Oh, Army of God, Remember this Mountain

2 Samuel chapter 1, starting at verse 17.

2 Samuel 1 · chapter mention

I'll read this trusting that it's God's inspired, inerrant, clear, sufficient, powerful word for you and me, his people.

2 Samuel chapter 1, starting at verse 17.

2 Samuel 1 · chapter mention

Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son,

and he told them to teach the children of Judah the song of the bow.

Indeed, it is written in the book of Jashur.

The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places.

How the mighty have fallen.

Tell it not to Gath. Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon.

Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice.

Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

O mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, nor rain upon you, nor fields of offerings.

For the shield of the mighty is cast away there.

The shield of Saul not anointed with oil.

From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty,

the bow of Jonathan did not turn back.

And the sword of Saul did not return empty.

Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives and in their death.

They were not divided.

They were swifter than eagles.

They were stronger than lions.

O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,

who clothed you in scarlet with luxury,

who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.

How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle.

Jonathan was slain in your high places.

I am distressed for you.

My brother Jonathan, you have been very pleasant to me.

Your love to me was wonderful,

surpassing the love of women.

How the mighty have fallen,

and the weapons of war perished.

The word of God for the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

Please be seated.

Please pray with me.

O Lord, we ask that your Holy Spirit will make clear,

illuminate your word to your people today.

Lord, we pray that Christ will be lifted up and exalted,

that your Holy Spirit will apply Christ to your people today through faith.

Lord, we pray that Christ will nourish your people

with those spiritual nutrients that we need.

You know where we're deficient, Lord.

Please take these ordinary words

and use it in an extraordinary way by your power for your glory.

Please help the preacher to preach Christ

with the freedom of a friend

and with the affection of a brother.

For your glory and for Christ's sake we pray.

Amen.

Memory is a powerful thing.

Aristotle called it the scribe of the soul.

Memory, according to Webster's Dictionary of 1828,

is the faculty of the mind

by which we retain knowledge of past events.

And similar to that is our recollection of a memory.

Recollection is the operation

by which ideas are recalled to the memory

or revived in the mind.

How we process a significant event in our lives

will shape the way we remember it.

Hasn't that been true in your experience as well?

What's fascinating that I learned this week

is that modern neurologists, studying the brain,

it tells us that every time a person recalls a memory,

you are editing and rewriting it.

Think how powerful our memories are.

Because we are fallen creatures,

our emotions and our memory

can distort our perceptions of past events.

Well, leading up to our sermon passage today,

Saul and all of his sons, the princes, all died.

And there's Israel.

It's a picture, a shadow of the kingdom of heaven

come onto earth.

But this kingdom is kingless.

The nation got its front teeth punched out.

What is the whole kingdom feeling right now?

How will God's people process this event?

How will they look back on this horrible defeat?

And how will they store these memories

of Saul's entire reign as their king?

David has been anointed king,

but he's not yet ruling completely.

I believe what we have in our sermon passage for today

is God, by the Holy Spirit,

working how he worked mysteriously in the old covenant,

using David to shepherd the emotions

and the memory of the kingdom.

He's shepherding their emotions

and their national memory of God's people.

Look at verse 17.

We read that David lamented with this song.

It's a dirge,

which is a song you sing in a time of sadness and mourning.

He's sad over the loss of the nation,

but especially Saul and Jonathan are the two subjects.

Verse 18 is very interesting on the purpose of this song.

Look at verse 18.

David commands that it be taught to the children of Judah.

And he called it the song of the bow.

That's the title.

Why Judah?

Well, Judah is the tribe that David's from,

and it's the land where he's been traveling,

been closest to,

where he's beginning to consolidate an army,

people following him.

He'll soon begin acting as king of Judah

before he becomes the king of the whole nation.

And he wants the children,

the next generation in Judah,

to remember this event in this way.

So he's very careful with how he does it.

And he ordered that this be written

in the book of Jasher.

Do you see that word, Jasher, in verse 18?

That Hebrew word means upright.

