Tying the Knot and Starting a New Beginning
Bible passage: Joshua 4:1-7
“1. When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, 2. "Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3. and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight." 4. So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5. and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan."
Bamboo is said to have periods where it temporarily stops its growth. In that period of stopped growth, it forms nodes, which prepares it for its next stage of growth.
Without tying knots due to impatience for quick growth, even a slightly strong wind can easily break it. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly tie knots so that it can stand firmly even when a typhoon blows. In life as well, tying knots well gives one the strength to endure any difficulties that may come.
Just as bamboo grows taller through its nodes, the knots in life become stepping stones for greater growth. Today's scripture provides a meaningful message to conclude the year well through tying knots and to advance anew into the new year. Through today's last Sunday message, I hope we tie this year's knot well, create a node like bamboo, and enter the newly starting 2025 as a stronger and higherreaching new year.
The passage describes a deeply moving moment for the Israelites, one they could never forget in their lifetime. This is because they had just stepped into the land of Canaan, which they had dreamed of and longed for over so many years. Verse 1 says, “When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua,…..” The phrase “When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan” indicates that their goal of entering the land of Canaan was achieved. Their dream had come true. The Israelites, who had wandered as slaves and nomads without a nation, now set foot in the land where they could build their own nation, marking the end of their wandering.
At this moment, God commands them to perform a specific act. He instructs them to take twelve stones from the bottom of the Jordan River and set them up as an everlasting memorial. This act symbolizes tying a knot, much like bamboo does to grow taller. To fully conquer Canaan, they were to pause and tie this knot. Verses 2-3 say, ““Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”” Second part of Verse 7 says, “When the ark of the covenant crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”
Today is the last Sunday of 2024. Having completed this year’s journey, it is now time for us to reflect on the past year, tie our knots well, and set up a memorial as we prepare to leap into the new year, 2025.
1. To tie the knot of the year well, a memorial must be erected.
To properly conclude the year and tie its knot, one important task for you is to set up a memorial. God gives a rather unusual command to the Israelites at the historical moment when they finally cross the Jordan River and set foot in the long-awaited land of Canaan. God commands them to take 12 stones from the bottom of the Jordan River, set them up at the place where they will stay, and make them a memorial. When Joshua relays this command to the tribal leaders, he instructs them to “carry the stones on their shoulders.” Thus, these are not small pebbles but rather large, heavy stones. Why does God command them to set up these stones as a memorial? He provides the reason.
The reason is that these stones are to serve as a sign as written in verse 6. A sign of what? That crossing the Jordan River was entirely God’s doing. The memorial was to symbolize this. Joshua 4:21–23 says, [21] He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ [22] tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ [23] For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. Do you want to conclude the past year well? How should you do it? By erecting a memorial and acknowledging that everything over the past year was “God’s work.”
There is a well-loved gospel song in Korea called "Grace" . The lyrics are so graceful that they are worth sharing: ~ “All that I have enjoyed, all the times I have passed, every step I have taken, none of it was by chance but by grace.” ~ “Being born and living on this earth, from my childhood until now, breathing and living, dreaming and hoping - all of it was not by chance but by grace.” ~ “Living as a child of God, worshipping and praising today, sharing the Gospel - it’s all not by chance but by grace.” ~ “Everything is grace, grace, grace, endless grace. I know that nothing in my life was deserved; it was all grace.” It makes one want to dedicate everything in life as a memorial. Everything you experienced over the past year, and everything that brought your church to this point, was all by grace. Confessing everything as grace - that is tying the knot.
In the Old Testament, there are two particularly famous memorials. The first is the memorial set up by Samuel, the well-known Ebenezer memorial in the Old Testament. 1 Samuel 7:12 says, “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”” After Samuel defeated the Philistines, he set up a victory memorial that confessed everything about the victory was by God’s grace. The second memorial is of a completely different nature. It was the memorial set up by King Saul.
1 Samuel 15:12 says, “Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.”” When King Saul achieved victory over the Amalekites, many flatterers likely showered him with praise. “King Saul, you are amazing. This is a remarkable achievement!” As they continued to flatter him, Saul became intoxicated by their words and set up a memorial to himself.
Saul declared as he erected the memorial, “This victory is my accomplishment. Who else could have done it but me?” Because of this, Saul’s connection to God’s grace was cut off. This was Saul’s “memorial of pride.” Are you setting up a memorial like Samuel’s? Or are you setting up one like Saul’s? When we conclude a year and tie its knot, we must set up a memorial like Samuel’s Ebenezer. It is a declaration that “everything that has brought me to this moment was God’s guidance.” Sometimes, when no one understands your struggles, when you feel lonely and isolated, or when you think you are walking through the wilderness of life alone, remember that God has carried you this far and guided you all along. God walks with us in peaceful times, but during the most difficult and dangerous moments, when we cannot make it on our own, He carries us. Even when we feel abandoned during tough times, God is truly with us, carrying us along the path of life. The Apostle Paul also tied his knots well.
