“REMEMBER”

W. Dickson

Numbers 15: 37–41; Deuteronomy 16: 1–6; Ephesians 2: 11–16; Revelation 2: 5–7

One of the gracious services that the Spirit renders to us is to give us reminders. In fact, the Supper on the first day of the week—“this do in remembrance of me” (Luke 22: 19)—indicates how precious it is when the mind and the affections are engaged in remembering the Lord Jesus.

Flowing from that one considered the divine way that is set out in these scriptures, and in many others, how God would remind us of certain things. They may be historical things, but it is a very tender service of the Lord, and should encourage our younger brethren. Peter speaks about stirring up your pure minds by way of remembrance (see 2 Peter 3: 1); it all enhances the greatness of the mind as a faculty and its relation to our spiritual progress. What an effect it would have upon us morally as we walk through this scene if our minds were being continually stirred up by the Holy Spirit in a pure manner.

So I thought of these four scriptures. In Numbers 15: 32 there was a man gathering sticks on the sabbath day and he came in for judgment, and then, after that, Jehovah made the ordinance that they make themselves tassels on the corners of their garments. What the man did, of course, was flagrant self-will, and, beloved brethren, it is a great help to us when we cease exercising our own will. There had been an expressed commandment governing the kindling of a fire upon the sabbath day (Exodus 35: 3). You might have said; It was not much, he was just gathering sticks, but, beloved brethren, the slightest evidence of self-will can be very destructive; it does not need to be, shall I say, open rebellion to have God call in question our exercises. It bears on what we said today as to subjection, not so much in our relations with one another, but the need for being subject to the Lord and the Spirit, and to be concerned if we are aware if in any matter our wills are working. You have to be near to the Lord to discern that. It may be in ministry that matters come to us, and one may hinder the value of the ministry coming thus because the will operates against it.

So it was after this that Jehovah spoke to Moses to bid them to make tassels on the corners of their garments “throughout their generations, and that they attach to the tassel of the corners a lace of blue; and it shall be unto you for a tassel, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of Jehovah, and do them”. Beloved brethren, that is very interesting about the four corners of the garments; there is no responsible relation in life but what we have to bring the fact that we are heavenly to bear upon it. There may be occasions in which I think that to do my own will would not be too destructive, but a look at the tassel on the corners would be a reminder to us that we have got to be preserved by remembering all the commandments of Jehovah and doing them. You may say to me, We are not in a legal system; we do not walk by commandments in the way the children of Israel walked by them.

But in the tassels there is a touching reference to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. It is an allusion to His submission, to His love, to His sacrificial walk through this scene, and we are to remember that—to be like Jesus, to be like Christ. So when the urge arises—and it does arise, I do not think anybody here would be difficult and say the urge never comes—but when the urge comes to do your own will, look at the tassel of blue and be reminded of that blessed Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, who never moved in any other pathway but in complete submission to the will of God. It was for them to look upon; it was not for other people to see the tassel of blue.

You young people, if you will bear with me, if the call of this world becomes very strong, if forces work which perhaps would lead you into a different path than that to which God in His grace has brought you—look at the tassel of blue. Say to yourself—Can I by my walk and speech deny what these tassels of blue represent? We are at the meetings so many nights a week, at the fellowship meetings, at the three-day meetings, and get help, but this reminder is always with you; turn to it at any time; look at these tassels of blue, to remind you of that blessed Person who will ever hold our hearts. What will hold our hearts? Will it be His resplendent official glories? Will it be the King of kings and the Lord of Lords? We worship in the presence of these things, but what will hold our hearts will be the greatness, morally, of Christ, His devotion to the will of God. These things have an important effect on our lives here, sometimes more than ministry, more than reading a book; just a reminder of what you are. As has been said, ‘That vessel heavenly in origin and heavenly in destiny, the assembly’. We belong to it.

In Deuteronomy the passover is the beginning of the agricultural year in the land, starting from this month Abib, and they were to keep this feast. It is not now in a household setting but it is in what we would say is a collective setting, one of fellowship. It says, “that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt, all the days of thy life”. Young people, do you ever think what a wonderful favour it was on the part of God that He sovereignly took you out of Egypt? He took you in His sovereignty out of this present evil world, and brought you into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

