“Do You Still Remember Me”?

Delivered on Jan 1, 2017

     
John 14:15-21
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
 
“If you love Me, keep My commandments”. Its a simple question every claiming christian should be asked. “If you love Me, keep My commandments”. For those who carry the Name of Christ, YES!!! I love the Lord is the most simple answer! But, what about the next part of the the Lords statement, “ Keep My commandments” or “keep My commands”. That is where we all stumble in many ways correct! Saying…I love the Lord is easy. Being obedient is always the hardest.
 
If you are familiar with your bible, this part of scripture has the heading of “Jesus Promises The Holy Spirit”. The proof of our love fro Christ should not only be a profession in speech, but in living obedience as well. “If you love Me”, the answer very simple, YES!!! “Keep My Commandments”. Woah??? we all go neutral on that part don’t we?
 
Keeping the Lords commands, will always be hard to those who are still dead. Still living the life of sin, simply because they were never made alive by Christ. That is why Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to those whom He called. ( Go Back to Verse 17)  17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
 
The promised Holy Spirit is someone you and I, can never receive on our own. We can never receive this gift by simply just wanting it. Do you remember our bible study on the book of Acts, about “Simon the magician” wanting to BUY the Holy Spirit, Lets look at that real quick…
 
Acts 8:17-22
17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.
 
“You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God”. That is why Jesus had to make that promise from our previous verse. You and I cannot obtain this special Gift from above on our own. “for your heart is not right in the sight of God”. Do you still remember…when you were drawn to His Son? Do you still remember when…Jesus made you “right in the sight of God”. You should! That should be the day you will never forget!
 
Do You Still Remember Me? Is the title of this message, So…tonight we will be looking at… a self examination if you will, if we still remember why we were called. We will be looking at three parts in our lives that will reveal whether or not we still remember Him?
 
The first part is our personal walk with Him, have you been saved, have you been forgiven?
 
The first has to do with your salvation, and eternal destiny. If you have not received this, there is no promised Holy Spirit in your life...
 
Acts 2:38
38Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
 
Salvation is imperative. Many who are uncertain about eternity will not be able to live an assured life, have I been forgiven, saved I been saved? The thought of losing the soul is a nagging thought. Where will I go when I die? The possibility of ending up in a lake of fire is a scary thought. The presence of the Lord in our lives is very necessary. The Holy Spirit comes into the body of the believer and dwells there forever.
 
Salvation...being saved, comes with a heart that repents. Total surrender to the will of God. “if you love Me, you will obey my commands”. A fierce battle is fought between the old nature and the new man. There can be no true salvation until the new man is in complete control. Until the Holy Spirit is in complete control!
 
Romans 8:9-11
9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
 
Christians are no longer linked with the stain of Adam because of the fall. We should no longer be dominated by the flesh, but under the rule of Christ, because the Spirit that dwells in every believer... one who is called, dwells in the Spirit of Christ!
 
Separation from the old self is very important for the one who has been made new. For those who still live by the flesh, will always follow the desires of the flesh. There is no such thing as half, Holy Spirit. You have Him or you don’t. You’re saved or you’re not! You’re forgiven, or still condemned! My I remind you of this verse..
 
Galatians 2:20
20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
 
“Do You Still Remember ME?” Do you still remember why you were called? Do you still love the the innocent Man that took your place on the cross? Do you still remember, that you belong to Jesus?
 
This is the first part, which is…again the most important part. The second and third part of this message will not make any sense to you if you are not living in the Spirit.
 
The second part of this message, we will be dealing with your household.
“Do You Still Remember ME?” Even in your household? Is Jesus still Lord even in our household? Most definitely…YES!!!
 
Let me now talk to husbands and wives… “Do You Still Remember ME?” in your marriage? Answer should be…YES!!!
 
Ephesians 5:31
31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
 
“The two shall become one flesh”. Is that still true to you…is it still true in your marriage? It should be! Especially if both of you are one with Christ. Listen…I am not an expert when it comes to having the perfect marriage. I Have failed my wife many times before Jesus took over our marriage. Can I say that now its perfect? Of course not! We still have our challenges, we still hit our storms here, and there. Even in our marriage, we are being made new everyday. Even in our marriage, we are being transformed to the image of His Son! If God said… “two shall become one flesh”, believe it… its a command! God made you as one!
 
Mark 10:7-9
7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
 
“Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” Oh, and by the way, this verse, if you look in your Bible has the warning about getting divorced! You are challenging God. “what God has joined together, let not man separate”. Do you dare challenge God in the area of marriage? “Do You Still Remember ME”. In your marriage? Lets look at what God wants in the Christian household.
 
Ephesians 5:22-30
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.
 