The book of the upright.

You're supposed to read this book.

It's been lost to history.

We don't know much about it or anything too specific,

but it's mentioned also in the book of Joshua

after the Lord did something mighty.

Write it in the book of Jasher.

And it's a book for the upright,

the men of valor,

for the army to be inspired and remembered.

And that's how David wants this death of Saul and Jonathan

to be remembered,

as an inspiration for the army in the future.

Before we walk through this song itself,

some of us are united to Christ.

We're saved.

We know God has declared us to be righteous.

But many of us, at least if you're like me,

we are still tormented by our own broken flesh.

1 John 3.20 admits this.

Our hearts condemn us still.

He's writing to the Christians, to the church.

Our hearts still condemn us.

But God is greater than our heart.

Brothers and sisters,

we need Christ to shepherd our hearts,

to shepherd our emotions,

and maybe even to heal our memories.

So the title of today's sermon is this.

O army of God,

remember this mountain.

Here's four reasons that David gives us.

Number one,

O army of God,

remember this mountain

where the glory of God's people was slain.

Remember this mountain

where the glory of God's people was slain.

That's what he says in verse 19.

The beauty or glory of Israel

is slain in your high places.

How the mighty have fallen.

And that's the refrain.

He says it three times.

How the mighty have fallen.

In verse 20, he says,

tell it not in Gath.

Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon.

Why these two places?

Well, these are mighty hubs

for the army of the enemy,

the Philistines.

Don't let them know what happened.

He says,

lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice.

Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised,

those people that are outside of God's covenant,

will triumph.

What we have going on

is David calling the people of God,

the army,

to sing and remember this,

how the mighty have fallen.

But don't let them hear what we're saying.

We need to process this emotion.

We need to grieve it.

But don't let them know

because we're at war still.

The war is not over.

It's a worship war.

It's a fight over what will be sung

and to whom it will be proclaimed.

This is so fascinating to me

because it's David's response

to the last actions

we saw the Philistines take.

You can flip back probably one leaf

in your Bible

to 1 Samuel chapter 31,

1 Samuel 31 · chapter mention

the last chapter of 1 Samuel.

And look at verses 9 and 10.

Here's the last action of the Philistines.

Here's what they did.

And now what we get now

is David's response,

his counteraction.

What the Philistines did

was go to Saul's dead body,

cut off his head,

strip off his armor,

and then sent word

throughout the land

of the Philistines

to gospel it,

to declare it

in the temple of their idols

and among the people.

And they put his armor

in the temple of their Ashteroth,

and they fastened his body

to a city wall.

The Philistines are singing

their own songs.

They're proclaiming

their own good news.

And they're worshiping

in their temples

about this great victory

over God's people.

people.

David's calling

the army of God

to grieve over

the loss of this battle,

but the war is not over.

Don't let the enemy

rejoice over us.

He's shepherding their emotions

and how they're going

to process this event.

Instead,

he's calling the people,

lament with me.

He says,

don't let the daughters

of the Philistines hear it,

but now there's a contrasting line

later on in this poem,

in this song.

Look at verse 24

of our sermon passage.

He speaks directly

to another set of daughters

in verse 24.

O daughters of Israel,

weep for Saul.

See, they're cheering

about Saul's death,

but we are honoring Saul.

He's calling

the next generation

of Israel

to keep the fifth commandment,

to honor the authorities

God has put over us,

even though Saul

was not worthy of honor.

this office

that he filled,

the office of an earthly king

over God's people,

is worthy of honor.

So weep with me,

O daughters of Israel.

And he reminds them

very specifically

of God's providence

through King Saul.

Look at verse 24.

He clothed you

in scarlet

with luxury,

who put ornaments

of gold

on your apparel.

See,

even from the hand

of Saul,

the Lord delivered

blessings

for his people.

I love Calvin's comment

on this.

Quote,

even if our enemies

are the most evil

in the world,

David could have felt

that about Saul.

God still

does not want

his grace

to be overlooked.

