Enter the Jordan

God’s Word reads in Joshua chapter 3:

Joshua 3:1–17 KJV 1900

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. 2 And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; 3 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. 4 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. 5 And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the Lord will do wonders among you. 6 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. 7 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. 8 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. 9 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God. 10 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. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. 12 Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. 13 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. 14 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; 15 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,) 16 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. 17 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.

Let’s Pray

God Makes A Way

Joshua 3:1–4 KJV 1900

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. 2 And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; 3 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. 4 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.

Are you good at making plans? Say you are going to take a trip, do you plan out your journey? Do you determine what roads & highways you will take to get you to your destination? If it is somewhere you have never been before do you try to map out your route or do you just rely on Google, Waze, or some other navigation app on your phone to get you there?

What about if you are having a get together at your home. Do you plan who you are going to invite? Do you think about what people will do once they get there? Do you consider what refreshments or food you are going to serve?

People, by nature, tend to do some amount of planning when it comes to their lives. Our execution of those plans vary greatly depending on who it is but people like to have a general idea of what is going to take place. I feel that is why some people become so disoriented when change happens because it differs from the plan they had mapped out in their mind.

Our plans are based on how we envision our lives to go and how the events that take place come to pass. However, when it comes to our relationship with Jesus our plans simply do not matter. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)...”

The 1st point this morning is God Makes A Way. In our text we are told that Joshua woke up early in the morning & most likely began to prepare himself for the tasks he needed to complete that day. These tasks he was preparing for however were not his own thoughts, ambitious ideas, or selfish motivations. Joshua was instructed by God and was directed to spend time reflecting on His Word.

Joshua 1:8 says, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

We must understand that Joshua got his instruction from God. Joshua meditated on His Word and spent time with God. Folks there are so many of us that miss out on the blessings of God simply because we try to force things to happen in our life. Or we contemplate what things would be like if circumstances were different. Both of those things are useless because we should be following Joshua’s example by being in God’s Word and heeding God’s direction.

Joshua may have had his own ideas about how to cross the Jordan and reach the promised land & if he did, he suppressed them. It was irrelevant what Joshua or any of the other children of Israel thought because God gave specific instructions. What were the people instructed to do? When they see the ark of the covenant they are to follow it!

What was the significance of the ark of the covenant? It “is the visible token of Yahweh’s presence among the Israelites in their quest to take the promised land.” So, you are to follow God. This morning you need to make sure that you are not following your own plans, or your own direction, rather you need to be absolutely certain that you are following God.

No matter how you or I feel about a particular situation or circumstance we must never abandon the leading of Jesus. Noah is a perfect example of this. Imagine being told that rain was coming when you had never witnessed it rain before. Imagine being told that no only would water fall from the sky but it would drop for so long that it would flood the earth and you are tasked with building a means to salvage humanity. Now if you ever feel like you really have to walk by faith imagine what Noah endured.

Noah walked with God because his life was lined up with God's ways. No one can walk together except they be agreed. A preacher named Chris Gowen told a story about two men were trying to get a piece of furniture through a doorway. After much frustration and energy was expended, the men stopped and looked at each other with a puzzled look. It was finally determined they were pulling in opposite directions. Noah walked with God. He went in God's direction.

Folks rather we like the way God is allowing things to transpire or not, rather we agree with the way He has directed us to go or not, rather we are less comfortable with what lies before us compared to what we have done in the past, we have to go God’s way or we will be in peril. God makes a way we just have to faithful to take that way.

Sanctify Yourselves

Joshua 3:5 KJV 1900

5 And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the Lord will do wonders among you.

Jesus always goes ahead of His people and prepares the way for them. As a Follower of Jesus this morning understand that Jesus has prepared a way for you with any & every situation you are faced with. However, there is something we are instructed to do first. There is a prerequisite to us taking God’s way. The 2nd point that God’s Word gives us is to Sanctify Yourselves. We must sanctify ourselves and be ready for God to lead us. Verse 4 shows us that God was going to lead the Children of Israel in a new way & they had to be ready.

2 Corinthians 7:1 says, “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

Paul writing this in 2nd Corinthians was speaking to the fact that God calls His people, to believer to holiness. If we were to read through 2 Corinthians we would know exactly what they were called to disassociate themselves from & that was “with those who seek to divide the church or who tempt them to engage in idolatry.”

Understand that if anything we do glorifies God then it is because we have been sanctified. Sanctify yourselves can be translated as consecrate yourselves. The command to consecrate yourselves looks back at Ex 19:10–15, where consecration was defined as the washing of clothes and as abstention from sexual activity. This would allow God to work through the people.

