Joshua Chapter 4 Verses 1 – 9

• Twelve’s everywhere. Twelve men, twelve tribes, twelve stones from the Jordan, twelve stones setup in the midst of the Jordan…even back in the previous chapter, verse 12 of chapter 3, “Twelve men from the tribe of Israel…”
• Twelve is the number of completeness and also the number of government in the Bible…but most importantly and most relevant to our study tonight, the number 12 also represents people. All people…The people of God as we see in the sons of Jacob or Israel (meaning “governed by God”). And also the people of the flesh as Ishmael, who was born to Abraham through Hagar, the son of the flesh, he also had twelve sons.
• The complete church even as we see the 12 tribes of Israel in the Old Testament and the 12 apostles in the New Testament coming together in the 24 elders seated around the throne of God in John’s revelation of heaven! So why the twelve stones? What’s up with the twelve? Well the answer…something major!
• God commands Joshua and then Joshua commands the priests, “Take the stones from the water and bring them to the land…” and then Joshua himself took twelve stones, (presumably from the land), and set them up in the river…now river rocks, what is their texture? They’re smooth right? Shiny, pleasant, gentle on the hands, desirable and awesome! And what is the texture of land rock? Well, rough, random…maybe sharp, certainly dry…
• So as the people are passing from the land of complaint, the land of wandering, the land of dryness and death…leaving it all behind…and entering into the promised land…you see this scene intrigues me! Because God does something here and Joshua does something here that generations of Jewish children would ask about around the dinner table…that you and I and all the people of the Book (the Bible) would consider for lifetimes to come…that we would discuss and dive into as it were…to discover the message of the 12…
• As people of God…having come out of Egypt through the Red Sea…a picture of salvation, a picture of baptism as the nation of slaves becomes the nation of “God Governs” or “Israel” so too we when we come to the Lord, acknowledging that we are in need of a Savior and hearing the gospel…the account of Jesus of Nazareth, what He said and what He did and how He rose…and yielding our hearts to the truth…professing faith and calling upon Him as our Lord and Savior…we too leave Egypt as it were…we leave the world behind and our eyes are opened to another world…a world within this world but not of this world…

• And yet so many of us, most of us, enter a time of wilderness walking…where we struggle with it man…continue to play with sin and live for self…as the children of Israel did those forty years…having heard the Word of God…still they depend on themselves man…God said, “Go in! Take the land! I’ve given it to you!” And yet the people cried out to Moses…”but, but, but!” Excuse after excuse about how they can’t…”We just can’t, I just can’t.”

• And so they remained rough. Rough around the edges…sharp at the corners…unpleasant to hold…dry and rigid…And then, once they had come to the end of their collective victim mentality…once the entire generation of those who had come out of Egypt (save two…Joshua and Caleb…the two that were faithful from the beginning) once they had all fallen in the wilderness, Joshua rises. And leads them through the River Jordan…again at the command of the Lord…a picture of a second baptism! Not a second salvation! But a second baptism! (More on that later)
• And in doing so…they leave the rigid rocks in the depths of the waters and from the waters they bring out smooth stones…pleasant, soft to the touch yet powerfully strong and fortified within…Just like us…when we are ready to leave it all behind and get serious about our walks…in fact, here’s the big deal and then I want to show you this scripturally…what is water a type of in the Bible? What does water speak of? The Word of GOD!!! And so, when we get serious about learning, knowing, hearing, reading, studying and KEEPING (walking in / obeying) the Word of God…

• Let me show you this scripturally. You’re gonna love this! Turn over to John Chapter 20 verses 21 and 22. Notice this is after Jesus is resurrected. And the disciples…what are they doing? Witnessing for Jesus?   Living smooth, polished and powerful lives? Nope. They’re hiding…and then Jesus shows up…and He speaks to their fear, “quiet for a moment,” and then He breathes on them and at that moment…they all receive the Holy Spirit! Salvation is here! They believed yes…as they walked with Jesus, as they watched Him, beheld Him…how could they not? But now as Jesus would be going to His Father in heaven…a new type of belief would be required…faith…hope that believes without seeing…and the promise given by Jesus in John Chapter 14…fulfilled here before He goes home…He gives them the Holy Spirit…just as He does today…and births in them faith…

• Welcome out of Egypt…and yet, the wilderness. What happens next? Did they take Jericho? Did they conquer and collectively come into a state of being of power? NO! They went fishing! Peter becomes frustrated and goes fishing and the boys go along! Why? Because they have yet to pass through the River Jordan man! And many Christians today still have yet to do the same.
• Look at Acts Chapter 1…Luke continues the story that John began for us…look at verse 4 and read to verse 5…You think they hadn’t been baptized? Jesus had! John the Baptist was on the scene for a time after Jesus was on the scene…John had disciples! You think that John’s disciples weren’t baptizing and that the disciples hadn’t been dunked!! John chapter 4 actually tells us that Jesus’ disciples were baptizing others so obviously they themselves had been…so what is Jesus talking about here? Keep reading…continue to verse 8…

• There it is! The baptism of the Holy Spirit! The crossing from the wilderness to the promised land and dynamite power in your walk…to the point that you will be witnesses of Jesus eeeeeeerywhere! What happens next with the disciples? They turn the world upside down!

• So connect the dots! The rough stones, the smooth stones…the wilderness to the promised land…and the delta…the medium…the path…the way…is the water…and for you and for me…the Word….
• Turn over to Ephesians Chapter 5 and look with me at verses 15 – 21. Paul says to be being filled with the Spirit of God! Now turn over to Colossians Chapter 3…look at verse 16! Paul says the exact same thing here but instead of be being filled with the Spirit of God…what is the exhortation and thus the key? Let the WORD dwell in your richly!!! You see I believe, I see in the Bible, it is so clear to me and I have found this absolutely spot on true in my own life…when we get serious about Jesus we will indeed be absolutely dead on serious about the Word of God! And then BOOOOOOOOM!
• Read Colossians 3 verses 12 – 17. Did you read all that? Do you or I or we have any chance of being able to walk that out without being absopositutely filled with the Spirit of God? But if we are…smooth man…pleasant and powerful yet wondrous to behold…take the 12 rocks God said, out of the Jordan and bring them with you that this may be a sign among you, even when your children ask…so cool!!!!