well I invite you to turn this morning to Joshua chapter 4 if you're a visitor we have started this book and today we come to chapter 4 last time in chapter 3 they crossed over the Jordan River and now we're looking at in chapters 4 and 5 some very crucial events you'll notice here that we sort of have a reversal whereas we're going to end this conclusion to a conclusion where joshua has a burning bush experience so we'll see burning bush a moment passover passing through it's almost a reversal to bring to a close the whole story from where moses was called remember and the burning bush event and then this brings a giant conclusion to all of this so we're seeing that all unfold all the themes come together uh here which only the lord could inspire and do by the way no one no one could make this up so it makes it nice to see the unity of scripture and how it nicely holds together by the spirit joshua chapter 4 this morning when all the nation had finished passing over the jordan the lord said to joshua take 12 men from the people from each tribe a man and command them saying 12 stone takes 12 stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan and from the very place where the priest's foot stood firmly and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight and Joshua called the 12 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 in 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 from 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 and the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up 12 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 12 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 and when all the people had finished passed 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 on the side 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. And the Lord said to Joshua, command the priest 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 priest bearing the ark of the covenant of the lord came up from the midst of the jordan and the souls of the priest's feet were lifted up on dry ground the waters of the jordan returned to their place and overflowed its banks as before the people came up out of the jordan on the 10th day of the first month and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho and those 12 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 fear the Lord your God forever and there will end the reading of God's word well we have been increasingly worried in the church today about keeping our children in the faith that has been an incessant concern and worry for us and it's um it's a big one it's a big concern according to research all protestant churches are declaring that they are shrinking from within reports are that between a between ages 18 to 22 66 percent of young adults have left the church which means of course that only 34 percent now listen to this 34 percent of young adults say they attend church twice a month or more that's where we are how do we get here i mean anyway you can't really start to fix the problem until you ask how you get here and then what the solution and plan looks like to fix such a problem it's a crisis of epic proportions well it should encourage you this morning that god is also very concerned about this problem and that this problem is nothing new this has this is an age-old problem in the community of faith and we have to kind of understand it diagnose it and look at it and wrestle with it as to why such levels of departure and apostasy become prevalent in a community of faith and this morning that's where we are in the book of joshua that's why this book is so incredibly helpful in one respect because it's cleanup time sure we're going to see more failure but the beginnings of the book of joshua show what renewal really looks like i prayed this way and i i hope you caught it that there have been certain things that have been put in place notice the renewal that's come about when a community of faith is being blessed by God in unique ways we all say we're blessed here's what true blessing looks like spiritual blessing the word is heard the promises are proclaimed and the people respond to it they wouldn't miss church and then leadership steps up it's really remarkable how all these men are stepping up to lead. And then God does surprising things to test the community. He puts people in to shake them up like Rahab the whore who shows faith. He puts them right in the midst of a covenant community that's been rather dead. And then He renews His covenant. and he takes direct aim at the children of the covenant that parents would start taking that seriously again the sign and the instruction which usually dumped in times of departure so that's where we've been this is what we're seeing in joshua unfold before us and now we come to this this really great moment of the children being addressed God's emphasis in 4 and 5 on the children of the covenant. And this morning, I believe we come to one of the great answers of the dilemma of our day. There's nothing new under the sun and it's the same sort of solution that has always been given. And it kind of overwhelmed me in this particular chapter if you notice how much attention God gives to the children. God loves our children. Do we love our children? What does that look like? and this is um what we see because in the next section we're going to have a great circumcision take place of all of the new generation whom the former generation didn't even care to administer the sign so here we are this morning um the question of spiritual commitment and the state of the people is before us and god is beginning to rectify and solve this great problem in the covenant community it's really beautiful i love studying this because it really is a help to us to wake up people and and this is what is set god is calling israel today to one this is the big theme that that is sort of interwoven through this great passage to to great remembrance of his works he's calling israel to great remembrance of his works which really is a call to faith here on the part of the lord to the people but it's a crucial covenant responsibility that is being emphasized it's a covenantal responsibility an important one and that's what we see here that god cared very much that the future generations would be preserved in the faith it's a beautiful thing god cared very much that the future generations would be preserved in the faith and this is in this way God was putting something in place to keep them in love and in trust of the Lord so I want you to notice this morning if you're if you're those who are inclined to take notes you're