Psalm 9:17 – Remember Them, Remember God – Bible study

Psalm 9:17 Remember Them; Remember God Today is a day that we in America remember. We remember those who have given their lives for their country. I do not have an exact number on how many that would be. Wikipedia lists the number at 1,343,812; but I am not sure when that figure was last updated. It is right and just to remember these men and women and the sacrifices that they made. These Americans have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, and every other American owes them a great debt. The smallest possible payment that we can make on that debt is to remember them. On this Memorial Day, we remember and pay tribute to those who gave their lives for the United States of America. At the same time, I want us to consider this Bible verse. The text that I have selected may seem to be at odds with the general thought of this holiday. The point of Memorial Day is to remember. Our text issues a stern warning for forgetting. Those that we are remembering gave their lives that America might continue. The implication of our text is that forgetting God will bring certain destruction to a nation. The emphasis of the holiday and the text do seem to be in conflict, but I dont think they are. Those we are remembering gave their lives that America would endure and be strong. Understand, I am not saying that they were all Christians. I am not saying that they all even believed in our God or any god for that matter. I am just saying that they gave their lives for America. This verse says that in order for America to endure and to be strong, we must not forget God. If this verse is true (and I believe it is), then the best way to give meaning and purpose to the more than 1.3 million men and women who gave their lives for this country, is to remember God. Let us consider what the Scripture means when it tells us to remember God. I. To remember God means to remember that Jehovah is God. A. I am certain that in years gone by, the thought that I am attempting to make would not need to be made. 1. I have said and will continue to say that I am not so naive as to believe that America was or has ever been a totally Christian nation. a. All of us know that those who doubt the existence of God, as well as those who choose to worship others gods have always lived in this land and make up the citizens of America. b. Basic elements in the US Constitution and Bill of Rights imply that to be the case. c. Why would these documents grant rights to people groups that did not exist? 2. However, that being acknowledged, it must also be acknowledged that the vast population of Americans has been, until the last 100 or so years, either Christian or, at the very least, Christian in their tendencies. a. I have often said that there was at one time, a general consensus in this land that there is one God and that the Bible revealed who that God was and how to have fellowship with Him. b. In my opinion, anyone who denies that is simply denying the obvious history of this country. (1) The pilgrims came to this country seeking a place to worship Jehovah God. (2) Every founding historical document of this country and of the states of this country, make reference to and give thanks to Jehovah God. (3) The monuments of this land are inscribed with quotes from the Bible, the Book of worship to Jehovah God. (4) To my knowledge, every single president of the United States, even the current one, as pledged allegiance to and faith in Jehovah God. (5) And on a list could go which would demonstrate the over- whelming influence of Christianity in this country. United States B. I have said all of that to say that in recent years, something has drastically changed. Now, some in our country have forgotten that Jehovah is Americas God. 1. I am sad to say that one very public citizen in particular, a man by the name of Barack Obama, seems to have forgotten that. a. Please understand that I am not picking on President Obama alone. b. Many in our land today are attempting to re-write American history. They are doing their best to remove all references to Jehovah and Christianity from secular history. c. However, I draw attention to President Obama for two reasons. (1) Because he is the President. As the President, he is supposed to be speaking for America and all of its citizens. Indeed, when he speaks, his words carry the weight of the nation. (2) Because President Obama seems to have made it a point in his presidency to play down Christianity and Jehovah; while at the same time, placating and building up other religions. 2. On or about April 6, 2009 while giving a speech in Turkey, President Obama said, "we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/06/obama-us-not-a-christian_n_183772.html 3. A year earlier, on or about August 26, 2008, he said, "we are no longer a Christian nation; we are now a Nation of Christians, Muslims, Buddhists" http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=67735 4. On or about April 9, 2009, at a speech in Cairo, Egypt, President Obama said, "I know, too, that Islam has always been a part of Americas story." