TGP Parent's Help-3/13/13

Unit 8, Session 1: The Israelites Crossed the Jordan River

Joshua 3–4

Christ Connection:

God told Joshua and the Israelites to set up memorial stones to remember what God had done to bring them into the promised land. On the night He died, Jesus told His disciples to remember the sacrifice He was going to make to save us from our sins. When Christians take the Lord’s Supper, they remember God’s plan to destroy sin through Jesus’ death and resurrection. (1 Corinthians 11:26)

Adult Connection Point:

The King has come (John 1:1418).

The most staggering Christian claim is that Jesus of Nazareth was God made man. Through the miracle of God becoming man, we see who God is and what He is like. The greatest display of the glory of God in Christ would be His death, burial, and resurrection (John 12:2728).

Materials: Bible, box or container with a lid

Read Joshua 3:24,1417.

Say: After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, it was finally going to happen. The Israelites were going to enter the land promised to Abraham. Again, God stopped the waters as He did at the Red Sea, and the Israelites walked across on dry land while the priests stood in the middle of the Jordan.

Read Joshua 4:17.

Ask: Why did God want Joshua to take up 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan? What did these stones mean to the people?

Say: As soon as the priests stepped out of the Jordan, the waters flowed freely again. God did this so His people would know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and that we might always fear Him. The memorial of stones was a reminder to the people of this mighty God.

Ask: What do we do at our church to remind us of why Jesus died on the cross?

(We take the Lord’s Supper.)

Give each family member time to think of his personal “memorial stone.” It could be a special verse, something God provided, a picture, etc. Tell your family members to go get the items and put them in the box. Allow each person to say why he chose it. Leave the box in a well trafficked area and use it as a way to tell visitors about what Jesus has done for your family.

End your devotion in a time of prayer. Thank God for sending Jesus to save us from our sin. Ask God to help your family remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us in His death. Thank God for Jesus’ resurrection, which is how we know that God accepted His payment for our sins.