“Lest We Forget”
Joshua 4:1-9, 19-24
INTRODUCTION: Tomorrow isn’t just a holiday … a day set aside for picnics, family fun … a day off from work. Tomorrow is Memorial Day.
The holiday was officially recognized in 1868, as a day, May 30, to honor those who died in the Civil War. Later, it was changed to honor all those who died in wars, and was changed to the last Monday in May. It is also called “Decoration Day”, because of the custom of decorating the graves with flowers and flags. Today, it is a day set aside to honor any individual who has an impact on our life.
The blood of many soldiers has been shed, to provide us with the freedom that we enjoy today. Since the Revolutionary War, there have been over 1,180,000 wartime causalities. Over 2,300,000 have been wounded in American wars. That’s in 228 years.
In the last 31 years, there have been over 35,000,000 babies aborted. That figures out … to every soldier killed in a war in the last 31 years, there have been 40,000 babies aborted. Blood has been shed, not only on foreign soil, but on American soil as well … Americans killing Americans.
In our text this morning, we see how God instructed Joshua to set up a MEMORIAL of stones, as a VISUAL REMINDER to all who passed that way. It was a VISUAL SERMON … like the Children’s Sermons I teach every Sunday. We remember it better if we have a visual aid. Jesus used visual aids when He talked about the sparrow, the olive branch, the vineyard, the fig tree.
Joshua 4:1-9
• The Priests stepped foot in the Jordan River.
• God departed the waters … they marched through on dry land.
• After everyone had crossed over, Joshua sent 12 men to the middle of the dry river, to bring 12 large stones to where they were … 1 stone for each of the 12 tribes.
• They were to build a MEMORIAL to God.
• When the 12 men had brought their stones to the bank, the Priests came over, and God let the water loose.
WHY DID GOD WANT THEM TO PUT UP STONES AS A MEMORIAL?
1.- TO SHAKE THEIR MEMORY
We tend to forget. All of us are susceptible to bouts of memory loss. A friend of mine once told me that he had a photographic memory. The only problem is … he keeps running out of film!
Our lives & our world is filled with “memorials”, to help us remember.
• Plaques, to help us remember accomplishments.
• Wedding band … tombstones …
• Priscilla B.C. … Lincoln Memorial …
• The Lord’s Supper … Baptism …
Israel had a PROBLEM remembering. Moses WARNED them about forgetting - Deut. 6:12 – “Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.”
This heap of stones would be a visible reminder. Every time they passed that way, it would remind them of what God did at Gilgal. It was a common practice to erect a monument of stones to God after a great event took place. We, too, have memorials in our life. They’re not built of stone, but of MEMORIES.
• MEMORIES OF PLACES – Sometimes I go back to Wellborm … or places in Gainesville where I grew up. I relive childhood memories.
• MEMORIES OF PEOPLE – We remember those whom God used in our life. God placed them there at the very time when we needed them (Gardner’s, Keislings).
• MEMORIES OF EXPERIENCES – I can remember how God met my needs in some very difficult times in my life … my days at Trinity College. These lessons can’t be TAUGHT … they have to be EXPERIENCED.
• MEMENTOS OF THE PAST – We collect souvenirs, T-Shirts, coffee mugs, refrigerator magnets … to remind us of what a great time we had on vacation.
These walks down “Memory Lane” serve a purpose … to remind us of something special that happened in our life .. a special blessing from the Lord.
We tend to forget? WHY? There are several things that cause us to forget.
1.- When We Get In A Hurry – I once forgot my suitcase when I left to go to a conference. I had traveled for an hour … had to come back. Abraham was in a hurry to have children. He forgot God’s promise, and ran ahead of God … and conceived with Hagar. That’s what we do when we get in a hurry. We forget God … run ahead of Him … get out of His will.
2.- When We Feel Helpless – Then, we wonder where God is. God must have forgotten us … SO … we forget about Him. These stones were there to remind them that the power of God was available BECAUSE they were helpless.
