MERE STONES/Reminders-III—Joshua 4:1-24(:5-9)
Reminder/Recall/Memorial/Symbol/Post-it notes/String on finger
Attention:
No Opener Used 10/30/2016pm
New Corvette(650 hp) & moped(3 hp) side-by-side at light.
Corvette takes off & owner smug about how he left moped in the dust
Moped zooms past the corvette to the next light.
Corvette owner miffed & guns it at the light leaving the moped behind again.
The Moped zooms past the corvette to the next light. Corvette owner rolls down window & asks moped(who is out of breath), ‘How do you get such speed out of that thing?’
‘I don’t know sir but if you’ll let me unhook my suspenders from your mirror I’ll eliminate one possibility!’
Little Things can make all the difference in a person’s life
Need:
Joshua had twelve stones removed from the Jordan River as a memorial to the crossing.
Memorials or Spiritual Reminders hold a great deal of significance to God’s people.
What is significant about spiritual reminders?
The potential of spiritual reminders.
Mere Stones/Reminders can transport us to a Position of...
1. UNIQUE ACCOMPLISHMENT(:3, 5)
2. BLESSING(:3)
3—Mere Stones/Reminders can transport us To a Position of...
IMMINENT DANGER(:4-5a)
Explanation:(:5a)
:4—“Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe;”
cf.—3:12 & 4:2.
:5—“& Joshua said to them, "Cross again to the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan, & each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel.”
“...Cross again to the ark of the LORD your God”
!Imagine the priests present in the stream bed after the last person had left the flood zone, leaving them alone with the ark!
Imagine what it must have been like to return from the side of safety(west) to the leading edge of the heaped-up water? The waters were looming over them. The vast majority of them had no experience with such workings of God!
Only the tribal representatives & the priests were present in a dry riverbed with a wall of floodwaters north & a dry riverbed south. The water held potential to begin flowing south upon them at any moment...At God’s bidding.
In contrast & ironically, we are always in a place of IMMINENT DANGER when we leave the command of the Lord our God.
The world system & self-preservation tell you it’s stupid or senseless to heed(do) the Lord’s command. How ludicrous it is seeing that God is the very One to create both the world & you!
When a Christian is in imminent danger he/she is in reality, NOT in imminent danger at all!
Argumentation:
**Mat. 16:25—“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
**Jn 12:25—“He who loves his life will lose it, & he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”
**Jn. 16:1-3—“These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. “They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.”
**Mat. 24:9—“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation & kill you, & you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.”
**Mat. 10:34—“Do not think that I[Jesus] came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.”
**Lk. 6:22—Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, & cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake.”
**Acts 8:1—“Now Saul was consenting to his[Steven’s] death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; & they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea & Samaria, except the apostles.”
Jer. 1:17-19—“Therefore prepare yourself & arise, And speak to them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed before their faces, Lest I dismay you before them. For behold, I have made you this day A fortified city & an iron pillar, And bronze walls against the whole land-- Against the kings of Judah, Against its princes, Against its priests, And against the people of the land. They will fight against you, But they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you,” says the LORD, “to deliver you.””
Ezek. 2:4-7—“For they are impudent & stubborn children. I am sending you to them, & you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ “As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse--for they are a rebellious house--yet they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers & thorns are with you & you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house. You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious.”
**Php. 4:6-7—“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer & supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; & the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts & minds through Christ Jesus.”
**Heb. 13:5-6(Ps. 56:3-4)—“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
**Php. 1:19-26—“For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer & the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation & hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, & to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart & be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain & continue with you all for your progress & joy of faith, that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again.”
“Men can do nothing against God, & God can make all that men do against His people to turn to the good.”—Matthew Henry
Illustration:
When I was a kid, I spent a great deal of time at the creek/A culvert was framed with 10-15ft. X 2ft. pink granite slabs/Constantly in the presence of Poison oak, Water Moccasins & Copperheads/BUT Well worth it...Why?...Because I had taught myself to recognize those dangers & could easily avoid them &-or not be fearful of them/The overall promise of the creek took me to a Position of IMMINENT DANGER
Commercial divers-Policemen-Firemen, etc.—They have the tools to accomplish certain necessary, yet dangerous tasks/Their families are provided for as they willingly place themselves in IMMINENT DANGER
Pastorium/We possess no home/A Position of IMMINENT DANGER
Missionaries—Leave commonly held cultural securities/Leave their native tongue/IMMINENT DANGER
Application:
?Do ‘Reminders’ transport you to IMMINENT DANGER in God’s presence?
