Joshua - Enduring Faithfulness: If These Stones Could Speak

11/4/2018

Opener: What, in your home, acts as a memento? Why is it special to you? What is the memory it points to and how do it represent that?

In the story of Joshua leading the people across the Jordan (Joshua 3-4), what was the most interesting aspect? Some suggestions: God imparting his authority to Joshua; the fighting men lead the way; the Lord stops the water as He did at the Red Sea; or anything else which caught your eye.
Pastor Brennan said that the Bible has one author, one hero, and one message. What do you think of reading the Bible this way? Have you ever considered that the ‘stories’ may be more connected than they appear on the surface? Where else do you find these themes showing up in scripture? Do they tie together to say something bigger? Pick one of these themes and dig deeper in your group.
1. The theme of 3 days (Josh 3:1-3, Jonah 1:17, 1 Cor. 15:4)
2. The theme of 40 (days, years, 400 years)
3. The theme of Adam (Josh 3:16, Rom. 5:12-21)
4. The theme of going through the Jordan, or into it and out again (Josh. 3-4, The cleansing of Naaman in 2 Kings 5, The baptism of Jesus in Matt. 3:13-17)
5. The theme of entering the Promised Land or God’s Rest (Heb. 4:1-11)
6. The theme of burial and death as a result of a lack of trust for in the Lord (Heb. 3:16-19)
7. Or something else you picked out of Josh. 3-4
Why were the stones in Gilgal significant (v4:21-24)? Why were the stones under the river significant? Think about this as they relate to the themes of judgement, deliverance, and authority. Is it really important to have both sets of stones? What would have the message been if there was only one set of stones? Either the ones on the shore or the ones under the river? What would have been missing?
How do you feel about being called a memorial stone? Pastor Brennan said, “God didn’t pull you out of the river to be silent.” Read Colossians 2:12-15
1. This is the authority that we walk in now. Our very lives speak of the defeated foes of sin and death, and a victorious king Jesus. Jesus has added YOU to his collection of handpicked rocks and attached to you significance and a powerful story of deliverance, for you to share, not keep to yourself. Because it’s through YOU that he adds to his rock collection.
2. What would need to change in your life for you to explore this role more openly this week?
Over the next week, read Psalm 118 and meditate on the the work of the Lord in it. Sometime before Sunday, shoot an email to the rest of your group with a quick reflection on this passage and what God has shown you through it.