Sermon Snippet –Stones for Our Savior
INTRODUCTION – The Memorial Day weekend (I am old enough to recall when it was not always a weekend) is usually an unusually busy one for me personally, filled with work and additional responsibilities. Yet, it has also always been a time of reflection, a time of remembering the lives of others, a time of rich memories. Joshua 4:15-24, the account of the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River by the Israelites, provides helpful lessons to us based upon the placement of “twelve stones” (verse 20).
1. THESE ARE STURDY STONES THAT SPEAK OF SERVICE
God could have created an elaborate edifice like a colossal cathedral by Himself. Instead, He included the Israelites in this basic construction, with the twelve representing each person in each tribe. This unadorned monument (one of two – the other was in the river) required labor: if you have ever had to heft large rocks you know that they are heavy and difficult to grip. It was labor, but it fell into the category of a labor of love (I Thessalonians 1:2-4). There are many ways to serve our Savior God, and He has equipped each of us uniquely for His grand and gracious purposes. Each act of labor becomes genuine service when it is motivated by love.
2. THESE ARE STABLE STONES THAT SPEAK EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE SILENT
Only our Lord could make stones actually speak, of course (Luke 20:40). However, once this simple memorial was constructed, it spoke clearly to each passerby. It represented an ancient claim – really, an everlasting claim – upon the land of Israel in fulfillment of the specific promises of God. More than six hundred years had passed since God’s covenant with Abraham granting him this land, this Promised Land. Those who deny Israel’s right to exist thus run into hard history, into unyielding truth. There is something profound about rock constructions: they represent not only labor but also something older than ourselves. The tens of thousand of miles of stone walls in New England are daily reminders of our agrarian past. There are other examples. A friend of mine showed me a picture of a stone cross that he came upon while hunting in northern New Hampshire; he kept that picture in his wallet and showed it to many people Even decades later, he was moved by it; to him, it was as if Jesus had spoken to him unexpectedly when he was miles from civilization. We can also speak even when we are silent; I think of one lady who said, “People know where to find me on Sunday,” for she was in church. May our silences speak so clearly.
3. THESE ARE STRONG STONES THAT SPEAK OF SPIRITUAL LIFE
Each of the twelve tribes of Israel contributed a stone. This display of unity was essential, for the lengthy task of the conquest of the Promised Land required mutual agreement and support. Psalm 133 is a classic word picture of the power of unity: verse 1 exclaims, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” The monument of “twelve stones,” moreover, was a record of God’s miraculous intervention (verse 23); each person who crossed into Israel would remember walking on “dry land” (verse 18), but succeeding generations not only would hear the account but also would have a visual reminder. This memorial, in fact, would reach beyond Israel to “all the people of the earth” (verse 24), speaking to everyone about the “mighty” love of God and thus about the primacy of spiritual life.
CONCLUSION – A simple application today is that our lives matter all of the time, for good or for bad. We leave memorials behind, some as small as pebbles, some as large as boulders, all of significance. For these stones to have a positive impact, each of us must build on the “Rock” (I Corinthians 10:4) – Jesus Christ. He is available to “all the people of the earth.” Trust in Him for His eternal salvation, and let Him build His strength into your life right now.