Joshua 3:1-17, Impossible Rivers

tonight we're gonna be again looking at a chapter three it's a very short chapter as chapters go it's only 17 verses and it chronicles of course the story of the children of Israel who are going to leave the wilderness and they're going to cross over the Jordan River and finally occupy the land of promise and so I'm in titling the message tonight impossible rivers and you'll understand about that title in just a moment let's pray Heavenly Father we are so grateful for your love and for Jesus and Lord we happen to know that Jesus said that all of the scripture points to him he told the religious leaders you search the Scriptures for in them you think that you have life but they are those which testify of me and so Heavenly Father we pray that as we read the testimony that you're in the business of preparing people to know you and to love you that you are consecrating people setting them apart from sin setting them towards yourself and that Lord when the scriptures say that he who's begun a good work in us will see it to the day of the Lord Jesus Christ we can with complete confidence believe the promises of God that you began a work in us you continue that work in us and you will see it through to the end and so Heavenly Father again I pray for that person here tonight who seems to be facing an impossible River a bridge an obstacle that doesn't seem capable of being crossed and lord I pray that by your Holy Spirit you would awaken in their hearts the reality that you can be known and that you can be loved and you can be trusted and so again Lord we commit this time to you and we pray these things in Jesus name Amen Joshua chapter 3 then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from acacia Grove and came to the Jordan he and all the children of Israel and lodged there before they crossed over so it was after three days that the officers went through the camp and they commanded the people saying when you see the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God and the priests and the Levites bearing it then you shall set out from your place and go after it yet there shall be a space between you in it about two thousand cubits by measure do not come near it that you may know the way by which you must go that you have not passed this way before and Joshua said to the people sanctify yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you then Joshua spoke to the priest saying take up the Ark of the Covenant and cross over before the people so they took up the Ark of the Covenant and went before the people and the Lord said to Joshua this day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel that they may know that as I was with Moses so I'll be with you also verse 8 you shall command the priests who bear the Ark of the Covenant saying when you've come to the edge of the water of the Jordan you shall stand in the Jordan so Joshua said to the children of Israel come here and hear the words of the Lord your God and Joshua said by this you shall know that the Living God is among you and that he will be that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites the Hittites the Hittites the perizzites the girgashites the amorite sand the Jebusites behold the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan now therefore take for yourselves 12 men from the tribes of Israel one man from every tribe and it shall come to pass as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord the Lord of all the earth shall rest in the waters of the Jordan that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off the waters that come down from upstream and they shall stand as a heap so it was when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan with the priest bearing the Ark of the Covenant before the people and as those who bore the ark came into the Jordan and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest that the waters which came down from upstream Stood Still and rose in a heap very far away at a domme the city that is beside ceratin so the waters that went down into the sea of the Arabah the salt sea failed and were cut off and the people crossed over opposite Jericho than the priests who bore the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan and all Israel crossed over on dry ground until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan Joshua chapter three records this miracle the miracle of the children of Israel crossing the Jordan and it's a miracle because it's an obstacle that would seem impossible given their circumstances so in this chapter we have a picture of God's desire number one to sanctify the people in verses 1 through 5 to magnify the Ministry of Joshua in verses 6 through 8 to glorify the Lord in verses 9 through 13 and then to verify God's Word in verses 14 through 17 so Joshua and the leaders have received remember this spies report in chapter 2 concerning the reality of Jericho they're afraid we can take them we can believe God we can believe God's promises we can go to the place that God is assigned for us Jericho is vulnerable but how in the world is Joshua going to lead such a large population into the Promised Land when the way is blocked by a swollen river the way seems impossible but Joshua believes that God can make the impossible possible what's interesting again is we all face what seems like impossible circumstances at least sometime in our life we have loved ones who remain unsaved we have husbands or wives playing Russian roulette with their marriages we have children and rebellion we battle with difficulties both public and private we stand on what looks like an inn crossable River and that's what we're going to talk about tonight in this chapter you'll note that the Ark of the Covenant is mentioned some 10 times now if you are a person who isn't likely to bring your Bible to church I would