1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,480 We've all been hurt. We all have scars. And through a relationship with Jesus Christ, 2 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:14,400 we can all overcome and we can all be healed. Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton. 3 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:21,800 Hey everybody, welcome back to the sanctuary. And today, we're going to be talking about 4 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:30,520 memorials. Now, there are those who would lead you to think that they are not biblical. However, 5 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:38,960 not only are they mistaken, but memorials are very biblical. They serve to remind us of various 6 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:48,960 things and sacrifices that have been made for us, that God loves us and will provide for us. Not 7 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:56,840 only that, but that He will go before us even. The caveat is that we don't let them become more 8 00:00:56,840 --> 00:01:05,080 important than God or what He wants for us. And we're going to be taking a look at that today. 9 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:13,880 Now, some of you may have heard this one before. If you have, bear with me. All right, there was an 10 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:18,520 elderly couple and in their accelerated age, they started to notice that they were getting 11 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:26,480 a lot more forgetful. So they decided to go see a doctor about it. Now, the doctor, after hearing 12 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:31,160 what they had going on, what their problem was, tells them that they should really start writing 13 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:37,480 things down so that they don't forget it. So they took this advice and they went home. The old lady 14 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:45,320 tells her husband, hey, I want a bowl of ice cream. And you might want to write it down. Husband says, 15 00:01:45,320 --> 00:01:51,560 no, I can remember that you want a bowl of ice cream. So she goes on to tell him, well, I don't 16 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:58,560 just want a bowl of ice cream. I also want whipped cream on top. Write that down too. And again, 17 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:05,840 he says, no, no, I can remember you want a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream. Then the old lady 18 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:16,400 says, hey, I want ice cream. I want whipped cream and I want a cherry on top. Write that down. And 19 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:24,800 again, he says, no, I've got it. You want a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry on 20 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:32,000 top. No problem. So he gets up and he goes to the kitchen. He spends a really long time in there, 21 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:43,680 over 30 minutes. Finally, he comes out, hands his wife a plate with bacon and eggs on it. The wife 22 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:49,520 stares at the plate for a moment, stares up at the husband, and then stares back down at the plate 23 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:57,320 and asks her husband, where's the toast? We all get forgetful sometimes. Hey, it's going to happen. 24 00:02:57,320 --> 00:03:03,520 That's life. We've all forgotten things. Sometimes they're minor things, sometimes they're important 25 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:10,080 things, but it's going to come to pass. And we all have places where we stumble and we struggle. 26 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:18,160 For example, people who are really bad with names, like me, right? Some people, I'll remember their 27 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:24,960 names, no problem. I meet them once, I shake their hand, get their name, boom, we're good. Others, 28 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:31,160 it could be months later. I'm like, sorry, what's your name again? Or I'll go up to somebody who I 29 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:37,920 know knows it. I'm like, hey, remind me what their name is again. It happens. Sometimes it's just a 30 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:45,680 struggle. And it reminds me of a friend I was in the Marine Corps with. We served together many 31 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:50,000 years. And of course, in the military, we tend to refer to each other by nicknames and last names. 32 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:59,720 Typically, it's last names. Here we are well over two decades later, and people I served with and I 33 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:04,320 will still refer to each other by our last names, not our first. Even though we know each other's 34 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:12,360 first, that's the way it is. It's ingrained in there. So anyhow, I have this friend, I served with 35 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:19,480 her, called her by her name for what seemed like ever. She gets married, takes on her husband's 36 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:27,880 last name, as many women do in general, right? It took me more than a month to get her married 37 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:33,600 name down. I kept calling her by her maiden name. Sometimes she would just let it slide. Other times 38 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:39,680 she'd remind me, hey, hey, I have a new name now, remember? It's cool. Finally, you know, it clicked. 