All Age Family Service
[0:00] Hi, folks. Well, in case you think that's a bit random, we just suddenly jump into Joshua.
[0:12] Obviously, this morning's service is an all-age service. We're all staying in, and I'm going to read a little bit from Joshua chapter 3 and 4. And really, there's one big idea for today. If anyone goes away remembering anything from today is that God's promises never fail. God's promises never fail, and we're going to see how that happens. But let me read from Joshua chapter 3 just now, and don't worry about it if it's not up or anything like that. What I would like you to do if you're up for the challenge is listen out for the word pass. Passed, pass, passing.
[0:50] There's a theme of passing over or passing through, and just try and catch how many you can see in this passage. Because part of reading the Bible is notice where the emphasis is, and that will give you an idea of what the thing's about. So let me read from Joshua chapter 3, and then we're going to do some different things. So Joshua chapter 3.
[1:15] Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and they set out from Shittim. They came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. At the end of three days, the officers went through the camp and commanded the people, as soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord, your God, being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not come near, in order that you may know the way that you shall go, for you have not passed this way before. Then Joshua said to the people, Consecrate yourself, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you. And Joshua said to the priests, Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people. So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.
[2:13] Now the Lord said to Joshua, Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan. And Joshua said to the people of Israel, Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. Joshua said, Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will, without fail, drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Gergishites, the Amorites, the Jebusites. That's the Scottish tribe, by the way, the Amorites.
[2:59] You ask somebody in Scotland how they're doing. Amorite. It's the Scottish tribe there, the Amorites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. And when the soles of the feet of the priests bear an ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the water will come down. The water coming down from above shall stand still in one heap.
[3:34] So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water, now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. This was a wide, wide river flood season. The waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zeratham. And those flowing down toward the sea of Arabah, the salt sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, in the middle, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.
[4:41] When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them, saying, take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests' feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you, and lay them down in the place where you lodged tonight.
[5:00] Joshua called twelve men from the people of Israel, from whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe, and Joshua said to them, pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon your shoulder, according to the number of tribes of the people.
[5:18] This is twelve stones. And this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, what do those stones mean to you? Then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord when it passed over the Jordan. The waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever. The people of Israel did just what Joshua commanded, took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of tribes of the people of Israel, just as the Lord told Joshua. They carried them over with them to one place where they lodged, and laid them down there. Joshua set up the twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests were bearing the ark of the covenant. They are there to this day. For the priests bearing the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to tell the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people passed over in haste. When all the people had finished passing over, the ark of the Lord and the priests passed over before the people.
[6:30] The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh passed over, armed before the people of Israel. And Moses told them about forty thousand ready for war, passed over before the Lord for battle to the plains of Jericho. On that day, the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him, just as they had stood in awe of Moses all the days of his life. Amen. Well, that's the word of the Lord, and we pray that he blesses the reading of it. So, how many people got five passing over? Put your hand up. How many people counted? You counted. Okay, okay. Keep your hand up. If you got, if you didn't get six, put your hand down.
[7:17] If you didn't get seven, put your hand down. If you didn't get eight, did you get more than eight? Right. Nine, ten, eleven, twelve. Lewis, how many did you get?
[7:34] You would think, you would think. What would you think, Ruth Evelyn? Sixteen. Sixteen, fifteen. I think I got fifteen, but then I noticed one in there that I maybe didn't miss, you know. It was about fifteen, sixteen, but it felt like twenty-five. So, what are we supposed to learn from all this? It keeps repeating, repeating, repeating, is that they passed over, just as the Lord commanded. Now, I've got a challenge for the children. Thankfully, you're not going to need to lump it up on your shoulders, but I've got twelve stones here, right? And they built, when they took them over, they built them into a memorial. So, it was like a pile of stones. Now, here's the challenge. Do you think you children together could work as a team and build a stone tower?
[8:22] Do you think you could get all twelve stones to stand on each? Let's try it. Come on, let's. Right. Now, they are flat. They're kind of flat. They're kind of flat, right? See if you can get, like, twelve high. What, like this? Yeah, like that. Yeah, yeah. Now, obviously, you'll need to start with the bigger ones at the bottom, maybe. All the bigger ones first.
