Monuments of Victory

Are you going to non-Christian programs of the report generation builds memorials to remember people and events.

But did you know that memorials are important to God as well. Jeremiah tense of the book of Joshua to explain why these memorials and ministry on and why there are probably several of them in your own life is just a special message, monuments of victory. Thank you so much for joining us.

We have been talking a lot about Tom going forward and finishing and dreaming risking. We thought that before we start our new series in November. We would take a moment and just talk about the importance of victory in our lives. If you want to follow along.

It's kind of an exposition of Philippians 3 1714. How many of you know that God wants us to be victorious and not defeated. Some of the questions that you and I know I defeated God wants us to be victorious.

Let's talk about that right now is Bibles Philippians 3 back in May 1979 motivational speaker Dennis Whately was in Chicago waiting to get on a flight from Chicago to Los Angeles for speaking engagement.

He was late.

He was running through O'Hare airport toward K5. Many of us have been the K5 and got there just as they close the door and told him he could not get on the flight today. He threatened he prayed he told him he had a speaking engagement, but they wouldn't budge, and he was really upset.

He went back to the ticket counter to get in the complaint line and 20 minutes later the line hadn't moved. When an announcement came over the airport intercom that American Airlines flight 191 from Chicago to Los Angeles had crashed upon takeoff and 258 passengers and 13 crew members all died in that crash was the deadliest aviation accident in US history not to be in the wrong motion about this. I just need to say it Dennis got out of the complaint line. He didn't register a complaint. In fact, he didn't even return his ticket took that ticket home and he put it up on his bulletin board in his office every time he would get a little frustrated and upset that things were happening in his life that were happening the way he wanted them to.

All he had to do was glance at that ticket and it was a reminder that life was a gift, a gift not to be taken for granted that invalidated ticket for flight 191 is what you could call a memorial life symbol is a symbol from the past that gives meaning to the present and faith for the future in the fourth chapter of the book of Joshua presents the dynamic truth that the hope of the future is based on the memories of the past and that the hope of the future based on the memories of the past gives meaning to the present.

The chapter begins as Israel has finally crossed over the Jordan River. Remember it was at flood stage when this happened, the priests had taken the ark of the covenant and held it high so that everyone passing over could see it. God had held back. The southward flow of the Jordan River so that the people could cross over the Jordan River on dry ground and some 3 billion people did that.

Thereupon the banks of the river and now we come to chapter 4 and let me read to you. These first three verses of the fourth chapter 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. 12 men from the people.

One man from every tribe and command them, saying, take for yourselves. 12 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 will lodge tonight. 12 men, one from each of the 12 tribes of Israel were to take a stone out of the riverbed of the Jordan River. That means from the middle where the river had dried up. They were to take some stones from that riverbed and put that stone on their shoulders and carry it to Gill gal, which was the little place of encampment on the west bank of the Jordan River and there they were to take these 12 stones and arrange them as a memorial of how God had led his people across the Jordan River at flood time know many women.

Joshua four is a passage about the importance of memory about the importance of telling stories. When Israel remembered the stories that told them who they were, where they came from and who their God was Israel prospered when they quit telling the stories they no longer understood who they were and they invited disaster and this is why Joshua ordered each of the tribes of Israel to contribute a rock to commemorate God's provision for them in leading them across the river Jordan the rock monument in their midst is a story prompt. In other words, when you see it.

It reminds you of something. The rock monument in their midst would cause the children of the next generation ask why are these rocks here and better question would prompt the story and a new generation would understand the power of God, you know God loves to give his people. Memorials so that they will not forget all that he has done for them.

He preserved Noah and his family through the flood. When it was all over. He gave no memorial.

He said the memorial know for you to see. And every time you see it. Remember that I will never again destroy this world through a flood is the rainbow and we see that memorial don't want someone around here we see that memorial in the sky God's memorial reminding us and Noah and his family that never again would he ever destroy the world as he did the flood and of course we talk about the ark of the covenant, how they carried this box on their shoulders and we told you what was in the ark of the covenant. You know what was in the ark of the covenant memorials God has given us a memorial student, you know that you have some may not even know it. But I want to tell you about some of them have them baptism through immersion is a memorial to our relationship with Jesus Christ in his death, his burial, and resurrection.

Baptism is a picture of the fact that when we are saying we are buried with Christ in baptism we are raised again, and resurrection old things passed away behold all things become new. We are all creatures who are being created into new creatures. That's what baptism is.

