MERE STONES/Reminders-XI—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, 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. NORMALCY/The Mundane(:15-18)
12. CONFIDENCE(:19)
13—Mere Stones/Reminders can transport us To a Position of...
READINESS(:21-22)
Explanation:(:21-22)Discipler/Testifier
:21—“Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’”
:22—“then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land’;”
Joshua reminded Israel of the significance of the stones for their own children’s sake(cf.--:6-7).
*Children need direction from their fathers! Fathers are not merely ‘sperm donors!’ You are a necessary part of God’s plan for the well-being of mankind, thru the family.
God’s plan is that fathers might have a direct, positive, bodily, face-to-face influence on the choices of their children!
The stones were a memorial/reminder for future generations. They were to recall/memorialize & immortalize—for their very children—how the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry land.”
They were to recount for their children, how that crossing was accomplished by the awesome & powerful hand of God.
They were to recount for their children, that God’s power was experienced simply because He was allowed to work thru the faithful competence of family relationships, as well as thru congregational leadership & cooperation.
Argumentation:
2Tim. 4:2—“Preach the word! Be ready in season & out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering & teaching.”
Lk. 12:11-12—“Now when they bring you to the synagogues & magistrates & authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
Lk. 21:12-15—“But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you & persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues & prisons. You will be brought before kings & rulers for My name’s sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth & wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.”
Mat. 21:18-19—“Now in the morning, as He[Jesus] returned to the city, He was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it & found nothing on it but leaves, & said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away.”
The fig tree’s lack of fruit is a picture for us, of the personal insecurity of personal unpreparedness.
Jn. 4:7-10, 11-26, 28-30, 39-42—“A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered & said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, & who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, & He would have given you living water.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, & the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? “Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, & drank from it himself, as well as his sons & his livestock?” Jesus answered & said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, & come here.” The woman answered & said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, & the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, & you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, & now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit & truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, & those who worship Him must worship in spirit & truth.” The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming”(who is called Christ). When He comes, He will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”.....“The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, & said to the men, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went out of the city & came to Him.”.....“And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; & He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word. Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him & we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
Mat. 16:1-4—“Then the Pharisees & Sadducees came, & testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered & said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; “& in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red & threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. A wicked & adulterous generation seeks after a sign, & no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them & departed.”
Acts 17:10-12—“Then the brethren immediately sent Paul & Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, & searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, & also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.”
1Pet. 5:1-3—“The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder & a witness of the sufferings of Christ, & also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;”
There was a time when I was as you sitting in the congregation of the saved. I was no pastor, nor did I have designs on it. I was unknowingly being prepared for the task THRU my READINESS to do what God wanted me to do! Are you being readied for God’s service?
Illustration:
Thomas(a church member) went to Peru some time in 2017/He did not go for pleasure, fun, or even financial profit/He was on maneuvers as part of the Marine Reserves/Good Soldiers never go into battle unprepared!/Continual Training is a proof of READINESS
Boot camp offers an initial proof of READINESS
Application:
?Do God’s ‘Reminders’ transport you to a position of Christian READINESS?
?Where do God’s reminders transport you?
Reminders can make all the difference in a person’s life...
14—Mere Stones/Reminders can transport us To a Position of...
REVERENCE(:23-24)
Explanation:(:23-24)
:23—“For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the LORD your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed;
This crossing was to hold the same significance as that of the Red Sea crossing 40 years prior.
It was of significance to this current generation of Israel, that YHWH was still the God of Israel...
And this generation of Israel had been obedient to Israel...
...Even though there no doubt, were some among them who would eventually turn away from God—as had an entire generation before.
Those had complained & quarreled & were bitter about God’s design/way in the wilderness(Num. 11, 14, 16, 17, 21, 25). People who refused to be humbled before God. People such as Korah, Dathan, Abiram, & On along with 250 leaders among Israel who persisted in their challenge of Moses’ & Aaron’s authority(Num. 16).
Deut. 8:2, 3, 15-1—“And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you & test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, & fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.”.....“who led you through that great & terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents & scorpions & thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you & that He might test you, to do you good in the end--“
Heb. 3:8-15—“Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness, Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’” 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.””
:24—“...that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, so that you may fear the LORD your God forever."”
“that all the peoples of the earth may know”
This crossing, like the Red Sea crossing, was a testimony for others—those outside of the commonwealth of Israel—the heathen/lost people.
We must tell others the Good News of our God by Christ!
Acts 1:6-8—“Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; & you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, & in all Judea & Samaria, & to the end of the earth.””
Eph. 2:11-16—“Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh--who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands-- that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel & strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope & without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, & has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, & that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.”
2Cor. 5:7-10—“For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body & to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
2Cor. 5:17-21—“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, & has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, & has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Lk. 14:23—“Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways & hedges, & compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.”
Prov. 13:17—“A wicked messenger falls into trouble, But a faithful ambassador brings health.”
“that the hand of the LORD is mighty,”
God wants all people to know that His hand is “mighty”.
The song, ‘Mighty to Save’
Isa. 59:1-2—“Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.”
Rom. 14:4—“Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.”
2Tim. 1:12-13—“For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed & am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith & love which are in Christ Jesus.”