[8:46] Right. So, this is teaching engineering. And now, if you can't do that, what you might need to do is you might need to do, like, a kind of pyramid-y type thing. Millie's on a roll here. This is looking really good. Oh! It's like a game of Jenga, isn't it? I did think about getting giant Jenga, and then I thought, somebody will get crushed. And it'll probably be me. So, what I want to highlight here is just a few points about this passage.
[9:23] And what we're going to do, boys and girls, if you're up for it, see after this. If you want, there's a wee, see over there, there's a table with paints and stuff. If you would like to take a stone or two and paint a design on it, you can do that afterwards. Okay?
[9:37] But you might need, like, I've got, this was just opening the paint, and I've got paint all over my fingers. So, you might need to take, whoever's, whoever brought you, you might need to take them over with you to help you, okay? And to make sure you don't touch your nice clothes with paint. I know, I know. Sorry. Do you know where you got the dress?
[10:00] Yes. We'll get you another one. We got it. Well done. There you go. Now, I think you can maybe get that one. Do you think you can get that one on top? Oh, but you're getting higher. That's good. That's good. I think you can go bigger. Now, has anyone in here seen a pile of stones stacked on each other? We live in Scotland. This should be, right, Stephen? Anyone else? Yeah, yeah. What are they called? A cairn. A cairn. Right. Well done. Look at that. That's bigger than before. Everyone give them a round of applause. Now, the question is, right, now, you can take a stone away with you, Harrison. I know you like to take everything and anything that's going. Right. Well, it's okay. It's okay. Look, there's a big one there. Nice big flat one there. You can take two. And if you want, if you want, that's great. If you want, you can paint them over there. So, you can go over there. But
[11:01] I would take the person that you came with over with you. Right. There you go. So, you can go over there. There you go. There you go. There's a lovely smooth stone and there's one for my mum. Thank you so much. You're welcome. I'm expecting big things from you, Fiona, here. Maybe you could paint, like, Dubai or something on it. No pressure. There you go. I'm sorry I didn't bring enough for you all. Now, there are four things to notice in this passage. We're going to go through it very quickly. Now, how many times did it talk about passing through, passing on, passing over? About 16. Right. 16. I'm going to go with it. I thought 15. I'm going to go with you, Jeanette, because I think there was one I missed in there. And so, we read through this account and we notice this theme of passing and crossing over. Now, where have we heard of that before? Where do you think? Now, Joshua is like the new Moses. And so, where have we heard of passing over or passing through before?
[12:17] Sorry? The Red Sea. The Red Sea. This is like another exodus. This is a big, big moment. This is a big miracle. Now, I don't know if you've ever seen the Jordan River, but there was more water then than there is now. And a lot of it is, you know, taken away and used. But this was during flood season as well. Now, the river was like over a mile wide. It was massive. And it went up onto the flood plains. And it was just impossible. This is the picture we get. It was impossible to cross this river. There was no way that they were getting across. And then it says that when the Lord stopped it, it was gathered up in a heap right further up, further north, at a place called Adam or Adam. Now, I don't know if you know the history of that place. Actually, not too long ago, there was an earthquake nearby there that disrupted the waters. The cliffs fell down and dammed the waters for about 21 hours. This happens, you know. Now, whether or not this is God using natural occurrences for His ends, we don't know. Suffice it to say, God can do whatever He likes. It would be highly coincidental for them to turn up just as an earthquake happens, just as they need to cross over.
[13:40] So, either way, this is a major miracle that the Lord does here. Now, why do they need to cross over? Why do they need to pass over? Because they've came out of Egypt. They've came out of slavery.
[13:54] They've came through the Red Sea, but they're in the wilderness. They're not in what? Where are they not? They're not in the promised land. And why is it called the promised land? Because God promised to give it to them. Now, here's the big question. Is God's promise He's going to fail? Never.