3.- When We Are Hurt – When somebody hurts us, we want to lash out … and hurt them … or somebody else. We FORGET that God said, “’Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ saith the Lord.”
These stones were there to REMIND them of what God did for them at the Jordan River. How can you prevent “Spiritual Amnesia”? What are some “stones” that you can erect to help you remember what God has done in your life?
1.- Write It Down – God likes to write things down. He says that He has WRITTEN down:
• All the names of the redeemed in the Lamb’s Book Of Life.
• The works of the lost, and at the Great White Throne Judgment, the books will be opened, and they will be judged out of those books.
• A “book of remembrance”, where He has written down those who faithfully worship Him (Malachi 3:16).
• A book where He records our tears (Psalm 56:8).
• God wrote the 10 Commandments on 2 stone tablets.
• Jesus wrote in the ground, and the accusers of the woman taken in adultery left her alone.
Writing things down is important to God … it ought to be important to us. That’s how we got our Bible … it’s the “Word of God” … written down for us to read. I wish I had kept a journal of the blessings of God in my life. I tend to forget. I should have written them down.
2.- Tell It To Others – We need to publicly share how God has blessed us. That’s what we do on Wednesday Night. It helps us to remember them … re-live them … rejoice in them. It encourages others, as they see how God has worked in YOUR life.
3.- Use It As A Guide – God uses our past to guide us into our future. God wants us to remember the past … our past failures, as well as our past victories. We can learn from our failures … and gain confidence from our victories. When we see how God has brought us through the past, we will have the assurance that He will bring us through the present.
We tend to forget. That’s why Memorial Day is important. That’s why we need to place some “stones of remembrance” in our lives … to remember what a great God we have!
WHY DID GOD WANT THEM TO PUT UP STONES AS A MEMORIAL?
1.- To Shake Their Memory
2.- TO SHARE THEIR FAITH – 4:6-7, 19-23
Children like to ask questions. One of their favorite questions is “Why?”. Don’t get mad when they ask “Why?” … it’s Biblical! “Why are these stones piled up over here? How did they get this far up on shore?” This gives the parents an opportunity to share with them the faithfulness and power of God. The memorial was a teaching tool, to share the mighty works of God.
Parents have a responsibility to share their faith with their family. Someone once said: “Christianity is just 1 generation away from extinction.” Judges 2:10 – “All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.”
There is a tendency for each generation to be Spiritually weaker than the preceding generation. If we don’t set up some stones … i.e., make a conscious effort to share what God has done in our lives … the next generation will forget what God has done in our generation. The longer we experience “Degenerating Generations”, the weaker the Church becomes.
Like these stones, our Christian lives should reflect God’s work and power. 1 Peter 2:5 – “you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
We are “living stones”. When they looked at the stones, the question was asked, “What do these mean?” When people look at your life (a “living stone”), they need to ask, “What does this change in your life mean?”
Has there been a change in your life since you were saved? If there hasn’t … you aren’t saved. Do you remember the day you were saved? That’s the greatest memorial stone you have. Reflecting on that day should ignite anew your passion and zeal for your Savior.
WHY DID GOD WANT THEM TO PUT UP STONES FOR A MEMORIAL?
1.- To Shake Their Memory
2.- To Share Their Faith
3.- TO SHAPE THEIR WORSHIP – 4:24
“fear” – ‘a reverential awe and respect’ … NOT: ‘to be afraid of’. These stones told of a mighty & powerful God Who was to be worshipped.
Why does God allow us to go through some of the trials that we go through? So we (and others) can witness the mighty power of God … and worship Him.
Why does God PREVENT certain bad things from happening to us? Same reason. So we can witness the mighty power of God … and worship Him. The problem is … we don’t SEE what bad things God PREVENTS from happening to us. If it wasn’t for the intervention of God, our lives would be a lot worse then they are now. We need to stop and remember what God DOESN’T ALLOW into our lives.
