Walking on New Ground
Theme: Principles of walking on new ground
Text: Joshua 3:1-5,13
God brought us to an “anything you ask” moment.
Mt 21:22 "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."
Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and they set out from Acacia Grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they crossed over. 2 So it was, after three days, that the officers went through the camp; 3 and they commanded the people, saying, "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. 4 "Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before." 5 And Joshua said to the people, "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you."
Introduction
Joshua was about to lead Israel into the promised land. The crossing of Jordan was the last step into the promised land. Surely there are going to be some more fighting, but that is always true when receiving from God. But this is a symbolic step into a new journey for the Lord.
Notice verse “for you have not passed this way before” In other words you are about to walk on new ground. You are about to go in to new territory. You are about to go to a place that you have never been before.
I believe that this is the direction that God is leading our church. We are going to walk where we have never walked before. We are going to see things that we have never seen before. We are going to do ministry as we have never done before.
Principles
I. Follow the Ark
We mentioned this last night as we talked about seeking the face of God. Not seeking his hand but seeking his face.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it.
The ark represented the presence of the Lord.
The Israelites had went to war against the Philistines. They had taken the ark as “their protection”. Yet they were defeated and the ark was captured. Eli’s daughter-in-law, Phinehas’ wife named the child Ichabod.
1Sa 4:21 Then she named the child Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel!" because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father–in–law and her husband.
If we don’t have the presence of the Lord in the place we might as well name it Ichabod. Put it over the door. Mans methods won’t work it must be of God.
II. Stay in reverence with the Lord “Don’t let the uncommon become common”
Joshua 3:4 "Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it
1. Keep God out front so you can see him clearly
2. Don’t become too familiar with the Lord and his glory.
When we become too familiar and think that we have this “line” to God and he is our puppet then we start doing crazy things. Like Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus. They were the sons of Aaron the high priest. God had chosen them to keep the fire going in the tabernacle. Yet they had become too familiar with the Lord and the sacrifice. It had become common to them.
Leviticus 10 Death of Nadab and Abihu “strange fire”. Nadab and Abihu had become familiar with the things of God.
III. Sanctify-set yourself apart
Joshua 3:5v "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you."
“Prepare yourself for tomorrow the Lord will do miracles among you.”
Cleanse yourself and make your self holy. In other words comform in character to the Lord. Purify
AV-sanctify 26, hallow 2, be holy 1; 29
To make holy, consecrate, sanctify
1) to dedicate, separate, set apart for God
1a) Of things {#Mt 23:17,9 2Ti 2:21}
1b) Of persons: Christ {#Joh 10:36 17:19}
2) To purify, make conformable in character to such dedication
2a) Forensically, to free from guilt {#1Co 6:11 Eph 5:26 Heb 2:11 10:10,14,29 13:12}
2b) Internally, by actual sanctification of life {#Joh 17:17,19 Ac 20:32 26:18 Ro 15:16 1Co 1:2 7:14 1Th 5:23 Re 22:11}
2c) Of a non-believer influenced by marriage with a Christian {#1Co 7:14}
3) In the intermediate sense of ceremonial or levitical purification
3a) Of things {#2Ti 2:21}
3b) Of persons {Heb 9:13}
4) To treat as holy {#Mt 6:9 Lu 11:2 1Pe 3:15}
Defeat of Jericho. March 6 days one time around the wall. 7th day march 7 times. God told them to destroy everything. The sin of Achan who kept some of the treasures and buried them in his tent. Listen to God’s judgment
Joshua 7:12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. 13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.
Third we must set our selves apart.
Sanctify is as if we are cleaning ourselves up to prepare ourselves for victory of the Lord.
IV. Walk by faith
Joshua 3:13 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.
After the walk had been taken. The priests and to walk in the water. There was an element of faith. This is what God says is the final reminder when walking on new ground. Walk by faith. Don’t question what the Lord is doing. Just know that he is. When we begin to question, that is different than discerning. Discerning we are being sensitive to the spirit not our feelings. When we walk by faith we allow God to work.
He doesn’t ask for a lot of faith he just asks us to have faith and trust him.
Mt 17:20 So Jesus said to them, "For assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”
Mark 9:23 Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."
Conclusion
I want you to come up tonight and I want to pray for you. I believe God is already birthing something in your spirit. You already sense that God is doing something. Maybe there has been fear that has been cropping up.
Maybe you have just not been doing what God has said.
