Talking To The Father - Sermon Outlines. Org



Memorial Day: Remembering The Lord’s Resounding Name

(Exodus 3:14-15) And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. {15} And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

Introduction: Tomorrow, of course, is Memorial Day, and as I have studied this week, I have done a little research regarding our national observance of Memorial Day.

Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, Major General John A. Logan, the head of an organization of former Union soldiers and sailors - the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) - established “Decoration Day” on May 30 as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. The first large observance was held that year at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The cemetery already held the remains of 20,000 Union soldiers and several hundred Confederate soldiers.

Local tributes to those killed in the Civil War had already been held in various places. In fact, approximately 25 places have been named in connection with the origin of Memorial Day, many of them in the South where most of the war dead were buried. However, in 1966, Congress and President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y., as the “birthplace” of Memorial Day. It was there that a ceremony on May 5, 1866, was reported to have honored local soldiers and sailors who had fought in the Civil War.

By the end of the 19th century, Memorial Day ceremonies were being held on May 30 throughout the nation. It was not until after World War I, however, that the day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars. In 1971 Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress, though it is still often called Decoration Day. The day of observance was finally established as the last Monday in May. Over the years, the custom has grown in many families to decorate the graves of all departed loved ones.

In 1868 General John Logan’s order to decorate the graves “with the choicest flowers of springtime” included this statement: “We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. ... Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.”

I read about a pastor who, one Sunday morning, noticed a little boy named Alex staring up at the large plaque that hung in the foyer of the church. The plaque was covered with names, and small flags were mounted on either side of it. The seven-year old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor walked up, stood beside the boy, and said quietly, “Good morning, Alex.”

“Good morning, pastor,” replied the young man, still focused on the plaque. “Pastor, what is this?” the boy asked.

“Well, son, it’s a memorial to all the young men and women who died in the service.”

Soberly, they stood together, staring at the large plaque, until finally, in a barely audible voice the little boy asked, “Which service, Sunday morning or Sunday night?”

As Americans in general, and as Christians in particular, we need to honor the memory of those who have died in battle and in the service of our country – we need to appreciate those who have given their lives to ensure our freedom.

In the scriptures though, we find that there were some Memorial Days set aside to honor, not a soldier, but a Sovereign – one who had brought about the freedom of His people.

Tomorrow, we will remember our fallen soldiers – today I want us to memorialize our faithful Savior! This morning we will remember the Lord and His Resounding Name.

And it is His name that is the memorial.

Whatever opinions are adopted as to the correct form of the name (“I AM THAT I AM”) and other grammatical … questions, there is no doubt that it mainly reveals God as self-existent and unchangeable. He draws His being from no external source… Creatures are what they are made or grow to be; they are what they were not; they are what they will some time not any more be. But He is what He is. Lifted above time and change, self-existing and self-determined, He is the fountain of life, the same forever.

This underived, independent, immutable being is a Person who can speak to men, and can say ‘I am; Being such, He has entered into close covenant relations with men, and has permitted Himself to be called ‘the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ The name Jehovah lifts Him high above all creatures; the name ‘the God of your fathers’ brings Him into tender proximity with men, and, in combination with the former designation, guarantees that He will for ever be what He has been, even to all generations of children’s children. That mighty name is, indeed, His ‘memorial to all generations,’ and is as fresh and full of blessedness to us as to the patriarchs.

(Alexander Maclaren)

I. This Memorial Reminds Us That He Is The God Of The Present

A. The Slaves (Israel) Would Learn That He Is God In Our Present Captivity vs. 7-10

1. That He Hears Those Who Are In Bondage vs. 7 & 9

(Exodus 3:7) And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction (punishment) of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

(Exodus 3:9) Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression (pressure) wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

2. That He Helps Those Who Are In Bondage

(Exodus 3:8) And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

(Exodus 3:10) Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

B. The Servant (Moses) Would Learn That He Is God In Our Present Concerns vs. 11-12

God said: “It’s not who you are Moses – It’s Who I Am!”

1. Moses Has Realized His Weakness

(Exodus 3:11) And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

It was not cowardice which prompted Moses’ answer, but lowliness. His former impetuous confidence had all been beaten out of him. Time was when he was ready to take up the role of deliverer at his own hand; but these hot days were past, and age and solitude and communion with God had mellowed him into humility. (Alexander Maclaren)

2. Moses Is Reassured By Worship

(Exodus 3:12) And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token (a beacon or signal) unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve (worship) God upon this mountain.

