One of the truly amazing things about the brain is the ability it has to remember. Years ago, this writer remembers hearing someone on TV compare the human brain to computers. It was stated that the human brain could store more information than all the computers put together. Someone from the past declared that the human brain stores every one of the five senses (hearing, seeing, touching, smelling and tasting) forever, and that years later, something may be heard, seen, smelled, touched or tasted, resulting in the brain bringing this back as clear as when it first happened. You have likely experienced this.
An example of the foregoing is as follows. As a teenager, the writer heard a joke about a frog going to a bank to borrow money. The loan officer, named Paddywack, told the frog that the bank did not loan money to frogs. The frog again asked for a loan, only to receive the same response. Again, the frog pled for a loan, offering to leave a little wooden horse for collateral. Paddywack again told the frog that he did not think the bank would make the frog a loan. However, he said he would go ask the old man. The president, with brief case in hand was leaving the office just as the officer entered. The president said, “What is it Paddywack? I’m going home.” Paddywack responded, “Sir, there is a frog in my office requesting a loan; he said he would leave this little wooden horse as collateral. What is it?” The president responded, saying, “It’s a nick knack, Paddywack. Make the frog a loan. This old man is going home.” Some fifty years later, the teenage boy, now older, was watching a football game on TV, when he heard the band play the old song, “Give The Dog A Bone.” This joke came back as fresh as the day it was told. Likely, you have had similar things to happen.
God remembers. He remembered Noah, and all else in the ark. (Genesis 8:1). He even put a rainbow in the sky, saying, “And I will remember my covenant,….” (Genesis 9:11-17). God would remember the covenant He made with Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham. (Leviticus 26:42). God has promised that He will not leave or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5, 6; Genesis 28:15; Joshua 1:5). The Old Testament is full of examples of God remembering His people.
God’s people were to remember Him; they were also to remember His commands. Deuteronomy 8:18 says, “But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth,….” Numbers 15:39 admonished Israel, “Remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them.” Jesus said, “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” (John 13:17). He also said, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). Luke 17:32 calls upon us to “Remember Lot’s wife.” As Paul stated in Romans 15:4, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning,….” Moses challenged the Israelites to remember that it was God who delivered them from Egyptian bondage. (Exodus 13:1-3). They were commanded to “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8). They were to also keep the other nine commandments, and all of the rest of them. However, they broke the first two commandments before Moses came down from the mount (Exodus 32:1ff), and “sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.” (Verses 30, 31). The last few chapters of Exodus find the Israelites repentant, and busy doing the will of God. However, again, they remember God and His word, and they submit to God and His word at times. They then forgot both, and were punished. They repented, and were delivered from persecution, and on and on. (Book of Judges).
Solomon called upon young ones, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth,….” (Ecclesiastes 12:1ff). His “conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14; Cf. 2 Corinthians 5:10; John 5:28, 29). Paul exhorted, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12, and context). “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee,….” (Psalm 63:1ff). Cf. Psalm 42.
The New Covenant has much to say about remembering. Acts 20:35, “Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Cf. Ephesians 4:28; Galatians 6:10. Paul said, “Remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.” ( Galatians 2:10).
We should emulate Paul, who remembered the saints at Philippi, thanking God upon every remembrance of them. (Philippians 1:1-3). Paul said he did this “Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy.” (Verse 4). Cf. 2 Timothy 1:3. The zealous apostle remembered the unfeigned (genuine, non-hypocritical) faith in Timothy, his grandmother Lois, and his mother Eunice. (2 Timothy 1:5). Good ministers, every Christian, will put their brethren in remembrance of God’s will. (1 Timothy 4:6, and context). Paul said the brethren remembered his labor and travail as he preached the gospel of God, making himself non-chargeable to any. (1 Thessalonians 2:9). Jesus taught His people to remember and correct differences between themselves and other brethren prior to their worship. (Matthew 5:23, 24). The inspired writer John called upon erring Christians to remember their faithfulness, that they had sinned, and to repent. (Revelation 2:1-7).
The Hebrew writer calls upon “holy brethren” (Verse 1) to “Remember them which have the rule over you,…:” (Verse 7), and “obey them….” (Verse 17). Elders lead and feed the flock of God among them, serving as examples. (1 Peter 5:1-4; Cf. Acts 20:28-31, and context).
The saved are to remember “the former days.” (Hebrews 10:32ff). This would aid them in overcoming whatever temptations would come their way. (Verses 33ff). Jude 17 is so very important to the child of God, “But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”
Most so-called “Christians” today dwell almost entirely upon the love, mercy and grace of God and His beloved Son. They are loving, merciful and full of unmerited favor, grace. However, Jude 5 calls upon all to remember that the same God who “saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.” He spared not “the angels which kept not their first estate. (Verse 6). Sodom, Gomorrah, and the cities about them “in like manner” were not initially fornicators, but gave themselves over to such, and were destroyed. (Verse 7). Verses 14-16 inform us that the Lord will come “to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their deeds which they have ungodly committed,….” They did ungodly things. God did not predestinate them to do these things. The same was true of those described in Romans 1:18-32. “They knew God” but “they glorified him not a God”; rather, they “became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” (Verse 21). They were not born fools, but “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” (Verse 22). Look what they became. (Verses 23-32).
The best has been saved for last. At the Passover supper, Jesus instituted the Communion, which would be a part of the Christians worship in the kingdom. (Matthew 26:17-29, especially, verses 17, 19, and 26-29). At this great feast, Jesus said, “This do in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24, 25). Churches of Christ have been celebrating the weekly breaking of bread from the beginning of the church (Acts 2:42), at Troas (Acts 20:6, 7), at Corinth (1 Corinthians 11:17-34), and upon the first day of the week (every week) today. Rather than growing old, and becoming stale, each breaking of the bread and drinking of the cup reminds Christians of the great merciful and gracious act of love Jesus had for the lost in willingly giving His body and blood. (Matthew 27:27ff; Mark 15:15ff; Luke 23:26ff; John 19: 1ff). The blood of the Christ brought remission of sins (Matthew 26:28) and bought the church. (Acts 20:28). Beloved, never, never, never, never, trivialize this great feast of remembrance of God’s love, grace and mercy. REMEMBER!
It Is Written 