Tell the Story...
Notes
Transcript
1 Now when all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying,
2 “Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe,
3 and command them, saying, ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet are standing firm, and carry them over with you and lay them down in the lodging place where you will lodge tonight.’ ”
4 So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe;
5 and Joshua said to them, “Cross again to the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel.
6 “Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’
7 then you shall say to them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever.”
Title: Tell the Story...
Title: Tell the Story...
Pray
Story about Music Store guy
Explain Context for main scripture from Moses and the wilderness to Joshua and why they were crossing the Jordan, then read:
13 “It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are flowing down from above will stand in one heap.”
When the soles of the feet.... Not before… Are you waiting or stepping?
The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord…
I just don’t feel led… but you’re commanded! (Go! Make Disciples!)
When the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water… the waters from above stood and rose up in one heap a great distance away..... Read:
17 And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.
Stood firm… on the dry ground… if He said it, He will do it… Stand firm…
It’s at this point we come to our scripture for today...
Explain God’s command about the stones. In other words:
Tell the Story...
Tell the Story...
Tell it to your Children...
Tell it when they ask...
Build this monument so they know…
Pass this on to future generations…
Don’t let what happened here be forgotten…
Don’t let your kids and grandkids forget that there’s a story to be told....
There arose a pharoah that knew not Joseph… There arose a king who did not know…
During the 18th year of Josiah's reign, work was begun to repair the temple. Hilkiah, the high priest, found "the book of the law in the house of the Lord." (2 Kings 22:8.)
11 When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes.
Someone stopped telling the story.... Great was the mourning because they had strayed so far from God’s intent for them…
TELL THE STORY!
TELL THE STORY!
When is the last time you shared your story?
I’ve heard it said that the place of greatest potential could be the graveyard, because there are so many who held stories and knowledge and potential, but they took it to the grave with them…
When I get to the end of my race, I want to know that I’m going to the grave empty, having put forth all the effort I could manage… Living to my greatest potential… That someone will one day tell my story…
Every believer has a story…
Every believer has a story…
1 John 5:10 (NASB95)
10 The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself;
11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
There is an intersection between your story and the story of Jesus…
Tell the story of your encounter… When did you encounter Jesus? What was it like when you first believed?
My Story… Port Arthur… Birthed in Revival… Received call to ministry in Revival...
We see this pattern throughout the whole of scripture: Memorials used to tell stories…
We see this pattern throughout the whole of scripture: Memorials used to tell stories…
God’s rainbow:
God’s rainbow:
16 “When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
Jacob’s Hip:
Jacob’s Hip:
32 Therefore, to this day the sons of Israel do not eat the sinew of the hip which is on the socket of the thigh, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip.
The Feasts:
The Feasts:
14 ‘Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance.
Each of the feasts were set to tell the story of God’s miracles for Israel:
Passover
To remember God’s deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, when God passed over the Israelite children because of the blood of the lamb.
Unleavened bread
To remember God’s provision during the deliverance from Egypt
First Fruits
To celebrate God’s provision of harvest
Shabbat (Pentecost), Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Feast of Tabernacles
All times designated to pass down the story of God’s provision, protection, healing, and breakthrough for His people.
Your Life:
Your Life:
Colossians 3:17 (NASB95)
17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Your life is to be lived in His name, as a memorial…
6 “Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’
What do they mean to you…
When people ask, Why do you live this way?
Why do you value your integrity so highly?
Why do you do everything with excellence?
Why do you treat everyone with love?
Why do you always strive to be the example?
WHAT DO THESE THINGS MEAN TO YOU?
You can tell them the story!
Let me tell you the story of how God brought me through…
Let me tell you the story of the time God provided when I needed it...
Let me tell you about the time He made a way when there seemed to be no way...
Let me tell you how He’s been faithful and true…
How He’s never failed me, not one time…
How David said, “I once was young and now I’m old…”
How He’s been a strong tower in time of turmoil...
How He’s been a bridge over troubled water...
How He’s provided for me time and time again…
How He’s protected me when I needed it most…
How He’s kept me sane when I should’ve lost my mind…
How He protected my children when they could’ve been lost…
LET ME TELL YOU THE STORY!!!
Tell the Story!
Tell the Story!
Every Believer has a Story…
Every Believer has a Story…
There is power in your story...
There is power in your story...
11 “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.
Your story is not just an entertaining bit of information… It is a weapon of spiritual warfare…
The Church should be on the offensive… We are not made to sit in our fancy strongholds and wait for an attack of the enemy…
18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
Gates are not offensive, they are defensive…
We are made to gain ground, take back territory, invade the camp of the enemy…
See strongholds broken, lives transformed, sinners saved!
How do we do that? BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB AND THE WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY…
Tell the Story…
Tell the Story…
Telling the story builds the faith of those around you…
Telling the story builds the faith of those around you…
21 He said to the sons of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’
22 then you shall inform your children, saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.’
23 “For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the Lord your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed;
24 that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”
All the peoples of the earth…
Tell the story so that all the peoples of the earth…
Why do we tell the story? So that all may know… So everyone around us will know.. So our friends and family will know…
This is the most important story ever to be told… We need everyone to know… Telling the story of Jesus and how you encountered Him builds the faith of those around you…
It is nice to hear stories that others have heard, but there’s something different about hearing it from an eye witness…
Story about seeing the woman’s mouth tumor healed…
I was there! I saw the results! You can’t tell me it didn’t happen, I saw it! And I get to tell the story.
Telling the story builds the faith of those around you and...
Telling the Story builds your own faith…
Telling the Story builds your own faith…
24 that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”
So that YOU may fear the Lord your God forever...
There are times when I get lost in my own head… I start overthinking or stressing or I get discouraged, but I’ve found the best medicine for discouragement is a flashback…
Just a memory is enough… Because when I start remembering God’s goodness and all that He’s done for me, my soul cries out Hallelujah and I thank God for saving me…
When I start remembering, it makes me want to tell someone…
This is why we need those of you who are more experienced in the Church…
Because there’s power in your stories. We need to hear about that time in the brush arbor meeting when God showed up.
We need to hear about God moving in different contexts, in different styles, and different times…
We need to hear the story!
If I had time, I would open this up for testimony night right now, because those stories are important!
Your story is your greatest tool for evangelism. Share your story…
This week, I challenge you… Tell your story. You can start right here tonight. Start with your prayer partner. Start with someone you’re friends with. Start with someone at work… Whoever it is… Share your story about how you encountered Jesus…
Salvation altar call… Maybe you don’t have that story yet...