DO THIS IN “REMEMBR-ANCE”

Text: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

I. “REMEMBR-ANCE” IS MENTIONED TWICE IN THE WORDS OF INSTITUTION (1 Corinthians 11:24-25; cf. Luke 22:19)

A. In ancient times, if you wanted to learn something, the primary method was to ask someone older than you or someone who had a better memory than you (Exodus 13:14; Deuteronomy 6:20-21; 32:7; Joshua 4:21).

B. More and more, our culture and the church is idolizing the present and rejecting the memory of the past.

1. Mention the Protestant Reformation to many Protestants and they will give you a blank stare.

2. Think of the “worship wars” fought over the “old hymns.” Has anyone ever stopped to ask, “How old are the old hymns?”

“In the scriptures history is incredibly important in remembering as a source of trust and obedience. Many modern people not only ignore the past but they idolize the present. What’s ever-newer is definitely truer. Any change must be progress. This is absolute idiocy” (“The Idolatry of Relevance: An Interview with Os Guinness” Preaching January-February 2004 p.31).

C. Typically when we think of old age we think of memory loss, grey hair and people who are out of touch. But the biblical concept of age has the connotation of wisdom, experience and memory.

1. Wisdom is personified as a beautiful old woman who existed before the world was created (Proverbs 8:22-31; 9:1-21).

2. Grey hair was looked up to (Lev.19:32; Job 12:12; 15:10; Prov.16:31; 20:29).

3. The Ancient of Days in Daniel 7 is described as having hair like “pure wool” (Daniel 7:9).

4. Servant leaders in the church are called “elders” (1 Timothy 5:17).

When I was a boy of 14,
my father was so ignorant
I could hardly stand to have
the old man around.

But when I got to be 21,
I was astonished at how much
the old man had learned in seven years.
-Mark Twain

D. Biblically speaking, it is not the old that are forgetful, but the young.

1. Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth… (Ecclesiastes 12:1).

2. “Do not remember the sins of my youth” (Proverbs 25:7).

II. THE “REMEMBERER”

A. One of the positions of authority in the Old Testament was the “rememberer” (2 Kings 18:18; Isaiah 36:11). The rememberer was a recorder of history (see Esther 2:23; 6:1; 10:2).

1. Joah “the son of Asaph” (2 Kings 18:18).

2. Asaph’s name is found at the heading of twelve Psalms (Psalms 50; 73-83). The word “remember” is found a total of 12x in these Psalms.

3. The rememberer may have been connected with the priesthood and perhaps the Temple singing.

B. Written remembrance of God’s acts and the office of “the rememberer” may give us understanding of various other passages of Scripture and different books that are not found in Scripture (Exodus 17:11-16; Joshua 10:12-13; 2 Samuel 1:17-18; 2 Chronicles 35:25).

III. THE LORD’S SUPPER IS A MEMORIAL

A. If we don’t have a biblical concept of age and history and the past then we will be overlooking one of the most important aspects of the Lord’s Supper.

B. Remembrance has always been a key theme in the life and worship of God’s people.

C. The Lord’s Supper is like the Passover in that both were memorial meals (Deuteronomy 16:3; cf. Exodus 12:14; 13:7-9).

“We believe that Christ is truly present in the Lord’s Supper; yea, that there is no communion without such presence .... We believe that the true body of Christ is eaten in the communion, not in a gross and carnal manner, but in a sacramental and spiritual manner by the religious, believing and pious heart” (The last words the Swiss Reformer Huldreich Zwingli [1484-1531] spoke on the subject of the Lord’s Supper written to King Francis I; quoted in Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church).

QUESTIONS FOR SABBATH DISCUSSION & MEDITATION

Take what you have learned this morning and make it into a prayer that the Lord’s Supper would be a means of unifying the body of Christ rather than dividing it.

What are some of the first things that come to your mind when you think of old age?

In biblical times, ______________ people were looked up to for their wisdom, learning, and experience. Younger people learned from _____________ people (Job 12:12; 15:10 32:6-7; Proverbs 4:1; 5:1).

_________________ both in Greek and English implies the wisdom of age (Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2, 4, 6, 22f; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18; 1 Tim 5:17, 19; Titus 1:5; James 5:14; 1 Pet 5:1).

In biblical times, ____________ hair and ____________ beards were looked up to (Lev.19:32; Prov.16:31; 20:29).

In biblical times, old age was seen as a sign of divine favor and as a consequence of ______________ the LORD and ______________ His commandments (Deut.30:19-20).

The _______________ commandment teaches children to honor their parents (Exodus 20:12; cf. 1 Peter 5:5).

Is age always an indication of wisdom?

Who was Joah “the son of Asaph”?

Why is remembering the past one of the biblical foundations for our present trust and obedience?