C. The Skeptics Would Learn That He Is God In Our Present Circumstances vs. 13

1. Notice The Doubts That Were Expected

(Exodus 3:13) And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God (Elohim – the supreme God) of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

name – Hebrew 8034. shem, a primary word meaning an designation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by implication it means honor, or authority, or character.

2. Notice The Declaration Of God’s Existence

(Exodus 3:14) And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

I AM – Hebrew 1961. hayah, a primary root word meaning to exist – it is also translated as “beacon.”

God said that His reverence was Moses’ token and beacon of hope, but His reality was the beacon of hope for the people.

II. This Memorial Reminds Us That He Is The God Of The Past

(Exodus 3:15) And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

A. That He Is “The God Of Abraham” Reminds Us That He Is The God Who Called Us

1. God Called Abraham From The Former Place Genesis 11:31-12:4

Ur (where Sin was worshipped), Haran (which means “parched”)

2. God Called Abraham To The Future Prospects Genesis 17:4-5

From Abram (high father) to Abraham (father of nations)

B. That He Is “The God Of Isaac” Reminds Us That He Is The God Who Continued With Us

God didn’t stop working in Abraham’s life or in Abraham’s legacy. He continued the work in Isaac.

1. Isaac Represented The Fulfillment Of God’s Word Genesis 17:19, 21:1-3

2. Isaac Represented The Furtherance Of God’s Work Genesis 26:4-5,24

C. That He Is “The God Of Jacob” Reminds Us That He Is The God Who Cared For Us

1. God Cared For Jacob In Spite Of His Ways

(Genesis 32:27-28) And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. {28} And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

Jacob – the heel catcher or supplanter – one who usurps through underhanded tactics. He had power in self.

Israel – a prince with God or one who has power with God.

2. God Cared For Jacob In The Midst Of His Worries

(Genesis 37:35) And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.

(Genesis 45:5) Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.

(Genesis 45:25-28) And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father, {26} And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not. {27} And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived: {28} And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.

God was doing something behind the scenes that Jacob wasn’t even aware of, even through his sorrows and worries.

III. This Memorial Reminds Us That He Is The God Of The Promise

(Exodus 3:15-16) And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. {16} Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:

A. His Name Promises That To Endless Ages – He Is (not “Was”) GOD this is my name for ever

1. Notice His Conspicuous Position

name – Hebrew 8034. shem, a primary word meaning an designation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by implication it means honor, or authority, or character. And it has the idea of His definite and conspicuous position.

2. Notice His Continuing Person

for ever – Hebrew 5769. 'owlam, means to the vanishing point; time out of mind, eternity; always – it is also translated as “always, continuance, eternal, everlasting, perpetual, world without end.

B. His Name Promises That For Every Ancestor – He Is (not “Was”) GOD

and this is my memorial unto all generations

1. He Is God In The Generations Of The Past

2. He Is God In The Generations Of Posterity

And I say to this generation…

(Jeremiah 6:16) Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

C. His Name Promises That With Excellent Awareness – He Is (not “Was”) GOD

say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt

1. He Has Had Consistent Awareness (throughout the days of their patriarchs)

2. He Has Had Compassionate Awareness (throughout the days of their punishment)

Conclusion: All those in history who wanted to make a name for themselves...

In 1884 a young man from America died in Florence, Italy. His middle-aged, grieving parents returned to America with the body, and after the funeral they began to discuss some kind of memorial, a living memorial, something that would help other young men like their son.

They arranged an appointment with Charles Eliot, then president of Harvard University. He received the unpretentious couple in his office, asking what he could do for them. They told him about the death of their son, and explained that they wanted to establish a memorial to his memory - something that would help other young men like their son get an education.

Some have said that Eliot looked at the couple with some impatience and a certain suggestion of aristocratic disdain and said, “Perhaps you have in mind a scholarship.” They told him that they were thinking of something more substantial than that - perhaps a new university in California.

Mrs. Stanford inquired how much the endowment should be, in addition to land and buildings, and he replied (with what may have seemed like a patronizing air) that it should be no less than $5 million. A silence followed. Finally, the man said with a smile, “Well, Jane, we could manage that, couldn’t we?” and his wife nodded.

The following year, President Eliot of Harvard learned that the plain, unpretentious couple had contributed $26 million for a memorial to their son. The memorial was to be named Leland Stanford, Jr. University.

(From Paul Lee Tan’s “15,000 Illustrations” #9282 and Stanford University History website)

As amazing as that is, I want to remind you one more time this morning of the living memorial that God the Father established for His only begotten Son. In 1 Timothy 3:15, it’s called “the church of the living God.”

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