Let me ask you to turn in your Bibles here or at home to the book of Colossians. And I'm sitting here wondering what I did with my glasses. Did I leave them down there? The book of Colossians chapter 4. What we're going to do today is a little bit different than I'll say my normal sermons. Most of the things, sermons that you're used to where a certain text, a singular text generally is treated. We're going to look at five different texts today. The first one is the one we turn to today, but we'll be turning to some others. So I hope you'll keep your Bible handy to see the scriptures themselves. All along, the theme will be this theme of remembrance, as Pastor Will made comment. But the word of God from Colossians chapter four, three verses, verses two through four. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us that God may open to us a door for the word to declare the mystery of Christ on account of which I am in prison, that I may make it clear which is how I ought to speak. And that's this reading of God's word. Let us pray. Lord, do give me your grace your wisdom, your spirit's enablement to properly preach your text this day. Give to us all ears that really hear, hearts that long to understand, minds to grasp, and wills that will apply that which is before us. In Jesus' name, amen. The theme of remembrance is something that is certainly popular in culture. There are all kinds of songs that speak about remembrance. Alan Jackson has a tremendous hymn about marriage, Remember When. There have been songs, Do You Remember, an artist speaking about reminding us to remember the events of 9-11, and on and on it could go. The scriptures regularly, repeatedly speak about this important discipline of remembering. Sometimes it's couched in the negative, do not forget, or sometimes it comes as a really a rebuke, you have forgotten. and this call for remembering. So we're gonna have five different points, and I hope that this common theme of remembrance and the support of the text will help us all, this congregation of which I have had the privilege to be a part now for nearly two and a half years, to remain steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that our work is not in vain in the Lord. And so this first one continues steadfastly in prayer. And the first point I simply summarizes this way. Would you please remember us? That is, remember Cecilia and myself. Remember us in prayer. This is not some type of elevation or whatever of our importance, but when I look in the text and I see someone of the stature of the Apostle Paul asking the churches, requesting of the churches, please remember me, please remember me in the work that the Lord has called us to. I don't hesitate to come to you and I know you will remember us. This verse, It speaks to really a greater issue than this, these three verses. It speaks about the great importance of prayer for the life and health of the church, therefore of this church. As those who are a part of God's family, every Christian and Christians united together as the church have access to the throne of grace, have access to their father in heaven, to seek from him all manner of blessings, all manner of gifts, and we come in doing so. We come at his invitation. We come at his command. We come at his instruction. We come as he reveals his heart. We come. He is desirous of blessing his church. We do not come to someone who is stingy, someone who is tight-fisted, but we come to one who delights to give to his children. Many are the promises. Yes, I'm asking, you might say, for you to include, so to speak, one additional request in your prayer life, but that is Cecilia and myself and our ministry. And I would ask you to remember it specifically, even as the Apostle Paul speaks of his, that it is a ministry largely about the Word of God, that both particularly with myself And as Cecilia may be involved in further studies with others in the church or in children's ministry or whatever the Lord has for her, that there would be this open door for ministry, the ministry of the word in Waynesville, North Carolina and beyond, that the mystery of Christ would be made clear. And it says that is how I ought to speak. And so I ask you to remember us in that as part of your continued discipline and and habits of prayer. Do not forget how important prayer is. Remember us. Remember in the bigger scheme. to make sure you are a praying people. So secondly then, secondly then, remember what the Lord has done. And that's the reason that there's any number of texts, again, that we could have chosen. Pastor Will did a wonderful job in introducing to you Psalm 77. It is precisely that. It is seen as a lament. It is seen as a time when the psalmist is coming and he is weighed down by some circumstance. Many think it was not just a personal issue that he had, a time of difficulty, a time of trial and tribulation for the nation as a whole. Maybe they had undergone some defeat in the military. Maybe there were foreign powers pressing upon their borders and he's distressed. And it comes out in the questions that he asked, has God, has his steadfast love ceased? These temptations are rising in his mind. Are his promises at an end? And this is an appropriate thing for us to do. That is the second point. Remember what the Lord has done. Remember right now to look back and see what the Lord has done. Remember his mighty act. That's what the psalmist does. He's questioning, he's wondering. It's a time of difficulty for himself and the nation. And then he takes up. in faith, in active faith, the remembrance of God. He determines it in verse 10 and 11 and 12 and 13. He said, then I said, I will, I will appeal to this through the years of the right hand of the most high. I will remember. the deeds of the Lord. And this is not, when we talk about remembering this, it's a mental activity, yes, but it is meant to drive truth into our hearts, in this case, to draw from the past. present strength and future hope that the God who did this is the God who's going to be active now and the God who is going to lead us into the future in mighty ways. It's a activity of the heart and the mind and the soul that draws strength for faith from the past deeds of God. He says, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work and meditate on your mighty deeds." And he comes to the conclusion, he's really transformed and