going to notice that a memorial is established and then you're going to see here that a memorial is called to be celebrated and understood and then it is something that will end with that was meant and intended to be a memorial forever so these are these are important themes that are woven into this section you remember this wonderful scene israel has crossed over the jordan we had the sort of quick narrative of that and now we look at the actual coming back to it's the details as they cross through they've entered now the promised land this is a long time in coming this is the fulfillment of the promise that was made all the way back to abraham remember um back in genesis chapter 15 when the covenant was cut I'm going to give your people inheritance in the land. And the events that coincide with the crossing are some of the most important for us to understand how faith is preserved for future generations. In verse 1, we read that all the nation had finished crossing over the Jordan, and the Lord said to Joshua, take 12 men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them saying, take 12 stones out of here of the midst of the Jordan from the very place where the priest's feet firmly stood and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodged tonight. These must have been strong men. Who are the strong men among us? How much weight could you pick up and carry a big stone out of the Jordan? Did you get 100 pounds on your shoulder? The strongest men of Israel come among them, they are selected, and they go in the midst of the Jordan, and they pick up boulders. And these stones were intended to be set up forever, notice there, they are still there to this day, it says, so that the people would have a constant memorial of the deliverance. Now, it's really powerful that God cares to give us memorials. It's a big theme in Scripture. Verse 6 says very plainly, this is a sign for you that you are always to see and that you are to look at and understand and believe something. And what is it? Well, here it is. He says it. When your children come in time and ask, what do these stones mean to you? The parents are to say to their children, you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off from before the ark 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 Memorial forever. Notice what they were to say. The waters were split before the ark. In other words, parents, you tell your children, God came down and God walked with us through the Jordan. And His presence was with us the whole way. And Him being a God who is near to His people, God who's always dwelled with us, as soon as the priest's foot touched the water, the water went straight back because the presence of the Lord was with us. And He delivered us. And He fulfilled His promise. Now, this is important. The new generation had just witnessed the waters cut off. God going in their midst. And then, in the next breath, what is the next thing that happens? This figure named Yeshua rises up among them as a warrior to lead Israel to receive the land. All kinds of things are happening here. What's God concerned with? remembering, beloved, remembering. How do you forget? That's sort of the question you have to ask. How do you forget this? This was always Israel's great problem. Psalm 78, but they soon forgot his works. How? Psalm 106, 13, they did not. They soon forgot his works. They did not wait for his counsel. psalm 78 they forgot his works and the wonders he had shown them those are remarkable statements the very generation now think about this the very generation that saw the red sea split forgot and every time they forgot his works it was when some hardship or test of their faith came upon them and they couldn't see the deliverance at the present. Don't we think that our faith would be all the more vibrant if we could really see a lot much more today? Really? Don't you think if God did something like this, put up some kind of big stone memorial that we could walk to, you know? And look at, look, there was great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandpa who carried that boulder and put it there. We would believe. Right? What do we keep seeing in Israel? The very generation that saw the signs for God. And the spillover was that the next generation was led into further and further apostasy. so what does god do god sets up another memorial for what purpose well i think we have struggled a little bit with remembering what is you know remembering is not the idea of just simply recalling something and for the hebrews remembering was a deep spiritual concept it was it was a concept that meant it was deep spiritual reflection and concern that was meant to well up in them great concern for their deliverance of the one who had done this for them that would well up in them love for God response to God belief in God the God of heaven and earth I mean think of Rahab I know that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth and that he delivered you she didn't even see it remember what the lord said to israel he gave a call israel i want you to love me with all your heart with all your mind with all your soul and with all your strength when he said that you know what happened right after you know what he said right after that you shall diligently teach this to your children my word shall be in your hearts teach your children this when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down at night and when you get up in the mornings there's your pattern because he's giving you the land so I want you to worship him and serve him only you're going to get plagued with all kinds of things to pull you away from this all other false gods now you'll notice the timing here for a minute this was in direct connection with the passover the lord had said the same thing to the previous generations now the reason they forgot is because they did not take the memorial that god had set up and deeply by faith embrace it and reflect on its meaning so as to change them and follow in life by faith they didn't do that with the memorial and the consequence was seen in that generation now we're getting to the heart of the problem of the first generation coming out the consequence was seen lo and behold in their children here they are not circumcised not trained and who's getting them god is this is such an important point this is this is really an important point. We can be of Israel and have seen great things, but have not appropriated the memorial that God has set up. And so that, as one author says, we don't give any living reflection to this. It doesn't move us to talk about the Lord, to