YOUR GOING TO DO WHAT?
JOSHUA 4:1-14.
HOW IS YOUR SPIRITUAL MEMORY?______________
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1. Why is remembering so important? Remembering allow us to give voice to the high point in our lives and to share the low point which allow our brother and sister become an encouragement to us.
Deuteronomy 6:12-15“then beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
Deut 32:18. You forgot the God who gave you birth.
Ezek 23:35. So the Lord and King say, "You have forgotten me. You have pushed me behind your back.
Jer. 2:32. My people have forgotten me more days than anyone can count.
Testimonies are a reminder of our own personal experience with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Testimonies are memories of experiences, when the Lord answered our prayers and we saw God’s marvellous hand of provision.
Testimonies allow non Christian to have a picture of God’s Grace working in his Children lives.
Testimonies give us encouragement to face the difficulties of a deeper walk.
Testimonies make us aware of the work of the Holy Spirit in people lives.
Testimonies help us to never forget the Lord.
Testimonies tell of the existence and nature of the one true God.
Testimonies are important because Christianity is never more than one generation away from extinction.
YOUR GOING TO DO WHAT?
JOSHUA 4:1-14.
I want to share with you my first experience attending a men’s retreat. I was brand new Christian. I didn’t know that there was such a thing as a “Christian men’s retreat” and I had no idea what a group of men would do for a whole week-end in the middle of nowhere. I went because the pastor had talked me into going. Most of my life had been working with just men so this was going to be something new. I wasn’t even sure what accepting the Lord would do to my life. Was I nervous about that week-end? Even as we drove to get there I was wondering if maybe I should get out of the car and hitchhike back home. I remember thinking either I’m crazy or accepting Jesus Christ has done something strange to my mind.
We arrived on a Friday evening and we were given a cabin to stay in and then we were told that we were just in time for the first service. Now I need to let you know that I went to church as a child. The church I went to as a child we different. We weren’t allowed to stay in the service if it was Communion Sunday you could speak or even look around once the service started. When I went to that men’s retreat I was going to see church in a whole new way. I can honestly say that I never experience anything in church like what I experience that weekend. They began to sing chorus that all talked about loving, worshiping or serving Jesus. I want you to know it is something just to listen to over 100 men sing about the Lord. I was really just starting to enjoy myself when I almost jumped out of my shoes as men began to stand up and tell about their life struggles and how the Lord Jesus Christ turned the situation around and gave them victory. I just listen but then I notice that it seen as if it was following a pattern and I was going to be next. Right about then I began to wonder if maybe I should go to the bathroom. As I think about that weekend I can still hear the testimonies, I can still hear the words of praises that came from those men. I want you to know that I was completely shocked and completely changed by that weekend. The thing that I remember the most was coming home and going to church that Sunday evening and actually looking forward to testifying. What I didn’t know was that Sunday evening the Holy Spirit was going to do a work in my life.
As I stand before you today I can remember a lot of time when the lord’s Holy Spirit worked in my life and a lot of those time I can look back and see that someone testimony had an effect upon my life. I remember the night that I first met the Lord. I remember many trips that I have taken to meet the Lord at an Altar.
HOW IS YOUR SPIRITUAL MEMORY?
A husband and wife were having problems remembering things, so they decided to go to their doctor to get checked out to make sure nothing was wrong. The doctor explained that when you get too many things on your mind, you will have problems with your memory. He suggested that they might want to start making notes to help them remember things. They thanked the doctor and left. Later that night while watching TV, the man got up from his chair & started toward the kitchen. His wife asked, "Where are you going?" He told her to the kitchen. She asked, "Will you get me a bowl of ice cream while you are there?" He said, "Sure." She asked, "Don’t you think you should write it down so you can remember it?" He said, "No, I can remember that." She said, "I would also like some strawberries on top. You had better write that down because I know you’ll forget." He assured her that he wouldn’t. But she said, "Well I also want some whipped cream on top. I know you will forget that so you better write it down." He was obvious irritated but he managed to say rather nicely, "I don’t need to write that down I can remember that." About 20 minutes later he returns with a plate of bacon and eggs. She stares at it for a moment and then says, "I knew you were going to mess it up - You forgot my toast." We all forget things, but we must take some precautions, or we will miss what God has done for us.
