“CROSSING OVER” Josh. 3:1-8
INTRO – Here we are, 3 days from the year 2003. Time for new beginnings, new resolutions, new commitments. Folks will start dieting again, exercising again, trying to be disciplined again. I’m reminded of a fellow named Ralph who, after thoroughly enjoying his holiday meals and snacks, got on his bathroom scale and sucked in his stomach. Wife saw him, laughed, and said, “Sucking in your stomach doesn’t help.” Ralph said, “Sure it does. It’s the only way I can see how much I weigh!”
The new year is an opportunity for us to stop and take stock of our lives and determine if there are areas in our lives that need to be strengthened, priorities that need to be reordered, directions in our lives that need to be changed. It is an opportunity for us to cross over into new, uncharted territory in the realm of time, and new, uncharted territory in the realm of our relationship with Christ. We will be in the new land of 2003, and we face a decision – Will we go into the new land and claim the promises of God?
As we look at this piece of the children of Israel’s history several hundred years B.C., we see some comparisons that we can make to our lives today. As the children of Israel had decisions to make, so you and I today have decisions to make.
I. LOOK AT THEIR SITUATION
A. How many of you have ever been camping? How many of you enjoy camping? Can be a very enjoyable experience. Some folks have RV’s and campers. Others have tents. Can be great family time. Bonding time with kids. Or it can be a miserable time!
i. Mission trip as an 8th grader. Tent camping in Arkansas. Youth choir singing in the campground and doing BBC. Thunderstorms came up. Washed all of our tents, clothes, and sleeping bags away. Miserable! So homesick I thought I was going to die!
B. Children of Israel were camped out along the Jordan River right on the edge of the Promised Land.
i. Didn’t have RV’s and campers.
ii. Had been wandering in wilderness for 40 years.
iii. Had buried many of the friends and family members in the wilderness.
iv. And now they stand on the threshold of the Land that God had promised to them.
C. They look back on yesterday.
i. Lot of memories, both good and bad.
1. Times of victory and defeat.
2. Times of successes and failures.
3. Times of great experiences and disappointments.
4. Times that they are proud of and times of regret.
ii. Their 2 great leaders, Moses and Aaron, are dead.
iii. A young man, Joshua, untried and untested, has been put in charge.
D. They look forward to tomorrow.
i. Facing a fortress city called Jericho.
1. “Can we take this city? There are giants in the land.” “Can we take the other cities that are beyond Jericho?”
E. They looked at their today.
i. We will camp here for 3 days and get ready. We will get ready to CROSS OVER!
F. God called them to be “crossover people.” And He is calling us to be the same.
i. We stand here on the edge of 2003, uncharted territory, camped out for 3 days before crossing over.
ii. We look back on yesterday, on this year that is about over.
1. Times of victory and defeat.
2. Times of successes and failures.
3. Times of wonderful experiences and deep disappointments.
4. Times that we are proud of and times that we regret.
5. Look back on yesterday, but don’t linger there!
iii. We look forward to tomorrow.
1. Facing uncertain days.
2. Facing our “Jericho’s”.
3. Facing our giants.
4. Opportunities for growth and depth in our walk with the Lord. Opportunities for deeper joy, deeper meaning, deeper understanding of who God is and what He desires for our lives.
G. So here we are today. Will we be a “crossover people,” a people dedicated to following God’s leadership in our personal lives and in our life as a church body?
i. Hebrew word is abar, which means to cross over or pass over. Emphasizes the decisive nature of this moment in the life of the Hebrew people.
H. We all have those “abar” moments in our lives – those significant moments of decision:
i. Decisions about career, marriage, college, money.
ii. Crises that arise in our lives due to sickness, financial troubles, divorce, family difficulties.
iii. All of these are “abar” times, crossover times.
I. Another significant crossover time is those moments of spiritual decision when we open our lives up to Jesus in confession and repentance and receive His forgiveness and grace.
i. It’s the moment when we rededicate ourselves afresh and anew after days, months, or perhaps even years of wandering in the wilderness.
ii. “Once again, we’re crossing over into the Promised Land, inheriting the promises G has given us.” (John Huffman, Communicator’s Commentary, Joshua, p. 73)
J. We are called to be crossover people, called to dedicate ourselves for the first time to the Lord, or rededicate ourselves to Him.
i. Called to step into the unknown with Him, trusting Him, depending on Him, holding on to Him with bulldog tenacity.
ii. “Not often, but every once in a while, God brings us to a major turning point – a great crossroads in our life. From that point, we either go toward a more and more slow, lazy, and useless Christian life, or we become more and more on fire, giving our utmost for His highest – our best for His glory.” (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, Dec. 27)
iii. Do you want your Christian life to be characterized by words such as “slow, lazy, and useless,” or “more and more on fire?”
iv. It’s time to cross over! How do we cross over?
