What Can We Do to Remember

And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying,

This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

Luke 22:19 (KJV)

May 30, 2004: On this Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, Don Bartemus, Pastor of CE & Christian Ministries of College Park Church, began his message with a call for us to remember those who have given their lives for our country. Pastor Don, then pointed out that we are very forgetful people, and that God established traditions early in Biblical history of things he did, and things we need to do, to help us remember things that are important to God. For example…

• He gave us a Rainbow…to remember His covenant. (Genesis 9:8-17)
• He declared his name to be Yahweh…to help his people remember that I AM THAT I AM, the one who makes and keeps his covenants, is the one who delivered them from bondage. (Exodus 3: 13-15)
• He established a Passover feast…to help his people remember their salvation from bondage by the blood of the lamb. (Exodus 12)
• He established the Lord’s Supper…to help his people remember that their salvation from the bondage of sin comes by the body and blood of the lamb of God…a new covenant that is remembrance today as we take communion. (Luke 22:14-19)
• The ordinance of Baptism…to help us remember the death, burial and resurrection of the Son of God, so that like “Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4)

Pastor Don then took us on a journey of expository preaching of the passage in Joshua 3 & 4 in which God had Joshua lead the twelve tribes of the nations of Israel in establishing the twelve stone memorial, “so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful, and so that you [Israel] might always fear the LORD your God.” (Joshua 4:24).

And then in the New Testament there is the story of Lazarus’ sister Mary, who lavishly poured very expensive perfume over the body of Jesus so that “wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” (Mark 14:1-9).

Application Questions

1. What lessons can we learn and apply from the study of Joshua 3&4 and Mark 14:1-9?

a. When confronted with seemingly insurmountable problems, what do we do?

b. As the Ark led the people into the river, what does God ask of us?

c. After we have seen God work in our life, what does the twelve-stones memorial and Mary’s example suggest we do, to help us remember what took place?

2. Why do people forget? What happens when we forget?

3. What might we as a flock group do to help us remember what God has done in our lives? [If so led, serve communion and remember what God has done.]

4. What would you like to begin doing differently to help you remember the things that God says are important in your life?