The Dangers Of Forgetting That You Have Been Cleansed - 2 Peter 1:9b Series

2 Peter 1:5 For this very reason, having made every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has become forgetful of the cleansing of his past sins. 10 Therefore, my brothers, make every effort to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11 For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you. 12 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.

Introduction: Good Memory/Evil Memory

How good is your memory? Before you answer, let me ask this—do you know the definition of a good memory? Most people would say, “It’s when you can recall what you want to recall—people’s names, events, important facts. It’s the ability to bring to mind lots of information.”

Is that a good memory? It might be good. Or it might be evil. The biblical definition of a good memory isn’t about how much information you can remember ; it’s about which information you remember. God designed your brain so that it forgets the vast majority of what comes into it. And which things you remember and which things you forget will determine how much success or failure you’ll have in the Christian life.

Just like every other part of us, our memories are affected by sin. You learn a hard lesson—a painful lesson, and then what happens? You forget, and you have to learn it again. How many times have you said, “Man, I’m never going to do that again!” “A whole tub of ice cream in one sitting? Never again! I’ve learned my lesson.”

Your Judas Memory

Then what happens? Your Judas memory betrays you. You completely forget what made you say, “Never again.” But you remember the taste of that ice cream like it was yesterday.

How about when someone hurts you—what does your memory naturally do? You forget what God’s Word says about bitterness and anger, you forget all the misery that vengeful attitudes have caused you—you forget all that, but you have an encyclopedic memory of what people did to hurt you—even the exact words they said 20 years ago. This is human nature. We forget all the painful consequences of sin, but we have a photographic memory of the pleasures of those sins. We remember what people have done and we forget what God has done. At every turn, our Judas memories betray us.

Every Christian struggles with this. Even David had to preach to his soul and call upon his soul to forget not the Lord’s benefits (Ps.103).

The Importance of Memory

Forgetting truth about God will cause all kinds of sin in your life.

And also fear. If you’re afraid, it’s because you’re forgetting some things about God.

Isaiah 51:12 … Who are you that you fear mortal men … 13 that you forget the Lord your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth.

Forgetting can mess you up in so many ways. So all through the OT God tells the people, “Build a monument, tell your children, have a festival”— all the rituals and ceremonies, the whole sacrificial system— it was all to help the people remember.

And in the NT, our one recurring ceremony—communion. And what is that? A remembrance (“Do this in remembrance of me”). Maybe you believe it’s more than a remembrance, but it’s certainly not less than a remembrance.

And what is the whole book of 2 Peter? A reminder—just like 1 Peter.

2 Peter 3:1 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders… 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior.

2 Peter 1:12 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them … 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory …15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

Remembering and forgetting is huge.

Two Kinds of Forgetting

And keep in mind, there’s more than one kind of forgetting. There’s the kind where you can’t recall. (“What is that guy’s name? I can’t think of it.”)