We were sitting just night before last reminiscing about tv programs of old.
Times change, times move on. Technology has changed, story writing has changed, and in the case of the A Team – people actually die in tv programs now.
But I think that in even watching these introduction clips, you must have had some good Friday night memories.
My personal favourite of all time had to have been Mac Gyver. Friday nights all through the neighbourhood you could here the theme tunes to these favourite shows. Back then there was only one channel, so you could here the same tune in almost every home in the neighbourhood.
I never thought I would ever get to the age when I would say…”Those were the days.”
Those Were the Days.
Its incredible how a simple tune can take us back to specific place or time. I am sure those clips brought back some good memories for you.
SUMMARY
But those were the days….
Those were the days in which Aid was something given to poorer African countries. HIV was something that only a few scientists knew about. Sliced bread was only obtainable if you sliced it yourself, OK Bazaars was still a good place to shop, Net Blankes signs still were to be found on beaches, one in every 960 white south African families had a home computer, you could still buy 2 wilson sweets for a cent, leg warmers and big hair were all the rage, Lady Di had recently married Prince Charles, and so we can go….
Those were the days….
HUMAN DESIRE TO HOLD ONTO PAST
But it runs deeper than that. As humans, we can hold onto things as momentos. We can horde things. Its incredible how much we accumulate simply for sentimental reasons.
We seem to just have this affinity to remember… We seem to want to hang on to the past. We like the past because its happened and we will kind of in control over it and comfortable with it, because we know it.
PERSONAL
This week was a tough one for me. I spent a lot of time remembering how things used to be before Jesus stepped into my life. I reminisced and remembered the journey. I shed some tears this week over difficulty in my life, I feared that the past would come back into the present. I feared that the things I had put down in the past would come back and once again begin ruling my life.
I got quite fearful that the old Craig and all his wicked ways would start showing up again.
LINK
As Christians we are very quick to move on. We can because we have a God that moves on so quickly. Sins are forgiven, ways and habits are changed in an instant, even physical ailments can be instantly forgotten.
The past is not however as quickly removed from us. Habits put down in the name of Jesus Christ can creep back and we can find ourselves sitting with the past right here in the present.
SUMMARY POWER POINT
Today I wanted to journey with you into the importance of developing a Christian memory.
It’s a fine line this memory thing. We say put it down at the cross. We say leave it with Jesus. Put it down and leave it yes. But remember it readily enough not to want to pick it up again.
Do any more and guilt will creep in. Do any less and bad habits will return.
The need to keep the past close enough to remind us of how much Jesus has done for us, but far enough away to remind us of how complete His forgiveness is.
GOD WANTS US TO REMEMBER
God throughout scripture called his people to remember. Often in scripture it says “and he did this or that as a reminder to the people.”
JOSHUA 4:1-7 ROCKS TO REMEMBER
1. IT IS TO BE A TIME OF REMEMBERING WHAT GOD HAS DONE
“And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.” (v. 7)
First, the memorial stones were to be a reminder of their own personal experience. Notice that in verse six this memorial will cause the children to ask; “What do these stones mean to you?”
These stones are first of all to be a reminder those who were present of their personal experience, what they saw, heard and felt.
Col 3:9-10
Stripping away the old ways is something we do as Christians. The putting aside our old selves is probably the primary way we can continually reflect on what God is doing personally.
Will be painful. Put the practices – put the sin down at the cross. But always make sure you remember the fact that the cross was there for you to place that old personality at its foot.
THE NEED FOR PERSONAL TESTIMONY
I have found that this congregation and others, they are able to journey with me and help me with the issues of the past in a whole new way, if I have told others of my Rocks to remember.
By telling others your story, God will always remind you of what He has been able to achieve in you.Keep on telling your stories so that you never lose your own sense of awe and wonder of what God has done in your life.
MEMORIALS
I want you to consider with me: “What kind of memorials or rocks to remember do you have in your life?” Whether you realize it our not we all have memorials in our lives, no not a monument of stones, but one built of memories.
There are memories of places, places that trigger memories just as the memorial stones in Gilgal. There are some significant places in your life that elicit memories.
