Pause Before You Move: Joshua 5:1-12

First Southern Baptist Church

Dr. Patrick Mead

Series: Forward

August 3, 2014

Pause Before You Move

Joshua 5:1-12

How did we ever watch television before the DVR? Most shows I watch I'm going to DVR, because it enables me to fast-forward through those commercials, or if I miss something in a show, if I get distracted, I can just go back. "What did he say? What did she say?" And there's that "pause" button. That's why I think women like it. If your wife comes in to talk to you, guys, you can pause the show and give her your undivided attention. I have found it has helped my selective hearing quite a bit.

What if we were able to fast-forward or go back in life? Wouldn't life be interesting? Or if we had a "pause"? Now we can't pause, we can't go backwards, we can't go forward, and we really can't stop time, but there is an element where we can pause. If you're going to move forward with God, you have to pause. Our study of the book of Joshua is all about moving forward with God.

The Israelites had spent 40 years in the wilderness, wandering because of their disobedience, and with the book of Joshua, God is now moving them out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land. One of the things we need to remember as New Testament believers is that all Scripture (and when Paul wrote this, he was talking about the Bible they had of the day, which was the Old Testament) was given to us for our instruction and encouragement, and to enable us to persevere. That's Romans, chapter 15.

Therefore, the book of Joshua is a picture of what it looks like for the Christian to move forward in his or her Christian experience. When we started this study, I gave you a main theme. The main theme of the study is that God calls you, the Christian, to move forward in your Christian experience to possess the abundance and fullness that is only found in Jesus Christ.

To possess this abundant life we have to abide in Christ. The only way you can possess the abundant life and experience the fullness of your salvation is to abide in Christ. Abiding in Christ is a daily battle for the believer. Don't be misguided to think there is a level of Christianity where you never struggle and never battle.

The abundant life is not a comfortable life. Sorry. It's not a trouble-free life. The apostle Paul illustrated this very well with the imagery of the armor of God in Ephesians, chapter 6. Really, Ephesians, chapter 6, is the Joshua of the New Testament. In verse 10, of chapter 6, he said, "Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the Devil."

That tells me right there that the Christian life and abiding in Christ is a battle. Our battle isn't against flesh and blood, or just against flesh and blood. I kind of interpret that differently, because every day I wake up I'm battling with my flesh. I'm going to be honest with you. Sometimes I'm battling with your flesh. I'm just saying.

All of us are battling with somebody else's flesh. "My goodness, you need to be in the Spirit. Please. How about a little fruit there? What about love and joy?" Then you have to battle with it yourself. Just because somebody treats you wrongly doesn't mean you respond in the same manner. You respond in the Spirit of God.

So I say it's not just against flesh and blood, but mainly it's against the rulers, the authorities, the cosmic powers over the present darkness, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Every day is a battle if you are going to abide in Jesus Christ. Now for us to move forward and to battle and abide in Jesus Christ, there needs to be preparation.

Joshua, chapter 5, gives us this imagery of what we need to do daily, and it really instructs us how to make daily preparation so we can fight this battle. Every Christian needs to be fighting this battle every day, because to fight this battle means you want to walk in the abundance of your salvation. If we would all walk in the abundance of our salvation, I'm here to tell you the world just might believe we belong to Jesus.

So turn to Joshua, chapter 5. Joshua, chapter 5, shows us that before you move forward, you have to pause. The first seven verses show you have to pause consistently, daily, and constantly. It's not a one-time event in the day, although it needs to be. It's an ongoing process in your life. If you want to abide in Christ, there's this constant daily battle of fighting off the old nature and the temptations of this world.

You have to constantly pause to renew your relationship with the Lord. We see that. Let's begin in verse 1. Verse 1 actually is part of the last section we looked at back in chapter 4 last week. It shows us the effect the crossing of the Jordan had on the inhabitants of the land. It says:

"As soon as all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the people of Israel until they had crossed over, their hearts melted and there was no longer any spirit in them because of the people of Israel."

In essence, they were terrified. They were afraid because of all of the powerful miracles God was doing among his people, the Israelites. In verse 1, it gives further confirmation of what God told them he was going to do. He said, "I'm going to give you victory over the inhabitants of the land." God is affirming that.

Now all of the inhabitants of the land… It's not just Jericho. Back in chapter 2, when the spies returned after talking to Rahab, they said, "Hey, I want you to know Jericho is terrified of us. They're scared." Now we're learning not just Jericho, but all of the inhabitants of the land, everybody was terrified of Israel.

Now humanly speaking, you cross the Jordan. You have two million people. Now you understand that everybody in the land is terrified. What do you do? Humanly speaking, what would we do? We would attack, right? "Let's strike while the iron is hot." That's what we would do. But that's not what God does. In fact, God is going to push the "pause" button. We see that in verse 2. Look at verse 2.

"At that time the LORD said to Joshua, 'Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time.'" Here's a very important truth that verse 2 teaches us when it comes to moving forward with God: God is more concerned with your character than he is your conquest. That's what verse 2 is revealing. It says, "At that time the LORD said to Joshua, 'Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time.'"

Why do this? Well, to really understand what's happening, we need to go back to chapter 1, verses 7-8. This is where the Lord is commissioning Joshua. It says, "Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you." "Make sure you obey the law. Do everything in the law. If you'll do everything in the law, then you'll be successful. Then you'll be prosperous."

He says in verse 8, "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night…" It should be a priority in your life. "…so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."

Their ability to have success would be determined by their ability to obey the law of God. In that law, there was the need for the sons of Israel to be circumcised. Here's what's happening: God is dealing with sin in Israel. Why? Because God is more concerned with your character than he is your conquest or your comfort. Now watch what happens, because in verse 4 and following we have the reason. Here's why there needs to be circumcision.

"And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the males of the people who came out of Egypt, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way after they had come out of Egypt. Though all the people who came out had been circumcised, yet all the people who were born on the way in the wilderness after they had come out of Egypt had not been circumcised.

For the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished [they had to die], because they did not obey the voice of the LORD; the LORD swore to them that he would not let them see the land that the LORD had sworn to their fathers to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey."

This really takes us back all the way to Genesis, chapter 17. There, when the Lord reiterated his covenant he made with Abraham in chapter 15, he gave him a sign this time, and the sign was the sign of circumcision. Circumcision was, first of all, an outward sign that they belonged to the Lord, that they were in a covenant relationship with God.

We learn from the Old Testament also it was to be a sign of an inward reality, that a person who has trusted in God should have a circumcised heart. It should be a symbol, a sign, of a significant life change in an individual's life because they have placed their faith in the God of Israel. The people who died in the wilderness, who came out of Egypt, were circumcised, but they died.

Now here's why. We see the digression, I could say, of their disobedience in verse 6. It says, "For the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished…" This generation had to die, and they had to die in the wilderness, because God would not allow them to enjoy the abundance of the Promised Land. Here's why: they did not obey the voice of the Lord. They did not listen to God. They did not obey God.

Because they disobeyed God, it resulted in them staying and dying in the wilderness and not experiencing the abundance of the land that was flowing with milk and honey. This takes us back to Numbers, chapter 14. God sent out 12 spies to look at the land. They came back, and they talked about all the abundance of the land, but there were 10 of them who said, "You know what? We shouldn't go. Those inhabitants of the land are strong. They're powerful, and there are a few giants there as well."

The majority report ruled, and the people of God said, "No, we're not going." So God said, "Okay, because of your disobedience, you won't experience the abundance of the Promised Land. This generation will die off. They will wander in the wilderness for 40 years, and when they're dead, then we'll move."