refreshed. And he begins to say, now, oh God, you are holy. Oh God, you are the God who is great. Who is a God? Great like our God. You are a God who works wonders. You have made known your might among the peoples. You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph. You know, you and I can do that too. We can look over these last two and a half years. I have, I hope you have. I remember when I started in February of 2018, we had a time or two of more casual meetings of getting together, getting to know one another. Me saying some things, probably rather foolish at the time, who knows, but starting out. And God, has not God been absolutely faithful to maintain us in every significant way. Membership has remained basically steady. You heard Pastor Brad, those of you who were here last night, he candidly said, you know, I was very concerned for this congregation that I had loved and served for 38 years, wondering if they would stay together. And you have. Ministries have continued with fruit. Sunday school, toddler time, nursery, various Bible studies. Oh, praise God for the music and orchestra. I will miss that aspect of our worship so much. It has remained. Outreach Bible study, elders and deacons continuing to serve, the special seasonal services we have, the Reformation Sunday and Christmas where we meet with other churches. The missions ministry has remained. Vacation Bible school, the budget remains strong. Has God not been faithful over two and a half years of ministry to maintain us? And in ways that are bearing fruit, the congregation has had new members join and more to come. If we can ever get rid of, get out of this viral situation, Pastor Will has a group of, I don't know, six, eight, 10 people. saying we want to become members of the Presbyterian Church of Coventry. It helps us to look back from where we were two and a half years ago. Who knows? Did it really start with smoked pork shoulders and turkey? I remember that first time we did that. And I looked around and I saw people just like last night, smiling with one another, talking with one another, laughing with one another. We have a future, a mighty future, but we don't stop with two and a half years of history. And Psalm 77 drives us back much further. It drives us back to the far greater works of God for his people. Texts like these call us to remember that our God is the God of the splitting of waters. He's the God who splits the Red Sea. He's the God who splits the River Jordan and enables his people to enter that promised land. He's the God who kills Goliaths in our lives. He's the God of Gideon in his 300. He's the God of Elijah who destroys the false prophets. He is the God of Elisha. He is this God. He is the God of Psalm 121, those wonderful opening verses. I lift up my eyes to the hills. Here's the present tense. Here's my situation, whatever it may be, I lift up my eyes and I ask myself the question, where does my help come from? And the answer comes back loud and clear. My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. Our God is nothing less than the God of creation, the God who speaks and brings things into into being and holds them up and sustains them and directs them. And so I challenge you as well as myself, remember to pray by all means and remember the wonders and deeds of the Lord in the past to live by faith today with a mighty hope for the future. A third text is 2 Peter, you can be turning there, 2 Peter 1, 2 Peter 1 verses 12 through 15. 2 Peter 1, this is Peter's, the last letter we have of him and he is, he'll make reference to the fact of his age in this. It's a time he understands near the end of his ministry, But I'll read these, 2 Peter 1, starting at verse 12, and pick up on the theme. Three times he uses the language of remembrance. He says, therefore, I intend always to remind you of these qualities. The qualities that he had earlier said about steadfastness and virtue and knowledge and such. I intend always to remind you of these qualities though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right as long as I am in this body to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me, and I will make every effort so that after my departure, you may be able at any time to recall these things." That's our text, and as I said, three times, In these short verses, Peter speaks about remembering and especially remembering, I think what is at the heart of this is remembering the full body of biblical truth and counsel and instruction. So this third point, we had remember us, please remember us in prayer. Remember the mighty deeds of God. Remember the scriptures in their entirety. This book that we are all privileged to have. Is it really important to say that? To remember not that you are in possession of this book, but the idea is that you remember to bring it in, to take it in, to prayerfully consume it, and apply it, and ask for wisdom to understand it. You say, is that not obvious? One man, Zane Hodges, notes, concerning his commentary on Peter here, 2 Peter. He says, we must not glide lightly over Peter's concern about reminding the readers of already known and familiar truth. The history of the church as a whole shows how careless the church can be about clinging to divine revelation. So bad have things become in our own day that the truth of justification by faith alone and of salvation as a free gift has already been submerged and lost among many evangelicals. The Reformation, he says, the Reformation almost needs to occur again. So this is no obvious application. This is no simplistic thing where you say, oh Bill, we got this, let's move on to the next one. My great delight will be to hear in weeks and months and years to come that the Presbyterian Church of Coventry is growing in their love for God's word, holding on to it tenaciously, seeking to live it out and fully practice it in fellowship and love for one another, in service to one another, in concern for the community. Our king and head of the church, Our husband of whom we are the bride spoke about how crucial the scriptures are when the night before his crucifixion he prayed this way to his father in John 17 17. Sanctify them in the truth. There it is. Thy word is truth. What is the principle process of God changing people? He sends his Holy Spirit to us who bears the name holy partly because that's what he produces in our lives. And what is the