Crossing the Jordan
Joshua 3 (sermon 2)
Spring time has come …we see it is in full bloom.
A few days ago I was trimming trees:
- and I discovered a few new birds nests
- that were hidden in the limbs of the tree
- Springtime means the birds are making their nests and raising babies.
Life is pretty good if you are a baby bird… you have a nice warm nest:
Mom brings you food.
You sit around all day waiting for Mom to wait on you
(if you have children at home, this may sound familiar!).
But then, something happens in the life of the baby bird.
The time comes when Momma bird says:
“It’s time for you to learn to fly”
…and kicks you out of the nest!
You can fly or fail…those are the only two options!
It is the “Point of No Return.”:
Life is filled with times we might call
“The Point of No return”.
- The first time you stand at the top of a high dive, and you jump – no going back!
- When you are learning to skydive, you jump out of the airplane- no going back!
- When you are a bull rider, and you sit on a 2000 pound bull, and you nod your head and the gate swings open…no going back!
- When you bring that new baby home from the hospital...no going back!
Throughout Scripture:
God brings His people to a place of transition…a “Point of No Return”
When Noah went into the ark with his family, and God closed the door, it was a Point of No Return.
When David walked out to face Goliath, it was a Point of No Return.
When King Nebuchadnezzar told the three Hebrew men to bow or burn, and they chose not to bow, it was a Point of No Return.
When Moses stood on the edge of the Red Sea, and God opened the waters so the people could escape the Egyptians, it was a Point of No Return.
Years later, when Joshua stood with the people on the edge of the Jordan river, looking into the promised land, and God opened the waters, and they crossed, it was a Point of No Return.
Many times:
- God allows us to come to a place
- where we can’t go any further
- we’ve come to the end of ourselves
- and we come to understand that God is all we have and all we need
And hopefully we come to a place, where we never should have left in the first place:
- where we have only one place to turn
- we’ve exhausted all our efforts to move forward
- we’ve worn ourselves out trying to conquer the problem on our own
And we start to draw near to God:
- and we realize that if we are to move forward, then
- we are going to need God’s help
- and we come to the Lord and pray an honest prayer like this “Help me LORD!”
Today:
- we are going to study the crossing of the Jordan River
- and how the crossing required the people to have full confidence in God
- that the crossing was a POINT OF NO RETURN
The people were about:
- to leave 40 years of wilderness wandering in the past
- they would have to trust God to CROSS the UNCROSSABLE river
- then they would begin a new adventure in the Promised Land
- The Promised Land was full of milk and honey
- but it was also full of people that they would have to fight and kill
- most importantly they would have to TRUST THE LORD
1. The people sanctified (Joshua 3:1–5)
“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 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.”
As was his custom:
- Joshua got up early
- He and his officers directed the people to get ready
- to move from Shittim to the Jordan river
Shittim is 6 miles from the Jordan:
It is a large area in the plains of Moab
directly across from Jericho,
immediately east of the Jordan and north of the Dead Sea
This is the same place they had camped with Moses, before he died
Joshua and the people were acting on what God said in Joshua 1:
“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.” Joshua 1:1-3
We also remember that the Lord said
“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.” Joshua 1:7
Joshua led the people as God directed him:
- they were to follow the ark at a distance
- the priests were to carry the ark
- they were to follow the ark
- to a new and unfamiliar ground
What is the ark of the Covenant?
- in Exodus God instructed to build the Ark
- God gave Moses the pattern for the Ark
- about two foot high and 4 foot long and 2 foot wide
- it was made of fine wood and covered in gold
They followed the Ark at a distance:
- 2,000 cubits or about 3,000 feet
- the followed at a distance for 2 reasons
1. Because God is Holy and the people could not come close
2. At a distance more people could see the Ark, and that would help them follow.
(remember there were around 2 Million people that would follow the Ark across the Jordan river
The Ark contained:
- four rings mounted on the bottom four corners of the Ark
- poles were inserted in the rings,
So the Ark could be carried by only the priests
- there was a golden lid on the Ark where
- two cherubim facing each other with their wings extended
- between the two cherubim was the Mercy seat of the Lord
In the Old Testament:
the Ark represented the presence of God
God Himself was going to lead His people.
All they had to do was keep their eyes on Him so they could follow Him
that’s the only way to overcome the obstacles in your life.