That's the end

of Calvin's quote.

So the first reason

David gives the nation

is this,

army of God.

Remember this mountain

where the glory

of God's people

was slain.

We're going to lament it,

but we're not going

to let the enemy

rejoice over us.

We'll weep together.

We'll sing together.

We're going to go

through this crisis together,

but the war

is not over.

Here's the second reason.

O army of God,

remember this mountain

where God's anointed

cast away his shield.

Remember this mountain

where God's anointed

cast away his shield.

I'm not a literary expert,

but those that I've read

who are and have studied

Hebrew poetry,

which this is a wonderful

example of Hebrew poetry.

They have been blown away

at the level of complexity

and beauty

in the structure

of this song.

This song did not make it

into the Psalter,

but it did make it

into Holy Scripture.

It's part of the inspired

word of God.

And one of the literary devices

that David uses

is called apostrophim.

It's when a speaker

breaks off from addressing

the audience

or the narrative

and directs his speech

to an absent person

or a personified object.

This is what David does.

He later on is going to speak

to the daughters of Israel

like we just saw.

He's going to speak

to Jonathan,

even though Jonathan is dead.

His body is buried

and his soul is with the Lord.

He's speaking to him

as an apostrophe.

But in verse 21,

who does David speak to?

Look in your own copy

of God's Word.

Verse 21,

O mountains of Gilboa.

Remember the word in Hebrew,

Gilboa is springs

of living water.

So it's a mountain

or a hill

from which comes bubbling up

these springs

that flow into the valley.

And David's speaking

directly to that mountain now.

Let there be no dew

nor rain upon you

nor fields

nor offerings.

He's cursing this mountain.

This is a cursed mountain now.

It's supposed to be

springs of life.

May you get no rain,

no water,

no more life

from you.

You are now

a mountain of death.

So may you be dried up,

lifeless.

For the shield

of the mighty

is cast away there.

When is it that a soldier

casts away his shield?

When does his shield

drop off to his side?

It's when the soldier

goes lifeless.

It's the last thing

to go in a battle

when you're being

overrun by the enemy.

The last thing to drop

will be the shield.

More specifically,

he says,

the shield of Saul.

He's associating

King Saul,

his tormentor,

his persecutor,

with a piece

of the armor.

And if you think

of Saul,

you probably think

of a different piece

from his arsenal,

right?

You probably think

of Saul who always

had what in his right hand?

He always had

that spear.

And he's always

throwing the spear,

trying to kill David,

trying to kill

his own son,

Jonathan.

And David's still

honoring King Saul,

not associating him

with the spear.

But Saul is the shield.

Nowhere is Saul's

evil family,

rival-seeking spear

mentioned in this

entire song.

Saul is being honored

as the commander-in-chief

of the nation's

department of defense,

the shield.

But he says something

interesting in verse 21.

This shield is not

anointed with oil.

Verse 22,

from the blood

of the slain,

from the fat

of the mighty,

he never retreated.

So the image

we have of Saul

is withstanding

this onslaught,

this rushing

of the army.

And now the shield,

which is his symbol,

is dry.

It's not anointed

with oil.

And it's dropped

to his side.

He never retreated.

He got run over

and he's lifeless.

Soldiers would take oil

and they would rub oil

onto a shield.

If it's a bronze

or copper

or iron shield

or something like that,

the oil would help

to deflect an arrow

or a sword,

help it to glance

off of it.

If you didn't have

very much money

and your shield

was made of leather,

you would still put oil

on it to keep it

from getting stiff

and so that it would

serve its purpose better.

And Saul was the very

first national human

king over Israel,

their first shield.

And David's also using

a layered symbolism.

The shield of the nation

is no longer anointed.

He loves using this word,

no longer Messiah.

Remember that civil magistrates

are appointed by God

to wield the sword.

Pray for rulers,

pray for the government,

pray for local

and national defense

and trust that God

preserves the nation

through them

no matter how evil

or wicked they are.

we still praise the Lord

for it.