Wives…do you remember Jesus in your husband?
Husbands…do you still remember your Jesus in your wife?
It is God that made you as one! Need I say more? Look at Gods commands in our marriage. “Do You Still Remember ME”.
 
Don’t go out looking for someone else to love. You will never find it. God will never allow it…You will just be going up against God, and you will never win. “what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
 
Children…youths… “Do You Still Remember Me” in your parents?
 
Ephesians 6:1-4
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”
 
Colossians 3:20
20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.
 
Children…youths of the church also have a responsibility as being disciples of the Lord. Being obedient to your parents pleases the Lord. You may think, we’re not being fair at times, but parents just want whats best for you in the Lord. We are strict, simply because we have our own commands which we received from the Lord on how we should raise you. After all, you are a loan from the Lord. You are a gift from Him, that we are to take really good care of. You belong to Him. As you obey your parents, you are pleasing the Lord. Keep in mind, one day you too will be parents. And hopefully what you have seen and learned from your parents, you will also pass on to your children.
We parents like to share our experiences to you, our children hoping that you will learn from our mistakes. We always have that fear…we always want to protect you from getting hurt. That is why at times it may seem unfair. Remember, again we do have commands from the Lord on how to raise you in the Lord. Parents can be the best parents, godly parents. But eventually you will move out and start your own lives. And I’m sure every parent in here is praying that you stay the path in where God wants you to be. If you choose to go a different route, other than what God has for you, then you are going against God Himself, and just like us will face the consequences.
 
Let me now turn to our single…Christians here tonight. You still fall under the rules of every believer. You also belong to the, as One with the Savior. But also has rules for you to obey when it comes to having a relationship.
 
2 Corinthians 6:14-15
14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?
 
( Belial, is another name for satan.)
 
This is something that needs to be taken seriously. After all you are also married to Christ, One with Christ! “If you love Me, keep My commands”. Listen…when it comes to the matters of the heart, who is to tell you not to fall in love with someone? I don’t have that authority. Nobody in here does. If you are praying for a partner, a spouse, make sure that it comes from the Lord, an answered prayer. Keep in mind, that even satan can send someone your way…nice, attractive, claims to be a christian, but a wolf in sheeps clothing, just to make you fall.( If that were possible, if you are truly in Christ.)
 
Now…if you are single, and having are having an intimate relationship outside of marriage. You are committing sexual immorality, you will be considered, an adulterer, simply because, you are married ti Christ, One with Christ. And again you are going against God. “If you Love Me, keep my commands”. Wait for the the one God wants for you.
 
We have a lot of married, christian couples in this church. Spend some time with them, have a conversation with them if getting married is already in your mind. Let me tell, even among christian couples…if you ask them if their marriage is perfect, they will say no! My wife, and I will personally tell you we also have to work on our marriage. We, also have to be obedient to the Lord to make our marriage work.
 
Paul gives us a good lesson on this topic on 1 Corinthians 7. If you are single this should be a good guide for you. 1 Corinthians 7, the whole chapter. It is a long chapter, and I will not read the whole thing, but will show you an important verse.
 
1 Corinthians 7:16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?
Please read the whole chapter to get the full content. It is dealing with one who is yoked with an unbeliever. My advise…listen to what God has to say. It is already a challenge for christian couples to make their marriage grow that is pleasing to the Lord. What more if both of you believe in a different god. And not the One True God. Wait…God hears your prayers, He is not deaf to your needs.
 
We come to the third part of this message. The Church
 
Strength in the body of church, a local assembly does not come by accident. The church at Jerusalem had it. The rest did not. That is why letters had to be sent to bring the churches back on how it should be.The church has to built by God…God chooses the members that will build the church. Now, I am not talking about a building, a structure. I am talking about a body of believers being formed by Christ Himself. A Body made by Him.
 
So…how do you find a church, a body where you belong. Again, if you don’t have a relationship with Christ, the second part, and now going into the third will not make any sense to you. You will most likely hate what you will hear.
 
“Do You Still Remember ME”. In the preaching?
 
The preaching should be direct and clear. Not a message that will tickle your ear, not a message that has been watered down, just to please you to stay. The message is meant to save you, cleanse you, make you new, give you direction…the right path in which God has laid out for you. Make you hate sin, in order to turn away from it.
 
2 Timothy 4:1-5
I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
 
Preach the Word, preach the Truth, whether the listener likes it or not. In the past, there are some that would come up to me and tell me, that the messages I deliver is harsh, its hard, its offensive. Or they’ll go up to some else in the church and ask them. “is he talking about me?” Listen…I don’t have the power to know who will be attending the services. I don’t know who will be here today to hear this message. I don’t know what the message will be for next Sunday.
 
