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Title: Make your life a living memorial to God Text: Josh 4:4-7 Date: 5-28-06.am Josh 4:4-7 4 So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe; 5 and Joshua said to them, "Cross again to the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel. 6 "Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, 'What do these stones mean to you?' 7 then you shall say to them, 'Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.' So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever." (NAS) Introduction: I know I probably mention this every year but Memorial Day was first observed May 30, 1868. It began as a day to pay tribute to Union Soldiers who died during the Civil War. It was later expanded to include Confederate soldiers also and gradually became a day to honor all war dead. A memorial, according to the dictionary, is something, such as a monument or holiday, intended to celebrate or honor the memory of a person or an event. Memorial Day is a day set aside to remember the courage and sacrifice of those men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. They gave their lives to secure and to insure the many freedoms we often take for granted. We create memorials because we are a forgetful people. It is part of our human nature to forget the things that have been done for us in the past. We seem to be extraordinarily able to remember faults and past transgressions but far too often forget the blessings and the benefits that have been bestowed on us. This passage is the story of a memorial to God – to remember who God was and what He had done for His people. Those stones were to be a lasting memorial for the nation of Israel. They represented five important things Israel was to remember and are important for us to remember them as well. 1. The Mercy of God v. 23 2. The Faithfulness of God V. 10 3. The Grace of God v. 18 4. The love of God v.v. 22-23 5. The power of God v. 24 This morning as we remember those five things I want us to look at six other things that are practical steps to increasing or improving our level of faith and that will make our lives a living memorial to the Lord. And a living memorial is far better than any other kind of memorial. 1. Read the Bible. That is, you must feed your faith a steady diet of God's Word. Romans 10:17 explains, "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." Most of know about feeding out bodies. It tells us when it’s time to be fed. But the body is a remarkable thing and it can go long periods without being fed and after a while it stops telling us it’s hungry. but sooner or later if it isn’t fed it will break down. And, all we need do is look at athletes to see the importance of a proper diet. When we eat right the body is able to perform at high levels of proficiency. The University invests a lot of time and money in feeding it’s athletes. Julio Franco who used to play for the Braves is now with the Mets is 48 for a baseball player that’s very old. This year he became the oldest player to hit a home run, I think last year he was the oldest player to steal a base and he has another one this year. The spiritual body is the same way it needs to be fed and it will let us know when it needs feeding if we will listen and if we don’t listen it stops telling us and then it begins to break down just like the physical body. 2. Exercise your faith. Phil 4:9 “The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things. . .” (NAS) An aspiring bodybuilder doesn't begin by lifting 500 pounds the first day. Rather, he exercises daily, gradually increasing his strength. Regularly exercising faith can bring about similar growth spiritually. Can you hear your Dr? Proper diet and proper exercise to maintain a healthy physical body. The spiritual body also needs proper diet and exercise. Again just look at the facilities the University provides for it’s athletes and it’s students and the police provide for their officers a nice gym in the hall of justice and each fire station has equipment for their officers to exercise their bodies. 3. Embrace trials. This may be the hardest for us to accept and practice. 1 Pet 1:6-7 6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 that the proof of your faith, {being} more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (NAS) These verses reveals the almost incomprehensible truth – adversity, faced in God's power, creates greater faith. Just as a fire purifies precious metals, hardship strips away all but the pure core of faith. 4. Examine the testimonies of others. Heb 11 is a chapter that briefly reveals the testimonies of faith believers who have come before us. An individual's testimony is his own account of God's activity in his life. When you hear how God has worked in someone else's life, sometimes in situations like your own and sometimes in even more difficult situations, your own faith is strengthened. We have the testimonies of biblical figures. We probably all think of the Apostle Paul when we think of testimony. He shares bits and pieces of his testimony in all of his writings. But there are lots of others that come to mind, Daniel, Joseph, Abraham among the Old Testament, and what about Rahab a prostitute. Peter is another good New Testament example and there is Lydia and certainly Lazarus had a testimony to share as did a tax collector named Matthew. We all who have been touched by the power of God have a testimony that needs to be shared to help the faith of others. 5. Pray. 1Thes 5:17 pray without ceasing; (NAS) Phil 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (NAS) You get to know someone by talking to him. That's just what prayer is: your personal communication with God. And, don't just talk be sure to spend time listening. The real focus of prayer is not about telling God what you want and trying to convince Him to do it. God wants to speak to you. The real focus of prayer is for you to hear from God – His desire and purpose for you and how you can be a part of what He is doing in the world. That doesn’t mean we don’t share our hearts with Him but we allow Him to mold our hearts. All we need to do is look at the lives of Jesus and Paul recorded for us in the Bible to see what genuine prayer is and to understand it’s importance and necessity for us both individually and corporately. 6. Practice obedience. obedient John 14:15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. (NAS) Luke 6:46 "And why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? (NAS) There are certain acts of obedience that are common to all believers. There are other areas that are particular to each individual. You will never grow in your faith if you consistently disobey what God tells you to do. Perfected faith is a byproduct of obedience. Put yourself in a position to see God's best for your life, by being obedient. Faith does not increase by accident. Growth takes time, dedication, and intentionality. Ask the Lord to help you exercise your faith today. I think of Scott Frost. I challenge you to make every day a memorial day honoring God by becoming “living memorials.” Living testimonials to the power of Christ by giving your all to Him today. |