April 8, 2009
Remember
I have been thinking about a comment I heard. The man said "We not only pass
along what we know ... we pass along our ignorance."
We want our children in particular (and others as well) to have the wisdom we
gained over the years (and hopefully there is at least some) so that they can
avoid the pain of repeating some of our own mistakes. I know they don't always
listen but we do endeavor to share with them.
We want our children to come to a saving faith in Christ and to be all that He
has called them to be so we try and teach them. At least we should be trying,
taking them to church or Sunday school is only part of what they need to know.
They should hear us speaking together about our faith and about what the Bible
teaches. They should hear of our struggles and the faithfulness of God.
The problem being most of us know very little of what's in the Bible and don't
often talk in much depth about "spiritual" things. That's something we need
diligently to change.
God told His covenant people, the Israelites to remember and to pass it down.
We're grafted into the covenant so that applies to us as well. While we don't
have to observe all the laws of Judaism, this is a principle that it is
important for us to follow.
A huge theme of the book of Deuteronomy is to remember. It occurs too many times
to cover in the short space we have this morning but I recommend you take some
time to read it again.
Deuteronomy 4:9 NIV
Only be careful, and watch yourselves
closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them
slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to
their children after them
Parts of the Jewish law were designed specifically with remember in mind. For
example
Numbers 15:37-41 NIV
The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the
Israelites and say to them: `Throughout the generations to come you are to make
tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. You
will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of
the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after
the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. Then you will remember to obey all my
commands and will be consecrated to your God. I am the LORD your God, who
brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD your God.' “
Joshua understood the importance of remembering
Joshua 4:8-9 NIV
When the whole nation had finished
crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, "Choose twelve men from among the
people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the
middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over
with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight."
So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites,
one from each tribe, and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the LORD your
God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his
shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a
sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, `What do these stones
mean?' tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the
covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were
cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever."
So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the
middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites,
as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp,
where they put them down. Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the
middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the
covenant had stood.
The purpose of the Lord's Supper (communion) is to act as a reminder and a
proclamation (passing along).
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 NIV
For I received from the Lord what I
also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,
and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is
for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took
the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever
you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink
this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
We cannot pass along the things we do not know about God. We cannot pass along
the things we don't remember. That means instead we pass along our ignorance to
our children. For us to pass something of benefit along it must be something
that we know and remember.
Until next time drink deeply from the well of God's Word often and pass along
what you know rather than what you don't know.
Blessings to you and yours!
Darrel Mason