I want you to see their rebellion. If they really loved the Lord and were trusting in God, they would have done exactly what the law said, and they would have had their children circumcised, even though they were in the wilderness. "Let's circumcise our children, because we want to obey the law of God." They were disobedient, and it carried over. Now their children are in the Promised Land, and now it's time for God to deal with the sin, and that's exactly what's happening here.

Notice verse 3. It says, "So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth." That means the hill of foreskins. What a name, huh? In my sanctified imagination I think, "Yeah, Joshua was quick to get that flint knife because he was already circumcised." It's so much easier and less painful to deal with other people's sin sometimes.

Here's what's happening. God is saying, "Okay, it's time to deal with the sin in your life, and it's time to renew your relationship with the Lord." That's the same for us today. Nothing has changed. God wants us to pause, just like he had them pause. He didn't say, "Keep on going." He said, "No, we're going to stop here, and we're going to deal with the sin. You're going to renew your relationship with me. You're going to renew your covenant with me."

God does the same and expects the same of us. He wants us to daily pause long enough to allow the Lord to speak to us about sin or sins in our lives, and then, if we're smart, we'll agree with him. That's what confessing means. "I agree, God. You're right. That is sin. I agree, God. I'm a sinner." Guess what? When we agree, God is pleased.

Now I think there are a few lessons here about sanctification, about moving forward. That's what moving forward is. It's really another term for sanctification. You thought, "Well, I know what moving forward means. What does sanctification mean?" Well, it's a theological term that means you are growing more and more like Jesus. You're moving in an upward direction. You're becoming more like the person you are in Jesus Christ. That's what sanctification is.

I think there's a lovely truth here. As I thought about this, I thought, "Okay, God is dealing with sin in their lives," but then I went back to chapter 3. Right before they crossed over the Jordan… Do you remember he told them, "Okay, I want everybody to keep their eyes on the ark of the covenant"? Then Joshua said in verse 5, "I want you to consecrate yourselves."

What does that mean? It means, "I want you to purify yourselves. I want you to deal with sin in your life, because we're going to follow God, and we're going to walk across on dry ground, and guess what? That dry ground is holy ground." Now here's my thought. Okay, God, why didn't you deal with the sons being uncircumcised before they crossed over? When Joshua said, "Consecrate yourselves," and he meant, "Purify yourselves," why wasn't the flint knife brought out then?

Here's what I think, and this is true. God rarely deals with sin instantly in our lives. If he does, we're up in heaven. Boom! We just died. Seriously. God rarely deals with sin in our lives instantly. Just like you see here, it is a gradual and progressive process. We call this progressive sanctification. Thank God he doesn't show all of our sins all at once. We would be so overwhelmed.

That ought to also remind us we're all in this together. We're all on this journey. You're going, "My goodness, I can't believe they act that way." Well, just think how they acted two months ago. They may be a long way ahead of the game. The point being God gradually and progressively deals with sin in our lives in such a way that brings him the most glory.

Here's another truth: just because you consecrated yourself earlier in the day, the day before, to cross over the Jordan, doesn't mean you don't need to consecrate yourself after you got over the Jordan. You can't live on yesterday's consecration. Some of you are living on last week's consecration. You're not living on it. Trust me. You think you are; you're not. You're dead and you're dying.

We as a church, as individuals, need to take this seriously. It is not enough to read your Bible once a week and it's only because you're coming to church on Sunday. You need to pause every day, pause consistently, not just in the morning. When I get up, I'm pausing throughout the day, because I am dealing and battling with sin throughout the day, inwardly and outwardly. You need to pause consistently and renew your relationship with the Lord.

That's what they're doing. Even though they consecrated themselves on the other side, it was time to consecrate themselves again. You need to do that for your own good, for the good of the church, for the good of the glory of God. Here's what happens. When you pause consistently and constantly to renew your relationship with the Lord through a renewed commitment to the Lord, it will result in a renewed life. We're going to see that. We see the renewal that takes place in verses 8-12.

Let me just say this. Just because you are renewed and just because you are on higher ground and just because you are on holy ground, that doesn't mean you have arrived to pain-free living. If you don't believe me, ask the Israelites. Look at verse 8: "When the circumcising of the whole nation was finished, they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed." In other words, they were in pain.

Now here's the wisdom of God: "Instead of moving forward while they are afraid, I'll have you stop and deal with the sin of being uncircumcised, knowing that once you are circumcised there are going to be a few days you don't want to walk around. Having them terrified is exactly where you want the people, the inhabitants. They're afraid of you, and little do they know, you can't walk." That's how God works.

I want you to see something here. Dealing with sin is painful. They were dealing with sin, and it was painful. When you deal with sin, it is painful. It can be painful physically. It can be painful emotionally. It can be painful relationally. It can be painful spiritually. When you deal with sin in your life, it is painful. That's why many Christians don't want to pause, because they're afraid of what God might say. They would rather live with the pain of living in sin and living out of fellowship than dealing with the pain that comes when you deal with sin in your life.

It's like going to the doctor. I'll give you a little confession, and y'all can make this a matter of prayer. I have a little spot on my skin right here. I need to go to the dermatologist. I have a few spots right here because I don't have hair like some of you. Yes, I envy you old guys with hair. Not that I'm not old, but my goodness, some of you have some nice hair. Part of me says, "Well, if I don't go, he can't tell me it's cancer, and then I won't have to go through surgery, so I won't go." But if I don't go and it's cancer, what happens? Not a good thing.

Many Christians do the same thing. "If I don't go and pause and let God speak to me…" They think, "Well, it's better off just living in the sin." Let me tell you, it's never better off to live in sin. It's painful dealing with sin. Anyone who struggles with sin knows it's painful. It's painful dealing with bitterness, isn't it? I know. I deal with bitterness. It's painful dealing with resentment that comes from somebody who has hurt you. It's painful dealing with unforgiveness.

That's why we need to pray the Lord's Prayer. "God, forgive me, as I forgive those who have trespassed against me." It's painful dealing with sin. It's painful dealing with things that control your life, such as addictions, gluttony, sexual sins. It's painful. There's nothing easy about putting to death the deeds of the body. When it says to mortify your flesh, to kill your flesh, I'm here to tell you that whole process of killing sin in your life is painful. Right? It is for me.

But here's the good news. When you renew your relationship with God through a renewed commitment and you renew your life and begin to deal with the pain of the sin that's in your life, here's what happens. It says they started to heal. You will find healing, and with healing comes forgiveness.

Verse 9: "And the LORD said to Joshua, 'Today…'" "Now that you've dealt with the sin, now that you've renewed your relationship with me, now that you've gone through the pain of sin, here's what has happened. "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt…" There's great debate on what that means. I think it has the idea of the people of Egypt and even the comedians of Egypt mocking Israel.

Remember, one of Moses' prayers was like, "God, do you really want to destroy them so Egypt can mock you? 'Oh look, their God led them out to the wilderness just to kill them.'" So maybe after 40 years they heard they're still out in the wilderness, and maybe they're mocking them. Why are they mocking them? Because of their disobedience. So he says, "Now the reproach of Egypt, now the disobedience that kept you in the wilderness…all of that is gone, and you are forgiven."

That's what happens when we pause long enough to allow God to deal with sin in our lives and we deal with the pain in our lives. It brings forgiveness. When we agree with God about our sins, here's what he says he will do: "If you confess, if you agree, God is faithful and just to forgive you of your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness." There is forgiveness in a renewed life. There's restoration in a renewed life. There's fellowship in a renewed life. With that comes focus.

