Jos-Lesson 5

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JOSHUA 4
Lesson #05
BE AN OVERCOMER BY NOT FORGETTING GOD’S MILESTONES IN YOUR LIFE

• Memory verse: Joshua 4:24

• Background:
• 1Cor 10:5-6 tell us that the experiences of the Israelites in the Old Testament were to be examples to us. We have a good illustration of this concept here in the fourth chapter of Joshua. However, we need to start back farther in Israel’s history to get the full concept.
• When the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, it was like a new birth experience for them.
• Egypt represents the lust of worldliness that they left behind.
• God miraculously brought them out of Egypt and gave them a new identity and a new life as a Holy nation and as His people.
• Therefore, in man’s experience with God in this New Testament age of grace, the crossing of the Red Sea illustrates the new birth in Jesus Christ.
• The prayer of repentance for the forgiveness of sin is the first step of faith.
• The receiving of Jesus Christ as your personal savior is the acceptance of eternal life in Jesus Christ.
• Now that the Israelites were God’s nation of people, they were to trust God to bring them into the full promises of God (the Promised Land). They struggled with faith to believe God’s promise for 40 years as they wandered in the wilderness.
• Read Phil 3:13 and 2Cor 5:17
• When a person comes to Christ, he comes from a life of a variety of experiences, some bad and some good. All of these life experiences go to make you what you are today.
• We are not to get stuck in the sins and limitations of the past, but we are to move beyond them.
• Even though Christ gives us forgiveness for the sins of the past and a new life in Christ, we often do not realize that God can use this rubble of the past to make us a stronger believer.
• Reminiscent is the story of the book of Nehemiah. He used the rubble of the old city to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. (Neh 4:2)
• In the same way, God wants us to use our past experiences to make us better people for His glory as He gives new purpose to our lives.
• The key is to know how to use these experiences of the past to build the future. That’s our lesson today.

• Read Joshua 4:1-24 1452 BC The Israelites crossed the Jordan River.
• In this chapter the Israelites were to establish two piles of stones.
• The first pile of stones.
• Where were they to put the first pile of stones? (3)
• God said to choose one person from each of the 12 tribes. These 12 people were to take a stone from the dry river bed of the Jordan River and carry it to the West bank of the Promised Land.
• This pile of stones was stacked in the place where they spent the first night in the Promised Land.
• It is significant that the people were to choose the person to carry this stone so that each stone represented each of the 12 tribes.
• The second pile of stones.
• Where did Joshua put the second pile of stones? (9)
• Joshua put 12 stones in the middle of the Jordan River.
• The location was specifically where the priests had held the Ark of the Covenant while the people passed by them.
• It is significant that Joshua placed these stones in the river for they represented his commitment before God to the twelve tribes.
• Why did God tell them to place these two piles of stones in these specific locations? What was their purpose? (7, 23, 24)
• These stones were to be a memorial for future generations.
• The people were to remember what God had done for them when He dried the Jordan River and brought them into the Promised Land. It is a memorial of God’s faithfulness in keeping His promise to them.
• They were to be a testimony of the power of God to all the pagan tribes presently occupying the Promised Land.
• What is the significance of these two piles of stones?
• The pile of stones in the middle of the Jordan River:
• Read Mat 3:11-13
• Jesus Christ was baptized in the Jordan River in the same location as this pile of stones.
• Remember that Joshua is a prefigure of Jesus Christ. Therefore, when Joshua planted this pile of stones, it was to mark prophetically Jesus’ commitment to God’s people just as Joshua committed himself to the twelve tribes.
• In the Christian life, this pile of stones in the middle of the Jordan River represents water baptism. Jesus was baptized as an example to us to be baptized.
• Read Rom 6:3-5
• The symbolism of water baptism is a parallel of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
• The new believer in Christ identifies himself with Jesus’ experience of being resurrected to a new life. In the same way, the believer in Jesus Christ has experienced a new birth experience when he invited Jesus into his heart.
• In this way water baptism is a public demonstration of what had already occurred in the heart when the person was born again.
• Remember at the beginning of our lesson, the crossing of the Red Sea was like a new birth experience for the Israelites. In the same way, the crossing of the Jordan River is an echo of the crossing of the Red Sea. We have seen many similarities.
• For the Christian, water baptism is an echo of his new birth experience where he physically acts out the spiritual truth of being born again by the Spirit of God.
• If you know the date when you were born again or when you were baptized in water, when doubts arise, you can look back and be assured of your salvation. This point of new birth is when you were raised with Christ in newness of life (Rom 6:4) and testified publicly that you were born again.
• When the waters of the Jordan River RETURN ed to their normal level, this pile of stones would not be seen. However, whenever there was a drought and the water level dropped, one would be able to see this pile of stones.
• In the same way, water baptism is to be a memorial for us. In the experiences of life, when our faith gets low and we feel as though we are in a dry place spiritually, we can look back and remember our commitment to Christ in water baptism. We can look at what God has done for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and that can spur us on to a continued trust in Him.
• The pile of stones at the first camp in Gilgal on the West bank of the Jordan River.
• The name Gilgal means = rolling or remembrance: the place where the stones were piled. (3)
• God said that he was removing or “rolling away the reproach of Egypt. (9)
• Now the Israelites would no longer walk as inferior people as though they were still in slavery to Egypt (in bondage to the world system). The Israelites will now walk in victory as a holy nation with God.
• The believer in Jesus Christ walks in newness of life after he is born again and not enslaved by the system of the world.
• What is the significance of the pile of stones on the West bank in Gilgal?
• Just as Jesus Christ is the Captain of our Salvation, Joshua was the captain of their salvation as he led the Israelites into the Promised Land.
• Read Mat 3:11
• We have discussed the new birth experience as exemplified by the crossing of the Red Sea.
• We have discussed water baptism as exemplified by the pile of stones in the Jordan River.
• The Bible speaks of the baptism in the Holy Spirit given by Jesus Christ.
• We can best see these concepts if we contrast them in a table.