really encourage you to do so because it really is a Bible study it isn't just me giving a speech what I want you to do is to be able to open up a Bible look at the text see the context and realize it for yourself the Ark of the Covenant represents or symbolizes if you will the presence of God I wish I would have told them to put up a picture of the Ark of the Covenant so that you would be familiar with it some of you know that it was a wooden box made of acacia wood that was surrounded by gold in this Ark were the tablets of stone of Moses in it was the budding rod of Aaron it becomes a type in a picture for Christians of the reality of Jesus himself who is one person with two natures God and man but here the reference is to the very real presence of the Lord so the Ark is going to go before the people and lead them and it is going to be kept in the Jordan River until all of the nation safely passes to the other side in a miraculous fashion and again it becomes a type in a picture for the Christian because this is exactly what Jesus does Jesus goes before his people Jesus opens the way Jesus is going to pass through the valley of the shadow of death Jesus is going to accomplish everything that is going to be necessary in order for you to survive not just this life but the next life and so Jesus goes before us but here in the text even though the priests and the Levites in the arc is going to go before them the people are going to need to sanctify themselves and be prepared to follow the Lord's leading and so in broad terms the chapter is broken down during a time of preparation and then consecration and then completion so look at verses 1 through 4 where we talk about personal preparation to cross the Jordan it says then Joshua rose early in the morning what do you suppose he's been doing I'm gonna suggest to you that he's rising early after Joshua chapter 1 in chapter 2 and reason receiving the report because he's come to the place of the edge of the river and he knows that he's going to have to cross and he is praying and pleading and listening because I'm gonna suggest to you that Joshua's in order to do what God has asked him to do is going to have to have a plan that comes from God himself so he rises up early and they set out from the Acacia Grove and they come to the Jordan he and all the children of Israel and Lodge there before they crossed over now think about this picture we don't know what the size of the congregation or the accumulation of all of the people who have left Egypt died in the wilderness repopulated but scholars suggest it could have been as many as a million people he doesn't know exactly how he's going to cross but he brings them right up to the edge and it says so it was after three days that the officers went through the camp the question that you should be asking yourself is why the delay again Joshua's getting up early he's evaluating the circumstances he's seeking the Lord he's praying and seeking God the river is Wolin and overflowing and we know that it's the time of the harvest from verse 15 it's the month of Nisan or March and April in the Jewish calendar where the snows have already begun to melt on Mount Avalon and they're emptying into the Sea of Galilee and making their way raging down the Jordan as it's making its way into the AH de ba the Dead Sea and so thank God that Joshua doesn't have to fabricate a plan or invent a method of crossing the flooded Jordan Joshua is going to receive instructions from the Lord now this is going to be important for each and every one of you as well when you're facing what looks like an impossible circumstance a huge difficulty a great obstacle or setback probably more than one time in your life you've probably said what am I gonna do what am I going to do and for the Christian the answer is always I'm going to seek the Lord I'm gonna believe his promises I'm going to wait on the Lord and be willing to hear from the Lord and then once I've heard from the Lord I want to obey the Lord and so in verse 3 it says and they commanded the people saying when you see the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God and the priests and the Levites bearing it then you shall set out from the place and go after it now one of the things that you need to understand is remember that when the children of Israel left Egypt and the bondage of Egypt they were guided by a pillar of fire you remember and a cloud of dust but something is going to happen and something is going to change they're no longer going to follow a pillar of fire and a cloud of dust they're going to follow the Ark of the Covenant in other words the Ark of the Covenant is going to go before them remember what the Ark of the Covenant is for the Christian it's not just Jesus it is that for the Jewish person it represents the very presence of God and it says in verse 4 yet there shall be a space between you in it about two thousand cubits by measure do not come near it that you may know the way by which you must go for you have not passed this way before every single point of information is relevant to you Joshua's instructing the leaders and the leaders are instructing the people follow the Ark of the Covenant now again leaders are supposed to point people to Jesus they're supposed to point people not to follow them per se clearly Paul in the New Testament says follow me as I follow the Lord Jesus but the whole point becomes look for the presence of God look to follow the Lord and so part of the point of the passage is God's willingness to lead in the new way and that should put a little point inside of your head that God is willing to lead you God is willing to guide you when you open up your Bible and you read these words and you experience the presence of God and the power of the Holy Spirit in your life real problems yes but now the children of Israel are invited to believe the