The Christians Hour

Mike Breaux: Welcome to The Christians Hour. Thank you for joining us today. It's a pleasure to have you with us. The Christians Hour is a ministry of Gospel Broadcasting Mission where we proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ through radio and media all around the world. Well, today we continue our series going through the book of Joshua. We're exploring the theme of courage.

Ben Cachiaras: You know, the courage God calls his people to have as we follow him, trust him, and obey his word. What would our lives look like if our thoughts, our beliefs, and our actions were shaped by that kind of courage and trust in God? But if we're being honest, that isn't always easy. In many ways, we're not so different from the Israelites. We see what is in front of us, and we quickly forget what God has already done behind us.

Mike Breaux: We forget the days and months and years we've walked with him. We forget the moments when he's provided, protected, guided, and answered prayers, and really shown himself to be so incredibly faithful. Simply put, we have short memories. And when we forget God's faithfulness, fear can quickly take its place.

Ben Cachiaras: Throughout Joshua, God repeatedly calls his people to remember. To remember what he's done, to tell the story of his faithfulness, and to pass the story on to the next generation. Well, in today's message, Pastor Rick Atchley of The Hills Church in Fort Worth, Texas, takes us to one of those moments and shows us why remembering what God has done is so important.

Mike Breaux: Because when we remember God's faithfulness, it changes not only how we face today, it can change how we live, how we respond to fear, and even how our faith impacts those who come after us. Well, here's Rick to share more.

Rick Atchley: In the book of Joshua, the nation of Israel has come to the banks of the flooded Jordan River. They were at this same spot 40 years earlier, and at that time they did not have the courage to cross the river into the land and receive their inheritance. So God has raised up a new generation. He gave them the outrageous command to march right in the direction of a flowing flooded river. And those priests carried that ark, and when they put their feet in the water, the river stopped flowing.

But that's not the end of the story. We need to keep reading starting in chapter four. When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, "Choose 12 men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight."

So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua, and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. Joshua set up the 12 stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood, and they are there to this day.

So on the tenth day of the first month, the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. And Joshua set up at Gilgal the 12 stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, "In the future, when your descendants ask their parents, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground, for the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God."

So a man was out in the country and he saw an amazing thing happen at a farm. A farmer blew a whistle and a dog raced out of the barn straight into the pasture. And this dog by herself began to round up all the sheep and herd them toward the gate and the pen, got them all inside the pen, took her nozzle and closed that gate, took her paw and latched it shut. The man could not believe what he saw. He said to the farmer, "That is the most amazing dog. What is her name?"

Immediately a befuddled look came over the farmer's face. He said, "Oh man, what's, you know that flower, it's red, it smells nice, girls love it, it's got thorns. What's that flower?" "You mean a rose?" "Yes." He turned to his wife, "Hey Rose honey, what's the name of that dog?"

Okay, we are really, really, really good at forgetting what is really, really, really important. And a lack of bravery is often the result of a lack of memory. You see God knows this about us. He knows we have a tendency, we have a proclivity to forget him and his faithfulness. It's the main reason he has us establish memorials. You see fear needs memories of courage.

So God gives us moments to remember a great act of courage in the past to help us be brave in the present. One of the most obvious is communion, because we are remembering the most courageous act in history. You may not have thought about it that way, but when we get to glory and we begin to fathom what Jesus did—he had known nothing but eternal fellowship with God and he chose forsakenness from God for us—only then will we begin to understand how much courage it took to go to the cross.

And that's what memorials do. They help us remember great acts of courage. And so God has the children of Israel take these 12 stones, because he's going to spend two chapters, three and four, remembering something that only took one day. That journey was just six miles. It wasn't a long trip. But hundreds of years later, he had Micah the prophet say this: "Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord."

You see it was just a six-mile trip, yes, but it was so much bigger than that. Because they woke up in the morning not in the Promised Land, and they went to sleep that night in the Promised Land. You've had moments like that in your life. Maybe it was the day you got your driver's license, the day you got married, the day you became a parent. You had looked forward to that moment for months or maybe years. It just took a little time, but it was so big.

