Crossing the Jordan

Introduction

➟ ➟ ➟ 473 times in this pulpit, not including weddings and funerals. Which is more than anywhere else I’ve ever been. And here we are, the day many of us have been waiting for for a very long time.

We’re excited. We’re blessed. We are filled with anticipation at what lies ahead.

We give all the glory to God. As you look back over the last 4 months, you can see his hand everywhere.

Friday I drove past another facility in Centerville that we had inquired about. The red light caught me, so I had a few seconds to sit and stare across the street at it.

14 months ago, I felt like that could be the place we need to be.

It has adequate classroom & office space. Much more than what we currently have. The auditorium wasn’t perfect for us, but probably could have been modified.

It has 5 acres, plenty of room for expansion … and sits on the corner of a state highway & busy intersection w/10’s of thousands of cars passing by every day.

But there were also things about it that I felt we were forcing … to have to make it work … and that gave me pause.

And so as I sat at that red-light, I gave thanks to God … because that property sold before we got a chance to walk through it.

I do remember being a little down and frustrated after that … thinking the road ahead in finding a new place was going to be difficult and very expensive. It seemed… out of reach.

But what I didn’t see at the time was that God was trying to teach me to be patient and to wait on Him to go to work.

And when He did, He blessed us far more than what we were expecting. Think about where we’re moving.

the location

the space

the potential to be even more visible than we could have possibly imagined … on a major thoroughfare … right across the street from an upcoming and trendy development … with the interstate down from us just out of view. The new facility will be so easy for others to find.

And, that the problem of selling this building was taken away with Dayton Korean Baptist buying this building.

I could talk about His hand through the financing process … just about every aspect … He was there all along the way.

So … waiting and trusting in God to come through I think is one of the biggest lessons God has been trying to teach me through all of this.

Truly, this has been an Ephesians 3.20 moment for us.

Even in the midst of a global pandemic...

Even in a time when the congregation hasn’t assembled fully in 4 months..

Even in a time of economic uncertainty and fluctuation...

➟ ➟ ➟ we have learned again that God is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us.

And for that, we praise Him today.

➟ ➟ ➟ I want to thank Paul for reading the passage out of Joshua 4.

It captures a climactic event in Israelite history.

For the previous 40 years the nation has been wandering in the wilderness.

A new generation has come. They’ve spent all their lives in survival mode living in a basic existence while their parents and grandparents grew old and died in a weary and dry land.

Now, finally, the time has come.

They’re going to cross the Jordan .... walk across the riverbed … opened by the power of God.

A new and welcome chapter is about to open before them.

A land richer than their dreams.

More fruitful & bountiful than they could have hoped for.

More beautiful than they could have imagined.

Now, it’s theirs … by the promise & power of God.

Can you imagine what it must have felt like to finally stand inside Canaan’s land?

Many of you can look back on the day you closed on your first home.

You pulled up the drive way. You unlocked the door. It was yours.

You had envisioned that moment. Planned for it.

You had imagined what you would do with it.

And in that moment, your emotions soared.

For Israel, this was the moment the ancient promises made to Abraham 500 years before were finally realized.

It would have been a moment of great exhilaration … maybe overwhelming to just a degree.

But before they got there, they had to cross the Jordan.

➟ ➟ ➟ It wasn’t at the normal flow, however.

At flood-stage, overflowing its banks.

This probably happened sometime in March or April. River running at its highest due to snowmelt from the mountains to the north.

I read from one scholar last week who says places on this part of the Jordan the river at flood-stage can be as much as a mile wide.

➟ ➟ ➟ I want you to imagine surging currents, floating debris, and underwater obstacles.

It feels like it’s an impossible situation.

➟ ➟ ➟ Joshua 3.15-17

Can you imagine? The moment the feet of the priests touched the water, the water stood still.

The downstream water backed up in a wall that stretched upstream for as many as 18 miles. One scholar estimates that around 30% of the Jordan River Valley was covered by this pool of water.

This event, for a new generation, parallels the Red Sea crossing.

This is God’s signature that He is good to His word.

Can you imagine walking down into the river that day … with a wall of water standing on the north side … and oh what it must have felt like when you came up on the other side of the bank....

4.10 captures the moment when the text says they hurried across. As they did, can you hear the singing and sounds of exultation?

➟ ➟ ➟ Today, we’re going to talk about what happened at this pivotable moment in Israel’s history.

We’re going to see how it relates to the pivotable moment our church family is in right now.

And, we’re going to see how all of this goes back to a great God, who gets all the glory and praise.

Let’s pray.

12 Stones from the River

➟ ➟ ➟ Joshua 4.2-3 - God commands Joshua to choose 12 men, one from each tribe, to go down into the middle of the river and gather 12 stones and carry them to where they would make camp in Gilgal.

