Remembering Baptism and God's Faithful Miracles

Devotional

Day 1: Stones That Speak When Children Ask

When the Jordan River stood still, twelve stones became more than rubble—they became a dialogue between generations. These stones answered future questions with past faithfulness, physical markers of divine interruption. Like Israel, we need tangible reminders that outlast our fickle memories. God’s miracles aren’t meant to be archived but actively recounted, turning awe into testimony. What we preserve today becomes tomorrow’s declaration of grace. [46:20]

“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. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.” (Joshua 4:6–7, ESV)

Reflection: What “stones” have you intentionally placed in your life to remember God’s faithfulness? If someone asked you today about a specific marker of His grace, could you answer with a story?

Day 2: The File of Forgotten Miracles

Eric’s list of miracles became a lifeline—a written record of divine fingerprints. For years, scribbled notes preserved what memory might erase: healings, provision, unexpected breakthroughs. Like Joshua’s stones, the act of recording transforms fleeting gratitude into enduring trust. Our forgetfulness is spiritual amnesia; ink and paper can be holy medicine. What might happen if you started your own “file” today? [40:00]

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.” (Psalm 77:11–12, ESV)

Reflection: What miracle have you nearly forgotten that, if written down, would anchor you in future storms? How might documenting God’s acts reshape your prayer life?

Day 3: Crossing From Slavery to Sword

The Jordan wasn’t a repeat of the Red Sea—it was a reversal. At the Red Sea, slaves fled oppression; at the Jordan, warriors claimed inheritance. Baptism mirrors this: not just freedom from sin’s chains but enlistment into divine purpose. God doesn’t just rescue; He redeploys. What died in your waters wasn’t just your past—it was your smallness. [50:35]

“For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty.” (Joshua 4:23–24, ESV)

Reflection: What “Egypt” have you left behind that still tempts you to retreat? How does your baptism commission you as God’s warrior, not just His refugee?

Day 4: Fonts, Funerals, and Fresh Starts

Baptism is a burial—the old self drowned, the new self breathing heaven’s air. Like Israel’s priests standing mid-river, we’re suspended between what was and what will be. The water that washes away shame also seeds resurrection. Every morning, the font invites you to touch your forehead and whisper: “I am not who I was.” [53:05]

“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4, ESV)

Reflection: What part of your “old life” still tries to claw out of the grave? How might living as “resurrected” shift your choices today?

Day 5: Wet Fingers and Daily Dying

The baptismal font isn’t a relic—it’s a mirror. Dipping fingers into water to trace the cross isn’t ritual; it’s rebellion against forgetfulness. Each droplet shouts, “You were claimed!” This daily touchstone isn’t magic but a martial arts belt tied around the waist: a reminder of whose you are and where you’re trained to stand. [59:08]

“These words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (Deuteronomy 6:6–7, ESV)

Reflection: What tangible habit could help you “touch your baptism” daily? How would living as a marked person change your interactions today?

Sermon Summary

Joshua stands up under the Spirit that Moses had placed on him and tells Israel to consecrate themselves because the Lord will do amazing things tomorrow. The Jordan is in flood, but God sends the ark-bearers to the front and tells them to put their toes in the water. The moment their feet touch the edge, the river stops and heaps far upstream at Adam so that the timing lines up and the people walk through on dry ground. The ark stands in the middle while the whole nation passes. God goes first, makes a way, and holds the way until the last person is through.

The text then orders memory. Twelve men lift twelve shoulder-stones from the exact place where the priests stood and set them where they camp, so that children will one day point and ask, What do these stones mean. The stones preach. They say the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the Lord and Israel crossed on dry ground. Joshua also ties this Jordan crossing to the Red Sea. God did again what he had done before. The first crossing brought slaves out of Egypt. The second brought an army into inheritance. Out of something, into something.

Romans 6 says baptism works the same pattern. Union with Christ buries the old life and raises a new one. At the font a death happens. A meaningless, self-destructive, sin-slavery under a lying slave driver dies. The end of that road is eternal punishment, and God ends it. Then a resurrection happens. Sins are washed. The Spirit is given. A still small voice starts to lead into works that bless the world physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, financially. Hello, new life. The church is not only brought out of death but brought into vocation, into Spirit-led appointments where God transforms lives through prayer and witness until the journey ends in eternal life.

