CROSSING THE JORDAN

Sermon Notes, March 23, 2014

Rev. George Stevenson, assistant District Superintendent for the Church of the Nazarene in Virginia, spoke to us on Sunday morning.  His message was based on Joshua 3, the Israelites crossing the Jordan River into the Promised Land.

Then, as now, life was full of problems.  They’d been at the Jordan before and failed to cross because of fear.  As a result, they’d been banished to wander in the desert.  Now after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness here they were again, and the river was out of its banks in flood stage.  But this time they were ready to follow God’s direction and cross anyway.  In order to cross the Jordan, they were to do these things.

In verse 3, they were told to keep their eyes on the Ark of the Covenant.  Today, when we are going through hard times, our key to victory and success is the same: keep your eyes on Jesus.  In verse 4, the people were told to keep their eyes on the ark—representing God—because they’d never been at this place before.  They needed the ark to guide them, as it had for the last 40 years.  We need to keep our eyes on Jesus; we can look back and see how God has been faithful.  It’s a new day with new problems, and God brings victory on new faith. 

In verse 5, Joshua tells the people “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”  Choose to believe and trust God.  Cleanse your heart; be sure there’s nothing between you and God—no sin or anything else that would separate you from Him.  Today we too can sanctify ourselves and expect amazing things to come to pass.

In verse 8, the Lord tells Joshua to tell the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant, “When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.”  God always supplies our needs.  But He did nothing until the people did something.  When they obeyed, he caused the waters upstream to be “cut off and stand in a heap” and the people crossed on dry ground.  He did something amazing and exceptional, to prove himself and bless His people.  He still does that today.  Obedience is the key to victory.

By faith, as we’re obedient, God will give the victory if we do three things:

1.      Keep your eyes on Jesus

2.      Sanctify yourselves

3.      Obey God