Look at verse 10: "While the people of Israel were encamped at Gilgal…" Gilgal means to roll away. They rolled the reproach. Gilgal is where the 12 stones were back in chapter 4. "…they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening on the plains of Jericho." According to verse 19 of chapter 4, four days had passed. Within those four days, they were circumcised, and on the fourth day they were able to get up and at least partake of the Passover.

The circumcision had to take place before the Passover, because no one who was uncircumcised could partake of the Passover meal. So God had them deal with the sin, and now they're partaking of the Passover. If you remember, where was the Passover instituted? In Egypt. When they were delivered out of Egypt, they observed the Passover. Now they've gone out of the wilderness. They're in Canaan. They're in the Promised Land.

Now God says, "I want you to observe the Passover. It was the Passover that brought you out, and it's the Passover that's bringing you in." So it had a double purpose. It would always remind them about the blood that delivered them from Egypt, but now it will also remind them about the power that brought them through the Jordan on dry ground.

When they partook of the Passover, they were identifying themselves with God. "We belong to God. We've been delivered by God. We belong to the God of Israel, and we belong to all of his covenant promises." What they're doing now is refocusing themselves on the great I Am. You see, when you renew your life, you have a renewed focus, because it causes you to get your priorities straight.

That's what they're doing. When they partook of the Passover Lamb, it was time to get their priorities straight. For us, when we renew our relationship with God constantly and consistently, we are renewing our focus and priorities. What we're doing is saying, "Look, we're going to focus on Jesus," because Jesus is the Passover Lamb. Just as they found identity in the Passover, guess what? If you're a born-again believer, you find your identity in Jesus Christ.

We refocus ourselves on Jesus, we keep our eyes on Jesus, and when you are dealing with sin in your life and experiencing healing and forgiveness, it's then turned into focus, which results in fullness. That's what happens in verses 11-12. Now verses 11-12 reveal a change in Israel. I know we don't like that word, but I'm here to tell you if you are abiding in Christ, I don't know how you can be scared of change, because it's all about change.

I want you to see this. Here's what happened. What changed that day? "And the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain." They finally got to partake of the land, the land of milk and honey, the land of wonderful fruit. Notice what happened the very next day. Verse 12: "And the manna ceased the day after they ate of the produce of the land. And there was no longer manna for the people of Israel, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year."

I don't think they were Baptists, because nobody is complaining about the manna being gone. See, the Baptists are the ones who died in the wilderness. I'm convinced of that. Because they're the ones who complained. They complained about the manna. They complained about no water. They complained about everything. The Baptists died in the wilderness, and now what happened? I don't know. We didn't make it over. Nobody is complaining now. I don't know who this is. This is the abundant life is what it is.

They're not complaining, because they realize, "Who wants to eat the manna of the wilderness when we can now eat the fruit of the land?" Everything changed for Israel that day. When you abide in Christ and you experience the abundant life, it changes you. It doesn't change you and stop. If it stopped, you're not abiding in Christ. When you abide in Christ, it changes you from the inside out.

I'm learning that if I'm abiding in Christ, I'm growing less impatient with my wife and less impatient with my children. If I'm abiding in Christ, I'm growing patient with people. The fullness brings change. There will be many people who will not experience the fullness because they don't want to change, and they're satisfied with the manna of the wilderness.

Now the manna of the wilderness was good. It was good for a time. God doesn't want you to stay on the manna. He wants you to experience the abundant life. It only happens when you pause daily, constantly, and consistently and renew your relationship with the Lord. When you renew your commitment to the Lord constantly, it will result in a renewed life.

Part of me says I wish it was just a one-time thing and then it was over. It's a battle. It's a fight. It's a war. Some of you have lost your fight. Some of you have lost your battle, and you stopped desiring the presence of God in your life. You settled for the manna of the wilderness. Here's a good sign that you are abiding in Christ and experiencing abundant life: you will grow hungrier for God. You will want to spend more time in his presence and want to be in his presence when you go throughout the day.

People who pause, who really pause, who allow God to speak to them, are people who are hungry. Do some of you know what I'm talking about? You're hungry for the presence of God. Let's bow our heads and close our eyes. I think it's important that we pause this morning, that we pause long enough to allow the Spirit of God, the Word of God, to speak to us this morning.

Is there something in your life…? It can be an attitude. It can be a behavior. Is there something where the Holy Spirit needs to get the flint knife out and cut it away? Let me warn you it's painful. But when there's pain, when you deal with that sin, I guarantee you the Holy Spirit will give you healing. You will have forgiveness and fellowship with God. You will refocus your eyes and prioritize your life on Jesus. That's how you experience the fullness.

So allow the Spirit of God this morning to search you. Maybe you have sinned in your anger. Maybe there's an idol in your heart. Anything that controls your life can be an idol. It can be a substance. Maybe you're in bondage to alcohol. It controls your life. Maybe you're in bondage to drugs. You're addicted to drugs. Maybe you're in bondage to food. Food has become your god.

It can be a relationship other than your relationship with Jesus that's controlling your life. It can be material things that are controlling your life. It could be fear that's controlling your life. It can be anger that's controlling your life. Those are idols. Allow the Spirit of God to cut those things away this morning.

It could very well be that you need to trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You have been wrestling with God week after week. You've heard the gospel preached, how Jesus died for your sins, how you need to repent, and how you need to place your faith in Jesus, and you've been resisting. Even now, you are resisting. Don't resist the grace of God. Give your life to Jesus this morning.

Father, allow your Spirit, allow your Word, to penetrate our hearts, to move, to work, to respond.

Let's take some time to worship God in song and response. Let's stand. Let's sing. Let's respond.

Never Forget: Joshua 4:1-5:1

First Southern Baptist Church

Dr. Patrick Mead

Series: Forward

July 27, 2014

Never Forget

Joshua 4:1-5:1

The picture you see on the screen is from the 9/11 Memorial in New York City. If you look closely, you'll see where that rose is. The name of the lady is Vanessa Lang Langer. Then it says, "…and her unborn child." There were many of those like that, many of those. It's a memorial to remember that evil that took place that September day in 2001.

Visiting the memorial is somewhat unusual. You take pictures, but you don't want to smile because if you were alive (most of us were in this service), we remember that day very well, don't we? It brought back so many memories of that day. I started to think about what I was doing that day, that morning. I was in my study. I was preparing a sermon from 1 Timothy, chapter 3. I received a phone call from a church member. She was crying and weeping, and she said, "Pastor, a plane hit one of the World Trade Center towers."

So I went and plugged the TV into the cable we had there at the church just in case for emergencies. I started watching the news, probably like many of you. I watched in horror as I saw the second plane hit the tower. Then, of course, we heard about the Pentagon. We heard about the plane in Pennsylvania. So going there had all of those memories and all the feelings that came with it.

Memorials have a purpose. They are to remind us, to keep us from forgetting, whether it be a tragic event or a joyous occasion. Memorials have a purpose in the life of God's people. In Joshua, chapter 4, it's going to teach us. It's going to teach the importance of having lasting memorials in the life of God's people.

Now we've been studying this since chapter 1. In the first chapter, what God does is he commissions Joshua to lead the people of God into the Promised Land. Then they commit to follow him. That happens in chapter 1. In chapter 2, God affirms the promises through a Gentile woman named Rahab, who would end up being in the genealogy of Jesus. He affirmed what he had already told them, what he was already doing to the inhabitants of the land.

Then you get to chapters 3 and 4, and God is now beginning to fulfill some of his promises. The first one, of course, was getting them across the Jordan. That was a supernatural miracle. It was a miracle. So in chapter 4, what God does is he doesn't want them to forget this experience in their lives. That's what we're looking at today, chapter 4.

