Couage to Remember
Notes
Transcript
Courage to Remember
Joshua 4
INTRODUCTION
The way we remember special events.
pictures- wedding pictures, baby pictures, birthdays, first steps- today- every breath is taped.
My Wedding Photo
Labron James breaking scoring record.
Wedding rings and cross-- example of symbols to help us remember.
1 When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua,
2 “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man,
3 and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’ ”
4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe.
5 And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel,
6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’
7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”
set-up
-God knows we remember better when we have a visual to mark the events.
-Jacob’s limp- reminder of encounter with God.
-Circumcision- reminder of the Covenant
-Ark of Covenant- reminder of God’s presence.
-Holy Days- reminder of different events.
-Baptism- a physical act that shows a spiritual decision.
3 Reasons to Mark Spiritual Events
3 Reasons to Mark Spiritual Events
1. Markers Have Purpose (1-7, 21-24)
1. Markers Have Purpose (1-7, 21-24)
3 Reasons For the Monument
3 Reasons For the Monument
A. To Encourage
A. To Encourage
reminder of what God can do.
"count your blessings"
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
"with thanksgiving"= remembering. - takes away anxiety.
B. To Teach
B. To Teach
6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’
7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”
21 And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’
22 then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’
23 For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over,
a way to teach children about God (4:6-7, 21-23)
God told them to teach children as they go.
7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
If we do not teach our kids God’s ways the world will teach them their ways.
How many hours of religious instruction compared to secular instruction?
C. To Proclaim
C. To Proclaim
to proclaim God to the nations (4:24)
18 seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
4 I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,
5 because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”
8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
2. Markers Have a Place (19-20)
2. Markers Have a Place (19-20)
19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.
20 And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal.
ILL- Falls Creek- My spiritual place.
We are just going to look at one of the monuments
debate- NIV reads just one monument- KJV and ESV reads 2 monuments.
Joshua sets the one up in the Jordan to remember the exact place.
Gilgal- 8 miles from Jordan- 2 miles north of Jericho.
Gilgal is home base during the conquest of the Promise Land.
It means- "circle of stones"
Significant place for generations- Saul renews the Kingdom at Gilgal and becomes king.
12 Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is it that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men, that we may put them to death.”
13 But Saul said, “Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the Lord has worked salvation in Israel.”
14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingdom.”
15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal. There they sacrificed peace offerings before the Lord, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.
This simple monument will serve as an anchor for Israel for 1000's of years.
By time of Minor Prophets it became a place of sacrifice to foreign gods.
Equated with Bethel by the prophets.
The place lost its significance.
They stopped teaching the importance of the monument.
The place that was to bless the nations became a curse.
We have power to turn that which should be a blessing into a curse.
James illustrated this in connection to the tongue.
8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.
10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
3. Markers Point to God (14-18)
3. Markers Point to God (14-18)
This was not something they were doing to get to God.
This whole story is about obedience and doing it God's way.
Carrying large stones 8 miles is not fun. Not rational.
3 Truths We learn About God
3 Truths We learn About God
A. God's Way is Clear
A. God's Way is Clear
God gave clear commands (17)
17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.”
preparation for the strange commands to walk around Jericho.
Clear for the next step, but not always clear on the destination.
B. God's Leader is Proven
B. God's Leader is Proven
God exalted Joshua (14)
14 On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life.
Joshua's obedience gave confidence to Israel that he was God's man to lead.
C. God's Way is True
C. God's Way is True
God's way is the only way
18 And when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, as before.
The waters do not part if they tried any other way.
He makes up the rules.
He sent Jesus to be the only way to salvation.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
CONCLUSION
A monument is worthless without the experience.
-Wearing a wedding ring without being married doesn’t make you married.
-Wearing a cross around your neck does not make you a born-again follower of Jesus.
-Baptism without making being saved is just getting wet.
Remembering what God has done for others does not get you to heaven.
-Give your life to Jesus. Surrender to him.
-Then baptism will have meaning. Wearing a cross will have significance.
Are you ready for your spiritual moment?
He has done everything he needs to for you. It is your turn.