PERSONAL MEMORIALS
The little church where I was saved is such a place for me. It was there a few years later that I was called to preach. It was there that married by lovely bride. It is a special place for me. It reminds me of things that God had done in my life. You no doubt have such a place in your life.
There are memories of people. These are memories of people who God has used in your life. For me many of them are the people who encouraged me to pursue the ministry.
But how often do we sit down and think about the memories, and thank God for those people and places, the rocks worth remembering, that He’s used in our lives?
JOURNAL
Here in lies the memories of experiences with my heavenly Dad, of God’s answering prayer and of God’s marvelous hand of provision. I remember in how God always provided for our needs. We learned some invaluable lessons on faith. These lessons on faith are not something you can be taught, it is something that you must experience and remember to truly understand.
The point is that God knows how we think and that is the reason that he instructs Joshua to build a memorial. So that each time the Israelites saw it they would be reminded that they had not crossed the Jordan on their own ability, their own strength but because of God.
I challenge you to spend sometime thinking through your memorial stones, let them draw you closer to God and remind you of His faithfulness.
2. SHARING OUR FAITH WITH OUR CHILDREN (vv. 6-7).
In two places in this chapter, parents are reminded of their responsibility for the communication of God’s Word and his calling on their children, generation to generation.
First in verse 6-7, “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. these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”
And again in verses 21-23, “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,
As with other memorials in the Old Testament, the intention of the memorial was to provoke questioning especially from future generations.
MEMORY CAN BE LOST
Christianity is never more than one generation away from extinction.
If we are not remembering and recalling and sharing and passing on to our children and others, the memory of the greatest act of all time could be forgotton. Washed away and lost forever.
Riversong – children/youth – holiday club
Families – time sharing with your children
SANCTITY OF MEMORY = HOLY GOD
Deuteronomy 6:12-14
“then beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. (13) You shall fear the LORD your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name. (14) You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you.
3. A SIGNPOST TO A LOST WORLD (v. 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.”
It has always been God’s plan that the whole world should “know” that He is the only living God.
Not only was the crossing of the Jordan a stirring event for Israel, but it was also a terrifying event for all the people living in the land of Canaan.
WAY OF LIFE TO INVITE LOST WORLD
Matthew 28:19-20 calls us to a way of life. It calls us to a lost world. It begs us to go and remind people of their rocks to remember.
Have you reminded someone today that God has been in their life and wants to begin making memories with them?
4. IT WAS TO BE A TIME OF RENEWING PERSONAL COMMITMENT v. 8
Joshua not only issued the order for the men to go back but he personally joined them as they made their journey back to the center of the riverbed.
The priests made the altar as requested, But Joshua set up his own personal marker on the banks of the Jorden. It was his own personal sign of commitment to remember.
5. IT WAS TO BE A TIME OF ROLLING AWAY OLD DEFEATS vv. 19-20
It is significant that this happened on the tenth day of the first month, this is exactly forty years to the day, since Israel marched out of Egypt.
Leaving the edge of the river, the Israelites went to a place called Gilgal to make their camp.
Gilgal was “on the eastern border of Jericho. Gilgal means “the reproach has been rolled away.”
Forty years of spiritual defeat and failure have been rolled away. It was the dawn of a great new beginning in a new land. The days of sullen refusal to respond to God under Moses were gone, complaining was ended, hopeless wandering in the wilderness was behind them. They were now a people with a powerful new sense of purpose, determined to take new territory with God.
FOR US TODAY - CONCLUSION
Likewise for the believer today we should be able to look back and see those monumental occasions which standout as times in which God has changed our directions and give us new hope and a new sense of purpose.
A time when we by an act of bold faith decide to abandon ourselves to God and step out into the unknown to take new territory for Him.
The monument that was built with those twelve stones was to serve as a visible reminder of the faithfulness of God. It was also a silent monument to the special day on which the people of God boldly placed their feet in the surging, rushing current of the Jordan, confident that God would see them to safety on the other side.
You step daily into similar rivers. Daily you are experiencing things that must be chalked up as rocks to remember.
Don’t let it get you down. Don’t let the feelings such as those Israelites must have had get to you, But rather let all things be rocks to remember…
Personal commitment:
You need to take with you your first rock to remember. You need to make your first mark.
