What Mean Ye By These Stones? How One Generation Forgets God When Fathers Stop Teaching, Preachers Stop Preaching And Churches Abandon The Mission

The 12 stones at Jordan were never meant to be silent monuments to a forgotten past; they were placed there to provoke a question from the children and demand an answer from the fathers. But when one generation stopped explaining what God had done, another generation arose “which knew not the LORD.” That same tragedy is unfolding before our eyes today. America is covered with churches, crosses and Bibles, yet millions of young people have no idea what any of them mean because fathers have stopped teaching, pulpits have stopped preaching, and churches have traded sound doctrine for entertainment, emotionalism and political religion. One generation possessed the truth, the next merely assumed it, and now another is preparing to abandon it altogether. The stones are still standing, but their testimony is being forgotten.

“That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?“ Joshua 4:6 (KJB)

The answer is to remember the works of God, teach the next generation, preach the word and answer the Macedonian call. The Church was never commissioned to preserve the gospel inside comfortable buildings while a lost and dying world cried out from the darkness. The same truth entrusted to us must be committed to faithful men who will teach others also, then carried into the regions beyond by missionaries preaching the gospel of the grace of God. We have a commission, the only question is, will we carry it out? A faithful Church Age ministry must look backward and remember what God has done. It must look inward and preserve sound doctrine within the church. It must look forward and prepare the next generation. It must look outward and carry the gospel to the lost. It must look upward and wait for Jesus Christ to come for His Church.

The Bible Believers Sunday Service: What Mean Ye By These Stones?

What Mean Ye By These Stones?

Main Text

“That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.” Joshua 4:6,7 (KJB)

The 12 Stones is vitally important and carries a prophetic weight that resounds all the way through the New Testament. Take a look at this:

• They show up again in Revelation 21:10-21
• The Jordan River in the Bible is a type-picture of death Jeremiah 12:5
• The application for the Christian is that Jesus has defeated Death 1 Corinthians 15:51-58
• Joshua’s 12 stones show up again in 1 Peter 2:4-6 representing the Body of Christ!

So, as we go through this study on the 12 Stones, keep in mind that Jesus is THE STONE and THE ROCK that builders disallowed, we who believe are the born again lively stones who have eternal life, and as such are tasked with witnessing to a lost and dying world about the Chief Cornerstone that is Jesus of Nazareth.

“Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” Romans 9:32,33 (KJB)

I. The LORD Did A Work Worth Remembering

Before there could be a memorial, there had to be a mighty work of God. Israel did not stop the waters of Jordan. Israel did not create a path through the river. The LORD went before His people, stopped the waters and brought them safely across.

Most importantly, the twelve stones were not monuments to the courage, wisdom or ability of Israel. They were witnesses to the faithfulness and power of the LORD. That’s your starting point.

“And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.” Joshua 4:9 (KJB)

The gospel also begins with what God has done, not what man is attempting to do. Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again. Salvation is not a reward for religious achievement. It is received by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” I Corinthians 15:3,4 (KJB)

The first lesson of the stones is this: Never forget what God has done.

II. The Stones Were Established As A Memorial

God commanded Joshua to take twelve stones from Jordan and erect them as a permanent memorial. God knew how quickly people forget. Experiences fade, eyewitnesses die and memories become distorted. Therefore, God gave Israel something visible that would testify to future generations.

“Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.” Matthew 26:13 (KJB)

The stones were not intended to become objects of worship. They were signs pointing back to the place where God had demonstrated His power and fulfilled His promise.

We also need spiritual memorials. We should remember the day we heard the gospel, the day we trusted Jesus Christ, the prayers God answered, the trials through which He carried us and the doors He opened for ministry. A King James Bible on the table, a gospel-preaching church in the community, a missionary letter on the wall and the testimony of a transformed life should all declare the same message: God worked here, God is working here, God will work here again.

The stones were silent, but they were not meaningless. They were just put there waiting for someone to come along and ask the right question. In fact, Jesus says that if the people who believe on Him stay silent, then the stones will cry out.

“And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” Luke 19:40 (KJB)

III. The Children Were Expected To Ask

“That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?” Joshua 4:6 (KJB)

God placed the stones where the children would see them. Their presence was intended to provoke curiosity. The children would ask why the stones were there, what had happened at Jordan and what those stones meant. That question created an opportunity for the fathers to teach the next generation about the LORD.

Our children are also asking questions. Why do we believe the Bible? Why do we use the King James Bible? Why do we preach the gospel? Why do we support missionaries? Why do we separate from false doctrine? Why do we believe Jesus Christ is coming for His Church? Those questions deserve biblical answers. Saying, “That is simply how we have always done it,” is not enough. In fact, that’s completely the wrong answer. Traditions without truth eventually become empty monuments. The children must not merely inherit our habits; they must be taught the biblical meaning behind them, and then decide for themselves what they believe.

“So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” Romans 14:12 (KJB)

IV. The Fathers Were Commanded To Answer

“Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.” Joshua 4:7 (KJB)

God placed the responsibility directly upon the fathers. They were not merely supposed to point at the stones. They were commanded to explain what the stones meant and tell their children what the LORD had done. Truth must be deliberately transmitted. Every generation must receive the testimony, understand it and pass it to the generation following.

“For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:” Psalm 78:5–7 (KJB)

God’s design was for the fathers to teach their children, for those children to arise and teach their own children, and for the testimony to continue from one generation to the next.

The home is one of the first mission fields God gives us. Parents cannot surrender the spiritual training of their children to a Sunday school teacher, a Christian school, an internet preacher or even the local church. The church should reinforce the truth, but the fathers must be prepared to answer, “What mean ye by these stones?”