In 1 Corinthians 15:10, he says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them - yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” Dear beloved congregation, as we conclude the year 2024, may we, like the Apostle Paul, declare, "Everything is by the grace of God." Let us set up a memorial to God, acknowledging His grace, and tie the knot of this year well. Together, let us offer a round of applause of gratitude and glory to the God of grace who has led us this far.
2. To live a monumental life, you must trust and follow the God who goes before you.
If you look closely at today’s message, you can find two types of memorials. Until now, I also thought there was only the memorial made with the twelve stones brought out of the Jordan River by the leaders of the twelve tribes. However, while preparing this sermon, I discovered through deeper study that there is another memorial.
This is the memorial that Joshua personally built with twelve stones at the bottom of the Jordan River. Verse 9 says, “Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.” Verse 8 refers to the memorial created by the twelve tribes with the twelve stones. It says, “So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them.
They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down.” The memorials mentioned in the passage consist of a communal memorial set up by the Israelites and a personal memorial built by Joshua. The phrase "set it up at the place where they stayed" implies that the twelve stones should exist in the center of our lives, within our daily activities.
The Hebrew word for "stay" is lun, which can mean "to lodge" or "spend the night," but it also carries meanings like "grumble" or "complain." This suggests that in the daily struggles and complaints that arise where we reside, we must instead set up a memorial of gratitude and praise. When the Israelites arrived at the overflowing Jordan River, which seemed impossible to cross, how frightened and hopeless they must have felt? Wouldn't there have been complaints and distress among those with little faith?
However, the Book of Joshua records no instances of complaints or grumbling. Compare this with the crossing of the Red Sea, where there were many complaints and accusations. Exodus 14:10-11 says, [10] As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. [11] They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Why, then, were there no complaints during the crossing of the Jordan River? It was because the priests carried the Ark of the Covenant and stepped into the flooding river, trusting in God's promise. The most powerful insight we can glean here is that God did not split the Jordan River beforehand and then ask the Israelites to advance. If the Ark of the Covenant symbolizes God's presence, it means that God Himself entered the Jordan River first. Joshua 3:11 says, “See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you.”
Here lies the crucial point that must not be overlooked: it was not the priests who entered the river first; it was the Ark of the Covenant. God went ahead, essentially saying, "I will go first; follow Me." When God saved the Israelites from Babylon, His leadership was similarly recorded. Isaiah 52:12 says, “…….The Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.” Before the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, while they were gathered in the wilderness of Moab, God said in Deuteronomy 1:29–30, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them.
The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as He did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes.” Verse 33 says, “who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.” In military terms, a soldier tasked with leading in front, scouting, and assessing danger is called a "forerunner." The "forerunner" goes ahead to detect enemies or any potential hazards. When a unit follows the guidance of the forerunner, it can advance without incident and achieve victory. Moses described God to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 1:30 as “the LORD your God, who goes before you,” and in verse 33, “He went ahead of you on your journey.” Taking the lead is challenging, but following is easier.
The same applies to life. It is easier to follow someone ahead of us or a role model. God leads us as our guide, assuring us, “Do not worry or be afraid. Simply follow the path I am taking.” What does God do as He goes ahead of us? He removes dangers and fights on our behalf. The Bible states that God went ahead of the Israelites, fighting against the Egyptian army at the Red Sea. Exodus 14:14 says, “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” God was with Gideon and his 300 warriors, fought alongside young David against Goliath, and gave David victory wherever he went. His Emeritus Senior Pastor once shared his experience from overseas revival meetings. These events required preparation, and a team of workers would travel to the host country in advance to make arrangements. The workers consistently experienced everything proceeding smoothly.
His Emeritus Senior Pastor explained that in the spiritual realm, God sent His mighty angels ahead to thwart the forces of darkness that sought to disrupt the meetings. As a result, when the workers arrived, even in difficult or complex situations, things unexpectedly went well. When Daniel was sentenced to the lion’s den, the Bible recounts that God sent angels ahead of time to shut the lions’ mouths so they could not harm him. Daniel 6:22 says, “My God sent His angel, and He shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in His sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”
We cannot overcome the world with our own strength and power. However, when we believe that God goes ahead of us and fights for us, we can always emerge victorious. Dear congregation, just as Joshua set up a memorial in the Jordan Riverbed to commemorate crossing the Jordan, we must set up a memorial of answered prayers as we conclude 2024 on this last Sunday. Around this time last year, you wrote down three individual prayer titles on your prayer cards for 2024 and prayed for them throughout the year. How many of those prayers have been answered? Those answered prayers become your memorial. On this final Sunday of 2024, like Joshua, you should have 12 stones to set up as a memorial. What stones do you have to build your memorial?
