This Week's Passage
Joshua 4:6–7 (ESV)
"that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, 'What do those stones mean to you?' then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever."
How Joshua 4 Unfolds
From the Riverbed to the Memorial
vv. 1–3
Remember
God tells Joshua to take twelve stones from the very place the priests' feet stood firm on dry ground. Legacy begins by remembering what God has done.
vv. 4–7
Build
The stones are large enough to carry on the shoulder, easily recognizable later, built so they will tell the right story to those who pass by.
vv. 21–24
Tell
When the children ask what the stones mean, the parents tell them the story of what God did, so all the peoples of the earth may know His hand is mighty.
Psalm 145:4 (ESV) — The Theme Verse
"One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts."
1 Corinthians 3:10–11 (ESV) — The Right Foundation
"Like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
Acts 2:39 (ESV) — Bigger Than Our Families
"For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself."
Three Truths About Legacy in Joshua 4
We looked inward when we talked about family. We looked outward when we talked about the lost. Now we look forward as we think together about legacy.
A Legacy for the Next Generation
1
Legacy Begins by Remembering What God Has Done
God told the people to gather their stones from the dry riverbed, not from the safe shore where the people stood. He wanted reminders taken from the very place He had worked, so they could never forget that they did not cross that river on their own. Our legacy is not about us. It is the continuing story of what God has done in and through this church since 1858.
Stones From the Riverbed
When the waters parted, the ground beneath was not muddy and mucky. It was solid and dry, firm enough for the priests to stand on. The stones picked up from that spot were proof that God did whatever it took to get His people where He intended them to be.
Joshua 4:3 — "Take twelve stones... from the very place where the priests' feet stood firmly."
2
Legacy Requires Building Something That Tells the Right Story
The stones were big, the kind you carry on your shoulder, so that anyone passing by would notice and ask what happened there. A building is not the church, but a building can serve the mission of the church, and it must tell the right story. The wrong story is, "Look what we did, so everyone knows our names." The right story is, "Look what God has done."
The Foundation Already Laid
Paul said he laid a foundation like a skilled master builder, and another generation builds upon it. We are building too, but the only foundation worth building on is Jesus Christ. When people see what God has done, they gain a better understanding of what He can do.
Joshua 4:6 — "that this may be a sign among you... so these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever."
3
Legacy Is Passed Down Through Intentional Conversation
Twice in this chapter God says that when the children ask about the stones, the parents are to tell them the story, and both times He stresses that the story is about what God did. The stones could not explain themselves. The children did not automatically understand. The story had to be told on purpose, with words, by people who were willing to tell it.
The Tie and the Bible
Pastor John wore a tie his granddaughter Collins made, carrying on a tradition his daughter Ashley began. He also carries an old Bible his father held in the 1950s, the same Bible carried in his wedding and his daughter's. To a stranger they are just a tie and just a Bible. To him they are family, because he knows the story.
Joshua 4:21–22 — "When your children ask... 'What do these stones mean?' then you shall let your children know."
Legacy Is Not Only for Our Children
Remember
Build
Tell
The promise in Acts 2 is for you and your children, but it is also for everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself. Our story is bigger than even our families. Some day a person may walk into First Baptist Church of West and hear the gospel clearly for the first time. He will come to know Jesus, and he may never know our names.
He may meet our Savior because we were faithful, just as those before us were faithful. That is why we build. Not for convenience, and not for credit, but so the story of an almighty God and His life-changing gospel keeps getting told.
Acts 2:39 — "The promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off."
"The rocks are just rocks unless you tell the story."
— Pastor John W. Crowder
The Moving Forward Vision Statement
"We are building a home for the family, a lighthouse for the lost, and a legacy for the next generation."
FBC West Relocation Vision
One Statement, Three Directions
1
A Home for the Family — The Inward Look
Comforting
We are building a home for this family of God, with room at the table for more people to come. The inward look is comforting, because it reminds us we belong.
2
A Lighthouse for the Lost — The Outward Look
Challenging
We look outward for those who have not found their way home yet. The outward look is challenging, because it asks us to think about people beyond ourselves.
3
A Legacy for the Next Generation — The Forward Look
Costly
Now we look forward. The forward look is costly, because it asks us to sacrifice for someone we may never meet. This is our turn to pick up the mantle.
