MERE STONES/Reminders-IX—Joshua 4:1-24(:15-24)
Reminder/Recall/Memorial/Symbol/Post-it notes/String on finger
Seemingly insignificant reminders can make all the difference in a Christian‘s life!
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 significance can spiritual reminders offer?
Achievements of spiritual reminders.
Previously we have found that...
Mere Stones/Reminders, little things, can transport us to a Position of...
1. UNIQUE ACCOMPLISHMENT(:3, 5)
2. BLESSING(:3)
3. IMMINENT DANGER(:5)
4. RESPONSIBILITY(:5)
5. INFLUENCE(:6)Envision
6. REFLECTION(:7-9)
7. COMPLETION/End(:10-11)
8. OPPORTUNITY(:10b)
9. COMMITMENT(:12-13)
10. PROMINENCE(:14)
11—Mere Stones/Reminders can transport us To a Position of...
NORMALCY/The Mundane(:15-18)
Explanation:(:15-18) Return/Regular appearance/no enhancement
:15—“Then the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying,”
:16—“Command the priests who bear the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.”
:17—“Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, "Come up from the Jordan.””
:18—“And it came to pass, when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD had come from the midst of the Jordan, & the soles of the priests' feet touched the dry land, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, & overflowed all its banks as before.”
As the priests came out of the riverbed, & even as the soles of their feet were lifted up beyond the River’s normal reach, then the waters returned to their place & the banks continued as usual to flood stage.
cf.—3:15
“Returned...As Before”—No physical sign of anything different.
The river “returned” but the people were changed.
They had witnessed something miraculous.
They had witnessed & were themselves a tangible part of God’s miraculous work.
*Normalcy can be deceptive....
We can become convinced that God is not working(nor has a desire to) & can be lulled into complacency.
Deut. 4:24-26—[Moses warned Israel]“For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. When you beget children & grandchildren & have grown old in the land, & act corruptly & make a carved image in the form of anything, & do evil in the sight of the LORD your God to provoke Him to anger, I call heaven & earth to witness against you this day, that you will soon utterly perish from the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess; you will not prolong your days in it, but will be utterly destroyed.”
2Pet.3:3-4—“Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, & saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.””
The miracles/mountain top experiences must pass—describe what being on the top of a mountain is like—Pilot Mtn. Mountain top experiences are meant to empower us in the trenches/usual/mundane.
God is present & works in the everyday, ‘run-of-the-mill’ things as well! “Returned”—bwv shoowb—Qal Imperfect—1) To return, turn back—1a) (Qal)--1a1) To turn back, return—1a1a) To turn back, 1a1b) To return, come or go back, 1a1c) To return unto, go back, come back, 1a1d) Of dying, 1a1e) Of human relations(fig), 1a1f) Of spiritual relations(fig)—1a1f1) To turn back(from God), apostatize, 1a1f2) To turn away(of God), 1a1f3) To turn back(to God), repent, 1a1f4) Turn back(from evil), 1a1g) Of inanimate things, 1a1h) In repetition;. Strong—a primitive root; To turn back(hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively(not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally--To retreat; often adverbial--Again.
“Overflowed/Flowed Over”—Lit.=‘Walked upon/over’—Klh haw-lak'—Qal Imperfect—1) To go, walk, come—1a) (Qal)--1a1) To go, walk, come, depart, proceed, move, go away, 1a2) To die, live, manner of life(fig.). —&—le ‘al—Preposition—1) Upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against—1c) Above, over(of elevation or pre-eminence), 1g) Down upon, upon, on, from, up upon, up to,, towards, over towards, to, against (with verbs of motion). Above, over, upon, or against(yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications.
The same as le ‘al; properly--The top; specifically--The highest(i.e. God); also adverb--Aloft, to Jehovah.