II. WE MUST FOLLOW THE LORD – v. 3-4
A. When children of Israel were in the wilderness, they followed the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. But now, these 2 have been removed and replaced by the ark of the covenant.
B. The ark is mentioned some 15 times in chapters 3 and 4. Has fascinated people for thousands of years. Even inspired the movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” No record of whereabouts of ark after Babylonians destroyed the temple in 586 BC. Orthodox Jews are still searching for it.
i. Ark was approx. 4 ft. long, 2-½ ft. wide by 2-½ ft. high. Made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold. Had 4 rings on the corners so that poles that were made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold could be slipped through to carry the ark.
ii. Inside ark were the tablets with the 10 Commandments. Also had a gold jar of manna and Aaron’s rod that budded in Num. 117:10.
C. Ark symbolized the presence of the Lord with His people. When the ark moved, was a sign that G was moving and the people needed to follow.
i. “You have never been this way before” – v. 4a – The people could confidently move into these uncharted lands b/c they were following the Lord.
ii. “Keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark” – v. 4b – Couple of meanings here:
1. “Don’t go near it.” No one could touch the ark b/c it symbolized the holiness of God. Could not treat lightly the things of God.
2. Thousand yards would keep the people far enough away so they could see the ark as they crossed the Jordan.
D. If we are to be a crossover people, we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
i. “He is the only One who will not let [us] down. Only Christ is capable of leading us across the difficult waters, providing the ultimate direction. This is why we need to know His Word and why obedience is so critical. We are claiming the Promised Land. We are following the Leader. We are obedient to His Word.” (Huffman, p. 77)
ii. We must keep our eyes on Him like the children of Israel kept their eyes on the ark. We must follow Him.
1. “It is either Christ or chaos.” (David Lloyd George)
III. WE MUST CONSECRATE OURSELVES – v. 5
A. Consecrate means to set a thing or a person apart to the worship or service of God. To be devoted solemnly to a purpose, the purpose of worshipping and serving God.
i. For the Israelites here on the banks of the Jordan River, it meant some type of ceremonial washing as required by the Old Testament laws.
ii. For us today, it means that we should come afresh to claim the cleansing of the blood of Christ which washes away all of our sin, all of our uncleanness. It also means that we open ourselves more and more to be used by God as He sees fit.
B. One of the chores that I enjoy doing is washing my car. Like to see that dirt disappear. Like to see the shine of a freshly washed car. Like to shine up the tires, make the chrome sparkle, clean all the fingerprints and dog nose prints off the windows. Finish washing it. Park in front of house, stand off at a distance and admire the finished product.
i. But it doesn’t stay that way. Drive it. Dust gets on it. Go through mud puddle. Fingerprints and dog nose prints show back up. Road grime gets back on it. Needs a fresh washing again.
ii. We are like that. We drive our lives through the streets of life. The dust of sin settles on us. Go through the puddles of temptation instead of going around them. The tar of disobedience sticks to us. We need a fresh washing again.
1. Isaiah said it this way: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Then he goes on to say, “If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land.” – Isa. 1:18-19
C. If we are going to be a crossover people, we need to consecrate ourselves.
i. Need to be washed. Confess our sins. Receive the cleansing that is ours b/c of Jesus’ death on the cross.
ii. Need to be “willing and obedient.” Can’t just be forgiven and go on living any way we want to live. Consecration means that we live a life that is set apart for worship and service to God.
iii. Need to get clean and stay clean. Be quick to confess sin. Don’t stay in it. Get an accountability partner, someone who will ask you the tough questions about your life, someone you can pray with. Get serious about sin! Get serious about living a life that is sold out to the Lord Jesus Christ! Get serious about being consecrated!
1. “It is a great deal better to live a holy life than to talk about it. Lighthouses do not ring bells and fire cannon to call attention to their shining – they just shine.” – D.L. Moody
IV. WE NEED TO LOOK FOR AMAZING THINGS – v. 5b
A. When we follow the Lord and live a consecrated life, we can look for and expect amazing things from the Lord.
i. For the Israelites, it meant the parting of the Jordan River – v. 8, 13-17
B. Don’t you want to be a part of something “amazing?” Don’t you want to be a part of a church where God is actively at work, changing lives for all eternity?
C. That potential exists here as we stand on the edge of our Jordan. Will we cross over?