My question to you still remains, “ DO YOU STILL REMEMBER ME?” The preaching is suppose to “Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching”.
 Is that still true to you, till this day. Or are you done listening? Newsflash…you will be listening to the voice of God for all eternity. If you don’t listen to Him now, you will never after your life is done here on earth. “Do You Still Remember ME”.
 
2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
 
This is one of the most important expression in the New testament of the divine inspiration of Scripture. The Bible has been “breathe out” by the Spirit of God… God is the source and ultimate author of Scripture. Though, written by human authors, Scriptures nevertheless has the full weight of His authority. The Bible, from start to finish, down to its very word, is the inerrant word of God. “17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work”.
 
“Do You Still Remember ME?” In your body of believers?
 
Are you a member of the local body of Christ? Some here have a heavenly home, and a Christian home…so why not make this your church home? Some say, "I’m already a member of the ’invisible church’." I can hear God through the TV and radio preachers. Truly, Bible is clear in its command for us to join ourselves to a local assembly. Sadly, those who focus only on the ’invisible church’ a made up church of their own liking, will have an invisible attendance records, give invisible offerings,and accomplish not very much and will not grow spiritually.
 
And, once you’ve found a home, treat your church experience like a marriage, knowing it won’t be perfect because it’s filled with imperfect people. For better or for worse, through ups and downs, ’til God takes us all home!
 
Honestly, I have to respect some for not making the commitment. Sometimes it’s because they aren’t committed. We should respect someone like that for being honest, and it’s ok to just attend until you know what you should do. If you know you won’t be able to commit to attending, or supporting this ministry, then don’t let us pressure you to come forward and make some half-hearted statement of partial commitment.
 
Matthew 5:33-37
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
 
If God has called you, if you were drawn to His Son, then you are committed to be obedient to His will. To be used for His purpose.
Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice just so we can be saved from the torment of hell, due to sin. There will also be a time…when we too should make a sacrifice. Again…like I said earlier, if you don’t have Christ living in you, none of this will matter.
 
If God has joined you in His body, with a local church, fellowship of believers, and you know for sure that that is where God wants you to be, then you have an important role in His kingdom. When God allowed us to start First Fil-Am Baptist Mission Church. We each made a vow to care for it. “Do You Still Remember ME”? in your attendance? What has stopped you from attending church? I’ve never been too strict when in comes to attendance, I can understand some of you may miss church because of work. Pray that God will fix your work schedule. Keep in mind that you did not make a vow to me. You made it to God Himself.
 
You have to go out of town, I can understand that. You have families outside of Nevada.
I don’t want to be the advocate in saying, its ok, God understands. But I did not make that vow to God for you, you did. I don’t know where you go, or what you do when you’re not here. But God does! Whatever it is that is ruing your relationship with Him, I guarantee you that He will take it away. “God is a jealous God, Who’s name is jealous”.
You all know that…He said It!
 
God has blessed the Fil-Am Church with a very nice place to start. God has supplied us with everything that we need. We didn’t have to find a building, start from scratch…in need of supplies. God has provided. But we do not know what God has in store for us in the future. So..we still do have a responsibility when it comes to the finances of His church. I would be in deep trouble with the Lord if I even try to water down His words when it comes to His property.
 
Malachi 3:6-10
“For I am the Lord, I do not change;Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
7 Yet from the days of your fathers. You have gone away from My ordinances
And have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,”
Says the Lord of hosts. “But you said,‘In what way shall we return?’
8 “Will a man rob God?Yet you have robbed Me!But you say,‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.9 You are cursed with a curse,
For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.
 
You can say…well that’s Old Testament, and I am not one of Jacobs sons. Fair enough..
You see the key word there in the beginning, “For I am the Lord, I do not change”. I have not seen the Lord change this command in the New Testament. Or God can say this…
 
 
 
2 Corinthians 9:6-9
6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 9 As it is written:
“He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever.”
 
Giving to God should be joyful. After all, He has supplied all of our needs. From salvation through His Son. Provisions for our lifestyle, He has supplied us with work, so that we will not go hungry or homeless. In reality everything we have, or we think we have, all came from Him. Those two verses i just showed you pick one. God is still God in both. He will never change. His words are final, and they are true.
 
In Conclusion:
 
“Do You Still Remember ME?” When I saved you?
“Do You Still Remember ME?” In your marriage, In your homes, In your relationships?
“Do You Still Remember ME?” In the church, as the Head of the body.
 
Its the beginning of the year. You know three months from now First Fil-Am Baptist Mission Church, will be celebrating her one year anniversary. It is by Gods grace that we made it this far. And It will still be by Gods grace that we can continue. Take today’s message as your first fruit message of the year. Let it be a reminder of why we were called, and why we are here. Don’t forget who you belong to…
 
                 “Do You Still Remember Me”?