A Trip Down Memory Lane
Text: Joshua 4:1-24
Introduction
1. Illustration: Maybe you heard about a guy named John who had a really horrible memory. One day John ran into a friend whom he had not seen in a long time. He greeted him & said, “Bill, do you remember what a bad memory I had?” Bill answered, “Yes, I certainly do.” “Well, it’s not bad any more. I went to a seminar that taught us how to remember things. It was a great seminar, & now I have a wonderful memory.”
Bill answered, “That’s great! What was the name of the seminar?” “Well,” John said, “wait a minute, my wife went with me. I’ll ask her.” He turned & saw his wife nearby. Then he turned back to Bill & said, “What’s the name of that flower with a long stem & thorns & a red bloom?” “Do you mean a rose?” Bill answered, “Yeah, thanks,” John said, “Hey, Rose, what’s the name of that seminar we attended?”
2. The problem with far too many Christians is that we have short memories.
a. We forget the victories that God has given us.
b. We forget the blessings that God has given us.
c. We forget the miracles that God has performed for us.
3. Heb. 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Proposition: We need to remember what God has done for us, and realize that He can do it again.
Transition: First, we need to...
I. Remember the Victories (1-7)
A. A Sign Among You
1. After Joshua and the people had crossed the Jordan, the Lord gave Joshua another command.
2. He said, "Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight."
a. The Lord knew that they were short-minded people, and that they would soon forget all that He had just done for them.
b. He also knew that their faith would be severely tested in the days to come.
c. Therefore, he had Joshua order twelve men to take stones from right in the middle of the Jordan where the priests had stood with the Ark.
3. However, we need to notice how Joshua words his orders to the twelve men. He says, "Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan."
a. We need to see that the role of the Ark in his commands is crucial (Woudstra, 91).
b. He did not tell them to go and get stones from where the priests were standing, but he said to "go over before the Ark of the Lord."
c. The Ark symbolized to them the presence of Yahweh.
d. What they needed to remember was not what they had done, but what God had done.
e. They did not cross over the Jordan on dry ground because they were all powerful, but because the Lord was all-powerful.
4. The purpose of the stones was "to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ’What do these stones mean?’"
a. A stone monument was commonly used as a memorial to remind future generations of what had happened at a particular place (NIV Study Bible Notes. Pradis CD-ROM).
b. This is also common today, and if you don’t believe me go down to the town square and see the monument to those from this community who gave their lives in war.
c. This was not just to be a reminder to them of what the Lord had done for them, but also a reminder to the generations to come.
5. We can also see another reason they were to remember. Notice what Joshua calls the Ark: "the ark of the covenant of the LORD."
a. This brings us back to the idea of covenant love.
b. This victory is to be looked upon as an expression of God’s covenant love (Woudstra, 91).
c. Deut. 7:7-8 The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
d. God did this because He loved them.
B. God Still Brings Victories
1. Illustration: I’ve always liked the story of the 3 old widows who lived together. One sister got up to go to bed, half way up the stairs she stopped and asked "was I going up or was I coming down"
One sister replied with hint of aggravation, "you were going up to bed."
A second sister headed into the kitchen to make herself a sandwich. Once in the kitchen she hollered back to her sister who was still down stairs; "what did I come in here for"
The sister responded again with a trace of irritation, "you went in to make yourself a sandwich" after which she said; "I’m so glad I am not as forgetful as the both of you are" as she knock on the end table.
And then she got up and walked over to the door and said "Who is it?"
2. You know we laugh about things like that, but isn’t that exactly how we are when it comes to God.
3. God gives us a financial victory, and then the next time we get into financial trouble what do we do? Worry!
4. God gives us a victory in our spiritual lives, and then when trouble comes are way what do we do? Whine!
5. Let me tell you something church: if God did it once, He will do it again!
a. If he gave you victory once, He’ll do it again.
b. If He came to your rescue once, He’ll do it again.
c. If He was there when you needed Him before, He’ll do it again.
6. We need to remember that:
a. God doesn’t change
b. His ways don’t change
c. His character doesn’t change
d. His grace doesn’t not change
Transition: If He did it once, He’ll do it again!
II. Remember the Blessings (8-14)
A. Israelites Did As Joshua Commanded
1. Verses 8-14 stress the blessings of obedience.
2. The beginning of verse 8 says, "So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them."
a. The representatives of the 12 tribes did exactly as Joshua had commanded them and picked up the stones from the riverbed.
b. The very fact that they were able to do so is a sign of the blessings of obedience.
c. If they had not obeyed God and stepped out into the river, they never would have experienced this miracle of faith.
d. However, because of their obedience, they experienced the power of God. Obedience brings blessing.