principle instrument he will use? it will be the book he inspired authors to write, which we have in our possession. And our Lord prayed then and he prays now. My people, may my people be sanctified in the truth. The word of God, Hebrews 4 says, is living and active. Paul commended the church in Ephesus in Acts 20 verse 32. He says, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace. And then listen to this description. It's not just word of his grace period, but it's the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among those who are sanctified. Ephesians 6, 17, Paul will say again, what is part of our armor? a significant part of our army, he says, we take up the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. He writes to the Thessalonians in Thessalonians, 1 Thessalonians 2.13, and we also thank God constantly for this, that when you receive the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it, not as the word of men, but as what it really is, the word of God, but again, not a period. It's the word of God, which is at work, presently in you believers. It's an active word. Peter himself will say in 1 Peter 1, 22, having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart since you've been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable through the living and abiding word of God. This book is not like some novel, historical books, some encyclopedia out there. This is the Word of God, the living Word of God that works and is active and must be come taken into our lives prayerfully by the Spirit. I love the illustration, not an illustration, it's actually, I mean, it's the event that took place and does take place in the coronation of the Kings and Queens of England, the last one being Queen Elizabeth on June 2nd, 1953. During her coronation, the Queen is seated and the Archbishop of the Church of England goes to her chair and the moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland takes a Bible, takes the Bible from the Dean of Westminster And in this very formal ceremony, he brings it to the queen and presents that Bible to her. And the archbishop says these words to the queen, our gracious queen, to keep your majesty ever mindful of the law and the gospel of God as the rule for the whole life and government of Christian princes, we present you with this book, And then it's this wonderful qualifying statement. We present you with this book, the most valuable thing that this world affords. There she sits with all the royal jewels, the crown, the garments. How much is all that worth monetarily? But that's a proper statement. If there's one thing in this world that is actually objective that you can take with your hands and hold and grasp and carry, what is that most valuable thing? It is this book, the word of the living God. So remember that. Fine tuning that just a moment. Number four, from Philippians chapter one, remember especially the gospel. Remember especially the gospel. Philippians chapter one, toward the end of that chapter or the very end of it, Paul writes and says concerning the Philippians at verse 27 and following, he says, only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ so that whether I come and see you or I'm absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents." Standing firm in the gospel. A man well known for leadership training and instruction is Stephen Covey. And he understands, I'm confident rightly, Essentially that for every organization, success hinges on some basic commitments. And one of the things he says, and I imagine you have heard it, the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. Upon our Lord's resurrection and before his ascension recorded in all four gospels and acts and therefore throughout the epistles is the command and the emphasis of the church to be about the work of the gospel. Matthew 28, 18 through 20 is the classic statement of this. Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age." And it's the idea, I'm with you always to accomplish this purpose. It's the main thing. And you see, to keep the gospel... I've already learned enough about the church in Waynesville that there's gonna be some hardship, there's gonna be some trials and tribulations and there's some difficulties and there's some sex and some people, a little friction with one another. You know why those things exist so often? People are no longer unified about the main things. I mean, we all have our stories about, well, did you hear that so-and-so and so-and-so can't get along because they can't agree on the color of the carpet of the sanctuary? Or any number of things. And we get down into the minutia of these things, and the scriptures are calling us to keep the gospel the main thing. For it is what unifies us. Unity in the church cannot just be promoted by saying, let's be united, let's be united, let's be together. Unity is created by holding to the same great truths. And the great truths of the scriptures are incorporated in the gospel. of our Lord Jesus Christ. It unifies us. Do you see that in the text in Philippians? He said, let me hear of you. Let me hear that you are standing firm in one spirit with one mind, striving side by side. It's all about language of unity, striving in this one direction, the faith of the gospel. You see, the gospel provides a right perspective upon all of those we see and live with and work with. The gospel reminds us they're lost. The gospel reminds us they're blind, they're ignorant, they're on that broad way that leads to destruction as we once were. Until in the initiative and grace of God, he showed us the beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ. and how he is received by faith. The gospel provides us with the motive and energy to remain steadfast. Paul writes to the Romans, I'm not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. He writes to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 1, for the word of the cross is folly to those outside, to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart. May it always be so that the Presbyterian Church of Coventry is a church that remembers to keep the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ the main thing in all of its dimensions. I can't help but remember and give to you again, I've done it before, the quote of Spurgeon concerning The solid hope he had and we should have for the success of Christ's church in this world now for us, for our families. He says, O Spirit of God, bring back thy church to a belief in the gospel. Bring back her ministers to preach it once again with the Holy Ghost and not striving after wit and learning. Then shall we see thine arm made bare, O God, in the eyes of all the people. And the myriad shall be brought to rally around the throne of God and the Lamb. The gospel must succeed. It shall succeed. It cannot be prevented from succeeding. A multitude that no man can number must be saved. That is what Christ came for. That is what he died for. That is what he rose for. That is what he is doing in heaven today. And we are to be a church about our master's business. Let us remember to be unified about the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Finally, this, a very simple statement and yet so profound from 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy 2, verse 8. 