Now chapter 4 breaks down into two sections, and really they repeat one another. They're just a repetition. The first section runs from verse 1 to verse 14 of chapter 4. What that section does is when you get to verse 14, it tells us how the crossing of the Jordan affected Israel. We'll look at that a little bit later. Then he basically restates what he already states from verse 15 of chapter 4 to verse 1 of chapter 5. Then you get to verse 1 of chapter 5, and it shows the effect the miracle of the Jordan crossing had on the inhabitants of the land.

Now it's paramount that God's people not forget or never forget this miraculous event in their lives. There's a good reason. God's people have a tendency to get spiritual amnesia. We're talking about ourselves as well, right? We have a tendency to get spiritual amnesia. If you've read the history of Israel in the Old Testament, anyone who has, you know Israel had a problem about forgetting all the things God had done for them. 

So what we remember concerning God's work in our lives, especially in the past, affects how we move forward in our Christian experience. So what chapter 4 does is it gives us at least three (I'm going to call them) truths that will help us to never forget what God has done in our lives so we can move forward.

1. Moving forward in your Christian experience is rooted in your ability to remember past experiences with God. Let's pick up the story in verse 1, chapter 4. "When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, 'Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them, saying, "Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests' feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight."'"

So God gave Joshua some instructions. Choose 12 men. It says in chapter 3, verse 12 he did choose 12 men. He has already chosen them. They need to represent each tribe. So this choosing of the 12 and them getting 12 stones would represent the unity of God's people. So that was the instruction God gave to Joshua. Now he turns around, and he gives the instruction and the command to the people. We pick that up in verse 4.

"Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. And Joshua said to them, 'Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel…'" So he gave them some clear instructions: "Go get 12 stones."

There's all kinds of debate over verse 9 of chapter 4 because it says Joshua himself had some stones set up in the water. So there were two memorials that day. I believe there were two. I believe he had to take stones out of the river to set up where they were lodging that night. Then I believe also he had some set there in the river because when the river was at its driest and not overflowing during flood season, they could see those stones, and they would be reminded of the mighty work God did in their lives.

That's what the stones were. They were a historical marker. They were to be a sign of how God did a miracle in their lives in the past. That's what he says in verse 6. "I want you to take these stones, that this may be a sign among you." These stones were to represent a time and a moment in the life of Israel when God did a mighty work. So it was a sign of God's work, a sign of God's work.

Now when that Hebrew word sign is used, it's usually in the context of some awe-inspiring event. For instance, when they were commanded to keep the Passover in Exodus, chapter 12, they were to do that yearly. They were supposed to do that yearly. Why? Because it was a sign. 

The Passover meal was a sign. The Passover lamb was a sign of how God in the past delivered them from Egyptian bondage. 

It was a memorial. It was something they could go to every year and be reminded of the powerful work of God. Not just that he delivered them from Egypt, but all he did to deliver them from Egypt. He says, "Now you have another sign. You pick those 12 stones up. You put them there in Gilgal." We'll see that in a few moments. "When you put them there, you go back there because that will remind you of the presence of God, the power of God, and the provision of God."

This isn't the only time God said, "I'm going to give you a sign," or, "Here's a sign for you." Do you remember the sign God gave Noah? I know you do because every time you see a rainbow, you say what? "God loves me." Right? I do. "Thank you, God. Thank you for your promises. Thank you for your love." Every time you see a rainbow, if you're a believer and you know the Scriptures, then you think, "My God loves me." That rainbow ought to be a sign for you, a memorial in your life of a God who loves you dearly.

Then, of course, for Abraham and Israel, there was circumcision. Circumcision was a sign of the covenant. "You're my people. You're in covenant relationship with me." The temple was a sign. It was a sign that God dwells among his people. The ark of the covenant, the very thing that was leading them through and stopping the water was a sign of God's power. It was a sign of God's authority, his presence, his provision, and his throne. So all of these signs were given so they could be reminded of who God is, what he has done, and not only that, but what he will do. 

We have our signs as well under the new covenant. We have baptism. Baptism is a sign. It is a sign that those who have trusted in Jesus Christ are now freed from condemnation. Can I get an amen? "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Baptism is a sign that I have identified with Jesus, and I am no longer condemned. It's a sign of new life, life that is given only through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It's a sign.

The Lord's Table is a sign. It is a sign. Every time we as believers partake of the Lord's Table, it reminds us of the atoning work of Jesus Christ, that all of our sins, past, present, and future, all of them, were taken care of on the cross of Calvary. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can wash away your sins but the blood of Jesus Christ. Come on. I'm preaching now. Amen. I started getting ready for Sunday at 5:00 p.m. yesterday, because this is a good message. I'm excited. It's exciting me.

When we come to the Lord's Table, it's not just to remind us of the atoning work of Jesus Christ. It reminds me that his bride will be eating with Jesus…where? At the marriage supper of the Lamb. Yeah. If you're a believer and you've been baptized, you can always go back to that baptism. When you see baptism take place in the church, it ought to take you back to that time where you trusted Jesus Christ, and it changed your life. It reminds us. It reminds us of that.

These signs mean nothing if the work they represent did not make a significant difference in the life of individuals, right? So this sign needs to be personal. The significance of God's work needs to be something very personal, something you can say, "Yes. This happened to me." I want you to see what happens. 

In verse 6, he says, "This is to be a sign." He says, "When your children ask in time to come, 'What do those stones mean to you?'" Now he asks the question again in the second section, but it's not "…to you?" It's, "What do these stones mean?" The first section is very personal. "What do those stones mean to you?"

For every man, child, woman who walked across the Jordan River on dry ground during flood season, they had a personal experience with the power of God, the presence of God, and the provision of God. That's why when they got out, God said to Joshua, "You make sure you take 12 stones. I want you to take those 12 stones, and I want you to put them where you were lodging." In verse 19, it says the place they were lodging was Gilgal. So they would go back to those stones, and they would be reminded of God's power, God's presence, God's faithfulness. 

The same is true when we look at baptism. Those of us who have been born again, those of us who can declare with great confidence that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, we ought to look at baptism. It should take us back to that day when we gave our lives to Jesus Christ, and our lives changed.

Baptism and the Lord's Supper are not religious rituals; they are declarations on the part of the person partaking in them. Whether it be baptism or the Lord's Supper… When you are baptized, you will say, "I have been changed by the power of the gospel." When you partake of the Lord's Supper, you are making a declaration that, "God's work has done a significant work in my life. Once I trusted Jesus, I was never, ever the same again." Amen? So the Lord's Table should always take us back to that day, that moment we gave our life in Jesus Christ.

I believe there are other things that can be signs of remembrance. It can be a place. There's a place in my life. It's a two-bedroom apartment with the balcony overlooking a golf course off La Prada drive in Dallas, Texas. You come off of Centerville. You go under 635, and you're on Ferguson Road. The next street on your left is La Prada Drive. You take a left on La Prada Drive. You go down about a half a mile, and there are apartments there on your right. 

There are apartments all the way down, but there is a specific apartment where one night, I had a Charles Lowery study Bible my brother and sister, who were Jesus freaks, gave me one Christmas five years before. I decided, "I'm going to start reading the Bible," because it couldn't hurt me. I started reading. I got to Matthew, chapter 5. I remember. I was wearing shorts and a tank top. I was on my knees reading Matthew, chapter 5: "Blessed are the poor in spirit…"

I read the first 12 verses. I was under conviction, and I gave my life to Jesus Christ on La Prada Drive in Dallas, Texas. My life has never, ever been the same. I drive by there when we're in Dallas, and I remember that moment I gave my life to Jesus Christ. So that memorial, that Gilgal in your life, can be a place. 