Everything that happens to you in your life … is an opportunity for you to “look at the stones” … and see the power and majesty of God … and worship Him.
WHY DID GOD WANT THEM TO PUT UP STONES FOR A MEMORIAL?
1.- To Shake Their Memory
2.- To Share Their Faith
3.- To Shape Their Worship
4.- TO SHATTER THEIR PAST – 4:9
Before the Priests came out from the middle of the dry Jordan River-bed, Joshua went back in to set up 12 stones in the middle of the River. When the Priests came on shore, the river flowed again, and covered the stones that Joshua had set up in the middle of the Jordan Rover.
“Gilgal” = ‘the reproach has been rolled away’. 40 years of failure, defeat, and wandering were all behind them … buried like the stones in the Jordan River. These 12 stones represented a shattering of the past … time for a new beginning.
There was another stone that represented a new beginning. It was the stone that the soldiers rolled over the tomb where the body of Jesus lay. When the women came on that first Easter morning, they discovered that the stone had been rolled away. WHY? BECAUSE .. it was the start of a new beginning … a shattering of the past.
Maybe you’ve built a monument of failure, shame and regrets. You need to put them in the Jordan River this morning. You need to let the healing waters of God’s love and grace cover them.
The stones set up that day weren’t just for remembering. There was another set of stones, in the middle of the Jordan River, that were to remind them to forget their failures of the past. Philip. 3:13-14 – “forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, [14] I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
CONCLUSION:
We have a tendency to forget. That’s why we need holidays like Memorial Day … bring home souvenirs from vacations … write things down … observe the Lord’s Supper … “Lest We Forget”. All around us are “stones” … set up as memorials in our memories … to remind us of how great and mighty God is. We need to look for them … recognize them.
God will use people, places, and things as memorial stones to remind us of His faithfulness and His blessings in our lives. God can use YOU, as a “living stone” … to be a blessing in someone else’s life.
Don’t forget to thank God for His many blessings … our freedom … our faith … our future.
STAND – PRAY
OUTLINE FOR HANDOUT:
“Lest We Forget” - Joshua 4:1-9, 19-24
INTRODUCTION: Memorial Day causes us not to forget.
- Joshua 4:1-9 – The stones were a visual aid.
WHY DID GOD WANT TO PUT UP STONES AS A MEMORIAL?
1.- TO SHAKE THEIR MEMORY
- We tend to forget!
- Israel had a problem remembering God – Deuteronomy 6:12
WHY do we tend to forget?
1.- We Get In A Hurry – and run ahead of God & His will.
2.- We Feel Helpless – and think God has forgotten us.
3.- We Get Hurt – and forget that vengeance belongs to God.
HOW can you prevent “Spiritual Amnesia”?
1.- Write It Down – keep a journal of God’s blessings, lessons.
2.- Tell It To Others – testimony time!
3.- Use It As A Guide – learn from failures & victories.
2.- TO SHARE THEIR FAITH – 4:6-7, 19-23
- The stone memorial was a teaching tool for children.
- Each generation can become spiritually weaker than the former – “Degenerating Generations” – Judges 2:10
- Christians are “living stones” – 1 Peter 2:5
- We should be a testimony of God’s power in our life.
- Your salvation experience is a great “memorial stone”.
3.- TO SHAPE THEIR WORSHIP – 4:24
- Trials & troubles come to us so others can see God working in our lives … and WORSHIP Him through us.
4.- TO SHATTER THEIR PAST – 4:9
- Joshua set up 12 stones IN the riverbed.
- Gilgal = ‘the reproach has been rolled away’.
- Their failure, defeat, and regrets in the past were swept over by the waters of the Jordan River … a new beginning.
- God has given us a new beginning – Philippians 3:13-14
CONCLUSION: We have a tendency to forget.
- There are “memorial stones” all around us, to cause us to see God’s working in our lives.
- God can use YOU as a “living stone” to bless others.
