[Gary Antion]: Our ability to remember is awesome. The hippocampus of the temporal lobe of the brain is the center for the memory. Though memories are stored in other parts of the brain too and can be retrieved if the right subject is brought up, relational topic is brought up, it can trigger that thought from a different part of the brain.

Some memories are joyful, others are sad. Some memories are celebratory, where you really feel good about that, and some memories are traumatic. Some memories are relational, where they bring up other topics in our mind, and some memories are informational. As I prepared this sermon, I remembered sitting in the waiting room of an MRI imaging center. As I was sitting awaiting my turn to go in and have an MRI on one of my knees, I saw a man sitting there waiting for his wife, for his family who had a hat on that identified him as a veteran.

And so, I saw him. I acknowledged him. We’re pretty close in that area. And I said, “Thank you for your service. Would you like to share anything with me, any of your experiences?” And he opened up, and he told me that he remembered being a part of the largest amphibious assault in military history, 156,000 troops assaulted the beaches of Normandy. And he happened to be one who assaulted the beach at Utah...not Utah, at Omaha, which was the worst one, the most difficult one, and the one that had the greatest number of casualties. He said, “I remember sitting in that landing craft, which was being delivered by a cargo ship. I remember sitting in there in the darkness with my equipment on, my gun in my hand, and my helmet on.” And he said, and then he began to think, “What am I doing here?” He was an 18-year-old boy from the rural part of Ohio. And he said, “What am I doing here?”

He had been rushed through training, basic training, because they needed to get all these troops out there. And so, he was rushed through it. He was sitting, and he said, “What am I doing?” And the chance is they were already told the odds of you living are not great as you swarm this beach. Now, they had tried to soften it with airplanes bombing and with artillery from offshore, from the ships, but they weren’t always on. And that the whole plan was thrown off course by bad weather. So, they couldn’t even get where they needed to be. They landed not where they wanted to land, where there may have been a little more obstacles to protect them. They had beach to just run across. And sitting on the escarpment at the top were machine gunners for the Germans, as well as artillery guns firing. Plus, there were six million landmines that were buried on the beaches. And so, they not only had that plus there was very little place to hide.

So, he said he remembers the motor starting, and it pushed he and 35 others. The typical landing craft held 36. So, he was 1 out of 36. He remembers the motor starting in the landing craft and that the ship that was bringing them to that point went as far as it could go. So, it wasn’t right up to the shore where they open and they could just get out. They had to go somewhat in the water, and they did. He remembered it moving. He said, “Here we go.” And, of course, his heart was in his mouth, and he was wondering, “What’s going on. What’s going to happen?” As the gates swung down, and they all rushed out on the beach, numerous ones of his buddies were shot down, cut down with a machine gunner. In fact, the machine gunner was shooting at them even before. One German machine gunner claims to have killed 1,000. He fired over almost 13,500 rounds of machine-gun fire at them. He said he felt he killed between 1,000 and 2,000. The troops ran every which way. They tried to find someplace to hide for some type of safety and protection. Their goal was to control that section of beach, and many of them were cut down already. The tanks they were supposed to have that would give them back up and cover and support, only 2 out of 29 actually made it onshore. Some of the others sunk to the bottom when they came off the cargo ships.

Some of the people who came... troops that came off, came down in heavy water, deep water, and they had all this equipment on. They couldn’t get the equipment off, enough of the equipment just caused them to drown. Those who made it onshore, on the beach had to run like crazy to try to get out of the gunfire. And he remembers seeing so many of his buddies cut down. He finally made it to just below the escarpment so that the machine gunners couldn’t shoot down. They were shooting up, not down. And that’s what their goal was. And, finally, some of the rangers and some of the other men scaled that escarpment, and paratroopers who had landed behind the German positions came and managed to neutralize those men. So, at the end of the day, they had Omaha Beach under control, but it took them several more days until all the beaches were under control because there were British and Canadians and members from other groups, some Polish and some from various parts of Europe. I think New Zealand even had a contingent there. And they all came together.

They wanted to take that area because they could get a landing place in Northern France where they could deliver goods and troops and be able to be on their way to Paris. That was their goal. But as he told me, I just sat there amazed at what this man remembered and what happened to him. As you know, Monday, next Monday is Memorial Day in the United States. And for the United States, it remembers all of those troops who fell to guarantee freedoms for us. That’s Monday. So, they’ll be celebrating that. It used to be called Decoration Day, and they would go and put flowers on the graves of all those who had fallen in military battle.