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/04/obama-speech-in-cairo-vid_n_211215.html a. To that particular statement, an email was written and circulated. Sent: Friday, December 11, 2009 10:30 AM Subject: Muslims in the USA OBAMA said, in his Cairo speech: "I know, too, that Islam has always been a part of Americas story. Dear Mr. Obama: Were those Muslims that were in America when the Pilgrims first landed? Funny, I thought they were Native American Indians. Were those Muslims that celebrated the first Thanksgiving day? Sorry again, those were Pilgrims and Native American Indians. Can you show me one Muslim signature on the United States Constitution? Declaration of Independence? Bill of Rights? Didnt think so. Did Muslims fight for this countrys freedom from England? No. Did Muslims fight during the Civil War to free the slaves in America? No, they did not. In fact, Muslims to this day are still the largest traffickers in human slavery. Your own half brother a devout Muslim still advocates slavery himself, even though muslims of Arabic descent refer to black muslims as "pug nosed slaves." Says a lot of what the Muslim world really thinks of your familys "rich Islamic heritage" doesnt it Mr.Obama? (I read a rebuttal to this email which said that it was possible that Muslims actually did fight in the Civil War since the slaves were taken from Africa which had Muslim influences. The rebuttal listed one man named Abdulrahman Ibrahim Ibn Sori, who was a prince from West Africa, brought to the United States as a slave in 1788 and freed by President John Quincy Adams more than 40 years later. However the article DID NOT actually say that this man, who would have had to have been in his later years, actually fought in the Civil War.) Where were Muslims during the Civil Rights era of this country? Not present. There are no pictures or media accounts of Muslims walking side by side with Martin Luther King Jr or helping to advance the cause of Civil Rights. (The same article could only list one known Muslim who fought for black civil rights, Malclom X, a dubious character at best and certainly not an example an example of a loyal American.) Where were Muslims during this countrys Womans Suffrage era? Again, not present. In fact, devout Muslims demand that women are subservient to men in the Islamic culture. So much so that often they are beaten for not wearing the hajib or for talking to a man that is not a direct family member or their husband. Yep, the Muslims are all for womens rights arent they? Where were Muslims during World War II? They were aligned with Adolf Hitler. The Muslim grand mufti himself met with Adolf Hitler, reviewed the troops and accepted support from the Nazis in killing Jews. Finally Mr. Obama, where were Muslims on Sept. 11th, 2001? If they werent flying planes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon or a field in Pennsylvania killing nearly 3,000 people on our own soil, they were rejoicing in the middle east. No one can dispute the pictures shown from all parts of the Muslim world celebrating on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and other news networks that day. Strangely, the very "moderate" Muslims who you bent over backwards to kiss in Cairo, Egypt on June 4th were stone cold silent post 9-11. To many Americans, their silence has meant approval for the acts of that day. And THAT, Mr. Obama, is the "rich heritage" Muslims have here in America. http://mediamattersaction.org/emailchecker/200912150003 b. Let me state categorically. 1. There has never been a god that has blessed this country except Jehovah God. 2. Neither has there ever been a religion that has helped this country except Christianity. c. I am not trying to pick on the President and I am not trying to pick on Muslims, but I am saying that a nation that forgets that Jehovah is their God is a nation that will not endure and it will not be strong. d. Like King Jeroboam of Israel, too many are both removing Jehovah as Americas God and replacing Him with man-made deities. 1Ki 12:28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. II. To remember God is to remember to honor and obey Jehovah God. A. Personally, I think this is the main interpretation of this verse. 1. Typically, a nation does not forget who its God is. Jeremiah 2:11 Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. 2. However, nations and individuals often forget to obey and honor their gods. B. Have you forgotten to honor and obey God? 1. Have you forgotten that God created you with a purpose? 2. Have you forgotten that God revealed Himself to you out of love? 3. Have you forgotten that God the Son died on the cross for your sins? 4. Have you forgotten that you committed yourself to God at the time of your salvation, professing Him as both Savior and Lord? 5. Have you forgotten Who it is that has blessed you, kept you safe, looked after you family, given you a body to live in, a job to work, and air to breathe? 6. Are you honoring that God with your life? with your profession? with your language? with your money? with your attitudes? with your time? 7. Are you obeying that Gods commandments? His precepts and principals? 