Crossing Jordan Live Service | Sunday, March 12, 2023

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... And 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 3)

When an impossible obstacle stands before you, God says: stand still, then go forward—and follow Me across.

Obstacles Too Great for Us

It is common to all of us to face challenges, difficulties, and obstacles in life—and there are times when the thing standing before us seems too big. We conclude in our minds that there's no way around it, over it, or through it.

This was surely in the mind of Israel under Pharaoh's thumb. They were in Egypt 400 years, much of that time as slaves under severe and harsh taskmasters. It had to seem like there was no way out. Then Pharaoh added his decree that they commit infanticide—putting to death every son born to them. In that situation God delivered them by His mighty power, sending Moses to declare, "Let my people go," and through a series of plagues bringing them out.

There had to be great joy as they left Egypt—but it was short-lived. Almost immediately they faced another impassable situation: the Red Sea before them, mountain ranges named Pi Hahiroth and Migdol on either side, and the pursuing Egyptian army behind them. Once again it seemed impossible.

Stand Still, Then Go Forward

It was in that moment that God spoke. In Exodus 14, Moses said to the people:

Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today... The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.

I love that "stand still." Our minds and hearts are racing, and God says be still and see the salvation of the Lord. Then immediately after, God says to Moses, "Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward." Yes, but the sea is before us. "Take the staff in your hand, hold it up, and I will part the waters."

Over and over in the years that followed, Israel came to obstacles—lacking water, lacking food, facing enemies stronger than they were. By their own strength, resources, plans, and strategies they had no hope. God repeatedly reminded them: stand still and see the salvation of the Lord your God. From venomous snakes to armies, God showed them He was able. In and of ourselves we have no strength and no strategy; we cannot face these things on our own without God.

At Our Weakest, His Power Is Clearest

Was it God who orchestrated these events? Possibly. Is it that we live in a broken, fallen world affected by sin? That could be true as well. Scripture also tells us there is an enemy who opposes the working of God through His people. Whatever the case, there are times we face circumstances that seem hopeless.

This week I was reminded of Psalm 107, where the psalmist writes of those who go down to the sea in ships:

They see the works of the LORD, and His wonders in the deep... their soul melts because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end. Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses.

That is the key point—then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out. Point one: the greatness of God's power and glory is seen most clearly when we are at our weakest.

This is illustrated perfectly through the Apostle Paul, who had a thorn in the flesh. We don't know what it was, and I think it's unnamed so we recognize that it speaks of us as well, for we all have something like that. Three times he asked God to take it away, and God said in 2 Corinthians 12, "My grace is sufficient for you, and My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore Paul says, "I will most gladly boast in my infirmities, that the power of God may rest upon me." Weakness on our part promotes reliance upon God, and when we are weak, then we are strong.

Be Strong and of Good Courage

A few weeks ago in Joshua 1 we saw that God three times told Joshua to be strong and of good courage. Whom do you encourage with strength but the one who is weak and lacking courage? Where was this strength to come from? Joshua's strategy as a military leader? His stores of swords, spears, bows, and shields? His battle-hardened army? None of the above.

Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them... As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage... Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1)

The source of Joshua's and all Israel's strength was the greatness of God's power and promise. That is God's word to us today as well: do you trust Me? Their faith in God and faithfulness to His word—meditating on the book of the law day and night—were the keys to making them strong.

Positioned at the Jordan

Joshua responded immediately, commanding the officers to prepare provisions, "for within three days you will cross over this Jordan to go in to possess the land." In chapter 2 he sent two spies into Jericho, where they met Rahab, whose report closed the chapter: "Truly the LORD has delivered all the land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted because of us."

Now Israel is closer to the Promised Land than they had ever been. The only thing standing before them is the Jordan River—at flood stage, higher than normal. They've been here before, at impassable situations, but God has said, "Arise, go over this Jordan." They have positioned themselves, ready to do what God called them to do.

Then they are given instruction. The officers tell the people: when you see the Ark of the Covenant carried by the priests and Levites, set out and go after it. The Ark was a box of acacia wood overlaid with gold, with a cover called the mercy seat, over which two cast angels stretched their wings. It was placed in the Holy of Holies, where the manifest presence of God appeared. Now Joshua tells the people: that will go before you, and when it moves, you move.

Ready to Follow Him

Point two: God's victorious strength is witnessed by those who are ready to follow Him. Here they are at the Jordan, positioned in the right place, watching and waiting for God to move.

