What’s Next
Joshua 4
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBmHanCICQU
Tomorrow is Memorial Day. Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering and giving honor to those who died while serving in our country’s armed forces.
It all began after the Civil War as the graves of soldiers were decorated with flowers along with prayers being recited. But it wasn’t until 1967 that the day was officially known as Memorial Day, and in 1968 the traditional day of May 30th changed to the last Monday in May.
Further, it is during this time that we see the American Legion selling silk poppies outside many of our stores. In 1920 the American Legion adopted the silk poppy as their official symbol of remembrance. This was inspired by the poem, “Flanders Fields,” and its opening lines referring to the fields of poppies that grew among the soldier’s graves outside Flanders, Belgium, where rests 368 American soldiers who died liberating Belgium in World War I.
Also, on Memorial Day the American flag is lowered to half-mast in this special ceremony to remember the over one million men and women who gave their lives for the freedoms we enjoy.
And so, Memorial Day isn’t the official start of summer, nor is it about a weekend where we get three days off. It is about remembering those who died for our freedom and the victories they won.
Today, what I’d like to take a look at is that now that the victory is won, where do we go from here, that is, “What’s Next?”
And what I am referring to is not the freedoms that have been won for our nation through the selfless sacrifice of those men and women who fought so that we can be free, but rather what’s next and where do we go from here now that the victory for our eternal lives has been won at the cross of Calvary, that is when Jesus bought our freedom with His life, which is a freedom that can never be taken away, which is the freedom over sin and death.
Why is this important? Well, it’s because we get so caught up with the preparations and the training in getting ready to cross over our Jordan’s, that is, those barriers that block our moving into God’s purposes, plans, and promises that everything afterwards these seem anti-Climatic. In other words, we tend to lose our focus. So, how are we to maintain our intensity and our purpose and continue moving forward once our goal has been achieved?
Let me just say that the ugly and unfortunate truth is that far too many defeats occur immediately following great victories, mostly because we don’t know what to do next.
Take Elijah as an example. After two of the greatest moves of God and victories achieved when Elijah prayed and fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice he offered, and then how he prayed, and rain came down after three long years of famine and drought. But at the first threat made by Queen Jezebel, Elijah goes high tailing it into the wilderness with one wish that he would just die.
So, to gain the victory and then continue moving forward in God’s will and ways so that we can build upon these victories, what are we to do, or what’s next.
Now, to answer this question, I’d like for us to turn to the book of Joshua the fourth chapter and look at what the Jews did once they gained the victory by crossing the Jordan River on dry ground and finally entering into the Promised Land, a land that took them over 40 years of wilderness wandering to possess. How did they enter, what did they do, and how were they to maintain the momentum and move forward in this great victory that God provided for them?
There are actually two things that we see in chapter 4 that I would like to share with you this morning as to the next steps.
Set Up A Memorial
It all starts with setting up a memorial to remember. We see this in Joshua 4:1-7
“And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan, that the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying: ‘Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, and command them, saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.’ Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe; and Joshua said to them: ‘Cross over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.” (Joshua 4:1-7 NKJV)
A memorial is an object or an act that reminds people of something that happened in the past or of a particular person. We see such memorials around the world, including here in America.
In Washington D.C there are many such memorials.
• ïThe Washington Memorial honoring our first president and it reminds us of the struggles that our country went through to gain its independence.
• ïThe Lincoln Memorial honoring Abraham Lincoln and reminding us of the terrible slave trade that existed and the resulting civil war that followed.
There are also several memorials built to remind us of the wars that have been fought for our freedom.
• ïThe Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery is a memorial for all those who died from the War of 1812, whose remains were never identified, along with those of the Civil War and the Spanish-American War.
• ïThere are also memorials for WWI and WWII, the Korean War, and probably the best known is the Vietnam Memorial, or what is known as Memorial Wall.
All of these commemorate what has happened as a part of America’s history, its victories, and its tragedies. In the Bible, however, memorials were built for another reason or purpose. They were built to remind the people of God’s mighty acts on behalf of His people.
Now, I don’t believe that God is calling us to heap up a pile of stones, or build structures, or carve out statures, but there should be something that reminds us not to forget what God has done in our lives.