8. Are you talking to Him? Are you listening to Him? 9. Are you obeying the leading of His Holy Spirit? C. Or is what President Obama said about this nation actually true about you? 1. Are you no longer Christian in your actions? in you daily life? 2. Do you put Jehovah God in the same shelf as you would put a Buddha? 3. Are the Muslims more devoted to their god than you are to yours? D. Understand, as we remember those who died to give us this great country, that we can only keep it great by honoring its God, Jehovah. III. To remember God is to remember the judgment that comes by forgetting Jehovah God. A. No one wants to speak of punishment. 1. Punishment is the negative. 2. Even God prefers to speak of the positive. a. God tells us more about heaven than hell. b. The Bible warns of damnation but it preaches salvation. c. We understand Gods justice but we bathe in Gods love. B. Even so, this is one of those texts that reminds us that the price for forgetting God is hell and damnation. 1. Let no one think that is an idle threat. 2. Graves are filled with the great nations that have gone before us. a. Egypt b. Babylon c. Assyria d. Persia e. Greece f. Rome g. Israel h. Italy i. Germany j. Japan 3. All nations who had no thought for Jehovah God. All nations which sank beneath the weight of their sins. C. Have you noticed a tremor in the earth in recent days. 1. August, 2005-Hurricane Katrina was the costliest hurricane in US history as well as one of the 5 most deadliest ever recorded. Knocking out levies in Louisiana Katrina caused over 80% of New Orleans to flood before moving into the northeastern United States dumping rain all across the area. By far the largest natural disaster to ever hit the US, Hurricane Katrina cost $80 billion (2008 USD) in damages and killed 1,836 people with 705 still unaccounted for. 2. March 11, 2011-The fourth most powerful earthquake in history occurred off the east coast of Honshu, Japan, measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale. This earthquake caused a 33 tsunami which assaulted a nuclear power plant, thus causing what seems likely to be one of the worst nuclear incidents in human history. 3. April 27, 2011-I read that Alabama did not experienced its worst tornado day in history on this day, but it was certainly the worst that I have seen in my lifetime. The last report I read said 238 died in Alabama that day http://www.wtvy.com/home/headlines/238_Confirmed_Dead_in_Alabama_Tornado_ 121680594.html with at least 340 being killed in a 24 hour period across the nation, making April 27th, 2011, the deadliest single day for tornadoes in US history. That day also set the record for the most tornadoes in a 24 hour period, 312. http://pinhsun.com/Life_Book/weather-number-of-confirmed-tornadoes-in-alabama- last-week-climbs-to-23/ Of course the season continued to rack up numbers throughout Missouri, Oklahoma, and Ohio just last week. 4. May, 2011-In the middle of all the tornadoes, the mighty Mississippi River continued to rise, reaching record crests. Portions of Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi are still under water, Pressure on levees led the Army Corps of Engineers to blow up a section below Cairo, Ill, inundating 130,000 acres of farmland while saving the town. As a bulge of river water made its way downstream, levees were stressed and rivers that emptied into the Mississippi had no outlet, backing up and flooding even more land. http://wwws.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/05/mississippi_river_flooding.html Once the water hit the Mississippi Delta, it flooded farms as far away from the Mississippi River as thirty miles. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/12/mississippi-delta-dreams-wash-away_n_ 861396.html D. All I have mentioned so far are the natural disaster which are still fresh in our minds. I have spoken nothing of the financial crisis which has gripped our country and indeed, the world, for the last three years, the military powder kegs for the US around the world, the heightened terrorism alert our country is facing, or the tend toward socialized medicine which will surely destroy the very fabric of this country. E. And some say that there is no God. 1. If there is no God, America is having the worst run of luck in its history. 2. And with the President of the United States urging, even demanding that Israel give away its heart, its soul, its identity, and its defense, things are certainly going to get worse. F. Friend, to remember those who have died for our country is to remember that God will judge those nations that forget Jehovah God. I must stop this sermon. I know it is not what many of you expected. Most preachers on holidays preach a pleasant message of hope and comfort, but I dont think America needs to be comforted. I think it needs to get disturbed. America needs to get disturbed about the sin it is committing and the direction it is going. If it does not, all of the more than 1.3 million souls who gave their lives for this countries very existence will have died in vain. By Gods grace, lets not let that happen. Lets remember them, by remembering God.