They have waited 400 years, and they finally were walking in the land of promise. And God did not want them to forget what happened that day. So God said, "Now you take one man from each tribe. You go down to where those priests are standing in that riverbed, and you pick up a stone." And by the way, the Hebrew word is a big rock, like a boulder. That's why they could only carry one a man.

And he said, "You carry those rocks up to the shore and set them up as a memorial." You see, think about it: those rocks have been in that riverbed for hundreds of years. What happens when the water rushes over a rock? It makes it smooth, right? So you take these big, huge, smooth stones that clearly have been in water for hundreds of years, and you set them up, and somebody walks by and says, "How did they get here? Those are rocks from the riverbed!"

You see what God has done is he has set up remarkable evidence that at one time in the past, that river had actually stopped flowing. Because God wants an aftermath to his miracles. God wants what he has done in the past to impact the present. And that's why we have memorials. That's why if you go to Manhattan, you can see the 9/11 Memorial, or if you go to Pearl Harbor, you can see the Arizona Memorial, or if you go to DC, you can go to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

A memorial says something in the past happened that was very, very important, and we don't just need to remember it, but we need to tell that story over and over again. I doubt you've ever heard of Morrill Worcester. He owns one of the largest Christmas wreath companies in America. And every December, he and his employees take a whole day off and they go to Arlington National Cemetery.

And they put Christmas wreaths on over 5,000 graves of fallen soldiers. And people ask, "I guess you're a veteran?" He says, "No, I am not a veteran, but I make it my business not to forget. It is your responsibility to intend to remember what happened that was really, really important, because if memory is absent, courage is rarely present."

Here's the deal: we're all living out of a narrative. Now you may not be conscious of it, but there is a narrative, there is a story that is shaping who you are and forming how you make decisions. Who tells you who you are? The narrative of hedonism says you are basically just a body. You exist to satisfy your fleshly appetites. So as long as everyone's consenting and no one is hurt, you do whatever you must do to satisfy your desires and seek your pleasure. That's why you exist.

Materialism says you're basically a consumer. You exist to acquire and to amass, because we all know the person who dies with the most toys wins the game. That's your purpose. That's why you exist. And humanism says, frankly, you don't have a reason to exist. You're an accident. You're a freak of the universe. So go ahead and pretend your life has meaning, make up whatever you want, but the truth of the matter is the universe doesn't care, because you're not even supposed to be here.

Who tells you who you are? The Bible says you exist to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. Now if you want that story, if you want that narrative to shape your life, you're going to have to be intentional, or otherwise all the other stories that you hear every day will cause you to forget who you really are. And there are some things we can all do to intend not to forget our story. One of the things you can do is worship regularly.

You can make that a priority. I know some weeks it's cold, some weeks it rains, and some weeks you stayed up late on Saturday. But you can make that decision every week: I'm going to be in church, I'm going to hear scripture taught, I'm not just going to enjoy music, but I am going to listen to the words of the songs, because they're telling a story. I'm going to take communion. I'm going to remember who I am.

Another thing you can do is connect with God every day by reading your Bible and praying. The Bible is God's story. It will do you good to read it every day. You can do life together, because when you spend time with other people trying to live the same story, it gives you encouragement to own it, too. These are all things you can do to remember who you are.

But there's one thing we can all do, and that is every one of us can erect some personal stones to help us remember those times when we faced our personal Jordans. Because every one of you had a time or two or ten when your life was at a flood-stage moment and you were facing what seemed impossible, and God got you through it. What are you doing to remember that story?

Because we all need something to go back to every now and then to remember from the past to fill our courage tank for the future. And then remember that someone else needs the benefit of your memory, because any time God does something for you, it is never just for you. And so God says to the children of Israel just before they're about to cross over these words from Deuteronomy: "Be careful, watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them."

