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 are standing, and 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. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites,

6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’

7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”

Rules of Tradition

1. When God moves, we need to remember

Rules of Tradition

1. When God moves, we need to remember2. Just remembering for nostalgia is futility

The legacy you leave is more important than the

heritage you receive

Adapted fromthe booklet by

Bruce Wilkinson ©1987

The Three ChairsThe Three Chairs

1st ChairCommitment

• Joshua and His people

Joshua 2416 The people answered and said, “Far be it from us that

we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; 17 for the LORD our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and who did these great signs in our sight and preserved us through all the way in which we went and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed.

Joshua 2431 Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua

and all the days of the elders who [a]survived Joshua, and had known all the deeds of the LORD which He had done for Israel.

2nd ChairCompromise

• The elders, the children of Joshua’s generation

Judges 2• 10 All that generation also were gathered to their

fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.

3rd ChairConflict

• The grandchildren• Of Joshua’s generation

Judges 2• 11 Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the

LORD and served the Baals, 12 and they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; thus they provoked the LORD to anger.

1st ChairCommitment

King David King David - Acts 13:22 •  After He had removed

him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I HAVE FOUND DAVID the son of Jesse, A MAN AFTER MY HEART, who will do all My will.

2nd ChairCompromise

Solomon: Solomon: 1 Kings 11:9-10Now the LORD was angry

with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the LORD, ...and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the LORD had commanded

3rd ChairConflict

Rehoboam Rehoboam 1 Kings 128 But he forsook the

counsel of the elders which they had given him, and consulted with the young men who grew up with him [e]and served him.

Getting into the 1st Chair

• Make it big enough for two

Getting into the 1st Chair

• Make it big enough for two

• Provide opportunities for faith & experience

Getting into the 1st Chair

• Make it big enough for two

• Provide opportunities for faith & experience

• Embrace the mystery

Getting into the 1st Chair

• Make it big enough for two

• Provide opportunities for faith & experience

• Embrace the mystery• Own it – update resume

Getting into the 1st Chair

• Make it big enough for two

• Provide opportunities for faith & experience

• Embrace the mystery• Own it – update resume• Know it’s the most

valuable heritage