SCRIPTURE READING:
Joshua 3:1-8 (NIV)
3 Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. 2 After three days the officers went throughout the camp, 3 giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits[a] between you and the ark; do not go near it.”
5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” 6 Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.
7 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. 8 Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”
INTRODUCTION:
Our story in Joshua chapter 3 is about Israel crossing the Jordan River.
Last week, we talked about Rahab who helped the two spies escaped from the hands of the king of Jericho.
Now, Joshua after receiving fresh information about the land they will conquer, he decided that it is time for them to move out, cross the Jordan and claim the land.
But first, he had to make some clear instructions to Israel on how they are to prepare themselves for battle because they have never done this before.
The first thing was for the priests to carry the ark of the covenant, take a step forward while the people follow behind and keeping their distance.
He reminded them that once they move forward, the Lord will do amazing things in their sight from then on.
And so, when they reached the edge of the Jordan's water, they are to stand in the river and wait.
Afterwards, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant should again be the first to step foot in the water Jordan.
They did that and the water that was flowing downstream were miraculously cut off completely and piled up in a heap a great distance away from them.
The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground.
The people were able to cross over the Jordan River.
The priests stood there until all Israel passed by and the whole nation had completed the crossing.
They were never the same people from then on.
They were now ready to conquer Jericho.
Remember that during the time of Moses, in order to flee from Egypt, they had to cross the Red Sea on dry ground.
All the Egyptians who were pursing them were drowned when it closed upon them.
Afterwards, Israel went to the foot of Mount Sinai where God gave them the Law and the Ten Commandments.
Then, because of their disobedience and murmuring, they had to wander for forty long years in the wilderness.
Now, under Joshua's leadership, they had to cross the River Jordan before they could conquer the land.
Why were they have to cross another body of water?
Because when they crossed the Red Sea, they thought they could leave Egypt behind after many years of bondage.
However, the problem was even if they have left Egypt, yet, Egypt was very much a part of their hearts.
In fact, they constantly longed to go back to Egypt.
As I said, they lingered, they grumbled, they murmured, they even angered God several times because they were still in bondage to Egypt.
That is why God allowed them to wander for many years in the wilderness.
Now that the first generation had all died, and a new generation had been raised up with their new leader Joshua, they were now ready for the second crossing.
It was time to cross the Jordan River where they will be changed completely and be ready for battle.
That is the same thing with us.
We have two rivers to cross.
We must first cross the Red Sea which is the symbol of the identification or the baptism of the believer in the death and the resurrection of Christ.
This is our first encounter with Christ when we are born again and pledged our loyalty to His purposes.
God had delivered us from death and brought us into His own Kingdom.
Then, we should cross the Jordan River as the symbol of dying to self and the desire to holy living.
This is the time when we completely turn our back to the life of sin, murmuring and spiritual defeat.
It is time to be set apart for a life of holiness and purity so that we can claim our spiritual inheritance in Christ.
Crossing the Jordan means completely leaving Egypt behind with no trace in our hearts and moving forward in faith.
This is what the apostle Paul had in mind when he wrote to the church in Galatia.
Galatians 2:20 (NIV) "20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
He said that he now lives a new life.
He is now crucified with Christ.
He is completely a new person than before.
Being crucified with Christ is like crossing the Jordan River.
It involves crucifying the sinful flesh with all its lust and desires.
It involves fighting the battle against the carnal nature by the power of the Holy Spirit.
It involves denying self and living a life of holiness and righteousness.
This is what it means when he said the old has passed and the new has come.
We are to first cross the Jordan River and then, we are ready for battle.
Let me illustrate this point.
Many of you are probably familiar with Kim Davis.
She is a Rowan County, Kentucky clerk who defied a US Federal Court order requiring that she issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples following the Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriages in the United States.
Davis refused to issue a marriage license to David Moore and his partner of 11 years, David Ermold, and to three other couples, including two heterosexual couples.
Davis denied the licenses, saying she was acting under God's authority."
"I owe my life to Jesus Christ who loves me and gave His life for me," she wrote in a statement issued by the Liberty Counsel, a conservative group that is representing her in federal court.
She added: "To issue a marriage license which conflicts with God's definition of a marriage, with my name affixed to the certificate, would violate my conscience.
It is not a light issue for me.
It is a Heaven or hell decision."
Then, of course, we all know that last September 3, 2015, she was jailed for contempt of court and released five days later.
With the "Eye of the Tiger" playing in he background, Davis was flanked by Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, and about 1,000 supporters outside the Detention Center all eager to her her during her release.
