"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, ³and 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.’ ⁴So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, ⁵and 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, ⁶to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?'' ⁷tell 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.'"

An honest man was being tailgated by a stressed out woman on a busy boulevard. Suddenly, the light turned yellow. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he might have beaten the red light. The tailgating woman hit the roof, and the horn, screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection, dropping her cell phone and makeup. As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched, finger printed, photographed, and placed in a holding cell. After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.

He said, "I’m very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the 'Choose Life' license plate holder, the'‘What Would Jesus Do' bumper sticker, the 'Follow Me to Sunday- School' bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian Fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally... I assumed you had stolen the car." We send message with our lives, don’t we?

I. Our experience today can be set-up to influence the future.
"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, ³and 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.'"

The Israelites were ready to enter the Promised Land. But they had to cross the Jordan River—and it was flooded. They couldn’t cross without drowning. God told the priest to move first, carrying the Ark of the Covenant symbolizing God’s presence. Only when their feet touched the water, did the water stop and they could safely cross. God did it again! For the people it was another faith challenge and victory.

After the people safely crossed the river, what would be next? Conquering the land? Not yet. First, God directed them to build a memorial from 12 stones drawn from the river by 12 men, one from each tribe. This may seem like an insignificant step in their mission of conquering the land, but God wanted His people to stay focused on Him.

Names of God: For Abraham it was "God my provider"—providing a sacrifice to take the place of his son. For Moses it was God the I Am—the absolute God that is over all other supposed gods of Egypt as Moses went to face Pharaoh.

You and I also can name descriptive names for God: The Provider— My Strength in need—for example, when I have had to wait a long time for something good to happen. My Forgiver—remembering a time when I really blew it and God didn’t abandoned me or throw me away. By what specific name would you speak of God?

The works of the Lord are so worthy of remembrance, and people are so prone to forget them, that various methods are needed to refresh our memories. God ordered preparing a memorial to speak to them and to future generations that God is faithful! We, took, need to be making that message known.

II. Memorials are built out of our faith struggles.
"Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, ⁶to serve as a sign among you."

Memorials are built out of our faith struggles. Let me show you what I mean. October 1942, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker was on a mission in a B-17 to deliver an important message to General MacArthur in New Guinea. Somewhere over the South Pacific the Flying Fortress became lost beyond the reach of radio. Fuel ran dangerously low, so the men ditched their plane in the ocean. For nearly a month Captain Eddie and his companions would fight the water, and the weather, and the scorching sun. They spent many sleepless nights recoiling as giant sharks rammed their rafts. The largest raft was nine by five. The biggest shark...ten feet long. But of all their enemies at sea, one proved most formidable: starvation. Eight days out, their rations were long gone or destroyed by the salt water. It would take a miracle to sustain them. And a miracle occurred.

One day, with his hat pulled down over his eyes to keep out some of the glare, he dozed off.” He said, "Something landed on my head. I knew that it was a sea gull. I don’t know how I knew, I just knew. Everyone else knew too. No one said a word, but peering out from under my hat brim without moving my head, I could see the expression on their faces. They were staring at that gull. The gull meant food...if I could catch it."

Captain Eddie caught the gull. Its flesh was eaten. Its intestines were used for bait to catch fish. The survivors were sustained and their hopes renewed because a lone sea gull, uncharacteristically hundreds of miles from land, offered itself as a sacrifice.

He never forgot. Every Friday evening until his death in 1973, about sunset...on a lonely stretch along the eastern Florida seacoast...you could see him walking...his bucket filled with shrimp was to feed the gulls...to remember that one which, on a day long past, gave itself without a struggle...like manna in the wilderness.¹

The Israelites were to get the stones for a memorial from the middle of the river they crossed. Out of their struggle, they found the resource with which to know God better and trust Him more deeply. The stone from the midst of your faith battles can become a sign that can help others. This is why testimony of how God has helped YOU is so important. Others begin to think that God can help them as well.

We follow and trust Christ individually. But other’s can inspire or encourage us, and we can do the same for other people. Out of the midst of your challenge and pain, you can build a memorial to God’s faithful provision.

III. Create a memorial to God’s faithfulness.
"In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' ⁷tell 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."

Don’t waste your faith struggles and experiences. Turn them into monuments to God’s abiding help. Our faith in Christ is personal, but not to be private! People need "curren"” signs of God at work. We have Scriptural signs, but it is too easy to sluff those off as "Bible days". But someone we know who has "overcome" with God’s help—it makes an impression on us—encouragement to keep on going.

Memorials:
Last Tuesday evening at Church Council we were sharing how Christ has changed our lives. It was inspiring. We need more testimonies of God’s working in real people’s lives—lives like ours. Testimonies are not bragging but telling of God’s faithfulness. Memorials to God that encourage people.

Life actions of faith—Pastors who fall in some sin, discourages or disillusions people. Remember, People are watching you!

Talks with people (to fellow workers—I have found God as the Source of my Strength or as My complete forgiver)

Journaling (my best friend, helping clean out his grandmother’s house after she died—found her faith journal—how she handled it when her husband was over seas during World War 1, prayers, faith struggles and victories, lessons learned) A great inspiration to my friend and his children—and to me.

What will you do now?
You can affect the future—both near and distant. You can pass on the benefit of your faith development—the practical, living kind of faith—not just beliefs, but faith that helps people LIVE each day and be all they can be. Your legacy to the future can be more than simply your dates carved into a tombstone.

Please work at sending a message for God to the future by finding ways to express your faith experiences. Help inspire others to hold on to God and keep walking when they face their flooded rivers. Amen.