LEST WE FORGET
Joshua 4-5
How’s your memory? How well do you remember?
No, don’t worry, I’m not going to quiz you as to what the sermon was about last Sunday.
But I would like you to think about your memory this morning.
"A well trained memory is one that permits you to forget everything that isn’t worth remembering."
I believe that most of us have a good memory---
but not a well-trained memory. We remember things we should forget & we forget the things that we should remember.
That cutting remark made to us...REMEMBERED
That lack of kindness............REMEMBERED
That misunderstanding with our friend.......REMEMBERED
That wrong done to you......................REMEMBERED
But,
That thoughtful & encouraging card............FORGOTTEN
That time when someone cared enough to listen....FORGOTTEN
That time when someone forgave you............FORGOTTEN
That excitement we had when we first became a Christian.....FORGOTTEN
We have very selective memories, don’t we?
Well, God knows how easily we forget! That’s why He told Joshua to take the 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan River & to stack them up at Gilgal. They were to be a reminder of God’s great power in bringing the nation of Israel to the Promised Land. It’s like, "Ah, now I remember!"
(Read Joshua 4:1-24 emphasizing vv. 23-24)
God gave symbols to help His people to remember His acts of love & grace. But these symbols are not unique to the O.T.
As we will see this morning, God continues to provide remembrances for His children today.
Our memories are short. God knows that. That’s why He gave symbols to His people throughout history to help us remember what’s important. Let’s see what some of those symbols were for the people of Israel, and then we’ll look at what some of those symbols are for us today. (Read Joshua 5:1)
Now, at this point, you would naturally expect God to tell His people to move in, right? I mean, the enemies were afraid, they had heard how God had miraculously dried up the Jordan River...you’d think that now was the time to take over the Promised Land. But that is not the case.
God is in no hurry! Before moving in to take the Promised Land, God wanted His people to wait.
Wait!?!? Why did they have to wait?! Why couldn’t they just start moving in? What’s the hold up? Why the delay?
Answer: "In order that they might be obedient to the commands they had forgotten." For some reason, the people had neglected the two symbols God had given them as reminders of His love and grace:
1. The Rite of Circumcision
2. The Feast of the Passover
The people had neglected observing these two symbols. They had not been fully obedient to God’s will! And before He would use them He wanted them fully obedient to His will.
What about us? Have we been fully obedient to God’s revealed will? If not, we cannot expect God to bless our lives, our church, or our world through us---not until we have first of all been obedient to what God has asked us to do.
Are you neglecting something that you know God wants you to do? Or maybe you have no desire to learn more of God’s will. You’ve blinded yourself to your responsibility.
Listen: You cannot expect God to fully use you if you are neglecting to do that which God has already revealed to you.
"He that is unfaithful in that which is least,
will be unfaithful in that which is greater."
(Luke 16:10)
So, then, why did God want His people to wait before moving in to the Promised Land? God wanted them to wait because He wanted them to be fully obedient! It’s just as important for us to search our lives for areas where we have not been fully obedient to God---and once we have discovered those areas---then fulfill them.
The people of Israel had neglected two things in particular that God had asked them to do: Circumcision & Passover
I. THE RITE OF CIRCUMCISION (vv. 2-9)
Circumcision was a symbol, a sign, given by God to remind His people of His covenant with them. It was to be done as a reminder of God’s promises. Before there was any talk of Jericho, before a word about the walls falling flat, God wanted His people to be obedient to Him. He wanted them to be reminded of His promises to them.
But circumcision was not enough. They also needed to observe the Passover (vv. 10-12).
II. THE FEAST OF THE PASSOVER (vv. 10-12)
The Passover was instituted by God while the children of Israel were still in bondage in Egypt. This Passover was a special event connected with Israel’s deliverance from slavery.
Turn with me to Exodus 11 & 12 so we can understand what’s going on here.
After sending nine plagues, God revealed that He was going to bring one final catastrophe---the first born would be killed (Read 11:5)
The children of Israel would be spared from this judgment if they sprinkled the blood of a lamb or a goat on the doorposts (read 12:13)
So, it happened as God said it would. Judgment fell.