It's a memorial it's a symbol every time we see it, we should be reminded of the five and when God saves us, he changes us and makes us new and then we have communion with Scripture actually says that communion is a memorial.

This do in remembrance of me. It says, and we take the bread in the company of explain this so many times, but the bread and the cup are memorials of the body and the blood of Jesus which is given for us and our salvation. Every time we have the Lord's supper every time we have baptism we tell the story.

The story of redemption. The Lord's wives. He institutes memorials. Why does he do that because were forgetful because we get preoccupied. We have a tendency to go through life, and if were not careful this symbols along the way and it hurts us, and it breaks the heart of the father.

So as we look at this passage in the fourth chapter only give you three reasons why there are memorials. These are reasons for the Israelites and their reasons for us. First of all, memorials encourage the present generation to generation. It was entering the land to conquer it needed a memorial they needed something to look to not an idle but a reminder because the road ahead for the Israelites was going to be very tough. Remember the Israelites to know anything about warfare they been wandering the wilderness for 40 years and they were going into the land of Canaan, and before you know it they're going to be up against Jericho, one of the biggest fortified cities in the land.

How do we know we can do this will God is to put something in their life that will cause them to remember what is already done what we've already learned is what God's already done is the surest guarantee of what he's going to do and the Israelites were going to Canaan and drive these nations out and every time the soldiers went off to war they would be filled with his sense of insecurity military a little bit of logistic information that will help you understand how viable this is the Scripture tells us that when they took those rocks out of the riverbed. They took him up on the shore and they put them on a place in Canaan was called Gill gal and if you look at the map you can see it's right on the edge of the Jordan River.

This became Israel's home base. From this place. They reconnoiter they went out and they did all of the fighting, but they always came back they set up their camping Gill gal they went out to Jericho, they would come back they went out to AIB with all these places they were in a fight, but they always came back. Now get this. Every time a soldier left Gill gal he had the march past that memorial every time he walked out of the city. Every time you marched out with his buddies he would look over and there's those stones piled on each other a Jack member that some limit and every night when they came back to camp, maybe discouraged, maybe having lost a few skirmishes that baby walked back into the camp as they walked back in, they had to walk past that memorial and that memorial told them that the God they serve was mighty mighty to save this kind of interesting is that when the priests were told to go into the riverbed as the children of Israel marched across when they went into the riverbed, the ark of the covenant went before them, but it didn't go all the way to the other side. Remember that the ark of the covenant left the bank and it got into the middle of the river bank and it stayed there until all the people had passed through. Why did that happen so that God could convey to his people. I am with you in this I am with you in the middle of it at the beginning of it at the end of it at the middle of a combat was the purpose of that memorial. Those rocks were telling the story, God was with them and they should be encouraged.

It's an amazing thing. What little or even big memorials can do for us.

Memorials encourage the present generation. Secondly, memorials educate the next generation.

In Psalm 102 in verse 18 there's an incredible little writing. This is what it says this will be written for the generation to come that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord, who is this future generation for which the story has been recorded close among others.

You and me. How is it that we have had the opportunity to know the God who created us because someone lived that story long time ago and someone else told that story and then someone else wrote down the story and others chose to repeat the story and many were willing to die for that story. So, generation after generation after generation. The story of God's love for his creation is been told and were the ones who benefit so God ordains memorials as an educational tool for the next generation because children easily forget the faith and the instructions of their parents. In fact there's not even any doubt about the fact that this is one of the reasons for memorials.

Let me show you two passages. Joshua, four, six and seven, 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 he crossed over the Jordan of the waters of the Jordan cut off, and the stone shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel for ever jump down in your Bibles to verses 21 and 23 when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, what are these stones you shall let your children know say Israel crossed over the Jordan on dry land for the Lord your God drives up the waters of the Jordan before you until you crossed over as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up before us and we crossed over.

Children need to be reminded of their spiritual heritage and Joshua was preparing the parents for their day when their children would come to them and say hey mom and dad I was just walking around Gill gal today and I saw this big pile of rocks, and they don't look like they got there by accident. What's that all about mom and dad sit the kids down and say well let me tell you what those stones mean there was a day when we were on the east bank of the Jordan River during the flood season. There was no way to cross Army kids. There was no way in you not going to believe this but it's absolutely true.