So, remembrances and memorials are not only for Memorial Day. The Bible is full of events to remember. I did a study on this, and there were five main words that I found. One in the Hebrew that’s used 230-some times for remember and associated remembrances or memorials, it’s called zāḵar. And you’ve got to write these down. You could check them yourself. 2142 in the Hebrew, 2142 Strong’s number. There are four Greek words that all have to do with remembering, recalling, memory. And I’ll give you those, 3421 in the Greek, 3422 in the Greek, 3403 in the Greek. This is mimnḗskō, and that’s one of the main words to remind, to bring to mind, to call to mind, to remember, to mention. And then the fifth one is number 364, which has to do with a recalling specific words, but it also includes the anámnēsis word, which is the basis for them all. So, 3421, 3422, 3403, and 364 if you care to check them out.

But, again, what is the purpose of this? The purpose of this message is to help us take a look in the highlighted remembrances in Scripture. Only some of the highlighted ones because there are hundreds of them. Many of them are God remembering, God remembered this, God remembered His covenant, God remembered, but you will be delighted if you choose to do a study on remember, remembrances, memorial, you’ll be excited to see all the remembrances. I’m not even going to get to all of them. I just tried to give you some broad categories and show you what I mean. And, by the way, David remembered his mighty men. So, the experience of Memorial Day, remembering those who gave their lives on our behalf, David highlighted 37 by name in 2 Samuel 23 and 1 Chronicles 11. I’m not going to read those. I just want to share that with you.

So that’s not going to sound important. It is to remember from our guide book of life, which is the Holy Bible. Title of this sermon if you haven’t guessed is Remember... The first area to remember goes along with our sermonette. Remember God, remember God, how easy it is to forget God, how easy it is to assume. When everything’s going well, how often do you pray fervently? Most of us pray fervently when things aren’t going well. But when things are going well, can you praise Him as David did? Can you gratefully praise Him and praise Him with all your heart? Deuteronomy 8:18, I’ll only survey some of these. I’m not trying to give you the whole amount because it would take me hours and hours of sermons to do that. But I have looked at many of them. I will tell you that in my study and in my research for this. But Deuteronomy 8:18, God tells them to please be careful after you’ve eaten, after you’ve enjoyed everything, don’t forget God. Everything is comfortable with you, don’t forget God.

Deuteronomy 8:18, “And you shall remember the Lord your God,” you shall remember the Lord your God, “for it is He who gives you the power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” Do we remember God? Do we remember God in prayer? Do we remember God in practice? It’s not enough just to say the words. Remember what Jesus Christ said? “Why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say? Why do you call Me that? Why do you say I’m Lord and you don’t listen to Me? You don’t do what I ask you to do.” So, remembrance is when you remember, remember what God said, remember His word. We’ll come to that in a moment.

But Jeremiah 2:32, Israel had a tendency to forget God. They had a tendency to push Him away. But here’s what Jeremiah wrote. He said, and, again, he said, “You see the Word of God, why do My people say, ‘We are lords, and we will come no more to You?’” Here’s what God says to them, “Can a virgin forget her ornaments?” Can a young, attractive girl forget what’s going to make her attractive? Whether it’s a scarf or whether it’s jewelry or whether... Can a young girl forget that? Can a young virgin forget that? He said, “Or can a bride, her attire?” The word there, “beads of sash” that they would wear that designates they’re getting married. But I would put it, “Can a bride forget her wedding dress?” How many brides don’t pay any attention to their wedding? No, it doesn’t really matter what I wear. Oh, no, they go out, and they pick them, “Well, it’s this one,” and they make sure they’re fitted right. Can a bride forget her attire? But here’s what God says, “Yet My people have forgotten Me days without number.”

Do we remember God? And when we remember Him, do we do what we remember about Him as was being brought out in the sermonette? Ecclesiastes 12:1, Ecclesiastes 12:1 talks about the young at heart but also talks about the young and young at heart. Ecclesiastes 12:1, I thought we had a hymn by this, I was going to have Mr. Lamoureux sing it, but it’s remember your creator in the days of your youth. That’s how it goes. But, unfortunately, it was sung by the Young Ambassadors, it was not in our hymn book.