This is an important truth. I'm assuming you're here because you want to see God move in your life and see His power at work. Are you positioned and ready to follow Him wherever He leads? This was how Israel was led throughout the wilderness. When the Tabernacle was finished, the glory of the Lord came and filled it like a thick cloud.

Now on the day that the tabernacle was raised up, the cloud covered the tabernacle... and from evening until morning it was above the tabernacle like the appearance of fire... Whenever the cloud was taken up... after that the children of Israel would journey; and in the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel would pitch their tents. (Numbers 9)

By day a pillar of cloud, by night a pillar of fire—the manifest presence of God in their midst. Without any advance warning, one day they'd wake up, the cloud had gone up, and they would break camp and follow. For 38 years, wherever the cloud moved, they moved; where it settled, they stayed—sometimes a day, sometimes a year. Israel did not move until God moved. Completely by faith, they faithfully followed the cloud.

This is the same life of faith God calls you and me to live—which is challenging, because we would like the three- or five-year plan. God says no; I want you watching Me, following Me, waiting for My direction. "But Lord, what if You don't move?" If the cloud didn't move, Israel stayed put. That's hard for us; we don't like to stay put. Hebrews 11:6 says without faith it is impossible to please God, for those who come to Him must believe that He is and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.

Keep a Space—Follow at a Distance

How do we follow God faithfully? The first lesson is in verse 4:

Yet there shall be a space between you and 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.

A cubit is about a foot and a half, so two thousand cubits is about three thousand feet—a half mile. We walk by faith and not by sight. Why the gap? Some of you know the challenge of getting out ahead of the Lord—out of zeal or ignorance. When you get ahead of Him, you go into unmapped territory you don't know, and you end up lost or exposed, outside of God's will and protection. So we follow at a distance, positioned and ready to move, watching where He goes, that we might see the wonderful works of God.

Point three: God's acts and His ways are only observed by those that follow and gaze upon Him. When you get out ahead, you find yourself an open target. We are to stand and see the salvation of the Lord, watching to see what He will do.

Eyes Fixed Upon the Lord

We see this repeatedly. In Exodus 14, with the army behind them, God said stand and watch and see what I will do. In 1 Samuel 12, at a moment of national transition, Samuel told the people, "Stand and see this great thing which the LORD will do." In 2 Chronicles, when multiple armies invaded, Jehoshaphat gathered the people and prayed, "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You." There have been dozens, if not hundreds, of times in my private prayer over 25 years where I've said, "God, I have no idea what to do, but my eyes are upon You." And the word came: stand and see the salvation of the Lord; you will not have to fight this battle.

We must keep the Lord as our focus, not looking at the chaos around us—it's when we look at everything else that we sink, like Peter on the water. While his eyes were on the Lord he was fine, even though everything around him was chaos.

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. (Isaiah 26:3)

Would anyone like to experience perfect peace? Is your mind stayed on the Lord, or focused on all the wind and waves and problems? They can be an amazing distraction. I remember the day after our son Elliot was born, my wife and I turned on the TV in the hospital and watched a man tightrope-walking across the Grand Canyon. We were gripped, thinking he'd die on live TV—but he just looked ahead and walked across. We have to maintain that focus.

Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40)

That's what Israel was doing—waiting upon the Lord, watching to see when He would move.

Sanctify Yourselves

The second lesson is in verse 5:

And Joshua said to the people, "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you."

Point four: God's wonders are seen by those that are set apart unto the Lord. To be sanctified is to be set apart or consecrated. This is my cup—sanctified, set apart for me. When you're a wise steward, you set apart a portion of your paycheck for the mortgage. God says, set yourselves apart unto Me, committing and consecrating yourselves: I am Yours, Lord.

If we want to see God move mightily—individually, as a church, or in our nation—we must recognize our weakness, keep our eyes on the Lord, position ourselves ready to follow by faith, and consecrate ourselves to Him. We'll see this again at Gilgal in Joshua 5, where the root word has to do with commitment—the same word used in Psalm 37, "Commit your way to the LORD."

How We Sanctify Ourselves

Ultimately, sanctification is a work of the Spirit of God, so we begin by asking, "God, would You sanctify my life by Your Spirit?" One aspect is cleansing, which we experience through confession. First John 1:9 says if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. The word for confess is homologeo—to say the same thing as, to agree with God: what You say about this thought, word, or deed is true; it is sin; God, would You take it away.

Every move of God—what people call spiritual awakenings or revivals, something we desperately need in 2023—is preceded by a time when the church worships and consecrates itself to God. If we want to see God move, He's saying, "Your move," and it begins in worship and prayerful confession.

