INTRODUCTION: This weekend is the time when our country commemorates "Memorial Day." This day, which has more than one possible origin, has been designated as a time when our nation can pause and remember those men and women who laid down their lives to keep us free. It was once known as National Decoration Day, for the practice of putting flowers on the graves of those who served in the military.

As with most of our holidays in the United States, Memorial Day has been turned into an opportunity to take an extra day off for recreation, instead of it's original purpose. This is unfortunate. I think that Memorial Day is still a good idea.

As Christians, we need to take time to remember some spiritual matters.

BODY

I. THE BIBLE GIVES US A NUMBER OF INSTANCES WHERE GOD'S PEOPLE WERE CALLED UPON TO REMEMBER.

A. God's creative power.

1. Exodus 20:8-11 ""Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9- Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10- but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11- For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it."

B. God's salvation.

1. The children of Israel were to remember God's deliverance each day of the Passover feast.

a. Exodus 13:2-4 ""Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine." 3- And Moses said to the people: "Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out of this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten." 4- ""On this day you are going out, in the month Abib."

b. Exodus 12:14- "'So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance."

2. Deuteronomy 5:15- "And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day."

C. God's mercy and severity.

1. Numbers 15:38-40 ""Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. 39 And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the LORD and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, 40- and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God."

2, Deuteronomy 9:7- ""Remember Do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day that you departed from the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD."

3. God's people had a special remembrance of God's goodness and severity.

a. Joshua 8:30-35 on Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal.

A. Alienated from God

1. Colossians 1:21- "And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled"

2. Romans 5:10- "For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."

B. Wallowing in the guilt and mire of sin.

1. Listen to Paul's description of what life was like before Christ, when he sought to keep the Law of Moses perfectly but could not do so.

a. Romans 7:21-25

2. The Psalmist describes the feeling of a person who struggles with the guilt of sin.

a. Psalm 38:4-8

C. Without hope.

1. Ephesians 2:12- "that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world."

A. He became poor so we could become rich.

1. 2 Corinthians 8:9- "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich."

B. He emptied himself so we could be filled.

1. Philippians 2:5-8

C. He took the penalty of sin upon himself so we could be free.

1. Romans 5:18- "Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life."

2. Romans 8:2- "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."

D. He was separated from God so that we might be reunited. 

1. Ephesians 2:14- "For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15- having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16- and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity."

E. He shed his blood so that we could be cleansed.

1. Revelation 5:9-10 "And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10- And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.""

2. Hebrews 13:12- "Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate." 

F. In short, we remember all of these facts when we take of the Lord's Supper each Lord's day.

1. 1 Corinthians 11:24-26 "and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me." 25- In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." 26- For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes."

A. Remember those who died for the faith.

1. Remember Stephen (Acts 7:58-60).

2. Remember James, the apostle (Acts 12:2).

3. Remember those who were beheaded for the faith (Revelation 20:4).

4. Remember Paul, who was ready to be offered (2 Timothy 4:6). History tells us that he was beheaded in Rome.

B. Remember the many who risked their lives, property, and freedom in order to bring the Bible to us.

1. Many, though not New Testament Christians, suffered horribly at the hands of wicked men in the Middle Ages and after in order to print the Bible and get it out to the people.

2. We owe a great debt to such men as Wycliffe, Huss, Luther, and Tyndale.

C. Remember those men and women in our land who called people back to pure New Testament Christianity.

1. We owe a great deal to such men as Thomas Campbell, Alexander Campbell, Barton W. Stone, Moses Lard, J. W. McGarvey, and many others who contended for the ancient faith.

2. We owe so much to such men as David Lipscomb, Foy E. Wallace, N. B. Hardeman, B. C. Goodpasture, Guy N. Woods, Thomas Warren, etc. These men fought to keep the church faithful to New Testament and help to spread the truth all over the United States.

3. Such men as Louis Bell and his father O. S. Bell have worked for years in the St. Louis area to strengthen the church.

4. We should remember those brethren who labored so hard to begin the work at Charbo and Karen. So are gone, some are still alive.

5. All these men had their faults. However, they serve diligently and faithfully to spread the Jerusalem gospel.