Remember What?

Hindsight

20/20 Vision

In 1862 the Dutch ophtalmologist Herman Snellen devised a system for evaluating vision. The first number in the system is what someone can see at set distance of 20ft. The second number is how that relates to what the average person with normal vision see’s at that distance. If I were to tell you that you have 20/10 vision then I would be saying that what a normal person can see at 10 feet you can see 20ft. Twice the visual acuity. Perfect vision of course is 20/20 vision.

1949 is the first time we find the common phrase in print: “Most people’s hindsight is 20/20”. It’s an expression that likely needs no explanation, we tend to see clearly after the fact the error of our ways. Sometimes in the present, the correct path forward is blurry. What is often the case is that we are not seeing past our own noses in the present and can look back and see the full ramification of our actions. Very clearly.

2019

We all got a lesson in presumption in the year 2020 didn’t we. In James 4:13-16 we read

James 4:13–16 KJV 1900

13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

But it 20/20 we all had a 20/20 vision. This is what we are going to accomplish by or in the year 20/20. — The joke was on us — We ought to have been saying If the Lord wills, in 20/20 we will do this or do that. The reality is most had 20/20 hindsight and not 20/20 vision — The Lord did not, in fact, will.

Christian Hindsight

When I first became a Christian and started coming to church again, I recognized a woman who I went to High School with. I won’t go into the details, but I remember not being very kind to her. I felt about an inch tall seeing her there in church. — My hindsight was pretty clear. I could see more clearly who I was rather than who I had become.

Every once in a while I will remember something that happened in the past and I will be over come by a sense of regret. If only I had acted more maturely. If only I were more faithful. If only I had kept my mouth - shut.

God’s Memory

God’s memory is a bit different. We get our passage from Hebrews 10:17-18 this morning.

Hebrews 10:17–18 KJV 1900

17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. 18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

Our message this morning, as we continue our series A Once For All Life is entitled Remember What?

Let’s Pray

Prophecy

OT Context

Much of what we have been talking about in the book of Hebrews calls back to the prophecy in Jeremiah. Jeremiah 31:33-34 reads

Jeremiah 31:33–34 KJV 1900

33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, And write it in their hearts; And will be their God, And they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: For they shall all know me, From the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: For I will forgive their iniquity, And I will remember their sin no more.

Hebrews makes clear the prophet Jeremiah. It give context where it could not be found with out Christ. In v33 of Jeremiah 31 we read that law would be put on the inward parts of man and Hebrews clarifies that this time has come and it is the work of the Holy Spirit. — That is what our message covered last week.

In our passage today, Hebrews 10:17 we conclude that God no longer remembers sin, but in v18 the writer continues past what Jeremiah had written where we read:

Hebrews 10:18 KJV 1900

18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

Hebrews Context

We read this earlier in the book of Hebrews. It’s almost like the structure of a sermon. You can follow along yourself with you Bible if you would like:

Chapter 8 begins with an introduction of the point in v1-7

Verses 8-12 gives the passage in Jeremiah that he author of Hebrews is using to make his point

Chapter’s 9 & 10 are the explanation of the point the author is making from Jeremiah

We come to the summit of the authors point, and the summit of the hope of every Christian in these 2 verses — 17 and 18 of chapter 10.

Remembrance

Let’s look a little closer at v17

Hebrews 10:17 KJV 1900

17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

There are two things listed here. Sin’s and iniquities.

Sins: ἁμαρτιῶν (hamartia): actions contrary to the law of God

Iniquities: ἀνομία (anomia): disregard for law

It would be easy for us in our heads to lump these two words together, though they are clearly separate words. We could just kinda call sin and iniquity generically by the word sin. — But if we did we would miss the completeness of what is being expressed.

Sin

If you have heard the word sin defined as missing the mark — That is the definition of the root word for what is translated as sin in this passage. It’s the idea of falling short — and it almost carries with it the sense of a failure do to a lack of ability.

I enjoy shooting sports, but the reality is I am pretty average. When I was a kid at summer camp I took Archery merit badge and had to qualify to advance. I can honestly say that my goal was to hit the target, in the bullseye, every time. — But guess what. I didn’t. I fell short.

Now, if you had sat the target 10 feet in front of me, it was no problem. I might have even been able to split arrows at that distance. — But the standard for a re-curve bow was 15 yards, 45 feet. — It was beyond my ability to hit bullseye every time.

That is sin. Try as you might — You are not going to hit the target every time. — You just aren’t good enough.

Iniquities

Iniquity here is a bit different. Louw Nida’s Greek/English Lexicon really captures the meaning of this word clearly:

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 88.139 ἀνομία, ας

ἀνομία, ας f: to behave with complete disregard for the laws or regulations of a society

This is intentional, brazen rebellion. — This is — I know what God says and just don’t care.