2 Timothy 2, verse 8. This is in a context. Timothy seems to have been perhaps a person like you or perhaps a person like me, someone kind of timid, fearful, perhaps an introvert. That's supposed to be funny. All right. You guys still don't get my sense of humor. Okay. Anyway. So in this context, it really picks up in 2 Timothy 1. where he says to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1 verse 8, he starts this, therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord. He's going on this continued theme, and in 2 Timothy 2 verse 8, you have this very succinct statement. Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel. That may seem a strange command at first. Do you mean we can forget Jesus the Christ? And the answer is yes, it is possible. It is absolutely possible to find ourselves not abiding in the vine, not walking closely with him. This command, remember, is present tense. That is, it's a constant chosen activity of calling to mind, of bringing into my current situation, whatever it may be, the fact that I'm not alone in that situation, but that Jesus, the Christ, is with me in it. And Paul is telling Timothy, and he's telling us, remember him, and he doesn't just spill out some words there. He says, remember Jesus. You remember that name. What does it mean? It is he is called Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. It is his name, especially of his incarnation, that he is one of us. He is with us. He is fully human. It reminds us when he says, remember Jesus, the Christ, that word speaking of anointing. And then therefore he's calling Timothy and he's calling us to remember Jesus as prophet, the teacher, as priest, the one not only priest really, but sacrifice and priest of King. He reminds us in that simple language. Remember Jesus Christ. You remember that he died. Well, we had a great study yesterday morning with the men about the crucifixion of our Lord. The curse that he bore for my sin and for yours. But he says especially this, remember Jesus Christ risen from the dead. The resurrection changes everything. The resurrection is God's vindication. It's God's stamp of approval. It's God saying, everything my son has done and said, I approve of. He stands before me even now with a righteousness that is accepted before God, the Father in heaven. A righteousness that he extends to his people and gives to his people because of the gospel. Paul started this chapter, 2 Timothy 2 verse 1, he says, be strengthened, Timothy, be strengthened, Presbyterian Church of Coventry, by the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Grace is not something that was simply given us on the day of our salvation. Grace is to be a continual source of strength and power for the Christian for his living and her living. And it comes about by the conscious remembering that I walk with, that I serve a risen, a therefore living and present and active Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We're not only converted by grace through Christ, but we are strengthened in the grace of the gospel. As we remember the Lord Jesus Christ who died for us, who is risen and ascended, we remember that God loves me, that he forgives me now, that he is at work sanctifying and purifying me now, that he is helping me now, that he is comforting me now, that he's enabling me now to serve him, that he secures us, that because of all of this grace and mercy he is He is enabling us to live for His glory now with solid security and hope for the future. So that is what I'll ask you to do. As we will, in the providence of God, soon be moving to Waynesville, please remember us in prayer. Remember, more importantly, the discipline and importance Remember to reflect on what your God has done to encourage and strengthen you now with strong hope for the future. Remember his word. May it always be that which you are taking in and especially remember the gospel to live for it. And remember that gospel's hero, if you will, the one who is in essence the gospel, Jesus the Christ, seed of David, the one who fulfills all of those Old Testament promises and prophecies and types, that he is with you, even as he said, let us pray. Almighty God, our heavenly father, we bless you and praise you for your word, your word that the spirit uses to tell us good news of the gospel, of how to have peace with the holy, holy, holy God. It is through your son, but this is not past tense. This is not merely something that has happened in the past. But we serve a living savior. He's in the world today. He's serving his church, encouraging his church. Oh, Lord, have mercy upon me. Have mercy upon us in a place that desperately needs your kingdom to come in renewed power. Use the Presbyterian Church of Coventry. Use her officers. Use her people. Give to us your spirit in fullness. Give to us richness in your word that our lives, our speech, all aspects of our existence will be guided and empowered by its existence. Give to us fruit, Lord. We ask even in the boldness of a Spurgeon, may there be myriads, may there be thousands turning into the way through the the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do such things we pray, and we know we can pray them in confidence. We're praying in Jesus' name, the one who is raised from the dead, victor over death, over Satan, over the world, over viruses, over all manner of opposition. Lord Jesus, you will redeem a church that no man can number. Continue your work in our day, we pray. Amen.