These stones had been buried and unreachable.

They were covered by a challenge to the faith of God’s people.

But now, they were accessible by the power and work of God.

➟ ➟ ➟ 4.8 - The 12 men hoisted the heavy stones on their shoulders, lifting them off the bottom of the Jordan river, bring them up out of the river bed, and pile them in the promised land.

➟ ➟ ➟ 4.6-7 - tells us why. They were going to be stacked there as a public sign - an unmistakeable marker at the very place where God demonstrated His power to overcome any and every obstacle.

➟ ➟ ➟ 4.23-24 - This is so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord’s hand is strong, and so that you may always fear the Lord your God.

Joshua 4 shows us what happens when the impossible meets the promises of God.

This is what happens when big things come up against the glorious riches of God in Christ Jesus. It’s a powerful lesson.

Today, We Start our own Crossing

As we spend our final moments in this place, we look ahead at a much hoped for dream - a dream which has been planted in our hearts by the Lord and our growing needs as a local body of Christ.

As we prepare to move, it is important to recognize how we got here.

➟ ➟ ➟ A powerful motivation for believing God in the present is intentionally remembering how he has worked in our past.

Psalm 77:11–12 CSB

11 I will remember the Lord’s works; yes, I will remember your ancient wonders. 12 I will reflect on all you have done and meditate on your actions.

If we’re not careful, we have a tendency to forget God’s goodness and provision in our life.

This is why we need to mark the important events.

We don’t want to lose the connection to the event & how we felt at the time.

Markers give us the opportunity to speak to the next generation about times when God has been faithful to us by blessing us with great opportunity.

Let’s look back at our text in Joshua 4, where we find both a public and private memorial set up.

➟ ➟ ➟ 4.6-7 - There would be a time when future generations would ask about the stones.

4.6 - in the future, when your children ask you “What do these stones mean to you?”

In Hebrew, the to you is stressed. It’s personal. What did they personally feel when they crossed over the Jordan?

What emotions did you experience? Why was this such a powerful moment?

➟ ➟ ➟ 4.9 - There was also a private memorial.

Admit the Hebrew is tough to figure out here … but it appears that...

Joshua, without the help of the elders or the people, also set 12 stones up in the water.

Why? It was a personal memory for him of God’s faithfulness.

He shared in the public memory with the stones outside the water.

And he had his own private memory at the time he placed the stones in the middle of the river … which must have been visible at low water.

We Reflect on our own Memorial

Today, we pause to reflect. And while we can’t take 12 literal stones from this building with us, we figuratively speaking, have many stones we will gather and carry with us as we cross to the other side and embrace the work before us.

54 years in this location. Around 60 years of work as a congregation.

All from a small start out of the Haines St. church.

Initially, meeting in a rented location at Stroop & Marshall Rd.

➟ ➟ ➟ Then in a house on Patricia Dr.

➟ ➟ ➟ Then here.

➟ ➟ ➟ Much growth here through the years… ➟ ➟ ➟ w/expansions ➟ ➟ ➟ in the 80’s; 90’s; & 10’s.

➟ ➟ ➟ We experienced not only growth in numbers … but also in leadership and the ability to take the gospel into foreign lands.

Kettering has played a role in supporting men and works around the world Over the last 40 years or so we’ve helped works in the:

Philippines; India; Argentina; Norway; Italy; Sierra Leone & other parts of Africa.

And the crown jewel of our foreign work - Colombia … having been there over 35 years.

I spoke with Jaime Restrepo last week. (We rejoice that Jaime is back in active service and work in preaching/teaching, his daughter tells me he’s been working on making things right with many people. For this we are so thankful.) Here’s a little of what Jaime said...

➟ ➟ ➟ Jaime...

This is your legacy Kettering. The work you have participated in and made happen by your prayers, involvement, and giving.

We rejoice in it. We give thanks for it.

➟ ➟ ➟ I look around here … so many memories.

For many of us, our families have grown up here.

We’ve watched our children be baptized right behind me. Some of you were baptized here yourselves.

Some were married in this building. And others, to those we loved the most, we’ve gathered in this place to say goodbye and look forward to when we will see them in the land of by and by.

We’ve worked together here.

We’ve studied together here.

We’ve prayed together here.

So many good things have happened here.

And for that we give thanks.

We’ve been blessed with a tremendous leadership legacy...

Elders who have selflessly served… those like:

Wayne Norris, Albert Lovelady, and Donald Pugh who were elders years ago.

Men like Bob Christy & Jim Lohman who have gone on before.

