Most of us are familiar with what Jesus calls the first and great commandment: We are called to love God fully and completely (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Mark 12:28-30). But we are also all very aware of how hard it can be to remain faithful. Thankfully God, in His wisdom, has planned for us to come together each week so we can be reminded of who He is and what He has done and praise Him together. Throughout the Scriptures we see different times that God appointed for His people to come together. One such time for the nation of Israel was the Feast of Tabernacles (Booths). It was an annual feast when the people would praise God and remember His faithfulness and care for them during their time in the wilderness. Psalm 81 was written with the Feast of Tabernacles in mind. It begins with a call to worship, a call for the people to gather and praise God. But what becomes clear as the psalm continues is that God is not pleased with many of the people. Many had forgotten His faithfulness and disobeyed His commands. The majority of the psalm is a call for the people to remember their God and to repent of their unfaithfulness.

We are a people who are prone to forget. We must work hard to remember. The need to remember and not forget is a theme that runs throughout this Psalm. We must remember God’s mercy and faithfulness. The temptation is to forget, which leads to doubt, which turns to unbelief and rebellion. If we are going to remain faithful to God, especially in difficult times, it’s essential that we remember who God is and all that He has done on our behalf. Psalm 78 is often classified as a historical psalm because the majority of the psalm is given to a retelling of the history of the nation of Israel, from their time in Egypt to the reign of King David. But this isn’t history for the sake of records; it’s history with a lesson (Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13). What the psalmist shows throughout the psalm is God’s faithfulness to his people despite their unfaithfulness. He also shows that their repeated rebellion was due in large part to their inability to remember. Another major theme in the psalm is that each generation has a responsibility to teach the next generation about the works and words of God. In the historical section of the psalm we are told of two consecutive generations who were unfaithful. The people not only failed to remember for themselves, but they failed to adequately teach the next generation.

In 586 B.C. the nation of Israel experienced one the most devastating events in their history as a nation. Because of their sin and their rebellion God allowed the Babylonians, under the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar, to take the capitol city of Jerusalem. They tore down the walls, ravaged the city, destroyed the Temple and then burned it (2 Kings 25:8-15). It’s hard to put into words how significant this loss was for the nation of Israel. Jerusalem was the city of God. The Temple was the built as the dwelling place for presence of God. They were a people who had started as slaves in Egypt and who were now a strong nation with a capitol and the presence of God dwelling in their midst. And then it was gone. This city in ruins is the setting for Psalm 74. It’s Psalm of Lament. The psalmist is crying out to God and pleading with Him to remember His people. But while it is rightly called a lament, it is also psalm that displays great trust and confidence in God. God has always been faithful in the past and now the psalmist calls on Him to be faithful once again.

Baptism Sunday - Reminders for those who follow Christ - In preparation for our baptism service we considered Titus 3:1-8. In this passage Paul is telling Titus things that he should make sure the church remembers. In this message we consider three primary things that he is instructed to tell the church by way of reminder.

The Psalms, maybe more than any other part of the Bible, help us to explore the depths of our hearts. They help us put words to our doubts and frustrations, but at the same time they give us reminders of the help and hope we have in God. This is especially true of Psalm 73. In Psalm 73 a man named Asaph expresses a frustration that many have shared. He was a faithful follower of God. In fact, he was a worship leader. But despite his efforts to serve and honor God, his life was marked by difficulty. In addition, as he looked around he saw those who had no regard for God living in prosperity and apparent happiness. In the Psalm Asaph recounts a time of wavering faith and growing doubts. His eyes were locked in on the prosperity of the wicked and he was overcome with envy. His faith was tested and he almost fell away. But in the end, God allows Asaph to regain a proper perspective. Once again he is able to see life from the perspective of eternity and his confidence and contentment in God are restored.