It can be a person. There are so many people who have influenced my life, who are spiritual Gilgals. The one who has impacted my life the most is a man by the name of Marty Ketchum, who is now with the Lord. He died at the age of 47. He spent four years invested in my life. A month does not go by where I do not think about Marty. 

I pray for his family every Thursday, his wife and five children. There are times where I can remember Marty talking to me. I can see it just as if it were live right in front of me. When he talked to me, he encouraged me to continue in my walk with the Lord. So your spiritual Gilgal may be a person. It could be a place. It could be an experience. 

It could be a daily coming into the presence of God reading your Bible. I do that every morning. I want to spend at least an hour with God. That's my Gilgal. Do you know why I spend time with the Lord every morning? Because I want to remember him. I don't want to forget him. I don't want to get spiritual amnesia. So why is it so important that we remember the past experiences with God? 

2. Remembering these past experiences with God gives purpose to your life. It gives purpose to your life. Now let's look at verse 7. After he asks the question about the children, when the children say, "What do those stones mean to you?" then he says in verse 7, "…then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD." 

I love that. It didn't give credit to Joshua; it was God. God is the hero of the book of Joshua. "When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones…" Again, a purpose. "…shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever," a lasting memorial. These memorials, these stones, had a three-fold purpose. 

First, instruction. These stones need to be a moment in the life of Israel and the people who made up Israel where they can instruct the younger generations to come. Two times he mentions the needs of telling children. Verse 6: "…that this may be a sign among you. When your child ask in time to come, 'What do those stones means to you?'" Verse 21: "And he said to the people of Israel, 'When your children ask their fathers in times to come, "What do these stones mean?"'" They need to be an opportunity for you to tell the next generation of the mighty works of God. 

Now obviously this applies first and foremost to parents. Parents need to be able to explain God's past work in their lives. Not just salvation, but how is he working in their lives now? Do your children see salvation? Do they see a difference in your life? Do they see God in the family? Do they see God working in their own lives? Are you helping them to see that? Not only as parents, but grandparents.

Then all of us have a responsibility to tell the next generation of…what? The mighty works of God. That's why I appreciate some of you in here who invest in Awana, who invest in the nursery, who invest in anything that enables us to communicate to the next generation the mighty works of God.

What we do now, what I do isn't for me. What I do isn't for you. What I do is for those who are coming behind me. Nobody wants to say amen to that. We tend to forget about that. We can become very self-centered and think only of ourselves. What are we leaving? What kind of legacy are we leaving to the next generation? Are we giving them something to take the baton with and run, or are we, as was said last Thursday, criticizing and pointing the fingers?

Remembering the past gives us purpose. Our purpose as the people of God is to tell the mighty works to all the generations, but to the coming generation, we need to be investing in their lives. You need to be investing in young marrieds. How many of you have young married couples you are friends with? Do you know they are struggling in their marriage? They would love, they need people who will invest time in their lives who have been together for 40 years. How many young people will be at your funeral? 

Secondly, witness. It was a sign of God's work in the past. That experience in the past now gave him a purpose, and that purpose was to witness. Go to verses 23 and 24. It says, "For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty…" 

"I am doing these things because I want people to know there is only one God, the God of Israel. I want you to remember these past experiences with me because you have a responsibility, Israel, and that is to be a witness and a light to all the nations around." God's purpose hasn't changed. 

For Jesus said, "I have redeemed you, church. I have saved you. Now I want you to take the gospel, not hoard the gospel, not keep it to yourself, not enjoy it to yourself, but go. Take what you have received. You go out on the highways and the byways, and you go out to the ends of the earth. You tell people about Jesus, to witness, to make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."

Thirdly, your walk. The last part of verse 24: "…so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever." I want to give you a definition of what fear looks like when you fear God. Do y'all want one? I got it this morning from the Scriptures, so I think I'm pretty good with this. I'm just going to quote the Scripture. If you really fear God, here's what it looks like: You are faithful, and you have an undivided heart.

There are a lot of Christians who forget what God has done in the past, and they lose their way. They lose their way. The next thing you know, they get away from church. Church attendance is a spiritual Gilgal, isn't it? I come every Sunday because God called me to be here to pastor, but I would come anyway. I really would because it reminds me of what God has done in my life, and it reminds me of what we're going to be doing in heaven. Now a lot of Christians get spiritual amnesia, and they lose their way. They forget. 

3. Your past experiences with God instruct you to live out God's purpose in your life. What happened to them in the past, the Jordan River, gave them purpose in the present. What is that? Well, you need to teach your children, instruct them. You need to witness. You need to let all the world know there is only one true God. You need to fear God. You need to walk with God. That's your purpose now. That equips you with confidence for the future.

I want you to see how this works out. Look at verse 18. It says, "And when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, as before." So it returned to flood stage.

Now this is where God led them, between a rock and a hard place. You look back, and you think, "Oh my goodness. There's no more dry ground." You look ahead of you, and you say, "Oh my goodness. Is that Jericho? Oh my. What if they come out and they attack us? Where are we going to run?" God is like that. Sometimes God will burn a bridge so you can't go backwards. Sometimes he will bring the river back to its banks so you can move forward.

So here they are. They've crossed the Jordan. They have Jericho before them. At any moment, they could have been attacked. All they had to do is look down to those stones. What would those stones do? Remind them of what God has already done. Amen? He is powerful. He is with them. He is always faithful to his promises. 

Here's how it unfolded. I want you to see the effect it had on the people. In verse 14, notice the effect it had on Israel. It says, "On that day…" What day? The day they crossed. "…the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life." 

Now go back to verse 7 of chapter 3. "The LORD said to Joshua, 'Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all of Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.'" "Today I will," and by the end of the day he did. God is faithful to his promises. Now look at verse 1, chapter 5, because here's the effect it had on all the inhabitants of the land. 

"As soon as all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the people of Israel until they had crossed over, their hearts melted and there was no longer any spirit in them because of the people of Israel."

Verse 10 of chapter 3: "And Joshua said, 'Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites.'" "Here's how you'll know. What I'm about to do with the Jordan is just affirmation of what I'm going to do before you, but here's further affirmation. I'm already working in their hearts, and they're terrified of you."

God is faithful to his promises. God gives us promises for the future to sustain us in the present, right? Amen? God gives us promises for the future to sustain us in the present. Those promises are supported by…what? The past. Past…what? Past faithfulness. God gave me a promise for the future. It sustains me in the present. That is supported by what is already done in the past.

This right here is a sign for my family. It represents a place. It represents a people. It represents an experience. It is a Thomas Kinkade picture. At the bottom, it says, "Clearing storms." If you look closely, he was the painter of light, right? I don't know if you can tell, but right around the lighthouse there's light coming out. The clouds are now clearing, and it's symbolic of a storm ending.

Now it's more special to my wife and I because Abigail and Maribeth were very young at the time. We got this the last Sunday we pastored the church that split. We were going to Oklahoma. In fact, they gave this to us on September 22, 2002. That was Christy's birthday as well. I look at this picture, and it has a lot of meaning because that experience was not a joyful experience, at least not at the time. It was painful. It was very painful. 

It reminds me a time where I tried to run from something God allowed me to go through. I did all I could to run from that storm, and God said, "You're not going to do it. You're going through it." It reminds me of people, some good, some not so good. It reminds me of how God, through it all, was faithful. So when I'm struggling and I'm in a storm now, I'll spend a lot of time praying and looking at that picture, that sign. It reminds me God is faithful. God is with me. He will provide. Never forget. Never forget those spiritual Gilgals in your life. Visit them often. Visit them daily.