message of faith think about what's happening in the text there's an impossible circumstance there's a message of faith they're going to be invited to believe the message of faith they're going to have to follow the ark that's God's presence and they're gonna have to believe in such a way that they're going to have to be willing to follow God it really is the story of faith in the story of Christianity it isn't enough that you just simply know that there's a horrible circumstance that we as human beings face it's the problem of sin and the reoccurring solution that I talked about almost every single week that Jesus is the solution to the problem of sin now remember here the people would have to keep their distance in verse 4 you might be wondering well how far is two thousand cubits well again there was an Egyptian cubit and there's a Hebrew cubit and scholars debate all night long concerning the measurement according to some scholars it was the length of your elbow to your middle finger now again that distance might change depending on who you are but according to most scholars they think it means about three thousand feet or about a thousand yards so why do you suppose the people have to stay so far away from the Ark of the Covenant I'm gonna suggest a couple of things remember these three groups of people that are twelve tribes they're going to have to surround the river they're going to have to keep their distance but also I'm going to suggest to you as a show of reverence we have a saying that familiarity breeds contempt we have another saying out of sight out of mind you know the same so you go well familiarity breeds contempt and out of out of sight out of mind how do you maintain the balance how do we may maintain a balance of of doing what the Bible says of drawing near to the Lord but all the while retaining a healthy view of his holiness and his utter righteousness but I'm gonna suggest you that this is exactly what's happening that the children of Israel are reminded that God is holy and because God is holy there's no casual or cavalier attitude that's being suggested we approach God with profound respect and utter regard for his dignity and majesty and so again there seems to be a contrast are the children of Israel invited to be the children of God and the answer is yes the Lord has already said I will be your God and you will be my people in the New Testament we understand that we get to draw near to God that we aren't just simply people who know God or or love God but we're invited into friendship and fellowship and relationship but that friendship and fellowship and relationship doesn't mean a casual disregard for the reality of the majesty the dignity and the holiness of God the Lord is sovereign and the Lord is holy what's interesting to me is that when Christians think about that word holiness they almost always invariably get it wrong let me see if I can give you a simple definition of what it means to be holy holy means a radical separation from sin and a radical willingness to attach yourself to God in His Majesty and purity and character I think that Christians are for the most part afraid of the word holy and they're afraid of the word holiness because they think of that word and they think it it's an invitation to be weird or to have funny hair or to talk funny or that you have to talk about God and you have to talk about Jesus all the time they literally don't understand what is being said by the word Walter Chantry reminds us that quote the Bible as a whole speaks more of God's holiness than of his love Jonathan Edwards wrote quote a true love of God must begin with a delight in His Holiness and not with a delight in any other attribute for no other attribute is truly lovely without this unquote what Jonathan Edwards was basically trying to help people understand that God's utter loathing of sin his utter embracing of purity and righteousness that God is holy pure holy just holy righteous incapable of entertaining sin Charles Hodge says quote holiness is the end of redemption for Christ gave himself for us that he might redeem us from the from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works God saves us in Jesus from sin so that we can attach ourselves to God not through a righteousness that we have earned or acquired but wholly completely and fully in Christ the Ark of the Covenant was to lead them into unfamiliar territory an unfamiliar ground held by enemies and again it becomes a type in a picture of each and every one of us when you became a Christian do you remember the night that you got saved maybe some of you do maybe some of you don't maybe you were at a church or maybe you were with a friend and maybe you prayed a prayer or maybe someone invited you they said have you ever received Christ as your Savior have you experienced the new birth do you know what it means to be washed and cleansed of your sin and the only thing that you knew was the light that you used to have and your only understanding of Christians were the people who were around you or the people who spoke to you and you had a kind of a a bittersweet understanding because you've met certain people who seemed to live their lives in such a way that you admired that you wanted freedom from guilt you wanted to experience forgiveness of sin but then you also met people who were kind of weird and when they said hey do you want to be a Christian and you go look I I think I want to be saved and I think I want to know God and I think I want to experience forgiveness I don't want to be creepy I don't want to be weird but something inside of you says I want to know God and I want to experience his love and His grace and His mercy and so you pray that prayer you prayed the sinner's prayer you invited Jesus into your heart and then you began this unfamiliar journey maybe church wasn't a part of your life growing