Using an imperative in the Greek, Paul tells the gentile Christians in Ephesus to remember their previous condition before conversion. The point is to realize the magnitude of what God had done through Jesus Christ the Jewish Messiah to bring them into relationship with God. The command for gentile Christians to remember what God had done is grounded in the OT commands to Israel to remember what God did to make them His special covenant people. We tend to remember things we should forget such as the details of our old sinful past and forget what a great work God did in Christ to redeem us. We are to focus on our saving relationship with God and believe His great promises. We also need to realize that the Jews paid a huge price in their history for bearing the Messianic promises. These are grounded in God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and David. The history of hatred and persecution of the Jews is due to these promises. This sermon outlines this horrible history and how gentile Christians must be thankful for God bringing us into relationship with himself. We must remember that we had nothing going for us and were lost in sin. Nothing made with human hands can ever make us right with God. We link the Lord’s Supper with Passover and the need for remembrance. We also point out that according to Jeremiah 17 the human heart is in horrible condition and only God could ever heal us. We must believe His promises and refrain from self-analysis. Thinking of the details of our previous sinful heart and mind will only harm us. Thanking God for what He did to change us will keep us trusting His promises and not ourselves.

Sermon handout and slides available under the Downloads tab.