Communauté et discipulat

Family Memorial Stones (Jos. 4)

2014.05.04Rev. Mike Lee

God calls parents to build family memorial stones. Remember your spiritual history, the blessings, and the miracles of God, so that the next generation asks what God has done and hears the answer.

Remember your spiritual history (2-7)

When Israel had crossed the Jordan on dry ground, the Lord told Joshua to take twelve stones from the riverbed as a sign. These stones were gathered for a reason, so that when children ask what they mean, parents can tell the story of what God did. Stones do not explain themselves; someone must sit down and share the history. Like the dedication photo kept in the office, our homes should hold reminders of God's work. We forget easily, so we need memorials, and we must teach our children the meaning behind what we do.

Remember the blessings (8-9)

The twelve stones were set up because the people obeyed the Lord's command, and their obedience brought them into God's blessing. God's blessing is not meant to end with us, though. When we are blessed, we are called to bless others. One family chose to sponsor a child the same age as their son, so that their blessing would flow outward. Our blessings should flow to others through serving those in need, whether physically, emotionally, financially, or with practical advice. Blessing is never only for our own comfort.

Remember the miracles (23-24)

Joshua 4:23-24 says that the Lord dried up the Jordan as he had dried up the Red Sea, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty. Israel would never forget this miracle that they saw with their own eyes, and it would shape their lives. Many of us have also experienced miracles, and we are called to remember them. We can tell the next generation that in their hour of need God showed up and that God is mightier than anything in creation. The footprint of a firstborn was pressed into clay as a reminder of the miracle that child was.

Apply to Life

  • Let us remember our spiritual history and tell our children what God has done in our lives.
  • Let us keep reminders in our homes and lives that point to God's faithfulness.
  • Let us bless others with the blessings we have received from God.
  • Let us remember the miracles God has done for us and pass them on to the next generation.
  • Let us pray for our future families and children to know the God who has been faithful to us.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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