So you must eat the passover; you must feed on a suffering Christ, who suffered and died to bring these great thoughts to pass. We were speaking about the value of the assembly today, the bride, the Lamb’s wife. It came home to us, beloved brethren, that the sufferings of the Lord entered into the securing of that vessel. From the standpoint of divine purpose that is not so, according to the type in Genesis 2, and Matthew 13, except in a hidden way. But, think of the fellowship, the fellowship of God’s Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Could we despise it? Could we make little of it? Could we belittle it by calling it common? So you feed upon the passover; feed on the sufferings of Christ (1 Corinthians 5: 7, 8). They ate the unleavened bread for seven days. That is a very fine thought, eating the unleavened bread seven days. You feed on Christ the passover Lamb, your affections engaged with that glorious Person who went into death, and it has an effect upon you, for seven days, the whole assembly week. We should not say, Well, the circumstances are such that I cannot do it today; that should never arise; the whole seven days the unleavened bread is to be eaten. It would remind us that we came out of the land of Egypt in haste, and we are to remember it all the days of our life. Do not forget these things; do not forget the mighty deliverance that God in His grace effected. You might say, Well, if my parents had not been in fellowship it might have been different with me. Never look at it that way, but just thank God for the wonderful and blessed fact that in His sovereignty He took you out of Egypt and brought you into blessing. Never forget it! Keep feeding on the passover and the unleavened bread.

So in Ephesians 2 it says, “Wherefore remember that ye, once nations in the flesh”. Why does Paul say that? You would have thought that a company like the Ephesians, with all the wonderful light they had from Paul, would have been preserved in the strength of their own spirituality. No; he says, “Wherefore remember that ye, once nations in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that called circumcision in the flesh done with the hand; that ye were at that time without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope”. These are all collective settings, beloved, and I think the word to us is that we must regard one another as those who were once nations in the flesh, and were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel; but God has intervened. “But now in Christ Jesus ye who once were afar off are become nigh by the blood of the Christ”. Could anything be better than that? Could anything be nearer than that? Could there be a greater contrast than that? To think that God, in His wondrous grace has taken us out of the corruption which is in the world through lust, and has brought us nigh in Christ Jesus who has broken down the middle wall of enclosure, “having annulled the enmity in his flesh”. Beloved brethren, Is the middle wall of enclosure broken down in every meeting? Is it?

Paul says, “remember”—remember what you once were. Remember the infinite grace that has given you light as to heavenly counsel, heavenly purpose, these great thoughts concerning the mystery. Do not, he says, jeopardize these blessed things by failing to judge, as God has judged, this middle wall of enclosure. What a need for a humble spirit amongst us! Pride oft-times keeps us back from the enjoyment of God’s purposes and counsels. Paul counteracts that here, he says, “remember”, remember what you once were. When did you last do it? When did you last remember? Did you do it today? Did you do it yesterday? Take a minute or two off sometimes, when you feel you are too tired to read, perhaps when a care meeting has been a bit exhausting, just sit down and recall what you once were, and how God in His infinite grace has brought you into something that is going to carry His whole purpose of love into eternity, in that vessel, the holy city, as it comes down from God.

In Revelation 2 verse 4 it says, “but I have against thee, that thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works”. I would just like to say something as to “whence thou art fallen”. I think it is a very helpful spiritual exercise to get into the presence of God, particularly with the record in the beginning of Acts in mind, and bathe the soul in the glory of what the assembly was before ever breakdown came in. It was a wonderful thing; this world had never seen in its history, as regards men, a spectacle so morally great as what took place with these early believers. In its quality it will be recorded through all eternity in the annals of heaven. Now come back to the recovery to which we referred today. “Remember ... whence thou art fallen”. Is that all there is to it? No; “Remember therefore whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works”. That is it; “do the first works”. What are the first works? Love, suffering, and feeding on the tree of life. It is quite a remarkable consideration that the tree of life was granted to the overcomer in Ephesus. Why should it be, that the tree of life was promised to the Ephesian overcomer? First love will never be publicly restored, but as you feed on the tree of life, feed on Christ, there will be some experience of it individually. Feed on Christ, take time to feed on Him in His varied glories. Do not allow the pressure of administrative matters to weaken in the soul the habit of feeding on Christ.

In speaking of these things I want to whet your appetite, that there is such a thing as the surpassing excellence of Christianity. And so, if you remember those historical things, it is not to leave you there. Christianity should never leave a person depressed. Our meetings should never leave the brethren depressed. There should be the living touch of the Spirit.

How do you do it? You say, By presenting Christ. Yes, but not only presenting Christ objectively, but presenting the glory of what the Spirit of God is working at at the present time amongst the saints in moral formation. Keep the mind in right channels, and sit down sometimes, or some night when you cannot sleep perhaps and you think the morning is never coming, and just ‘remember’, and you will rise up refreshed and strengthened for another day; your soul will be refreshed like a watered garden, for His name’s sake. Amen.

Address at Redbridge
12 January 1985