At Beginning of the Service:
Beginning Illustration: REMEMBERING MY PURPOSE
The Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful and costly tombs ever built, but there is something fascinating about its beginnings.
In 1629, when the favorite wife of Indian ruler Shah Jahan died, he ordered that a magnificent tomb be built as a memorial to her. The shah placed his wife’s casket in the middle of a parcel of land, and construction of the temple literally began around it. But several years into the venture, the Shah’s grief for his wife gave way to a passion for the project. One day while he was surveying the sight, he reportedly stumbled over a wooden box, and he had some workers throw it out. It was months before he realized that his wife’s casket had been destroyed. The original purpose for the memorial became lost in the details of construction. SOURCE: Dr. James Dobson, Coming Home, Timeless Wisdom for Families, (Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton; 1998), p. 122.
For many of us, we think of Memorial Day as a day we don’t have to work. We can go to the lake, have a cookout – enjoy the outdoors. Some think of it in terms of the beginning of the summer time. But when we do this, only, we are moving away from the original meaning and intent of the day.
You see, Memorial Day had it’s beginning in Waterloo, New York in 1866. The town wanted to pay tribute to those who had died in the Civil War. Fast-forward to today – we now celebrate the last Monday of May as Memorial Day. It now is a day of remembrance of all those who died in any war and many people use this day to also remember those family members and close friends that have died.
You see this Holiday isn’t about going to the lake or anything like that. It is about remembering. Now there is nothing wrong with going to the lake, having cookouts and such because as we remember we can celebrate life with those around us. But we cannot allow ourselves to forget the original purpose.
So as you go through the day, take time out to remember our heroes who have literally laid down their lives for our freedom in this country.
Go through the War Slide
Sermon:
I want to continue the theme of Memorial’s. All of us have memories of people, places and experiences that bring all kinds of emotions to our heart. Some call these memories “mental markers”. They take us back to something that has meaning and significance. Many of these “markers” have physical reminders.
OBJECT LESSON: My OU Champ Plaque
Sometimes these markers are connected with something positive while others may not be so good times where there was struggle or disappointment. Both types can be used to strength us. They both can teach valuable lessons if we will simply allow ourselves to learn from them. Let me ask, how many of you have pictures of events, people, etc. that carry with it memories that make you smile when you see them? That is what I’m talking about.
In the Bible we find many examples of people putting up physical markers to remind them of spiritual truths and experiences. These spiritual markers are a kind of memorial that bring the experience and truth to our minds. Today I want to look at 3 of these markers. Each one of these involves a Stone or Rock. I have called this message: The Stones of Memorial.
My hope is that you will recognize some of these markers in your life. As you recognize them, celebrate them! Maybe you need to establish some of these in your life. Today would be a great time to do that.
Read Joshua 4:1-9
Joshua and the Children of Israel had been in the wilderness for 40 years. All the people who had doubted God’s word about their being able to enter the land of Canaan had died and now the time came for the rest of them to begin entering into the Promised Land.
God told Joshua to take 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan River. One for each tribe. It was to be used as a memorial to the whole nation. No tribe was left out. It is significant that the rocks were taken from where the Ark of the Covenant was being held. It signified several things about God that He wanted them to know and always remember. I believe He wants us to remember that He is the same now as He was then. He is the same yesterday, today and forever! The lessons learned by the Israelites about God are lessons we too can learn and live by. May we see these Stones of Memorial in our lives!
1. A Stone of Memorial to God’s Power and Deliverance – Josh 4 and Ex. 13
These stones taken from the Jordan River were to be a sign for all who would come later that God was powerful and that He had delivered His People out of bondage and into the Promised Land.
His power and deliverance was complete – he included all 12 tribes! He kept His promise to Abraham and reminded the Israelites of through Moses – I will give you a land flowing with milk and honey! Let’s back up for a minute and check something else out that had happened prior to this event in Joshua. Remember over in Exodus we find God calling Moses and then taking the Egyptians through 9 incredible plagues and all the while covering the children of Israel so that they were not affected. Then in Exodus 13 he sends the death angel. The only way of escape was through the Passover Lamb. The lamb had to be without spot or blemish. It had to be killed and it’s blood put on the doorposts of each house. As long as the blood was on the doorpost, the death angel would Passover! God told the Israelites that from that moment on they were to celebrate his deliverance from Egypt every year and call it Passover. Then any time a child would ask about why they do the Passover, the adults could teach them about God’s power and deliverance. You see God wanted them to know He always comes through!
But you know what? That little Passover lamb was only a shadow of someone much greater and permanent. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, part of the Holy Trinity, the Everlasting King and Prince of peace, came and became our Passover Lamb! He was and is the Lamb that was slain for the forgiveness of sins! Jesus is the stone of memorial for us! He is the ultimate reminder of God’s power and deliverance.