Does anyone here feel they lack materials to build a memorial? If, when I ask questions, you feel positively inclined to respond, then say “Amen.” Those who say “Amen” are likely preparing well to set up their memorial stones. Over the past year: ~ Have you diligently pursued spiritual fellowship with God? ~ Have you worshiped in spirit and truth at every worship service? ~ Have you read, meditated on, and applied the Bible to your life? ~ Have you participated in Daniel’s night prayers, living a life of unceasing prayer? ~ Have you faithfully managed the roles, time, health, resources, and talents God entrusted to you, as a steward aligning with His will? ~ Have you obeyed the Lord’s command to evangelize? How fruitful has your evangelism been? ~ Through the Word, how much has your faith, character, and life matured? Do you notice a difference compared to the start of the year? ~ Were your relationships with neighbors or fellow believers harmonious?
Are there any unresolved conflicts? Have you shown love, forgiveness, and service to others? ~ Over the past year, did you actively seek out those in need, offering help and encouragement? Or have you merely expected to receive and be served? ~ Have you fulfilled your roles in ministry, service, and calling, faithfully? ~ In your daily life - at home, work, church, or society - have you been a good and faithful servant? Like Joshua, who built a memorial and lived a monumental life, may we avoid living ordinary lives and instead live a life that is memorable before God and the church. The Bible highlights many individuals who lived monumental lives: Abraham, who became the father of faith, leaving a lasting legacy in the realm of faith. Joseph, who, despite being sold into slavery, rose to become Egypt’s prime minister, living a monumental life in the realm of dreams and hope.
David, a shepherd who defeated Goliath, became a hero, and turned Israel into a great nation, leaving a legacy of courage and loyalty. Esther, a young woman who said, “If I perish, I perish,” fasting and praying to save the Jewish people exiled in Babylon, demonstrating a monumental life in sacrifice and prayer. Beyond these, countless monumental lives of faith are recorded in the Bible, serving as examples for us. In our Manmin congregation, we remember a deaconess who left a monumental legacy in the realm of prayer. Though she is now in heaven, her life continues to inspire us. There was a deaconess who spent her entire life in prayer, never missing a single prayer meeting, always interceding for the senior pastor and the church.
Once, during a church outing, everyone was enjoying games after lunch, but she was nowhere to be found. When someone went to look for her, they found her praying alone in the forest. She said she found prayer more enjoyable than games. She truly represents a monumental figure of prayer in our church. During my ministry in Korea, I had a memorable experience with a deaconess who was part of the choir. She was elderly and, at one point, was diagnosed with cancer. Despite her illness, she never gave up her role in the choir, faithfully attending rehearsals and fulfilling her mission of praise until her strength ran out. I still remember her today as a monumental figure in the realm of praise. Though she endured hardship at the time and chose not to seek hospital treatment, she sang and prayed with unwavering faith.
Now, in heaven, she must be filled with joy, having become a monumental figure of praise. True praise is not just singing with one’s voice; it is offering a sacrifice of praise with one’s heart, faith, and life. Yet, looking at our choir today, it’s disheartening to see members missing for various reasons, creating issues here and there. We need more monumental figures of praise to emerge. If there are any choir members who did not miss a single Sunday or Friday overnight service in 2024, please let the choir chairperson provide me with their names. Those who excel deserve recognition as monumental choir members and should be commended. Likewise, if there is a home cell leader whose group has doubled in size over the year, the homecell leaders’ chairperson should notify me. Such leaders represent monumental examples of love and faithfulness and deserve to be praised and encouraged. I’ve noticed volunteers quietly coming to church to humbly clean and mop without seeking recognition.
These individuals are monumental figures of sacrifice and service. Please write down their names and let me know so I can pray for them and commend them. There are elders and deacons who diligently attend every worship service, sitting in their usual places, listening to the Word, and worshiping in spirit and truth. These individuals are monumental figures of worship in our church. We also have many prayerful elders participating in the Daniel night prayers, but among them are children and teenagers who regularly attend. While I cannot reward everyone, these young ones should receive recognition because they are monumental figures of prayer in our church. I would like to honor and pray for those who, over the past year, have become monumental figures in various areas of faith activities in our church.
I would also like to give them small tokens of appreciation as a gesture of gratitude. Of course, in heaven, God the Father will erect memorials for them. But even here on earth, it would be wonderful to recognize their efforts with a small reward. Jesus also praised those who lived monumental lives. For instance, when a woman broke an alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus’ head, the disciples rebuked her for wasting something so valuable. However, Jesus commended her, saying she had done a monumental act. Matthew 26:13 says, “Truly I tell you, wherever this Gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” So, I pray as follows: “Help me to be a servant who faithfully fulfills the monumental mission You have given me at Nairobi Manmin Church. Bless our congregation so they may redeem the time and dedicate their efforts, time, and resources to glorify You in meaningful pursuits.
