Jordan is a place in our lives, where there is a small window of time, where there is that once in a lifetime chance to be a part of, seeing God do something supernatural. We all have that opportunity, as individuals and as a church, but we maybe only have a chance once.

Numbers 13:1 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, 2Send thou men, that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a prince among them.

13:30And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. 31But the men that went up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. 32And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out unto the children of Israel,

13:14 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. 2And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would that we had died in this wilderness! 3And wherefore doth Jehovah bring us unto this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be a prey: were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

20And Jehovah said, I have pardoned according to thy word: 21but in very deed, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah; 22because all those men that have seen my glory, and my signs, which I wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have tempted me these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; 23surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that despised me see it: 24but my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it

29 Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,

30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

Joshua takes the Lead

Joshua 1: 1 Now it came to pass after the death of Moses the servant of Jehovah, that Jehovah spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, 2Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. 3Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, to you have I given it, as I spake unto Moses

1;10Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, 11Pass through the midst of the camp, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye are to pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which Jehovah your God giveth you to possess it.

When Moses passed the baton of leadership on to Joshua before he died (Deut. 34), Israel was at the end of its 40 year wilderness wandering period ca. 1405 B.C. Joshua was approaching 90 years of age when he became Israel’s leader.

He would give Israel the Land by conquest, primarily to fulfill the covenant He had pledged to Abraham and his descendants, but also to pass just judgment on the sinful inhabitants (cf. Gen. 15:16).

We Need to Make a Commitment to Cross Over for God’s Best

Every day is a time when we have to decide to go forward, every day we face a Jordan in our lives,,

GOD MOVES FORWARD HE DOES NOT LIVE IN THE PAST

He always advances, if we don’t advance, then we are not we are not with him

Joshua says get ready, we are we are moving on,

We must cross over to a purposeful future or stay behind in aimless futility

We need to know the certainty of GOD’S direction

Jos 3:1 And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.

Their clear direction was the ark.

Jos 3:3 And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.

The ark was the clear symbol of GOD’s presence to Israel, it contained the ten commandments, Aarons rod, and the manna.

We need His direction because we often are breaking new ground, going where we have not been,

It takes us acting in faith trusting HIM, to make a sacrificial commitment to the unknown.

God is always with us to support our service to Him.

Jos 3:4 “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.”

Jos 3:15 And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)

There are some things in life that we feel are just to big to risk. WE NEED ASSURANCE

When ye see the ark and the priests the Levites bearing it, The usual position of the ark, when at rest, was in the center of the camp; and, during a march, in the middle of the procession. On this occasion it was to occupy the van, and be borne,not by the Kohathite Levites, but the priests, as on all solemn and extraordinary occasions (Nu 4:15 Jos 6:6 1Ki 8:3-6).

The ark Symbolized God’s presence going before His people. Kohathites customarily carried the ark Num. 4:15; but in this unusual case the Levitical priests transported it.

3:8 stand in the Jordan. The priests were to stand there to permit time for God’s words (v. 9) to stimulate reflection on the greatness of God’s eminent action in giving the Land as He showed His presence (v. 10). Also, it was a preparation to allow the people following to get set for God’s miracle which stopped the waters for a crossing (vv. 13–17).

The lid on the ark, called the mercy seat, was made of gold. The Hebrew word traditionally translated “mercy seat” could be rendered “place of atonement,” because this was where the high priest sprinkled blood once each year on the Day of Atonement as the atonement for sin (Lev. 16:15). Mounted on this lid were two winged creatures (cherubim), which faced each other with outstretched wings. Inside the ark were the two stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments, which Moses had received from God at Mount Sinai (Ex. 20). It also contained a golden pot of manna and Aaron’s rod that budded (Heb. 9:4), reminders of God’s provision for the needs of the Israelites in the wilderness.

The ark served as a visible reminder of God’s presence with the Hebrew people. The mercy seat, covered with gold, symbolized God’s throne and His rule in the hearts of those who acknowledge Him as their sovereign Lord.

When we have the Word of God for our Directions, we must move on and cross over.

Mt 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Mt 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or
one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Mt 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: {teach…: or, make

We can be sure of His will if we are led by His spirit

Eph. 5:15–18). Paul says: “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit” Because of our relationship with God, the spirit can guide us through His word,,

We must move on, and cross over when we have the Assurance of God’s Direction

Jos 3:3 And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.

The ark was the clear symbol of GOD’s presence to Israel,

Are you personally ready to cross over, to see a miracle take place.

Destiny is not a matter of change, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.” – William Jennings Bryan

Most Americans during the Civil War believed God was on their side. After many military defeats Abraham Lincoln wrote down his private thoughts on the matter in “Meditation on the Divine Will.” “The will of God prevails. In great contests each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be, and one must be, wrong.

God can not be for and against the same thing at the same time. In the present civil war it is quite possible that God’s purpose is something different from the purpose of either party – and yet the human instrumentalities, working just as they do, are of the best adaptation to effect His purpose. I am almost ready to say this is probably true – that God wills this contest, and wills that is shall not end yet. By His mere quiet power, on the minds of the now contestants, He could have either saved or destroyed the Union without a human contest. Yet the contest began. And having begun He could give the final victory to either side any day. Yet the contest continues.”

It takes Personal concentration to cross over

Jos 3:5 And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves; for to-morrow Jehovah will do wonders among you.

It will take us personally dedicated. It will take humility, repentance, prayer, and an effort that you and I personally, will cleanse ourselves from all that would displease him, and in turn keep our attention on the miracle that is about to take place in our behalf.

The expression “draw near” was originally associated with the priesthood in Israel. Eventually the Hebrew word for drawing near meant anyone who approached the presence of God in worship and prayer. The term became synonymous even of those whose hearts were far from God when they “worshiped” Him. For example, Isaiah 29:13 says, “This people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote.”

We Must Rely on God’s Intervention

Find out what God says to do, do your part, and see the miracle.

Jos 3:8 And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.

Jos 3:17 And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.

Jos 3:16 That the waters which came down from above stood [and] rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that [is] beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, [even] the salt sea, failed, [and] were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.

FIRST THE LEADERS, and then the people, they had nothing but the spoken promise of God.

When we step out on faith based on his Word, to do His will, God Intervenes, God would have more to lose that the people.

HOW MANY TIMES do we undertake things that we know will never happen unless God does something.

Think about it. The vast scope and endless outworking of divine providence, in which God draws together millions of details and circumstances to achieve His will each day, is a far greater miracle than the relatively uncomplicated, one-time supernatural occurrences that we usually term miracles. Belief in God’s providence is, therefore, one of the greatest exercises of faith we can have and a major contributor to our general preparedness and peace of mind as we encounter trials and hardships.

Paul trusted wholeheartedly in the providence of God, no matter how easy or challenging life was (Phil. 4:11). Joseph the patriarch stated his confidence in providence this way: “You [his brothers] meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive” (Gen. 50:20). Until we come to a similar acceptance of God’s providential control of everything, we will not fully realize the rich lessons He wants to teach us through trials, and we will not be able to apply the truth of Romans 8:28

Be Submissive, do what He tells you and see His best for your life