Now, from Joshua 4, there are several things that this memorial says we are to remember.
What God Has Done
“That this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.” (Joshua 4:6-7 NKJV)
This memorial that the people were to set up was to commemorate and remind the people about how God caused the waters of the Jordan River to stop flowing thus allowing them to cross over in the middle of the flood season.
Now, I’m not suggesting that to remember what God has done in our lives that a memorial be set up in some physical fashion, but rather in our hearts. And this is seen in what the Psalmist says in 77:11.
“I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old.” (Psalm 77:11 NKJV)
Here the Psalmist was consoled and strengthened as he remembered all of God’s redemptive works that he describes as God’s “wonders of old.”
In my over 40 years of being a believer, I’ve seen and experienced dead off miracles where God has changed the laws of nature, as well as miracles of healings, plus so much more. But I’ve also seen and experienced setbacks, defeats and heartaches as well, which have strengthened my faith and walk with God knowing His love and faithfulness through it all.
The point is that we need to remember what God has done, because if we forget, there will be a price to pay. Listen to what the Psalmist had to say.
“They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert. And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.” (Psalm 106:13-15 NKJV)
First it says that they soon forgot His works. How quickly we forget, and our patience wears out, and second, instead of remembering the mighty works of God, they remembered the food and the fulness of their bellies, and so God gave them what they requested, but there was a catch, “leanness of soul.”
Now, if you are wondering what this looks like, I picture it as a starving person who is basically all skin and bones. This is what our soul looks like when our fleshly wants overtake our faith in God.
If we don’t want a leanness of soul, then we need to remember what God has done.
God’s Covenant
The second thing that we’re told to remember is God’s covenant or should I say, God’s promises.
“Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.” (Joshua 4:19 NKJV)
Now, the 10th day of the first month is extremely significant. It was on this day 40 years earlier that God told the Jews to prepare for His final plague against Egypt. And then 4 days later, the day we commemorate as Passover, was when God delivered His people from their Egyptian bondage
(Tell the Story of how God moved Hallelujah Christian Fellowship, from its old location to its new location – the exactness of the prophecy God gave)
The day God told them to prepare to leave Egypt, is the day, 40 years later, that they entered into the Promised Land, and the whole purpose was so God could fulfill His covenant.
Now, while we remember the covenant God made with the Jews and their release from their Egyptian bondage, the covenant God desires for us to remember is His New Covenant as found in Jeremiah 31.
“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah – not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke … But this is the covenant that I will make … I will forgive their iniquity and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34 NKJV)
Now, this New Covenant is a much better one according to the writer of Hebrews. Why? Because it was made on a better promise, and that is that the Lord God Himself will institute and fulfill it. Therefore, all we need to do is to enter into it through its Mediator, Jesus Christ, which is to accept what He did for us upon the cross, dying for our sins, and then asking Him into our hearts.
Now, Jesus Himself gave us a memorial to always remember what it is that He did, and it’s called “Communion,” or “The Lord’s Supper.” It is a symbolic act where through the bread and the cup we remember His death upon the cross and the blood He shed to enact the New Covenant.
God Alone is the True God
We see this in verse 24 where it says that the reason for the memorial is so “All the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” (Joshua 4:24 NKJV)
The purpose of this memorial is so that both God’s people as well as their enemies would remember that it was in and through the mighty hand of God that the Israelites were able to enter the land and conquer it.
Oh, how great it would be if we would remember this as well, so that when people see us, they would see Jesus Christ living in us, and also see the mighty hand of God’s deliverance in our lives. We need to remember that it is the Lord God who delivers, not the gods we’ve set up and follow today, that is, the gods of finance, capitalism, medical technology, or scientific breakthroughs.
Now, God can and does use these secondary causes in His overall plan, but we mustn’t mistake that in the end it is the Lord that control and delivers.
I remember an instance where God had answered a prayer, and I said, “Thank God.” Well, the other person that was involved said, “Don’t thank God, thank me,” which I did, but while they had a part to play, they didn’t bring it all about. I then told them of my prayer and how God answered. But I don’t think it sunk in, because the person kept insisting that he was the one, and so I began to back away, and the reason was so I wouldn’t be in the line of fire when the lighting came for his taking credit for clearly something God did.