May You bless us so that many monumental believers emerge in all areas of our faith. Amen!”
3. The memorials we set after tying the knot of the year become springboards for reaching higher levels of blessing.
When we properly conclude a year and establish a memorial, this memorial becomes a springboard that propels us into the center of blessings. God gave Joshua, who had set up the memorial with 12 stones, a new command. Verses 15-16 says, “Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant law to come up out of the Jordan.”” Crossing the Jordan River and entering Canaan was not the end for the Israelites, even though it marked the realization of their dream. In some ways, it was just the beginning.
Saying, “Wow, we crossed the Jordan River, and we even set up a memorial with 12 huge stones from the riverbed as proof! How amazing!” and then stopping there would have been wrong. God commands Joshua and the people to leave the river and move forward. To the Israelites, who had just entered the threshold of Canaan, God says not to settle there but to keep advancing until they fully possess the land of Canaan. The same applies to us. Thinking, “This is enough; I’ve done enough,” leads to self-satisfaction and stagnation. Falling into sentimentality or routine without striving for progress in daily life or faith is not acceptable. We must avoid merely maintaining the status quo and instead continue to grow and advance. What dreams do we have?
Building a happy church and striving for growth. Without growth, true happiness cannot exist. Happiness without growth is a fragile and dangerous kind of happiness. Just as the Israelites had only entered the edge of Canaan and could not stop there, we too have merely stepped into the threshold of blessings and must not stop or settle. We must look toward greater blessings, pursue greater growth, and dream of accomplishing greater things for God’s glory. In the coming new year, we must also achieve the construction of the sanctuary.
We must transform our church into a place like the Upper Room of Mark, focusing on initiatives like online ministry, the academy, MIS, and African missions. All of us must unite in prayer, combine our efforts, love, faith, dedication, and faithfulness, and work together for God’s glory. When the Israelites escaped from Egypt, they crossed two bodies of water: the Red Sea and the Jordan River. In both crossings, there is one thing in common. During the crossing of the Red Sea, God gave this command in Exodus 14:15 saying, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.” God had already heard their prayers and was ready to help and respond. Now, He was commanding them to rise and move forward, to begin a new journey. Luke 9:62 says, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” As I mature in age, I find myself feeling different compared to my 40s or 50s. There are times when my body cannot keep up with the many tasks before me.
Yet, looking at the state of the world, it is clear that the Lord’s return is near. This is no time to indulge in sentimentality. I discipline myself, bringing my body into submission, so that I can fulfill my calling and persist in prayer. Observing the world, I am convinced that the time of the Lord’s return is very close. Now is the time to be like the wise virgins in Matthew Chapter 24, preparing to meet the Bridegroom without delay. There is a saying, “Emotions are a luxury.” There is no time for laziness or selfsatisfaction. It is not the time to dwell on feelings of difficulty, reluctance, or preference. It is time to act and move. Our congregation seems to be overflowing with emotion - our praise times feel like a festival. But the grace experienced emotionally must lead to action. Without this connection, it becomes cheap grace, dead grace without deeds, or grace of little value. Listening to the Word, singing praises, and praying must not stop at emotional grace. That grace must translate into action, driven by will and effort.
If you have received the grace of repentance, correct what is wrong in your life. If you have received the grace of prayer, show up and pray. If you have received grace for good works, do not just keep it in your heart but put it into practice. Grace must move from emotion to will, and then into action. Only then does it become true and living grace. The Lord might say, “Why do you cry out to Me all the time but fail to act? You claim to have received grace and to be filled, yet why has your behavior not changed, and why has your life not been transformed?” Do not wait for the floodwaters to subside. Move forward with faith, believing that the Ark of the Covenant, a symbol of God's presence, leads and guides your life. Step boldly into a higher level of response and blessing, and you will experience God's power and the works of His answers unfolding before you.
Conclusion The entomologist Fabre discovered a significant fact while carefully observing the behavior of mayflies. Mayflies, without any purpose, simply follow the one flying ahead of them, circling aimlessly. They have no direction or goal and just keep spinning. Even if food is placed right below them, they ignore it and continue to circle. Mayflies that blindly fly in circles for seven days eventually die of starvation. According to one statistic, 87% of people live like the mayflies Fabre observed - without any clear purpose or direction. Are you among them? Second part of Verse 7 of today’s scripture says, “These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”
What does this mean? The act of setting up memorials must continue, and we are called to live monumental lives like Joshua. Therefore, as we conclude 2024, let us tie the year’s knot well and set up our memorials. In 2025, aim to become monumental believers in all areas of life. As we close this year, trust and rely on the God who goes before us, fights for us, and opens the way. Use the memorials you have built as springboards to leap into the center of blessings in 2025. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I bless you to step into a new year filled with greater blessings. - END -