But it also leaves us

wanting a shield

for the nation,

for the kingdom

that will be anointed,

that will have the oil

of the Holy Spirit

lifting up the defender

of God's people.

And it's foreshadowing

David coming in

as the next anointed king,

the next anointed shield,

but even beyond that

it's pointing to the great

true shield,

the true defender

of God's people.

So remember this mountain

where God's anointed

cast away his shield.

The third reason

he gives them is this,

O army of God,

remember this mountain

where the valiant

did not turn back.

Remember this mountain

where the valiant

did not turn back.

Now we're going to find out

why David titled this song

the way he did.

Remember it's called

the song of the bow,

but we're all the way down

to verse 22

and we still haven't

heard of the bow.

And now he finally says it

in the end of verse 22.

If Saul was the shield,

it was the bow of Jonathan

that did not turn back.

He's lifting up now

the hero of this whole song

which is Jonathan.

Never became a king,

but he is the one

that the mighty soldiers

in future generations

that are going to read about

and they need to look to him

as their pattern.

He says of Jonathan,

he did not retreat.

We need to picture this scene

a little bit better

and if we turn back again

to the last chapter

of 1 Samuel,

we'll find some help.

Look at 1 Samuel chapter 31,

1 Samuel 31:1

verse 1.

Verse 1 of the last chapter

of 1 Samuel.

And here's the scene.

As it would be with any battle

that's using hand-to-hand combat.

One side mounts up

on one hill or one mountain,

another side on the other mountain,

another hill,

and in the middle is the valley

where they're all going to rush in

and fight.

Whoever wins in the valley

is going to continue to push up

until they overtake the hill

of the enemy.

And if we look at the very first verse

of 1 Samuel 31,

we get this wonderful insight.

So they go down into the valley

and they fight.

But then Israel retreats

and they run.

Well, where do they run?

They run behind their shield

back onto the top of Mount Gilboa

where King Saul would still be.

So here they are retreating

past their king

trying to hide behind him.

And the progression

in a hand-to-hand combat

would be the poorest soldiers

that are the foot soldiers

go down into the valley first.

And then the archers

send their arrows,

the artillery.

And then the wealthier class

that has land

and can afford to have grass

on which a horse could feed,

that's the equestrian class.

So then the cavalry

could come charging in after.

And the chariots of the Philistines

if the terrain would allow it.

And then finally

would be the nobility,

the king of each one,

just like a chess match.

When you get the king,

it's over.

So doesn't that make sense now

as we read verse one?

There's Jonathan

to the right hand of King Saul

waiting up on top of Mount Gilboa.

And here come the Philistines army

overrunning them.

And David says,

if you go back to our sermon passage,

verse 22,

the sword of Saul

did not return empty

and the bow of Jonathan

did not turn back.

There they are.

Jonathan's still firing off arrows

as they charge at him

and Saul with his sword drawn,

not going to run away.

Saul and Jonathan,

he says in verse 23,

were beloved

and pleasant in their lives

and in their death.

They were not divided.

They were swifter than eagles.

They were stronger than lions.

If you look at 1 Samuel 31,

1 Samuel 31:3

verse 3,

we read it was the archers

that hit Saul

and he was severely wounded

by the archers.

And that might be another reason

why David named this song

the song of the bow.

David is reclaiming the very weapon

that defeated King Saul.

The Lord loves to turn

a symbol of defeat

into a memorial

of his might,

doesn't he?

Yes,

Jonathan died,

but Jonathan did not retreat.

Write this down in the book

so that the next generation

of the army

can be inspired.

David loves to use

the term men of valor,

these valiant men.

And he has his mighty men

that will soon join him

and they'll go around

and by the power of the Spirit,

God will give them

great victories.

But he holds up Jonathan.

He points to his good friend Jonathan,

even though he's probably

40 years older than him,

as a valiant man.

Even though he died,

he's the one

we try to remember

and fight with,

a fight like

when we're in battle.

Remember his valor,

learn from him.

Upright soldiers,

fight to the end.