Those obedient (those who had made preparations as God said) were spared. This Passover Feast was to be observed to remind Israel of God’s mercy.
But, from what we can tell, the Passover was kept only twice before Joshua 5:
1. In Egypt before leaving
2. In the wilderness, a year after they left Egypt
Now, back in Joshua 5...
after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness,
after miraculously crossing the Jordan River,
before moving in to the Promised Land...
God wants His people to be obedient to Him and observe the Passover Feast. A Feast designed by God to remind God’s people of His mercy, love, and grace.
So, here we are, 21st Century Christians....
We, too, have short memories like the children of Israel.
We need reminders too. We also need remembrances,
lest we forget what God has done for us.
And just as God instituted memorial events in the Old Testament, so He instituted some very unique memorial events in the N.T. which we as Christians are to practice to this day. Like what?
1. BAPTISM
When people were converted to Jesus Christ in the 1st century, they were baptized. This was a fulfillment of the Lord’s will. This was being obedient.
Baptism, like circumcision in the O.T., is a sign.
Baptism is NOT a means to salvation, but rather, a symbol of Christ’s death and resurrection, a symbol of identification with Christ. This should be practiced by believers only---people who are old enough to make an intelligent decision for Jesus Christ. Every Christian who wants to be completely obedient to Christ should be baptized!
It’s an open declaration of commitment to Christ.
A 2nd memorial event that God has given to us is: COMMUNION.
2. COMMUNION
This symbol of communion was instituted by Christ Himself when He was eating the Passover supper with His disciples the night before His death on the cross. As He broke the bread that evening with His followers and drank the cup with them, He showed how His body would be given and His blood shed for the sins of the world.
His words to the disciples are words addressed to us as well:
"DO THIS, IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME" (Luke 22:19)
And, building on Christ’s words, the apostle Paul in
I Corinthians 11:26 writes these words: "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes."
Like baptism, it’s an open declaration of your commitment to Christ. And like baptism, it is NOT a means to salvation.
Communion is a remembrance---a remembrance of Christ’s death for each of us and for the sins of the world. Like Israel, we need a constant reminder that when God sees the blood---
In this case the blood of Christ---He will pass over us in judgment. But, to be spared, the blood needs to be applied.
How do we apply the blood of Jesus?
We apply it by trusting in Him and His death on the cross for our sins. It’s by the blood of the perfect Lamb of God, His Son Jesus Christ, that we have been cleansed from our sins and been set free from eternal judgment and death!
Praise God! Communion is a reminder to us of what Christ has done for us.
So, the reminders to us? BAPTISM and COMMUNION
The reminders to Israel? CIRCUMCISION and PASSOVER.
But even after circumcision and the Feast of the Passover, the people of Israel still could not move ahead until their leader Himself had arrived... (Read vv. 13-15)
What a relief this must have been for Joshua!
Joshua was not their leader...God Himself was their leader!
And what a relief it is to me to realize that the leader of our congregation is not to be the pastor, not to be the elders, not to be the church council, or some committee, or any other person other than Jesus Christ Himself!
Jesus Christ is here with us!
He is our Lord and Master!
He is our leader! Amen?
When each of us is following Christ as our Master and Lord we won’t get involved in petty arguments and disagreements.
I think too many Christians today are being led by their own tastes, their own likes, what makes them "feel good."
How much better to be led by our Master and Lord!
What are we led to do when in the presence of our Lord?
(Look at 5:15 again)
Isn’t it amazing to see the response of people when they are in the presence of the Lord? Invariably, the response is the same:
Being totally overwhelmed with God’s holiness and our own sinfulness.
Here we are this morning. Christ is present here with us in a special way. Are you aware of His holiness? Do you see your own lack of holiness when compared with Christ?
Do you see your sinfulness when compared to a holy God?
In a few minutes we will be sharing together the Lord’s Supper. This is a special time for us as a church body. It’s... A time to acknowledge Christ’s presence with us
A time to remember His death on the cross for us
A time to take off our shoes spiritually and realize that we are on holy ground
A time to realize God’s holiness and acknowledge our own sinfulness
A time to confess our sin
and, after making confession of our sin...
A time to communicate the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, proclaiming His death until He comes again.