But look at Ecclesiastes 12:1, “Remember now your Creator,” remember your Creator, “in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come and the years draw near when you say, ‘I have no pleasure in them.’” When arthritis hits your knees, when you can’t do the things you used to do as quickly as you used to do them, where you can see where you need to be, but you can’t get there like you used to be. Do you remember God when you’re vigorous, and young, and when you can jump and praise and sing and twirl around with your little kilt on or whatever? And please, you don’t have to have a kilt to worship God, okay? I’ll just tell you that. Please, if you’re going to do it, please spare me the time of being around you when you do it. Okay. But He says, “When the years draw near when you say, ‘I have no pleasure in them,’ while the sun and the light, the moon and the stars are not darkened.” Yeah. Get my cataracts fixed so I could see more clearly. Get my glasses strengthened so I can see more clearly, remember your Creator. How easy it is to forget Him, especially in good times, especially when we’re not in need. When we’re in need, oh, we can really cry out.

But what about in good times? Can we cry out fervently? Can we pray to Him with the same kind of intensity that we need to? Psalm 105:4-5, again, we find another remember. Psalm 105:4-5, “Seek the Lord and His strength, seek His face evermore.” Always, always seek Him. Verse 5, “Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and His judgments of His mouth.” Remember what He has done. And I’ll ask you this question. What has He done in your life? Can you think of your blessings? Can you think back and not forget those many benefits that God Has given to us? What blessings do you remember? Do you reflect on those and thank God for what we have and thank God for what He’s given to us? The awesome hope that nobody can take from us. Do we remember Him? I would ask you to remember His blessings and His benefits to you personally, as well as to the church and to all of us. Another remember is remember God’s Word and His Law. Remember God’s Word and His Law.

Malachi 4, the last book in the Old Testament and doesn’t tell us let’s forget the law because we’re going into the New Testament, but He tells us, Malachi 4:4, we read this, “Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all of Israel with statutes and judgments.” Remember them, don’t forget them. Now, you don’t earn salvation by law-keeping, by the way, you don’t. If it’s not through Christ, as was mentioned in the sermonette, you can’t make it. You can’t do it on your own, but Christ can and has, and Christ in you has. And if you have Christ in you and God is in your thoughts, and God is overseeing what you’re doing and overlording in your life, not overlording, but overseeing you, you will have the strength. You will have the power. You’ll have the might. God’s Holy Spirit is there to give it to us. But He says, “Remember the Law of Moses.” Do you remember God’s law? And you know what, most of us God’s Law has been written in our hearts and in our minds. I don’t have to pull out the Bible.

Let’s see, “Should I steal this or not? There is something I really like. Should I steal?” “I don’t really know. Where can I find it? Let me look up in a concordance. Oh, you shall not steal.” Okay. I’ll also found it in Deuteronomy 5 and Exodus 20, “Okay, I shall not steal rats. Bible told me.” I don’t have to do that. Do you have to do that? When it comes to law and sin, God has written it in my heart. It’s natural for me. I see it, “Hey, that’s theirs, that’s a nice thing, but it’s not mine.” I don’t think, “Oh, that’s a nice thing. How can I connive to get it?” That is an attitude of the world, that’s not an attitude of God. And God works in us, right? It’s God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. It’s not you who do it once you’re converted, once you have God’s spirit. So, He says remember it. Exodus 20:8 specifically, He tells us to remember a commandment that helps you know who God is. Exodus 20 in the 10 Commandments, here’s what He tells us. Exodus 20:8, again, it’s one of those remembers. Exodus 20:8, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” Don’t forget it because it reminds you that you weren’t made by yourself, that you didn’t evolve out of slime or some big bang theory, that you were designed beautifully and wonderfully by God. Remember Him, remember Him on His Sabbath day. Remember the Sabbath day, highlighted there, verses 8, 9, and 10, and 11. Remember, and that’s right in the middle, and yet somehow or another, we have some very excellent biblical surgeons who go through, and they somehow or another do some surgical cut from verse 7, and they skip down to verse 12.