Where are you? Do you have spiritual amnesia? The church in Ephesus had spiritual amnesia, and it says they left their first love. They forgot it. That's how easy it is for us to forget, isn't it? We forget about what Jesus has done for us. We forget about the life change. We forget about his faithfulness. For some reason, we want to take things into our own hands, and we leave our first love. 

Where are you this morning? Do you need to return to the cross? Do you need to return, not literally but figuratively, to the baptismal waters and remind yourself? Oh, I have died with Christ. I was buried with Christ. "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Never forget. 

Maybe this morning it's not an issue of remembering; maybe it's an issue of experiencing for the first time the saving grace of Christ Jesus. For me, the first time was on my knees crying out, "Jesus, I want to be a Christian, but I can't do it. I need your help." I didn't have the sinner's prayer. 

But guess what? I was saved that day because it wasn't the words that saved me; it was my heart that surrendered to God and said, "I want you. I give up." Maybe today this becomes your spiritual Gilgal. "On July 27, 2014, at 10:06 a.m. in the morning, I gave my life to Jesus Christ for the very first time." Let's bow our heads and our hearts.

Spirit of God, draw that man, draw that woman who needs to trust Jesus, who needs this place to become a spiritual Gilgal in their life where they have committed their life to the very first time to the saving work of Jesus. I pray that you would draw them and that they would not resist the grace of God, but respond to you in obedience. May they not leave here today without declaring in front of all these people, "I have trusted Jesus. This is my spiritual Gilgal."

For every one of us who profess Christ as Lord and Savior, God, we need to remember. We need to remember the day you saved us. We need to remember the power you've given us. I just thank you, Lord, that the Holy Spirit will bring back to remembrance things we need to remember. I pray right now, Holy Spirit. Some of us need to be reminded of the grace of Jesus Christ. Some of us need to be reminded of your power. May we never forget the grace of Jesus. Have your way, Lord. Have your way. In Jesus' name, amen.

Crossing Over: Joshua 3

First Southern Baptist Church

Dr. Patrick Mead

Series: Forward

July 20, 2014

Crossing Over

Joshua 3 

In our study of the book of Joshua, God has made some promises to the people of God. In fact, they're promises he made beforehand to Moses, and before Moses, he made them to Abraham. He promised to give them the land they're about to cross over the Jordan and possess. He promised to give them power over all their enemies.  He promised to be with them always. 

Now it's time for Joshua and the Israelites to step out in faith and obedience and to move forward with God into the Promised Land. Now the Promised Land under the old covenant is really a picture of the abundant life under the new covenant. You see, under the old covenant, God promises to give his people land. Under the new covenant (what we're under), God promises to give his people life. Jesus said, "I am come that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly."

Under the old covenant, they were to possess the land. Under the new covenant, Christ is to possess us. In fact, that's what the abundant life is. It's about Christ residing and reigning in our lives and releasing his presence in and through us. Now we've been studying the first nine verses of Joshua, chapter 1, and I have a confession. 

I never intended to get three sermons from there, but God gave us three sermons from those nine verses. In those nine verses, God is commissioning Joshua to lead the people of Israel. Then in verses 10 through 18 of chapter 1, God is commissioning the people. They are committing to follow Joshua, to follow him across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. 

Then you have chapter 2, which seems to be an excursion, but it's really not. God is actually confirming the promises he made to them, and he does that through an unlikely person, through a prostitute by the name of Rahab, who happens to be a Gentile who places her faith in the one, true God, the God of Israel. She is saved from her sins. She is mentioned, by the way, in Hebrews, chapter 11, for her faith. She is also in the genealogy of Jesus. Amen?

See, that's God. God has a heart for all people. He is the God of all people. He confirms the promise through a prostitute. Rahab said, "Yes, we know God is going to give you the land. We're melting before you." After God commissions Joshua and they commit to follow Joshua and then he confirms the promise in chapter 2, now it's time for them to move forward.

They have to make a choice. "Are we going to believe these promises? Are we going to believe God is going to give us the land? Are we going to believe he is going to give us power over our enemies? Are we going to believe his presence will be with us?" That was a choice, a decision, they had to make. Either they were going to believe God or not. If they didn't believe God, they would have never moved. Right? But you see they did. They had faith, and faith translates into activity and obedience. 

When we come to chapter 3, we see that faith in action. We see their faith producing works. Let's pick up the story in Joshua, chapter 3, verse 1. It says, "Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim." Boy, if you're not careful with that city, you could end up on YouTube really quickly. "And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over." 

We know they have faith, right? We know they believe what God has told them because it is already translated into obedience. They make their way. They're at the banks of the Jordan. They had moved some six miles east of the Jordan. Now by their faith, they're sitting by the banks of the Jordan. God is about to take them over into the Promised Land. 

Now God could have brought them there during the dry season, because during the dry season, the Jordan River is only about 100 feet wide and from maybe 2 to 10 feet deep. We're going to learn something here. God didn't wait until the dry season. In fact, we're told in verse 15 that when all of this took place, the Jordan River was at flood stage. Scholars believe it was probably at its largest point.

I want you to imagine this. Imagine at dry stage, it's 100 feet wide, 2 feet deep at points and maybe 10 feet at the most. Now it's flood stage, and when it's at flood stage, it could be up to a mile wide. That's pretty big, isn't it? Yeah! So God brought them not during the dry season. No, he brought them during the flood stage. He brought them to a point, and it says they were there for three days.

Why three days? Because God wanted to sink in that what is about to transpire in the life of Joshua and the Israelites is supernatural. It can't be done in the natural. I mean, Joshua didn't have 20 people following him. You take the men, the women, and the children, and then you have all the dogs and cats that are going as well. You can imagine there are about two million people on the banks of the Jordan. They are there for three days meditating on the fact, "If we're going to get across, it's going to take a miracle." 

Let's be honest. I'm probably in this boat. How many of us always wait for the Jordan to dry up before we walk by faith? Amen? That's not faith. That's not faith! I heard a wonderful story of a person who moved to Fort Worth for seminary. He had his house here in Arkansas, and he rented a house in Fort Worth. 

Before he rented that house, he told his uncle, who was a pastor up in Michigan, "Do you know what? When God sells my house, then I will move to Fort Worth." He said, "That's not faith. You step out in faith if you're believing God is leading you there." He stepped out in faith. He rented a home. As soon as he rented that home, his house sold.

See, that's faith. That's faith! They didn't wait for the dry season. They knew God said, "It's time to move forward." God, in his sovereignty, could have brought them to the Jordan at the dry season, but he didn't because he wants them to see what they're about to do is a supernatural adventure. When you contrast that or compare that to the new covenant and the abundant life, the abundant life is supernatural. It can't be done in the natural.

You can't live the Christian life in your own strength. It's impossible, because the Christian life is about the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, residing in you, reigning in you, and releasing his life and his presence in and through you. That's supernatural. It is impossible to cross over into the abundant life in your own strength. 

So the very steps Joshua and the Israelites are about to take, the steps they had to take to cross over into the Promised Land… Remember, for them the Promised Land isn't a place of comfort. It isn't a trouble-free life. It is a place of fullness and blessing, just like the abundant life. The abundant life is not a trouble-free life. The abundant life is not a life of comfort. It is a battle. It is a constant battle. Abiding in Christ is a daily battle. Okay?