up maybe reading a Bible wasn't a part of your life growing up you didn't know the rules and the regulations about what it meant to be a Christian you were going into new territory and you needed help and this is exactly what the children of Israel would need they would need God's leadership and guidance for every step in the new territory Donald K Campbell writes quote every step you and I take in our lives is like that a step into the unknown the unfamiliar a perilous territory we don't know what the next step may bring an accident an illness a heart attack the loss of a spouse or a child or a close friend a major financial reversal the loss of a job betrayal opposition or unfair accusation maybe even death itself like the Israelites under Joshua's leadership you and I need to see and know what is going before us leading the way into the Promised Land we need to hear the reassuring voice of God saying to you to us be strong be courageous follow me remember these are the exact words that Jesus will say in the New Testament follow me follow me and of course it makes perfect sense I've told you over and over again for you to say where are you going Jesus what awaits you where will I find myself if I follow you we know the immediate answer Jesus is going to make his way to Jerusalem Jesus is going to suffer and he is going to die but that isn't the end of the story he's gonna come back to life and he's going to live forevermore and that's a part of your story when you know Jesus you follow him into a future but he's going to take you to the other side and so look it begins also with personal concert raishin for the crossing it says in verse five and Joshua said to the people sanctify yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you miracles you would think that Joshua would say what I've heard people say in my line of work in part I spent a great deal of my time with police officers or with the FBI when we go out on some place the captain or the lieutenant or whoever the watch commander is will say gear up gentlemen sharpen your swords polish your shields gather your courage Joshua doesn't say that he doesn't say guys grab your swords grab your shields we have a fight on our hands Joshua says sanctify yourselves now why does he say that because it's a spiritual battle it's a spiritual walk this isn't just simply a social a cultural or physical confrontation there is a supernatural spiritual element ours is a spiritual battle ours is a spiritual walk this is not something that's going to require weapons of war at this point it's going to require faith the task doesn't call for shields or swords except for the shield of faith than the sword of the Spirit know what God has in store for the children of Israel at this point is a miracle a miracle and a great wonder God is going to do the impossible in order to take them to the place where they need to be and that becomes a type and a picture for each and every one of you as you face what looks like an impossible circumstance or an impossible difficulty or in an impossible relationship where you go Lord I'm gonna have to trust you aren't I I'm gonna have to trust you and trust your leading and your guiding through prayer and an observation in 2nd Corinthians chapter 7 verse 1 Paul writes therefore having these promises beloved let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God remember what I said sanctification is or to sanctify yourself to sanctify yourself is a deliberate act whereby you're gonna separate yourself from sin but it isn't good enough to just simply separate yourself from sin you have to attach yourself to the true and living God just like as a Christian remember many of you may be like me thought I can't be a Christian I'm not good at it I'm not good at being good I'm really good at being bad and because I'm really good at being bad then it makes perfect sense that Christianity isn't gonna really be the kind of life for me but God wasn't calling me to be good on my own or by my own power or by my own willpower God wanted me to make a break from sin by radically fully fundamentally turning myself and embracing Jesus as my savior and for those of you who are facing an impossible situation it isn't just simply turning from that relationship that's not healthy it's not simply turning away from drugs or alcohol it isn't just simply turning away from lying and cheating it isn't simply turning away from drinking and drugging it's a willingness to turn away from those things and then turn to the Lord in a radical departure and a radical turning to God but some people instead of fearing God they fear holiness well what if I do what if I finally do you make a full and final break with sin what if what if I say no more and what if I say yes to Jesus will that mean the end of my trials and the end of my problems and the end of my pain and the end of my tears no but you will have the resources necessary to walk into the future and occupy what God has called you to remember we've talked about abundant life and victorious life in the New Testament Paul says in Romans chapter 12 I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable to God which is your reasonable service and do not be conformed to this world but rather be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you will be able to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God one translation says don't be poured into this world's mold that isn't who you are do you desire spiritual victory in your life well guess what you're gonna have to make a decision to radically separate yourself from sin a willingness to purify yourself a willingness to dedicate yourself to the lordship of Jesus Christ if you're really interested in the will of God for your life this is what he's called you to do think about what's happening in the text Joshua is saying through the leaders and to the