Because one thing a boulder believer knows is that there's a generation coming right behind you. You see God anticipated the questions of the children. He didn't say if your kids ask; he said when your kids ask. Because God knows kids and kids are going to ask questions. Amen? In fact, he uses this in Exodus chapter 12 when he establishes another memorial called the Passover—the night that the death angel is about to pass over Egypt.

And here's what it says in Exodus 12: "When you enter the land the Lord has promised to give you, you will continue to observe this ceremony. And then your children will ask, 'What does this ceremony mean?' And you will reply, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and though he struck the Egyptians, he spared our families.'" You see that is one reason God gives us memorials, because there's a generation that wasn't there when the great thing happened.

And so they need to hear that story. They need to know what God has done. Memorials are for those who weren't in the moment so they can bring the power of the moment to their moment. Because where there is sacred memory, there is greater capacity for bravery. And every generation then must raise up a new generation of bolder believers. That's why the psalmist as he gets to be old asks God to give him more years.

Here's why: he says, "Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me." Because here's what you already know, especially if you've ever read the book of Judges which comes right after the book of Joshua: it only takes one generation for degeneration to take place. Because let's face it, it is going to be harder going forward in our culture to walk the faith and to own the story than it's ever been.

When some of us were young, the culture affirmed our story. Our story is getting challenged now in all kinds of arenas, and our children are going to need amazing courage to remember who they are. So you've probably never heard of Bill Chapel unless you're from Georgia. One of Georgia's greatest high school football coaches, he coached at Dalton High, went to the playoffs 27 out of 33 years that he coached.

But he would tell you he didn't coach high school football because he loved football; he loves young men. And he saw his job as a ministry. So it's the start of one of the seasons and they're having a kickoff dinner and all the fans and all the boosters and all the parents are out there. And someone says, "Coach, we going to have a good team this year?" And Coach Chapel says, "I don't know, ask me in 20 years."

And the fan assumed the coach misunderstood the question, so he asked again. And Coach Chapel replied, "Oh, I know exactly what you're asking. You're asking are we going to win football games. Yes, we're going to win some football games. But that's not why I do this. I do this to build men. I do this because I can pour into some guys who are going to become better fathers, better husbands, better members of their community. Are we going to have a good team this year? I don't know. I'll know in 20 years."

Are we doing what God has called us to do? There is a sense in which we will know when this current generation of young people leave our homes and we see how they're walking. Did they ever own the story? I was in Africa, in Swaziland, at an African Christian college. They were having their 50th anniversary. On their campus, the whole back half is a macadamia nut tree farm.

It's a cool story. Funding is always difficult with Christian education, so someone came up with the idea: let's plant acres and acres of macadamia nut trees, knowing that it would be years before they would have a single harvest. So they planted all these baby trees that grew up into this orchard, and now the fruit of these trees helps sustain and fund this school. And I was so overwhelmed by the vision.

So one afternoon, I just went on a prayer walk. I spent an hour and a half walking through these trees asking God for a vision. I was expecting a word from God for the present, something that would be for us and for right now. And after about 30 minutes, I heard the Lord's voice, and this is what he put into my spirit—I wasn't expecting this: "Leave something for the next generation."

I want you to get together with your children and with your grandchildren, and I want you to tell them why you're going to make a bigger sacrifice than you have ever made for anything in your life. Give them the power of that memory. William Smith grew up in the depression in the country, in a little church of 20 to 25 people. There was a men's meeting one Sunday afternoon and they said, "We'll never grow if we don't get a full-time preacher."

But that was going to cost $15 a week. And William's father spoke up and said, "I'll commit to $5 a week if the rest of you men will commit to 10." And little eight-year-old William was stunned, because he knew his dad only made $10 a week. And William said, "I don't know if my dad realized what he bought that day. He didn't buy just a preacher. He bought the heart of a boy who realized the kingdom of God must be the most important thing in life to my father."