39 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:46,720 Boom, we're good. Now, you know, it's not just men that have these troubles either. Ladies, you know, 40 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:52,400 the ladies, they can tell you 100 different names for the color orange, but they can't remember how 41 00:04:52,400 --> 00:05:01,880 you like your steak or to put gas in the car. You see, we all forget things, but God took this into 42 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:09,280 consideration. He knows that we're going to forget things and we're going to need reminders, so much 43 00:05:09,280 --> 00:05:16,240 so that He's actually encouraged us to have things to help us remember. Not so that we live in the 44 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:24,040 past. The Bible tells us not to do that, but so that we can celebrate our history and learn from 45 00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:32,040 past mistakes and drive on into the future. All right, kind of sounds like Doc McFly there. It's 46 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:39,160 like we've got to go back to the future. All right, we see these things throughout the Bible. There's 47 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:46,840 reminders littered through it. The Bible itself, of course, is a reminder, but there's songs, beasts, 48 00:05:46,840 --> 00:05:56,720 offerings, rainbows, the Sabbath, the Last Supper, so many more, even stones, stones. Let me put it 49 00:05:56,720 --> 00:06:05,320 this way, rocks. Yes, rocks. Proverbs chapter 11 verse 8. Proverbs chapter 11 verse 8. The Bible 50 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:12,840 says, however many years anyone may live, let them enjoy them all, but let them remember the days of 51 00:06:12,840 --> 00:06:22,040 darkness, for there will be many. Everything to come is meaningless. Man, that sounds grim, doesn't it? 52 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:31,040 I don't remember it sounding that grim when I was putting this together. But anyway, this verse, 53 00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:38,600 it's here, it's a reminder as well that remembering doesn't just focus on our past, but where we are 54 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:47,520 and where we're headed. Past, present, and future, just like God. Omnipresent, right? In the past, 55 00:06:47,520 --> 00:06:53,360 he's here with us, and he's in the future. He knows it all. So let's go back a little bit now. 56 00:06:53,360 --> 00:07:03,120 Join me in Exodus chapter 24. So Exodus chapter 24 verse 4. The Bible says, Moses wrote down 57 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:09,280 everything the Lord had said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of 58 00:07:09,280 --> 00:07:16,240 the mountain and set up 12 stone pillars representing the 12 tribes of Israel. Now, 59 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:22,400 representing, of course, is another word for reminder. Think about how history was passed 60 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:28,880 down back then. I mean, for the most part, it was verbal. The oral traditions is how they're referred 61 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:38,480 to, but it was verbal. People would speak or sing or be poetic. That was the most common way to pass 62 00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:44,320 things down at the time. And yes, things were written down, but not everybody necessarily had 63 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:52,000 the resources to do that, let alone the ability to read. So visual cues helped to ensure things were 64 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:58,960 remembered, things such as the 12 pillars. All right, moving forward into Exodus 28, 65 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:04,720 there's two more items I want to point out. In the designing of early priestly garments, 66 00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:13,040 there were the Ifad and the breast piece. Now, the Ifad had two stones, and each of them had six of 67 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:17,440 the tribes of Israel engraved on them, which, of course, you know, between the two brought it to 68 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:23,840 a total of 12. And then there's the breast piece. The breast piece had four rows of three different 69 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:33,920 stones. Each stone represented one of the 12 tribes, 12, just like the 12 pillars, and with 70 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:42,240 the same representation, symbols combined that represented an entire nation. So the 12 tribes 71 00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:48,640 representing the entire nation as a whole, you know, or depending on where you live, counties, 72 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:56,560 states, prefectures, and so on and so forth. All right, now let's go into Joshua chapter 3. 73 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:05,600 Now, in Joshua chapter 3, God had Joshua leading his people into Canaan to finally live free. 74 00:09:06,880 --> 00:09:10,880 The big obstacle, however, was that they needed to cross the Jordan to get there. 75 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:15,440 And we see in verses 1 through 4, so Joshua 3 verses 1 through 4, the Bible says, 76 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:24,000 early in the morning, Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, 77 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:30,960 where they camped before crossing over. After three days, the officers went throughout the camp, 78 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:37,040 giving orders to the people, when you see the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, 79 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:42,800 and the Levitical priest carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 80 00:09:43,280 --> 00:09:48,400 Then you will know which way to go, since you've never been this way before. But keep a distance 81 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:59,520 of about 2,000 cubits. That's about 3,000 feet or 900 meters between you and the Ark, and do not go 82 00:09:59,520 --> 00:10:07,520 near it. So we're seeing orders were being given out by Joshua's leaders to prepare everyone to get 83 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:15,360 across Jordan. The prep work was being done and laid out. Now, as you read on, you'll see that 84 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:19,760 they're also consecrating themselves and doing a few other things as well. All right, now, 85 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:27,680 