people who are going to follow the Ark of Covenant into the water into what looks like an impossible situation Joshua is telling them expect the impossible how are we gonna cross this river this is ridiculous how are you ever gonna be a good person you're never gonna be a good person well what is it that you want God isn't calling you to be a good person God's calling you to be radically fundamentally realistically forever saved by turning from sin and turning to the Savior that's what it means to be saved remember in the New Testament Jesus has asked the question how is this possible how is it possible for a sinner to become a saint and of course you know the answer with man it's impossible but with God you know the rest all things are possible is it possible that a dark heart can become light is it possible that a foolish person can become forgiven is it possible that a person headed for hell can be headed for heaven and so Joshua tells them expect the impossible be prepared for a miracle God's going to work on your behalf and look what it says in verse 6 then Joshua spoke to the priest saying take up the Ark of the Covenant and cross over before the people so they took up the Ark of the Covenant and they went before the people by the way under normal circumstances the priests didn't carry the ark the Levites did what was it about this particular circumstance again I'm gonna suggest you that it's a type and a picture they take up the Ark of the Covenant they go before the people and look what it says in verse 7 and the Lord said to Joshua this day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel that they may know that as I was with Moses so I will be with you now I want you to think about this passage is Joshua is God going to perform this miracle simply to make Joshua look good in all of the people's eyes no is that going to be one of the results it's going to be one of the results but it's not going to be the exclusive result the Lord is going to be glorified but sometimes God will elevate his servants so that people might honor that servant it's possible that God could use someone and use someone like you to pray with someone to talk with someone to encourage someone to remind someone that what the Bible says is true and can be trusted sometimes God will elevate his servants so that the people might honor him I think about after David's death the Lord gave special honors to Solomon in first chronicles chapter 29 verse 25 where it says so the Lord exalted Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any King before him in Israel the people are going to need to know that God speaks to Joshua and that he can be trusted in what he says and so Joshua was tasked with leading and guiding both the people and the priests we don't magnify the leader we magnify the Lord Jesus Christ our honor if you will the Bible certainly does say give honor to those to whom honor is due but the majority of our honor is reserved for Jesus but God delights in magnifying his people when they obey Him remember but God resists the proud but he gives grace to the humble and it says in verse eight you shall command the priests who who bear the Ark of the Covenant saying when you have come to the edge of the water of the Jordan you shall stand in the Jordan and so the Lord's giving instructions go to the water stand in the water now think about this the priests are holding the ark and they're to remain in the river until the congregation passes over it says in verse 9 so Joshua said to the children of Israel come here and hear the word of the Lord and Joshua said by this you shall know that the Living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites the Hittites the Hittites the perizzites the girgashites the amorite the Jebusites as pastor chuck was fond of saying and the pepsi lights no those aren't in the text who are the people that are in the text you'll note that seven tribes are listed and Joshua brings out the fact that the God of Israel the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob he's a living God not a dead God not like the dead idols of the people who are occupying the land not like the dead philosophies and the empty hearts and the broken hearts and the dark hearts of the people who occupy the land in which you live remember you're living in a world where the people out there some of them believe in a God but it's not the God of the Bible some of them don't even believe that there is a God some of them wonder if philosophical naturalism or the material universe is all that there is or are they toy with the idea that maybe there is some sort of afterlife but it isn't based on what it means to have a right relationship right relationship with God or that sin is a problem and in verse 11 look what it says behold the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan understand what is being said it is the power of God and the presence of God who's going before you it is the power of God and the presence of God that goes before you in the life that you live in Jesus Christ verse 12 it says now therefore take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel one man from every tribe and it shall come to pass as soon as the soles of the feet of the priest who bear the ark of the Lord the Lord of all the earth not just the Middle East not just Europe not just China not just Central and South America this is the God who lays claim to the earth and everything in it shall rest in the waters of the Jordan that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off the waters that come down from upstream and they shall stand as a he so here's what's they're saying when you get to the Jordan guess what there's a river that flows from the Galilee down to the Dead Sea and about 15 to 18 miles north of where we happen to be God's going to stop the water it's going to create a kind of a huge dam that's