What are the steps you take to abound in the abundant life? Well, first of all, you cross over to the abundant life by seeking consistently the presence of God. Now let's pick up the story. We know they're at the banks of the Jordan. They've been waiting there and lodging there for three days. You know they're looking at the river, and they know what is going to happen has to be a miracle. 

It says in verse 2, "At the end of three days the officers went through the camp and commanded the people…" Here's what they were to do. "As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it."

"Keep your eyes on the ark of the covenant." Now the ark of the covenant is really central to the next two chapters. Chapters 3 and 4 belong together. What you're going to see mentioned over and over again is the ark of the covenant. The ark of the covenant! God wants to show you this really isn't about Joshua. This really isn't about the Israelites. It's about God leading his people.

You see, the ark of the covenant is mentioned 10 times just in chapter 3 alone. The ark of the covenant symbolizes the throne of God, the presence of God, the power of God, the authority of God, the provision of God, the guidance God provides. For the Israelites, they believed it was a symbol of the very throne of God, and it was a place where they could meet with God. 

He says to them, "Before you cross over, here's what needs to take place. You need to stay in the presence of the ark. Don't get too close," he says in verse 4. Can you imagine two million people just crowding around the ark? Yeah! "Don't crowd!" There needed to be some sense of reverence, because God is a holy God. You want to stay close to his presence but not too close. They were to seek, watch, keep their eyes…

As soon as they saw the ark (which symbolized God's presence and his power) move, he commanded them, "You follow it." For them to keep their eyes, they had to stay in the presence of the Lord, the presence of the ark. You know, the ark is a picture of Christ. It's a type of Christ. You think about it. If the ark symbolizes the throne of God, remember that Jesus Christ our Lord shed his blood so we can now enter into the Holy of Holies. We can now come into the presence of God, the throne of God, in a time of need, right?

What we need to do if we're going to experience the abundant life in Jesus Christ every day is we need to seek the presence of the Lord. We need to fix our eyes on Jesus. That is something we do consistently. That is something we do moment by moment. We keep our eyes on Jesus. You cross over into the abundant life by seeking the presence of God. As you seek the presence of God, you do that through daily consecration. 

Now look at verse 5, because now a second command is given to the people from Joshua. It says in verse 5, simply put, "Then Joshua said to the people, 'Consecrate yourselves…'" The officers said, "Keep your eyes on the ark. Keep your eyes on God. Keep yourself in the presence of the ark." Then Joshua says, "Oh, and you need to consecrate yourselves," which simply means, "Set yourself apart. Purify yourself. Sanctify yourself."

You see, if God was going to do some great things in them and through them, they had to deal with the sin in their lives. That's what consecration means. It means we deal with the sin in our lives. Now under the new covenant, we know in Christ Jesus we are set apart. We are sanctified, and we are holy and blameless. Right now in Christ Jesus, we are positionally… Standing before God, we are holy and blameless because he sees Jesus. Amen?

But then there's the daily setting apart that we have to do. We call this sanctification. It's working out our salvation with fear and trembling, for God is at work in us and through us. How do we do that? How do we allow the presence of Christ to live through us? Well, we do it through daily consecration, because if there is sin in our lives polluting our lives, you cannot live the abundant life. You cannot love the world and love the Father at the same time.

Those two loves are incompatible. They're explosive. They meet together, and they blow up. It just can't happen. That's why the apostle John says, "Do not love the world…" You can't love the world. "If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." So everyday if we're going to experience the abundant life and cross over into the abundant life and allow Christ to reside and reign and release himself into our lives, there needs to be that consistent drawing near to Jesus and then the consecration, allowing him to purify us.

Here's where a lot of Christians fail because they don't spend enough time at the feet of Jesus. Many of us can define our quiet time with the One Minute Bible. Have you ever seen one of those? "I have the One Minute Bible. I'm going to read the Bible for a minute, and I'm going to talk to Jesus. Then I'm going to go out and spend my day." Let me tell you, that is not a consecrated life. That's not sitting at the feet of Jesus. 

Many of us do not spend enough time in the presence of Jesus. We don't allow the Word of God… We have a lot to say to Jesus, but we never sit in his presence long enough to allow the Word of God to begin to penetrate us, to allow the Spirit of God to convict us. We get up from our quiet time, and we go on, and we live a carnal life, never allowing the Spirit of God to point out unforgiveness. Or, if it's there, we just accept, "This is the way I'm supposed to be."

You know, Scripture says you forgive as Christ has forgiven you. There are no other options. Some of us think it's okay not to forgive. Some of us have bitterness in our hearts, or we're frustrated. We allow those things. That is not normal. I guarantee you, if you sit long enough in the presence of Jesus and allow the Spirit of God to begin to convict you, he will deal with those things.

Many of us don't make the time. Unfortunately, we have made it possible where we can talk to Jesus, meet with Jesus, in a minute or two and go on. Listen. That is not consecration. Consecration is where you allow God to begin to penetrate sins in your life. Let me tell you. That is something I have to deal with every day. Every day I'm here to tell you I am a sinner, and I don't wake up from my quiet time and never sin again. I spend the day sinning. Amen, wife? Amen.

I am constantly having to go before God and say, "Lord, I know that bitterness, I know that anger keeps on coming up." Sometimes we have to battle some sins throughout the day. Sometimes it lasts beyond just a day. I've been struggling with some things in my life, and every day I am struggling. I'm working through them, but I'm allowing the Spirit of God to touch me there and say, "You know that is wrong."

"I know it's wrong, Lord. I know I am not to have that attitude. I know I'm not to have that anger. I know I'm not. Help me, God. Help me!" That's what consecration is. It is saying, "God, I can't do the Christian life on my own." It is saying, "God, I humble myself. If I'm going to live this abundant life, I give it to you. I can't do it." That's what consecration is. Some of us don't even spend enough time to say, "I can't do it."

The most important moment of our day, I believe, should be that moment we sit at the feet of Jesus, we consecrate ourselves, and we fix our eyes on Jesus. We realize, "Jesus, I know you want to expand your kingdom. One of the things you want to do, Jesus, is to allow your kingdom to live through me. So I humble myself. I consecrate myself. I'm dealing with this sin. I'm dealing with that attitude. I'm dealing with that action, Lord. Now fill me. Control me."

Then you get up, and you live with the awareness of the presence of God in your life. As soon as some sin that comes in your life begins to attack that presence, that's when you say, "Okay, God, I see. I see there's an attitude. There are some actions here, Lord. I confess I don't want to lose. I don't want to lose your presence." You see, you can walk in the presence of God all day! Amen?

Many of us Christians are not living that abundant life. You remember the abundant life is all about Jesus residing, reigning, and releasing his life through us. The fruit of the Spirit is working in our lives. It's not that we're perfect. It's that we realize we are sinners, and when we do sin, we confess, whether it be to God or to God and to people. Then we humble ourselves again. 

See, that's what crossing over into the abundant life is. It's seeking the presence of God (that's what they were to do), fixing your eyes on Jesus, and then consecrating yourself. When you consecrate yourself moment by moment, here's what happens. You prepare a way for God to do wonders in and through you. Because when he says in verse 5, "Consecrate yourselves…" he gives a reason. He gives a reason!

"Here's why you need to purify yourself. Here's why you need to stay in the presence of Jesus (or, for their case, the presence of the ark). Here's why." Watch. This is important. "Something is going to happen tomorrow. Something is going to happen if you guys consecrate yourselves. If you will keep your eyes on the ark, if you keep yourself in the presence of God, something is going to happen tomorrow."

"…for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you." Now that word wonders speaks of something unusual, something impossible and too difficult for man to do. Do you know that the work of the Spirit is an unusual work? I mean, this is normal Christianity, but it's unusual. What's normal? 