V. Another Generation Arose That Knew Not The LORD

“And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.” Judges 2:10 (KJB)

This is the tragedy toward which the stones were pointing. The God who performed the miracles had not changed. The crossing of Jordan had not become less real. The history had not been rewritten. The stones may still have been standing, but their meaning had not been successfully transmitted. One generation experienced the works of God. Another generation heard about those works. Then another generation arose that knew neither the LORD nor what He had done.

This is how spiritual decline takes place. One generation possesses the truth, the next generation assumes it, and the generation after that abandons it. America is filled with church buildings, crosses, Bibles, monuments and religious traditions. The stones are everywhere, but an entire generation is asking what they mean. Tragically, many fathers cannot answer, and many preachers will not preach.

The danger is not merely that the stones will be removed. The greater danger is that the stones will remain while no one remembers why they were placed there.

VI. The Preacher Must Preach The Word

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” 2 Timothy 4:2 (KJB)

The protection against spiritual forgetfulness is the faithful and continual preaching of the word of God. Paul did not charge Timothy to entertain the people, imitate the culture, build a personal brand or discover what the congregation wanted to hear. He charged him to preach the word.

“If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.” 1 Timothy 4:6 (KJB)

The preacher must preach when the message is welcomed and when it is rejected. He must preach when the church is growing and when people are walking away. He must preach when the truth is popular and when the truth is considered offensive. The memorial cannot explain itself, somebody must open the Bible and declare what it means.

“Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.” Acts 8:29-31 (KJB)

If the pulpit becomes silent, confused or compromised, the next generation will inherit religion without revelation, activity without authority and Christianity without Christ. The answer is not more entertainment or emotionalism. The answer is the preaching of the word with longsuffering and doctrine.

VII. The Truth Must Be Committed To Faithful Men

“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” II Timothy 2:2 (KJB)

Paul gives us the Church Age pattern for preserving sound doctrine. Paul taught Timothy. Timothy was commanded to commit that same truth to faithful men. Those faithful men would then be able to teach others also. That is four generations of spiritual transmission contained within a single verse. God’s pattern is not merely to gather large crowds around one gifted personality. It is to produce faithful men who know the truth, live the truth and can teach the truth to others.

Every Bible-believing church should be preparing the next generation of soul winners, Bible teachers, preachers, missionaries, fathers and mothers. The work must not die when the present generation is gathered unto its fathers. So the question is not simply whether we have been faithful during our lifetime. The deeper question is whether we have prepared anyone to remain faithful after we are gone.

VIII. The Macedonian Call Carries The Truth To The Regions Beyond

“And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.” Acts 16:9,10 (KJB)

The stones looked backward to what God had done. The Macedonian call pointed forward to the people who had not yet heard. Paul understood precisely what kind of help Macedonia needed. Luke tells us that they were assured the Lord had called them “for to preach the gospel unto them.”

The greatest help the Church can bring to any nation is the gospel of the grace of God. Food, clothing, medicine and education can relieve suffering for a season, but only the gospel can rescue an eternal soul from hell. The cry from Macedonia is still sounding around the world: Come over and bring us the Bible. Come over and preach the gospel. Come over and teach us sound doctrine. Come over and help us establish Bible-believing churches. Come over and prepare faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

God calls some believers to go to the mission field, some are called to send others to go, but we are all called to play our part in getting the gospel to the lost in these last days.

IX. Paul Responded Immediately

The most convicting word in the Macedonian passage may be the word “immediately.” Paul didn’t form a committee to determine whether Macedonia was convenient. He did not wait until every difficulty had been removed or every expense had been guaranteed. When the Lord made the need and direction clear, Paul and his companions endeavoured to go. There was a lost man crying for help, the Lord had opened the door, and the missionaries moved forward to preach the gospel.

Delayed obedience can become disobedience. The gospel demands urgency because souls are dying, eternity is real and the time is short. The Church cannot behave as though it has unlimited time. The Church Age is drawing to a close, the night is coming, and the world still needs the gospel. We must pray, give, send, teach, preach and place the word of God into the hands of people who have never possessed it.

The Complete Pattern

• The stones preserve the memory.
• The fathers explain the meaning.
• The preacher declares the doctrine.
• The faithful men teach others also.
• The missionary carries the gospel to the regions beyond.

A faithful Church Age ministry must look backward and remember what God has done. It must look inward and preserve sound doctrine within the church. It must look forward and prepare the next generation. It must look outward and carry the gospel to the lost. It must look upward and wait for Jesus Christ to come for His Church.

Application

We cannot choose between teaching our children and reaching the nations. We have been commanded to do both. If we fail to teach our children, another generation will arise that knows not the LORD. If we fail to preach the word, the churches will be overtaken by fables. If we fail to answer the Macedonian call, multitudes will remain without the gospel.

The answer to all three dangers is the same: remember the works of God, preach the word of God and carry the gospel of God to the next generation and the regions beyond.

Closing Challenge

“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20:24 (KJB)

What will our stones say after we are gone? Will the next generation know the LORD and the works He has done? Will they understand the gospel? Will they possess the word of God? Will they know sound doctrine? Will there be faithful men prepared to teach others also?

While we are preserving the truth at home, will we also hear the cry coming from the regions beyond: “Come over…and help us”? The stones were never intended to remain silent. They were erected so someone would ask, someone would answer and the testimony would continue.

Remember what God has done. Tell the next generation. Preach the word. Answer the Macedonian call.

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