JOSHUA 4:1-9

1. GOD'S WORKS NEED TO BE REMEMBERED:
1. The memorial stones in Joshua's day were to remind the people that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord's covenant went across. That was a work of God and they should not forget it.
2. So, why do we really need to remember God's works?
1. When we remember His works, we remember Him. One of the things Paul sites as the condition of lost mankind is forgetting God. He wrote, "From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see His invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship Him as God or even give Him thanks." Romans 1:20, 21 (NLT). They forgot His works and His providence so they forgot God.
2. When we remember His works, we develop a confidence that He can still work in the needy and difficult times of our lives. Samuel wanted the people to remember God's works so he "took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer - 'the stone of help' - for he said, 'Up to this point the Lord has helped us!'" 1 Samuel 7:12 (NLT). That was to encourage the people that as He had helped in the past, He would still help. Matthew Henry wrote, "Through successive generations, the church of God has had cause to set up Ebenezers for renewed deliverances; neither outward persecutions nor inward corruptions have prevailed against her, because 'hitherto the Lord hath helped her' and He will help, even to the end of the world."
3. When we remember His works, we are moved to gratitude, praise, and humility. They serve as a reminder of His love and of our dependency on Him. May we be like the Psalmist who exclaimed, "When I look at the night sky and see the work of Your fingers - the moon and the stars You have set in place - what are mortals that You should think of us, mere humans that You should care for us?" Psalms 8:3, 4 (NLT).
4. We need to remember His works to glorify Him, to rejoice in Him, to stay humble before Him, to gain strength for trials and for future service to Him.
5. What works do you remember most clearly? What provision? What deliverance? What help? What wisdom? Remember God. His works need to be remembered.
3. A man was released from a POW camp and when he got home, he was asked, "How did you come through your ordeal and keep up your hope?" He said, "They could take away my food, and my freedom; they could beat me and they could torture me. But they could not make me forget God and all He has done for me. Remembering God kept me sane." We need to remember God by remembering His works.

2. WE TEND TO BE FORGETFUL WITHOUT REMINDERS:
1. No matter how many times God had delivered the Israelites from enemies, plagues, starvation and slavery, they were prone to forget. They turned to idolatry, to self-determination, and to immorality because they forgot God.
2. We may be prone to forget, too. What can make us forget God?
1. Prosperity can: Moses said, "When you have eaten your fill, praise the LORD your God for the good land He has given you. But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the LORD your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and laws." Deuteronomy 8:10, 11 (NLT).
2. Pride can: Nebuchadnezzar, who considering the great city of Babylon boasted, "Just look at this great city of Babylon! I, by my own mighty power, have built this beautiful city as my royal residence and as an expression of my royal splendor." Daniel 4:30 (NLT).
3. Popularity can: Paul wrote, "If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ's servant." Galatians 1:10 (NLT).
4. Personal will can: God said to Jeremiah, "But My people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned against Me and have chosen to practice idolatry." Jeremiah 5:23 (NLT).
5. Paganism, that is Idolatry., can: Whatever looms larger than God in our desires, attention, affection and devotion is an idol. Paul wrote, "So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols." 1 Corinthians 10:14 (NLT).
3. A boy was given some chores to do. When his dad got home he saw they hadn't been done. The boy's excuse, "Sorry, Dad. I just forgot." The next day his mother asked him to stop by the store on the way home from school to buy milk. He arrived without it. His excuse, "Sorry, Mom. I just forgot." So when that "I forgot" was used a few more times, when allowance day came, the boy should not have been surprised when his parents said, with a shrug, "Oh, sorry, Son. We forgot." How often we, too, forget.

3. WE NEED TO CONSTANTLY REFRESH OUR MEMORIES:
1. It seems incredible that with all the displays of God's power in Egypt and in the Exodus that Israel could forget. But they, needed constant reminders. Sadly, so do we.
2. Unless we are continually reminded of God, we are sure to forget Him and if we forget Him, falsehoods and deceptions gain an easy foothold. We need to constantly refresh our memories. What then, stirs up our memory of God?
1. Thinking and speaking often of how He has blessed us.
2. Being often at His house for worship and study and for gathering at the Table of remembrance.
3. Spending time daily in Bible study and prayer.
3. In a nursing home there were little written reminders posted here and there. On one door it said, "This is not your room Nettie." And on the next one was a reminder, "This is your room Nettie." And on her dinner tray a note, "Eat your veggies Nettie." Poor Nettie. But I am not much better off it seems. I have on my computer an alarm program that I can set for months in advance because I need reminding. Marlene will ask me to do something and I say, "Write me a note, I need reminding." People will tell me things after church service and I tell them, "Write that on an FYI card because I guarantee I need reminding." And we need constant reminders of God.

4. WE NEED TO PASS ON REMEMBRANCE OF GOD TO FUTURE GENERATIONS:
1. Joshua said, "We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future, your children will ask, 'What do these stones mean to you?' Then you can tell them, 'They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord's covenant went across.'"
2. Asaph, a Psalmist, wrote, "We will not hide these truths from our children but will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the LORD. We will tell of His power and the mighty miracles He did. For He issued His decree to Jacob; He gave His law to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, so the next generation might know them - even the children not yet born - that they in turn might teach their children." Psalms 78:4-6 (NLT). But they can't teach or remember what they have not known. It is up to us to teach them.
1. At Christmas-time, read the Nativity narratives.
2. At Easter-time, read the resurrection accounts.
3. In good times, praise God openly in front of your children
4. In bad times recount to your children how God has always helped you before.
5. In between time, talk openly with your children about God and creation and salvation. Help them remember God.
3. A little girl had to have major surgery. As she was being prepared, the nurse noted how calm and happy she was. She asked the little girl, "Are you afraid of this surgery?" The little girl smiled and said, "Oh, no. My Daddy told me not to be afraid. He told me about Jesus and that He would be there with me, didn't you Daddy?" and then to the nurse, "Are you afraid?" The nurse smiled and said, "No, sweetie, Jesus will be there with me, too." Her father had been faithful in passing on remembrance of God to his child and she passed it on to the nurse. So may we be faithful.

On this day of remembering, please pause to give thanks for those whose lives were given in the cause of freedom and our safety. Give thanks for, and fondly recall those of your loved ones who have gone on to eternity. But also take a special time to remember God. Moses warned the Israelites, "be careful not to forget the Lord, Who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt." Deuteronomy 6:12 (NLT). Remember His works, keep refreshing your memory of all He has accomplished; pass that memory on to your children and grandchildren. Remember God on this Memorial Day and all the rest of the days of your life. As you do, you will receive more love and more power and have more of Him in your life. If you let Him have your life, He will be so active in it, and so powerful in it, that you will have daily reminders of Him, His power, His grace and His works.