Men like Dick Kelso, Aubrey Measel, Randy Mullins, Jim Grushon Sr., and Jim Grushon Jr. who are still with us and served as shepherds in the past.

We are thankful for their legacy of devotion, service, and selfless leadership. We wouldn’t be where we are today without them.

Since the late 60’s we’ve been blessed with 13 ministers who have served among us in various capacities:

Bill Holcomb was here as the 1970’s began.

Ken Weliever worked with us in 1973-74.

Jerry Parks was here in the mid to late 70’s.

Gary Kerr was here from 1980-85.

Landin Hope was here after Gary left.

Then Darrel Cope finished out the 80’s and was here through the early 90’s.

After him was Bill Brown during the mid to late 90’s.

Followed by Mike Hardin, from ‘99-’09. During Mike’s time, two interns labored here for a short time, Dave Wilson & Chad Brewer.

We had Alan Piner work with us as a second evangelist in ‘16-17.

Of course I got here in 2010, and Cain joined us last year.

Last week I reached out to some of our former ministers who wanted to send out a personal greeting and warm wishes for our transition:

Ken Weliever: On this special Sunday, Norma Jean and I are reminded of so many good memories during our tenure at Kettering.  Our ministry was blessed with several baptisms and restorations. We developed friendships that have continued for 47 years.  During the intervening years, we've had the opportunity to return for visits and gospel meetings.  We've witnessed your growth.  Rejoiced at your progress.  And now congratulate you on this next step of your spiritual journey.   We look forward to returning and worshiping with you in your new facility.  We pray that this move will truly serve as a Cornerstone for the next chapter of explosive growth for your Church Family.  

➟ ➟ ➟ Gary Kerr

➟ ➟ ➟ Mike Hardin

➟ ➟ ➟ You know, we could go on and on about others who have meant so much to this church through the years...

Men like Ronnie Gallihar, who still with us, Charles Thomas and Louie Hickey who have gone on before. I so wish I could have known brother Hickey. Never ever have I heard a negative word … just that his life ended too short and that he was always a blessing to so many here.

We remember women like Pat Miering and Fonda Thomas, both now at rest. They were here from the beginning and both wonderful servants of God.

We remember couples have who gone on before, Cletus & Bessie McBee and those still with us like Kermit & Isabelle Copeland.

I’m leaving people out for lack of time … but let your mind wander for just a moment … to those here through the years who have impacted you.

This is the Kettering legacy. The legacy is not about a building … this is just a building. The legacy is about people … Godly people loving one another and serving the Lord together.

The legacy is about changed lives.

People from all different walks of life who came together and built something spiritual which lasts to this day … what they built, by the hand of God, will go on long after we leave this place.

We will carry these stones of remembrance with us, across our own Jordan, to the new place … and continue to build on that legacy.

In is in this that nothing will change when we move.

The mission will remain the same.

We exist to glorify and magnify God.

We exist to participate in the expansion of God’s kingdom.

The commitment to continuing and embracing the legacy that so many have worked so hard to build is solid.

We’re not ignoring our past, we’re setting it up today as a memorial for future generations so when they ask, what does the Cornerstone church mean to you, we can personally speak of our experience of being a part of and carrying on the work begun here at Kettering by so many people before us.

That is our calling. That is our mission. It is the challenge before us as what will soon be the 4th generation of believers in this congregation begin to step up into leadership positions.

yes.... the 4th generation.

Not too many congregations last long enough to go into 4 generations. And those in the 5th generation are being born right now. It will be no time until they’ve grown up.

So we remember our past. It is good to do so. Those coming behind us need to know and grasp a sense of the feeling and appreciation we have for how God has blessed this church family.

Conclusion

As we close today, I want to take you back to Joshua 4.

There is an emphasis in the chapter on the obedience of all who participated.

And there is an emphasis on how God honored His own word that day.

He promised to exalt Joshua in the eyes of the people. And He did. 4.14 says the people came to revere Joshua all the days of his life, just as they did Moses.

4.15-18 - the description of the departure of the ark of the Lord out of the Jordan is every bit as dramatic as it’s approach to the river.

As soon as the priests feet touched the western bank a raging wall of water came down the riverbed.

Once again the water outflowed its bank as before.

The timing of the return of the waters was just as much a miracle as the crossing had been a few hours before.

So let us go. Let’s cross our own Jordan today.

Let’s move in faith, commitment, and trust in the Lord.

He has blessed us with a tremendous opportunity and with that blessing comes great responsibility.

We each have a role to play in this challenge.

As we respond accordingly, he will continue to bless us.

➟ ➟ ➟ Let’s do this!

Ephesians 3:20–21 CSB

20 Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

If we can serve you today, this is your invitation. Come to Jesus today.