WHAT IS YOUR JORDAN?
JOSHUA 3:1-17
At times in our lives, each of us reach points of critical decisions – places where the decision we make will have huge effects on the rest of our lives. We come to an intersection in our lives and we have to make a choice about whether we head left or whether we head right. I came to one of those points of decision in my life in 1998. I had been dating this wonderful, beautiful, brilliant young woman, and I decided to ask her if she would be my wife. I had a nice meal cooked. And had a Sunday School classroom set up at FBC Harrah with a table, chairs, flowers and music playing.(I lived with a bunch of messy bachelors and who wants to propose in that kind of atmosphere??), and then offered her a ring and the chance to spend the rest of her life with a great wonderful guy like me… She faced a critical decision point then also. What to say to this guy who is somewhat strange, often stubborn, and messier than she might have liked…
We all can relate. You can look back and see those points of critical decision in your own life as well. Career choices, decisions about how to respond to illness, if and when to start a family, all of these are critical points of decision. For many of us, the biggest decision we look back on was a spiritual decision. The choice to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord.
Our friends the Israelites face just such a junction in chapter 3 of Joshua. As you are looking it up, I want to ask you to try to imagine spending your entire life dreaming of one thing. Your parents and grandparents dreamt of it before you, and would tell you stories from the time of your earliest memories about how wonderful it would be when this one thing finally came to pass. Now imagine that every other person you had ever known was also looking forward to this one thing – it was not a personal dream but rather a national dream, shared by everyone around you. All of your activities were supposed to be moving you in that direction; it was the one goal towards which everyone was striving. Can you imagine it? Can you feel the longing for it?
Try to imagine you are one of the Israelites as I read this story. Joshua 3:1-17. Because of their unbelief, Israel was sentenced to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. Those years have now expired and the children of Israel are now ready to enter the Promise Land, Canaan. They are ready to claim their inheritance in the land of promise. However, before they can enter Canaan, they must first get by the one final, major obstacle: the Jordan River. Normally, this would not have presented much of a problem, since the Jordan is only 100 feet wide at Gilgal where they crossed. However, it seems God always does things in such a way that no man can boast of having done it on his own. You see, God brought them to Jordan at the time of harvest (4:15). Those who have been there during the time of Harvest tell us that during that time it swells to an impassable width of 1 mile! It was over 50 times wider than it normally would have been when Israel arrived. There was no way they could cross this river on their own! They needed spiritual help. They needed something that was a lot bigger than them and that one thing was God the Father. The Israelites were either going to cross the river or stay stuck on the other side just short of God’s promised blessings.
Today we stand at the juncture of our own Jordan River and what we need to understand is that the Jordan is a symbol. It’s the place where we either cross over or we settle for being just short of where God wants us as an individual and us as a church. Now with that said we each have Jordan’s of our own that we face from time to time and when we cross those Jordan’s in our lives we are able to enter into the Promise land. And when I say the Promise Land I’m not talking about heaven, even though that is the ultimate Promise Land, but rather I’m talking about those blessings that God has in store for us as individuals, as families and as churches. And not only are we able to receive the blessings from God, but we are also able to enjoy the abundant life that Jesus promised His followers.
So this morning allow me to show you from chapter 3 of Joshua how we as Christians and as a church can get pass our Jordan’s in our lives. There are 4 steps that we must take to guarantee that we will be able to get past those obstacles that block our way and enter our Canaan or Promise Land.
1. FIRST STEP INVOLVED A CHALLENGE. V.1-4
In the words that the Israelites heard from God, they were challenged to do three very important things and these are the same things that we need to hear this morning that will help us to follow the Lord better as we face our Jordan.
A. WATCH AND WAIT ON GOD.
Notice that the Ark of the Covenant is mentioned some 7 times in Chapter 3. One what is the Ark of the Covenant and two what’s the significance of the Ark of the Covenant?
1. What is the Ark of the Covenant? The Ark of the Covenant was made of acacia wood overlaid with gold. It had four rings of gold through which carrying poles were inserted. These poles were never removed from the rings, to show that the Ark was portable sanctuary. The Ark had a gold cover known as the “mercy seat” because the Israelites believed the ark was God’s throne. The ark had a gold molding or “crown” surrounding the top edge. The mercy seat was a slab of pure gold which fit exactly within the crown of the ark, so the mercy seat could not slide around during transportation. Of one piece with the mercy seat were two angelic statues called cherubim. They stood at opposite ends of the mercy seat, facing each other with wings outstretched above and their faces bowed toward the mercy seat. They marked the place where the Lord dwelled as well as the place where the Lord communicated with Moses.