• The purpose for the baptism in the Holy Spirit is to receive power.
• The believer cannot inherit the promises of God based on his own efforts and good works. He soon discovers that good works do not replace faith.
• Remember that the believer is not only saved by faith but he must also walk by faith.
• Therefore, the believer needs the power of God to gain the spiritual victories of faith.
• Notice that with the baptism in the Holy Spirit, you give control of your life to the Holy Spirit for you are now surrendered to Christ.
• Paul told us to be filled, and keep on being filled, so as to walk in the Spirit. (Eph 5:18 Gal 5:16, 25)
• Where the Spirit is, there is power, and there is no spiritual victory without the power of the Holy Spirit.
• There is no better preparation for the task of possessing the land or the full promises of God than to let the Holy Spirit have control of your life to lead you to victory.
• Jesus explained to the disciples the role of the Holy Spirit in their lives in John 14, 15, and 16 just as He was about to leave them. These disciples would need power to possess the kingdom just as the Israelites would need power to possess the land.
• Read Joh 14:12-14
• This is the tool box of the Holy Spirit:
• The Holy Spirit is the one that comforts and helps the believer. (Joh 14:16)
• The Holy Spirit is the one that will teach you what you need to know to gain the victory over the enemy. (Joh 14:26)
• The Holy Spirit is the one that lives in you to bring answers to prayer so that your life produces fruit. (Joh 14:16 Joh 15: 7-8)
• The Holy Spirit is the one that is the witness within you that you belong to Jesus Christ, the captain of your salvation. (Joh 15:26)
• The Holy Spirit is the one that fights the battle over sin by convicting your heart of any sin. (Joh 16:8)
• The Holy Spirit is the one that guides and directs your path. (Joh 16:13)
• The Holy Spirit is the one that gives wisdom to the believer to discern good from evil. We are going to see how important this is in the experiences of the Israelites. (Joh 16:13)
• The Holy Spirit is the one that glorifies Jesus Christ through the life of the believer. (Joh 17:14)
• Application:
• God wanted the Israelites to remember these miraculous steps that they had experienced in their relationship with God. The concept of remembrance is important in going forward with the Lord.
• The ordinance of Holy Communion is a New Testament memorial similar to those in Joshua 4 where Jesus said we are to repeat it until he comes again.
• Why should we mark the spiritual milestones in our lives?
• As a testimony for your children and grandchildren.
• For your own purposes of being encouraged at what God has done in your life. As humans we tend to forget and get discouraged. Marking God’s milestones in your life overcomes discouragement, depression, and defeat.

HOMEWORK
JOSHUA 5
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• Application of Joshua 4
• Write your spiritual life story of highlighted points. Set up memorials of stone on paper. Write the significance of each milestone. Include new birth experience, water baptism, Holy Spirit baptism, major spiritual events, or God’s miracles for you, etc.
• If you prefer, make an audio or a video tape of your spiritual life for your children, grandchildren, etc.
• If you have not had the new birth experience, read the following scriptures: John 3:1-7 Rom 3:23 John 3:16 Rom 10:9-13 John 14:6. Ask a pastor or a Christian to pray with you to receive Christ.
• If you have not experienced water baptism, read: Mar 16:15-16 Rom 6:3-5 Col 2:12-13. Ask a pastor to baptize you.
• If you have not yet received the baptism in the Holy Spirit, read: Act 1:8 Act 2:38-39. Pray and ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit.
• Preparation for Joshua 5
• Read Joshua 5:1-15
• Why did they re-institute circumcision at this point in time?
• What is the meaning of circumcision?
• Read: Psa 27:14 Psa 37:34 Heb 4:1-2, 9-11
• Write what you learn here about waiting and resting on the Lord.

Memory verse: Psalms 27:14