Standing on the Sacrifice of Others
We Are Not the First Generation
We sit today in a building that represents the sacrifices and hard work of people who came before us. Betty Tucker joined this church in 1951 and was a member longer than anyone else alive today. She and her husband Jake were part of nearly every building project this church undertook for most of a century. Jake even chaired the committee that built our current sanctuary.
The reason we have what we have is because generations before us planned ahead and thought about what we might need. Now it is our job to look forward and decide what we can do for the generations yet to come.
160 Years of God's Faithfulness
1858
God brought together 37 people on a farm outside of town, and they formed a church.
Into Town
Those people moved into town as the railroad came through, eventually settling on this corner.
1938–1939
The building they met in burned, so they stayed, rebuilt, and built again under God's providence.
Today
We now worship across four separate buildings that we pretend are really one. It is our turn to build.
Why We Build
When we build, we will not build so we can say, "Look what we did," and we will not build merely for our convenience. We will build so we can keep telling the story of an almighty God who has an incredible gospel that changes lives.
Personal Reflection
Question 1
Look back over your own life. What are the "stones" you could point to, the moments when you know God did what it took to get you where you needed to be?
Legacy begins by remembering what God has done.
Question 2
Pastor John spoke of a tie and an old Bible that carry whole family stories. What object, place, or tradition in your life tells a story of God's faithfulness, and have you ever told that story out loud?
Question 3
The forward look is costly because it asks us to sacrifice for someone we may never meet. What would it look like for you to invest in a person you will not see the result of?
Question 4
Who is one child, grandchild, or friend you can intentionally tell the story to this week? What will you actually say?
Life Group & Small Group Discussion
Discussion 1
Read Joshua 4:1–7. Why do you think God wanted the stones taken from the middle of the riverbed rather than from the shore? What difference does the source of the reminder make?
Discussion 2
"The stones could not explain themselves." Why is intentional conversation so essential to passing on faith, and what happens to a story that is never told?
Discussion 3
As our church plans to relocate and build, what is the difference between telling the story "Look what we did" and the story "Look what God has done"? How do we guard the right story?
Discussion 4
Acts 2:39 says the promise is also for those far off. How does it change your motivation to know you are building for people who may never know your name?
The Empty Chair
It's Our Turn
"You and I are here because of the work that Betty and those in her generation did. They're not here anymore, which means it's our turn."
The Chair Has Meant Something New Each Week
Throughout this series, an empty chair has sat on the platform. When we talked about a home for the family, it was another chair at the table, room for more people to come. When we talked about a lighthouse for the lost, it was empty because that person has not yet found their way home.
Today the chair means something different, and even something different than was first planned. Today the chair is empty because Betty Tucker is no longer with us. We pick up the mantle. We continue the work. We tell the story so that others may come.
Living Out the Legacy This Week
1
Remember — Name one specific thing God has done in your life or in this church, and thank Him for it by name.
2
Build — Do something this week that serves the mission and tells the right story, giving God the credit rather than yourself.
3
Tell — Have one intentional conversation, with a child or a friend, about what God has done. Do not wait to be asked.
Planting Trees for Future Shade
A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they will never sit. Legacy is planting trees under whose shade future generations will someday rest.
"One generation shall commend your works to another." — Psalm 145:4
Responsive Reading
Leader
We did not clear this ground on our own.
People
Generations before us planned ahead and thought about what we would need.
Leader
They left us stones in our pathway, reminders of how God has worked.
People
We did not inherit only a building. We inherited a witness and a story.
All
Legacy begins by remembering what God has done.
Leader
Now it is our turn to pick up the mantle and look forward.
People
We will build so we can keep telling the story of an almighty God.
All
We tell the story so that others may come.
Closing Prayer
God, we thank You for those who came before us, who left stones in our pathway that we might recognize the ways in which You have worked. Help us to be good stewards of all the gifts that others gave for us.
Help us now to continue that legacy of sacrifice, of hard work, of dedication, and of faith in You to get us through that last obstacle. Help us to live out that legacy in a way that honors You.
Bring glory to the name of Jesus, and reach this community for Him. We pray in His name. Amen.
Your Prayer
What story of His faithfulness do you want to carry forward and tell? Write your own prayer below.
