Monuments of Rejoicing - Joshua 4:1-24 (text - vs. 5-7)
Intro. The first two monuments had to do with Jacob, now the next two have to do with Joshua. We have seen the Monument of a Relationship - Remembering when we met the Lord. (Jacob at Bethel. Monument of Revival - Jacob returned to Bethel and remembered how good God had been to him, he set up his second monument.
Joshua chapter 4 is about the fledgling nation of Israel establishing the memorials of the promised land. A memorial to the power of God for His people. To cross the Jordan meant to go on into the Land of victory! The wilderness was left behind.
Today we come to the Jordan river. They were crossing the Jordan at Flood stage. We must remember that this land had been inhabited years before by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was supposed to be theirs. West Jacksonville Baptist church is standing at a Jordan of its own. Will we trust the Lord and seek His face, and go on in victory? Will we live in a way that we will build monuments in our lives to the Faithfulness of God? There are victories that are supposed to be ours.
God told Joshua to set up some stones to remind the world of the victories of God. We are not to rely on past victories, but remember them to encourage us to go on!
The Red Sea was gone, now they were at the Jordan. There was a new river to cross. No one remembered the Red Sea but Joshua and Caleb. It was time for a new victory! Monuments to declare, “Look what the Lord hath done!”
I. The Power to Move - vs. 1 (God’s wants us to be victorious)
A. God’s Promises - vs. 1 (3:11-13)
1. The promise was secured
2. The promise was seen - (3:15-16) WOW 2Co 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea (assurance), and in him Amen (truth), unto the glory of God by us. 21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; 22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
B. God’s Presence - Ark - 3:11
This is the very presence of the Holy one! It was not the hand of God that moved the waters - It was His face! Verse 11 - “before” is the same word as “face”
The Ark represented the FACE of God! We need God’s hand, but not as much as we need His face.
Ps 105:4 Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.
We shall not move lest the face of God go before us!
II. The Path of Maturity - vs. 3-5 - The flooding Jordan dried up! It is time to get out of the circular journey of the wilderness and move forward. For 40 years they had been doing the same thing, the same way, in the same place with the same results - Circles.
A. It was time to Inhabit a New Place - vs. 3 - Where you shall lodge this night.
This new place was not a picture of Salvation, but Separation! Jesus declared two rests in Matthew 11:28-29 - One rest is given, one rest is found. The rest of salvation is FREE - not of works, lest we would boast. But the rest of Victory requires WORKS - Heb 4 speaks of this rest - the rest of a victorious Christian life
11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, (can’t be salvation) lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief of those that wandered in the wilderness - (Moses did nto enter the promised land either, so it can not mean he was lost). 12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. 14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. (Victory) 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. We are to inhabit a new place of Christian growth and victory. We are not to remain baby Christians.
B. It was time to Involve New People - vs. 4 - these men were prepared to serve.
Here we find 12 men who stayed behind on the east bank, waiting for their appointed work to be done!
1. They had been appointed to an unnamed position - (3:12)
2. They had been prepared to do an unknown task - vs. 4
Are we ready to do whatever God wants us to do?
Many times we want a job description, God just wants us to be willing to do anything for Him! What are we unwilling to do for God? What have we told God, “Lord I will do anything but _______________,”
3. They were willing to do an undesirable task - All 12 obeyed - Carried a boulder on their shoulder 6 1 /2 miles!
2Co 8:1 Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; 2 How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. 3 For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; 4 Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.
III. The Personal Memorial - vs. 9 We see Joshua make a memorial, but there is no command for Him to do so. This had become personal!
A. Imagine His Unspeakable Joy - He had seen the land before! Now he was going there for good. The giants had not shaken his faith.
B. Imagine His Uninhibited Praise - He begins to set up His own stones for a memorial. I believe as he set every stone, he was thanking and praising God!
C. Imagine His Unrivaled Victory - No victory could compare to finally crossing the Jordan. It was time to go Home - time to go to the Promises of Victory!
Wandered in the Wilderness way too long - time to be in the will of God.