“As before”—Mwvlv shil-showm' OR Mvlv shil-shom’—Adverb—1) Day before yesterday, three days ago—1a) An idiom for ‘heretofore in times past.’ Strong—from the same as vlv sheh’-lesh[triplet; from vlv shaw-lash’—perhaps originally to intensify, i.e. treble]; Trebly, i.e. in time--Day before yesterday. Used 25X.
Argumentation:
Deut. 31:8—(Moses to Joshua)—“And the LORD, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.””
1Kgs 19:11-13—(to Elijah)—“Then He said, “Go out, & stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, & a great & strong wind tore into the mountains & broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; & after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; & after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; & after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle & went out & stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, & said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?””
Zech. 4:6—(the angel to Zechariah)—“So he answered & said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.”
Mat. 6:6-15—“But you, when you pray, go into your room, & when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; & your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom & the power & the glory forever. Amen. For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Lk. 19:12-27—Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom & to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, & said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’” “But his citizens[the Jews unaccepting of Messiah Jesus] hated him, & sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’ “And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’ “And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’ “And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’ “Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’ “Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, & reap what you did not sow.’ “And he said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit & reaping what I did not sow. Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ “And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, & give it to him who has ten minas.’ (“But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas.’) ‘For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; & from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, & slay them before me.’”
?What is your Normalcy?
1Cor. 15:26-32—“The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all. Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead? And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour? I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, “Let us eat & drink, for tomorrow we die!”
Hebrews 3:12-19—“Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”
Prov. 1:32-33—“For the turning away of the simple will slay them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them; But whoever listens to me[wisdom] will dwell safely, And will be secure, without fear of evil.”
Zephaniah 1:12—“And it shall come to pass at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps, And punish the men Who are settled in complacency, Who say in their heart, ‘The LORD will not do good, Nor will He do evil.’
Js. 2:14-18—“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked & destitute of daily food, & one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed & filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, & I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, & I will show you my faith by my works.”
Illustration:
We all crave normalcy...Yet we grow tired of normalcy:
We may get sick of ‘being in the house’ & have a sense that ‘the four walls are closing in on us.’
Then in order to alleviate the boxed-in feeling, we do something ‘out of the ordinary’—Go visit someone or go for a drive, go shopping, or go on vacation...
Then...When we’ve been ‘on vacation’ for a time(‘out of the ordinary’), we always desire to be ‘back home’!—where things are not topsy-turvy & unorganized
When we lived in Rockwell, NC our oldest son, Matthew was wrestling with his friend Brandon/Eventually an elbow head or foot made a Dent in the drywall...Something significant took place/We patched-up the wall with mesh-tape & joint compound/Its effect was removed/Every time I see the mesh-tape I think of that wall—a reminder/NORMALCY/The Mundane
‘Trouble comes in threes’ is a common adage/We use it for encouragement to remind ourselves that things will eventually return to NORMAL
My reasoning inabilities/I generally ‘panic’ inside when something is expected of me ‘on the mat’/I immediately begin searching for a proper response, & instantly go thru a million different avenues of responding/But a proper response from me generally does not happen until after-the-fact...until after the pressure is off/Only then I can collect my thoughts & respond intelligently/NORMALCY/The Mundane
Application:
?Does God work in the NORMAL/Mundane areas of your life?
?Only see God in the sensational?
Reminders can make all the difference in a person’s life...
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Mere Stones/Reminders, little things, can transport us to a Position of...
11. NORMALCY/The Mundane(:15-18)
1. UNIQUE ACCOMPLISHMENT(:1-3a, 5b)
2. BLESSING(:3b)
3. IMMINENT DANGER(:5)
4. RESPONSIBILITY(:5)
5. INFLUENCE(:6)Envision
6. REFLECTION(:7-9)
7. COMPLETION(:10-11)
8. OPPORTUNITY(:10b)
9. COMMITMENT(:12-13)
10. PROMINENCE(:14)
Pt. 11-only! Presented 04/30/2017pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Pts. 11-14 Presented 02/27/2000pm to:
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Rd.
Whigham, GA 31797