[14:14] So, this is about God's promise. Now, I don't know if you know this wee lesson. The word Hebrew, does anyone know what the word Hebrew means or where it comes from? David's got it. He knows more Hebrew than me. It comes from the term to cross over. Hebrews, the people of Hebrews, the Hebrew people, I mean, we might be inclined to think it's people who make tea. Hebrews. It's not. The actual word Hebrew comes from the term to cross over. This was a people that was known for crossing over, and they crossed over because of God. Now, the idea here is that we cross over from what is old to what is new. We cross over from where we were before and cross over into God's promise.
[15:02] We cross over from idolatry in Egypt to true worship. We cross over from slavery to the land of rest. That's the big thing. Now, I don't know if you know any similar themes in the New Testament, but there's something that Jesus said in John chapter 5, and I'm just going to flick over there just now.
[15:23] John chapter 5. Jesus says this. 524. Jesus says, Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but he has what?
[15:48] Passed. Crawford's on it. Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He doesn't come into judgment. He has passed from death into life. This was the people of Israel passed from the land of not promise into the land of promise. That's the big idea.
[16:11] Now, we have this term, don't we, when people die, passing away. It's not passing away like the person ceases to exist. It's passing over. Passing over. Death is not the end. No matter where you stand, death is not the end. But whoever believes in him, whoever hears his word and believes in him, has eternal life. He has passed from death into life. Now, secondly, the exalted one. This is a big theme as well. You'll notice in this passage, it starts out with God saying that he's going to exalt Joshua before the people. And then they have this whole Jordan River experience with the stones.
[16:51] And then it finishes in chapter 4 saying that at this time, the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all the people, and they stood in awe of him. And this was like Moses. That's what it refers to, Moses. But it points ahead. Who's the one that is exalted? Again, in John's gospel. I don't know if you've ever noticed this, but it's truly magnificent. Because here we have the exodus and the Passover, the Passover and the exodus, and Moses. And then we have Joshua in passing over the Jordan mapped onto the same event. The same event. Now, these two things go together to show us something. And it says this in John chapter 1. These things took place right at the start. These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing. So here we've got baptizing in the Jordan, referring to Joshua.
[17:50] The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him and said, Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. We've got in two sentences in John's gospel the mapping of the Passover lamb and the passing over of the Jordan together in Jesus. They point to Jesus and what Jesus is doing.
[18:10] And so that's the thing. Jesus is the exalted one, isn't he? He's the one in Mark's gospel when he was baptized that it says this, A voice came from heaven. So the heavens being torn open, the spirit descending on him like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, while Jesus is standing in the Jordan, believed to be the exact same place where Joshua crossed. And you'll know Joshua's name. Joshua's name means the Lord's salvation. The Lord saves. In fact, Jesus' name is Joshua. You know, as we transliterate, it comes from the same name that God's salvation, God saves. Jesus standing in the midst of the Jordan where Joshua took the people across, and a voice comes from heaven and says, You are my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased. This is Jesus. This is what Joshua is pointing towards. And further, we know in Philippians that it says in chapter 2, Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed upon him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and heaven and earth and under the earth every tongue confess, Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. This is the Passover, all bound up in Jesus, the exalted one who is leading his people.
[19:32] Remember, Jesus goes first, doesn't he? He goes first into the grave. When you go into the grave, it's like going into the Jordan. God is there. The Ark of the Covenant is in the midst of the Jordan, and you pass before it, and he leads you out. He goes before you, and he leads you out. Thirdly, remembering, remembering the stones were taken from where? Yeah. Now imagine the children saying, Oh, what do these stones mean? It's not a mountain. We're not going up a hill. It's not a cairn.
[20:03] Maybe it's to measure distance. What do these stones mean? Well, they remember that we came across the Jordan and such and forth. Oh, there's something I forgot to tell you, child. The stones came from the middle of the river on the bottom, on the bedrock. No, they didn't, Dad. Don't tell porcupines.
[20:24] How can you have got these stones that you could only, they're massive. How could you get these stones from the middle of the river? Who's a strong enough swimmer? Who's strong enough that they could not only go into the bottom of the river, but they could fight against the tide and carry 12 stones from the middle of the river? You're talking nonsense, Dad. Oh, you're sorry. I'm forgetful.