?Your Christian journey fraught with IMMINENT DANGER?
?Do ‘Reminders’ transport you to realignment with God?
?Serving the Lord by faith can be a frightening experience...because we let go of ‘natural’ instincts to flee.
Upon your profession of faith in Christ you are placed in a position of IMMINENT DANGER...
....A Mere Symbol/Reminder can keep us there!
Reminders can make all the difference in a person’s life!
4—Mere Stones/Reminders can transport us To a Position of...
RESPONSIBILITY(:5b)
Explanation:(:5b)
:5b—“...& Joshua said to them, "Cross again to the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan, & each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel.”
The stones were obviously large stones for it required that they carry them on their shoulders.
Effort & Labor is expended!
Thus personal Sacrifice is offered. Personal expense. It must be willingly entered into.
*Most of the people involved with this church, & particularly our official members, give of themselves in some way, shape, or form. They do it because they are compelled by God to serve Him in a specific fashion as per their grace giftedness.
JOSHUA—Chosen/Appointed(by God/Moses)=Responsible
Responsible for execution of the command
MEN—Chosen/Appointed(by People/Joshua)=Responsible
Responsible for physical memorial.
We are responsible for what we know. The greater our knowledge & experience, the greater our responsibility.
Our job is Not someone else’s job!
Christian service is riddled/replete with responsibility!
*Spiritual Reminders can renew your Responsibilities!
Argumentation:
The Christian’s Primary Responsibility:
—To Love God(Mk. 12:29-31)—Everything flows from that relationship!
Mk. 12:29-31—“Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. ‘And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, & with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
—Make disciples(Mat. 28:18-20)
Mat. 28:18-20—“And Jesus came & spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven & on earth. Go therefore & make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; & lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
God’s people are Answerable for their relationship with...
GOD...to Maintain a VIABLE witness before Him!
Heb. 4:13—“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked & open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
BELIEVERS...to Maintain a VIABLE witness before them!
1Jn. 3:14—“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.”
UNBELIEVERS...to Maintain a VIABLE witness before them!
1Pet. 2:11-12—“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners & pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.”
Illustration:
Boy asks clerk for laundry detergent for his dog, Petey/The clerk warns him that the detergent would be bad for Petey/But the Boy insists/He comes back to the store 3 days later with sad look on his face/The Clerk says ‘I tried to warn you son about that detergent, its just not meant for dogs.’/Sir I don’t think it was the detergent that killed Petey, I think it was the rinse cycle!’/A position of RESPONSIBILITY
Prior to an approaching hurricane Sandbags are made available in a designated flood-zone/No one is going to come to your door & offload the sandbags/You are are responsible for protecting your property/Volunteers take on the task of filling sandbags/You can accept the task of filling the sandbags for yourself & others/You can also accept or refuse to receive the bags for yourself/You are in a position of RESPONSIBILITY
Children are a responsibility of parents--which responsibility they joyfully enter/They are not objects thru whom the parents live vicariously/They are to be raised in the nurture & admonition of the Lord God Almighty(Eph. 6:4) & Trained up in the way they should go according to God’s design(Prov. 22:6)/Those verses should be available to remind the parents of their position of RESPONSIBILITY
Application:
?Do God’s ‘Reminders’ transport you to a position of Christian RESPONSIBILITY?
?Where do God’s reminders transport you?
Its Little Things that make all the difference in a person’s life...
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
No Opener Used 10/30/2016pm
Its the Little Things that can make all the difference in a person’s life.
Action:
Mere Stones/Reminders can transport us to a Position of....
4. RESPONSIBILITY(:5)
1. UNIQUE ACCOMPLISHMENT(:1-3a, 5b)
2. BLESSING(:3)
3. IMMINENT DANGER(:4-5)
Presented 10/30/2016pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Presented 01/23/00pm to:
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Rd.
Whigham, GA 31797