And therefore, if God is the one who delivers we should then give Him all the glory.
Now, before we move to the second step, I like to address our praise when God moves on our behalf, because our praise really shouldn’t stem from our remembering so much what God has done for us, but rather it should be based upon the fact that God has not forgotten us, that is, God remembers us, and because of that He delivers us.
God Remembers Us
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.” (Isaiah 49:15-16a NKJV)
Here the Lord is speaking to a despondent people, those who were exiled in Babylon, away from their homes and from their land. And God says, “I will not forget you.”
And He likens it to a mother’s love for a child. A love that soothes in times of suffering. A love that surrenders all for her child. But even such great love is not perfect love, because of what the Lord says that sometimes it is a love that does forget. But not the perfect love of God.
King David knew this truth saying, “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me.” (Psalm 27:10 NKJV)
And the reason this is so, is because God loves us, as Jeremiah says, with an everlasting love.
And this everlasting love is seen in verse 16 of Isaiah 49 where God says, “I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.”
What God is saying is that His love for us is indelible, that is, it can never be removed because it is inscribed upon the palms of His hands, hands of power, hands of authority, but more importantly hands of love.
And Jesus shows us this love after His resurrection as He showed His nails pierced hands basically saying, “See, I have engravened you on the palms of my hands.”
Set Up A Beachhead
Once we have experienced God’s deliverance and enter into His promises, we first need to set up a memorial in our lives, or better yet, in our hearts. But there is one more thing that is brought out in our passage that we need to establish, and that is a beachhead.
“So the priests who bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord had commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua; and the people hurried and crossed over. Then it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over, that the ark of the Lord and the priests crossed over in the presence of the people. And the men of Reuben, the men of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses had spoken to them. About forty thousand prepared for war crossed over before the Lord for battle, to the plains of Jericho.” (Joshua 4:10-13 NKJV)
What we read here is that Israel set up a beachhead in the land of promise. Now a beachhead is to first provide a place for the troops and the people where they could land safely and protect themselves from enemy attack. Next, a beachhead is that place from which their campaigns into the Promise land could take place, as well as the place that could supply them with what they needed as the military campaign progressed.
And this is exactly what we see, because after several of their campaigns, they returned to Gilgal to restock, replenish, and refresh before they set out once again.
Now, the word, “Gilgal,” literally means a circle, which was often used to describe a fortified camp. It literally became their headquarters where they launched their military campaigns.
This is how I view the church today. It is from the church that our military campaigns are conducted against the enemy, because the church is literally that beachhead, that piece of holy ground in the enemy’s territory. It is where God’s people are trained up, restocked, replenished, and refreshed where they are able to go out and win souls for the kingdom of God.
And so, when people say they don’t need the church, they don’t understand the value of the church in what God has given for them to do.
Actually, this whole thing is seen in our pillars here at Living Waters Fellowship. First is the pillar of evangelism, each one reaches one for Christ, discipleship, which we do by building up the house of God within each person, young and old, and our mission which is to make a difference for Christ in our community and in the world.
And so, as a beachhead here in Mesquite, we need to provide a structure and an environment where people can come into that saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and then be trained up as servants and warriors for God, to continue to move forward and take ground away from the enemy for Christ.
And now that the pandemic is almost over, we are setting up once again a beachhead to move forward into the plans, purposes, and promises of God, using our gifts and talents in serving Him through serving others and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
And so, as we look forward to celebrating Memorial Day tomorrow, let’s not only remember those who have died to protect our freedom, but also let’s remember Jesus Christ who gave His life to give to all who believe true and lasting freedom.
And as we move forward from here, let’s start building up those memorials in our hearts to remember not only what God has done, but also His loving covenant relationship He enacted through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, and then let’s worship Him as the one and only true God, who is none other than our ultimate deliverer.
And finally, let’s set up that beachhead here in our community where we can reach out and embrace the fulness of God’s promises, taking from the enemy what God has given to us.