And here is the thing you need to know: If you are redeemed in Christ — God doesn’t remember either.

Divine Amnesia

Neither I nor the author of Hebrews is suggesting that God enters into some state of divine amnesia. The idea is that God chooses - not - to recall our sins when he considers us.

What made me feel comfortable when I first started coming to church was a woman that i had treated poorly — who chose not to recall how I had treated her. — She dismissed the past as something she didn’t remember well — and for awhile, until she moved — had become a family friend.

In choosing not to remember she modeled the character of God — Any of us would be blessed to be so considered.

How About?

When Jeremiah penned these words he was writing to Judah. They had fallen in to flagrant idol worship. This was a dark time in the history of Israel where this part of the divided Kingdom even practiced child sacrifice.

What a point that the depth of human depravity seems to be underscored by the systemic murder of innocent life. A Satanic effigy of the image of God fueled by a disregard of the sanctity of life.

But do you know what the message of God to Judah through his prophet Jeremiah was? There is going to come a time when you repent, and you turn your heart back to God and when you do — God will not hold your past against you.

In fact, this is a major theme of scripture. What does God say in Isa 43:25 say?

Isaiah 43:25 KJV 1900

25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, And will not remember thy sins.

Micah 7:18 says

Micah 7:18 KJV 1900

18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, And passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, Because he delighteth in mercy.

Even as He was being crucified on the cross, Jesus looks out on the crowd and prays to the Father

Luke 23:34 (KJV 1900)

34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. ....

A Forgiving God

Our God is a forgiving God. Over and over we see that reiterated throughout scripture. — And the Cross is both the greatest demonstration of forgiveness and the means by which forgiveness can take place.

Transactional

The nature of the cross was transactional. God doesn’t bring our sins to mind because mankind’s sin debt was transferred from the Father to the Son. That was the work ok the cross. Jesus made atonement.

Temple Worship

So we have been hearing over and over again this defence written by the author of Hebrews, for why the sacrifice in the earthly temple was no longer necessary.

Jesus was identified as the better priest. And then Jesus was identified as the better sacrifice. And the temple the sacrifice was made in was the the better temple, being the heavenly temple and not the facsimile on earth that only served as a picture of the true temple.

God Says:

Hebrews 10:17 (KJV 1900)

17 .... their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

and follows it with

Hebrews 10:18 KJV 1900

18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

And so we have the logical conclusion. What would be the point of offering a bull or a goat.

If we go back to verse 2 makes the point that if a sufficient sacrifice for sin were to be made, then there wouldn’t be a need for anymore sacrifice. Why? well

Hebrews 10:2 (KJV 1900)

2 ..... because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.

God doesn’t bring sin to memory. Man can be cleansed through the blood of Christ so there is no need for man to bring sin to memory. So verse 2 sets up what read in verse 18. — A case was made that sacrifices would no longer need to be made if a sufficient sacrifice were offered.

It was. For believers, the cancer of sin has gone into remission.

The earthly temple is now pointless. It’s obsolete. And there is pretty strong evidence in scripture that a 3rd temple will be built, and that sacrifices will be made in this temple. — But even then those sacrifices will be in vain.

Something is going to happen though. In Zechariah’ prophecy we read in 12:10

Zechariah 12:10 KJV 1900

10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, The spirit of grace and of supplications: And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, And they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, And shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

Oh, even Isreal is going to realize that temple sacrifice is in vain. And they will mourn their error.

Your Memory

We tend to be our own worst critics, and some point Israel will be her own worst critic. I heard John MacArthur not long ago make this point of how hard it is for those who generationally come from a false religion to repent and make a profession for Christ, because when they do — They will have to put their entire ancestry in hell. All of their passed loved ones. Accepting Christ as their Lord and savior by necessity accepts that those who don’t follow Christ are facing eternal torment.

That is a tough pill to swallow. That’s the pill that Israel will have to swallow. That’s is going to be part of that mourning that Zechariah is talking about.

They might bring it to memory all of the time, and rehearse it in their mind — But, God won’t. God will never bring it to memory again.

Your Sin

I don’t know what is laying on your heart. I don’t know what you are walking around with, I don’t know what guilt you have that you won’t let go — But want I want you to know this morning is that if you are a child of God — God is over it, maybe it’s time for you to get over it too.

I think it’s ironic that a message about God not remembering came up on memorial day weekend. Today, if you are tortured by your memory, I want you to know that we have a savior that you can cast all of your heartache and guilt upon. — We are going to close in prayer in just a few minutes — But, if you haven’t made a decision to follow Christ as your Lord and Savior, Please don’t leave here today with that unsettled. — If you have any questions about this message, or if you just want to talk about something that is on your heart, please feel free to meet with me after we close. I would love nothing more than to talk to you about our God.

Let’s Pray