What Mean These Stones?
A Sermon on Joshua 4:21
Scripture
21And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones?
Sermon Description
In guilt and shame, where is salvation found? The history of the church is a story which reminds the listener that no one is without hope, because salvation is the work of God. In this message on Joshua 4:21 titled “What Means These Stones?” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones examines the testimony of stones. After four hundred years of enslavement, Israel was being led out of Egypt. The Egyptians believed they were going to conquer Israel, but God was going to conquer the Egyptians. Stones would be set a reminder for generations to come that it is God who saves. God saves through judgement and deliverance. Dr. Lloyd-Jones continues through the biblical narrative and two-thousand years of church history, demonstrating that the Christian’s story is a story of God’s action, not of any human. It is a story of God’s power, not humanity’s. The greatest danger, therefore, is to forget history and turn Christianity into a mere philosophy of teaching. On the contrary, God acts through history and the Christian proclaims and remembers His actions. Nobody is hopeless because God is mighty. He can regenerate the hardest heart. He will save and deliver. As these stones were meant to teach, listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains the meaning of these stones to today’s generation.
Sermon Breakdown
- The church's primary function is to remind people of history and what God has done. It is not just a place for teaching or philosophy.
- The history recorded in the Bible is the history of God's acts of redemption, deliverance and salvation.
- God delivered the Israelites from captivity in Egypt through Moses. He enabled them to cross the Red Sea and provided manna in the wilderness.
- God enabled the Israelites to cross the Jordan River into the promised land. The 12 stones were set up as a memorial of God's deliverance.
- The church's role is to remind the world of God's deliverance through Christ - that people are in bondage to sin but God has provided salvation.
- God called Abraham and made a nation from him to proclaim God's message to the world.
- God allowed the Israelites to be conquered and taken into captivity in Babylon but then delivered them again through Cyrus.
- There was a 400-year period of silence between the testaments but then God spoke again through John the Baptist and sent Jesus.
- Jesus came not just to teach but to die on the cross to provide salvation. His death and resurrection were God's acts.
- The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, enabling the apostles to preach the gospel. The church began, founded on God's acts.
- The church went astray and into darkness but God revived it through the Reformation, through Martin Luther. Revival is God acting again.
- God's actions are miraculous and supernatural. Christianity is not just a teaching but God miraculously regenerating people.
- The message is of God's power in judgment but also salvation. No one is hopeless because God can save and regenerate.
- Despite threats, the church will continue because God will keep acting until his purpose is complete. Nothing can thwart God's plans.
Sermon Q&A
What Is the Significance of Joshua's Memorial Stones According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?
What is the primary purpose of the church according to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon on Joshua 4?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the primary purpose of the church is to remind people of history—specifically, the history of God's mighty acts of redemption and deliverance. He states, "The first thing, and in many ways one of the most important at the present time, is that we should always realize that the church is here to remind people of history, of certain great historical events." The church is not primarily about presenting theories, philosophies, or even just teachings, but about proclaiming what God has actually done in history.
How does Lloyd-Jones differentiate Christianity from other religions?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones differentiates Christianity from other religions by emphasizing that Christianity is based on historical facts and events, not merely teachings or theories. He states: "The thing that marks off the Christian faith, the message of the Bible from all these others, is that this is primarily a record of historical facts, events. This is not a theory, this is not an idea. It's not primarily a teaching." Other religions like Buddhism, Confucianism, and Islam are characterized as primarily teachings, while Christianity is fundamentally about what God has done in history.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones mean when he refers to the "supernatural" nature of Christianity?
When Dr. Lloyd-Jones refers to the supernatural nature of Christianity, he means that it is based on miraculous divine interventions rather than human efforts. He explains: "We are here to proclaim an almighty God. We are here to say that Christianity is supernatural. It is a miraculous life." He emphasizes that Christianity is not merely about people "holding to a certain teaching and trying to live a good life," but about God's supernatural actions in human history and within individual lives. This includes the miracle of regeneration or being "born again," which he describes as God "recreating" a person and giving them "a new start, a new life, a new everything."
What examples of God's interventions in history does Lloyd-Jones highlight in his sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones highlights numerous examples of God's interventions in history: 1. God's approach to Adam and Eve after their sin 2. The flood and saving of Noah's family 3. God's calling of Abraham to form a nation 4. The deliverance of Israel from Egyptian captivity 5. The parting of the Red Sea 6. The crossing of the Jordan River on dry land 7. The birth of Jesus Christ ("God sent forth his son") 8. Christ's death on the cross ("God hath laid on him the iniquity of us all") 9. The resurrection of Jesus 10. The day of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit 11. God's interventions in revival and reformation, including raising up Martin Luther
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones teach about spiritual regeneration?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that spiritual regeneration is a supernatural act of God that cannot be produced by human effort or understanding. Using Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus, he explains that being "born again" is not something we can achieve through our own decision but is a miracle performed by God: "It is God alone that can save a man, and he does it by working a miracle within. It's not man taking a decision. It's God renewing, regenerating and putting his own life into the man's soul." He emphasizes that this regeneration is beyond human comprehension: "You can't understand it. It's beyond understanding. It's a miracle. It's an act of God."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe the condition of humanity without God's intervention?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes humanity without God's intervention as being in complete bondage and slavery. He states that every person "is born into this world a sinner" and that "we're all captives. We're all slaves. We're all in a state of bondage." He describes humans as "helpless slaves and hopeless slaves" who cannot free themselves through education or other human means. Humanity is under "the grip" of "the devil, the prince of the power of the earth," and all human attempts to "attain to moral and intellectual and spiritual freedom is a complete failure."
What message does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say the church should convey to the world today?
According to Lloyd-Jones, the church should convey: 1. That God is real and active in human history 2. That humanity is in bondage to sin and cannot save itself 3. That God has intervened to provide salvation through Jesus Christ 4. That God's power is mighty in both judgment and salvation 5. That there is hope for everyone because salvation depends on God's power, not human effort 6. That God can regenerate and transform anyone, no matter how hopeless their condition 7. That the church will continue until God's plan is complete, despite opposition
He summarizes this message: "We tell them about God and his mighty acts and supremely his mighty act in sending his only begotten, dearly beloved son into the world. To live, to die, to rise again, to reign and to come in glory for us and our salvation."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones interpret the significance of the twelve stones in Joshua 4?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones interprets the twelve stones as a memorial intended to prompt questions from future generations, allowing the Israelites to retell the story of God's mighty deliverance. He states: "In other words, these stones had a message to deliver to all subsequent generations. And that seems to me to be a very perfect picture and representation of what is really the function and the purpose of the christian church." Just as the stones were set up to remind people of God's miraculous acts in parting the Jordan River, the church exists to remind the world of God's miraculous acts of redemption throughout history, particularly through Jesus Christ.
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, what gives Christians hope in the face of opposition?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Christians have hope in the face of opposition because God's power is undiminished and His purposes cannot be thwarted. He states: "God is still the same. His almightiness is in no sense diminished." When people worry about forces opposing the church (like "communism and materialism and humanism"), Lloyd-Jones responds: "The church is going on until God's plan is perfect and complete... The hand of the Lord is mighty. It's almighty. Nothing can make him his purpose for go or sever my soul from his love." Christians' hope lies not in their own strength but in God's sovereign power and unfailing purposes.
Itinerant Preaching
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.