Remembering and Taking Action

The theme for today's sermon at Calvary Chapel Sydney was, "Remember now your Creator."  It is interesting that God knows all and never forgets, yet He also remembers.  We are prone to forgetfulness, so we might assume to remember is merely to recall to mind.  Looking at times God remembered in scripture is instructive to people who fear Him, as it reveals remembrance goes beyond thinking because it is often connected with intentional, corresponding action.

After God flooded the earth, Genesis 8:1 tells us:  "Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided."  There was not a moment God "forgot" about Noah or any living thing on the earth, but His remembrance of them was connected with sending a wind to dry the earth.  Remembering Noah meant God did something to help him.

God remembering Abraham led Him to deliver Lot from the destruction of Sodom in Genesis 19:29:  "And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt."  Remember, it was Abraham who spoke with God of the injustice of destroying the righteous with the wicked.  Abraham negotiated that if there were 10 righteous people in Sodom, the entire city would be spared.  It turned out there were not 10 righteous people in the city, yet God remembered Abraham and spared righteous Lot and all who obediently departed with him.

Genesis 30:22 is another passage when God remembered:  "Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb."  Rachel was envious of her sister Leah and complained to Jacob.  It is also clear she took her complaint before the LORD Who gives conception, for He listened to her and caused her to conceive and bear sons.  We read similar verses in Exodus 2:23-24:  "Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. ²⁴ So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob."  The prayers of God's people prompted Him to remember His covenant and deliver them.

These examples of God remembering directs us to consider what is appropriate action considering our Saviour Jesus Christ Who instituted communion with these words:  "This do in remembrance of Me."  We are to eat of the bread and drink of the cup in fellowship with believers to proclaim the LORD's death until He comes, and we ought to live in light of His atoning sacrifice which demonstrated His love for us lost sinners.  It is fitting we would offer ourselves a living sacrifices unto God which is our reasonable service, seeing He has purchased us with His own blood.  Remembering what Jesus did by His death and resurrection prompts us to freely give because we have freely received, to offer up praise and thanksgiving to God, to enter into the rest Jesus supplies by faith.  In remembering Jesus, we are enabled to walk in the Spirit by obedience to God's word.

Unlike God, we are forgetful creatures and do need reminders of what is good and right.  Judges 8:34 says God's people did not remember the LORD who had delivered them on every side and this was evidenced by their idolatry.  May we avoid this error!  Having been reminded, we remember our LORD by acknowledging His words and obeying His commands, choosing to follow our Saviour without fail.  Receiving Communion is one way to remember our Saviour, and there are countless other ways we can remember Him daily and bring Him honour with praise.