Have you ever lost your car in a crowded parking lot, forgetting where you parked it? It’s frustrating, but not near as frustrating as it was for a man in Frankfurt, Germany, who just last year (2017) found his car after forgetting where he parked it 20 years before that. The man, now 76-years-old, reported the car missing in 1997 to police when he couldn't find it after leaving it in a parking lot outside an industrial building. After hearing nothing, the man assumed the car was lost permanently. But a construction crew preparing to demolish the building and lot last year reported the abandoned vehicle to police. After checking through old records, police located the two-decade-old report. When the man and his daughter went to recover the car, it wouldn't start. (WORLD magazine, “Quick Takes” 12-30-17; www.PreachingToday.com)
Now, forgetting where you parked your car is bad enough, but there are much worse things people can forget that will stop them dead in their tracks. If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Joshua 4, Joshua 4, where we learn the one thing we must remember never to forget as we pursue God’s calling on our lives.
Joshua 4:1-3 When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” (ESV)
Because God performed a miracle, the children of Israel are crossing the Jordan River into the Promised Land on dry ground. Now, God wants them to take 12 boulders from that dry riverbed and set them up in the place where they will spend their first night in their new home-land.
Joshua 4:4-7 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.” (ESV)
God wanted His people never to forget what He had done for them that day. They had been slaves and nomads – 400 years in Egypt and 40 years in the desert. Now, they are going to be warriors and soldiers. Now, they have to get ready to face the hardships of battle as they get ready to conquer the Promised Land.
And if they’re going to move forward in victory, they have to be able to look back and remember the miracle God did for them that day. And if you want to move forward in your life, then you must do the same. Look back and…
REMEMBER GOD’S MIRACLE.
Recall the wonderful thing God did when you crossed from the old life to new life in Christ. Celebrate the supernatural power of the cross in your own life.
You see, instead of a memorial of stones, Jesus gave us the memorial of communion to remember what He did for us on the cross. On the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for all our sins, and He overcame the power that sin had over us.
Now, we’ve entered the Promised Land of a new life in Christ. Oh, there’ll be battles and struggles ahead in that land; but when we remember the miracle of the cross, we’ll be able to overcome any enemy that tries to stop us from what God has called us to do.
Two years ago (2016), the people of London watched as a giant wooden replica of their city ignited and burned dramatically to the ground. A creative arts company called Artichoke, along with London City officials, had planned the inferno in honor of the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London.
The original fire began on September 2, 1666, in the early morning at a bakery on Pudding Lane. The fire quickly spread to the surrounding structures, then to the rest of the city, and lasted four entire days.
Two years ago, London celebrated the event with a four-day festival they called “London’s Burning.” There were four days of art exhibits, a 6-hour underwater performance, and other activities, culminating with the spectacular burn of a 131-yard-long sculpture of 17th century London on the Thames River.
Why celebrate such a catastrophic event? Well, as gruesome as the Great Fire of London may have been, historians view it as a real turning point, leading to a time of regrowth and resurgence for the city. (“Wooden sculpture of London goes up in flames to mark Great Fire anniversary,” Yahoo! News, September 5, 2016; www.PreachingToday.com)
In the same way, believers celebrate the cross. When we take communion, we commemorate the brutal murder of Jesus. On the one hand, it seemed to be a great catastrophe, the ultimate act of evil and injustice, but it was the turning point of history. On the cross, Jesus won the victory over sin and evil, which was demonstrated in His resurrection. And now, all those who put their trust in Him enter into a new life with Him, which will last for all eternity.
Oh, my dear friend, if you have not yet trusted Jesus as your Savior from sin, please do it today! Call on the Lord right now and ask Him to save you from your sin. Then you too will enter the Promised Land of a new life with Christ.
For those of you who have already trusted Christ, never forget what He did for you on the cross. It will strengthen you to face the battles ahead and fulfill God’s calling on your life. If you want to move forward in life to be all that God has called you to be, look back often and remember God’s miracle, the miracle of the cross. Then…
RELY ON GOD’S HELP.
Trust God to promote you in His way and in His time. Depend on the Lord to exalt you at the proper time. That’s what Joshua did.
