A CHALLENGE TO VICTORY

TEXT: Joshua 3:3-6; 14-17

INTRODUCTION: As we focus our attention upon the third chapter of Joshua, we are met immediately with A CHALLENGE TO VICTORY, the Jordan River. The crossing of the Jordan does not illustrate the passing of a soul into eternity, but it illustrates the passing of a Christian from one level of Christian life to another. It marks the passage from a life of mediocrity into a life of abundance and victory in Jesus. We will deal with two issues in this message: Confronting Jordan & Crossing Jordan.

I.          CONFRONTING JORDAN

As We Consider The Jordan River, We See Four Things:

A.       The Jordan River represents our difficulty

1.      The Jordan River represents whatever it is that stands between you and God's best for your life. It could be any number of things. For example it could be:

a)      Habit

b)      Hobby

c)      Quest for material possessions

d)     Lack of self-discipline

e)      Selfishness

f)       Impure thought life

g)      Critical spirit

h)      Gossiping tongue

i)        Unwillingness to submit to authority

j)        Judgmental attitude

k)      Desire for preeminence

l)        Too sensitive or too easily offended

m)    Jealousy

n)      Unrestrained passion

o)      Apathy

2.      It is things like these that keep us from experiencing personal revival. They roll like the Jordan River between us and the land of God's full blessing and victory.

B.        The Jordan River is a river of impossibility

1.      Perhaps, you've seen the prospect of life on a higher plane but you've dismissed the thought of living there simply because of what appears to be an impossible obstacle to overcome. Perhaps you've already convinced yourself that a life of victory will never be a reality for you.

2.      I remind you of what the songwriter wrote: Got any rivers you think are uncross-able? Got any mountains you can't tunnel through? God specializes in things thought impossible; He does the things others cannot do.

C.       Apart from a miracle of God, there would be no crossing the Jordan. We read in verse 15 that at this point in the year the Jordan was flooded well over its banks.

1.      What the Israelites were faced with was humanly impossible, but with God all things are possible.

2.      Notice what Joshua said in verse 5, "for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you."

3.      God is still in the miracle working business. What appears to be impossibility at present, with the help of God, can become a reality in the future.

4.      It was going to take a great deal of faith, both for Joshua, and the people, in order to see God's will become a reality. But they had what it took and God performed a miracle on their behalf.

5.      Remember what John said? "...this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."

D.       The Jordan River is a Reminder of our Inability verse 2.

1.      The question that arises is "Why did God leave this great multitude of people encamped along the bank of the river for three days?"

2.      I believe that it was to impress upon the minds of the Israelites, to an even greater extent, the degree of their helplessness.

3.      Arthur Pink had a good quote regarding this. He said, "Man's extremity furnishes the most suitable opportunity for God to display His power. And it is not until man is made painfully aware of his extremity that he turns unto the Lord and seeks His intervention." What does this say to us? It says that by nature we are very self-confident and self-reliant, and as long as we are trusting in our own abilities to overcome the "Jordan or Jordan's" in our life, we will remain in the wilderness of defeat and discouragement.

4.      Just as we cannot rely upon our own righteousness to get us into heaven, we cannot rely upon our own strength or our own wisdom to get us into the spiritual Promise Land.

5.      I'm sure that this will sound strange, but the road to victory starts with defeat. True triumphs are God's triumphs over us. His defeats of us are our real victories.

6.      The Lord is just waiting to hear us say, "I quit! I give up! I can't do it!" Because when WE CAN'T, HE CAN!

7.      Continuing this line of thinking, look at the last part of verse 4 again.

a)      The word "way" is the Hebrew word Derek and can mean either "a course of life" or "mode of action."

b)      Notice the wording of verse 3, "When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God...then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it." Up to this point they had not traveled this "way" or in this manner. For forty years they only moved when the pillar of the cloud moved. Numbers 9:21 says, "...whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed." No longer were they to move according to the direction of the cloud, but now they were to follow the ark of the covenant.

8.      I believe that there is a lesson here for us in regards to our inabilities. Perhaps its time that we start walking a different "way." Maybe its time that we change the manner in which we are trying to cross the Jordan and start doing it God's way.

9.      And what is God's way? It's trusting Him. It's meditating in His Word. It's taking up His cross and denying ourselves. This is the only ROAD TO VICTORY!

E.        Represents our difficulty,

1.      River of Impossibility

2.      Reminder of our Inability

3.      The Jordan River is the only Road to Victory

4.      If we want to live the rewarding life that God intends for us to live, we are going to have to Confront the Jordan of our life.

5.      We can't avoid it. We can't go around, over it, or under it. We must go through it!

II.       CROSSING JORDAN

As We Consider The Crossing Of The Jordan, We Will Consider 3 Things

A.       The Sanctifying of all the Congregation v. 5

1.      The first mention of sanctification in the Bible is in Genesis 2:3 where we read, "And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."

a)      In the Scriptures, the first mention of a word usually gives us the essential meaning of that word. Such is the case here in Genesis 2:3.

b)      The essential meaning of the word "sanctify" is to be set apart for God's use. In the process of creation God set apart the seventh day for His own use.

2.      The second mention of the word conveys the same idea. Exodus 13:2 says, "Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine."