Let me ask you; do you have a testimony? Maybe a better question is do you remember the time when you first found the Lord? Do you remember kneeling before the Lord as the Holy Spirit minister in your life? Do you remember the Holy Spirit touching you or restoring you as you have gone through some very difficult situation? Do you remember the last time that the Lord did a might work in your life?
Do you remember the first call of the Holy Spirit on your life before you gave you heart to the Lord? Do you remember the first testimony that you gave about what the Lord Jesus is doing in and through your life.
The Lord wanted this event memorialize because the lord knew that this would have deep spiritual significance upon the people lives. This was the beginning of a deeper walk with the Lord. The people had accomplished a lot. Think for a moment. They had looked at the obstacle of the Jordan River for three days without any plan of how they were going to get across. All they knew was that either the lord had to do something or they stayed in the same place until they could cross. If that happen I believe they would have become so comfortable that they would still be there today. Then they saw the priest pick up the Ark and head towards the River. As the people watched the priest while at the same time keeping their eyes on the river they saw the feet of the priest move towards the water and them suddenly there was no water. Can you picture this scene? If you were standing there I believe our minds would struggle trying to comprehend what the Lord was doing, simply because you were one of his chosen people?
1. Why is remembering so important?
Remembering allow us to give voice to the high point in our lives and to share the low point which allow the brother and sister become an encouragement.
I know that we often say, we are just human and that is true, but we are humans with the Holy Spirit living inside us.
I personally feel that though we do often forget some things, we shouldn’t forget what the Lord has done for us.
Deuteronomy 6:12-15“then beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. You shall fear the LORD your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you for the LORD your God is a jealous God among you, lest the anger of the LORD your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth”.
Here is the importance of remembering. If we don’t remember then we can be lead astray by Satan to go after other gods. We will be open to allowing wrong teaching to be received simply because we have forgotten the true living God. Beloved this is exactly what has happen through out Israel History. The Bible says that the people forgot the Lord and they went after other gods.
Deut 32:18. You forgot the God who gave you birth.
Ezek 23:35. So the Lord and King say, "You have forgotten me. You have pushed me behind your back.
Jer. 2:32. My people have forgotten me more days than anyone can count.
The lord knew this was going to happen, that is why there was to be a memorial made of stones. Do you remember that when Jesus was entering Jerusalem that the priest told Jesus to quiet the People, and do you remember Jesus answer. He said that if the people were to be silent that the stones themselves would cry out.
In this fourth chapter the lord telling you and me that he wants us to remember those entire situations where we can see his mercy directed towards us. The Lord not only wants us to remember but he wants you and me to share those testimonies with each other and with our family.
Testimonies are a reminder of our own personal experience with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Testimonies are memories of experiences, when the Lord answered our prayers and we saw God’s marvellous hand of provision.
Testimonies allow non Christian to have a picture of God’s Grace working in his Children lives.
Testimonies give us encouragement to face the difficulties of a deeper walk. When we trust God’s promise, it gives God greater opportunity to demonstrate His power, care, concern and activity.
Recognizing that we are to move forward in our faith
Testimonies make us aware of the work of the Holy Spirit in people lives.
Testimonies help us to never forget the Lord.
Testimonies tell of the existence and nature of the one true God.
The Lord led Joshua to make a memorial; to erect a testimony of stones that told everyone just what the Lord had done. I believe that this memorial of stones was also a statement to everyone within the nation that they were ready and willing to follow the game plan of the Lord. I can see that this testimony of stone would become an encouragement to the people because there were rivers in front of the people that they would have to cross. Your testimony today is very important simply because there are people within the church and outside the church who still need the Lord. There are people who need to hear what Jesus is doing in and through the lives of his Children. If God’s People don’t give their testimony then they are going to miss an opportunity to let everyone know what Jesus is doing. The church is missing out on the opportunity to give praise to Jesus for what he has accomplished.
I have taken a story about Tony Compolo and reworded it so that it would fit in this message. I stayed true to the original concept of the story.
