Memorial stones

The sight of the nation of Israel camped on the east side of the Jordan River, numbering two million strong, must have been an awesome sight to behold. It would have naturally sown fear into the hearts of the inhabitants of Canaan as they watched this horde of men, women, children and their livestock cross over the Jordan River on dry ground. God was preparing to exalt Joshua in the sight of all Israel as he instructs him to command a man from each of the twelve tribes to take up a large stone from the middle of the Jordan River and shoulder it across to the other side.

The Lord wanted this to be a sign in the years to come, a road marker, a reminder and a memorial stone.  “That this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ Then you shall answer that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”  Joshua 4:6,7.

Let’s take a minute to use this passage as our own memorial stone or marker reminding us how God, years before, had parted the great waters of the Red Sea allowing the Israelites to escape capture and drowning Pharaoh’s army in its wake.  And if you go back just days before that event, God instituted the first Passover celebration; where all Israelites were to sacrifice a lamb and smear the blood on their door posts and lintel. This feast too was to be another reminder of God’s mighty provisions, and also as a prophetic  sign for what He would ultimately do when His own Son would become The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, Exodus 12:1-14. The bible is so wonderfully written and divinely put together as we shall see once again in this great section of scripture.

God was instructing the Israelites to pick up twelve stones out of the river in order to assemble a memorial on the other side. Then, in years to come as they passed by this memorial, their children would ask them what were these stones piled for? God knew how quickly we forget Him and the wonderful miracles He performs in our lives. These stones would stand as a reminder and a monumental opportunity to teach about the goodness of God. What a priceless opportunity to be able to teach another generation about the sovereignty of God and how He is always there for us even as we wade through the very cold, deep rivers that can flood our lives from time to time.

Try to imagine a river sixty feet across and ten to fifteen feet deep that has been miraculously dammed up some seventeen miles away at the city of Adam. The crossing of such a large gathering of people just by itself would be quite a sight, but add onto it the miracle of the water being held back until the last Israelite crossed over. One interesting fact is that God inspired Joshua to include the date of this monumental river crossing in the text Joshua 4:19, “On the tenth day of the first month”.  Remember back to the first Passover when God instructed them to take a lamb into their homes on the tenth day of the first month. They were celebrating the Passover as God held back the waters of the Jordan in much the same way He held back the mighty waters of the Red Sea and guided the Israelites safely through the sea on dry land.

Many Rabbis in Israel today say that “coincidence” is not a kosher word and for me there are just too many overlapping similarities in both Old and New Testaments to be  coincidence. The Old Testament is a perfectly prophetic descriptive picture of the coming Messiah. God both designed these events and foretold them to us to strengthen our faith. Then, as He sees opportunity, He encourages the men to build a pile of memorial stones to teach future generations about His marvelous plan for our salvation. This plan is so perfect that it stands the test of time, beckoning us to remember our own monuments in life when God saves us and breaks us away from our sin that holds us in perpetual bondage. So, I am encouraging you to set up twelve memorial stones in your own life and when your children ask you what they are for, you can answer that almighty God loves you so much and has set in motion a marvelous plan of redemption that He established before the foundations of the world were laid.

Two or more

I realize I don’t know many of my readers face to face but my hope is that by now you have had a chance to see into my heart through the words that I write week to week. So in the spirit of bearing my soul with my new found friends I would like to admit to you all that many times I have trouble keeping my focus on most important things, the people in life. If we did not have each other we would have nothing at all. It’s the people God sprinkles around us that not only give us a reason to live but they add color and spice to an otherwise bland life of loneliness.  

I recently returned from a trip to a remote island paradise where I was treated to some local story telling and dance that conveyed a very colorful cultural history of the native people. In many remote cultures around the world there is usually a story of creation where a Devine Creator creates and guides His new creation to a land where they can grow and prosper. Even in my own life I found God at Scott Memorial Church East through Tim Lahaye’s Sunday preaching. Now years later I acknowledge the fact that there is a God and find peace as I closely study this Devine Creator through the eyes of Israelite kings, prophets and historians. My conclusion is that God gave the world His One and only Son to atone for a world lost in sin.  

