Disclaimer:
Due to the large amount of sermons and topics that appear on this site I feel it is necessary to post this disclaimer on all sermons posted. These sermons are original to the author and the leading of the Holy Spirit. While ideas and illustrations are often gleaned from many sources including those at Sermoncentral.com, any similarities and wording, including sermon titles, that may appear to be the same as any other sermon are purely coincidental. In instances where other minister’s wording is used, due recognition will be given. These sermons are not copyrighted and may be used or preached freely. May God richly bless you as you read these sermons. It is my sincere desire that all who read them may be enriched. All scriptures quoted in these sermons are copied and/or quoted from the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible.
Pastor James May
GOD LEADS BY HIS COVENANT
Joshua 3:1-17
Joshua 3:1, "And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over."
Israel had finally completed its 40 year journey in the wilderness and had come once again to the same place they were 40 years before. There were some big differences in what would happen now. Israel had learned its lesson the hard way. God had allowed them to wander until every man and woman who had turned away from the Promised Land in doubt was now dead. A new generation had grown up to take their place. This younger generation was not rooted and grounded in the ways of Egypt.
Israel would not allow God to remove Egypt from their hearts so God had to remove those who remembered the old life. All these younger people knew was that there was a Promised Land, a Covenant from Almighty God and new leadership and they were ready for their own land. They had known nothing but wandering all of their life and these “pilgrims” in the wilderness had only one great desire – to find their own country.
How many generations of worldly ancestors did God have to take out of your life before you could finally begin to believe and trust in Him?
How long have you wandered in the wilderness while God had to get all memories of the pleasures of this world from your heart?
Too many Christians are still looking back at the old life called “Egypt”. God will not allow us to continue walking with him while we continue to look back.
“Remember Lot’s Wife?” She looked back and turned to a pillar of salt. We are the salt of the earth but we are living salt. God doesn’t intend for you to be an immovable pillar!
Once you know the Lord as your Savior and truly begin to walk with him, then you are like those Children of Israel who are now following Joshua, their new leader.
Moses was the leader of Israel until they reached the River Jordan but God would not allow Moses to cross over into the Promised Land as the leader. God brought Moses to the top of a mountain, let him look over and see the fulfillment of God’s Promises to Abraham, but he couldn’t be a part of it on this earth.
Moses is a type of Christ for the Old Testament and it would not suffice for the Old Testament Covenant to “cross over Jordan” to the Land of Promise. Why would I say that? Because, in my mind, I believe that the Jordan River is a type and shadow of Death.
We have often heard physical death described as “crossing over Jordan” but I think that, in this instance, it was also a type and shadow of the wandering of lost souls in a wilderness of sin, who when they come to Christ and accept him as Lord and Savior, are “crossed over Jordan” from “spiritual death to a new life in Christ” as they are Born Again by the Spirit of God.
Thus we see that Joshua, (meaning Jehovah the Savior), has now become the new leader, deliverer or “Messiah” if you will, of the Children of Israel to lead them across that river of death into a land of promise in fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant.
Joshua, representing Jesus Christ, our Savior, leads us across the great chasm between spiritual death and eternal life, through his sacrifice upon the altar of the Cross, and now leads us and prepares a place for us in the presence of our enemies.
There are so many parallels that can be drawn through all of this passage that it is literally impossible for me to present them all in the short time we have in this service so take time and read it for yourself and ask God to open the scriptures to you. There is a wealth of information to be obtained here.
Joshua had sent out two spies from the same place called, Shittim, where Moses had sent out 10 spies 40 years earlier. Joshua’s spies were to go as far as Jericho and spy out the land so that a strategy could be prepared to conquer the land under God’s direction.
It was during this spy mission that the harlot, Rahab, discovered the spies and hid them. In return for her kindness her family would be spared when Jericho was conquered later on. Rahab was to hang a scarlet cloth from her window and that would signal the Israelites that she was friendly to their cause.
That scarlet cloth represents the Blood of Jesus Christ and the righteousness that is given to every soul that surrenders to the Lord Jesus and serves in his cause.
It’s our duty to keep spying out the land to see who will accept the Blood of Jesus as the covering for their sin. Only those whose hearts and lives display the “Scarlet Cloth” of Jesus’ blood will be saved and live on in peace with God.
Joshua 3:2-8, "And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore. And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you. And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the Ark of the Covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the Ark of the Covenant, and went before the people. And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan."
After 3 days had passed, compare this to the 3 days that Jesus was in the tomb, the cry went forth through the entire camp of Israel. Orders were given that they were to watch for the moving of the Ark of the Covenant on the shoulders of the priests. When that Ark moved, they were to move behind it at a proper distance to respect its awesome power.
