READ | SERMON NOTES
SUMMARY l We all have a tendency to forget. More seriously we often forget God’s help and His faithfulness during difficult times. We remember our problems more than His promises, our failures more than His faithfulness. Memory is important in our relationships. Our shared past forges our future.
Ps 105 is filled with God’s deeds and wonders based upon His covenant which He remembers forever. The psalmist praised God for His promise (V1-15), provision (V16-25), judgment (V26-36), redemption (V37-41) and keeping His promise (V42-45). The passage reminds us that God always keeps His promise and His people are called to remember His deeds, His faithfulness and His salvation. Remembrance provides the foundation for seeking Him and proclaiming His greatness.
Our Responses:
A) Remember God’s faithfulness (V5-11)
God keeps His promise. God’s covenant begins with Abraham and is ultimately fulfilled in Christ. All promises of God are yes in Christ (2 Cor 1:20). Through Christ all believers from every generation become heirs of God’s promises. God remains faithful even if we are faithless (2 Tim 2:13).
Forgetfulness leads to drifting. When we forget God’s works we question His love, when we forget His promises we doubt His provision, when we forget His faithfulness we wander from His presence.
Biblical remembering always leads to action. It is more than remembering facts.
Key Truths
1) God’s remembering produced deliverance
2) Our remembering should produce faith
In unclear situations, we do not trust what we can see but trust God whose faithfulness we have already seen.
Our faith is strengthened when we remember God’s track record eg, David remembered God protected him from lions and bears so he could face Goliath with faith. We recall answered prayers, God’s provision, comfort during grief, open doors when we see no way out and spiritual landmarks to help us face today’s struggles. How can we celebrate God’s faithfulness? We can tell stories of God’s faithfulness and keep a gratitude journal of God’s answered prayers to help us remember. As we remember God’s past faithfulness we develop confidence in His future provision. Like photo albums that preserve moments we want to keep, Ps 105 is God’s photo album to help us remember His faithfulness.
Remembering God’s faithfulness should never end in nostalgia but strengthen our relationship with God. God’s silence is not His absence as He is faithful even if we cannot see Him.
B) Seek Him continually (V3-4)
Seek His face always. We seek His face (represents relationship), not just His hand (represents His gifts). We seek God for who He is, not what He gives. Come near to God and He will come near to you (James 4:8). God wants relationship before request. We seek God’s face continually and not sporadically as love grows through continual relationship. God never intended for us to depend solely on ourselves. He invites us to depend on Him when our strength is weak eg parenting, caring for aged parents, work pressures, difficult relationships etc.
Prayer is fellowship with God in His presence. The greatest blessing of prayer is not answered prayer but His presence. We pray daily to have our hearts connected with God, read and put to practice His word, worship Him with reverence and joy, walk in fellowship with other believers in daily dependence on the Holy Spirit. We seek God to shape our hearts, strengthen our faith and guide us.
C) Proclaim His greatness (V1-2)
God never intends for blessings to stop with us. From the beginning God told Abraham that all nations would be blessed through him. We proclaim Christ as we are participants of the covenant blessing (1 Peter 2:9). The gospel is the greatest news as Jesus saves, forgives, restores, heals and grants eternal life. We are blessed to be a blessing. Take time to proclaim God’s goodness where you are placed.
The God who kept His covenant at Bethlehem, fulfilled it at Calvary and vindicated His covenant at His empty tomb is with us today. As we remember, we trust and seek Him and go forth to proclaim His goodness.
Challenge:
1) Remember 3 ways God has been faithful to you
2) Seek to spend time with God intentionally each day
3) Proclaim – share one testimony of God’s faithfulness with someone this week.
As we do so, we join generations of people who discovered God is faithful yesterday, today and forever.
(Sermon notes by Woo Choi Yin)
PONDER | REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- Study Scripture
a. In Psalm 105:1-2, what specific commands does the psalmist give God’s people regarding their response to God’s faithfulness?
b. According to Psalm 105:8-11, what does God’s remembrance of His covenant teach us about His character and His promises? - Recall Sermon
a. What were the three key responses to a faithful God emphasised in the sermon, and why are they important for every believer?
b. The sermon emphasised that “God’s remembering produced deliverance; our remembering should produce faith.”; What do you think this means in practical terms? - Relate Personally
a. Can you share a specific time when remembering God’s past faithfulness helped you trust Him through a difficult season?
b. Which of the three responses – Remember, Seek, or Proclaim – do you find most challenging in your current season of life? Why? - Commit to Action
a. What is one way you can intentionally remember God’s faithfulness this week (e.g., gratitude journal, testimony, prayer of thanksgiving)?
b. Who is one person with whom you can share a testimony of God’s goodness or the gospel this week, and what will you share?
