Miracle Of The Jordan Crossing

MIRACLE OF THE JORDAN CROSSING

Joshua 3:3-17; 4:6

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: 10 Bible Questions

1. Which Bible character was super-fit? Absalom.

2. What did Adam say when he was asked his favorite holiday? "It's Christmas, Eve."

3. What do you call a Bible character who just pulled into church? A parking Lot.

4. What kind of car would Jesus drive? A Christler.

5. Why did Adam and Eve do math every day? They were told to be fruitful and multiply.

6. How do you know that atoms are Catholic? They have mass.

7. What did Daniel tell his real estate agent? "I'd prefer a house with no den."

8. What's loved by Noah and also most meat-eaters? Ham.

9. Which minor prophet is well-known thanks to cookies? Famous Amos.

10. What types of boats do believers want to go on? Discipleship and worship.

B. TEXT

3:3 “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to...follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before, but keep a distance of 3,000 feet between you and the Ark. 5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” 8 Tell the priests:...‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’” 9 Joshua said to the Israelites,...“10 This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites...13 And as soon as the priests ...feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away [20 miles], at a town called Adam ...17 The priests who carried the ark ...stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing 4:6... [Joshua had them take 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan] 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7...”These stones are to be a memorial [of when God dried up the Jordan for Israel to pass over.]” Josh. 3: 3-17; 4:6 (Abbreviated)

C. THESIS

1. The Bible has a magnificent way of understating how incredible the miracles of God are. If you had been a witness of this miracle in real-time, you would have been shaken and the fear of the True God would have gripped your heart.

2. We’re looking at how God leads us, the impossible tasks God calls us to, but also the power that God promises to us so we’ll overcome.

3. The title of this message is, “The Miracle of the Jordan Crossing.”

I. THE PROMISE OF A MIRACLE

A. A MIRACLE FOR YOU

1. Can you imagine the Lord telling you, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you?” Wow! What a promise! Yet that’s what God is willing to do for us too!

2. The Israelites needed to demonstrate their seriousness in meeting God by “consecrating” themselves.

3. The generation of Israelites that saw the Red Sea open up had almost all died out. The new generation of Israelites needed to see the power of God at work – and God was willing to show them His power again.

4. Note: God doesn’t work miracles just for our fancy, but to meet a need. That’s why Jesus wouldn’t work a miracle for the Jewish people’s curiosity or to prove Himself – but He regularly healed and worked miracles to meet real needs.

B. GOD WILL DIRECT YOUR LIFE

1. God told them, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God...you are to follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before...” Josh 3:3-4.

2. The Ark of the Covenant was the repository/ embodiment of the Presence of Jehovah on earth. We’re supposed to “walk with God.” If you sense God is going a certain direction, you should walk that way too.

3. Your path may be new to you, but it’s not new to God. Everything that happens tomorrow is new to us, because we only live in the present moment; but God sees all places & times at the same time.

4. There’s no such thing as tomorrow with God! Yesterday, today, & tomorrow — are human words! “NOW” is God’s word, because He fills all places & time zones.

5. All our troubles today, which grip our attention, God was aware of 10,000 years ago, and nothing about them surprises Him. God has no emergencies and He’s never pressed for resources. It’s a naïve mind that thinks that the infinite God can ever meet a situation that will be too hard for Him. Rest, then, in confidence; the new road - to you - is an old road to God!