Lest We Forget

 Temple Baptist Church - 7-14-2024

Deuteronomy 6:10-12

 

Introduction: 

 

A.  I did not get to preach this last week because of Revival services so I want to go back to Independence Day this morning.  I love America and only desire the best for our country.  “This man was born there” is found more than once in your Bible.  I love the song, “This is MY country.” 

 

1.  We live in perilous last days as we see prophecy in the Bible fulfilled around the world.

 

2.   Danger because the major “actors” nationally (Russia, China, Iran specifically) in the end times are so prominent and powerful.  Godless nations of the last days.

 

3.  The perpetual decline of America over the past 100 years.  From morality to immorality.  From the intended Republic, which protects the minorities to a democracy that is mob rule. 

 

4.  I am not politicking, but everyone deeds to go to the polls in November, do their best to make a difference in our nation.

 

5.  The list could go on and on but most of us see the decline that has been so evident in our lifetime.  Our children will never know the America that we old people grew up in.

 

B.  This morning, I want to take a text out of the Book of Deuteronomy that are familiar to us.

 

C.  Deuteronomy means “second giving of the law.”  The Jews refer to Deuteronomy as  "Mishneh Torah:" the repetition of the law. 

 

D.  In Sunday School, we are in the Book of Deuteronomy.  God is about to give Israel the Land of Canaan.

 

E.  In verse 12, God admonishes Israel not to forget some things:

 

1.  God brought Israel out of Egypt with a high hand.

 

2.  God sustained Israel in the desert for 40 years where they did not thirst, hunger, nor did their raiment was old. 

 

3.  God would give them cities they did not build, houses filled with that which they did not bring, wells they did not dig, as well as vineyards and olive trees which they did not plant.

 

F.  They would inherit the land through the blessings and promises of God.  Here they are!  They are leaving the wilderness for the Promised Land which is truly a land flowing with “milk and honey.”  Now, the Lord warns them against forgetting the Lord when they take the land and begin to enjoy the blessings.

 

G.  We just celebrated the Fourth of July a few days ago and I believe that we can make some tremendous applications in these verses to America and the blessings that the Lord has bestowed upon us.

 

2 Peter 1:1-3  Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 2  Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

 

H.  We have so much while so many have so little.  The lesson is for us as well as Israel: “Beware lest thou forget!” 

 

1.  The danger here is evident within the context.  A time will come when war is over, inheritance is secure, blessings not paid for by the following generation will cause a forgetting of the price paid and an attitude of entitlement.

 

2.  A possibility of forgetting will become a probability of forgetting.

 

J.  Here we now sit! A Possibility to everyone here and a Probability to many.  This generation has paid no price for the blessings given them by the ones who paid the price.   NEVER FORGET!

 

1.  “Beware Lest We Forget!”  Let Us Not Forget Our National Blessings! 

 

a.  America Is A Good Land!  We live in the greatest nation in the world!  There is none like it anywhere!  I have been overseas to industrialized nations and they cannot compare to America.  I have been to third world countries, and they certainly cannot come close to this great land.  Thank you, Lord, for America!

 

b.  America Is A Beautiful Land!  Many people fly around the world to see the great sights, but none can compare to the beauty and glory of America.  From the mountains with their majesty to the plains with their flowing wheat and grain; from the national parks such as Yellowstone, Yosemite, The Great Smoky Mountains, Sequoia National Park, Great Sur, Niagara Falls, the hills and valleys to the costal plains, America is a land of great beauty!

 

c.  America Is A Fruitful Land!  America is a land of plenty!  America is looked upon by the entire world as a “Utopia” filled with filthy rich people.  We have to build fences to keep them out, not to keep them in!

 

d.  America Is A Free Land!  America enjoys the freedom of travel, speech, religion, and the pursuit of happiness!  You can go where you want to go, say what you want to say, worship or not worship, and be what you want to be.  America is a free land!

 

Beware lest we forget our National Blessings!

 

2.  “Beware, Lest We Forget!”  Let Us Not Forget Our Personal, Physical Blessings! 

 

a.  We Have Homes In Which To Live!  We live in houses while the world lives in huts!  We have central heat and air while they do not even have glass windows or wooden doors.  We are rich beyond their comprehension.

 

b.  We Have Clothing To Wear!  Our closets are full of clothes and shoes.  You women worry about wearing the same outfit two weeks in a row!  Our children do not have to run around naked in the streets.  Our closets are full.  We are blessed!

 

c.  We Have Plenty To Eat!  We eat like no other people in the world!  Restaurants on every street corner; grocery stores all over town; cabinets and pantries full!  When is the last time that we have prayed for our “daily bread?”  We fight obesity instead of starvation!  We are blessed!

 

d.  We Have Money To Spend!  We may not all be millionaires, but we have more than enough!  Bro. Loyal Kuykendall used to say, “I had rather have two rocks in my pocket than a dollar bill that I have no where to spend.”  We waste more money on soft drinks than the world has to live on.  We are blessed!

 

e.  We Have Safety To Dwell In Peace!  We do not worry about car bombs, suicide bombers, Gestapo Police, or soldiers doing us harm.  When was the last time you have been personally attacked?  In many nations, these are normal occurrences.  We live in safety and are blessed!

 

3.  “Beware, Lest We Forget!”  Let Us Not Forget Our Spiritual Blessings! 

 

a.  We Have The Gospel Preached!  We have heard all of our lives—numerous times—the gospel that the world has never heard once!  Dr. Harold Sightler once said, “No man has the right to hear the gospel twice until the whole world has heard it once.”

 

b.  We Have Salvation Through The Blood Of Christ!  We are saved by His precious blood!  His blood is on the Mercy Seat in Heaven and my sins are gone!  We are saved eternally! 

 

c.  We Have The Lord As Our God!  He walks with me and talks with me!  He never leaves nor forsakes; He meets my every need; He controls my circumstances and my life; He is my Lord and My God!

 

d.  We Have His Perfect Word!  The King James Bible!  We have it and know what it is.  We can read it and study it as much as we desire.  We find salvation, comfort, rest, guidance, and hope within its blessed covers.  We are blessed!  Most of the world does not know what a Bible looks like because they have never seen one.

 

e.  All This And Heaven Too!  We will leave the “heaven” of America for the Heaven of God one day and live in eternal happiness with the Lord.

 

4.  “Beware, Lest We Forget!”  Let Us Not Forget Our Spiritual Heritage! 

 

a.  To Remember Where God Brought Us From!  He saved us from a life of destruction!  He has saved us from sin!

 

b.  To Remember What God Has Brought Us Through!  He has cared for us and carried us all of our saved lives!  He will carry us home to be with Him one day and we will say, “The Lord is always good!”

 

c.  To Remember What God Has Done For Us!  He led, He fed, He watered, He clothed, He protected!

 

d.  To Remember What God Is Going To Do For Us!  Vs. 16 – “To do thee good at they latter end!”

 

e.  To Remember That We Are To Share Christ With Others!  Then they can know!  Then the can be saved!’  Then they can go to Heaven!

 

5.  Beware lest we forget our Spiritual Obligations! 

 

a.  We need to Pray for our Nation.

 

b.  We need to Pray for our Leaders.

 

c.  We need to be Proactive in our Politics.  Every vote counts.

 

Conclusion:  We have been greatly blessed to be born in America with all of its physical and spiritual benefits but there is a danger of forgetting!  America needs to bless God!  You and I need to bless God!