Build A Life You Have To Explain | Joshua 4

Michael Fuelling | October 11, 2026

1. ICEBREAKER:  What is one family tradition or rhythm from growing up that you loved, or secretly dreaded, and do you still keep it today?
2. Read Joshua 4:1–7 together. God sent twelve men back into the riverbed to take stones “from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly.” Why do you think God wanted the memorial built from stones out of the middle of the Jordan instead of from the riverbank? What does that say about what we are supposed to remember?
3. Read Joshua 4:6–7, 21–22 and Exodus 12:26–27.  God built memorials and rhythms that would make children ask, “What does this mean?” Why do you think God chose questions as a way to pass faith down? What is one “stone” in your home or life that has started, or could start, a conversation about God?
4. Read Joshua 4:23–24. What two reasons does verse 24 give for why God dried up the Jordan? Why do both of those reasons matter for every generation, including ours?
5. Read Joshua 2:9–11 alongside Joshua 4:24. Rahab and the rest of Jericho heard the same reports about the LORD, and all their hearts melted, but Rahab’s fear led her to trust Him. How would you describe the difference between a healthy fear of the LORD and simply being terrified of Him? Where are people, circumstances, or the future competing for the fear that belongs to God alone?
6. “That which you memorialize might just reveal what you fear the most.”  Think about your screensaver, the walls of your home, your photos, or your social media posts. What do they say you value most, and is there anything you want to add or change?
7. Read Psalm 78:4–8.  God told His people to pass down both His glorious deeds and the warning of a stubborn generation. What story of God’s faithfulness in your life, whether good or hard, do you most want the next generation to know? How could you write it down or tell it this month?
8. The sermon said lives full of God stories don’t happen by accident.  It named praying and writing down your prayers, keeping rhythms despite your emotions, taking faithful risks, killing secret sin, and feeding daily on God’s Word. Which of these is strongest in your life right now, which is weakest, and what is one step you could take this week?
9. What is one thing God is asking you to start doing, stop doing, or keep doing?
10. How did God use this message to teach, train, challenge, convict, or encourage you?