Joshua 4:8-10 And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the LORD told Joshua. And they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down there. And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day. For the priests bearing the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to tell the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people passed over in haste. (ESV)
The people obey Joshua just as Joshua obeys the Lord.
Joshua 4:11-14 And when all the people had finished passing over, the ark of the LORD and the priests passed over before the people. The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh passed over armed before the people of Israel, as Moses had told them. About 40,000 ready for war passed over before the LORD for battle, to the plains of Jericho. On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life. (ESV)
For 40 years, Joshua faithfully served Moses. For 40 years, Joshua remained in the background. Now, God exalts Joshua in the eyes of the people, because Joshua continues to faithfully obey the Lord.
Joshua doesn’t promote himself. He just does what God tells him to do, and he lets God promote him at the proper time. That’s what God had promised Joshua back in chapter 3, verse 7. “Today,” God said, “I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you” (Joshua 3:7). All Joshua had to do was continue faithfully serving the Lord and trust God to keep His promise.
And that’s what you must do if you want to move forward in life. Focus on being faithful, and trust God to make you famous. Focus on your character, and trust God to enhance your reputation. Focus on your integrity, and trust God to increase your influence.
James 4 says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and HE will exalt you” (James 4:10). And Jesus Himself said that those who are “faithful over a little,” He will “set [them] over much” (Matthews 25:21, 23). To paraphrase Major Ian Thomas, When you blow your own horn, it only disturbs the neighbors. But when you let God blow His horn on your behalf, it raises the dead!
In the 19th Century, when British missionaries first went to China, they ministered from their western style chapels in their western suits. The British diplomats had assured them that their western dress offered protection and prestige, along with the power of the British flag. However, those missionaries were largely ineffective.
Then Hudson Taylor and his China Inland Mission workers arrived, and they decided to dress like the Chinese themselves. The other missionaries laughed at them for “going native” and “aping Chinese dress and manners.” Some of the British expatriates were outraged that Hudson Taylor and his workers had “put on the clothes of the enemy.”
Even so, Hudson Taylor insisted on “full Chinese dress” for himself and his workers. He said of previous efforts to reach the Chinese, “The foreign dress and carriage of missionaries… the foreign appearance of chapels, and indeed the foreign air imparted to everything connected with their work has seriously hindered the rapid dissemination of the truth among the Chinese.”
However, in a hierarchical society like China, putting on Chinese clothes was no simple matter, because every button, every feather, every ripple of silk, signified one's status. The China Inland missionaries did not want to be confused with Buddhist priests in saffron robes, nor with upper-class Confucian scholars. So they chose to dress like poor school teachers, a humble costume that reflected their goal of converting China from the bottom up. Such dress, they claimed, offered a sort of spiritual passport into the hearts and minds of the people.
Indeed, it did! For example, in 1875, two men and a Chinese evangelist in humble Chinese dress walked safely across China just a few months after a British official (Margary) – dressed in uniform whites, with a guard of soldiers – had been murdered. (Alvyn Austin, “Hudson Taylor and Missions to China,” Christian History, no. 52; www.PreachingToday.com)
By the end of the 19th Century, there were thousands of China Inland Missionaries in China. And today (2010), according to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life there are more than 67 million Christians in China. That’s because of the influence of one man not concerned with his status, but humbly serving the Lord and the people of China.
Do you want to fulfill God’s calling on your life? Then do the same. Don’t focus on elevating your status. Just faithfully serve the Lord, and let Him exalt you at the proper time.
If you want to move forward in life, 1st, remember God’s miracle – the miracle of the cross; 2nd, rely on God’s help; and 3rd…
RESPECT GOD’S MIGHT.
Revere the power of God. Stand in awe of His ability to overcome any obstacle for you. That’s what God wants Israel to do as they begin their conquest of the Promised Land.
Joshua 4:15-18 And the LORD said to Joshua, “Command the priests bearing the ark of the testimony to come up out of the Jordan.” So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.” And when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, as before. (ESV)
There’s no turning back now! God closed off their way of retreat; and with the raging waters closing in behind them, the only way they can go is forward.
