Joshua 4:1-24 Remember Me!

Joshua 4:1-24 Remember Me!

Joshua 4:1-24 Remember Me! is a sermon which was preached for Memorial Day. We are called to remember markers in our lives, publicly and privately.

An 80-year-old couple were having problems remembering things, so they decided to go to their doctor to get checked out to make sure nothing was wrong with them. When they arrived at the doctor’s, they explained to the doctor about the problems they were having with their memory. After checking the couple out, the doctor tells them that they were physically okay but might want to start writing things down and make notes to help them remember things. The couple thanked the doctor and left.

Later that night while watching TV, the old man got up from his chair and his wife asks, “Where are you going?”

He replies, “To the kitchen.”

She asks, “Will you get me a bowl of ice cream?”

He replies, “Sure.”

She then asks him, “Don’t you think you should write it down so you can remember it?”

He says, “No, I can remember that.”

She then says, “Well I also would like some strawberries on top. You had better write that down cause I know you’ll forget that.”

He says, “I can remember that, you want a bowl of ice cream with strawberries.”

She replies, “Well I also would like whip cream on top. I know you will forget that so you better write it down.”

With irritation in his voice, he says, “I don’t need to write that down I can remember that.” He then fumes into the kitchen. After about 20 minutes he returns from the kitchen and hands her a plate of bacon and eggs.

She stares at the plate for a moment and says, “I knew you were going to mess it up – You forgot my toast.”1

Do you ever have trouble remembering things? If you’re not sure, the answer is probably “yes.” Do you ever forget where you put your keys? Your wallet? Your checkbook? Your Day Timer? Your mind? Tomorrow is Memorial Day, a national Day of Remembrance for those who have lost their lives in service to our country. These men and women have given the ultimate gift, their life, that we might have freedom. Even the freedom to gather together today in worship is freedom that many Christians around the world do not enjoy. As Americans, it is good to have days like Memorial Day to remind us to be thankful and to express gratitude to those who have served and are serving our country, and to their parents, children, and spouses.2

The ability to remember is a wonderful gift that God has given to us. In a flash you can be a child again, skipping rocks across a pond, or walking in a meadow. You can fall in love, get married, & have children all over again. You can do all that through the memories that are fixed in your mind. And time cannot rob you of those because of the blessing of memory. Some of our memories are happy, and we can recall wonderful experiences. But some of our memories are sad, and we may weep as we remember them.

Memories are also very practical. If you couldn’t remember that a red light means “stop” you’d be in trouble. If you couldn’t remember that water quenches thirst when you’re thirsty, or you weren’t able to remember what day it is, or your anniversary or wife’s birthday – you’d be in big trouble. So memories are very practical.

The problem, though, is that sometimes memory fails us. Sometimes we forget.

Illustration: Maybe you heard about a guy named John who had a really horrible memory. One day John ran into a friend whom he had not seen in a long time. He greeted him & said, “Bill, do you remember what a bad memory I had?” Bill answered, “Yes, I certainly do.” “Well, it’s not bad any more. I went to a seminar that taught us how to remember things. It was a great seminar, & now I have a wonderful memory.” Bill answered, “That’s great! What was the name of the seminar?” “Well,” John said, “wait a minute, my wife went with me. I’ll ask her.” He turned & saw his wife nearby. Then he turned back to Bill & said, “What’s the name of that flower with a long stem & thorns & a red bloom?” “Do you mean a rose?” Bill answered, “Yeah, thanks,” John said, “Hey, Rose, what’s the name of that seminar we attended?”

Sometimes our memory fails us. We tie a string around our finger and do all kinds of things to help us remember. People are forgetful, and we need special things to jog our memories from time to time. In the Bible we find many such reminders.

PICTURE #1: Rainbow

The first picture is a rainbow. This was the first time that God told someone to remember Him. After God destroyed the world in a flood, He told Noah, “Whenever you see the rainbow, remember my promise that I will never destroy the earth by water again.” So every time we see a rainbow, we can remember that promise, too.

PICTURE #2: Twelve Stones

The second picture contains these twelve stones. Perhaps the most intriguing memorial was erected when Joshua led the people of Israel across the River Jordan. Remember, the water stopped flowing just as the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant stepped into the water at the river’s edge. They stood in the middle of the riverbed until the people had crossed safely into the Promised Land.

