The Crossing - Joshua 3 and 4

Introduction

Dad’s day..welcome…recap…today we will begin in Joshua chapter 3..so as you make your way there many of us have things we remember in our life.

Holiday traditions

Vacations

Working in the Garden.

Friday nights

Sunday’s

We all have moments…markers in our our life that define us.

Today’s marks a milestone in the history of Israel.

Prayer…today the 1st thing we see in the text is Joshua telling his people too...

Watch the Ark

Read with me...

Joshua 3:1–4 CSB

Joshua started early the next morning and left the Acacia Grove with all the Israelites. They went as far as the Jordan and stayed there before crossing. After three days the officers went through the camp and commanded the people, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God carried by the Levitical priests, you are to break camp and follow it. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between yourselves and the ark. Don’t go near it, so that you can see the way to go, for you haven’t traveled this way before.”

When it moves you move.

Ark represents God’s presence here on earth. Joshua tells them when you see the Ark move from the camp you follow it.

Allow God to lead you…stay 1000 yards behind…3000ft. God want you to see the bigger picture of what is moving before you.

Driving a car- Following too closely to the one ahead.

You lose perspectiveYour focus is just on the taillights of that car ahead, but when you pull back a little, what do you see? You see traffic around you, you see the cars ahead, the exit to get off on, the path to where you want to go.

Following God is watching the ark, letting Him lead you…we often want the opposite.

We want to go in front of God.

We want God to conform to our way of thinking; we want to consistently go ahead of God in all that we do.

You see God is telling the Israelites follow me…you have not gone this way before.

Most of us have not gone the way God wants us to go; we do not know how to follow God. The whole last generation of the Israelites did not know how to follow. The cycle of disobedience was just exhausting. We are the same way…we do not know how to follow.

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Joshua has instruction for us.

Joshua’s Instruction

Joshua 3:5–6 CSB

Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, because the Lord will do wonders among you tomorrow.” Then he said to the priests, “Carry the ark of the covenant and go on ahead of the people.” So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them.

Consecrate yourselves

Comes from Exodus 19, where they washed their clothes, they abstained from sex. To become pure before the Lord so God can work through them.

God wants to work wonder through his people and today it is an instruction to peer into our own lives:

So many things we expose ourself to that keeps our heart pure.

What activities do we participate in that God specifically says stay away from?

What we allow our eyes to see and what we allow our ears to hear will effect how our heart and our mind bends toward God.

I have safety background- I work safety every day.

Person does something 1 time that is unsafe and nothing happens then they will most likely do it again. When they do it again and nothing happens they they will do it again. After multiply tasks where nothing happens then the brain makes the shift and begins to say that task done that way is safe. So there lies a patter of behavior that will be hard to break.

Sin is the same way…what sin and in what ways are you allowing things into your life that are drawing you away from God and as such makes it so He cannot do wonders in you?

What are we watching that filled with sexuality and profanity that we need to put down. What music are we listening to that we think it is ok, but we know in our heart is not do we need to put down.

What you allow into your heart effects your walk with the Lord.

Maybe today you need to check your playlist? Maybe today you need to look on that DVR and make some changes?

Changes to draw yourself closer to our Lord instead of continuing down a path of unrighteousness.

Then nation of Isreal was taking the next steps to grab hold of what God is giving them. To do it the had to follow God and they had to purify themselves. It is engaging in what the Lord does in our life and looking for how He wants you to be as a person, as a husband, as a father, and as His child. Following the Ark is 1st accepting the purification and then us taking steps to keep ourself that way and letting God lead...

The Ark moved and the Israelites broke camp to cross the Jordan.

Summary of what is to come:

They broke camp, they followed the Ark, and there is an affirmation of Joshua’s leadership by the Lord, Joshua chooses 12 men to represent the tribes of Israel and they come to river and as the priest step into the Jordan and the river is walled up and the ground is dried. The nation passes across the river to claim what God has given.

This is where I really want to get to today. Today is Fathers Day and Dad’s; young or old. I want you to lean into this today. Listen to what happens next as we see a nation building a memorial.

Building a Memorial

Joshua 4:1–8 CSB

After the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua: “Choose twelve men from the people, one man for each tribe, and command them: Take twelve stones from this place in the middle of the Jordan where the priests are standing, carry them with you, and set them down at the place where you spend the night.” So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had selected from the Israelites, one man for each tribe, and said to them, “Go across to the ark of the Lord your God in the middle of the Jordan. Each of you lift a stone onto his shoulder, one for each of the Israelite tribes, so that this will be a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ you should tell them, ‘The water of the Jordan was cut off in front of the ark of the Lord’s covenant. When it crossed the Jordan, the Jordan’s water was cut off.’ Therefore these stones will always be a memorial for the Israelites.” The Israelites did just as Joshua had commanded them. The twelve men took stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each of the Israelite tribes, just as the Lord had told Joshua. They carried them to the camp and set them down there.

Dad here is what I want to say to you today…and if you are a lady and you are in the position of leadership in your home; this is for you.

Memorials are for the present generation

Joshua said to the 12 men-Go gather the stone and lay them where we sleep tonight. So they did; they gathered stone from the river and took them.

Took the stones from the river- in the place where the Ark of God was in the river.

The stones have meaning they mean something to those people.

My friends each stone you lay outside your house with regard to leading your family means something. Each stone you place that draws you closer to the Lord will draw your family closer to the Lord.

You cannot fake it, it has to be real, becasue your wife knows the difference...children know the difference. What you allow to happen speaks to them where your heart is. What you do; how you follow God how you consecrate yourself; how you walk with God can make a huge impact on their life. The memorials you build now are for your family today.

Memorials for the the next generation

The stone they took were placed so that in the next generation we can tell the story what God did there.

It is a model for that next generation to follow.

It is a model to show how a nations purified themselves, and followed God.

They dove off into what was seemingly impossible task of crossing a river at flood stage and coming out the other side in the place where God will give them rest.

The memorial you lay today will impact future generations.

How did Grandpa walk with God, let me tell you about your Grandpa and how he lead us.

This is what our family did…let me tell you about what we did growing up.

Your history counts for something within your family…how you lead out today impacts a future generation in your family.

Memorials are also extend beyond that.

Memorials are for future generations

The build traditions

What we did and how we did it. What traditions are you building in your family that glorify the Lord.

They build memories- Memories that can be cherished and applied for the generations to come.

3 things about memories:

Some memories happen

Some moments just take place…and they are great and some will last a lifetime.

Some memories are made

Some are intentional building blocks we put in our life. So balk at this but when you sit down to plan a vacation you are planning to make soem memories.

Sit down and plan how you want to place those memorial stones in your life for the sake of your children’s lives and your children’s children’s lives.

Some memories fade.

Some are fleeting .... do not make how you approached the house of God or the work of God in your life as something that the future generation will just think was a phase in your life. Think of these are posts on social media…gone in with the flick of the thumb.

Application:

How will what is revealed to day in the scripture move you to take action in your life?

How will you follow the Lord today…keep watching for how He is moving and what He is guiding you to do.

How will you cleanse your life today?

Change what you allow yourself to see or what you allow your ears to hear.

Maybe there is a playlist, and app, or a show you need to delete. Maybe it is another vice, the stop at the bar or the casino.

What is God telling you to get rid of right now..write it down and have enough courage to take the next step.

How will you build memorials in your life?

Memorials that effect your family today, tomorrow, and in future generations?

The first step is making the crossing, believing in the Lord; believing in the promise of God, believing that through Jesus you are consecrated, taking hold of the things of God.

Following Jesus and allowing Him to go before you in your own Jordan River.

Pray with me today.