So army of God,

David says,

remember this valley,

this mountain

where valiant men

did not turn back.

Well,

the fourth reason

David gives the army

is this.

Army of God,

remember this mountain

where the beloved prince

was slain.

Remember this mountain

where the beloved prince

was slain.

Look at verse 27.

How the mighty have fallen.

He says,

the weapons of war perished.

Weapons of war

perish.

Who was the Philistines

greatest weapon

of war?

We joked about

how Goliath

was a weapon

of mass destruction,

undefeated.

And who was Israel's

Goliath?

A head and shoulders above,

taller than anyone else

in all of Israel.

It was Saul.

Saul was Israel's giant

and now he has perished

just like Goliath has.

Both ended up

being decapitated

and both heads

were carried around

as a trophy of war

for the other side.

God teaches

that the weapons

of this world,

metal,

swords,

shields,

spearheads,

remember it was all

the Philistines

that had a monopoly

on metal

and blacksmith.

And Israelites

had to get all their weapons

from the Philistines

and David is just saying

the weapons of war

have perished.

They've gone away.

They've faded away.

There's nothing

to put our hope in anymore

if we're going to have to fight

in the way of the world.

And even though it's subtle,

I believe he's calling to mind

to the Israelites

what they already know

from other parts of Scripture

but have forgotten.

And it's this,

that God's people

don't fight

using the weapons

or tactics

of this world.

And the rest of Scripture

makes it very clear,

including the Old Testament.

May those ways

of the world perish.

2 Chronicles 20.15 says,

Thus says the Lord

to you,

Do not be afraid

or dismayed

because of

this great multitude

for the battle

is not yours

but God's.

Proverbs 21.31

David's son

will write this,

The horse is prepared

for the day of battle

but deliverance

is of the Lord.

Psalm 20.7

This is a Psalm of David.

Some trust in chariots

and some in horses

but we will remember

the name of the Lord our God.

Psalm 46.9

God is the one.

Like we sang today

this powerful song,

God makes wars cease

to the ends of the earth.

God breaks the bow

and cuts the spear in two.

He burns the chariot

with fire.

Well, the chariot

is the,

it's the tank

of the Philistine army.

I mean,

this is made of metal,

it's pulled by horses

and if you get in the way

of a Philistine chariot,

you are done with.

Don't worry about

the weapons of this world.

The Lord burns

the chariots

of the Philistines

with fire.

The Lord is the one

who will fight for us.

But in this final movement,

these last few verses,

David brings that refrain

to light one more time

in verse 25.

How the mighty

have fallen

in the midst

of the battle.

Notice what he says next.

Jonathan

was slain

in your high places.

By repeating

the refrain here

one last time

and using a literary device

called parallelism,

David is

saying,

what I said initially

was correct.

I had said,

how the mighty

have fallen

the glory of God

in the high places.

And now he's interpreting

what he had said

in verse 19

by repeating it

and saying,

what's more

and telling us

how to understand

the glory of God,

the beauty of God.

And what he says here

is that Jonathan

is exactly that.

The glory of God

that was slain

is Jonathan.

Jonathan

Jonathan

is the glory

of Israel.

Prince Jonathan

is the one

that the upright

should weep over

and never forget

and strive to be like.

And when you fight,

fight remembering

Jonathan.

And he weaves

into this

shepherding

of a nation's emotions,

a nation's memory

forming

and memory writing.

He weaves in

his own personal lament.

He's a transparent

worshiper of God,

grieving

and letting the whole nation

see his grief

in verse 26.

I am distressed

for you,

my brother

Jonathan.

You have been

very pleasant

to me.

Your love

to me

was wonderful,

surpassing

the love

of women.

He's declaring

for the whole nation

to hear that

somehow

there was a ministry

David received

through this prince

that's almost beyond

what words

or comparisons

in this life

can communicate.

Jonathan

is to be remembered

as the bow

and we're to sing

the song

of the bow.