as we flash forward here to Joshua chapter 3 verses 12 through 13, the Bible says, now then, 86 00:10:27,680 --> 00:10:34,720 choose 12 men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe, and as soon as the priest who carried 87 00:10:34,720 --> 00:10:41,200 the Ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream 88 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:49,680 will be cut off and stand up in a heap. Again, notice the parallel, we're seeing 12 men, each 89 00:10:49,680 --> 00:10:56,480 one representing one of the 12 tribes. And as they begin to cross the Jordan, something pretty 90 00:10:56,480 --> 00:11:03,040 miraculous happens. We see the waters are standing up in a heap. It's just like it was with Moses in 91 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:10,480 the Red Sea, only now it's happening with Joshua and the Jordan. There's a pattern here, and if 92 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:16,640 you've ever noticed patterns, they're another way of creating repetition. Anyone heard the phrase 93 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:24,480 practice makes perfect? God is getting his people into a pattern of repetition to help them and to 94 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:31,600 help us remember the important things. So let's take a look at this in a little bit more detail. 95 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:38,480 So Joshua chapter 3 verses 14 through 17 now, all right, the Bible says, so when the people 96 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:43,440 broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priest carrying the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them. 97 00:11:44,160 --> 00:11:50,880 Now the Jordan is at flood stage, all during harvest, yet as soon as the priest who carried 98 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:58,400 the Ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped 99 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:06,240 flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away at a town called Adam in the vicinity of 100 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:16,720 Zerothim, while the water flowing down to the Sea of Araba, that is the Dead Sea, was completely 101 00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:24,480 cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priest who carried the Ark of the 102 00:12:24,480 --> 00:12:31,120 Covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel 103 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:40,800 passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground. So God's part of the 104 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:48,000 waters. Again, the priest, they've stopped in the middle of the Jordan and they're standing by with 105 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:53,360 the Ark of the Covenant while everyone gets across. Basically they're crossing guards, right? Stop! 106 00:12:54,480 --> 00:13:00,720 This is a pretty miraculous picture just to have in our minds, and I'm sure it pales in comparison 107 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:06,960 to actually being there and seeing those walls of water being held back, or even like the smell of 108 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:13,360 the ground that normally would have had tons of water flowing over it. All right, going on now to 109 00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:22,160 Joshua 4. Joshua 4 verses 1 through 3, the Bible says, when the whole nation had finished crossing 110 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:28,160 the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, choose 12 men from among the people, one from each tribe, 111 00:13:28,160 --> 00:13:34,720 and tell them to take up 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the 112 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:40,800 priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay 113 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:48,640 tonight. Again, see the pattern, 12 men, they're being told to pick up 12 stones. Look at it from 114 00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:53,120 their point of view at that time though, look at it from where they're at. They're on a journey, 115 00:13:53,680 --> 00:14:00,800 they know they're going to a destination, and in the middle of it when they're seeing this miracle 116 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:07,840 all around them, they're being told, hey, you know what, you need to stop. I want you to reach down 117 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:14,480 and each of you pick up a stone. I don't know about you, but I'd be like, really? Are you kidding? 118 00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:20,960 We have all this going around and you want me to pick up a rock? Are you out of your mind? 119 00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:29,520 In the moment, it would seem pretty silly, wouldn't it? Pretty inconsequential as to what's happening, 120 00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:35,840 but think about it. Say we're hiking on a trail and I told you, hey, you know what, 121 00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:41,040 stop right there, I want you to pick up that rock. You'd think I was being an idiot, 122 00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:49,360 but God factors our own stupidity into his planning. I'll say that again, God factors in 123 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:56,240 our own stupidity in his planning. We're about to see just that. In Joshua 4 verses 4 through 8, 124 00:14:56,240 --> 00:15:01,200 the Bible says, so Joshua called together the 12 men he had appointed from the Israelites, 125 00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:07,440 one from each tribe, and said to them, go over before the ark of your lord, excuse me, go over 126 00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:13,600 before the ark of the lord, your God, into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up 127 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:20,080 a stone on his shoulder according to the number of tribes of the Israelites to serve as a sign 128 00:15:20,080 --> 00:15:27,840 among you. In the future, when your children ask you, what do these stones mean? Tell them 129 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:32,400 that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. 