LET ME REMIND YOU
Reminders, we all need them. The main reason we need reminders is because we're forgetful. We have so many things to remember and focus on it's easy to be forgetful. If something isn't part of our daily routine we can tend to forget to do it. Sometimes it only takes a few minutes to forget. We have something to do but we become preoccupied with something else and then we turn around and forget to do it what we had in mind to do just minutes ago.
Another reason we need reminders is when it's something we haven't thought of in a while. We learn something but it's not something we think about very often so it's good to be reminded so it will stay fresh in our minds. A synonym for remind is to jog the memory. That's what we need at times. Reminders were given in the bible. Let's take a look.
1) The Holy Spirit reminds.
John has the longest recording of what took place in the upper room. In this final gathering with the disciples before his arrest and crucifixion, Jesus had some things to tell them in preparation for after he ascended and left them to carry on his work. One of the preparation statements came in
John 14:25-26, “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."
During these three years with Jesus the disciples saw a lot of things and they were taught a lot of things; too much to remember. In fact, at the end of John's gospel it says if all the things Jesus did were recorded the whole world wouldn't have enough room for all the books that would have to be written. That gives us a pretty good picture of the magnitude of what Jesus said and did.
And I'm sure there were times when Jesus was teaching or performing a miracle, when the disciples were distracted and not paying full attention. Along with that were the times they didn't fully understand what he was saying. It adds up to gaps in remembering all he did and taught. How were they supposed to carry on when they weren't capable of remembering it all now let alone later? That's where the Holy Spirit comes in.
Jesus reassures them they won't have to remember everything verbatim because they would have someone with them who would remind them-the Holy Spirit. Even now as they were listening to Jesus I'm sure they weren't able to really grasp what he was talking about. But later they would experience what Jesus was explaining to them here.
After the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, Peter got up to deliver that first sermon. He hadn't done this before. When you look at that great sermon in Acts 2, I wonder how much of it was the Holy Spirit reminding Peter of what he had been taught before? I wonder if the other Apostles were surprised at Peter's words and how he was able to put them all together?
How joyous it must've been when the Holy Spirit reminded them of something Jesus taught when they were sharing the gospel. How has the Holy Spirit reminded you of something? He does that for me during a bible study or Sunday school. When I respond to someone's comments with a verse that ties in it's because the Holy Spirit gave it to me in the moment.
When you read the bible and the verses you're reading reminds you of another verse that goes along with it-that's the Holy Spirit. When you're speaking with someone and that verse pops into your mind to share with them that's the Holy Spirit at work.
We rejoice in the indwelling Holy Spirit because he teaches us and reminds us of what we've learned. Memorizing scripture is an asset but it's comforting to know when we forget something the Holy Spirit reminds us.
2) Reminded of the gospel.
Paul had a lot to say in his first letter to the Corinthian church. He addressed divisions in the church and sexual immorality. He contended against those who felt he wasn't a worthwhile Apostle. He gave them warnings from Israel's history so they wouldn't repeat their mistakes. He spoke about them operating as a body of unified believers with each part doing its work. Then he takes them back to the basics in chapt. 15.
1st Cor. 15:1-8, "Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born."
Paul reminded them of the gospel he preached; the gospel they received and stood firm on. He reminds them of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. He recounts Jesus resurrection appearances. Why was this necessary? We find out in vs. 12.
1st Cor. 15:12-20, "But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."
We see that some of them were questioning the resurrection of the dead. Paul counters by taking them back to Jesus' resurrection. Paul logically states that if they believed the dead are not raised then Christ hasn't been raised. Paul reminds them the gospel they believed included the resurrection. If Jesus has not resurrected then their faith is worthless, there's no salvation.
He needed to bring them back to this because there was another belief system infiltrating the ranks. It appears that a group of Sadducees, who didn't believe in the resurrection of the dead were leading them astray. Paul basically said if that's the case we're the most pitiful because it means anyone who puts their faith in Jesus and eternal life is believing in lies.
If you read on, Paul presents more logic for believing in the resurrection of the dead. There are times when we need to be brought back to the basics. We need to be reminded of what our faith is rooted in. Why have we been set free? Why do we believe what we believe? What are our lives to be about now?
When we were taught about what it meant to follow Jesus and then we responded in faith and committed ourselves at our baptism, somewhere along the way we can lose sight of that. We become busy with our lives and forget about our purpose in Christ.
Or at some point another teaching is introduced that counters what we came to believe and we find ourselves entertaining it. This is what happened in Galatia.
Gal. 1:6-7, "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ."
The Galatians were being led astray by a perverted gospel message. Paul was astonished at how soon they deserted God. In vss. 8-9 he tells them if someone preaches another gospel than the one he preached and they accepted, let him be condemned.
Paul reminds them this is not only the gospel I preached, this is the gospel you accepted as true; the gospel you have placed your faith in. Paul lets them know that following another gospel is deserting the God who showed them grace.