That bow

would draw

to David's memory

that last,

second to the last

encounter,

but that last

great act

of kindness

where Jonathan

had his dad

pressuring him,

King Saul,

to become

the next king

and making David

his enemy.

Don't you see

David's going

to get everything

that should be yours?

And Jonathan

took his bow

with him

and said,

David,

hide behind

that rock

of escape.

I'll use my bow

and I'll signal

to you

how God's

going to preserve

your life.

And he said,

David,

flee.

It's not going

to be safe

under anywhere

that my dad,

King Saul,

has jurisdiction.

Remember 1 Samuel

18.4,

Jonathan then

took off

the royal

princely robe.

He had his other,

you know,

garments I'm sure,

but the symbol

of being a prince

he gave to David.

And he also gave

David his armor.

Listen to the details

of 1 Samuel 18.4,

even to his sword

and his bow

and his belt.

The song of the bow.

David had kept

the head of Saul

everywhere he went.

I'm sure he would

cherish this gift

from Prince Jonathan,

the bow.

Jonathan,

brothers and sisters,

I hope you see,

was for David,

who we now know

in the light

of all revelation,

our Lord Jesus

is for us

who he saved.

Jonathan is a shadow

of Christ.

It's Christ

in his self-sacrifice,

his covenant faithfulness,

giving us his robes

of righteousness,

proving

his trusting obedience

to his father

to the very end,

ultimately by his death.

So, Church of God,

we can't be done today

until we remember together

another place.

And I pray that it's

more than just

our memory being formed

the way God designed.

I pray that it's

the Spirit

rewriting the memory

of the work of Christ

for you who know him.

Oh, Church of God,

remember this place

where a much greater

pivotal battle

took place.

It was a rock

in the shape

of a skull.

In Hebrew,

it's Golgotha.

In Latin,

it's Calvaria.

It's where we get

the word Calvary.

And as worshipers

traveled to the place

where God would meet them,

the temple in Jerusalem

on a hill

called Zion,

they would travel

and pilgrimage there

singing special psalms

called the Songs

of Ascent,

climbing up,

because they had to

go up this mountain range

toward Jerusalem

to the temple.

And our Lord Jesus Christ

met the forces of darkness

and the power of death

at this place,

at the top of this mountain.

The Gospels say

that the crucifixion site

was near the city,

but outside the walls,

and it was visible

from a distance

as ridge lines are.

You can see the cross

as you're climbing up

toward the place

where God will meet

His people.

O army of God,

remember this mountain

where our beloved prince,

the ultimate glory

of God's people

was slain.

Philippians 2, 7 and 8,

He made Himself

of no reputation,

taking the form

of a bondservant,

and coming in the likeness

of men,

He humbled Himself

and became obedient

to the point of death,

even the death

of the cross.

O army of God,

remember this mountain

where God's anointed

cast away His shield.

Our Lord could have

shielded Himself

in any way He wanted,

and He knew this

even in His final moments.

In Matthew 26,

Jesus said,

I could pray to my Father

and He will provide me

with more than 12 legions

of angels.

We read in John 10

that our Lord Jesus

laid down His life

willingly.

He did not shield Himself

from the cross.

He says,

I lay down my life

that I may take it again.

No one takes it from me,

but I lay it down

of myself.

I have power to lay it down,

and I have power

to take it up again.

This command I have received

from my Father.

And He was a valiant man

to the very end.

O army of God,

remember this mountain

where the valiant

did not turn back.

Isaiah 50, verse 5,

Isaiah 50:5

gives the words

that Jesus fulfilled.

I was obedient.

I did not turn away.

I set my face like flint.

Luke 9, 51 confirms.

Jesus steadfastly

set His face to do it.

O army of God,

remember this mountain

where the weapons

of war perished.

Our Lord disarmed

the devil

and the host of demons.

They have no power

over Him

or His kingdom.

2 Corinthians 10,

the verses we read

a moment ago,

for though we walk

in the flesh,

we do not war

according to the flesh.

for the weapons

of our warfare

are not carnal,

but mighty in God

for pulling down

strongholds.