And you've got that moment. We've got the moment to fuel the journey of the next generation with the memory of how this generation is sold out to the mission of God. You know what the Bible calls this? The fear of the Lord. Go back to the very last verse. Why does the Bible spend so much time on this one story? Here's why: God did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.

See, here's the crazy thing: you know what courage needs? It needs the right kind of fear. Now that sounds counterintuitive, but it's true. The way you conquer fear is you get a bigger and better fear. I guarantee you when you find the right kind of fear, it can give you courage like you can't believe. Let me illustrate it this way. All of you from my generation and just below will recognize Coach Tom Landry.

He was the very first coach of the Dallas Cowboys. In 1960 they were an expansion team. Back in those days expansion teams didn't get special draft picks or free agents; they got the scrubs nobody wanted. So in 1960, the first season of the Cowboys, they were terrible. They lost every game, and most of the defeats were lopsided. And some people criticized the new young coach because he was stoical and he didn't fire up the team enough.

So one game at the end of the year, the Cowboys come racing out of the locker room across the field of the Cotton Bowl over to their bench. And someone said, "Coach, what did you say to get them so fired up?" He said, "Simple. I said the last 11 guys to the bench have to start." You see, all you need is the right fear and you can find the right courage.

What's it mean to fear God? It doesn't mean to be afraid of God, be scared of God. There are many verses in the Psalms where the fear of God and the love of God appear at the same place. To fear God means I take him seriously because of who he is. It means I orbit my life around God as my center. God tells me who I am. It means I have ordered my life so that it lines up with the things that God cares about the most.

And when that kind of fear is absent, the fear of everything else is present. Because you will not know what to fear if you don't know who you are. But when you know who you are, when your identity is found in God, when you know I am a baptized man, I'm a baptized woman, I know my story, I own my story, I know that I exist to glorify God and enjoy him forever. When you know who you are, then petty fears lose their leverage.

Why are you going to spend time being worried about what anybody else thinks about you? You have the affection of the God of the universe. Why are you going to be worried about resources and generosity when the God who owns all says you seek my kingdom and I'll make sure all your needs get met? And why are you going to be afraid to die when you follow the man that walked into the tomb and walked right back out and said, "I took care of that"?

Mike Breaux: How about you? Have you taken time to remember the moments when you've seen God move in your life? There are probably more moments than you could ever even count. Times when God's provided, opened a door, answered a prayer, gave you strength, or simply reminded you that he was there. But what would it look like if you took a few moments and wrote down five of those moments, maybe even ten?

Ben Cachiaras: Keep them somewhere where you can see them. Put them in your phone or write them on a card and place them somewhere you'll notice them in the morning. Then when fear begins to creep in or you find yourself wondering whether God will be faithful again, simply take a moment to remember all that he's done. And perhaps make it a practice from this day forward. Don't let the moments when you see God working in your life disappear from your memory.

Mike Breaux: Write them down, not only for yourself, but for your family and for the next generation. Because when we remember God's faithfulness, we have something to share. We can tell the story of what God has done, and those stories can strengthen the faith of someone who comes after us. Well, our thanks to Rick Atchley for sharing that encouraging message with us today. And our thanks as well to Acappella Ministries for providing today's worship music.

Ben Cachiaras: If this message has encouraged you in any way, we'd love to hear from you. Would you send us an email and let us know? You can do so at thechristianshour@gmail.com. If you'd like to hear this program again or listen to previous broadcasts, visit thechristianshour.org. There you'll find all this year's messages available to stream or download for free. You can also listen wherever you get your podcasts, simply search for The Christians Hour.

Mike Breaux: And if you'd like to help share the hope of Jesus with people around the world or sponsor a future broadcast, we'd love to have you partner with us. We're a listener supported ministry committed to proclaiming the truth of Christ to those who have never heard. To learn more or to give, again go to our website, thechristianshour.org and click on that give button. And don't forget to stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram by searching for The Christians Hour. Thanks again for listening. We hope you join us again next time.