Joshua 4

Stones

From Defense to Offense

After the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan

God has become their defender, and moved them to an offence position.

This is taking time to see what God has transformed you into.

Thanks giving

Gather Stones

4 So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had selected from the Israelites, one man for each tribe, 5 and said to them, “Go across to the ark of the LORD your God in the middle of the Jordan. Each of you lift a stone onto his shoulder, one for each of the Israelite tribes, 6 so that this will be a sign among you.

In the middle of the most threatening part of the journey I need you to go pick up some stones.

The Jordan that once represented barrier

it has become a souvenir shop

A Preaching Memorial

In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’f 7 you should tell them, ‘The water of the Jordan was cut off in front of the ark of the LORD’s covenant. When it crossed the Jordan, the Jordan’s water was cut off.’ Therefore these stones will always be a memorial for the Israelites.”g

We leak

This is an intentional God creating a conversation starter.

These 12 stones are a reminder of Gods power, Gods faithfulness, Gods concern for the next generation.

There should always be a serious consideration for who’s coming behind us.

1 Unity Christ unifying prayer

John 17:20 (CSB): JESUS PRAYS FOR ALL BELIEVERS

20 “I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word.

2 Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ Mat 16:18

13 xNow when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say yJohn the Baptist, others say zElijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, a“You are bthe Christ, cthe Son of dthe living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, e“Blessed are you, fSimon Bar-Jonah! For gflesh and blood has not revealed this to you, hbut my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, iyou are Peter, and jon this rock2 I will build my church, and kthe gates of lhell3 shall not prevail against it. 19

3 Phil 1:21 For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.al 22 Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose.

4 God so loved

5 Eph 2:8 For you are saved by graceb through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, createdc in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of timed for us to do.

6 Pro 18:24 One with many friends may be harmed,C

but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.j

7 Rev 22:15 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

8 Heb 4:14

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,[a] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

9 THE BELIEVER’S TRIUMPH

31 What, then, are we to say about these things?at If God is for us, who is against us?au 32 He did not even spare his own Sonav but gave him up for us all.aw How will he not also with him grant us everything? 33 Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect?ax God is the one who justifies.ay 34 Who is the one who condemns?az Christ Jesus is the one who died,ba but even more, has been raised;bb he also is at the right hand of Godbc and intercedes for us.bd 35 Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can afflictionbe or distress or persecutionbf or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:

Because of you

we are being put to death all day long;bg

we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.H

10Psalm 100

BE THANKFUL

A psalm of thanksgiving.

1 Let the whole earth shout triumphantly to the Lord!u

2 Serve the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God.

He made us, and we are his,w—

his people, the sheep of his pasture.x

11

4 Enter his gates with thanksgivingy

and his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him and bless his name.z

12

5 For the Lord is good, and his faithful love endures forever;

his faithfulness, through all generations.

Living Stones 1 pet 2

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation, if you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone—rejected by people but chosen and honored by God—you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and honored cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame. So honor will come to you who believe; but for the unbelieving, The stone that the builders rejected— this one has become the cornerstone, and A stone to stumble over, and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey the word; they were destined for this. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and exiles to abstain from sinful desires that wage war against the soul.

Ephesians 2:19–22 CSB

So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.