Lesson 5: The Rewards of Remembering (Hebrews 10:32-35) Based on two books by Tom Holland

Remembering is the God-given ability through which past events in our lives may be present experiences Through the ages the Lord has emphasized the importance of remembering (Ex. 12:25-27; Deut. 5:15; Luke 22:19) In appealing to His people and urging them to be faithful, God pleaded, “Remember the former days” (Heb. 10:32) Memory of former days can be practical, powerful, precious

God’s people have been informed (by God’s Word) with “special spiritual insights” –About God, His love, His plan to save man –About the deceptive nature of sin & its power to overpower Contrast: the ignorance of the world causes people to lose sensitivity to sin and openly live in it (Eph. 4:17-19)

To a wayward sheep: –Remember when you learned the truth about a life that gave you a clean conscience, integrity, self-respect, joy, peace, purpose, hope –Remember when you learned of God’s love for you and the sacrifice of God’s Son for you –Remember when you loved the Lord enough to trust Him with your life and your eternity –Remember when you learned that God’s Word has every answer we need to every problem of life –Remember when you learned that God’s Word is the only lamp and light we need to get to heaven

God wants His erring children to remember the days of courage –When “endured a great conflict of sufferings” (Heb. 10:32) –The N.T. has several examples of Christians who were beaten, imprisoned, put to death (because they were Christians) Even today, Christians are faced with ridicule, jeers, hurtful words, rejections, criticisms of people who don’t know or love God –Will they accept it? –How will they endure it?

To a wayward sheep: –Remember when your devotion was being put to the test –Remember the courage you felt and exhibited –Remember how you were not deterred in your determination –Remember how you gladly bore your cross –Remember how real and precious Jesus was to you at that time –Remember how nothing could keep you from attending services –Remember that spirit of sacrifice in knowing that you were enduring these things for Him –Remember the satisfaction of knowing that your response of courage, conviction, devotion and love for the Lord is exactly what He wanted

Christians are called to understand the temporal nature of earthly things (cf. Matt. 6:19-21) However, it is fairly easy to forget in a world that is so controlled by materialism

To a wayward sheep: –Remember the former days of your conversion to Christ –Remember when you came to a properly balanced relationship to material things –Remember when you were truly “rich toward God” (Lk. 12:21) –Remember when you were so enthralled with serving the Lord that “things” didn’t seem to matter much –Remember when life seemed so much simpler and the blessings of God seemed so much “fuller” in your life

Remember the day your mind embraced God’s truth about Jesus? Remember when you decided that you would let Jesus be your Savior? –You believed in Him. You trusted Him. You were willing to obey Him. –You wanted to follow Him. Your turned to Him and away from your former life in the world. Remember when you obeyed the Lord’s command to be baptized for the remission of all of your sins? –Remember the joy, the happiness, the peace, the hope? Were those precious moments in your life? –Would you not love to have that peace restored, that joy refreshed, that hope renewed?

Memories of a Father’s riches, a Father’s love and a Father’s acceptance pulled a young man out of a pig pen and prompted him to resolve in his heart: “I will arise and go to my father” (Luke 15:18-20). There is great power for good in remembering! –Remembering the joy of becoming a child of God and the blessings of being a child of God can be the lever of repentance. There is great reward in remembering! –The possibility of turning away from the darkness of the world –The possibility of overcoming the deception of sin and Satan –The possibility of coming home to God the Father