going to cause the waters flowing into the Dead Sea to dry up and then cause the waters to cease and we're going to cross Joshua describes exactly how the children of Israel can expect their miracle you know why this is important for you because our Joshua Jesus describes to his disciples exactly the miracle that you can expect remember what Jesus said she said I'm the resurrection of the life and he that believes in me even if he were dead yet shall he live and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die you know people that it's going to take a miracle they're so fearful of death they think about this life and they think about what lies beyond this life but Jesus tells us exactly the miracle we can expect Jesus says I'm gonna come back to life and this is the miracle that will fully and finally and forever prove that I am who I say that I am and that I can be trusted Joshua describes how God is going to accomplish the impossible it was a time to establish and confirm Joshua's credentials as God's representative to guide them into the land of promise and what better way to do that in part than to part the water of the river and then walk right through it Joshua doesn't say look God's gonna do this miracle and he's gonna do it so that you guys will go to Joshua you are impressive God's going to do the miracle to glorify himself and you see it's God who does the miracle when you say to a person if you'll receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and your Savior if you'll turn from your sin and you'll you'll turn to him if you will love him and believe him guess what he will change you you should have the testimony yourself as they asked the question why you should be able to say because he's changed me God is the god of the living the miracle was intended to certify that God is the Living God again an utter stark contrast to the dead and lifeless and empty idols that that were everywhere in the land God is not only the Living God but he's going to drive out the enemies and verse 10 I remember we've already intimated too that God is not only going to take you to the place where you belong but he's also going to advocate for you and fight for you in those areas of your life that seek to resist you or seek to tempt you or seek to overwhelm you Joshua reminds us that the Living God is with us and that becomes their slogan throughout the occupation it isn't just some sort of battle cry that the that the Israelis invented hey look God is with us it's almost become a kind of a cliche in our culture and in our society to say gods with us and here it means in the most reasonable sense of the word that God is with them in the promises that he's given to them in order to take them to the place where they've always belonged I read the story of a lady who was living during the Civil War and her home was in a place called Moore field West Virginia it was sort of the dividing line between the north and the south and during the Civil War the town's fortunes would AB and flow sometimes the north would occupy the city and sometimes the South would occupy the city one morning Yankee troops rudely stomped up a porch and she was completely at their mercy and some some soldiers would sometimes just break in and take what they wanted but she was a southern lady and she invited the soldiers to come into her house and sit at her table and she set breakfast before them and she said it's a custom of long standing in our home to have devotions before a meal and she took up her Bible and quite at random turned to this passage the Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear the Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid when the wicked even mine enemies and my foes come upon me to eat up my flesh they stumble and fall though a host should encamp against me my heart will not fear the war shall rise against me and this I will be confident and she stopped reading and she started praying and as she prayed she heard the scuffle of feet and the slamming of the door her calm and courage in the presence of her enemies somehow put some sort of fear inside of their heart and they said you know this isn't the place for us and you might be overwhelmed and you might think the enemy's upon me and I have no place to turn and nowhere to go and no one to trust and this is part of the point of the passage look what it says in verse 14 personal completion of the crossing it says so it was when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan with the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant before the people and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan and the feet of the priests who bore the Ark dipped in the edge of the water for the Jordan overflows all of the banks during the time of the harvest remember it's Nissan this is a time when it's at flood stage the water was overflowing the banks approaching the swollen river their faith was about to be tested is God going to be true to his word are they going to hesitate and fear or are they going to go forward in faith and guess what taking the Ark of the Covenant they go forward in faith and look what it says the miracle takes place and I want to point something out to you the children of Israel and the priests who are carrying the ark aren't expected to act in blind faith are these men just going look dudes we're gonna go into the river and whatever happens happens that's not what's happening that's not what's happening in the tax did God bring them to the edge of the river did God speak to them did God say I'm going to advocate for you and then did God promise the miracle you see the same is true for you we have faith but it isn't blind faith it's a faith rooted and grounded in the promises that God has made with the expectation of his plans and purposes we don't believe just anything we believe what God said we believe