3. Not only were they obeying Joshua, but in reality they were obeying the Lord. The end of verse 8 says, "As the LORD had told Joshua..."
a. Joshua was God’s appointed leader, and as they obeyed him, they obeyed the Lord.
b. If we obey God’s leader we will be blessed.
c. If we disobey God’s leader...well you get the picture.
4. In verse 9, we see that Joshua wanted the people to remember the blessings of obedience. It says, "Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day."
a. Okay, here we have a little textual problem.
b. If you’ll notice, in the NIV there is a footnote for this verse. It states that this verse can read, "Joshua also set up twelve stones."
c. In fact, the NLT translates this verse "Joshua also built another memorial of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan..."
d. This is the more likely rendering of this text, indicating that Joshua set up another set of twelve stones at place where the priests has stood.
e. Although at this time the Jordan was at flood stage, for most of the year, the Jordan is only a few feet deep at the fords (which this is), and therefore this monument would have been visible (Barnes, CBL, 43).
f. When they saw it, they would remember the blessings of obedience.
B. Obedience and Blessings
1. Illustration: Finney noted this about obedience and sacrifice, “Revival is nothing more or less than a new obedience to God!”
2. If we want the blessings of revival, it will take the discipline of obedience.
3. We need to remember what happened in the past when we have obeyed God, remembering the blessings it brought.
4. We need to remember what happened in the past when we disobeyed God, and what it brought
5. Even the laws of nature tell us that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
6. The law of God is no different.
a. If we obey God, we will be blessed.
b. If we disobey God, we will be cursed.
Transition: Remember and obey!
III. Remember the Miracles (15-24)
A. The Waters of the Jordan Returned
1. Notice that the Ark is mentioned again in v. 16, but it is given a new designation: "the ark of the Testimony."
a. This word "Testimony", which means "to repeat," "to do again," has the sense of repetition and permanence.—(Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament)
b. Again, the idea of remembrance is stressed here.
c. The thing that they are to remember was the miraculous way that God acted on their behalf.
2. Joshua commands the priests to come up out of the river carrying the Ark, and it says, "No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before."
a. The miraculous nature of the crossing event is once again highlighted in the statement that the waters returned to their flood stage the moment the priests’ feet touched the dry ground.—New American Commentary
b. John Calvin commented, "Had it not returned to its former state, and indeed, suddenly, many would have imagined the cause of the change to be hidden but fortuitous. But when God displays his power and favor at minute intervals of time all doubt is removed" (Calvin’s Commentaries Online).
c. There could be no doubt that this was a miracle of God, and He did not want them to forget what He had done.
3. When they got to the place of encampment at Gilgal, Joshua set up the monument with the stones taken from the Jordan and said, "In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, ’What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ’Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’"
a. Tell them that God did a miracle.
b. Tell them that in our hour of need, our God showed up.
c. Tell them that nothing, not even the elements can stop our God.
d. Tell them that His arm is not so short that He cannot save.
e. Tell them that our God is God in heaven and on earth below.
4. Then he reminds them that this is the same thing He had done before. He said "The LORD your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over."
a. This is proof that if God did it once, He can do it again.
b. This is proof that God is not limited.
c. This is proof that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
5. Joshua tells them that the Lord "did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful..."
a. Powerful to save
b. Powerful to transform
c. Powerful to heal
B. Just the Same
1. Illustration: The evening before we left for Bible College, we had a stack of bills that amounted to about $950, that didn’t know how we were going to pay. That night Melissa had a tee ball game, and at that game, a man from the church gave me a check for $1000.00. God came through, and I have not forgotten.
2. We need to remember what God has done in the past.
a. Remember the miracles
b. Remember the answers to prayer
c. Remember the works of power
3. We need to remember that God has not changed.
a. He is still in the miracle business
b. He is still in the healing business
c. He is still in the revival business
4. We need to remember that He is still:
a. The God of Joshua
b. The God of David
c. The God of Daniel
d. The God of Pentecost
Transition: Remember what He has done in the past, and believe Him to do it again.
Conclusion
1. We need to put up some memorial stones in our lives.
2. We need to:
a. Remember the victories
b. Remember the blessings
c. Remember the miracles
3. What do you need to remember?
4. What do you need to trust Him for today?
