SCRIPTURE READING:
Joshua 4: 1-7 (NIV) 4 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe,3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”
4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites,6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”
INTRODUCTION:
We are now in the fourth chapter of the Book of Joshua.
Last week, we learned about Israel crossing the River Jordan after many years of wandering in the wilderness.
The Crossing of the River Jordan signified that they had to fix their eyes upon the ark of the covenant, they have to live sanctified lives and they have to take that step of faith and advance.
Now is the time for them to move forward and be transformed becoming conquerors of the Promised Land.
But before they do that, they had to set up memorial of stones for future generations to remember that day.
And so, Joshua called twelve men, one from each tribe to pick up a stone from around the spot where the priests stood in the middle of the river.
They are to pick these stones and place them on the site where they will dwell for the night.
Although there were no inscription engraved on them, yet, it will stand to record their miraculous passage over the Jordan River.
Then, when the ark of the Lord passed over carried by the priests the people crossed over.
Then, the children of Reuben fully armed shown themselves ready for battle in the presence of the people.
These were fighting men to prepare them to invade the land.
And on that day, the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel.
Erecting those memorial stones is a way to teach Israel to remember the past in order to claim their future.
They have to learn to trust God and not rush into doing things by their own strength.
Many of them probably would have wanted so much to immediately invade Jericho.
Why not take advantage of the time when they are all afraid of Israel?
But God is never in a hurry.
He knows that something had to be done in their minds before they could do something with their spears.
They have to be reminded that it is never their battle but the Lord.
That is why God had to set up memorial stones representing each tribe of Israel to instill their faith and trust in God alone.
They were one nation united under God with a purpose to conquer Jericho under His guidance.
And this, they must never forget for the rest f their lives.
And so, the memorial was for the people of Israel to teach their children about the great things God has done in the past and the great things that God is about to do in the future.
When they see these stones, the work of God would not be forgotten among the future generations.
You, see, we often fail to trust God because we forget the great things he has done in our lives particularly the past.
We have a very short memory.
Because of that, we have difficulty moving forward because we lose sight of our dependency on Him.
We though that it was by our own strength, by our own abilities and skills that we accomplished these things.
We missed the point of our real source of victory.
That is why we need to have a clear memory of remembering what God did for us.
When we look at these monuments of God's goodness,
When we tell stories of God's faithfulness,
When we are reminded of how God pulled us through our past difficulties,
Then we never cease to wonder and be amazed of God's greatness and power at work when others have lost their faith.
Surely, we need to erect those memorial stones in our lives.
Let me tell you a story.
According to the U.S. Department of Treasury website, the motto "IN GOD WE TRUST" was placed in the United States coins largely because of the increased religious sentiment existing during and especially after the Civil War that has divided our nation.
In fact, in 186, the Union Army had a motto "In God We Trust" that brought them to victory.
During the time when Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase was accepting suggestions about what to put in the new coins, he received many appeals from devout persons throughout the country urging that the United States recognize God on those U.S. Coins.
Foremost of this was a letter written by Rev. Watkinson, a minister from Pennsylvania that reads:
"We must recognize the Almighty God in our coins.
This would make a beautiful coin that would relieve us from the ignominy of heathenism.
This would place us openly under the Divine protection we have personally claimed.
From my heart, I have felt our national shame in disowning God as the cause of our present national disasters."
As a result of this, Secretary Chase instructed James Pollock, Director of the Mint at Philadelphia, to prepare a motto, in a letter dated November 20, 1861.
"Dear Sir, No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense.
The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins."
Hence, the Motto "IN GOD WE TRUST" appeared in all United States coins since 1938.
It had been in continuous use on the coins since July 1908.
It was a reminder that there is a God everywhere, whether we are conscious or not who govern the affairs of the United States.
I believe that America will continue to prosper as long as we affirm and never forget this truth 'IN GOD WE TRUST"
The phrase has been incorporated in many hymns and songs as well.
After the September 11 attacks in 2001, many public schools across the United states posted "In God We trust" framed posters in their libraries, cafeterias and classrooms.
The American Family Association supplied several 11 by 4 inch posters to school systems and vowed to defend any legal challenges to the displaying of the posters.