There is fulfillment now – Jesus has the power to set captives free! Hallelujah! Jesus the stone the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone upon which true life is built!
There is also fulfillment yet to come – Right now we are still in the flesh and because of it we are still physically trapped in a sinful world. Spiritually we are set free from the bondage of sin but we are still victims of sin all around us. But there is coming a day when we will hear the trumpet call of God and we will be given new bodies that no longer are subject to sin and death. We will be perfect, without sin and forever connected with God through His son Jesus! Jesus will have all authority over His and our enemies then we will experience the Final deliverance from Sin!
Every man and woman, boy and girl who has received Jesus as Lord has as a stone of memorial within -- the Spirit of God himself. Listen: 13 In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation—in Him when you believed—were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. 14 He is the down payment of our inheritance, for the redemption of the possession, to the praise of His glory.
Eph 1:13-14 (HCSB)
God wanted them to see…
2. A Stone of Memorial to God’s Presence –
God had been with them the entire time. He was in the pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night that led them the whole way. Through the desert He was always there! He didn’t want them to forget his presence! He knew that once they got in the land and got settled down there was a tendency for them to forget about Him. He didn’t want that to happen!
Can I tell you, God hasn’t changed! He doesn’t want you to forget that he is there. He is always present. He wants us to be mindful of the fact that he is always there for us. No matter what is going on around us we need to have that Spiritual marker in place that reminds us He is always there!
In Genesis 28 we see Jacob setting up a stone of memorial to God’s presence. God had spoken to him and he didn’t want to forget. And he wanted everyone who would come by the place he called Bethel – the house of God – that God had spoken to him and He was there!
As you read through the Psalms you can see how David celebrated the presence of God and when things looked like God wasn’t around, David would cry out for God to be there. The word always came – I’m right here!
This is for you today! Jesus once again is for us the stone of memorial. Because of His life and death and resurrection we can experience His presence right now! He told his disciples and on down through history us I am with you always to the very end! Again remember the Eph. 1 verse – we are sealed with the Spirit of God. He is our assurance that God’s presence is always there.
The promise doesn’t stop there! There is a future fulfillment yet to come – we will live in presence of God physically forever! That’s why Jesus said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled.” You see God’s presence is a reality for those of us who have accepted Jesus. There is relationship with the Almighty God through the blood of Jesus. That relationship guarantees presence.
The 12 stones were also to be seen as
3. A Stone of Memorial to God’s Help –
God had shown His power by delivering the Israelites out of Egypt. He had given them His presence. But He was promising that He would provide the help needed to continue on the journey.
You see coming to Jesus as Lord and Savior is just the beginning. It is the beginning of a lifetime, a journey with God. That is why the psalmist could say with certainty in Ps. 46, 1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. (NIV)
He is our ever-present help in times of trouble! Some of you need to be reminded of that today. He has brought you out of the darkness and made you His child. He isn’t going to leave you now when the going gets tough! Just like a good father would never leave his child if they were in danger or need his help. As human fathers we would give our lives for our kids. I would die without hesitation for one of my boys. If I as a mere human father feel that way about my children don’t you think that God the heavenly Father will come through even more when we need his help? Of course He will.
In I Samuel 7:12 – we see Samuel setting up a stone he called “Ebenezer” the stone of help. He put it up because God had helped the children of Israel recover Ark of the Covenant and defeat the Philistines. He set it up so that those who came by it would be reminded that God is our help!
You need to be reminded today that the Holy Spirit is our comforter and helper. We can survive and even prosper through adversity because he is with us.
There is a fulfillment yet to come in this area too. There will come a day when God will wipe away every tear from our eyes and we will no longer have any trouble because we will live in His physical presence forever.
Conclusion: Jesus is called the Living Stone! (I Peter 2:4) He is a living Stone of Memorial! He is the one stone some have rejected but for those who have accepted Him, He has become the chief cornerstone -- the rock upon which all things are built.
He is the Rock of Salvation! Ps. 18:1-3; Ps. 62:2-7
He is the Rock Eternal – Is. 26:3-4
He is the Rock of Refuge – Ps. 31:2
He is the Rock that satisfies and quenches our thirst for life. Num. 20:11; John 7; I Cor. 10:4
He is the Rock upon which to build your life! Matt 7
What are you building your life / house on? Jesus is the cornerstone of the house that will stand for eternity. Have you found your foundation in Him? Everything else you try to build your life on will crumble. The Bible says he will either be the Rock you stand on or be crushed by. Today can be the day you put down your Ebenezer Stone. Today you can find your help and salvation from the Rock of Ages. If you have you never accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior why not do it today?