So army of God,

remember this mountain.

That's what all

of the New Testament writers

by the inspiration

of the Spirit

call us to do.

Think of Hebrews 12, 2.

Look to our beloved prince

who climbed that mountain,

we could say.

The author and finisher

of our faith,

who for the joy

that was set before Him

endured the cross,

despising the shame.

And our Lord Jesus

didn't stay

on that mountain.

The Lord loves

to turn a symbol

of defeat

into a memorial

of His might.

Once again,

we remember the cross

empty now,

don't we?

He climbed high

above the cross

to a greater mountain,

the kingdom of heaven.

And He arose,

He lives,

He ascended

to the highest heaven.

And He sat down

at the right hand

of the throne

of God Almighty.

And from there,

He reigns

as the true King.

Isaiah 43, 25.

I, even I,

am He

who blots out

your transgressions

for my own namesake.

I will not remember

your sins.

Because of His work,

Jesus Christ fulfilled

what God has promised

all along.

and even though

God is omniscient,

He's all-knowing,

He promises

that the work

of Christ,

it erases

our sin

from God's

memory,

so to speak.

It's the words

of Scripture.

Hebrews 10, 17,

God promises

your sins,

brothers and sisters

in Christ,

your sins

and lawless deeds.

God says,

I will remember

no more.

This is how great

was Christ's victory.

And His victory

transforms our memory.

If God doesn't remember

your sins

and mine,

you cannot

let those sins

and those past faults

continue to accuse you

and torment you.

God says,

I will not

let those sins

for which Christ died

be counted against you,

be imputed

against you anymore.

Your conscience

in Christ

is now freed

from the legal

weight

of these past sins.

Our memory

is to be

renewed

in Christ.

Let Christ

rewrite

your own memory

of what He has done

and what that means

for you

who are in Him.

We are now freed

to focus

our memory

on God's

faithfulness

rather than

our failures.

Some of you

have testified

how this is a work

God has done

in your life

recently

in the last few years

and it's such a gift,

isn't it?

We don't

approach God

being accused

of all of our failures.

We approach God

to fix our thoughts,

our memories,

and remembrance

on His great work

and His great faithfulness.

That's why we love

all of our hymns

but one of them

comes to mind

especially.

It's when Satan

tempts me

to despair

and tells me

of the guilt

within

our hearts condemning.

Upward

I look

and see Him

there

who made

an end

of all my sin

because my

sinless Savior

died,

Jesus Christ.

My soul

is now counted

free

for God

the just

is satisfied

to look on

Him

and pardon me.

Psalm 77

I will remember

the works

of the Lord.

Surely I will remember

your wonders

of old.

I will also

meditate

on all

your work

and talk

of your deeds.

Psalm 111

for

He has made

His wonderful

works

to be remembered.

The Lord

is gracious

and full

of compassion.

This is what

we remember.

This is what

we meditate on.

This is what

we put our eyes

upon over

and over

again as long

as our flesh

continues to

accuse us.

So army

of God

I pray that

by the power

of the Spirit

we will be

stirred up

with love

for God

as we remember

the valor

of King Jesus

on that mountain

where He did not

retreat for you

and me

and His kingdom

is coming.

It's coming

spiritually now

but it's coming

consummately

one day

and every

knee will bow

and every

tongue will

confess

and the host

of angels

armies

will follow

Him

the Lord

of hosts

and He

will rule

and His glory

will cover

the new heavens

the new earth

like the waters

cover the sea.

Let's pray

longing for this

great day

and trusting Him

by faith

every day

until then.

O Lord

mighty are

your works

and they're

to be remembered

you've preserved

them in Scripture

for us.

They prove

Lord again

and again

and again

you are

gracious

and full

of compassion.

Please cause us

Lord to run

to the cross

of Jesus

the Mount

of Calvary

and find

refreshing again

for our souls

today Father.

we ask this

for your glory

for Christ's

sake alone.

Amen.