"I just want to give God the glory.
We serve a living God who knows exactly where each and every one of us is at.
Let us keep on pressing. Don't let down."
"God showed up in the form of an elected official: Kim Davis," Huckabee said.
"Today I was proud to stand with Kim Davis as she was released from jail. Kim Davis should never been locked up for being a Christian and for following her conscience and the law."
Looking closely at Davis life, I have discovered that she had a tumultuous past.
In fact, been married four times to three different men.
The first three marriages ended in divorce in 1994, 2006 and 2008.
But that was her past life of sin and misery before she came to know Christ.
However, she experienced a "religious awakening" in 2011, following her mother-in-law's "dying wish" that she attend church.
“There I heard a message of grace and forgiveness and surrendered my life to Jesus Christ,” Ms. Davis wrote.
“I am not perfect. No one is. But I am forgiven and I love my Lord and must be obedient to Him and to the Word of God.”
From then on, she committed her life to God and described herself as an "Apostolic Christian" who worshiped God three times a week at the Solid Rock Apostolic Church.
Following her conversion, she let her hair grow long, stopped wearing makeup and jewelry and began wearing skirts and dresses that fell below the knee.
This was in accordance with the standards of her church regarding modesty and dress for women.
She even operated a Bible study for detainees at the county jail as a token of her service to God.
It was like crossing the Jordan River that prepared her for spiritual battle, even to the point of being put in jail for the sake of her faith.
That is what self-denial is all about.
When we cross the River Jordan in our lives, we live differently than before,
We have more confidence of what God wants us to do.
We do not want to violate our conscience and we want to be firm and strong in serving God regardless of what it takes.
That is why today, in order to help us understand what crossing the Jordan River is all about, we will study three important instructions that Joshua told Israel to do.
THREE REQUIREMENTS IN CROSSING THE JORDAN:
1. MOVE OUT OF YOUR POSITION AND FOLLOW THE ARK.
It requires our eyes firmly focused on God.
Joshua 3:3 3 giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it."
The first instruction of Joshua was to the Levitical priests who were carrying the ark.
They had to take the first step and move forward with the ark.
When the people saw the ark moving, it was a sign that they too had to move out from their present position and to follow it.
They are not to move an inch without the ark in sight.
Their eyes are important to be focused in the right direction.
What is the significance of the Ark of the Covenant in the affairs of Israel?
Why is it a need for the priests to carry it along into battle?
The ark of the Covenant represented the presence of God and was the meeting place between God and His people.
Each year, the blood of the atoning sacrifice had to be placed on the mercy seat which covered the Ark of the Covenant for the atonement of the sins of the people.
When Israel were camped, the Ark was in the midst of the encampment in the Holy of Hollies of the Tabernacle.
When Israel traveled, the Ark was always in the center of God's people.
The presence of the Ark was with them wherever they went.
In the same manner, we cannot move into battle without the presence of God in our lives.
When the Holy Spirit tells us to move, we have to move.
When he tells us to stop, we have to stop.
We have to follow God wherever we go otherwise, we will fight our own battles and we will lose.
This Ark of the Covenant is therefore a beautiful picture of the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Mediator between God and man.
Because of the shedding of His blood, there is an atonement of Sin.
Trusting Jesus Christ every day of our lives therefore as our Lord and Savior is an essential step to crossing the Jordan River.
And as we trust Christ, we take that first step and we follow Him in a life of dedication and obedience to His will.
We will not move an inch without Him.
Then, when we follow Him all the way, there will be joy in our hearts.
We begin to appropriate our spiritual blessings in Christ and courageously engage in spiritual warfare against God's enemies.
In the same manner, we have to cross first the Red Sea and then proceed to the Jordan river.
Crossing the Red Sea means focusing on Christ.
It means submitting to the substitutionary work of Christ for the salvation from sin.
We were identified with Him in His death and Resurrection.
We have received our new life in Christ.
But we know that Egypt (that old self, that old life ) is very much at work and strong in our hearts.
Submitting to the pleasure of the flesh will keep us enslaved to our old habits and sinful attitudes.
And so, when you have decided that it is time to leave Egypt behind, you must cross the Jordan River and crucify the flesh.
We no longer focused our eyes on the lust of the flesh.
We now focus only on Christ, the Lord.
Prov. 4:25 (NIV) "Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you."
Matthew 6:33 (NIV) "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
Fixing our eyes on Christ is an essential ingredient to a victorious Christian life.
