Last TCS Chapel Service

— Explain moving away

So this will be my last chapel service, unless I get invited back to preach, which if I do I will buy a plane ticket to come see you guys.

When you think of stones or rocks in the Bible, what stories do you think of?

— David and Goliath

— The stone rolled away

— Jesus the Cornerstone

Stones in the Bible are constantly used as illustrations or are mentioned in stories. The story of David and Goliath for example, David picked up a few smooth stones and used his slingshot to kill Goliath with one.

That being said, take your Bibles and turn to Joshua 3.

Joshua 3:13–17 KJV 1900

And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.

**Explain the story and give big context

Joshua 4:1–7 KJV 1900

And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying, Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.

Explain again

Joshua 4:21–24 KJV 1900

And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. For the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over: That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the Lord your God for ever.

These stones were a memorial to the people, it helped them remember how mighty God is and how He helped them, it was a reminder to always follow Him.

Why did they need this reminder? Because in the hustle and bustle of every day life, they would forget about Him. And the less that you think about God, the less you will think of Him.

I have gifts for each of you to come and get at the end of chapel

**Pour out rocks

Let these rocks be a reminder to you of how mighty your God is

1. These stones were a reminder that God keeps His promises

God promised to bring them into the promised land, and He did. Just a few chapters earlier we have the famous verse Joshua 1:9

Joshua 1:9 KJV 1900

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

This same God has made many promises to you. He has promised that if you believe on Christ’s death and resurrection for salvation then you will have eternal life in Heaven. John 3:16

John 3:16 KJV 1900

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

He promises to give you peace and rest Matthew 11:28

Matthew 11:28 KJV 1900

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

All of your needs will be taken care of

Philippians 4:19 KJV 1900

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

And on and on and on He has made promises to you and I in His Word. Let this rock be a reminder to you that God has made you many promises, and He keeps those promises.

2. These stones were a reminder that God has a purpose

When God commanded the people of Israel to take 12 stones out of the Jordan River that day, He had a purpose in it: to remind the people of the miracle He had performed that day, when He dried up the Jordan River during flood stage, and led Israel into the Promised Land. Those stones set up at Gilgal had their purpose in the plan of God.

Imagine their thoughts after this when God told them to march around Jericho, blow the trumpet, and the walls will fall down and you can overtake the city. That makes no sense. But maybe in that moment someone pointed to the rocks. Don’t forget the rocks. God has a purpose. Even when we don’t understand it and even when it doesn’t make sense, He has a plan and a purpose. Another promise is Romans 8:28 which is a promise that God has a purpose.

Romans 8:28 KJV 1900

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

His purpose is to work all things out for your good and for His glory.

When you get home and you put that rock on your dresser or shelf or your car and you see that rock, be reminded that God has a purpose for you. Even when you can’t see it or understand it, He has a purpose to work things out for good.

3. These stones were a reminder that God uses people (often ordinary people)

God had previously been using Moses to lead the Hebrews. He is the most well respected leader in Israel’s history. But someone had to follow him and take his place, and that was Joshua. Joshua is not as well remembered or revered as Moses, but Joshua is the one who led them into the promised land when Moses couldn’t.

God uses ordinary people to accomplish His purpose. He will use you as well, if you let Him.

And even as there are leadership transitions here, God will bring the right people here to continue to bless this place and use this place for His purpose.

Let this rock remind you that God is always working, and He uses ordinary people to accomplish His will, and He can use you too.

David used a smooth stone to kill Goliath, what will you use this stone for? Don’t let it go to waste and gather dust, use it as a reminder of how mighty your God is.