David Gibson from Idaho Falls, Idaho, talks about riding with his friend:
who had just bought a 19-foot jet boat.
The boat was made of steel and fitted with a V-8 engine.
They put the boat in the North Fork of the Snake River,
where the water was quite low because of a drought and heavy irrigation.
Gibson’s friend eased the throttle up until they were going 35 miles per hour.
They grinned at each other as they raced across the water's surface.
Then suddenly they hit a hidden sandbar:
and the boat came to an abrupt stop.
They stepped onto the sandbar, barely covered with one inch of water.
Another boater came along, and after three hours of digging and pushing,
they once again had the boat floating in the open channel.
The boater who rescued them:
offered to lead them back to the landing
since he knew the river well.
He instructed them to follow exactly behind him,
so they would avoid hidden sand and gravel bars.
Their rescuer pushed his boat up to 35 miles per hour:
They fell in behind him, and
once again they enjoyed the power of the machine
as it skimmed over the water.
After a couple of minutes,
Gibson’s friend steered their boat just a few feet to the right
of where the lead boat had gone.
Within seconds, they hit a gravel bar:
and Gibson was thrown into the windshield,
getting injured and busting the windshield.
When the lead boat came back, the driver reminded them,
“I told you to follow me.” (David Gibson, Idaho Falls, Idaho; www.PreachingToday.com)
God wanted the people to follow the Ark:
- because the people needed to understand
- it was God who was SUPREME in this event
- it was God who would guide them and protect them
- God had spoken and God would go first
- then the people would follow
God’s way is perfect:
- but too often we go our own way
- we try things that seem right to us
- and we will pay a price for that deviation from God’s best
“There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.”
Proverbs 14:12
By following the Ark:
- the people should have been able to connect the dots
- that it was God who was opening up a path
- where their had previously been an impossible blockade
- God would show the people that with God nothing is impossible
God says the same thing to you and me:
“Follow me!” He says.
He knows the way around (or through) the barriers.
So keep your eyes on Him and stay in the path He lays out before you.
concentrate on the Lord, so you can follow Him.
Then…
“Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.” Joshua 3:5
Israel was to consecrate themselves:
- this was morning than just bathing
- it was a physical cleansing,
- but it also representing a separation from sin
- it was to make them distinct from other people
Israel was to:
Dedicate themselves completely to Him.
Give yourself wholly over to God.
40 years earlier the nation:
- had consecrated themselves to the Lord at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19)
And that’s exactly what God tells His people to do today:
The Apostle Paul says in Romans 12,
“I appeal to you… brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” Romans 12:1-2
While the world seeks happiness, God seeks holiness from His people:
It’s time we clean out the worldly influences in our lives, and
give ourselves completely to God as a “living sacrifice.”
Jesus Himself put it this way, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.” Mark 8:34-35
You have to be willing to lose your life for Christ’s sake if you are going to follow Him.
Does God have all of you?
- have you surrendered your life to Him?
- Let’s let God handle running the world and
- we can stay busy surrendering to God’s will for our lives.
God is in the elevator business:
- it is God who elevates who He wants
- it’s not our job to elevate ourselves
- our job is to humble ourselves.
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
James 4:10
God gave Joshua a promise
2. Joshua magnified (Joshua 3:6–8)
“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.’”
God chose to elevate Joshua:
- to make him great in the eyes of the nation
- to use him in mighty ways
- it was not up to Joshua to elevate himself
- it was not up to Joshua to figure out how to get across the Jordan river
God assures Joshua of His presence, and God gives Joshua instructions for the priests.
The Jordan is described:
The river itself is from 90 to 100 feet broad,
a rapid, muddy water with a zigzag current.
The depth varies from 3 feet at some fords to as much as 10 or 12.
In the sixty-five miles the descent is 610 feet, or an average of 9 feet a mile.…
In winter the river isn’t more that a small creek but
In flood stage, around April it is a mighty rushing river
It is in the mighty river:
- that God tells the priests
- to go stand in the river with the Ark of the covenant on your shoulders
- remember, we know how this deal works out
- we know that God stops the water and that
- 2 million people will pass through the river on dry ground.
- but from the perspective of Joshua 3, they don’t know how the story ends.
