Let Your Service Be Worship: A Reflection on Psalm 78

Introduction

What a blessing it is to just look out in this sanctuary and see each one of y'all. Just what a sweet time of worship we've already had. You see this in front of us. Many of y'all know what that means. Some of you might not, but on the fifth Sunday, we partake in what we refer to as the Lord's Supper. Now, sometimes when we partake in it, the entire message is on the Lord's Supper. Other times, the Lord directs me to another message, and then after invitation, we partake in the Lord's Supper and speak more briefly about the Lord's Supper.

Yesterday afternoon, God put on my heart to move forward with a different message, but it connects to the Lord's Supper. In fact, earlier in the week, somewhere around, I don't know, it might have been Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday, I'm not sure, but I was reading from Psalm 78, probably around Wednesday. And you know, we've been in the book of Psalms, and last week we spoke about kind of the first half of Psalms on Wednesday night. This Wednesday, if you come out, we'll be speaking about the second half of the book of Psalms. It's really a rich study where God puts, kind of as people are digging in the word, they bring what God's given them on Wednesday night. So you don't just hear from me, you hear from others as well, and it's a blessing. So if you're not coming and you can, come on out. And it's okay if you haven't read it, okay? Some people say, "I don't come because I haven't read it." We still want you to come. You can still hear about the word of God.

But as I was reading Psalm 78, and open up there if you got your Bibles, that's where I'm going to preach from. It'll be a little shorter of a message, if I can do it. I don't know, I'm a preacher, I talk long, but it will be a little shorter of a message than usual. And we'll have invitation, and after invitation, then we'll have the Lord's Supper. We won't have a whole sermon on the Lord's Supper, just speak briefly about it, then partake. But this message certainly ties into the Lord's Supper. As you go to Psalm 78, it's a Psalm of Asaph, and as I was reading it, God just... You ever have that where you're reading scripture, and God just hits you with something? Well, God just hit me with this phrase: remember what the Lord has done. Remember what the Lord has done.

In Psalm 78, you kind of read about Israel and how they sinned against God, and they would forget all that God had done, and then they would sin, and they would complain, then God would punish them, then they'd remember, then they'd forget again, and then they'd sin, and then they complain. But today's title of today's message is that very phrase: remember what the Lord has done. And as we think about that, it most certainly ties into the Lord's Supper, where we partake and we remember what the Lord has done.

Scripture Reading: Psalm 78:10-35

We're going to read from Psalm 78. Got quite a few verses to read. I want to read beginning in verse 10, and I'm going to read all the way to verse 35. If you think you can stand that long, you stand up with me in honor of the reading of God's word. If you need to sit, I understand, either way. Psalm 78, beginning in verse 10, the word of God says, "They did not keep the covenant of God; they refused to walk in his law, and forgot his works and his wonders that he had shown them. Marvelous things he did in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan. He divided the sea and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters stand up like a heap. In the daytime also he led them with the cloud, and all the night with a light of fire. He split the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink in abundance like the depths. He also brought streams out of the rock and caused waters to run down like rivers. But they sinned even more against him by rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness. And they tested God in their heart by asking for the food of their fancy. Yes, they spoke against God; they said, 'Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? Behold, he struck the rock, so that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed. Can he give bread also? Can he provide meat for his people?' Therefore the Lord heard this and was furious; so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel, because they did not believe in God, and did not trust in his salvation. Yet he had commanded the clouds above, and opened the doors of heaven, had rained down manna on them to eat, and given them of the bread of heaven. Men ate angels' food; he sent them food to the full. He caused an east wind to blow in the heavens; and by his power he brought in the south wind. He also rained meat on them like the dust, feathered fowl like the sand of the seas. And he let them fall into the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings. So they ate and were well filled, for he gave them their own desire. They were not deprived of their craving. But while their food was still in their mouths, the wrath of God came against them, and slew the stoutest of them, and struck down the choice men of Israel. In spite of this they still sinned, and did not believe in his wondrous works. Therefore their days he consumed in futility, and their years in fear. When he slew them, then they sought him; and they returned and sought earnestly for God. Then they remembered that God was their rock, and the Most High God their redeemer."

Father God, thank you for your word. Thank you for how much you have done for us and for your many blessings. Lord, help us to always remember all that you have done for us. And God, today, as we have a brief message on this about remembering what the Lord has done, God, I pray you use it, God, for your purposes. And God, also, I do pray, if there is a person listening today in need of salvation, God, I pray today would be the day they fully trust in you, Jesus, as Lord and as Savior. God, we love you. Bless this time that we have in the word and this time of worship, in Jesus' name, amen. Hey, go ahead and be seated.

Remembering What the Lord Has Done

You know, just briefly, I want to speak to this about remembering what the Lord has done. Are you remembering what the Lord has done for you? Because you know, I think sometimes we can be like Israel, where we forget all that God has done. Now, the way we finished that psalm, we saw that Israel remembered, but if you keep reading in that psalm, you'll see, once again, they forgot. Are you remembering all that the Lord has done?