You see many cultures around the world have stories about where the local people attempt to cover their wrong doings by killing and shedding the blood from an animal or in some cases even human sacrifice. There seems to be a universal need of people around the globe in every village, town and city to belong to a community. There also is a need to find fulfillment in life by believing in a loving God and the idea of eternal life with their Omnipotent Creator.  

In the New Testament book of Matthew 18 Jesus is teaching us about love as a shepherd leaves a herd of ninety-nine sheep in search of that one lost little lamb. Salvation as taught by Jesus is a black and white issue with no room for gray areas. Either you are in or you are out. Jesus draws a line in the sand, like a last stand at the Alamo, and invites everyone to join Him on one side. Never using force, manipulating or threatening us but always in a loving, tender voice He invites us to come. Come and sup with Him in fellowship as was always the plan. 

Just as Jesus called each one of His disciples he also calls each one of us to a relationship with Him. And anytime we enter into a relationship with someone there will be both good and bad times, misunderstandings and situations that require forgiveness. This is true even in a relationship with God. It is also true in communities of believers where from time to time order needs to be restored through discipline. In Matthew 18:20 Jesus states this “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there, in the midst of them.”  

This verse while in its context is dealing with church discipline is one verse that we should meditate on daily. The blatant truth of this verse is just as plain as the nose on your face. We can’t avoid relationships with others because we want to avoid the hurt feelings, pain and forgiveness that always is part of belonging to a community of believers. It is extremely comforting to me to see from this verse that God is encouraging us to commune together, to gather together in fellowship with one another and that any relationship requires more than one person’s involvement.  

You see, like many of you, I have also been hurt by other people in church and had my share of hurting other people by disregarding either their feelings or convictions. Then by not wanting conflict or confrontation I usually withdraw from church and away from fellowship. My spiritual life begins cooling off like an ember which has been shot out of the fire’s coals to die a slow heat death all alone by myself.  

Jesus is saying so much more in Matthew 18:20 then the strength of two or three witnesses in confronting a habitually sinning brother. Rather Jesus is telling us that our real strength lies in community, grouped up together with all of our eyes focused on Him. Watching each other’s backs and not driving sharp objects into them. We all need to practice what we so desperately want others to see in our lives…the love of Christ!

Bucket list

My wife is very beautiful, smart and my best friend. She completes me in all the ways I could never begin to think of how to manage. It is clearly a God design how men and women attract each other, marry and build a family. Over the last four years my wife has been concerned about me. She believes I am checking off items on a bucket list while in the midst of a mid-life crisis. But I sternly insist that I’m just an adventurer at heart and not working on any list. The bible teaches us to store our treasures in heaven where moths and rust can’t destroy and thieves can’t break in. So in an attempt to fulfill this great command to spread the love of Christ Ive been traveling around the world sharing the love of Christ. 

So my latest endeavor is a worldwide evangelistic You-Tube channel that will reach around our globe using technology that in the last few years is opening up missionary work to all points of the globe. In an attempt to share the simplicity of God’s message of love to a lost and hurting world Leif and myself have spent the last twelve months climbing up to a remote cave situated high up in the mountains. Once there after praying for God’s direction, Leif films short 8-10 minute video segments that are uploaded to the internet. 

"Sermons from the cave" is a new YouTube.com channel, which can be found at  www.youtube.com/user/sermonsfromthecave. The cave is a place where you can daily watch and listen to short 8 to 12 min bible teachings that will get you into God's word. The cave was an idea conceived out of prayer for a new worldwide Internet bible teaching ministry. The YouTube channel provides the platform for people of all nations to watch and learn about the true and living God. The cave, high up in the mountains, provides a setting where you can focus on what God is instructing His church to be doing. 

Our cave team is committed to bringing you only the whole truth of what God has already revealed to a lost world. We are not affiliated to any one Christian denomination but rather prefer a label of "Followers of Christ" or "little Christ". We believe God's word to be truthful, inerrant and complete down to the last yot or tittle. We believe all the books of the canonized bible to be inspired by God 2 Timothy 3:16,17. Part of our ministry is to teach you just how perfectly all the individual books piece together to make up the whole story. Simply put the bible is a love letter to His creation, you and me. 

