Sermon: Don't Forget, To Remember
Scripture: Deuteronomy 4, 6, 8
Ice Breaker: Share your favorite memory from the 151 Saloon!
REVIEW:
This week we said goodbye to the Saloon and thanked God for all He has done in that place. We talked about being thankful, not just for the Saloon, but staying thankful for the new building throughout the years.
We have complained a lot about different aspects of the bar, but looking back we have to remember that IT was an answer to prayer at one point. This is often how life works: God blesses us with something we desire and we end up complaining about it just a few years later!
We complain about the same spouse we prayed about for years.
We grumble about the career we were so excited to get into.
We lose heart raising the kids that were once our dream to have.
What is something you find yourself complaining about, that you once were praying for?
We see this pattern in the Old Testament story of Israel. God saved them from generations of slavery in Egypt and once they were free they almost immediately found things to whine about!
Moses, before his death addressed this in a speech recorded for us in the book of Deuteronomy. Over and over again he reminds the people, "DO NOT FORGET." Moses knew that our lack of gratitude is often due to a limited historical scope. We have a hard time thinking back to all the good that God has done in our lives. Instead we focus our attention on the immediate tension.
We must remember what we have seen and experienced, where we were compared to where God has us now, and all the ways He has used these different seasons to shape us and mold us into powerful people.
When we really stop to remember the story of the 151 Saloon, we see that it was filled with God's favor and direction! If we FORGET all that God has done to get us in our new space, we could easily end up complaining about it just a few years down the road.
To be Thankful, we must not forget!
APPLY:
As a team, think about where your life was when you began attending MetaChurch and how your life has changed for the positive since then. Take some intentional time and practice gratitude. It is amazing how remembering what God has done can totally shift your perspective on where you are today.
Share with your team a time that God has really worked in your past and why it should give you confidence in the present and hope for your future!
PRAY:
Express your gratitude to God through prayer. Even if you are in a difficult season now, expand your historical scope by intentionally remembering the good he has done in your past.
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