Why? Because we are easily distracted by the things of this world.
We follow signs that direct us to pleasures and enjoyment - and we get sidetracked.
When we see signs in the billboards that advertises a perfect face of beauty, riches and power, we think hard.
Then, we get lost.
That is why we had to learn a lesson from Joshua.
We must learn to keep our eyes focus on Christ.
Hebrews 12:2 (NIV) "2 Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
You see, when our eyes are on Christ, they are not in the world.
But when our eyes are on the world, they are not on Christ.
Therefore, when we cross the Jordan River, we must see to it that our eyes are not blurry, or dim or dark.
We must spend time in connecting with God on a daily basis.
We must look at the big plans of God for us.
We must look at God and not at our circumstances.
When our eyes are focused on God, they do not veer off the road.
They steer clear of potholes along the road.
They avoid dark areas and follow the path of light.
And what would be the result when we fix our eyes on Jesus?
The result is a life that is full of Christ, full of abundant love, strong in purpose and weak in pride.
When you are focused on Christ, you have strong relationship with people, authentic in your service and powerful in faith.
We all want this.
Then, we can live a life of complete obedience to Christ and in victory over sin.
And when we do that, God has promised to do amazing things in our sight from then on.
You see, once we follow God, have crossed the Jordan and have entered the land, an immense change will take place in our lives.
The Red Sea says: "Christ died for you and you died with Him" Romans 6.
The Jordan says: "Because you died with Him, let sin no longer reign in your mortal bodies."
The great purpose of crossing the Jordan is Ephesians 4:13 "the fullness of Christ..."
And so, you can only be sure that you have crossed the Jordan when you are so filled with the presence of Christ.
I ask you now: "Have you already crossing the Jordan River or are you still stuck wandering in the wilderness?"
I tell you, It is time to cross.
Move out of your present position and follow the Ark.
Focus on the Lord.
2. CONSECRATE YOUR LIFE TO GOD.
Joshua 3:5 "5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”
The second thing that they were instructed by Joshua was that before they could even move forward, they have to consecrate themselves before the Lord.
This is not exactly what we can expect from a military standpoint.
The military leader at that time would have said, "Sharpen your swords and spears and polish your shields."
But God's ways are not our ways.
For God's people, spiritual preparation for battle is always in the stand point of living a life of holiness before God and men.
If you want to do battle with the enemy, you have to consecrate yourself to God.
Otherwise, you will have no authority to claim spiritual victory.
Consecrate therefore means to be "set apart", to be prepare or to dedicate oneself to God.
There is a strong point of personal responsibility at hand when you are consecrated to God.
In the Old Testament this word is always used in connection with the animal sacrifices, of priesthood, of washing and with regards to the children of Israel as God's people being set apart for His purpose.
Hence, there is an element of confession of sins and cleansing from all impurities.
Consecration therefore portrays the necessity of dealing with sin in the life of a believer before he goes into spiritual battle.
There are two ideas that are always involved in consecration: Preparation and Dedication.
Preparation involves establishing your foot on solid ground.
Dedication on the other hand involves faithfulness and loyalty to our Commander-in-chief - God.
We need them both in order to be clean in our hearts.
Because we fail in many ways.
If we don't sin with our eyes, we sin with our mouth.
If we don't sin with our mouth, we sin with our hands.
If we don't sin with our hands, we sin in our thoughts.
It is not easy to keep our hearts clean in the world in which we live in today.
We are all sinners.
But praise God, He is gracious, merciful and faithful.
He gives us the Holy Spirit to clean our hearts.
Only the Holy Spirit can enable us to forgive, to keep a positive attitude toward someone.
Because of the Holy Spirit, we have a Christ-like attitude.
The prayer of David ought to be our daily prayer:
Psalms 51:10-11 (NIV) "10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me."
He longs for a clean heart.
He longs for more of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
He believes that a clean heart will keep his standing before God.
Even if no one else understand us or some criticize our weakness, but we need to keep our eyes focused on Christ.
If we remain faithful to Him, God will show up on our behalf.
We must stand up for what we believe in God.
Just keep a clean heart and God will do the rest.
Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”
The same is true for today.
If we live a holy life before God, He will do great wonders in our lives and towards the people that you know.
Consecration is always associated with great spiritual wonders.
This is what Jesus declared regarding His ministry.
Luke 4:18-19 (NIV) "18
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”[a]
He has been anointed and set part by the Lord to do amazing things in our midst.
So far, we have learned the importance of focusing on the Lord before crossing the River Jordan.
