Why Remember?

Philippians 1:3-8
I want to read some Scripture to you on this last night of being in this building in a formal worship service. It's still hard to say. When you've been so used to being in the same place, and coming to the same place, and perhaps being in the same routine - well, things are about to change - and I'm excited about it, and I've got to be honest with you, I'm also feeling pretty sentimental.

As I said I want to share a couple of key points and in the midst of the first point, I want to ask you to share a memory (briefly) of what God did in this place in your life. Please understand that it is not the place that brought about the change - it was the Lord. Having said that, there are still special memories that we have of events of the past. Does that make sense? I hope that you have special memories of this place, and I'm praying that each of us will have even more special memories of the place where we're going.

Paul writes to the church at Philippi - a people that he dearly loved.
Read Philippians 1:3-8
1:3  I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
1:4  always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy,
1:5  for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now,
1:6  being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete [it] until the day of Jesus Christ;
1:7  just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.
1:8  For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.
Why remember?
  1. To celebrate God's faithfulness

    Paul witnessed God's faithfulness in several ways even through this one place, Philippi:

    1. God had a place of ministry for him to serve. Go to Acts 16 and you'll find where, beginning in verse 6, the Macedonian call took place. Paul and his new ministry partner, Silas, were anxious to reach the world with the gospel. And they tried to go, but door after door seemed to be shut. I would not doubt that there was some frustration, confusion, maybe even some despair in Paul and Silas as they tried to do what they were sure God had called them to do, only to be turned away. And then one night Paul had a vision where he saw a man of Macedonia calling him to come and serve there. Philippi is in Macedonia. Have you ever wondered if Paul saw the man once he got to Macedonia, or do you think finding the man and sharing with everyone in between is what compelled Paul to keep on going? I don't think Paul ever forgot that vision. And I don't think Paul ever forgot that God had a plan and a place of ministry for him to serve.

    2. God used them to build up the body of Christ v 14. "The Lord opened [Lydia's] heart to heed the things spoken by Paul." Here was a woman that the Scripture says worshiped God, but Paul helped her to see her need for Christ and to follow Him. And Paul and Silas stayed in Lydia's house. God was doing a work there.

    3. God used tough times to show Paul and Silas that they could still praise the Lord. Continue reading in Acts 16 and you'll find the familiar story of the Philippian jailer - and what an event that Paul or Silas would never forget. They were jailed for casting a demon out of a girl that was mocking them, but also making money for some thugs in Philippi. When the demon was cast out of her, the thugs had Paul and Silas put in prison. But yet, it was in that prison that they learned they could still praise the Lord - the conditions may have been horrible, but the time could not have been better to praise Him.

    4. God allowed Paul and Silas to witness a miracle - two of them in fact. The prison shook and the chains came off - that was miracle number one. The second miracle was in seeing the jailer and his household come to Christ, and even get baptized in the middle of the night. What memories of that little place called Philippi - and it all began with a call. What if Paul would have told the Lord that Philippi wasn't really that important of a city? Besides the people of Macedonia were dirt poor. Yet Paul obeyed.

      Paul witnessed and he remembered God's faithfulness.

  2. To convince us that God has an even greater future

    1. Paul wrote to the Philippians that his motivation was one thing: "forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

      Paul never allowed the past to capture him or to limit him from what God wanted to do in his future. And we must be just like that. Let's learn from the past and let those things - good and bad - propel us to a future that is far greater than we can think or imagine. So, think about these things:

      1. God willing, next Sunday Maysville Baptist Church will not be meeting in this building, but we'll be in a new building. And we're not coming back. Just like we are tonight so we will be next Sunday morning - Maysville Baptist Church, just meeting in a bigger place in order to reach more people.

      2. As you have been faithful to do whatever it takes here, do whatever it takes there. Be willing to give up your seat for guests that come next week. You can look at this in one of two ways. "New building lookers are coming and that's the only reason they're coming." Or, "those new building lookers may be looking for a reason for the hope that we have and are wondering what is behind up and moving from a location that has been "Maysville Baptist Church" for almost sixty years in this sanctuary (but almost 130 years on this site!), and just want to know that we'll still do whatever it takes to reach one more for Jesus - even if it means giving up your seat on the first day in order they can hear the gospel. You're going to be tempted to get selfish on that day - you've been here a long time, you've given a lot of money to the building fund, you're a key leader. What's a soul worth to you?

      3. Continue to give God a hand.

      4. We're not finished building. As Karen Carpenter would sing, "We've only just begun…!"

      5. Mission trips and missionaries on every continent.

      6. We've witnessed God-sized accomplishments here; and look with excitement to the God-sized challenges that are ahead.

      7. Are you convinced that the greatest days are still ahead for you?

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