deeply trust the Lord who's delivered us. And when it's not constantly set before us, the memorial, that apathy will most showcase itself in that we as parents never talk about the Lord to our children. And we never talk about His love. And we do not talk about His gospel. We have no living reflection on this. No remembering, embracing it. And thus we're not passing on the faith. Now hear me, I'm not saying there's an automatic connection here that parents could do really well in this and their parent their children could rebel there's not a automatic in this what i'm saying is that in general this is the rule that those children who respond to the gospel in this life and we're not just trying to create nice kids we're not just trying to create respectful kids we're trying to we're trying to lead our children to faith. What we generally see is in those children who respond to the gospel is that witness began in the home and that there was deep commitment and faith by parents to lead their children to the memorial and the worship of the Lord. Not just nice children. It's not what we're after. Yes, you can pass on generational apathy. You can pass on generational deadness. Indifference to all this. Because that's what's been taught. And remembrance means nothing. Only following the tradition of the fathers is what matters. The Lord cares about this. That's what's so encouraging here. There's really good news here. The Lord is recovering. And how is he doing it? The Lord wanted not a pilgrimage to stones every year. As helpful as that might have been. But for the parents in their homes to say to their children, children, the Lord is with us. He's always been with us. This really happened. He delivered us and our fathers and our people. And you have a Passover to declare it. And I think what Joshua does now is present upon them the meaning. What exactly are they celebrating? What are they thinking about? The big section break here is seen in that the first 14 verses present the crossing from outside the land. but the second section presents it from the side of the deliverance. So they could look back and see, and see what? What were they looking back and seeing? Look at verse 15. And Joshua said to Moses, and Joshua said, command the priests. And the Lord said, let me look back at that. I think I wrote that down in my notes wrong. I don't want to say. And the Lord said to Joshua, how could Joshua say something to Moses? I don't know how that's possible right now, because Moses is dead, so I apologize. And the Lord said to Joshua, command the priests bearing the ark of the testimony to come up out of the Jordan. So they came up, and notice, when the priests bearing the ark, when their soles of the priests' feet touched the dry land, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place as before. What an awesome sight. You notice in verse 19, they came out of the Jordan on the 10th day of the first month. Do you know what month that is? Nisan. It's directly in correspondence with the Passover that's celebrated in chapter 5, right in the next section. It's all together. And the connection is, was the same time that God had delivered Israel out of Egypt and instituted the Passover, it's the same correlation of month and day. And then what happens? Notice verse 14. On that day, the Lord exalted Joshua on the side of all of Israel and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses. And then it says they encamped at Gilgal. Gilgal means in Hebrew to roll away. To roll away. So I want you to teach your children the meaning of this. What is the meaning? Again, this is why what we're trying to do in the faith is not just what we say have an intellectual understanding, just intellectual acquiescence, just an acceptance of it, but to know what we believe and to understand what we believe and what it means. So put it together. The Lord brought them through the waters of judgment safely. The greatest enemy of death had been defeated already, their mightiest foe. That's why there's so much attention to these water passings. And before their eyes, God was cutting off the waters and Yeshua rose up and walked before them in fame right next to the ark. Are you kidding? They fell down in awe of Yeshua. And the place they camped means rolled away. What is the meaning? The deliverance was complete. Everything God promised was happening. It was finished. What was finished? It was the 10th day of the month of Nisan. They entered the promised land. I want you to remember, says the Lord, had the Lord not done this for you, you'd still be slaves in the land of Egypt. And left for dead. You would have died in the wilderness had the Lord not done this for you children. But I've brought you through the waters of death safely. By my hand of Yeshua, all your shame, all your sin, all your judgment has been rolled away. And the surprise of this text. I'm doing this so that all the peoples of the earth may know. That the hand of the Lord God is almighty. And that you may fear the Lord your God forever. Do you know this story? You should. it's your story. In other words, this is just what we celebrate. He saved us from sin and He pulled us up out of Egypt, out of the world and delivered us from sin. And He loved us and He brought us and He safely passed us through the judgment. The judgment's already happened in AD 30 in the month of Nisan at about the sixth hour of the day when Jesus said it's finished. And who has promised to bring us through safely to the other side, land us safe on Canaan's side, as we looked at last time? This is why the Heidelberg says, when you die, you go to be with the Lord. In other words, death's not a payment for sin, it's an entrance into Canaan. So the one who baptized us in the sea, who is Christ our rock, the one who came down among us and took the judgment on for us. and A.D. 30 in the month of Nisan at the cross and the 10th day of the month in connection with the Passover, Christ who is 1 Corinthians 5, our Passover, said it was finished. And a big stone was rolled away. And your deliverance is sure. And it is certain. With the added promise, think of how wonderful it is, beloved. the added promise whoever believes in me said jesus has already passed from death to life what do you think he's thinking about you've landed safely you've entered your rest anticipating the final rest that's hebrews 3 as we looked at in 4 what is the great purpose in this just to hear it over and over let it go one here and out the other no of course not that you would believe and that you'd trust the lord your god or you could have never done this your sins merited