Located high atop a mountain, the cave provides our team with a place to frame the simplicity of God's message. The cave has no stage, lights or modern technology other than the small video camera my producer uses to capture the 8 to 12 minute segments. Leif, my producer, is one of those high tech people who you call when your computer decides to rebel like Korah did before the entire congregation of Israel (Exodus 16). If I was Moses then I could see Leif filling the shoes of Aaron or Hur where they held up Moses' hands during a battle with the Amalekites thus working together to accomplish God's work. 

Today in the United States our lives have become too busy. We fill every second of our day with so many things that tend to take the place of God. We don't like to look at this as idol worship but it is. The cave provides a natural setting where God can speak to our heart. These short 8 to 12 minute teachings will refresh you and feed you on God's word. It’s a great way to witness to unsaved friends in your workplace or even in your own family. The cave is a place you can go to get alone with God, where He alone can speak to your heart from the privacy of your own laptop or I-Phone. 

We want to welcome you all to take a visit to the cave where you can sit, watch and listen for that still, quiet voice of God. A voice that wants to tell you He loves you. A voice that wants to tell you He cares. The still quiet voice of God is longing to be let into your world and fellowship with you. Come and explore the cave with us and see what God has to say to you! So here are the GPS coordinates for the location of the cave. www.youtube.com/user/sermonsfromthecave 

There are over 125 videos so take your time and see how God will change your heart. A soft pliable heart is what God can use and will if you let Him into your daily life. Please take the time to send us your feedback

Great Faith!

The framework of the law was never designed to bring us into the Promised Land that is the presence of the Lord but rather served as a tutor. It did not take long for men to realize they needed deliverance from it. Moses  dies at the very edge of the wilderness and his assistant Joshua, whose name means “Yahweh is salvation”, will guide the Israelites into the Promised Land. There are many beautiful analogies to be found in the book of Joshua that hint at the coming Messiah. As we ponder these spiritual truths let us not just marvel at them but apply what we learn to our own spiritual walks.

God opens chapter one by explaining to the Israelites that He is the source of their strength and to keep their eyes on Him alone. He gives them all this great inhabited land that that is sprawled out before them. He stakes off a great territory for them to conquer and inhabit. He instructs them to be strong and of good courage and that He will divide up the land as an inheritance to all twelve tribes of Israel. A great truth for everyone can be found in Joshua 1:9 and is a great verse to memorize “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” We all need to remember that!

One of my favorite bible stories of all time is found in chapter two of Joshua; it’s the story of how Rahab hid two Israelites who landed in Jericho overnight to gather intelligence for Joshua. When word got to the king that two Hebrew spies were inside the city gates and staying at Rahab’s house he demanded that she hand them over into his custody. However, Rahab took the two spies and hid them inside her house. Then she lies to the king’s men and tells them that “yes” the men had stopped there but left the night before as the city gates were being closed and that if they wanted to overtake them they had better hurry in pursuit of them.

Here we have Rahab lying about the whereabouts of the two Hebrew spies. We shall see later that she is rewarded for her act of kindness and how God ultimately blesses her family for it. On the surface this situation seems hypocritical to holiness and something that God would strictly prohibit. Many would call this a moral dilemma but for me it’s a simply a glimpse into God’s merciful, gracious heart. In fact its interesting to note that Rahab is mentioned in  Joseph’s genealogy found in Matthew chapter one.

We read in Joseph’s genealogy  that Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jessie, and Jessie begot David the king. So here we have several Gentile women in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. If Rahab had not shown mercy to the Hebrew spies then king David would have never been born. If king David had never been born then a large portion of Messianic prophecy begins to crumble and fall to the ground without a genealogical foundation to be built on. For your information Mary, the mother of Jesus, is also related to king David through another of David’s sons but that’s another story with a different twist.

We discover from the text in Joshua 2:8-11 why God chose to pour out His grace and mercy on Rahab and her family. “Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, and said to the men: I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath.”

Rahab displays more faith, more belief and more trust than all the Israelites put together. You see its always been our faith that saves us. Jesus told us to believe in Him, to trust in Him that He alone was the way to enter into God’s presence and that is all the Lord God has ever wanted from us just to sincerely trust and believe in Him.  Jesus said in John 14 “I am the way, the truth and the life”.