Joshua 2:23-24 So the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them: And they said unto Joshua, Truly the LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.

INTRODUCTION

1.    We all have had exciting days in our lives

a.    So much has happened

2.    It was just such a day for the Israelites

a.    They finally entered the Promise Land

b.    500 years before God made a promise to Abraham

Genesis 15:18 In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

                                          i.    Now the Israelites are camped at Shittim

Joshua 3:1-2 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. And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host;

                                        ii.    7 miles east of the Jordan River

c.    But God has placed 3 prerequisites

FIRST, THEY MUST PREPARE

Joshua 3:3 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.

1.    God had given His promise to Joshua and the Israelites

a.    Now it is time

b.    The Israelites must cross the Jordan

                                          i.    Verse 15 tells us that the river was at flood stage

Joshua 3:15 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,)

                                        ii.    This was the worst time of the year to cross the river

1.    But it was the best time to test their faith

                                       iii.    So the officers went through the camp giving the order

2.    The ark of the covenant was kept in the innermost room of the Tabernacle and later in the Temple

a.    What was the purpose of the ark?

                                          i.    God told Moses

Exodus 25:22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

                                        ii.    The ark of the covenant represents the presence of God among His people in the OT

                                       iii.    15 times the ark is mentioned in chapters 3 & 4 of Joshua

                                       iv.    What the people are about to experience is not some military maneuver

1.    It would be an act of faith

b.    The ark was a rectangular chest

                                          i.    45 inches long and 27 inches deep and wide

                                        ii.    It was made of acacia (uh-kay-shuh) wood

                                       iii.    Covered with gold inside and out

                                       iv.    Top was a lid made of pure gold

                                        v.    At the end of the lid were solid gold figures of cherubs facing each other

                                       vi.    Their wings stretched out upward and nearly touched each other

1.    The ark represented God’s presence among His people

                                      vii.    It was carried by poles placed through rings that were attached to each side of the chest

                                    viii.    When the ark was moved the Israelites would follow the ark

1.    In effect, they were following God

2.    To follow God

a.    Always requires two things

Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

b.    First, we must wait on the Lord

                                                                                          i.    Faith is always willing to wait

1.    Noah waited 120 years

2.    Abraham wait 30+ years for a son

3.    Moses wait at Midian 40 years

4.    Then Moses wait another 40 years in the wilderness

5.    Israel waited 3,000 years for the Messiah

                                                                                        ii.    The degree of our faith is determined by how long we are willing to wait

1.    But for those that do, there is a promise

Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

                                                                                       iii.    Only one time do we find our Lord in a hurry

c.    Second, we must follow God by faith

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

c.    It has been well said that faith is not believing in spite of evidence but obeying in spite of consequence.

                                          i.    When you read Hebrews 11, the great “faith chapter” of Scripture, you discover that the people mentioned there all did something because they believed God.

                                        ii.    Their faith wasn’t a passive feeling; it was an active force.

1.    Because Abraham believed God, he left Ur and headed for Canaan.

2.    Because Moses believed God, he defied the gods of Egypt and led the Jews to freedom.

3.    Because Gideon believed God, he led a small band of Jews to defeat the huge Midianite army.

                                       iii.    Living faith always leads to action.

James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

3.    As they followed the ark, the people were told

Joshua 3:4 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.

a.    They were to follow over ½ mile behind the Ark

b.    This was a new adventure for them

                                          i.    Never been that way before

c.    We oft get in trouble when we get ahead of God

d.    We oft get in trouble forgetting we have never gone this way before

                                          i.    This is a brand new day, with brand new opportunities, with brand new dangers

4.    Then the people were told to consecrate themselves

Joshua 3:5 And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the Lord will do wonders among you.

a.    Sanctify = the ritual of bathing and washing one’s clothing

                                          i.    Symbolically pictures spiritual cleansing

b.    To prepare for any endeavor for God we must be spiritually clean

                                          i.    Paul lists 6 things we must clean in order to live for God

Col. 3:8-9 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

c.    God wants to work within each of us

                                          i.    But we can hinder God working wonders within us

1.    By refusing to make Jesus the Lord of our lives

5.    Joshua told the priests

Joshua 3:6 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.

a.    The ark going before the people was an encouragement to their faith

                                          i.    It meant that their God was going before them

                                        ii.    It meant that their God was opening up the way.[1]

b.    They were not told how they would be able to cross the raging river

                                          i.    They had to move in faith

                                        ii.    Then

Joshua 3:7 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.

c.    God verified Moses was his chosen leader by parting the Red Sea

                                          i.    Now He would verify Joshua as His chosen leader

BELIEVE GOD’S WORD

Joshua 3:8-10 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.  And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God. 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.

1.    Joshua reassured the people that God will drive out the inhabitants of the Promise Land

a.    Then he says

Joshua 3:11-13 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. 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.

b.    The people will see that all universe obeys God’s voice

c.    Joshua is just reminding the people what we read in Psalm 97

d.    Joshua said that as soon as the priests soles hit the water, God will move the waters back

                                          i.    Joshua was not sharing some deep inner or personal plan  

                                        ii.    He was sharing the very Word of God that he had received by direct revelation

1.    That is what the Bible is to us today

2.    It is a direct revelation from God to us

3.    If God is ever to use us we must have faith in God’s inspired Word

ACT IN FAITH

Joshua 3:14-16 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; 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,) 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.

1.    With the river raging, the priests acted in faith

a.    They stepped out

b.    Guess what! the water stopped

2.    Why did the water stop flowing?

a.    Because the people acted in faith

b.    God only can use us if we step out by faith

c.    So often we wait on God to do something special

                                          i.    We wait and wait and wait

                                        ii.    When really God is waiting on us to step out by faith

3.    When the priests’ feet touched the water

a.    God stopped the water

CONCLUSION

1.    We too can do all things

2.    But we must act in faith

a.    Trusting God

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[1]Wiersbe, W. W. (1996, c1993). Be strong (Jos 3:1). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.