what God promised there are people out there who will say you can have whatever you want you can say whatever you want you can have your own miracle in it's nonsense it's not what the Bible teaches the Bible doesn't teach that you create your own reality or that you manufacture your own miracle but the bible does say that there are promises for you promises that you can embrace like the priests on the banks of the Jordan River we have to appropriate the promise of God we have to make them our own we have to put one foot in front of the other and then we have to place our feet in the water and guess what when we do that we start marching in the direction of our impossible River the thing that you don't think that there's any hope in the problem or the challenge that you face and look what it says in verse 16 that the waters which came down from the upstream Stood Still and it rose in a heap very far away at Adam the city that has been besides eret on so the waters that went down into the sea of the audubon the salt sea failed and were cut up and the people crossed over opposite the Jericho this is a satellite picture of the Dead Sea you'll see the little line that's the River Jordan where you see the word Jericho this is the place on the right side of that Jordan the children of Israel are encamped there going to cross the water where you see the word a domme that's where the water is going to be blocked and stopped up the drama comes to a full head in verse 17 the priests who bore the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan and all Israel crossed over on dry ground until all the people had crossed completely the priests placed their feet in the swirling river to the north something happens the waters pile up the river is flowing the waters are cut off and there's a miracle that takes place now archaeologists claim that the city of Adamas what's modern tell Edie de Maya some claim a natural explanation I've read explanations that say well you know there was an earthquake there in December 8 12 67 which caused the high banks of the Jordan to collapse on themselves damming up the river for ten hours and then I read another one there was another earthquake on July 11 1927 that caused the river to stop is it possible that God used a natural event to accomplish a supernatural promise it's possible I think the answer might be yes but did God allow a genuine miracle to take place I'm gonna suggest the answer is yes a real miracle took place because it isn't just the stopping of the water and the heaping up of the water it is the miracle of the evaporation of the water and the solidification of the dirt and there Pratt passing over dry land I think the best way to look at this is that God accomplishes his will through the making of a miracle in a response of faith and obedience here's the point there's an impossible River God says I'll do something and then what he says comes to pass here's part of the point for you the children of Israel are facing an impossible situation in order to deal with the impossible situation they have to hear from God and they have to believe God they have to hear from God and then believe God and then act on that belief that's gonna prove to be a formula for you for the rest of your life in order for God to deal with you and for you to deal with the impossible situation those are the things that impart must come to pass the message of faith has to translate to the walk of faith and the only way to experience the power of God and the walk of God is to follow the presence of God into the impossible situation you know what else it meant no turning back once the children of Israel cross over the dry land what do you suppose happens to the waters they come back like a flood it means that crossing that River means no turning back they're going to enter into a land where they're gonna have to struggle against armies and fortified cities and enemies they made a decision they made a decision that they were going to follow the presence of God and they were going to believe the message of God and that they were going to act in faith on that message and so they willingly committed themselves allowing God to lead them allowing God to guide them and so it is with us we live by faith and not by sight ours is a spiritual warfare that's one on our knees Donald K Campbell in his book no time for neutrality brought this little note I love it he wrote God any rivers you think are uncrossable got any mountains you can't tunnel through God specializes in things thought impossible he'll do what no other friend can do so you might have an impossible River unbelief doubt despair discouragement or all of the other things that we've already talked about what looks like an impossible marriage what looks like an impossible child what looks like an impossible addiction but at some point will you follow the Lord in the direction that he's pointing you in the end that leads to Jesus what's pray Heavenly Father Lord we're so grateful for this book and it's lessons Lord what a wonderful message that Joshua is communicating with the people you should expect that what God says is true in the moment that he says that he will do something that he will in fact do it Lord I pray that you would cost faith to well up inside of us not blind faith and not presumption but a willingness to believe what God has said is true about Jesus and then a willingness to go in the direction that he's called us to to live a life of repeat victories and the power of God and in the presence of God through the Holy Spirit and by our Lord Jesus let's stand

Channel: Calvary South Denver

Views: 10,775

Rating: 4.7037039 out of 5

Keywords: Calvary Chapel, Gino Geraci, Christianity, Bible Study, Calvary South Denver, Calvarycsd, Joshua

Id: YWFCz9BWxuI

Length: 62min 23sec (3743 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 15 2016