There are few things in life more beautiful than true reconciliation. All of us experience small reconciliations on a regular basis, but to experience a sincere reconciliation after a long or severe separation is very sweet. As Christians we know that every person is born in with an incredible need to reconciled. We are all born separated from God and with rebellion against Him in our hearts. And yet, even though we caused the separation, God has initiated reconciliation. God did what was necessary to see our relationship with Him restored; and He did so at great cost to Himself. But while those who believe have experienced this incredible reconciliation, many of us take it for granted. We forget how great a chasm existed and what lengths God went to in order to bring us back into relationship. And not only has He reconciled us, but He has also made us stewards of His great message of reconciliation. We have been called to help those who are still living at odds with their creator, to share with them the hope of reconciliation.

As Christians we all know that we are to serve Christ. We are to give ourselves to others and to the proclamation of the Gospel. And many of us are faithful in this service. But a question that we should ask ourselves regularly is: why are we serving? What’s driving us? What’s motivating our service for Christ? While most of us know the right things say, the truth is that it can be very easy to give in to selfish and sinful motivations. We may serve for recognition or respect. Out of guilt or obligation. Trying to earn the blessing of God. With this in mind, it’s important for us to consider what should motivate our efforts for Christ. In 2 Corinthians 5:11-17 we are given a look into some of the things that motivated Paul in his ministry. While it’s not an all-inclusive list, this passage reminds us of three things that should impact the how and why of our service for Christ.

As we follow the story of the Apostle Paul it’s unbelievable to consider all that he endured for the cause of Christ. Beatings, whippings, being stoned, shipwrecked, betrayed and the list goes on and on. In order to see the Gospel spread Paul was literally laying down his life. Earlier in 2 Corinthians 4 he says that he was afflicted, perplexed, persecuted and struck down. He also says that he shares in the sufferings of Christ and is being put to death in order that Christ would be made known. For all that Paul suffered surely he would have been tempted to despair. No doubt he could have questioned God’s plan and His goodness. But instead Paul’s consistent testimony and his refrain is we do not lose heart. Through it all he maintains a confident hope and trust in God. While most of us will never face even a fraction of what Paul endured, we all know what it’s like to be hit hard by life. Sometimes it happens all at once, other times it builds with one difficulty after another coming like waves. In these times we have to ask the question: How do we maintain hope and trust in God? While Paul is speaking of his sufferings for the cause of Christ, there is application for all of us, regardless of the cause of our suffering. We can learn from the way Paul trusted God and maintained his hope in God’s perfect and eternal plan.

As Paul writes to the Corinthians one thing that he wants to make clear is the infinite worth of the message of salvation. In 2 Corinthians 4:7 he refers to the Gospel as the treasure of God. It’s a treasure of immeasurable value, and yet it’s a treasure that God has placed into jars of clay. It’s vivid picture. Jars of clay in Paul’s time were cheap, unimpressive, temporary containers. They weren’t made to be attractive or strong. And yet this is what Paul calls Christians, jars of clay. God places within us the beautiful, priceless message of salvation. And He uses us, in all of our mess and in all of our weakness, to proclaim Him. As Christians we should be overwhelmed that God has chosen to use us to share His message with the world. Paul certainly considered it a high calling (2 Corinthians 4:1-6). But what Paul also makes clear is that as jars of clay, God’s power is revealed in our weakness. Paul was one of the greatest missionaries of all time, but his life and his ministry were marked by suffering and pain (2 Corinthians 11:24-28). That said, through all of his suffering Paul was sure of this: God is faithful and He will use our suffering and sacrifices for His sake, as a means of showing His power and reaching others with the truth.

The Apostle Paul is a great example of someone who never lost his sense of awe at the mercy and grace that he had receive from God. Like all of us Paul was born in sin, but unlike most of us his defiance against God became very public. Before God changed his heart Paul had given himself to persecuting followers of Jesus. So as Paul reflects on God’s mercy and forgiveness he stands in awe (1 Timothy 1:12-16). And, not only did God save him, but God called Paul to be one of the leading witnesses for Christ of all time