Tony Campolo was a special speaker one week-end and he felt led by the Holy Spirit to tell a story of what happen when he was asked to speak at a Pentecostal college. Before the service began eight men had him kneel so they could lay their hands on him and pray. Tony said he was always glad to have prayer but one of the men didn’t even pray for him. The man prayed for a neighbour. The man prayer went like this, "Dear Lord, you know Charlie Stoltzfus. He lives in that silver trailer down the road a mile. You know the trailer, Lord, just down the road on the right-hand side." Right about then Tony said that he wanted to interrupt and tell the man that God already knew where they guy lived and didn’t need directions. Tony said that as the man prayed he remained silent & just tried to keep his head upright. The man continue to pray "Lord, Charlie told me this morning he’s going to leave his wife and three kids. Lord we need you to step in and do something. God you can bring that family back together. The prayer time ended & Tony preached. After the service as Tony was headed home he saw a hitchhiker and felt the Holy Spirit say that he should pick up the hitchhiker. I stop, he got in and we drove a few minutes in silence; then I said: ’Hi, my name’s Tony Campolo. What’s yours?’ He said, ’My name is Charlie Stoltzfus.’ Tony said at the next exit I got off the turn pike and headed back. Charlie just looked at me and then he said ’Hey mister, where are you taking me?’ Tony replied ’I’m taking you home.’ Charles gave Tony a funny look & asked, ’Why?’ Tony replied ’Because you just left your wife & 3 kids, right?’ Charles was shocked; he had never seen me before. He plastered himself against the passenger side car door & never took his eyes off me. Tony said that Charles almost passed out when I drove right to his silver trailer and pulled into his driveway. With eyes almost bulging out of his head he asked, ’How did you know that I lived here?’ Tony replied God told me. When he opened the trailer door his wife said, ’You’re back. you’re back’ Charles went to his wife and began to whispered in her ear as he kept looking at Tony. The more he told his wife the bigger her eyes got. Finally Tony told them to sit down. I’m going to talk & you two are going to listen. That afternoon Tony said I led those two people to Jesus Christ." Now I want you to think about what if Tony had said no when asked to preach at a Pentecostal College, what if Tony had said no when the men wanted to have a prayer time, what if someone had told the man who prayed for Charles was told to stop, the results would be completely different. The Lord had the whole thing set up earlier in the day so that Tony would be able to harvest those two souls. Can you imagine being in that church that evening and listening to this testimony. I know that if I was there I would be giving praise to my Lord Jesus for how he not only set this up but how a servant of the Lord was willing to be used for the Gospel. Even just listening to this story bring encouragement and amazement that we have a God who actually care.
When someone gives their testimony it allows Christians to give praise to the Lord for what he is doing. Joshua understood what the Lord was up to. He knew that even with the memorial in place the people would likely forget.
We know from what the Bible tells us that after this generation pass away the people forgot about the Lord and all that He did for them. If we don’t talk about what the Lord is doing it won’t be long until we will be just like the Israelites who forgot all that the Lord had done. That is why I say that Christianity is never more than one generation away from extinction. If our generation stops giving testimony then it won’t be long until we become like the nation of Israel did in the Old Testament.
The Apostle Paul put it this way in Romans 12:1-2 that we are not to let the environment of the society that surrounded us to dictate our values or to cause us to change our standard or our belief in the one true living Lord. The one thing that would make Satan very happy is if we allow this world that we live in to so affect us that we conform to the world instead of conforming to the Word of God.
In closing I want to say two things.
I have found that getting God’s Children to give testimony is almost impossible to accomplished. I don’t know why.
Years ago in what we called holiness churches you would always hear at least 2-3 people who gave their testimony.
Then for some reason people could only testify in the evening service. Then that changed to that testimony time would be announced ahead of time. Then that changed as people didn’t want to go to church in the evening. So in most holiness Churches today you just don’t hear a person testimony.
I want to say it very clearly so you will understand that if you want to give your testimony all you have to do is stand up.
The second thing I want to say is that when a Born again Believer gives a testimony that testimony is about what Jesus Christ has accomplished, or is accomplishing in their Lives. A testimony is almost is the present tense looking forward to the future.
