2. JOSHUA 4:1-2
“1 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying, 2 Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,

3. JOSHUA 4:3
“3 and command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.

4. JOSHUA 4:4
“4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:

5. JOSHUA 4:5
“5 and Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:

6. JOSHUA 4:6
“6 that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?

7. JOSHUA 4:7
“7 then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.”

9. INTRODUCTION
GOOD MORNING. We thank God…

10. INTRODUCTION
Please repeat after me: “Ye also, as lively stones – are built up a spiritual house – an holy priesthood – to offer up spiritual sacrifices – acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).

11. INTRODUCTION
We are so very thankful for this congregation…

12. INTRODUCTION
VISITORS: you are our welcomed and honored guest…We are thankful and excited that you all are here and under the sound of our voice.

13. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
We are the church, God’s people, but we are NOT immune to the rush and push of society. So from time to time we need to pause and reflect upon what God has done.

14. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
When God’s people pause, we need to stop and reflect upon what God has done in our lives.

16. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
The purpose of this command was to help them REMEMBER to be holy and do all the commandments of the Lord (Numbers 15:37-41).

19. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
“And it shall be on the day when ye shall pass over Jordan unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and whitewash them with lime” (Deuteronomy 27:2).

20. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
God will now show His people that He is with Joshua in the crossing of the Jordan River (Joshua 3:7-8).

21. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
This was an event that was to be REMEMBERED; not remembered just as something great, but REMEMBERED so the people could reflect on what God had done for them.

22. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
Mankind has the tendency to forget what God has done (Job 8:13).

23. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
Even today, the Christian who is not adding virtue, knowledge, self-control, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and love to their faith, is blind, “and hath FORGOTTEN that he was purged from his old sins” (2 Peter 1:5-9).

24. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
“1 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying, 2 Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,

25. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
“3 and command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night” (Joshua 4:1-3).

26. A PSEUDO-SOUVENIR
You purchase this souvenir so you can remember that you once visited that place.
In 1983, I visited South Africa for 30 days…

28. A PSEUDO-SOUVENIR God said to Israel, “I want you to take 12 stones.”
“4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:

29. A PSEUDO-SOUVENIR
“5 and Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:

30. A PSEUDO-SOUVENIR
“6 that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?

31. A PSEUDO-SOUVENIR
“7 then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a MEMORIAL unto the children of Israel for ever” (Joshua 4:4-7).

32. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN TO YOU?
Now you might be thinking, “Bro. Matthews, this is a good history lesson.”
This sermon is meant to call your attention to what God has done for you in your past and present.

33. STONES ARE VISIBLE EVIDENCE
The 12 stones were to be a sign, some visible evidence of what God had done.
God says, “when” your children ask - NOT “if” they ask – but “when” they ask.

34. STONES ARE VISIBLE EVIDENCE
By this the Lord is giving you an opportunity to tell them what God has done for you.

35. STONES ARE VISIBLE EVIDENCE
It’s NOT just UPS, FedEx or the US Postal system that delivers. God is still delivering. He delivers 24/7, and His deliverance for you has left some evidence.

36. STONES ARE VISIBLE EVIDENCE
They are meant to keep you and cause you to run with patience the race that is set before you, “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of your faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

37. STONES ARE VISIBLE EVIDENCE
The food you eat is NOT just food; those are stones. You pray, “give us this day, our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).
When you look at outfit after outfit, suit after suit, those are stones (Matthew 6:24-33).

38. STONES ARE VISIBLE EVIDENCE
Our cars are not just modes of transportation; these are stones to show that God has moved in your life.

39. STONES ARE VISIBLE EVIDENCE
Remember, there are 12 stones in our text. But eleven of them did not belong to another tribe.
The beauty of the church is that sometimes the stones you pay attention to are not your stones, sometimes they actually belong to someone else.

40. STONES ARE VISIBLE EVIDENCE
God has sent a new preacher here.
We have been blessed with the addition of 8 new souls.
Our tract rack is being updated and being used for world evangelism.
We have a new firm foundations class for our new converts.

41. STONES ARE VISIBLE EVIDENCE
Our computer PowerPoint system and building security system has been updated.
Our teens are letting that lights shine and bringing their friends to worship with us.

42. STONES ARE VISIBLE EVIDENCE
If we will just keep going and sowing, God will take care of the growing.
Look at those of our number who are being healed by God from their surgery this year.

43. STONES ARE VISIBLE EVIDENCE
If you are 80 years old and above, please stand up for a moment if you can so we can see you (Psalm 90:10).
If you’ve seen God answer the prayers you have been praying about these last six months, please stand up if you can.

44. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
“20 And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal. 21 And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones?

45. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
“22 then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.

46. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
“23 For the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over:

47. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
“24 that all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the Lord your God for ever” (Joshua 4:20-24).

48. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
Brethren, you need to tell somebody what God has done for you. You need to show them the stones that God has set up in your life.

49. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
No, it’s NOT bragging if you give the glory to God. It’s only bragging if you keep the glory for yourself.

50. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
God is wooing us. That means He’s calling us. He calls us by the gospel (2 Thessalonians 2:14). He wants us to know Him and say something about Him to every one we meet.

51. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
Without Jesus you cannot have a proper relationship with God (John 14:6).
The cross of Jesus is a stone.
The empty tomb is also a stone.
The blood of Christ is a stone.

52. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
Today can be the day of your salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2; Acts 2:36; Acts 2:38; Revelation 1:5 ).

53. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
Ecclesiastes 3:1 says “there is a time for every purpose under heaven.”

54. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
Jesus is “a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious” (1 Peter 2:4).

55. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
“Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Ephesians 2:20), is “a foundation stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation” (Isaiah 28:16).

56. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
“Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).

57. WHAT DO THESE STONES MEAN?
Ecclesiastes 3:5 says there is “a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together.”