We also have a part to play. Philippians 2:12–13 says, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." God does His work; He's faithful—and He says, "Your move." Jesus prayed, "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth" (John 17). Ephesians 5 says Christ gave Himself for the church "that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word."

So we must develop the habit of getting into God's word so it can get into us—reading, memorizing, meditating, studying. If you don't know how, we did a class last year you can find at lifeinconnection.com to teach you how to study the Scriptures. God's word shines a light in the dark place and reveals the depth of our hearts. When we see it and say, "Lord, take it away," He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse. This is repetitive throughout our lives; you'll never reach a point in this life where you are without sin. Anyone who claims they don't sin is a liar—which is itself a sin.

Spiritual Disciplines

There are also habits sometimes called spiritual disciplines. Prayer is one—not something we use to make God move, but something God uses to move us into alignment with His will. Fasting is another, generally giving up food for a time. The problem is we live in a flesh-saturated culture, and this body begins to dominate and dictate our actions—you notice it especially during the holidays. As Paul said, "I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified." Fasting is a buffeting of the body and an afflicting of the soul. It might not be food—it might be entertainment, social media, or news.

A few weeks ago, before I could even explain to our children what Lent is about, my youngest, Elliot, said, "I'll give up my Kindle for 40 days." This kid is attached to his device like all of us, and he's totally given it up—the other day he said, "No, I can't have that until Easter." He put me to shame. He asked me, "What are you giving up, Dad?" Good question, son. Fasting breaks the attachment and strength of your flesh so that you rule it and it doesn't rule you.

Another increasingly difficult discipline is silence and solitude—spending quiet time with God without devices or notifications. These are just a few involved in the sanctifying work, but that work is important if we want to see God work in and through our lives. Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow God will do wonders among you.

Crossing on Dry Ground

So what happened after Israel was positioned, watching for the Lord's movement, and sanctified?

Then Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, "Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over before the people"... 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... Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan."

I imagine Joshua told the priests, "You're going up to the edge of the water—and then you're going to stand in the water." As soon as the soles of the priests' feet rested in the Jordan—and the Jordan overflows all its banks during the harvest—the waters coming down from upstream stood still and rose up in a heap, very far away at the city of Adam. The waters going down to the Salt Sea were cut off, and the priests who bore the ark stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan while all Israel crossed over on dry ground.

I'm convinced God wants to take you individually and us corporately deeper into the experience of His fullness and abundance of life. All of those things are found in Christ, just as all of Israel's inheritance was in the Promised Land. They had to cross over to take possession; we have to step by faith into all God has for us in Christ. All the promises of God are in Him, "Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us."

From "People" to "Nation"

One thing stood out to me this week. Eight times in Joshua 3 Israel is called "the people." Seven of those times it is the Hebrew word am. But in the very last verse—"until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan"—the Hebrew word changes to goy, the word for nation. You may have heard goyim, what Jewish people call Gentiles; it means nations.

Why the shift? Four hundred years prior, God called Abraham and said, "Leave your father's house and come follow Me to the land that I will show you, and I will make you a great nation, and you will be a blessing to all nations." The people did not become what God intended until they stepped by faith into all He had for them.

This is instructive for us as well. Point five: we only fully become what God intends us to be when we step into the fullness of His blessing. How do we do that? We position ourselves in a ready place to move, we set our eyes on the Lord to see where He moves, and we prepare ourselves through sanctification, so we are ready to step into all His wonders and follow Him by faith into what He has for us.

A Word for the Church

I want to share something. In the last service, during the final song, the Lord spoke a word to me. We've been praying that God would do a work here. He said: "I'm going to cause people to return back to Me and back to His church. Some of those people left in an unrighteous way, but I want you to receive them gracefully, graciously, and mercifully." He said, "I can't do what you're asking Me to do here until you willingly accept people who left and hurt you. When I bring them back, you have to be willing to receive them graciously and mercifully. Can you do that?" I said, "Only You know, Lord. Help."

Closing Prayer

God, I pray that You would do a work in our midst. Lord, if there's any root of bitterness, any unforgiveness or anger in any of our hearts, would You cleanse us? We confess that that's wrong. God, do a work in and through Your church, for as Peter observed, judgment begins at the house of the Lord. Holy Spirit, come move in our midst and sanctify us, cleanse us. We offer ourselves up to You; we commit ourselves to You. God, we lift our hands and say, do a work, because North San Diego County needs Your grace and Your light, California needs Your grace and Your light, America and the world need Your grace and Your life. Would You do a work through Your church? We pray this in Jesus' name, and all those who agreed said, Amen.