Sunday, 04 January 2009

  • January 4, 2009

    The first Sunday of the new year, God gave us a message through his servant, Pastor BB, following a wonderful worship, prayer, and praise time! We look forward to all He has for us in the new year!

    ·         2009 is a new year that God is going to do great things through. We were reminded that God remains in control of everything. He is the infinite ruler of the universe and will always be, no matter the circumstances surrounding our lives!

    Joshua 4:1-9

    1 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, 2 "Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight."

     4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever."

     8 So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. 9 Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been [a] in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.

    There were 12 stones in this passage. What are stones used for? Building, of course. What do we build with stones? Everything! Alters, walls, pillars, roads, buildings! Every firm building begins with a foundation of stones. Stones that are used for building are chosen because they are lasting, durable, and not easily broken. The stones spoken of in these verses were from the middle of the river, so were most likely worn down to a smooth texture. Through the roughness of the river, they were brought to be smooth and strong at the same time.

    God told the men of Israel to place 12 stones as a remembrance. Do we have trouble remembering what God has done for us in the past? Even the children of Israel, who were wandering through the desert, depending on God for 40 years had that trouble! We are often brought to forgetfulness in times of comfort, when we think that God is unnecessary. After all, we seem to be doing okay. But God wants us to remember the times that He brought us through and the blessings that He gave us.

    The men were instructed to carry the stone on their shoulders, so we know that the stones weren't small remembrances, but something worth weight. Something that was going to make an impact. When you carry something large, something  heavy, a duty or a responsibility, your mind cannot be distracted by other things or else you end up dropping it! You can't worry about something else, but have to keep your mind focused on the task at hand.

    There were 12 stones at the end, one stone per tribe. They were all placed in one spot. God didn't tell them to take their stones with them to their own lands. He told them to put them together in one spot, denoting togetherness. Although they were 12 different tribes, they were one people. Just as we are one people, the family of God. There is no division in the church. Not by race, language, past. All are the children of God and we are to be joined together in unity.

    What was the memorial to denote? That God is GREAT! He has done great things for us! He parted the Red Sea for the children of Israel, and he parted the Jordan River! He stopped the natural flow of things, just so that we could get to where we need to go! He loves you enough that he is even willing to do the supernatural for you! God is a God of miracles and we need to remember that in our everyday lives. God can create miracles in your life, in your new year! Believe it! He has helped in the past and is willing to continue to do great things in your life! No need to hesitate when you see a challenge. Know that God is with you. Don't be frustrated, God is with you!

    Joshua 5:1

    1 Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the LORD had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until we had crossed over, their hearts melted and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.

    On the other side of the river, after the Israelites had obeyed, what happened? Others heard of what God had done and the miracles astounded them! He did it once and he can do it again! Once you have crossed over, you've taken a step, there's no need for dismay! Don't fear, don't hide! God is creating miracles in the world around you. Walk boldly ahead, knowing that there is no need to fear! Our God is a miracle-working God. Turn to him and he will take care of all.

    Joshua 5:2-7

    2 At that time the LORD said to Joshua, "Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again." 3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth. [a]

     4 Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age—died in the desert on the way after leaving Egypt. 5 All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the desert during the journey from Egypt had not. 6 The Israelites had moved about in the desert forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the LORD. For the LORD had sworn to them that they would not see the land that he had solemnly promised their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way.

    God replaced those that he brought out of Egypt because of disbelief. We believe, so we need not fear that we will be replaced by others. If we follow and are true to His words, we will enter into the promised land, just as He has promised us!

    Joshua 5:10-12

    10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. 11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. 12 The manna stopped the day after [a] they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan.

    The Israelites were different than any other people in that they had a unique diet. They had a unique diet when they were in Egypt and in the wilderness, they had another. Manna from heaven! God took care of them when they were in a serious and difficult place. They had no way to farm, no way to get food, but God provided. They spoke of the Promised Land as a land flowing with milk and honey. They knew that once they were there, food would be abundant. So when did they get cut off from their "manna diet"? The moment that they ate the food of that land. There was no longer any need to get food directly from heaven. Now it was time to buckle down and work for a living. When you travel, you cannot work at the same time. You can't take it with you. A farmer cannot wander in the desert for forty years and take his crops. Now it was time for planting. Since that day, no one was able to eat of the manna. Now, we cannot expect such an easy life. We have to work for what we want. We need to serve God with our lives. There is no time to be lazy, but time to use what we have for God.

    God brought us to the Promised Land and now we are expected to work. He gave us what we need, now we need to use it for His glory! Now is the time to join our family, God's family, and in unity, stand and move forward for what He calls us to! Are you ready to carry the memorial stone? Are you ready to be a part of the family of God? Are you ready to cross over? You can do it! We can do it! It's time! Use the talents as a stone to build beautiful church that will call others to come and see. God wants your time and effort!

  • Choose Identity

  • Give eProps (?)

  • New! You can now edit your comments for 15 minutes after submitting.

About this Entry

Who recommended?