What does this mean for the Christian this morning? It means that we should be rid of the old us. We should put on the new man. We cannot love God & have offer only anger, bitterness, regret, discord, selfish desires, temper tantrums because we don’t get our way & a lack of kindness, care, or concern for others.

My wife has played Christmas music several times over the past couple of weeks. Sister Cindy has been letting us know on Facebook how many Fridays we have until Christmas. Just an FYI we are almost at single digits. One of the stories I love at Christmas is the book by Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. It tells the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge who is such a cold hearted person that he barely wants to give his employee time off to spend with his family on Christmas, Scrooge declines invitations from his own family to fellowship with them at Christmas, although wealthy he turns a blind eye to those in need. Scrooge is a man who is self centered, self absorbed, and a wretched human being.

However the book goes on to tell how he is visited by 3 spirits in a single & they show him the error of his ways. Ebeneezer Scrooge wakes up the following day with a whole new outlook on life. He has made a complete 180 degree transformation from the day before. He becomes a man who is generous and has compassion for others. He became a man with a changed heart.

When you give your life to Christ you are to become a person with a changed heart. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

In order for us to be sanctified then we must submit to the will of God. We must have Jesus as our Lord but not just by name but by submission. We should live in the way He instructs us because He is our Lord. Jesus asks in Luke 6:46, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” In order to be sanctified we must break away from sin, we must not allow ourselves to be fixated on the matters of this world, we must serve God faithfully, we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus so that we pursue a life that is blameless.

Demonstrate Your Faith

Joshua 3:7–8 KJV 1900

7 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. 8 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.

God is faithful to prepare the way. We are sanctified by submission & obedience to God. With that obedience then you will be led by God to demonstrate your faith. That is the 3rd point this morning, demonstrate your faith.

Remember that the people of Israel were instructed to follow the ark. Now, God has commanded that the ark of the covenant proceed right through the river of Jordan. Now we know that the Israelites crossed the Jordan opposite of the City of Jericho. I personally was curious how wide and deep the river was where they crossed. There are no clear dimensions given concerning the depth and width of the Jordan but we are given some insight to the conditions of the water.

Joshua 3:15 says, “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,)...” So now the children of Israel are being told to follow the ark into river where the banks are now submerged due to the swelling water line. The fact is that they had to demonstrate their faith. Did they trust God with their safety to get them through these flood waters or not.

The phrase “crossing the Jordan” is frequently used as a metaphor for the soul passing from this world to eternity. However, when you look at these verses contextually speaking it would seem that crossing the Jordan is more about the soul moving from one place in their faith and now being elevated to as one commentator puts it, “into a higher experience of the things of God.”

We see in the latter portion of this chapter in Joshua that the priests carrying the ark stood firm on dry ground. What does that signify? That God will deliver us if we demonstrate faith. God gave instruction to His people and brought a stop to the rushing waters which flooded the banks of the river.

Not too far from this spot where they entered the Jordan was the place where Jesus entered the waters and the clouds rolled back, Heaven opened and the Spirit descended on Him. Understand that in our text this morning what separates the people of Israel from the promised land is seemingly the Jordan River but in fact it is their ability to walk by faith.

The same is for us Brothers & Sisters, the only thing that is stopping us from reaching our full spiritual potential is just taking that 1st step into the river. The miracle that took place on the Jordan was that when the ark entered the river they walked on dry land. Understand that if you are Following Jesus He is the true ark that continually intercedes and keeps a way for us to cross the Jordan if we demonstrate faith.

Conclusion:

This morning you might be faced with your own Jordan River. Where the banks are eroded away because the water is rushing at such a fast pace. No matter what obstacle lies before you, if you are Following Jesus, He will intercede. He will cause those rushing waters to come to a screeching halt. You just have to be faithful to Follow Him. This morning why don’t you enter the Jordan. This morning why don’t you seek God and show that you are ready for that higher experience of living in obedience and having a deeper & stronger relationship with Christ? The choice is yours, enter the Jordan with Jesus or stay on he shore with Satan.

Will you pray with me?

Smith, J., & Lee, R. (1971). Handfuls on Purpose for Christian Workers and Bible Students, Series I–XIII (five-volume edition, Vol. 4, p. 68). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Hess, R. S. (2017). Joshua. In E. A. Blum & T. Wax (Eds.), CSB Study Bible: Notes (p. 325). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (2 Co 7:1). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Jos 3:3). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.