2Pet. 2:9—“then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations & to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,”
Col. 3:3, 4—“For you died, & your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
Jude 1:20-21, 24-25—“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”.....“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory & majesty, Dominion & power, Both now & forever. Amen.”
Eph. 3:14-21—“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven & earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted & grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width & length & depth & height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever & ever. Amen.”
“Mighty”—qzx khaw-zawk’—Adj.—1) Strong, stout, mighty—1a) Strong—1a1) Severe, sharp, hot, 1a2) Firm, hard, 1b) A strong one(substantive). Strong—Strong(usually in a bad sense, hard, bold, violent).
“so that you may fear the LORD your God forever."””
God wants His called people to know that they should fear Him all their days & for all generations beyond them.
Rom. 3:10-18—“As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing & bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction & misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.””
Acts 10:34-35—“Then Peter opened his mouth & said[to Cornelius]: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him & works righteousness is accepted by Him.”
(Revelation 15:4—[of those who gain victory over the beast(antichrist), the mark, & the number of his name]“Who shall not fear You, O Lord, & glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come & worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.”
“Fear”—ary yaw-ray’—Verb—1) To fear, revere, be afraid—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To fear, be afraid, 1a2) To stand in awe of, be awed, 1a3) To fear, reverence, honour, respect, 1b) (Niphal)—1b1) To be fearful, be dreadful, be feared, 1b2) To cause astonishment & awe, be held in awe, 1b3) To inspire reverence or godly fear or awe, 1c) (Piel) To make afraid, terrify; 2) (TWOT) To shoot, pour. Strong—a primitive root; To fear; morally--To revere; causatively--To frighten.
“Forever”—Mymy:h-lk—=‘All Days’—lk kol OR lwk kowl—Noun Masc.—1) All, the whole. Strong—properly--The whole; hence--All, any or every(in the singular only, but often in a plural sense).—&—Mwy yowm—Noun Masc.—1) Day, time, year. Strong—from an unused root meaning to be hot; A day(as the warm hours), whether literal(from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative--A space of time defined by an associated term, [often used adverb].
Argumentation:
Mk. 12:30—“‘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.”
Ex. 9:13-17—“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning & stand before Pharaoh, & say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me, for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, & on your servants & on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. “Now if I had stretched out My hand & struck you & your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth. But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, & that My name may be declared in all the earth. “As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go.”
Ex. 14:31—“Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, & believed the LORD & His servant Moses.”
Jer. 32:40—“‘And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.”
Acts 10:1-8—“There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man & one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, & prayed to God always. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in & saying to him, “Cornelius!” And when he observed him, he was afraid, & said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers & your alms have come up for a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa, & send for Simon whose surname is Peter. He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.” And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants & a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually. So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.”
Dan. 3:8-29—“Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward & accused the Jews. They spoke & said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! “You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, & psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, shall fall down & worship the gold image; “& whoever does not fall down & worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, & Abed-Nego; these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up.” Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage & fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, & Abed-Nego. So they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, & Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up? Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, & psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, & you fall down & worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?” Shadrach, Meshach, & Abed-Nego answered & said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, & He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, & the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, & Abed-Nego. He spoke & commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, & Abed-Nego, & cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, & their other garments, & were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, & the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, & Abed-Nego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, & Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; & he rose in haste & spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered & said to the king, “True, O king.” “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; & they are not hurt, & the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace & spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, & Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, & come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, & Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire. And the satraps, administrators, governors, & the king’s counselors gathered together, & they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, & the smell of fire was not on them. Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, & Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel & delivered His servants who trusted in Him, & they have frustrated the king’s word, & yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, & Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, & their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.”
*Matthew 10:28—“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul & body in hell.”
Illustration:
When we lived in Cordele, GA we had a Golden Retriever mix named ‘Alex’/Alex was an outdoor dog & He would inevitably be laying in carport when we would come home/When a car came off of the road & into the driveway toward the carport, Alex moved/He had a ‘Reverence’ for car & driver/REVERENCE
Likewise there was a lady who lived on SE 12th St. Carrabelle/She had a dog who had ‘friends’ near her/The problem was that she lived one block off of U.S. Hwy 98/The dog’s ‘friends’ were on the north side of the highway but their house was on the south side!/Her dog(a chihuahua mix) would walk up to the highway & look both ways & wait for cars & trucks to pass before venturing across the highway!/REVERENCE
K.P. a resident of Carrabelle, got a call to his summer home in Canada/His trailer had been vandalized/It was a horrible & hateful act/Two 10yr old boys from different parts of the country were staying in a local RV Park at the beach/They rode their bicycles to Mr. KP’s property—took an ax to the front door, broke every window in the house, destroyed a family heirloom dresser, broke the lock off the water system & destroyed the system, opened food from the pantry & slung it all around the house, etc./REVERENCE
Driving w/a radar detector/REVERENCE?
Vs.
Driving with a cruise control/REVERENCE!
Application:
?Do God’s ‘Reminders’ transport you to a position of Christian REVERENCE?
?Where do God’s reminders transport you?
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...
13. READINESS(:21-22)
14. REVERENCE(:23-24)
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)
11. NORMALCY/The Mundane(:15-18)
12. CONFIDENCE(:19)
Pt. 13-14 Presented 08/06/2017pm 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