and you're we're not any better than anyone else in the earth i mean this was the great thing he told israel god's election should overwhelm us what a truth he chose you and your children if you're ever looking for a good little devotional i know people are always looking for them the daily readings by jc ryle somebody put together out of the four gospels it's phenomenal i was reading the other day we're going through it as a family listen listen to this election is a truth which should call forth praise and thanksgiving from all Christians. Except God had chosen and called them, they would never have chosen and called on Him. Except He had chosen them of His own good pleasure, without respect to any goodness that's theirs, they would have never been anything in them to make them worthy of this choice. The worldly and carnal-minded man may rail at the doctrine of election. The false professor may abuse it. but the believer who knows his own heart will ever bless God for his election. He will confess that without election, there would have been no salvation. Remember, I chose you and your children. I didn't have to do that. I did it because I chose to do so. And I have purposes. Number one, that the world may know. Who said that? The glory that you have given me, I've given to them. That they may be one even as we are one. I in them and you in me. That they may become perfectly one so that the world may know that you have sent me and loved them as you have loved me. I want the world to know I love you. you are a light to the nations this way. We are called to the same remembrance, beloved. Well, it would be great if those stones were set up, wouldn't it? Go look at them and notice the crevices and maybe some blood on them. This guy scraped his hand, really? As they were eating, he took bread. And after blessing it, broke it. and gave it to them, saying, Take, this is my body. And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them. And they all drank of it, and he said to them, This is my blood of the covenant, which was poured out for many. Do this as often as you drink it in what? Remembrance of me. One of the great reasons we come together every week for worship and devoting ourselves to the teaching and the breaking of bread is to constantly keep us in deep living reflection on the presence of the Lord and His Word. That He loves us. That He's been faithful to His covenant promises. But you can't just come. Your heart has to be here too. where's our heart? He has put all this in place for you so that you don't forget. If the Lord was to expose our hearts, there'd be a lot of bad things and we have to confess that. But have we at least responded in faith to what He's done for us? And how is that demonstrated? As soon as the stones were instituted, He says it again. When your children ask, verse 21, their fathers in time 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 when he dried up for us until we passed over, which he did, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty and that you may fear the Lord your God forever. When our children look at us, and I'm convicted by what I say here, myself, this is not grandstanding, I always say that. Do they see in us a great response to the gospel? Do they hear us talk about the Lord? Are we gathered around the table? Or are the concerns of the world dominating our lives and the pleasures of? We're concerned about their education. Give a lot of attention in this area of the woods to Calvin. We wouldn't miss a sporting event for our children. We wouldn't miss an award ceremony for our children. But church, Sabbath, is it bare bones? What about the most important thing God put in place? I said at the beginning, we're all worried about them, how to keep them in the faith. It begins in the home with parents who are deeply committed to the Lord and who value the church. It's just the evidence all over Scripture. I close with this. If you haven't read this little story of Christopher Yuan, he's not here today. You know he speaks. You know, here was a family that's come among us who was raised in atheism. No hope. Had none of this. he lives in drugs, drug dealer. I think he was caught with 9.1 tons of marijuana. Practicing homosexual. Went to jail. Contracted HIV. His parents were converted. Handed him a Bible. He threw it in the trash. Even late in life, their godly influence of praying had to kick him out of the house. Their godly influence of praying, speaking the truth, and loving him the way that they were called to. One day he says, I looked at the trash can and I said, that's my life. And where he had thrown his dad's Bible in the trash, that trash had a little Gideon's. bible right on the top and he pulled it out and he said I started reading it and I thought this is not good news this is bad news and then I started to understand the gospel and he says it was my parents prayers my mom fasted for me on her knees prayers days and days sinned pleading with me but doing it wisely that won me this is how god works beloved again i'm not doing automatic thing sure there's the proverb trust in the lord you know lean on your own understanding but also train up a child in the way he should go and when he's old that's generally true it's not automatic but it's generally true this is how he works the text says and he's pushing us as parents to live lives committed to christ that show forth and understand the gospel how could we not value what he put in place in the memorial because the lord says i want you to fear me so that all the peoples of the earth might know I can't help but see that the great purpose begins to be fulfilled and we will see a turnaround through the trends when we tell our children and demonstrate before them what it means that we have been set free that we have been set free Amen Heavenly Father Father, thank you for your word to us today. Thank you for challenging us. We need it. I need it. May our children respond because they see that we truly believe this and are passing on the faith. Give us wisdom and help. And we have failed, Lord. We confess that. Forgive us for our failures. Today's a new day. And we will get up tomorrow and give this effort again. But it is all by your strength and grace. And so we appeal to your mercies. Raise up a generation that fears you, trusts you, believes you, and turn things, Lord, to you again in our day. We need your, we appeal to this. We need your help. We need your spirit. We need life. Wake us up out of slumber and turn our hearts back to you in faith, in trust, and in love. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Thank you.