The children of Israel could not crowd around the Ark for it was to lead them and not be a part of the crowd. The Ark would not have been plainly visible had it been closely surrounded. Most of the people would have only been following the crowd, hoping that the Ark was still in front and could have easily been led astray.
Likewise, we know that we must follow the Lord and the leading of the Holy Spirit while we are traveling to the Promised Land. We are to keep our eyes on Jesus and not upon man, no matter how “holy or right” he may seem to be walking. We cannot step into the same place as Jesus either lest we would say that we “helped” Jesus to get us there. It is not by our own methods or power but “by my Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts”. Jesus won’t share his glory with any man. Neither will we become as He is, but we must follow him!
Like the Children of Israel, we are traveling in new territory. The scripture says that Israel had “not passed this way” before. We are traveling forward in uncharted land. We don’t know what tomorrow holds but we know who holds tomorrow. We can’t see the future and we don’t even have a promise of a future in this life but Oh what a promise we have for eternity!
Israel was also told to “sanctify themselves” so that the Lord could do wonders among them in the days to come.
Oh my brother and sister in the Lord, there is our Marching Order! We are to live a holy, sanctified, righteous, and pure life before the Lord. God will not use a dirty vessel. We must ever live in a perpetual place of repentance before our Holy God that we may be found worthy to be used as vessels in his service.
I know that our righteousness is of Christ. I know that our sins were washed away by the Blood of the Lamb. I know that my sin debt was paid in full at Calvary’s Cross! But friend, if you truly love Jesus, then you will desire with all your heart to live as holy and upright as you can so that you will reflect his character in your life and your light will shine out into a dark world so that they too can be saved.
We are to sanctify ourselves, make ourselves live right, make ourselves talk right, make ourselves act right, make ourselves dress right, make ourselves do the right thing and make our lives as great an example for Christ as possible. We will all fall short. We will all fail. We will all be found wanting. Our efforts won’t make us one bit more righteous before God for all of our righteousness is as dirty rags, but through the power of Jesus’ blood, we are make whiter than snow and our lives will reflect that righteousness in our lifestyle.
Joshua 3:9-13, "And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God. And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. 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."
As the Children of Israel prepared to step out, following the Ark of the Covenant, Joshua steps forward to call them to hear God’s Word. Because Jesus has crossed over Jordan before us and he is risen from the dead, we know that we will also rise with him and that God has prepared a table for us in the presence of our enemies. We are on the move and no power of Hell can prevail against the Standard that Jesus has lifted before us!
Joshua 3:14-17, "And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan."
As Joshua gave the order, “Forward March”, the priests of Israel, carrying the Ark of the Covenant stepped out and marched straight for the banks of the Jordan River. They had no place to go but straight ahead and their was nothing in their path but a swollen, flooded river of water that was impossible to cross without drowning. But, they had their orders and they determined to do their duty. God had promised to part the waters. They knew of the miracle of the Red Sea and they knew that God could do it again.
When they reached the edge of the water and made that first step of faith into the water, the River stood up and dry land appeared and all of Israel marched across that flooded river on dry land with the waters of the flood standing beside them like a wall of a waterfall. What a sight and an experience that must have been!
God opened a path of victory for his children! He parted the waters that barred them from their Promised Land and opened a clear road to their first major battle with their enemies in Canaan Land. The Road to Jericho and God’s miracle working power in their lives was wide open now and all they had to do was keep marching forward!
As Israel crossed over Jordan, the Ark and the priests stood in the midst of the river until everyone was safely across.
Jesus is the Bridge that we depend upon. He stands with us at the time of our departure from this life. He said that he would never leave us nor forsake but would stick closer than a brother. Jesus will be there while you live. He will be there when you cross over from spiritual death into your new birth. He will be there with you through your long journey to the Promised Land, and, should the Lord tarry in his coming for his church in the Rapture, Jesus will be there to take your hand when you close your eyes in physical death only to wake up in eternal glory of Heaven with Him.
That’s the great promise to you and I! Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us but will be with us to the end!
There will be none left behind! The Cross of Christ, and the New Covenant in the Blood of the Lamb will see you over Jordan! Don’t be afraid my child! That’s what God said to Israel so long ago and that’s what God says to you and I today!
Hang out your scarlet cloth! Take up your cross and follow Jesus! Keep your eyes on that Ark, and let’s go on into the Promised Land with Jesus! It won’t be long until we get to that wonderful home in Glory land.
