Well,
the house is clean, the garage purged, the tasks completed, the friends visited,
the miles traveled. Now it is time to pack up to return to BJ.
Earlier
I thought about the many things that we have done this summer. However, after I
listed the things we had done, God
reminded me that really I am to remember what He has done. Someone once said that the operative word for the Old
Testament is REMEMBER – remember God and remember what He has done. God
recounts all the things that He did for the Israelites. The Passover was to
remind the Israelites of God’s miraculous deliverance from Egypt. The rainbow
reminds him of his covenant. Many of the psalms promote a theme of REMEMBER. All
those events point to our great, merciful, faithful, and steadfast God. Even
God REMEMBERS – He remembers the covenants he made with his people. Sometimes
God doesn’t REMEMBER – He doesn’t REMEMBER our sins when we repent and seek his
forgiveness. The cross of Jesus reminds us of his sacrifice for our sins. The
empty tomb reminds us of his resurrection – his conquering of sin and its
consequences. A quick search of the word REMEMBER turns up so many verses. I can’t list all the verses in the Bible that have
REMEMBER in them. Almost every book uses the word, either for us to remember
what the triune God has done, to remember who He is, or for him not to remember
our sins and instead show mercy.
Therefore, instead of remembering what we did this
summer, I want to remember Jesus and what he has done.
Hebrews 10 (ESV)
10 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of
these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are
continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered,
since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any
consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to
take away sins.
5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifices and
offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you
prepared for me;
6 in burnt offerings and
sin offerings
you have taken no
pleasure.
7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I
have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me
in the scroll of the book.’”
8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor
taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin
offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away
with the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins,
he sat down at the right hand of God,13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his
feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being
sanctified.
15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for
after saying,
16 “This is the covenant
that I will make with them
after those days,
declares the Lord:
I
will put my laws on their hearts,
and write them on their
minds,”
17 then he adds,
“I will remember their
sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no
longer any offering for sin.