We should never stop seeking God’s victories, and when they come, they will be sweeter than we can imagine - It will make us want to build PERSONAL memorials
IV. The Public Monument - Pile of stones for all to see (our lives are stones for others to see - what can we say when others ask - what mean these stones. We are building on our monuments every day. Every child of God is a stone in the building of God - 1Pe 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. We are stones of the Lord’s rejoicing - when others see us, What mean these stones?
A. They speak of Discovery - vs. 5, they came from the midst of the river
They had been buried in the dark rolling Jordan - God dried up the waters to bring the stones to light - We had been in the darkness, and none could reach us, but Jesus came, was dried up for us. God is still Discovering Sinners to Save!
B. They Speak of Dedication - vs. 8, 10
1. Performance - vs. 8 “The Children of Israel did so”
Israelites had to carry the stones out themselves on their own shoulders - The church needs some men and women to be willing to carry out the stones . Unless there are willing vessels to serve the Lord - there will be no monuments of rejoicing!
2. Perseverance - vs. 10
The priests stood until “every thing was FINISHED that the Lord commanded” - when others feared and “hasted and passed over” These stood between walls of water! They did not quit! This was not a task for the faint hearted. (Joshua 3:17 - the Priests stood) Will we stand?
In this we also see our Lord - for when none other could stand, He stood until He cried “It is FINISHED” and today He is at the right hand of the Father for us!
C. They Speak of Deliverance - The stones were Displayed on the other side!
1. These Stones represented God’s Refuge - vs. 11 the Ark was the first to move and the last to leave! God always goes before us and after us! Where I am going, He is already there, and I fear not an enemy from behind, because God is there. Just like at the Red Sea - Exodus 14:19-20 And the angel of God (Jesus), which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.
The Christian is guarded on all sides by the Lord.
We have God before us (Isa. 48:17) God behind us (Isa. 30:21)
God on our right (Ps. 16:8) God to our left (Job 23:9)
God above us (Ps. 36:7), God’s arms underneath us (Dt. 33:27)
and His Spirit within us (I Cor. 3:16). What protection!
2. The Stones represented God’s Restoration - Gilgal is similar to the Hebrew word found in Ps 119:22 Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies. It means to roll away. At Gilgal, God rolled away the Reproach of the failures of the Wilderness. Do you need to run to God and let Him take you to Gilgal? He will roll away your reproach! Do you need to be restored
Restoration never comes without repentance!
- Gilgal was the first place to dwell in the Land of Promise
- It was the first place to eat the Provision of the new land (corn instead of manna)
- It was the first place they kept the Passover in the new land! God restored them!
D. They Speak of a Declaration - They answer the question!
1. Remind your children - vs. 22
2. Remind yourselves - vs. 23
3. Remind the World! - vs. 24 (Providence of His Powerful Hand)
Tell the World - Fear the Lord - God has always wanted the entire world to know that HE IS GOD. He has always expected His people to declare it!
Concl. These stones declared to the children, the nation of Israel and the World, “Look what the Lord hath done!” Fear the Lord your God forever! (Vs. 24)
Do we have monuments in our lives that cry to the world - Look what the Lord hath done - he is real - follow and fear Him!
Several years ago an eastern paper reported this story: One evening a woman was driving home when she noticed a huge truck behind her that was driving uncomfortably close. She stepped on the gas to gain some distance from the truck, but when she sped up, the truck did too. The faster she drive, the faster the truck did. Now scared, she exited the freeway. But the truck stayed with her. The woman then turned up a main street, hoping to lose her pursuer in traffic. But the truck ran a red light and continued the chase. Reaching the point of panic, the woman whipped her car into a service station and bolted out of her auto screaming for help.
The truck driver sprang from his truck and ran toward her car. Yanking the back door open, the driver pulled out a man hidden in the back seat. The woman was running from the wrong person.
From his high vantage point, the truck driver had spotted a would-be rapist in the woman’s car. The chase was not his effort to harm her but to save her even at the cost of his own safety.
Likewise, many people run from God, fearing what he might do to them. But His plans are for good not evil—to rescue us from the hidden sins that endanger our lives.
God pursues us for our good! We should remember His goodness and build monuments of rejoicing in our lives for the world to see.