3.      Also in Exodus, this time in chapter 19 we read, "And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai."

a)      In these verses the idea of sanctification is in reference to a personal cleansing in order to fellowship with God. The children of Israel were to set aside all that was unclean in order to be able to meet with the Lord.

b)      This is the same idea which is conveyed in Joshua 3:5.

4.      The children of Israel were to remove all that was unclean and prepare their hearts if they hoped to see the Lord do "wonders" for them.

5.      Our only hope of spiritual victory rests in a right relationship with our heavenly Father.

Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." In order to have that right relationship, all know sin has to be confessed and forsaken, and our daily walk must be purified and regulated by the Word of God.

In 2 Corinthians 7:1 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." Sanctification involves cleansing from both outward and inward filthiness.

1 John 1:7 ...the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

a)      Let us not forget that the cleansing John mentioned is conditional. The words preceding "...the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" are "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

Timothy 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these [things that dishonor], he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work."

b)      James said that we must "draw nigh to God" if we have any hope of Him drawing nigh to us. But he goes on to say in that verse, James 4:8, "...Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded."

c)      The Psalmist asked, "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in His holy place?" The New Testament equivalent would be "Who is able to come into the presence of God?" The answer is "He that hath clean hands and a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully."         

6.      Herein lies the reason why so many believers never experience the reality of God's presence in their lives and are therefore left powerless to dwell on the wilderness side of Jordan. There is too much unconfused, un-forsaken sin in their lives.

7.      If we expect God to do anything in our lives in regards to victory over sin, we must first be willing to do what we can do. There are some things that we can get rid of in our lives right now. There are some things that we are aware of right now that need to be confessed
and forsaken.

8.      God wants to see our commitment to the cause. What we can do may seem small compared to what He can do, but nonetheless, He wants us to begin moving in the direction of sanctification.

B.        Significance of the Ark of the Covenant. Everything centered on the ark of the covenant. The ark of the covenant is significant in three ways:

1.      In its Representation

a)      The ark of the covenant represents the presence of the Lord.

Exodus 25:21-22, And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat...

b)      At one point in their journey to the Promised Land, the Lord threatened to withdraw His presence from the children of Israel. Immediately Moses responded with these words, "If thy presence goes not with me, carry us not up hence."

c)      Moses was fully aware of the importance of God's presence in his life. Because of the obstacles that were to be overcome and the enemies that must be defeated, Moses knew that he could not be successful in his quest for God's best without His presence.

2.      In its Location verse 6.

a)      The ark went BEFORE the people and all of their attention was focused upon it.

b)      As they saw the ark go into the river, and the waters part, and the ground become dry, all of sudden, what had seemed to be a River of Impossibility now became the Road to Victory.

c)      What made the difference? It was the fact that God went before them.

d)     As New Testament believers, the truth that is taught us here is tremendous.

e)      One day Jesus went into the garden of Gethsemane, where the flood rolled before Him. Then He went to the cross on the hill of Calvary, where it seemed as if the waters had submerged Him. He died, they laid Him in a tomb, but that was not all.
"UP FROM THE GRAVE HE AROSE, WITH A MIGHTY TRIUMPH ORE HIS FOES. HE AROSE A VICTOR FROM THE DARK DOMAIN, AND HE LIVES FOREVER WITH HIS SAINTS TO REIGN!"

f)       Colossians 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

(1)        Christ's death appeared to be a major victory for Satan, but it turned out to be a defeat from which he will never recover. On the cross Jesus Disarmed
Satan - "And having spoiled principalities and powers"

(2)        Christ completely subdued our enemies through His death. All "principalities and powers" are now in subjection to His authority. Satan can only do what he is allowed to do.

(3)        Jesus Disgraced Satan - "He made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." Whenever a Roman general would win a great victory, it is said that he would lead a parade in which all of his prisoners were disgracefully displayed as a conquered, defeated foe.

(4)        When Jesus came forth from the grave, and eventually ascended to the right hand of the Father, He openly disgraced Satan and his army. He had won a complete victory.

g)      You say, "What does that mean to me?" It means that whatever impossibility you may be facing right now, Jesus has already gone there, and has already defeated the enemy and won the victory.

h)      The Lord wants us, as His children, to get a clear view of Him, and to face again the impossibilities of life that we have turned from so many times, and say "Lord, I believe that although I CAN'T, YOU CAN!"

3.      In its Relation

a)      The term "ark of the covenant" signifies the relationship that Israel had with God. It was a covenant relationship. It was an agreement if you will, and as long as Israel and as long as Israel kept her end of the bargain, the Lord kept His.

b)      The Ark of the Covenant represents Christ as our Covenant-Head, the One with whom we made a covenant at our conversion. When we got saved, we entered into a relationship with the Lord much like the relationship shared by a husband and wife. Marriage is a covenant between two people who promise to be faithful to each other and to promote one another's interests.

c)      Israel's following the ark represents our keeping of the covenant we made with Christ at salvation. As long as He is first in our life and we are doing what we can to promote His interests by living a holy life, He will act on our behalf in helping us overcome the "rivers of impossibility" that we must face.

d)     It's when we fail to recognize Him as the Head of our life and to follow His leading, that we are left alone to forge the impossible rivers that separate us from the land of God's full blessing.

C.       The Speed With Which the Assembly Crossed   Joshua 4:10

1.      The Lord has already gone before us and has made a way for us through the river of impossibility. Now it's up to us to sanctify ourselves and to move quickly into the spiritual Promise Land...