For some reason, remember the Sabbath to keep it holy is overlooked or put away, that’s Jewish, so that’s Jewish. This wasn’t Jewish. This was Godly. This was God’s way. Remember His Sabbath day. Acts 20:35, you’re conversant with the Scriptures, you will remember them. And as we study and as we look through the Bible, as we do our Bible study, we will remember. We will remember things that are spoken to us that stick in our mind. Acts 20:35, he said going on to talk... Paul, I think it’s, yeah, to the Ephesian elders, Paul said, “I have shown you in every way by laboring like this that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Remember those words. Do you remember those words? Do you remember what God said? Do you remember what Jesus Christ said? I don’t remember them always. I have to keep studying. I have to go through the Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John very regularly, through the Book of Acts because I want to see how a Christian should act. I remember going through the book of Proverbs because I want to be wise, numerous times, and just study one chapter a day, meditate on it as I read it.

Boy, does that help, to remember. Remembering those things. John 15:20, another scripture of remembering. The disciples remember what Jesus said, Sometimes He said it ahead of time, they didn’t remember until it actually happened. But John 15, John 15:20, we read this, “Remember the word, remember Jesus Christ said the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his lord.’ If they have persecuted Me...” As Mr. Clore was saying, “If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept My word, they will keep your words too.” Remember the words. Not just remember, live them. You know what I love to do when I find a scripture I really like, I like to go back to it a few times in prayer, talking to God, “Well, God, I found this wonderful scripture you put in here.” And I look at it, and I make sure I pray about it and look at it because I want to remember, remember God’s Word. Remember the inspiration that He gives in there.

The disciples also remembered. Peter remembered in Matthew 26:75. They all remembered in Luke 24:8. John 2:17, they remembered the scripture when Jesus Christ was clearing the temple, they remembered the scripture that said “the zeal of My Father’s house has eaten Me up.” They remembered. We need to remember God’s Word. We need to remember what’s in it. And not only remember what’s in it, we need to follow what’s in it with God’s strength and God’s help. John 14:26, I won’t turn there, but I’ll just cite it for you in John 16:4, “God’s Holy Spirit will bring all things to your” what? “Remembrance. God’s Holy Spirit will bring all things to your remembrance.” Is that same word, same root word, remembrance. We need to activate God’s Holy Spirit. We need to make sure we’re tuning into it, letting it guide us and lead us. Now, you can’t feel it, but it guides your mind. It comes in, it gives you your mind. I can’t always say, “Well, this thought, because I’m saying it, is God’s Holy Spirit.” I can’t always say that. But I can see if it’s in line with God’s Word and say God’s Spirit has led me in God’s Word.

We also need to remember God’s Holy Days and Passover. 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 again. And on Feast of Trumpets, you know what it says, back in Leviticus 23:24, what Moses wrote? Leviticus 23:24, “You shall have a memorial of the blowing of trumpets.” And it’s not the blowing of one trumpet, remember trumpets is not just a memorial of the last trumpet, it’s a memorial of trumpets. There are a lot of trumpets going to be blown before that last trumpet when Christ comes back, and they include plagues and difficulties. But He says, it’s a memorial. A memorial, remember that. Memorial is something that is a signal, a sign that you can remember what’s attached to it. And in 1 Corinthians 11:24-25, he talked about what Jesus had delivered to him, Paul’s writing. And he said, “And when He had given thanks,” 1 Corinthians 11:24, “He broke it, and He said, ‘Take eat. This is My body, which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of Me.’” He was talking about the Passover service. This do in remembrance of Me, the Passover’s a remembrance of what Jesus Christ did for us, is a remembrance of what He did for the whole world. It’s a time to remember Him and what He did for us.

Verse 25, “In the same manner, He also took the cup after supper saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do as often as you drink it in remembrance of Me.’” We’ll see later on when we’ll talk about people. I’ll quote one scripture that talks about remembering Jesus Christ. So, remember God’s Word, remember His Law, remember His Holy Days.

What about remembering people? What about remembering people? Well, I find in Galatians 2:10, you might turn there. It’s real close by Corinthians. Galatians 2:10, the apostle Paul wrote this, “They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.” And you did when you distributed those goods, Farmers to Families, you were remembering the poor. You remember the people who needed some help, and you served them. But he tells us, remember the poor, those who don’t have enough. And that’s why we have an emergency fund. That’s why we have the charity auction from the students who are done in North Carolina, to help people. I try to think of people in the world. I try to think of little kids that are disfigured, nobody can afford them. Once in a while, I contribute to this or that because I care about the poor. Do you?