Well, the eternal God, the One who spoke everything into existence, lives in you. That's unusual, but that's Christianity. Not only that. What's unusual is that you have the ability to be like Christ, to be imitators of God. Why? Because the eternal God lives in you. Now it's unusual, but it's normal. 

We had a surprise in the first service. I don't know why it happened. Somebody thought I planned it. I did not plan it unless she comes in again. We had a lady come in, and she said, "Abounding in the presence of Christ." I'm preaching, and she is standing back there. "Abounding in the presence of Christ." It was before I even got to this point. I said, "Excuse me, ma'am?" I was looking at her. She was right back there. "Abounding in the presence of Christ in Jesus' name." I said, "I receive that word," and she left.

That's unusual, isn't it? It is in a Baptist church. Some of you think raising hands is unusual. Some of you think if somebody sneezes, that's unusual. Do you know what? I receive that word. See, that's how God works. He does unusual things. He speaks to us in indirect ways. Have you ever had somebody say something, and you knew right there that the Holy Spirit said, "God is speaking to you"? 

Have you ever had that? Somebody said an encouraging word to you or something, and you knew right then God is giving you some truth here. How many times have you sung a song, and this particular song, you get to a particular lyric, and all of a sudden, you start weeping because the Holy Spirit indirectly applies the truth to your life? Have you ever been there? I have. For some of you, crying is unusual. 

Here's what happens. Here's what happens! Do you want to see the unusual thing God did? Do you want to see the supernatural thing God did? Look at verse 8. He said in verse 8, "And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, 'When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.'" In verse 11 it says: 

"Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap."

Then you get to verse 17. It says the priests who step out in obedience are standing on dry ground. A miracle just transpired, and the people are crossing the Jordan River on dry ground. That's pretty unusual, isn't it? But it's so true with the abundant life. The work of the Spirit in our lives is supernatural. The Christian life is supernatural. 

When we cross over into that abundant life, it takes, first of all, the seeking of God's presence through consecration, dealing with the sin in our lives. Then that opens up a pathway for God to do wonders, to work in you and through you. People begin to see Jesus in your life. That's the abundant life.

As a result, there's something that happens. When God begins to work a wonder in you and through you through the abundant life, there is something that takes place. It happened to the Israelites when they crossed over, and it will happen to you when you cross over. What happens when you experience the abundant life and God begins to do wonders in you is it results in you growing more intimate in your relationship with the Lord.

Now in chapter 3, three times God uses the Hebrew word yada, which is translated know. It speaks of more than just a head knowledge. In fact, yada means intimate knowledge. It means to know somebody relationally and experientially. It's often used to describe the intimacy between a husband and wife in Scripture.

It's used three times, and those three times reveal what happened. When God's people consecrated themselves, when they sought the Lord and kept their eyes on God, three things happened in their relationship with God. They came to know God, the God of Israel, in a more intimate way. 

First of all, they knew him more intimately in his guidance. Go back to verse 4. After he gave them the command in verse 3 to follow the Lord when they saw the ark of the covenant move, he says in verse 4, "Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length." Then he says, "Do not come near it…" "You want to stay at a comfortable distance." Here's why: "…in order that you may know…" You will know relationally. You will know in your experience. "…the way you shall go…" 

Now what he is talking about there is not just a roadmap. "I'll tell you where to go next." It's also he is saying, "I will tell you how to live your lives. I will guide you. You've never been this way before, and if you will just seek me and trust in me with all of your heart, lean not on your own understanding, then when you know me in all of your ways, you know me more intimately, you will see my hand guiding you. You will see how I will show you how to act and behave."

See, they had to seek God first, right? They had to consecrate themselves. They grew more intimate in God's guidance in their life. They grew more intimate with his presence. It says in verse 7 there's the second time it's used. It says, "The LORD said to Joshua, 'Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know…'" Know what? "'…that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.'"

"I want them to know through experience, through me doing some wonderful, unusual, supernatural things, they'll know my presence is with you, Joshua, just as it was with Moses. If my presence is with you, Joshua, it means my presence is also with Israel." So they would grow more intimate in understanding his presence in their lives.

Here's the third one. They'll grow more intimate in understanding his power. Verse 10: "And Joshua said, 'Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you…'" How? "I'm going to do some unusual things. I'm going to cause you to walk across a river on dry ground. I'm going to do some unusual things among you," he says. "…and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites…"

"What I'm about to do…this unusual thing, this power I'm about to demonstrate…will just encourage you as you move forward with God, knowing my promises and my power will not fail." That's what he is saying. "…he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites."

As a result, what happened? They grew more intimate in understanding God's guidance, his presence, and his power. The same is true for us. Now we need to be very careful here because there's often a temptation to think that if God allowed the Israelites to walk across on dry land, then the problem I'm facing, he will do the same thing. Do you know what? God doesn't always do that. He doesn't always divide the Red Sea for us or divide the Jordan River.

Sometimes he says, "You're going across the Jordan, but you're going through the water. Yeah, it will be deep, but my grace abounds in the deepest waters. My grace abounds in the deepest waters. The fire might be hot, but you're going through it. I will guide you. I will be with you, and I will strengthen you." 

Because if you have the mindset that God is going to deliver you completely from your problems… You see, that Jordan represents problems we face. Sometimes we want complete deliverance. We want God to do exactly what he did for the Israelites. He doesn't always do it that way. If we think he always does it that way, do you know what happens? We begin to think (and I've done this myself), "Well, I guess I'm not consecrated enough. There must be something in my life. What's in my life? Why aren't you doing these miracles?"

You know, I hear people talking about seeing angels and God doing these unusual things, and I'm starting to realize, "How come it only works for people who have money being sent to them?" Have you ever noticed that? They're seeing all these miracles, and they're saying that. Then they're saying, "Send money to me." Maybe I ought to try that. So why doesn't everybody send money to Patrick? I'm going to see if I start seeing angels and stuff, okay? Would y'all do that? Help me out here. All right. Let's see if it works.

But no. Out of all seriousness, that's how God works usually. How do we cross over into the abundant life? We seek the presence of God. We consecrate ourselves. When we do that, we prepare a pathway for God to do wonders in and through us. We grow. We grow more intimate in our relationship with Jesus.

Where are you at today? Do you need to cross over? Are you sitting on the banks of the Jordan, satisfied with the life that's not normal Christianity, satisfied without seeing God do supernatural things in and through you, satisfied with not allowing Christ to live through you? That doesn't satisfy me. 

Let's bow our heads and our hearts here this morning. Take a few moments, and really allow the Spirit of God to penetrate your life and the Word of God. Ask yourself, "Am I really living the abundant life? Can I honestly say that Christ is residing in my life and reigning in my life, and he is releasing his presence and his fruit and the gifts in my life?"

Only you can answer that. Do you know Christ as your Lord and Savior? The abundant life can only happen when you have life in Jesus Christ. This morning, do you have a relationship with Jesus? Do you know Jesus? Have you come to that point in your life where you recognize that you have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and you've turned from your sin and self and you've placed your faith in Christ Jesus? Have you done that? Have you done that? Can you honestly say, "I have life in Christ Jesus"? 

Do you need to take some time this morning as a child of God to confess you're a Martha and you're not a Mary? Do you need to take time to confess that there are some sinful attitudes and activities in your life that are preventing you from experiencing the fullness of your salvation? Listen. God is a God of grace. He is a God of mercy. As we humble ourselves, here's what happens. God begins to awaken us. God begins to fill us. God begins to control us. 

Father, allow your Spirit to move in and through us. In Jesus' name, amen.