130 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:38,080 When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a 131 00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:44,720 memorial to the people of Israel forever. So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. 132 00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:50,640 They took 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan according to the number of the tribes 133 00:15:50,640 --> 00:15:58,640 of the Israelites as the Lord had told Joshua. And they carried them over within to the 134 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:05,280 camp where they put them down. It's a memorial, guys. Look at it. It's a memorial. It says it 135 00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:11,680 right here, it clears the day. And look at the important pieces of it. One, it glorifies God. 136 00:16:12,720 --> 00:16:21,280 And two, it reminds us of our past while tying us to our present and telling us about our future. 137 00:16:21,280 --> 00:16:29,200 We know this because God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God knew what he was doing. 138 00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:38,560 He knew we need to be reminded. God doesn't want us to rush into things blindly and wildly like a 139 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:44,960 bunch of idiots. He wants us to stop and use our heads. He wants us to stop and think and remember 140 00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:52,960 all the things that he's done for us up until now, that he's with us now. He was with us then. He's 141 00:16:52,960 --> 00:17:00,320 with us now. And he's going to guide our steps as we go forward and that we will need him in our 142 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:07,840 future just like we did in our past and just like we do in our present. This memorial serves as a 143 00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:14,880 reminder that God cares for his people and for the people of Israel. And he's going to guide us 144 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:22,800 for his people, that God is going to provide for his people, and that he will go on before them 145 00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:34,880 to lead them into the victory of his promises. The stones and the monument serve as a reminder. 146 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:42,960 And we have all these kinds of reminders today, don't we? Traditions, special dates, special places, 147 00:17:42,960 --> 00:17:52,640 foods, trinkets, anniversaries, scars that remind us of all the things that God has done in our lives. 148 00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:58,960 The question is, do you take time to share with others what God has done for you, 149 00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:06,880 how he has forgiven you and saved you, how he's answered prayers and met your needs 150 00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:12,880 and done things even greater than what you could have imagined? 151 00:18:15,120 --> 00:18:22,320 See, we should use our memories of his mercy, grace, love, and faithfulness in our lives 152 00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:30,960 as monuments to him as well. They are gifts that we carry as our stones. Are you collecting stones? 153 00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:40,240 Are you building memorials? Are you pointing the way to Jesus? If not, then it's time that you started. 154 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:47,920 Remember, Jesus gave his life for us, so we should live our lives for him. 155 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:55,520 I'm telling you, you give yourself to Jesus, he will change your life forever. Forever. 156 00:18:55,520 --> 00:19:03,760 Forever. All right? Now earlier I mentioned there are some who don't look at memorials 157 00:19:03,760 --> 00:19:08,480 as being biblical. By now, I'm sure you'd agree with me that they're wrong. 158 00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:14,800 Many don't even recognize Memorial Day, you know, because it's not on their holy calendars. 159 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:21,600 However, we as Christians should come together every day as the Church, and keep in mind that 160 00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:30,320 it's our daily mission to point the way to Jesus. And our memorials are just that. Not only to remind 161 00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:38,800 us, but to lead others to him. They are a visual aid for those who need to see to believe. 162 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:46,960 Jeffrey Arthurs puts it like this. In the Bible, remembering is re-mem-bering. 163 00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:54,240 Right? He separates it into two words, the R-E, re- and member-ing. So in the Bible, 164 00:19:54,240 --> 00:20:06,080 remembering is re-mem-bering. Remembering, or re-attaching something that has been amputated, 165 00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:13,360 is the whole person activity where the past comes alive in the present, and suggests action for the 166 00:20:13,360 --> 00:20:23,600 future. We have so much to remember, and so much to be grateful for. But there's no way we can do 167 00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:33,360 it all without God and his reminders. He's connecting us with our past to lead us from now 168 00:20:33,360 --> 00:20:42,960 from now into our future. Now go get those stones, and build those memorials so that we can all 169 00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:52,000 point the way to Jesus. Thank you for tuning in to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton. If you would 170 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:58,240 like to know more about our ministry, or how you can support us, you can find us on Facebook at 171 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:04,880 Be The Light Sanctuary, or you can go to our website at BeTheLightSanctuary.org. 172 00:21:04,880 --> 00:21:32,880 Thanks again for tuning in, and we'll catch you next time. God bless.