Remember What He Did, Trust What He’ll Do

Joshua 4 sets twelve stones before Israel as a reminder that the Lord brought an entire nation through the Jordan on dry ground. Joshua 6 opens the door to what comes next: God is putting Jericho into Joshua’s hands. The movement between those places carries this charge: “Remember what he did and see what he does.” God’s past faithfulness is fuel for the next step, not permission to stop moving.

God is a God of progression, not because he gets better or changes, but because he calls his people to grow. His instructions call for obedience, not another season of procrastination dressed up as waiting. Fear, comparison, and convenience can keep a person standing still while God is calling for movement. Moving at “God’s speed” protects both the promise and the person carrying it. God’s work within a person prepares that person for what he is about to release.

Israel’s wilderness history exposes the cost of refusing that process. The older generation’s unbelief kept them from possessing what God had promised. The wilderness did not prove that God had lied. His promise still stood, but their refusal to trust him cost them entry. Spiritual progression requires more than getting free. The Holy Ghost brings formation and development, because deliverance from a place does not automatically mean deliverance from its patterns. The wilderness can still live inside somebody who has already come out of it.

The overflowing Jordan puts that trust to the test. God sends Israel to cross during flood stage, when the conditions look wrong and the assignment looks impossible. His instructions do not depend on favorable conditions. His faithfulness calls for trust in the God they know more than the conditions they see.

The twelve stones preserve the testimony for the children coming behind them. Their purpose is remembrance, not residence. Every fulfilled promise introduces “the responsibility of the next step.” Gratitude must not become a disguise for stagnation, and yesterday’s breakthrough must not become today’s comfort zone.

Jericho reveals why continued obedience matters. The Jordan was about crossing; Jericho was about conquering. God removed an obstacle at the river and gave Israel grace to confront an obstacle at the city. The same God remained faithful in both places. His continuing work calls the church beyond celebrating its history into repentance for resistance, readiness for transition, and expectation for what he will do next.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Obedience moves at God’s speed. God’s instructions call for a response, not an endless search for another word. Procrastination can wear the language of patience while leaving the last instruction untouched. Moving at God’s speed means allowing his direction, rather than fear or convenience, to set the pace. [52:47]
• 2. Deliverance must make room for development. Deliverance opens the way out, but formation deals with what the old place left inside. The wilderness can remain in habits, reactions, and expectations long after the location changes. The Holy Ghost develops both character and capacity so that the next place does not simply become another setting for the same patterns. [1:02:04]
• 3. Remembrance must never become permanent residence. The stones at Gilgal were a memorial, not a reason to stop. Gratitude becomes a disguise for stagnation when a past victory supplies an excuse to resist the next instruction. True remembrance honors what God did while keeping expectation open to what he is doing now. [1:14:30]
• 4. The next obstacle requires continued trust. The Jordan and Jericho reveal different expressions of the same God’s faithfulness. His power can remove an obstacle, but his direction can also require a confrontation with one. Past deliverance strengthens present trust without requiring the next victory to look exactly like the last one. [1:21:01]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [47:18] - Scripture and the Call to Remember
• [49:22] - Moving at God’s Speed
• [55:08] - Israel’s Transition and the Cost of Unbelief
• [1:01:26] - Deliverance, Development, and Capacity
• [1:04:26] - Trusting God at an Overflowing Jordan
• [1:11:14] - Twelve Stones for the Next Generation
• [1:12:52] - Remembrance Is Not Residence
• [1:20:08] - From Crossing Jordan to Conquering Jericho
• [1:29:57] - Remembered Faithfulness Fuels Expectation
• [1:43:10] - The Next Assignment and Repentance for Resistance

Bible Reading

Joshua 4:20-24
“And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ 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, that you may fear the LORD your God forever.” [47:23]

Joshua 6:2
“And the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.” [48:42]

Hebrews 3:19
“So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” [56:51]

Observation questions

1. In Joshua 4:20–24, what were future generations meant to discover about God through the stones and the stories connected to them? [01:11:38]
2. What attitudes and choices marked the older wilderness generation, and how do they connect with the reason for their missed entry given in Hebrews 3:19? [56:16]
3. After Israel crossed the Jordan and set up the stones, what did they do next? How does Joshua 6:2 show that their journey was not finished? [01:12:29]
4. What differences stand out between the obstacle at the Jordan and the obstacle at Jericho, and how God helped Israel face each one? [01:21:19]

Interpretation questions

1. How could the memorial in Joshua 4 strengthen Israel’s trust for Jericho rather than become a reason to remain where they were? What distinguishes faithful remembrance from settling into a comfort zone? [01:14:51]
2. Hebrews 3:19 identifies unbelief as the barrier to entry. Why is a refusal to trust God different from simply facing difficult circumstances, and how might that refusal show up in someone’s choices? [58:15]
3. Israel had already experienced deliverance, yet still needed formation. Why does leaving a difficult place not automatically remove the habits, reactions, and expectations formed there? [01:02:18]
4. How does God’s promise in Joshua 6:2 give Joshua confidence without making continued obedience unnecessary? Why should a believer not expect the next obstacle to be handled exactly like the last one? [01:21:36]

Application questions

1. What experience of God’s faithfulness could serve as a “memorial stone” in your life? Who—perhaps a child, younger believer, or friend—could you share that story with this week? [01:22:43]
2. Is there a clear step of obedience you have been putting off, such as forgiving someone or releasing something you keep holding onto? What would help you recognize whether you are patiently waiting or avoiding that step? [52:47]
3. What old habit, reaction, or expectation still follows you from a season God has brought you through? What practical step could you take to make room for the Holy Ghost to develop a different response? [01:02:27]
4. Where do the conditions around you make obedience feel poorly timed or difficult? What do you know about God that could help you respond faithfully without needing every detail first? [01:09:02]
5. Has a past breakthrough become a comfort zone for you? What might it look like to thank God sincerely for that season while remaining open to the responsibility of the next step? [01:17:08]
6. Is there an obstacle you keep asking God to remove that may require a faithful response from you instead? What might facing it with his help look like, and how could this group support you? [01:21:36]