Lest we Forget

Opening Comments:

I’d like to welcome you to our online worship service this morning. I trust you had a great Christmas however you decided to celebrate it this year.

It is the final Sunday before the new year and I for one am glad to see 2020 end as I’m sure that you are.

This is a good time to look back and reflect upon what God has done for us this year and not just to focus upon the negative.

Please meet me in your Bibles in Joshua 4:1-9 and v.19-24. Where we will see how God instructed Joshua to set up a memorial of stones, as a visual reminder to all who would pass that way.

Joshua 4:1–9 NKJV

1 And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan, that the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying: 2 “Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.’ ” 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe; 5 and Joshua said to them: “Cross over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, 6 that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ 7 Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.” 8 And the children of Israel did so, just as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as the Lord had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. 9 Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood; and they are there to this day.

Joshua 4:19–24 NKJV

19 Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. 20 And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal. 21 Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ 22 then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land’; 23 for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over, 24 that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

Introduction:

What we just read was a bit of a visual sermon. It’s amazing to me how much better we often remember things when we have a visual aid.

In Joshua 4:1-9 The priests as Israel began to enter the promised land stepped their foot into the Jordan river and as soon as they did this, God parted the waters and the people were able to march through on Dry Ground just as they did 40 some odd years before at the Red Sea. After every one had crossed over, Joshua sent 12 men to the middle of the dry river to remove 12 large stones from the river bed and bring them to where they were. One stone for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. They used these stones to build a memorial to what God had done for them up to that point.

These stones would serve a purpose for the nation in that they would shake their memory and remind them of God’s goodness.

People are very forgetful as a general rule. All of us are susceptible to bouts of memory loss. That is why our world is full of special “monuments” and “memorials” to help us remember certain life shaping events.

Plaques help us to remember accomplishments.

Wedding bands help us to remember our vows.

Tombstones serve as a reminder of a life lived.

Memorial statues remind us of historic events and people.

Even in the church we have a memorials like the Lords supper and baptism to remind us of the price paid for our salvation.

Israel wasn’t unlike you and I. They had a bad habit of forgetting what God had done for them. So much so that Moses wrote a warning to them about it in Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 6:12 NKJV

12 then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

This heap of stones, placed by Joshua, would be a visible reminder to the people. Every time they passed that way, it would serve to remind them of what God did for the nation at Gilgal.

We too often have memorials made in our lives some are made of stone but many of them are made from memories of people God has used in our lives, or experiences of how God met a need and all of these things can remind us of special blessings from the Lord. So that we don’t forget his goodness.

We become the most forgetful when we get into a hurry (Abraham and Hagar), or we feel helpless, or when we’re hurt. It is at these times that we need some memorial stones to remind us as these memorial stones in our text reminded Israel.

So this moring, I want to give you three very practical steps to helping you set some “memorials “ in your life and as you do these things over the next few days it will give you a chance to reflect not just on the negative of 2020 but the goodness of God in 2020.

1.) Write down God’s blessings when they happen.

God likes to write things down.

In Luke 10:20 Jesus says that the names of believers are written in Heaven.

In Revelation 20:11-15 the works of the lost are judged from the books where their sinful deeds are recorded at the Great White Throne Judgement.

Malachi 3:16 speaks of a “book of remembrance” where He has written down those who have faithfully worshipped Him.

Psalm 56:8 says God records our tears.

In Exodus 20 God wrote with his finger 10 Commandments on two tablets of stone.

In John 8:6 he wrote in the sand when the woman taken in adultery was brought to him.

I sort of get the idea that writing things down is important to God. Perhaps it should also be important to us.

In fact, that’s how we got our Bible…it’s the Word of God written down for us to read.

So for 2021, I challenge you to keep a journal of the blessings of God in your life and prayers to God. So that we do not forget all he does for us.

2.) Tell others about blessings when they happen.

It would be good for us to get into the habit of publically sharing how God blesses us. It helps us to remember, relive and rejoice in God’s blessings. It also encourages others as they see how God has worked in your life.

This will also give you plenty of opportunities to share your faith with others.

Every time someone passed by this pile of stones, Israel had a chance to talk about their Lord.

3.) Take time to pause and worship God whenever you go through trials.

These stones stood as a powerful reminder of a God who was to be worshipped.

Everything that comes your way in life is an opportunity for you to worship the Lord and see his majesty on display be it good or bad.

So in 2021, set aside some time each day to worship the Lord away from the church building. A set time each day to reflect on God’s work in your life will serve as a powerful memorial stone to carry you through 2021.

Conclusion:

Take some time this week to reflect on some memorial stones in your life that have happened in 2021, and also set some goals to write down, share with others and worship often in 2021.

Don’t forget to thank God for his many blessings. I promise you, even in 2020, your life abounds with them.