It reminds of what Hernan Cortez did when he landed at Vera Cruz in 1519 with a small force of 700 men to conquer Mexico. He purposefully set fire to his fleet of 11 ships while his men on shore watched their only means of retreat sink to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. With no way to go back, they could only go forward into the Mexican interior against any force that might try to oppose them. (Walter Henrickson, Disciples are Made – Not Born)
That’s what happens when you decide to follow Jesus. He closes off any means of retreat, so you cannot go back to the old way of life. You may look back to see what God has done, but you cannot go back to the way things were. That’s what God does for the His people as they cross the Jordan River.
Joshua 4:19-24 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever.” (ESV)
God wants Israel to revere His might, and that’s what God wants you to do, as well. He wants you to fear Him and stand in awe of His might.
In 1996 two military strategists, Harlan Uliman and James Wade, started advocating a more focused approach to war. Uliman and Wade argued for engaging the enemy with an overwhelming show of force that would destroy “the adversary's will to resist before, during, and after battle.” They titled their book Shock and Awe.
Shock and Awe, also known as Rapid Dominance, is defined as “a military doctrine based on the use of overwhelming power, dominant battlefield awareness, dominant maneuvers, and spectacular displays of force to paralyze the enemy's perception of the battlefield and destroy its will to fight.” The goal is to render your opponent powerless by using “superior technology, precision engagement, and information dominance.”
Shortly before the first Iraq War, Uliman described what would happen with this Shock and Awe approach. He said imagine you’re a general sitting in Baghdad and suddenly 30 of your division headquarters are wiped out. The city loses its power; and in 2-5 days, you and what’s left of your army is physically, emotionally, and psychologically exhausted. (Brian Blount, Invasion Of The Dead, Westminster John Knox Press, 2014, pages 90-91; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s shock and awe, and that’s what God wants His people to feel when they think about His power. It’s not that He would use that power AGAINST them. No! Rather, God’s overwhelming power is available FOR them as they go forward to conquer the forces of evil in their own lives. Please, don’t underestimate the power of God in your own life.
In 1939, George Dantzig enrolled as a graduate student, studying statistics under Polish-born professor Jerzy Neyman. At the beginning of one class session, Dr. Neyman chalked two examples of famous unsolvable problems on the blackboard. George happened to arrive late to class that day, and mistakenly thought the unsolvable problems were their homework assignment, so he copied them in his notebook and went to work.
After working on the problems for six weeks, George finally solved them and turned his work in. Dr. Neyrnan was so ecstatic that he knocked on George's door to share the news. At first, George apologized, thinking the assignment was overdue. That's when Dr. Neyman told George that he had solved two of statistics' unsolvable problems. George said, “The problems seemed to be a little harder than usual.”
Later, George Dantzig earned a doctorate, worked as a mathematical adviser to the Defense Department, and joined the faculty at Stanford University. He received numerous awards during his distinguished career, including the National Medal of Science in 1975. Dr. Dantzig developed tools that have shaped the way airlines schedule their fleets, shipping companies deploy their trucks, oil companies run their refineries, and businesses manage their revenue projections. He accomplished a lot, but it all started with those two problems scribbled on the chalkboard while he was a statistics student. In his own words, “If someone had told me they were two famous unsolved problems, I probably wouldn't have even tried to solve them.” (Mark Batterson, The Grave Robber, Baker Books, 2014, pp 103-104; www.PreachingToday. com)
How often do we do that when we think about the problems before us? Please, don’t limit God's power because you’ve already decided what God cannot do? God’s power is limitless, and there is nothing He cannot do for you! In fact, all things are possible with God! (Mark 10:27)
My dear friends, if you’re going to be all that God has called you to be, 1st Remember God’s Miracle – Don’t forget the miracle of the cross; 2nd, Rely on God’s Help – Trust Him to exalt you in His time; And 3rd, Revere God’s power – Don’t limit what He can do for you and through you as you depend on Him.
Eugene Clark, blind and bed-ridden with a crippling arthritis, wrote these words in 1964:
Nothing is impossible when you put your trust in God;
Nothing is impossible when you're trusting in His Word.
Hearken to the voice of God to thee:
"Is there anything too hard for Me?"
Then put your trust in God alone and rest upon His Word –
For everything, O everything, Yes, everything is possible with God!
This was only one of the hundreds of songs and hymns Eugene Clark wrote in his lifetime. He didn’t let his problems stop Him from fulfilling God’s calling on His life. Please, don’t you let your problems stop you either.
