Forget To Remember, Remember To Forget Sounds crazy, doesn't it? The Bible Tells Us To Do Both.

Introduction The Bible is filled with paradox’s. A paradox is a figure of speech that ties opposites to the same action. Humble yourself to be exalted. Exalt yourself, and you will be humbled. Die that you might live, Live that you might die.

Introduction There are passages of things we are supposed to forget, and there are passages of things we are to remember. Sometimes these are the same things. Thus the paradox. We will look at things we are to forget, and remember at the same time.

Remember Lot’s wife: (Luke 17:32) The lesson is that once we begin our journey we are not to look back: With a heart of returning to the past. Or we might lose focus upon our goal. The plowman who does not look forward will be a failure.

Remember The words of Jesus. Luke 24:6-8 “He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying “the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again?” And they remembered His words. It is always wise to remember the words of our Lord.

Remember The words of Jesus ARE eternal life. His words are God’s words. His words are God’s message to mankind. His words will judge us in the last day. John 12:48-50 “He who rejects me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me commandment, what to say, and what to speak. And I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told me”.

Remember The prayers of others. Acts 20:31 “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears”. We are so thankful when we know others are praying for us. Let us not forget them.

Remember The poor. A request by Peter, John, and James to Paul in Galatians 2:10 We need compassion upon them because for some of us, we were poor one day. No matter how poor we consider ourselves to have been, we still had it better than many others. So help them when you can, lest you be without the love of God. (1 John 3:17)

Remember You were once separated from God and Christ. Ephesians 2:11-12 “Therefore remember, that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision” which is performed in the flesh by human hands– remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world”. Verse 13 “but now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ”..

Forget What lies behind while pressing forward. Philippians 3:13 “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to that which lies ahead”. Our past needs to stay there in the past. We cannot re-live the past, and we should not dwell there. We may have done many good things, but there are more good things that need to be done.

Forget Don’t forget who you are. You are a Christian. Live like a Christian. James 1:25 “but one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does”.

Forget Your life before you become a Christian. Once you become a Christian: Your life is to be hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3-4) “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory”. Your focus is to be on things above (Colossians 3:1-2) “If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth”.

Conclusion Things to remember and things to forget. We must do both to remind us who we are, where we have been, from where we came, and who made it all possible. God through Christ made is possible for us to live a new life, and that is the life we need to focus upon. Do not forget to remember the good and remember to forget the bad. Invitation