We trusted God and we did. We told us to do and we walked toward the river. When we got to the edge of the river. God just rolled it back like a scroll and we walked over here on dry ground kids. That's the kind of God we have is your God. He's the kind of God we want you to worship the Bible offers this master story so that it can be inclusive but everyone who hears it. Stories are powerful stories of what God has done or heavy testimonies. The memorials things. We pass on the legacies we give to those who follow us mortals encourage the present generation and they educate the next generation and finally number three. Memorials are evidence to the whole world concerning the true and living God. When the people of Israel had safely crossed over the Jordan River. They camping Gill gal on the east border of Jericho, and here Joshua gave his people. The final two reasons why memorials are important.

Let me give you little grammatical clue here. If you have any interest in English, which is often kind of a fantasy of mine. The word that when it appears in a text usually is the introduction either to a purpose clause or to a because clause combats in this verse, watch them, the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over that all the people of the earth may know the hand of the Lord that it is mighty that you may fear the Lord your God forever.

That memorial was built so that all the people of the whole earth would know that the Israelites served the mighty God and that the people of Israel themselves might continue to reverence and fear God forever.

So God gives us memorials so that we can encourage ourselves in so that we can educate our children so that the whole world might know God loves us and is to be worshiped. Having said all of that.

Consider these questions for you and me number one what is God doing in your life that is worth memorializing if nothing comes to mind. Maybe you're listening to his instructions not doing them. See, that's the thing I'm saying memorials are what tell the people what we believe you can give them your creed with your lips but you have to give them what you believe with your life with you. Do with your time with things that are precious to you.

So the first question is what is God doing in your life that is worth memorializing the second question is what are you leaving to your children concerning God's work in your behalf. I've told you a little bit about this before but let me do this quickly. There's a college in Cedarville, Ohio that is a memorial for me.

My father left a successful ministry in Dayton as a pastor to become the first president of that small struggling school back in 1953 I was in the seventh grade.

Everybody told my dad he was making a huge mistake, and there were times when he thought they were right.

We didn't get a salary for the first summer that we were there. I don't know how we made it, but God provided. Believe it or not there were less than 90 students on that campus. When I moved there, but my father had faith that God was calling him to that position.

He'd never been a college president before after he got there to be the president.

He went down the road to Wilberforce University to get his degree so that he wouldn't hurt to college by not being credentialed today. Siebel colleges 3700 students, one of the finest colleges in America served on its board for a number of years.

It's a memorial to my father's faith.

Whenever I visit I have all these things to come back into my mind but I remember my dad left this testimony to what happens when somebody steps out and walks by faith over a long period of years. He literally gave 50 years of his life to that college 25 years as the president in 25 years as the Chancellor.

Now I know I'm not going to have a college to leave anybody or any big things like that but I want something left behind. Besides the fact that he just lived. I find my heart a desire to provide a legacy for my children what is there around my house that will cause my children to say remember that.

And then thirdly, the last question you should ask is what do your neighbors know about your God by the memorials you constructed where you live is a wonderful thing if you Bible believing Christian, because every Sunday when you know it or not. You tell everybody in your neighborhood you going to church and get out your house to start up your car somebody's upset about that because you will come up maybe you have a garage and you have to put your garage door up in your car comes on.

There goes his crazy people going to church again. You know what that has an accumulative effect on people. You just wait until they face in trouble. They're going to find the person in that community that they heard going to church every Sunday morning, not the people that came home late on Saturday night. Stoned out of their mind what we do with our lives in our communities how we reach out and touch other people how we care about children, that not even our own children. How we reach out to those we know are in need, even if they don't happen to be Christian people. We are building memorials. We are writing the epitaphs for our tombstones. We are creating a legacy for the future generation. Let's believe God is here and let's build some monuments to his faithfulness in our lives and our families in our homes and most of all, in our hearts, we can make a much bigger difference than were making.

It will determine by the grace of God that we not only believe it because we say it, we believe it because we do it and we live it. This community and this world is just crying out for a body of believers say this year, to build some money and it's my faith in Jesus Christ. Kind of a good wrap up for all we been talking about throughout this month and thank you so much for being with us. We have had a great time teaching this not only here in the radio studio, but on television friend backwards looking windshield about the future. Let's go forward together more information on this special message from Dr. Jeremiah place. Be sure to visit our website also find three ways to help you stay connected Monthly magazine Turning Points and daily email sign-up today Jeremiah./writing that Jeremiah thought all/lastly, a copy of the family discovering God's presence and purpose tomorrow is the Jeremiah study Bible and the English standard version, new international version and the new King James version are available in a variety of handsome, Jeremiah/writing a Gary who is Monday as the guy was to discuss his intent on