Oak Hill Church of Christ 11-27-22 Message: "Looking Backwards Into the Future"

Oak Hill Church of Christ preaching minister, Randy Sterling, delivers a message on the importance of being reminded of our past triumphs with God.

As we move through the "Holiday Season" including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, we may all find ourselves taking comfort in old traditions. Maybe it's eating the same certain food, watching the same old movies, or listening to the old classic holiday songs. Whatever those traditions are, they are reminders of good times and good memories, often revisited in the hopes of capturing those warm, pleasant feelings again.

Still, in the eyes of some, 'traditions' has become an unwelcome word. For these people, remembrance of the past is a moral failure. It is either weakness or it is a clinging to a time which modern viewpoints tell us is actually bad, and remembering it as good makes us wicked.

God, however, has a different view. God not only appreciates us fondly remembering the past, but, from time to time in the Bible, commands it. God does not want His people to forget the blessed times of the past, those good times and happy times, because He knows how demoralizing the present (and the future) can be. He knows his people can be too easily lead astray, abandoning Godly principles and moral living because those are things "old people did" especially "a long time ago."

God wants to bring into the present reminders of the blessings that come through following Him. He wants to remove doubt and the spectre of fear from the future. This Holiday Season, enjoy your traditions, especially those which put God and His Son front and center.