While they were crossing, Joshua told 12 men, one from each of the 12 tribes, to go into the middle of the riverbed and select 12 large stones. They brought those stones up onto the riverbank and made a monument out of them there. Joshua tells them:

“so that this will be a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ you should tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the Lord’s covenant. When it crossed the Jordan, the Jordan’s waters were cut off.’ Therefore these stones will always be a memorial for the Israelites.”” (Joshua 4:6–7, HCSB)

Beth Moore stated in her study Believing God:3

A powerful motivation for believing God in our present is intentionally remembering how He’s worked in our past.

As it says in the Psalms, God wants us to believe Him and that takes remembering how He has worked in the past:

“I will remember the Lord’s works; yes, I will remember Your ancient wonders. I will reflect on all You have done and meditate on Your actions.” (Psalm 77:11–12, HCSB)

Joshua knew this tendency we have to forget God’s goodness and provision in our lives. If we don’t mark the important events, we can lose our connection to both the event and how we felt about it at the time. Markers give us an opportunity to speak to the next generation about the times when God has been faithful to us.4

God wanted Joshua and the people of Israel to remember how God had worked in their lives so that they would believe in Him in the present. So two monuments, one from out of the water and into the land, and the other in the water. This faith marker was a public one for the people. Joshua told the people to mark where God had worked as a public reminder.

Notice that after the public marker is set, then Joshua himself does something interesting:

“Joshua also set up 12 stones in the middle of the Jordan where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing. The stones are there to this day.” (Joshua 4:9, HCSB)

Joshua, without the help of the elders, or the people, set twelve stones in the water. Why did he do that? Why did he leave these in the water? It is because the entire experience of his setting twelve stones in the water would stay in his memory. It is a personal memory for him of God’s faithfulness. He would share in the public memory of this event with the stones outside the water. However, he would have a private memory of the event by placing stones in the water.

PICTURE #3: My Wedding Day

Here is a third picture. This is a picture from our wedding. It is picture that reminds me of a personal memory when God was faithful to me. He was faithful by providing a wife. When I recall this picture, I remember the place, the event, the sights and smells and sounds. I remember the people who came. I remember the entire experience. It may not be a wedding, but every one of us has a special event or events in our lives in which we remember when God was faithful in our lives.

For some people, Memorial Day may mean the beginning of summer vacation, barbeques in the backyard, family get-togethers. All kinds of things happen on this holiday.5

PICTURE #4: Arlington Cemetery

This is the fourth picture. This picture reminds us of the real reason for Memorial Day. We have a day we call “Memorial Day” just to help us remember. This day started back near the end of the Civil War. Some people in the South decided to place flowers on the graves of soldiers who had given their lives for the Confederacy.

By 1868 the practice of placing flowers on graves had spread both north and south and was being called by almost everyone, “Decoration Day.” Then, after World War 1 it became a nationally recognized Memorial holiday when our country pauses to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms that we enjoy.

Now you understand that living in this country is a wonderful privilege, and that we have opportunities and blessings that most in the world do not have. We need to remember that. But we need also to remember this: A tremendous price was paid by many who gave their lives that we might live in this land and enjoy the privileges that are ours.

Let’s take a moment and pray for our soldiers past and present.

PICTURE #5: Communion

The final picture here is communion. Christmas is marked to help us remember the birth of Christ. Easter is marked to help us remember the resurrection of Jesus. Communion is a continual memorial to remind us of the sacrifice for our eternal life. Jesus reminded His disciples and us that we should “remember” Him in His death. Doing this communion as Christians helps us to believe in God in our present.

So we are going to end this time by sharing in communion. However, I want this to be a personal and corporate memory at the same time. We are going to ask the children to come up from below. Then we are going to ask each of you to come in families to make this memory. We’ll start with the widows. Then we will ask families to come forward to each table, where we will serve you. Memorial Day is about the sacrifice of soldiers. However, it is also about the sacrifice of the Son. Let’s take time to remember Him through this special experience right now.

This will also be our altar call. When you come, perhaps you need a prayer request. Perhaps you need to come to Christ, you can do that this morning. You come as God leads you. We will keep playing music until everyone has taken time to pray, examine themselves, and spend time in community together with this special Lord’s Supper.