However, with the increase of atheists in America, things have changed.
They have recently expressed objections to its use and have sought to have the religious reference removed from the currency, claiming that it violates the First Amendment.
They have never understood the significance of this motto, they have never trusted on God and they have never read their Bibles.
Hence, this memorial of our trust on God was diminishing and being detached from the memory of future Americans.
No wonder, there is an increased rate of criminality and killings even in public schools.
There is an increase of immorality and abuse.
People of this generation trust on guns, on the financial system, on medicines and on education rather than on God.
It is a sad day when people have forgotten the monument that connects them to God's faithfulness.
God knew that bad things could happen when people forget their godly heritage.
That is why God told Joshua to make a memorial of stones representing each tribe of Israel before they go onto battle.
We need to understand what these memorial stones symbolize to the Christian life.
We need to reaffirm those basic memorials that represent our Christian faith on God.
God wants us to depend on Him only if we want to progress in our faith, as a church, as a family and as a nation.
WHAT DOES THE MEMORIAL STONES REPRESENT?
1. TO REMIND ISRAEL THAT THEY BELONG TO GOD.
Joshua 4: 2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe,3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”
7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”
It is interesting to note that Joshua instructed Israel to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River where the priests were standing while Israel were crossing..
The middle of the Jordan represents the deepest and innermost part of the River where the water was most flooded, turbulent and rigid.
These stones were gathered and transported from those raging waters and were delivered to a safe place away from an angry streams.
Each tribe had to carry one stone and put them to the place where they stayed in safety for the night.
After they have gathered those stones, they became one family and children belonging to God.
These stones were to become a reminder to all succeeding generations that they have completely left Egypt behind.
They have died to the old life of sin and are now delivered from that destructive and vicious life of sin and death.
This memorial was a reminder of their identification that they are now God's people.
In the same manner, when we come to know Christ as Lord and Savior, we must be identified with Him.
We No longer belong to ourselves but to Christ who saved us.
That is why we have a memorial of our own, the water baptism that symbolizes our personal, but public identification with Christ.
The Apostle Paul puts the matter this way:
Romans 6:3-4 "3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."
Look at those words: baptized into Christ, baptized into his death, and buried with him through baptism.
This is our personal identification with Christ our Savior - we died with Him, we were buried with Him and were were raised with Him.
This is our identification and our union with Christ.
In Christ, we are delivered from the violent storms of life due to sin and death.
In Christ, we have been saved from our old life of sin and brought to a new life in God.
In Christ, we openly join the ranks of those who are God's children from all generations down through the centuries.
When we are identified with Christ, we become one family with them in Christ.
When you are baptized therefore, you are in fact preaching the gospel of Christ in your life.
As you stand in the water waiting to be baptized, you symbolize Jesus dying on the cross.
Then, as you are lowered into the water, you symbolize Jesus buried in the tomb.
As you are raised from the water, you symbolize Jesus rising from the dead.
It is as if you are saying to the whole world, "I died with Jesus Christ, I was buried with Him and now I am raised with Christ to a brand new life."
This is what this memorial means to all of us.
We must never lose sight of its significance in our lives.
The symbol of our water baptism will always serve as a reminder of our death, burial and resurrection with Christ.
If you have never been baptized, it is time for your to obey the Lord's command.
Come and approach me after the service if you want to be baptized with water.
Otherwise, you will forget that you owe your new life to Him and even think that you have been saved by your good works.
If you already have been baptized, then you must always cherish that event, be reminded of what He has done and be proud of that relationship with Christ for the rest of your life.
By our life and conduct, we are always proclaiming the gospel of Christ to the lost world.
That is why we have teach the truth of water baptism for those who have just received Christ as Lord and Savior.
Here are some more verses on water baptism:
Believing in Christ and Water Baptism are always correlated.
Mark 16:16 (NIV) "16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Repentance and Water Baptism goes hand in hand.
Acts 2:38 (NIV) " 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
When we are baptized with water, we are baptized INTO Christ.
Galatians 3:27 (NIV) "27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."
Water baptism should remind us of the significance of the cross of Christ for our salvation.