Within the ark were two stone tablets containing the 10 commandments, considered to be the basis of the covenant between God and his people Israel. The golden pot of Manna, which God miraculously provided for the Israelites, while they were wondering in the wilderness for 40 years. The third item in the ark was Aaron’s rod, which was the symbol of the High Priest’s authority. The High Priest had special duties that no other priest had. He alone could enter the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle on the yearly Day of Atonement to atone for the sins of the nation. Therefore he was in charge of all the other priests. The high Priest was a picture of Jesus Christ, who is our High Priest.
2. What is the significance of the Ark of the Covenant? It was a symbol of God’s presence and power. So, God told the people to watch and wait on the ark and when they saw the Levites carry the ark past them they were to move out from their positions and follow it. When God moved, they were to move. When God stopped they were to do the same.
In other words, they were to FOCUS THEIR EYES ON GOD. Notice the Israelites had to wait at Shittim for three extra days. They had already been in the wilderness for 40 years. That is 14,600 days what was 3 more days to them. Now, we can learn something from this and that is sometimes we have to wait on God. A lot of times we think that things are ready to move but we’ve figured things according to our timing and not God’s. Church we need to understand that God is the Creator of time. He doesn’t measure time the way we do. In fact, time is not a limiting factor to God. 2 Pet. 3:8 – “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” However, the key is when God says it’s time; it’s time, no excuses. (2 types of people 1) patient 2) non-patient) When He says go, do, or stay you go, you do, or you stay, no excuses. But, the key to understanding God’s timing is focusing on God. Notice what the command was “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.”
When we face times of crisis, or when we need direction in life we need to learn to be sensitive to the movement of the Lord in and around us and follow.
B. FOLLOW GOD.
When they saw the Ark of the Covenant move, they were to “set out from their place, and go after it” Not only were they to watch God, they were to move when He moved. In “Experiencing God” by Henry Blackaby he states—“we need to see what God is up to around us and then get involved”
Sometimes crossing our Jordan may require us to leave our comfort zone. Israel was about to follow the Ark through a river that was over 1 mile wide. What would have happened if the Israelites would have said, “That’s okay, God. We’ll just stay where we are”? They never would have entered the promise land. If we ever expect to get past our obstacles and enter our Canaan, we must learn to follow God. Not only are we to watch, wait, and follow we are to Honor God.
C. HONOR GOD.
We honor God by doing it the exact way He wants. By doing it by the book. Following every direction He gives. Notice that the Israelites are told to stay at least 1000 yards behind the Ark. Why? So that they could easily see the Ark of the Covenant. So that they could keep their focus on God. And why was it important that they kept their focus on God? Because “you have never been this way before.” God wants to take us places that we have never been before as a lost person, as a Christian, and as a Church.
2. SECOND STEP INVOLVED A COMMAND. V.5
The people were told to “consecrate yourselves” this referred to being sure they were clean and holy as possible. Before entering the Promise land, the Israelites were to perform a consecration (purification) ceremony. This was often done before making a sacrifice or as in this case, before witnessing a great act of God. They were to put away anything that was displeasing to the Lord—and get ready for the Lord to do something great for them. We must be clean if we are expecting God to do great things in and through and around us.
If you and I ever expect to get past the Jordan’s that arise in our lives, we are going to have to learn that one of the first things we must do is examine our lives to make sure they are as clean as possible. I John 1:9.
3. THIRD STEP INVOLVED A COMMITMENT. V. 6-13
This message to the Israelites reminded them that getting across the Jordan did not rest on their shoulders, but on the Lord’s. It was His plan to get them over and it was His problem. He makes them a promise and tells them that He will bring them through in a powerful fashion. God commits Himself to His children. All that was required of Israel was that they trust God and be obedient to Him that they commit to Him and not worry about it.