See, it’s not enough just to say, “Oh, I remember there were some poor people.” What do you do about it? What do you do about it? Do you say be warmed and filled, goodbye? So, again, remembering means we need to do. Hebrews 13:3, Hebrews 13:3-7, we find specific people to remember. Hebrews 13:3, we find “remember people in chains.” I probably don’t pray enough for the people that are in chains, but I do know some in chains over in the Philippines, who’ve been in chains for years, Jed Sy and Jingjong, her brother. And I pray that God, if they are truly innocent, that He will make a way for them to be noticed. And, of course, in those areas, they put you, they lock you up, and they forget you even exist. That they don’t forget them because they both are sterling examples of caring and serving for others, and both of them have free reign of their facility because they’re trusted as trustees. Both of them have free reign, her brother and her, as I recall, and they’re looked to for all types of things, and they’ve created a good atmosphere there. Mr. Dean can tell you about it if you want to talk to him afterwards.

But I pray that... I think Jed Sy has a daughter or whatever who’s 18 years old or whatever, graduated from high school that she can’t see. Wouldn’t that be awesome for her to be able to be finally noticed? I keep praying God, you could give favor. You gave favor to the Israelites in the side of Egypt. Pray for them, pray for the poor. Think about the people in prison, this case. Hebrews 13:3, “Remember the prisoners as if chained with them, and those who are mistreated, since you yourselves are in the body also.” You’re part of the body of Christ. Pray for them. Think about them. I don’t know in the area that we have prisoners here or not. I know there are prisoners who are serving God. And, by the way, about 12,000 of them, I think, that we used to have on file. Maybe more than that now. They’re on the “Beyond Today” list, about 12,000 prisoners. And some of them have been baptized in prison. Sorry. My phone rang. I couldn’t turn off here. All right. Prisoners are somebody we should remember, actively remember and pray for them.

Hebrews 13:7, we should remember the ministry. The ministry, Hebrews 13:7, “Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken to you the Word of God, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.” Now, He doesn’t give them carte blanche. You don’t follow them if they go astray. You don’t follow them if they go the wrong way. You don’t follow... but that’d be obvious they’re going the wrong way. But He said, remember them, pray for them. Do you pray for them at the right time? If I prayed for Australia this morning, sorry, they already had their service. I pray for Europe before I go to bed because when I get up, they’ll probably already be in the afternoon service already. Pray for them, pray for God to inspire them, pray for God to help them love the people. Pray for them that they will be inspired to bring a message, that they’ll have wisdom to counsel, they’ll have faith to anoint. Pray for them and be protected. Look at Mr. de Campos, I guess we all heard that Mr. de Campos had that accident over in Brazil. And he did that, and he keep on going. Most of us probably would still be in the hospital, “Oh, woe is me.” He got up and just kept on going, and God was merciful to him.

Pray for them, pray for protection, safety, pray for inspiration. Remember those who have the rule over you. And it’s not that they like to rule over you, they have responsibility for you. Remember them.

What other people are there? Luke 17:32, Luke 17:32, this is a warning remember. Luke 17:32, we read what is spoken. Jesus Christ said, “Remember Lot’s wife.” Remember her. Why do I want to remember her? What did she do? She turned back. She turned aside. She turned back from her devotion and commitment to God. And when she turned back, that’s not good. He wants us to remember to keep on going, to not give up and quit. Remember Lot’s wife is a warning to us.

Look at Revelation 2:5, as a church, He warns the church at Ephesus. Remember, He says, Revelation 2:5. I’ll get there in a moment. I’m up to 21, Revelation 2:5, so to the church at Ephesus, He says this, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen.” So, He told them you’ve left your first love. You used to really love Me. You used to really love this way of life, but now you’re drifting. Remember from where you’ve fallen. So, when we remember something, that’s about the past. We can’t make that right, but we can change it in the present and for the future.

“Remember,” verse 5, “therefore from where you have fallen, repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent.” If you don’t repent, I will remove your lampstand. You won’t be My church anymore. So, again, when we remember, we can remember things that happened to us, we can change that. We don’t have to stay in that state. Told them to change.