When we realize the meaning of the crucifixion, we appreciate God's forgiveness for our sins and pursue a holy life.
Therefore, consider yourselves dead to sin and alive in Christ.
2. TO REMIND ISRAEL THAT THEY NOW HAVE A NEW IDENTITY.
Joshua 4:12 12 The men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, ready for battle, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them. 13 About forty thousand armed for battle crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for war."
The second thing that happened was that after they have crossed over the Jordan River, something strange took place among them which we did not read before..
Instantly, the men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed Jordan with new identity, new purpose and new direction.
They were now fully armed and ready for battle, about forty thousand of them.
No longer men who are faint-hearted or fearful in battle, but men who are courageous, daring and fearless.
Something has changed deep within their hearts after they have crossed over Jordan.
Those twelve stones are a memorial to Israel that they have passed the wilderness and are now strong ready to fight the enemy.
Is it really possible that a person can be changed when he is now identified with Christ?
Yes indeed. The old has passed and the new has come.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
This is our resurrected life in Christ.
In the same manner, these twelve stones represents the resurrected life of a believer being placed in the family of God.
How many stones? Twelve. That is the whole family of God.
In the Book of Revelation, we will discover the Apostle John having a glimpse of heaven and the beautiful City.
There were twelve foundations, and in each foundation is the name of an apostle of the church.
Revelation 21:14 "14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb."
Also, there were twelve gates, and at the gate is the guardian angel stationed at each one.
And the name of the guardian angel at each gate is the name of the children of Israel.
Revelation 21:112 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel."
What does that mean?
The entire family of God will be there in heaven: All the twelve apostles will be the foundation stones of that temple representing the New Testament church and those twelve gates representing the twelve tribes of Israel in the Old Testament.
The entire family of God from the Old to the New Testament will make up that glorious City where we will dwell forever.
You and I will be there together with the Old Testament tribes of Israel.
That is why we must never forget our heritage.
In the same manner, when our Savior Jesus Christ celebrated the Lord's Supper on the eve of His death, he had all the twelve disciples with him.
During that Supper, Jesus took a loaf of bread and gave thanks to God.
As He broke it and gave it to His disciples, He said, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." (Luke 22:19-21).
Christ declared that the bread spoke of His body which would be broken.
The wine spoke of His blood, indicating the terrible death he would soon experience.
Then, He said, "Do this in remembrance of me,"
This is an indication of a ceremony that must be continued in the future.
The Lord's Supper therefore is a remembrance of what Christ did for us and a celebration of what we have received as a result of His sacrifice for us.
He then concluded the feast by singing a hymn (Matthew 26:30).
Then, they went out into the night to the Mount of Olives.
It was there that Jesus was betrayed by Judas.
The following day, he was crucified.
The accounts of the Lord's Supper are found in all the four Gospels, Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22 and in John 13.
The Apostle Paul wrote concerning the Lord's Supper in 1 Cor. 11 that includes a statement of self-preparation before the Lord's Supper not found in the Gospels.
1 Cor. 11:27-29. "Therefore, whoever east the bread of drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and the blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself."
Now these are strong words of caution to all Christians regarding the Lord's Supper - a memorial of His death and resurrection.
He warned us not to eat or drink of the bread and cup in an "unworthy manner." - what does that mean?
It means we must not disregard the true meaning of the Lord's Supper.
We must not forget the tremendous price our Savior paid for our salvation.
We must not allow the ceremony in our church to become a dead, lifeless and too formal ritual done out of habit without any meaning.
The Lords' Supper is rich in meaning and significance.
It also means the we must NOT partake of the bread and cup with unconfessed sins and with bitter unforgiving hearts.
We have to confess our sins before we come to the Table of the Lord.
The goal is to make sure that the memorial is always a source of thanksgiving, of generating fresh faith and utter dependency upon Christ's work of salvation.
When we partake of the Lord's Supper, we remember His death, we cherish our relationship with Him, and we look forward to His coming again.
The Lord's Supper therefore gives us a backward look, an inward look, a forward look and an upward look of Christ our Savior.
Everything is about Christ.
He is our all in all.
No wonder, this is a lasting legacy for all Christians.