[20:46] There's something I forgot to tell you. You see, when we came to the river, God stopped the river and piled it up in a heap further up. No. No way. Well, yes way, because this is God. This is the God we serve.
[20:59] You see, He's the one that does what is impossible. These stones piled up, things to remember. Where do we think about things to remember? What do you think in the Christian life of the Joshua and the passing over the Jordan? The Passover lamb who was standing in the midst of the Jordan, who enables us to pass over. Where do we go to think about remembering? What do you think? Shout it out.
[21:27] We go to this very table, don't we? Come to the table. Paul says, I received from the Lord what I delivered to you. The Lord Jesus, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread. He'd given thanks.
[21:39] He broke it. He said, this is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. The same way He took the cup. This is the cup of the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. These are physical things. We need physical things, don't we? We need something that we can hold on to, to remember. Something that we can touch, feel, taste, smell. The Lord's Supper.
[22:04] Now, I wonder if there's anything in your life that you do for remembrance, just aside from the Lord's Supper. Do you keep a prayer diary? I mean, how easily do we forget answered prayer? How easily do we forget what God has done? The people came out of the Exodus, a magnificent show of power.
[22:23] And days later, they were complaining about God and wanting to go back to Egypt. We forget so easily. And so there are loads of things that we can do to remember. Paul writes this to Timothy, which I think is just beautiful. He says to Timothy, I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother, Lois, and your mother, Eunice, and now I am sure dwells in you as well. And he says to Timothy, as for you, continue in what you've learned and firmly believe, knowing from whom you have learned it and from how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings. Here's something that we can use to remember. Peter calls it a sure word, a more sure word than all our experiences, something that stands, something that people have tried to stamp out for centuries, for millennium. People have tried to burn this, get rid of it from the earth.
[23:20] God's word stands. Here's something we can remember. And Paul says, sacred words, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
[23:33] Fourth thing, so telling, remembering and telling the next generation. And the fourth thing, really a simple thing, and the big idea of it all, in Joshua 21, so much has happened, so much has gone on.
[23:46] It says this, the Lord, thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the Lord gave them rest on every side, every side, just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. Final verse, not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed. All came to pass.
[24:24] God's promises never fail. If we're going to learn anything, if we want to keep a hold of anything, we need to keep a hold of that. Whether we're children or not, whether we have stones or not, we need to keep a hold of that. Because the people in the first couple of centuries were having a hard time. This is what the writer in Hebrews writes. You recall from the former days when after you were enlightened, you had endured hard struggle with sufferings. Sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction. Sometimes being partners with those so treated. You had compassion of those in prison. Joyfully accepted the plundering of your homes and your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. And then he flies right into the hall of faith. The hall of faith.
[25:21] By faith they've done this. By faith. And why do we need to remember that God's promises never fail? Because he writes this. All these people that had faith and remembered and looked forward, he writes, these all died in faith, not having received the things promised.
[25:40] Why? Does that mean God's promises have failed? Absolutely not. Having seen them from afar and greeted them from afar, acknowledged them that they were strangers in exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear they're seeking a homeland. They desire a better country. That is a heavenly one.
[26:00] Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. Folks, you can trust in God's promises. He goes ahead of us. He stands in the midst of the Jordan.
[26:14] When we go into anything we face, he has been there ahead of us. He is with us. And when we go into death, he's standing right there ready to take us through and out into the promised land of rest.
[26:27] Rest on every side. Boy, I'm looking forward to that. A land of promise. A life promised in Christ. You can trust the promises of God because God's promise never fails. Let me pray, and then we're going to... Why don't we sing a hymn first, and then we'll pray for the family, right? We'll do that. Let me pray, and we're going to sing, and then we'll pray for the Websters.
[26:52] Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this word from Joshua. Thank you for the confidence that we can have looking back, looking back to all the promises that you fulfilled in the history of your people, and also looking at the Lord's Supper and looking ahead, knowing that you will keep all your promises to us. Help us to have trust and confidence in Christ, knowing that all your promises in Christ are yes and amen. Amen.