It says in verse 11 that Israel, they forgot his works. They forgot all that God had done. They forgot all that God had done in the generations before them. They forgot about how God had freed them from slavery in Egypt with mighty, mighty miracles, mighty, mighty acts. They forgot what God had done toA part the Red Sea and have the waters stand up like a heap, like the psalm says here in 78. They forgot that God had split the rock in the wilderness to give them water. They forgot that God had given them manna, angels' food, for 40 years to eat. They forgot that God had the wind blow to bring in quail all over their camp to give them meat to eat. They had forgotten all that God had done.

What about you? Today, where are you at? Are you remembering all that God has done for you? Are you sitting here today, and maybe, maybe, maybe you're kind of living like you've forgotten what God's done? See, when they forgot, they fell into sin, and I believe it's probably safe to say, when we forget, we could fall into sin too.

When You Realize You've Forgotten

Hey, one thing I'll say is, when you realize, or when you realize you've forgotten, take time to remember. When you realize that maybe you're going through life, and you're taking things for granted that God has done, or you're getting busy or this or that, and you've forgotten all that God has done for you, take some time to go back and pause and remember what God has done. If you're here today, and maybe you're just busy, and you really haven't been walking with God, maybe you've kind of been so busy that you're forgetting all that God has done, take time today to pause and to remember all that God has done.

We can often forget all that God has done. Maybe it's deep down in there, but like, we're not living like we remember, you know what I mean? Maybe sometimes it's just we do get so busy, and we forget all that God's done. And again, I say we forget, meaning we sure ain't living like we remember. Or maybe it's that we just take things for granted, and how this is, and how that is, and we start to kind of forget all that God has done because our life isn't showing that we remember all that God has done for us. Or maybe trials and tragedy and hardships happen in our life, and we focus so much on those because they're hard, but we forget all that God has done. We're not remembering all that God has done. When you realize you've forgotten, take some time to remember what God has done.

You know, I was thinking about that for me when this phrase hit me, and I saw where Israel had forgotten, and it hit me to remember what God has done. And later on, when I took some time to remember all that God has done, man, I tell you what, it, it's amazing. Like, when I look back at my life, and I remember the things God has done, it charges me up, right? I mean, I remember I used to live in sin and ungodly all the time and just live for the party and get hammered and drunk, and then God saved me. I mean, I think back to that, and I'm like, "Praise God." I mean, I remember when I answered the call to preach, and I was in darkness, and I never thought I'd have joy or peace again. I never thought my mind would come back, everything was impossible, and then God healed me. And I mean, when you think about what God's done in your life, I hope it gets you excited, like, but sometimes we forget, and sometimes we just need to remember.

When I think about when I answered the call, and all of a sudden, now I didn't have a job, and Chris and I were looking at each other like, "Yeah, nobody's knocking on doors to help us." We're like, "Woo, it's just us, we're in trouble 'cause now we got about $100,000 to figure out." But then I remember what God did, and I remember how I didn't have a car because I no longer had a company car, then God gave me a car, and I'm like, "Wow, look what God did." I remember praying, "God, help us." And that day, a $5,000 check coming in the mail from something I had no idea was there. You start to remember all that God has done. And I remember when I wondered, how would I ever get a position in ministry, and then God gave me one. And then, still, we didn't have enough money, and then God gave me a second job. And I remember all that God had done. And I think about things with our kids and things they've been through, and when it seems impossible, and how will this work out for our child, and then God answered it. It's amazing when we really slow down and go back and take time to remember what God has done.

I think sometimes we just, we need to remember and not forget. Again, I know maybe it's deep down in us, and we haven't totally forgotten, but like, we're kind of living like we've forgotten, right? Take some time today to remember what God has done for you. I believe with all my heart, it'll bless you.

When You Start Complaining

And you know, sometimes what we can start doing is we have problems, and we start complaining. Anybody like me, and they do that? That's kind of like Israel, right? Israel would get one thing, thank God for a second, then complain about the next thing. Have you ever felt like you're like Israel? Hey, God, will you help me with this? And then he even helps you, and then the next day, you're like, well, now I want this. Hey, next time we start complaining, what about if instead we remember? Next time we start complaining, what about if instead, when those complaining thoughts come on, we, no, God, I'm going to remember what you've already done for me.

When You Feel Discouraged

You know, I tell you what else, anybody ever have times like me where you get discouraged? Yeah, like you, you just, you kind of feel like, how is this going to work out, or how is that going to work out? I don't know, I don't know that it says this in the Bible, but like, I've got to imagine Israel, when they're in the desert, they wanted to get out of slavery, they asked God to get them out of slavery, and God did it. But then, once they're in the desert, then they're kind of like, "Whoa, how is this going to work out?" I would imagine there were some of those thoughts 'cause they're wandering through the desert. I would imagine there was some discouragement with Israel. I believe every one of us have times we go through seasons of discouragement. And sometimes it can be really, really hard. Sometimes it can be like, how is this going to work out, or sometimes it can be like we start to feel hopeless, like there's no hope.