Here are more Scriptures on the Lord's Supper:
This is a memorial of His death until He comes.
1 Cor. 11:26 (NIV) " 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
This is a participation of the blood and body of Christ.
1 Cor. 10:16 (NIV) 16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?
This should be part of our devotion to Christ.
Acts 2:42 (NIV) " 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
3. TO REMIND ISRAEL THAT THEY HAVE A MISSION IN THE EARTH.
Joshua. 23 For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea[b]when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”
Joshua told the people that day after crossing the Jordan River that this incident will be a lasting witness to all the peoples of the earth.
The purpose is that they will know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and that they will fear the Lord.
That means, Joshua is telling Israel that they have a mission on earth.
They are to be a witness of God's faithfulness.
They are to be a testimony of God's power.
They are to be a light to the lost world.
There are actually two monuments that have been built as a memorial to Israel.
The first has been set up in the bank of the river while the other has been set up in the middle of the river.
The one in the middle of the river is a reminder of the FAITHFULNESS of GOD and what He could do.
The one in the bank of the river is a picture of the FAITH of the PEOPLE and what we could do when we depend upon Him.
God alone knows what is going on in your heart right now.
You might have a personal struggle, a crisis in life or facing an insurmountable problem.
When you have trusted Him and He has brought you through those difficulties, you must never forget it.
You must build that monument in your heart where God can see it and where you will never forget it as long as you live.
Because you have trusted on God's faithfulness, your faith will grow even stronger.
And you could do great things for Him because of His faithfulness.
We must never forget that we have a mission on earth.
We have to share the gospel to the lost world and bring them to the knowledge of God.
Do you know that there is another monument of God's grace and faithfulness for all to see? - the rainbow.
How many of you have ever stepped outside after a rain storm to see a beautiful rainbow in the sky?
You will be amazed at that majestic arch or brilliant colors streaming across the sky.
The story of the rainbow in the Bible first appeared after God's judgment on the entire world with a flood.
At that time, every living person and animal died except Noah, his family and the animals on the ark.
Then, God promised to never again destroy the entire human race or animals with a disaster caused by water.
The rainbow then was a sign of a covenant between God and the world.
Genesis 9:12-13 (NIV) " 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth."
Every time we see a rainbow, we are always reminded that He never forgets His promise.
God will mercifully and graciously restrain His anger towards humanity.
It is a monument of God's faithfulness for generations to come.
However, nowadays, the rainbow has been given a new meaning especially in the LGBT community.
Gilbert Baker, the man credited with pioneering the rainbow flag flying over the gay movement, recently lauded his craft noting that it is something beautiful.
"The rainbow is in the Bible. It is a covenant between God and all living creatures."
According to Baker, the God of the Bible knows the struggle of gays and lesbians, and that is where he finds hope.
Because of that, those who celebrate the so-called same sex-marriage are pointing social media with rainbow colors.
So, what can we say to that?
First of all, we agree that God does indeed know the internal and social battles of gays and lesbians, but the question is,
Does he approve of their practice?
Does God change His mind about homosexuality and sexual promiscuity as sin?
I don't think so.
Sin is sin in God's eyes regardless of how mankind look at it.
Would God approve of their use of the rainbow to symbolize this movement?
They have changed the meaning of marriage and now, they have changed the meaning of what the rainbow represents.
Even the White House was lit up with red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.
It was unbelievable, the White house was desecrated to celebrate the decision of the Supreme Court on gay marriages.
God, have mercy upon our land!
But brothers and sisters, that is part of the End Times, when people turn away from their faith and no longer believe on God, then God's judgment will come.
As Christians, we must always be true to our faith. We must never forget our heritage.
No wonder, God commanded Joshua to erect those memorial stones for generations to come so that they will never ever forget God's faithfulness.
Brothers and sisters, we must never forget what great things He has done.
We must never forget the meaning of those Biblical monuments.
We must never forget the meaning of the water baptism, the meaning of the Lord's Supper, the meaning of our Motto, "IN GOD WE TRUST" and the real meaning of the rainbow in the sky.
The only way for us not to forget is to go back to what the Bible says and hold on to its lessons until the very end.
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