Joshua 4, Memorial Stones

Bruce Thompson

Joshua • Sermon • Submitted 7 years ago

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Joshua 4:1–24 NKJV

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.” And the children of Israel did so, just as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as the Lord had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood; and they are there to this day. 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. On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they had feared Moses, all the days of his life. Then the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, “Command the priests who bear the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.” Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, “Come up from the Jordan.” And it came to pass, when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet touched the dry land, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks as before. 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. And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal. Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land’; for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over, that 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.”

: 1

Two memorials

On a first reading what are we seeing here? 2 memorial rock piles, one one the west side, PL side, and one in the middle of the Jordan. A stone represented each of the 12 tribes of Israel on both piles.

But since we are are talking about types what are we looking at here? First what is the purpose of a memorial? It supposed to help us remember what it represents. Have you ever been to a memorial? Pearl Harbor

Now, in the study we have been pointing to the picture that the Jordan crossing typified. Which was? The second baptism, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Some things to remember:

In our type we are not talking about Salvation. That occured at Passover, followed by baptism at the Red Sea, followed by learning the Word at Mt Sinai.

40 years wondering in the dry, dry, desert. Believers in type but not experiencing the power or the Joy or the Abundant Life Jesus Promised. A woman was asked what do you do with the promises of God in the Bible? She answered I underline them in blue. In chapter 3 we read that the Jordan stopped only when they took a step of faith in the water. We must step out.

The Jordan crossing signifies a moment in “faith” where we realize that there is a deeper walk, a deeper fellowship available if we are willing to believe and accept the Gift of the Holy Spirit by faith. This is not an intellectual thing but a spiritual thing.

Read Its is possible that some have not heard. But far more likely that we just aren’t ready or willing to step in.

Do you know why Moses could not, according to the type, lead the people into the promised land? Because Moses symbolized the Law. The law will never get you into the spirit lead life.

So back to memorials. Why are they important? Because we forget so easily. They say that we forget more than 90% of the information we take in but even accepting that as a true, each person has enough information stored in your brain to fill the Library of Congress...that’s a lot.

So in order to memorialize something it must actually have happened. So like Paul asked the Corinthian believers, Ask yourself have I been baptized in the Holy Spirit?

If not see . Just ask in faith.

If you have, how do you memorialize that moment. In other words, when He comes upon you something happens and you are changed. So what’s your story? I can only relate what happened with me.

So what are the memorials the signs that you are a spirit filled believer?

Tongues? Paul said I would that all spoke with tongues. But clearly all do not. But I believe it is available to all who would receive it. So what is it like? We need to demystify this gift. You have to putting your feet in the water. You might think that’s just stupid, making words and phrazes you have know idea about. But where have you heard that voice before, Satan has always told you anything you set out to do spiritually is stupid. Think about it. Our minds are cluttered the HS has given us a tool to prayer with that is purely spiritual and outside our understanding. So Paul says he prays with his understanding and without it. But tongues are a sign but not the sign of being Filled with the HS.

Prophecy or Words of Knowledge or Miracles. These are signs but not the sign.

is positioned right in the middle of Pauls discourse on the Gifts but Paul says ...that three remain, faith, hope, and love, these three,but the greatest of these is love. We read in But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.

Love is the fruit - the rest are the attributes. Is this Agape love memorialized in your life? How can you know that you are walking in the Spirit? Do people ask you why you are so peaceful, or so kind. These are indications. Do you like serving Gods people. Do like coming to church, maybe better, is your attitude I get to worship or is it more that you have to go and fellowship. Are you filled with Joy and gratefulness and thankfulness? These are all signs of being filled with God’s Holy Spirit.

Remember there are 2 memorials, one seen and one unseen. The one on the bank of the Jordan everyone could see but no one could see the one in the middle as it is under water. This says to me that God sees the hidden reality of the Spirit with in you and that anyone can have a pile of rocks that looks good but the true Spirit filled walk has out evidence with the inward presence of God.

A few interesting observations, Vs 10- 24

The tribes that choose to live on the East side of the Jordan are not forced to live in the PL. The lesson is: you do not have to be Baptized in the spirit, you just won’t experience the life that Jesus promised, the abundant life, flowing with living water. Some people like the dry, dry, desert.

Vs 18 as soon as the priests soles touched the PL the river closed up. Notice the “Come up from the Jordan” in Vs 17 reminds me of .

Finally, look at …these stones. What if these stones were the memorial stones.

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