But there's always hope with God. Hey, next time we start to feel discouraged, take time to remember what God has done. Because when you remember what God has done, you'll know, no, it's not hopeless. There's always hope with God because I remember when he did this when I thought there was no hope. When you feel discouraged, take time to remember what he's done for you in the past. Because I believe, chances are good, when you go back and you think about it, you'll remember other times he's pulled you out of discouragement.

When Your Faith Is Weak

You know, I tell you what else, when your faith is weak, take time to remember what God has done. Verse 22 says, "Because they did not believe in God, and did not trust in his salvation." Israel, they would forget what God had done, and they would start to get weak in the faith. Hey, if we don't, sometimes, if we start forgetting all that God has done, after a while, our faith might start to get weak. But I tell you what, if our faith is weak, and if you are struggling today, maybe you're just battling, maybe the enemy's making you battle with your faith, first, don't feel alone. I believe every Christian's felt that, and certainly, we see Israel had those times where they would believe, and then they would struggle, and then they would believe, and then they'd struggle. When your faith is weak, take time to remember what God has done for you.

Hey, if God's blessed you with children, thank God for the gift you've got. Think about what God's done for you. You know, if God's blessed you with something in your life, just take time to remember what he's done for you. When we take time to remember what God has done for us, it strengthens our faith. I think about when I take time to remember how God saved me, it strengthens my faith. If the enemy is trying to discourage me in my faith, all I have to do is go back to remember when God saved me. Y'all remember when God saved you? Do you remember how God changed you? Go back to it. If you're discouraged of it, remember, no, God chose you, and you chose him, and you gave your life to him. If you gave your life to Jesus, you are a child of God. The enemy will try to discourage you in your faith. He'll try to make you doubt your faith. That's what he did to Eve; he tried to make her doubt the truth of God's word. But if you're a child of God, and you know, if you've trusted the Lord, remember what the Lord has done, and it'll strengthen you in your faith.

When You Have Sin in Your Life

And I tell you what else, when you have sin in your life, and you know you shouldn't, remember what the Lord has done for you. In this, in Psalm 78, you read about a cycle of sin in the life of Israel. And if you go through the Old Testament, you read about Israel often: they'll sin, they'll repent, God will bless them, they'll sin again. Guess what? You and I are kind of like that too, right? It says in verse 17, "But they sinned even more against him by rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness." They had forgotten all that God had done for them, and they fell into sin.

If you've got some sin in your life right now, that's not who you're meant to be as a child of God. We're not meant to live in sin; we're meant to live for God. We're human, we have flesh, and are we going to mess up? Yes. But that's not who we're meant to be. If you got habitual sin in your life, and you know it's not supposed to be there, it's not, you know, it's not supposed to be there, take some time today and remember what God has done for you. And I believe if you really go back, and you remember how God saved you, you remember how God got you in the word, you remember how God got you in church, you remember how God helped you with your needs, you remember when God answered your prayer, I believe with all my heart that you're going to be helped to get rid of that sin and live for Jesus. If you've got sin in your life, remember what God has done for you.

When You Have Needs

And I just want to share one last thing. I told you I'd try to keep it short; we'll see if I can do that. When I read this, and I thought about, remember what the Lord has done, I thought about how so often we can hurt with needs that we've got in our life. And maybe you've got a need today. I can't say that I know what your need is, but I know as a human being, there are many times I feel like I've got some needs. And I believe anybody in here that's lived much life, you know you've got some needs throughout your life. And I believe there's probably many today that have some big needs. There's all kinds of needs we can have. I mean, there's needs with physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, all kinds of needs.

When you have needs, remember what the Lord has done for you. You know, you might have a need with your health. There's probably a pretty good chance that when you remember what the Lord has done for you, you could probably go back and see, sometimes he's helped you out of situations with your health. You know, you might have some needs with mental health, which I think is nothing but from the enemy, with anxiety, with depression, with darkness. If that's you, remember all that the Lord has done for you. You might have some needs with finances, and you don't know how you're gonna pay the bills. Remember all that the Lord has done for you. You might have some needs with someone you care about, with your spouse, or with your children. Remember all that the Lord has done for you.

And I say that because, like, it's not hopeless. Your situation's not hopeless. There's always hope with God, always, always hope with God, hope on this earth and hope for eternity. And I don't know what will happen with that situation you've got in your life, but I want to tell you that there's power in prayer. And I want to tell you this, if we go back and we remember all that the Lord has done for us, I believe if you're anything like me, you're going to find a lot of times that you had needs, and you saw God help you out of that need. It might be that God answered the prayers according to his will, and God got you out of a bind that you thought, man, I don't know how I'm going to ever get better from this. Or it might be that God helped you deal with that circumstance, whatever it was. But I tell you, I believe with all my heart, if you've got a need today, and you've got something you're struggling with today, take some time to remember all that God has done for you. And I believe you're going to be reminded he can do it again, whether that's answering that prayer or whether that's helping you through the midst of that struggle you've got.