Ezekiel 20:43 is an example of Israel coming back and what they say in their repentance. Ezekiel 20:43, this is after God’s established His kingdom right at the beginning. And notice what’s going to happen. Ezekiel 20:43, He said, He’ll bring them into the land of Israel, verse 42, those who were outcasts, He said, “And there you shall remember your ways and all your doing with which you were defiled.” How you defiled yourself, how you turned away, you remember, “And you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight because of all the evils that you have committed.” Remember, look back, check ourselves regularly, daily. Ask where we are. What did I do? How did I do that? How did I do right? How did I do wrong? Repent to the wrong. Be grateful for the right that God gave you the strength to do.

But remember, in order to repent, you have to remember. Because remember baptism is for sins that are past. I can’t repent for the future. God, I’m going to repent for what I might do tomorrow. No, I can’t repent. Repentance involves remembering and remembering involves the past.

Matthew 26:13, there’s one more remembrance that’s a memorial. Matthew 26:13, He said, “Assuredly...” This is the case of the anointing at Bethany by Mary. Jesus loved three great friends, Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. And here we find Mary having a costly fragrant oil, probably one year’s salary to get this special fragrant oil that she used on Jesus Christ’s body. And what did He say? Verse 13, “Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached to the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” We’ll remember that this lady thought about Jesus Christ enough to go against all the mores, all the moral concern, women didn’t interact with men. And, certainly, they wouldn’t go up to them and put oil on their bodies and their feet. They wouldn’t do it, but she did. And Jesus said, “She’s prepared Me for My death.”

Awesome. Remember, remember those who step out and do the right thing, step out and follow God and His way and His leading. So, I encourage you all to do a study of the words: remember, remembered, mindful, remembrance, memorial, and you’ll be enlightened by those scriptures. Some of them you’ll see had to do with sacrifices. Remember why this was done. Remember that God remembered. You want to react to and look at the ones that people do too as well and how they have remembered.

So, we have seen several important events and topics relevant to remembering. Deuteronomy 32:7, bringing this to a close. Deuteronomy 32:7 talks about history. History. We should be students of history. Deuteronomy 32:7, “Remember the days of old. Consider the years of many generations. Ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.” Remember the past, ask about the past, learn about history so you don’t repeat some of the same mistakes. But always remember history is still about the past, still about the past, which we can learn from and bring into the present the lessons that we’ve learned.

But as the apostle Paul said, we must not allow ourselves to get stuck in the past. And I’ve worked with some people who psychologically are stuck in the past. They keep going to the past. They keep going to the back, can’t get through it until they finally talk about it, talk it through it. You see that, “Okay, let’s deal with it.” Do you feel comfortable now that you’ve dealt with or are you still stuck in the past? Some of them are still stuck back there. Why? Because they refuse to let it go and they can’t somehow see their way clear to letting it go. Don’t get stuck, especially on negatives in the past. A lot of people like to dwell on the negatives, “I’ll never forget that.” And I don’t ask you to forget it. It’ll be there. Traumatic events will always be there. You won’t get rid of them, but you can learn to deal with them. Learn to get them out and get over them because what was said by the apostle Paul in Philippians 3:13, I’m not going to read it, I’ll just paraphrase it. Paul said, forgetting the things that are behind, that is the past. That doesn’t mean everything. If somebody comes to me with an abuse issue, I don’t say, “Forget it, get over it. You know, suck it up and get over it.” I don’t do that. I won’t do that. It’s important for them to talk about it, to get it out.

Once they get it out, get it out satisfactorily, then they need to let it go. Don’t ever forget that incident, but they cannot let it keep them from moving forward. So, he said, “Remember forgetting the things that are behind,” that’s the past, “and reaching forward,” that’s the future, “to those things which are ahead.” And he was talking about eternal life in God’s glorious kingdom. Reaching ahead is future. As you forget the things that are behind or past and reach forward, that’s moving ahead to the future, you have eternal life. You can have it in the kingdom.

So, let’s learn the lessons from the past and press forward to a God’s glorious kingdom. And we can say as the thief on the cross said. If you want the scripture, I won’t read it, but I’ll paraphrase it. Luke 23:42-43, he said, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” You can say the same thing, “Lord, remember me when You come in Your kingdom.” And Jesus Christ’s statement back to him was what I hope we can all hear, “Assuredly I say to you today, you will be with Me in paradise.” May God help us all to remember the good things and do something about it and also the difficult things and do something about those. But the key is remember, remember, because if we remember, we won’t repeat the mistakes and the sins of the past.