They stand on the edge of the river:
- on solid ground
- they are comfortable and safe
- but the Lord has instructed them to take a step of faith
- God wants to take them to new and better places
- but first they must be willing to take a step of faith
Hebrews 11:6 says “And without faith it is impossible to please God,”
Last week we were reminded:
- that God demands obedience
- that He will fight for the people
- that all they had to do was be obedient and trust God
Well today the command to be strong and courageous became a NECESSARY THING:
- Isn’t it easy to be strong and courageous when everything is peaceful and easy?
- when there is no tension and nothing on the line
- the thing is that God has called us to live a dangerous kind of faith
- we are called to faith that trusts God, even in impossible circumstances
You see:
- if God’s people won’t live by faith
- are we really being obedient?
- we love sight, but God loves faith.
2 Corinthians 5:7
“For we live by faith, not by sight.”
Galatians 2:20
“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.”
We see that the priests are told:
to step in the water in verse 8
But they don’t know what God has planned until verse 13
That God has a plan
Even when they understand the plan they still have to trust God.
Living by faith:
- is trusting an unknown future to a known God
- is taking a step of faith trusting that God is holding the map
- is obeying the Lord when everything is on the line and we don’t know how things will work out.
- is trusting God now and understanding later, or sometimes never.
Then Joshua turns around and assures God’s people with God’s Word.
3. The Lord glorified (Joshua 3:9–13)
“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. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”
The sign that God will give them the land:
is that God will stop the Jordan river from flowing
as soon as the priests carrying the Ark step into the water.
God assures Joshua with a promise:
And Joshua assures God’s people with that same promise.
It’s the only way they’re going to cross the Jordan River and conquer the land.
They have to believe God, and so must you
if you want to overcome the obstacles in your life.
God made:
- some promises
- He made some commitments
- that if the people would trust Him
- that He would show Himself to be trustworthy and faith
4. The Word verified (Joshua 3:14–17).
“14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord 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 on dry ground.”
Move on with confidence in the Lord
- Take that step in the direction God wants you to go.
- That’s what the people of Israel did.
- God stopped the water 16 miles north of where they were!
The priests took the lead and walked into the water:
- now the stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan
- while 2 million Israelites carried all their possession
- to the other side of the rushing Jordan
All of you could testify:
- that God has been good to you
- that God has carried you through some impossible situations
- that God has been faithful
- The Bible is full of people who were unfaithful to God
- and at the same time, God was not unfaithful one time
Yet in the face of trouble:
- we sometimes question God
- does He understand the gravity of the situation
- why doesn’t He act now, I need Him to act now
- why does God delay?
- we see impossible situations and we’re tempted to doubt
- that God is able or that He cares
- there is a tension between trusting God and being scared.
- maybe that is why God repeatedly tells us
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
We need to grow in our faith:
- to trust the Lord more
- to stop doubting God’s goodness
- to trust the mighty arm of the Lord
- to take our eyes off of what we can’t do
- and to look to the Lord for all He CAN do
Before the Israelites got to the promised land, they had to take a step of faith:
that’s what YOU must do
if you want to see God remove the obstacles before you.
Take those first steps in the direction God is leading.
Don’t wait until all the obstacles are gone.
Don’t wait until you have all the answers.
Just step out in faith and trust God to make a way for you:
Don’t wait until all the obstacles are out of the way.
Don’t wait until no one opposes you anymore.
Don’t wait for a better day.
Just take those first steps in the way God is leading you and don’t look back!
I think the best part of today is that “God provided a way across the Jordan”:
- God didn’t ask Joshua to figure it out
- Joshua didn’t have to try and figure out how to build a bridge or a giant zipline
- God simply gave instructions and the people obeyed
- They had to Trust the Lord and Obey
- they had to step out on faith
It was God that:
provided the instructions,
it was God who led the way across the dangerous river
and it was God who saved the people
It was God that provided and incredible solution to an impossible problem
Jesus did the same thing for us:
- Jesus provided an unthinkable solution to an impossible problem
- God saw that were all going to Hell because we’ve all sinned
- God knew that none of us were RIGHTEOUS on our own
- So God sent Jesus to paid our debt by
- going to the cross and taking our place
- and that now we are offered salvation
Just like God provided for Israel, He provides for us:
- we can’t save ourselves
- but Jesus can save us if we’ll let Him
- the decision is yours….
Let’s pray…..
CREDIT:
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/overcoming-obstacles-c-philip-green-sermon-on-faith-235337
Outline from Warren Weirsbe.