Worry and doubt marks the lives of the people of God to often. 1)—We worry about tomorrow, yet the Lord has said in Matthew 6:34—“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
2)—We worry over material things, yet the Lord has promised in Philippians 4:19—“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in Glory in Christ Jesus”
3)—We worry about facing various things in life, yet the Lord has promised in Hebrew 13:5—“I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you”
4)—We worry over so many things, yet the Lord tells us that all of our worry is sin and that our duty is to trust Him.
Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
The bottom line is this, Jesus is all powerful, He is all knowing and He is all present. He knows what you are going through, He knows everything there is to know about it, as a matter of act, He even knows more about it than you do Matthew 8:26—“Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?
He is the Lord and He is greater than any problem we have ever or will ever face in life. His desire is that we simply learn to take Him at His word and commit to trusting Him.
4. FOURTH STEP INVOLVED FAITH. V. 14-17.
A)—There was a Problem—v. 15B
The river was over 1 mile wide and there were 2 million people who had to cross they couldn’t build a bridge; there wasn’t enough time or materials. They couldn’t transport everyone over in boats, there were no boats. There was only one way around their problem and that was through it, which the same thing is true in our lives so often but, praise God we have a God that goes before us and makes a way.
I suppose we have all been like the 10 spies that returned from spying out the land of Canaan with Caleb and Joshua
We so often forget about God. Where we see only the problem but God sees the solutions. Where we look at things and say “There is no way” but God looks at the problem and says “follow me, I have a plan”
You need to understand that the Ark of the Covenant is a picture of Christ as our leader. I Corinthians 10 states that the whole journey of Israel from Egypt to the promised land is a picture of our Christian life. You remember the High priest would go into the Holy of Holies once a year and offer sacrifices for the sins of the people. As the Ark of the Covenant went before them it symbolized Jesus paying for our sins. The Ark stayed some 30 football fields ahead of them why? So the whole congregation could see the Ark. The Ark of the Covenant also was a picture of Christ as our Savior. Notice v. 16 ADAM He conquered death and sin all the way back to Adam you see all who would follow the Ark would be saved and receive what God had promised them.
B)—There was a Plan—v. 15
The plan is found in v. 15 but there was a catch in this plan. The water would not part until the priests who were carrying the Ark stepped into the water. In other words–it took a step of faith, whereby the people obediently followed the Lord for them to see the miracle come to pass.
What a lesson for you and me, too often we want the Lord just to fix everything in our lives for us. We don’t want to have to make any decisions nor do we want to have to exercise our faith in Him. But folks most of the time God will require us to take steps of faith in order that we might see our Jordan parted.
It never is about what we can do, but is always about what the Lord is able to do. Ephesians 3:20—“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all at that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us”
C)—There was a fulfilled Promise—v. 16-17
When the priests stepped into that raging river, it parted and God opened a path of dry ground through the waters for His people. Verse 16 says that the waters backed up to the City of Adam—this is some 15 to 20 miles north of where the children of Israel were crossing. God made them a path through the water that was more than adequate for His people to get through a couple of million had to cross. When the Israelites showed their obedience, God did what He said He would do. But it wasn’t until they acted upon their faith that God did what He said He would do.
So in closing what is God asking us to do as a church? Or let me ask you this –What are you willing to believe God can do through our church? How big are you willing to dream? Are you willing to believe that God can increase the size of this church by 20 over the next year? Why not 40? Or 70? Are you willing to believe that God can lead us to 5 people who will receive Jesus Christ as their personal Savior this year? Why not 10? Or 20? Are you willing to believe that God wants us to disciple these new believers so that they become growing, reproducing Christians? Are you willing to believe that wants us to begin ministering to broken homes, and seeing families restored? Are you willing to believe that God wants us as a congregation to give more to missions and cooperative program to see the gospel of Jesus Christ taken throughout our state and the world – but at the same time continue to meet the budget needs right here in this church? Are you willing to believe that God wants to do all of this right here at Crossroads Baptist Church Beggs?
What is God calling you to do as an individual? What Jordan is He asking you to cross? If you’re lost your Jordan is asking Jesus Christ into your heart. If you’re a Christian what is your Jordan? Is He calling you to a certain form of service here in this church? Is He calling you to join this church? Is He calling you to go witness to someone? Is He calling you to forgive someone? What is it? How are you going to respond?