Second we understood the need to consecrate ourselves to the Lord to prepare for battle.
But we will never be able to cross the river unless we take that step of faith.
3. TAKE THE FIRST STEP
Joshua 3: 8 Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”
The third thing that Joshua told the people before they cross the River Jordan was to go and stand in the river to wait before they take the first step.
They have to learn to take that step of faith and walk on.
In order to do that, when they reach the edge of the Jordan River, they are to stand and wait.
Everyone should be able to give way and wait for the priests who were carrying the Ark.
Then, when the feet of the priests touched the River, the water of the Jordan will be miraculously cut off upstream so that the river drained away to the Dead Sea and the way was now open for Israel to pass.
Unless they take that first step of faith, they will never progress in God's plan of conquest.
In the same manner, when Christ wants to challenge us move forward, we have to prepare our hearts and eyes to the right direction.
Then, when everything is all set, we have to get our feet ready.
We must act on what God said.
If we don't, we will never cross the Jordan.
There is a big difference between Israel walking in the wilderness and Israel crossing the Jordan River.
In the wilderness, their lives were difficult, hard and exhausting.
They struggled a lot.
They just kept on walking and walking but getting them nowhere.
One day, they discovered that they have been walking in circles.
No matter what they do, they did not progress.
They felt lost, confused and not sure which way to go or what to do.
That is why God had to make them cross the Jordan River.
It is time to forget the past and move forward for the future to claim their inheritance.
With God on their side and their lives dedicated to God, they are now ready to conquer.
One step is all it takes.
As soon as Israel's feet were "dipped in the edge of the water," God acted, the flowing waters stood still.
There was dry land, and all the people crossed over.
With one step, we follow the ark of God's presence into the Jordan.
Everyone of us must take that first step so that the water swill be parted.
What is the first step for you?
Maybe to offer forgiveness and reconciliation to a brother.
Maybe to let go of your anger and resentment.
Maybe to learn to control your tongue by simply being quiet.
Maybe to learn to give your tithes so that you could pay your insurmountable debts.
Maybe that one step is to take responsibility for your life.
Whatever that maybe.
It should be a first step of faith so that yo no longer go around in circles.
Leave the wilderness behind and start claiming the promised land.
Take your first step and get your feet wet.
Proverbs 4:11 (NIV) "I instruct you in the way of wisdom
and lead you along straight paths.
Job 17:9 (NIV) "Nevertheless, the righteous will hold to their ways,
and those with clean hands will grow stronger.
Psalms 84:5 (NIV) "Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
THE RESULT:
WHEN WE CROSS OVER THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER
1. GOD WILL DO AMAZING THINGS AMONG US.
Joshua 3: 5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”
2. GOD WILL GIVE US VICTORY OVER OUR ENEMIES
Josh 3: 9 Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. 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, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites.
Conclusion:
Let us go back to the story of Kim Davis.
Controversial televangelist Pat Robertson has said that the jailing of Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis over her refusal to issue marriage licenses to gay couples is "just the beginning."
On a recent episode of the Christian Broadcasting Network program "The 700 Club," Robertson stated that he believed more efforts to imprison critics of homosexuality would arise.
"So this whole thing is — putting her in jail and so forth — is nonsense. But it will happen and it's just the beginning, it's the warm up of this battle," said Robertson.
"The gays do not just want to be recognized, they do not want to be accepted, they do not want to have just freedom, they want everybody to agree with them and everybody who doesn't agree with them and does not conform with their way of thinking, they want to be punished, put in jail, or fined."
Times have changed.
Religious freedom is declining rapidly in America.
Christians are increasingly being punished by the government for acting on their sincerely held religious beliefs.
We are hearing more and more people being disciplined or fired because they profess the Christian faith.
That is why Christians had to be ready and prepared when these things will happen.
Our eyes must be fixed on Christ.
Our hearts must be clean and dedicated to God.
And our feet must be willing to take that step of faith and move forward.
Prayer:
Lord, we thank you for the story of the people of Israel crossing the Jordan River.
After years of wandering in the wilderness, they were now ready for battle and to conquer their enemies and inherit the land.
They have been transformed because of their obedience to God's Word.
No more murmuring and grumbling.
No more backbiting and complaining.
They were changed because they discovered the value of focusing on God and sanctified life.
That is what we desire as well.
We desire that our hearts and minds will always be clean before your sight.
May you transform us into spiritual warriors ready to take that step of faith and move forward to claim our inheritance.
This we pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