There may be times we need to be reminded of God's grace. That's what's good about doing the LS every week; it's a reminder of God's grace and Jesus' sacrifice. Sometimes we need to be reminded of how much God loves us. We can become preoccupied with other things and we lose sight of what it's really about.
Satan will always try to draw us away from God; he wants us to forget about grace; forget about commitment. He wants us to forget to pray and read the bible. He wants us to forget about church and bible study. So he'll do what he can to draw our focus away from godly things.
It's good to be brought back to center and be reminded of the gospel and the basics.
3) Reminded of our purpose.
Timothy was a young minister who was being mentored by Paul. He had some issues to work through, timidity being one of them. Paul had something he needed to remind him of.
2 Tim. 1:5-9, "I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace."
Paul was reminded of Timothy's sincere faith that existed in his grandmother and mother before him. It was because of this sincere faith that Paul wanted to remind Timothy of the purpose and calling on his life.
Timothy was allowing his timidity to get in the way of his purpose and Paul reminded him that God had called and gifted him for a divine purpose. There were going to be obstacles and difficulties but don't let them deter you from fulfilling your purpose in Christ.
Sometimes for whatever reason, we might lose sight of our purpose. Whether we're afraid, apathetic, tired, angry, etc. we might want to stop doing our work for the Lord. We may get frustrated, thinking what we're doing isn't doing any good. But we need to remember our purpose-what it serves and who it's for.
Paul reminds Timothy that God has saved us and called us to a holy life. And the power that he gives us to do his will did not come from us but from his grace; the same grace that saved us from our sins. We each have a purpose to fulfill and we can fulfill it, we need to want to fulfill it and we need to resist the obstacles that stand in the way.
One of the reasons Paul wanted to remind him of his purpose was so he would continue to remind the church. In 2:14 Paul wrote, "keep reminding them of these things". Paul wanted Timothy to regularly remind the church the things he was pointing out in this letter; which no doubt also included what he wrote in his first letter to Timothy.
Part of Paul's purpose in reminding Timothy of his purpose was so he could remind the flock of their purpose. Paul said to, 'keep reminding them'. Sometimes one reminder is not enough-we need two or more. Peter did this.
In the first chapter of his second letter to the church, he tells them that God's power had given them everything they needed for life and godliness. Then he told them to make every effort to add to their faith goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. If they increased in these things they would be effective and productive.
He told them to make their calling and election sure so they could receive a rich welcome into God's kingdom. Basically, build upon the faith you have so you will be productive and persevere to the end. Peter was reminding them of their purpose as Christians. And he said he would keep reminding them.
2nd Pet. 1:12-15, "So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things."
Peter's focus on making sure he reminded them showed how important this was. When something is important we set reminders. When we have a spouse or friend who knows we have an upcoming appt. they remind themselves to remind us.
Peter saw to it that even though they knew these things and were firmly established in them, he was going to keep reminding them anyway; it was too important not to. It's good to be reminded of the basics and it's good to be reminded of our purpose; even repeatedly.
4) Reminded of our past.
After we've been Christians for a while, not only do we need to be reminded of the basics and our purpose, we also need to be reminded of where we came from. We can forget about how we were before we came to Christ; especially when we're dealing with people who are where we once were. It can be hard to tolerate non-Christians sometimes. Paul addressed this issue in his letter to Titus.
Tit. 3:1-7, "Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men. At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."
Some people were thinking because they were Christians they didn't need to obey man, only God. Paul explained that wasn't true. In Rom. 13 Paul said that governing authorities were established by God for the purpose of keeping people in line and punishing those who break the law. Therefore, to obey the rulers and authorities was in essence obeying God. The only exception was if they established a law that went against God's command.
But Paul wanted the church to be reminded to always be ready to do good to others. They weren't to slander anyone but to be peaceable, considerate and humble toward everyone. This would communicate to non-believers that Christians were different.
We need to show ourselves to be people who exhibit godly character. We need to show the world uncommon behavior; actions that show there's something refreshing and admirable about us. That's not always easy for us to do with fellow Christians let alone non-Christians.
Paul reminds the people of who they once were, and could easily still be like, if it wasn't for God's grace. He reminds them that there was a time when they were foolish and disobedient. They were once deceived and enslaved by their passions and desires. They were envious, malicious and hateful. But, then they were saved-not because they deserved it but because of God's kindness and mercy.
This would remind them that they have no right to look down on anyone who was not a Christian. We can be bothered by sinful behavior, we can get frustrated when people say and do things that go against God. But sometimes we need to be reminded that those who don't know Jesus are not going to behave as if they do.
We have seen the light-they haven't. We have the Holy Spirit inside of us-they don't. And we need to be reminded that even though we do have Jesus there are times when we're still foolish and disobedient. People who don't know Christ have a reason to look down on those of us who do when we act like them.
But the main thing Paul wanted to remind the church was to treat everyone with love because that's how God treats us. We need to be reminded of this too. I need to remember how I was before Christ when I'm dealing with unbelievers. And I need to be sensitive to the example I'm setting for them. If I don't like the way unbelievers are behaving then I need to behave in a godly way to help draw them to Jesus to be saved.
