIRI can a perfect and a child be preserved the original words without any gloss the Arabic phrases them the eternal who passes not away. Who always was and always will be the Targum of Jonathan and the Druce of them Targum paraphrase the words he who spake. Spake and the world was who spake and all things existed. The original words literally literally signify I will be what I will be God say and I will be what I will be some have suppose that God simply designed to him for Moses’ that he would be to him what he was to the Father Abraham Isaac and Jacob that he would be the same God to the Israelites that he he would for them perform the promises that he had given to Abraham. Abraham Isaac and Jacob are particularly name because it is with Abraham that the covenant was first made remember the covenant that I will bless you in all the world will be blessed three you because it is through the lineage of Abraham that all the world is indeed blessed because it is super Abraham they Christ came so all the world is blessed we today are blessed through Father Abraham. So these three are distinguished among the patriarchs chosen to be the trustees of the covenant. God’s purpose for declaring his name is a great I am who I am. And also as the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob the notes his eternal existence. It distinguishes God from all other gods. It distinguishes him from the God of the Egyptians or the the God of the whatever nation you want all the false gods it did stink wishes him we today worship the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob the God who created all things in first kings eight hundred thirty six. It says and it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening soccer. Fice that he lied to the prophet came near and said Lord God of Abraham Isaac and Israel let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and I am your servant and that I have done all these things at your word do we say that to God Do we say that the Lord I. Am your servant. I am your servant or down listening what would you have me do. God’s covenant relationship to his people is what he will be ever mindful of what he glories in and what he will have us never forget. God wants us never to forget his covenant because his covenant brings forth the righteousness that he has for us to bless us to bless us with a turn a life. Praise God that we will have his name that we have his name that we have his identity it is a memorial for us in all generations. For me as I work on is the most important thing that I can learn from this memorial that God has given his people. As we celebrate this Memorial Day we remember that we’re honoring those who died for our country yes we’re honoring those that are still living that serve but mostly we remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Which try to keep their memories alive we don’t want to forget them we don’t want to forget those who have passed on so with Memorial Day Is there a way to refresh our memories because we don’t ever want to forget them. But here’s the difference with the memorial that God has instituted the memorial that he gave Moses there on that mountain that day it is a living memorial. Amen because my God. God is not dead. Our God is not dead he is alive and well always has been and all ways will be a man so it is a living memorial that we have with our God. Joshua three nine through eleven so Joshua said to the children of Israel come here and hear the words of the Lord your God and Joshua said by this you shall know that the living God is among you and that you will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites it bites and the HIV ites in the parasites in the Gergen sites in the Amorites in a job you cites as a lot of ice back then behold the Ark of the covenant of the Lord and all of the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan that was the sign but he is the living God and he’s fulfilling his covenant promise Joshua will you remembers the one who got the cross over with the children Moses didn’t get to go but he is the Living God remember him first Timothy four nine through eleven this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance for to this end we both Labor and suffer reproach because we trust in the living God. Who is the savior of all men especially of those who believe these things command and teach why did he say these things command and teach. So we will remember so we won’t forget it that’s why we command and teach That’s why we teach us why we disciple that’s why we instruct so that we remember so that our children remember you know we take our children we explain to them what these flags are all about out there in the cemetery. But we tell them about God We tell them about the covenant that God made with Abraham Isaac and Jacob we remind that we remind ourselves. What God has done. So that we were remember. He says this is my name forever and my memorial unto all generations that is to say God would have a man of manifest himself. And the nature expressed by the name Jehovah and by this he would have all generations both to know and revere him. You know taking nothing away from those. Who have gave the ultimate sacrifice for our nation taking nothing away from that we should remember we should honor them. Because if it were not for them we would not enjoy the freedoms that we have in this nation but there are others who need to be remembered remembered also for their sacrifice it is estimated that one hundred thousand Christians are killed each and every year around the world solely because of their faith. One bishop found that daily two hundred seventy three people die for the Christian faith that translates to eleven people every hour of the day. And those numbers do not include those who are threatened those who are discriminated against those who are in prison those are ex out that’s just those are killed for their faith every day my friends there is another war going on and it’s a spiritual battle that’s raging around us every day Saint Messiah trying to snuff out all the believers he’s trying to darkness but we must remember those two that died for their faith remember them on are them and hey Bruce nine sixteen through twenty four said. And this is the most important person to remember remember the sacrifice that he made for where there is a testament there must also in the sesame be the death of a testate or for a testament is in force as. After men are dead since it has no power at all while the test later lives therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood flow and Moses had spoken every precept to all the people cording to the law he took the blood of calves and goats with water scarlet will win his SOP and sprinkle both the book itself and all the people saying this is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you then likewise he sprinkled the blood with the both sprinkle with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry and according to the law in those all things are purified with blood and without the shut in the blood there is no remission therefore it was necessary that the copies of things in heaven should be purified with these but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these for Christ has not entered the Holy Place made with hands which are a copies of the True but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us Jesus Christ appeared for us he died for us he is the I am he is alive remember Him Jesus. Is the I am in John I mean just the Book of John alone six thirty five he says I am the bread of life he who comes to me shall never hunger John eight twelve I am the light of the world my friends we must keep that light burning we must remember him he is a light we must let our light shine and take that light into the darkness John ten nine says I am the door he is the door that we enter into eternity that we enter to the Father through Jesus Christ John fifteen one I am the true vine John ten eleven I am the Good Shepherd remember his sheep recognize his voice he is the good stuff. He is the one he is not a higher lying he watches over his sheep John eleven twenty five I am the resurrection and the life how it will you John fourteen six I am the Way the Truth and the life Jesus two is the great I am he is I am if you’ve read the New Testament you know that every time he called himself the I Am That stirred the fair deal the elders in affairs ease up like nothing else because. They knew that God is the I Am Who I Am. They remember what Moses taught them in the Old Testament that was passed down through the generations the father of Abraham Isaac and Jacob I am who I am so when Jesus said I am that stirred them stirred into anger that they were crucified. But it had to be that we can live because he is the resurrection and the life so remember those who have fallen remember those who have fallen for their faith but most importantly remember God and remember Jesus he said this is a memorial this is who I am I am who I am Amen amen.