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Beacon Hill Church

Stones of Remembrance

Gratitude Sermon Series

Locations & Times

Beacon Hill Church - Main Campus (English)

1990 Norco Dr, Norco, CA 92860, USA

Sunday 9:00 AM

Today we are going to talk about the stories we tell and the memories we share; because when we share the stories of what God has done, we reveal His character and His faithfulness to the next generation.


EXODUS STORY: God through Moses delivered the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt.

· He led them to the Red Sea where God parted the waters allowing the Israelites to cross over on dry land.

· When it came time to enter into the land, the people rebelled and God punished the Exodus generation by causing them to wander in the desert for 40 years.
The Jordan River formed Canaan’s watery eastern boundary and separated the people of Israel from Canaan, the land promised to Abraham.
The priests, carrying the Ark of the Covenant, went before the people. The ark symbolized the very presence of God
This crossing of the Jordan by the Israelites was not just an experience of that generation, but a historical marker for future generations of Israelites.


Those “future generations” will become participants in the miraculous event through observing the sign and through hearing the story.


In the text we are told: God gave Joshua instructions to appoint twelve men, one from each tribe. The men were each to retrieve one stone from the middle of the riverbed where the priests had stood bearing the ark of the covenant to place on the western bank.

The stones of remembrance were not to come from the shores of the Jordan but the center, spotlighting the miracle working power of God that enabled Israel cross over on dry land.
Crossing the Jordan represented a major change for the nation of Israel. Their wilderness wanderings were over.

No longer would Israel feast upon the manna provided by the hand of God.

From now on, the people would need to walk by faith in God’s promise to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, and subsequently eat the fruit of that promise.


The pile of twelve stones reminded Israel of what God had done for them—that He cared for His people, kept His promises, and went before them in victory to conquer the land.

This is the message the stones declared to Israel, and this is what they say to us today.


God is faithful. His promises never fail:
For Israel, crossing the Jordan symbolized the means to enter the ‘new world’ of God’s promises.


For us today, it was a foreshadow of a new and living way that was opened to ALL PEOPLE through His son, Jesus Christ.
It is important to remember what God has done in the past, in order for us and for the generation who follows to have hope for the future.
WHAT ARE THE STORIES YOU TELL AND THE MEMORIES YOU SHARE?


(email testimonies to rene@beaconhill.church)