ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

The Book of Joshua #4

Pastor Dennis Clanton

Woodland Church

Wednesday, May 28, 2025

 

WADING IN THE WATERS OF JORDAN WAS A STEP OF FAITH FOR THE PRIESTS

 

(Joshua 3:17–4:7, NLT) “Meanwhile, the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by. They waited there until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan on dry ground. When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe. Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight.’ ” So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel. He told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.

 

 

GOD COMMANDS A MEMORIAL TO BE BUILT

 

1.  The memorial would remind them of the power and faithfulness of God when the going gets tough

 

“Anything God has ever done, he can do now. Anything God has ever done anywhere, he can do here. Anything God has ever done for anyone, he can do for you.” –A. W. Tozer

 

 

2.  The memorial would be a teaching moment for the next generation

 

(Joshua 4:21–23, NLT) “Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the river right before your eyes, and he kept it dry until you were all across, just as he did at the Red Sea when he dried it up until we had all crossed over.

 

(Deuteronomy 6:6–7, NLT) “And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.

 

 

Three simple principles

 a.  Be a pacesetter

 b.  Successful handoffs are the result of a thousand practice runs

 

“Dr. Dobson believes that in raising a Christian family, the biggest opportunity for failure is in the handoff—the transfer of values to the next generation. Although much can be learned through experience, it is parents and teacher’s intentional training that will give children the biblically based understanding they need to achieve success by God’s standard.” –Alan Gotthardt

 

c.  Keep cheering after the handoff

 

 

3.  The memorial would teach the other nations of the existence and nature of the One True God

 

(Joshua 4:24, NLT) “He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord’s hand is powerful, and so you might fear the Lord your God forever.

 

The one true God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent “I AM,” the Creator of heaven and earth and the Redeemer of mankind. He has further revealed Himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10-11; Matthew 28:19; Luke 3:22) –From the Statement of Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God.

 

 

JOSHUA BUILDS A PRIVATE MONUMENT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE JORDAN

 

(Joshua 4:9, NLT) “Joshua also set up another pile of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, at the place where the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant were standing. And they are there to this day.

 

“We have fallen into the temptation of separating ministry from spirituality, service from prayer. Our demon says: “We are too busy to pray; we have too many needs to attend to, too many people to respond to, too many wounds to heal. Prayer is a luxury, something to do during a free hour, a day away from work or on a retreat. … But to think this way is harmful. … Service and prayer can never be separated.” –Henri Nouwen, The Living Reminder

 

 

1.  Seen by God alone

 

2.  To bury the past

 

3.  The past is covered (Atonement)

 

4.  He could lean in to the future

 

 

COMPARE GOD’S MONUMENTS TO MAN’S MONUMENTS

 

(Joshua 4:20, NLT) “At Gilgal that Joshua piled up the twelve stones…

 

 

GROWTHWORK

 

1.  ASK JESUS TO BE LORD AND SAVIOR

 

2.  SET ASIDE YOUR FEAR

 

3.  BELIEVE YOUR BELIEFS AND DOUBT YOUR DOUBTS

 

 

4.  WADE IN THE WATERS AND SEE WHAT GOD WILL DO

 

5.  KEEP AN UNCLUTTERED MIND SO YOU REMEMBER

 

a.  The Atoning Death of Jesus

 

(Luke 22:19, NLT) “He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.

 

 

b.  To Leave a Legacy

 

(1 Corinthians 11:26, NCV) “Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are telling others about the Lord’s death until he comes.

 

  1. The Bible
  2. The story of Jesus
  3. Your faith story
  4. Christ is present among us in power and faithfulness

 

(Matthew 18:20, NLT) “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.

 

(2 Corinthians 6:16, NLT) “For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

  

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