Because memory leaks, the text presses for memorials. Stones in a heap. A written record of God’s amazing things. Photos and certificates. Fingers dipped in the font and the cross traced on the forehead. These practices train descendants to ask and saints to remember, so that the next time trouble comes, faith reaches for a well-worn list and says, God has not changed. In that spirit, the congregation renews baptismal confession, renounces the old life, and receives the sign of the cross while hearing, You are made new in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Key Takeaways

1. Memorials train stubborn memories [45:32] Memorial stones teach a people to ask and answer, What do these stones mean. Tangible, repeated markers lodge grace into muscle memory and family stories. Without them, even the most spectacular deliverance gets fuzzy at the edges. With them, testimony becomes durable and transferable across generations. [45:32]
2. Faith moves before waters part [43:29] The priests step into a flooded river, then the current stops and heaps at Adam. God has already gone ahead, but the timing meets their toes at the edge. Obedience does not force God; it finds the road God has already laid down and discovers that dry ground appears under faithful feet. [43:29]
3. Baptism ends slavery, begins vocation [53:05] Romans 6 says the old life dies and a new life rises. The pattern matches Red Sea and Jordan, out of bondage and into inheritance, from slaves to the Lord’s army. Baptism is not just pardon; it is placement into Spirit-led purpose that blesses the world until it blossoms into eternal life. [53:05]
4. Keep a written record of grace [40:00] Memories of miracles fade faster than anyone expects, and details slip away. A file of God’s works becomes a personal cairn, a pile of stones on paper to revisit when fear or forgetfulness rolls in. Such a record steadies prayer, fuels gratitude, and trains future saints to expect God’s faithfulness again. [40:00]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[22:38] - Scripture: Jordan stops flowing
[24:43] - Twelve stones command and meaning
[32:35] - Greeting and Eric introduction
[38:43] - A file of miracles and memory
[41:09] - Joshua commissioned to lead
[42:51] - Priests step into the flood
[43:54] - Waters heap at Adam
[44:46] - Crossing on dry ground
[45:32] - Memorial stones for generations
[48:50] - Remembering baptism as pattern
[53:05] - Romans 6 and new life
[56:45] - Spirit-led appointments to bless
[57:56] - How to remember baptism today
[59:59] - Reaffirmation and sign of the cross

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
- Joshua 3:13-17 (ESV): “When the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap... And the people passed over opposite Jericho.”
- Joshua 4:6-7 (ESV): “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.”
- Romans 6:4 (ESV): “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

Observation Questions

What specific action did the priests carrying the ark have to take before the Jordan River stopped flowing? (Joshua 3:13-17)
What two purposes did the twelve stones serve for future generations? (Joshua 4:6-7) [45:32]
How does Romans 6:4 connect baptism to the pattern of Israel’s Red Sea and Jordan River crossings? [53:05]

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think God chose to stop the Jordan River’s flow at Adam, 18 miles upstream, rather than at the exact spot where the priests stood? What does this detail reveal about His timing and preparation? [44:08]
The sermon states, “Baptism ends slavery, begins vocation.” How does the Jordan crossing (entering inheritance) differ from the Red Sea crossing (leaving slavery), and what does this teach about the Christian life? [51:30]
Why might physical memorials like stones, baptismal certificates, or written records be necessary even for “spectacular” acts of God? [40:00]

Application Questions

What tangible “memorial” (e.g., journal, photo, object) could you create or revisit to remind yourself of God’s faithfulness in a specific struggle? How might this help you face future challenges? [48:16]
Describe a time you had to “step into the water” (act in faith) before seeing God’s provision. How did that experience shape your trust in Him? [43:29]
The sermon says baptism marks a shift from “sin-slavery” to “Spirit-led purpose.” What practical step could you take this week to live out your “new life” vocation—physically, emotionally, or spiritually? [56:45]
How would your prayer life change if you regularly reviewed a written list of God’s past miracles in your life? What fear or situation could this habit address right now? [40:26]
When tracing the sign of the cross (as mentioned in the sermon), what truth about your baptismal identity do you most need to remember daily? How can you incorporate this into your routine? [59:08]

Sermon Clips

42s

“From a bunch of slaves to now an army of the Lord. They came out of something, but they went into something as well. And you know what? That's what the bible says about your and my baptism as well. Look at what it says in Romans six. We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the father, we too may live a new life. We were brought out of something and into something. We were brought out of death and we were brought into a brand new life.”

34s

“Can you remember the things that God has done for you? Because I guarantee you there's not a person here in this room today that God hasn't done miracles in your life. Do you remember them? Chances are you're a lot like me. You pray for something. You're in a rough spot. You say, God, I really need you to come through for me. And then in a day, in a week, all of a sudden it resolves itself and you go, that was close.”

36s

“and leading you to do the things that God wants you to do. And so now it's not just Satan yelling in your ear, you also have a still small voice whispering to you. This is what God has for you to do. It's not only gonna be good for you, it's gonna be good for this world. And that gives your life meaning and purpose. And finally, at the end of it all, it's not eternal damnation and punishment. Instead, we go into eternal life. Hello, new life.”

37s

“You're gonna have divine appointments to make this world a better place. Because if you're open to it, God's going to put you into these divine situations where you're going to be able to bless this world physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, financially. You're going to be a light to this world. That's awesome. You just haven't been brought out of something. You've been brought into something through the waters of your baptism. That's pretty important that we remember that.”

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St John's Lutheran Church - Buffalo, MN This sermon · AI assistant

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