Well, I invite you to turn this morning to the book of Joshua. We're continuing our study in the book of Joshua. We come to chapter 3 this morning. We come to chapter 3 of Joshua. That's found on page 211. Let's give our attention this morning to the word of the Lord. This is Joshua chapter 3. We'll read the 17 verses. Then Joshua rose early in the morning and set out from Shittim, and they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. At the end of the three days, the officers went through the camp and commanded the people, 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. Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about two thousand cubits in length. Do not come near it in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before. Then Joshua said to the people, Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you. And Joshua said to the priests, Take up the Ark of the Covenant and pass on before the people. So they took up the Ark of the Covenant and went before the people. the lord said to joshua today i will begin to exalt you in the sight of all israel that they may know that as i was with moses so i will be with you 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 and joshua said to the people of israel come and listen to the words of the lord your god and joshua said here is how you shall know that the living god is among you and that he will, without fail, drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all of the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. Now, therefore, take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe of 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 up in one heap so when the people set out from their tents to pass over the jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the jordan and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped into the brink of the water now the Jordan overflows as its banks throughout the time of harvest the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away at Adam the city that is beside Zarethan and those flowing down toward the sea of Arabah the salt sea were completely cut off and the people passed over opposite Jericho the priest bearing the ark of the covenant of the lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the jordan and all israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the jordan and there it's the reading of god's word well this morning we come to one of the greatest moments uh in the whole really um looking at the pentateuch and joshua one of the greatest moments of israel passing over into the promised land and you stop and you read a passage like this it seems pretty straightforward but there's a lot more going on in this particular passage than um would sort of i think initially be be caught when reading it it's a beautiful passage and a powerful passage that puts on display something very special what is this all about what is the great significance of israel crossing over the jordan into the promised land that's a that's the the great question that we want to wrestle a little bit with and try to understand as we work through this and i think you can begin to come to that a conclusion and answering that question by seeing all that the lord has been training in these first chapters Israel to courage and boldness of faith what have we seen of the previous generation of Israel well in some ways a lot of what we see in the church today a lot of apathy and a lot of sloth and we've been looking at all of that he was challenging a new generation to not be like their fathers who perished and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness for unbelief and that's been sort of a driving theme here that we've looked at as the lord is raising up a new generation of young people who are who have deeply embraced this project who are deeply following the lord they are taking serious what he's saying so far now there's going to be problems along the way as always but this is an important thing to notice up front last time he had set in front of them bold and courageous faith of a prostitute to make the point wake up oh israel wake up i'll have a mother of your faith who will be in the line of jesus who will be a mother of jesus who is a prostitute who will demonstrate faith before you that was the story of rahab that we looked at and that was a wonderful story to study last time and it's hard to move on from so quickly. But I was wrestling with sort of the main point that now drives chapter 3. What is the main point that's driving chapter 3? And I thought of the words of Moses in Deuteronomy chapter 31. It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not leave nor forsake you. do not fear or be dismayed there's a good running theme here for this particular passage the lord is going before you no more fear he's not going to leave he's not going to forsake you well where is the lord leading them it's not like this has been uh it's his goal and desire here as an oppressive one his desire is to lead them to the promised land to give them the land that is good for them a heavenly inheritance the whole thing typifies and what is the great obstacle to receiving that land it's the jordan river this has huge significance it had huge significance for them and it still has huge significance for us why is the jordan such an important moment here in their crossing why is this such an important story for israel that they would set up memorial stones over it and what we have here in the middle of this little account is a call from the lord to follow him follow me through the waters to receive your inheritance now that's not an easy thing to always do this has been the problem that we've been looking at with Israel and in our study all these years of Israel in the wilderness and their failings and Joshua 3 is carefully constructed today to help us understand what it looks like to follow the Lord and to follow the Lord as he leads us into the promised land to receive the gift that he has promised to give us so that's where we're beginning today we're beginning here with this this preparation now to cross which there's so much in the preparations here that are important for this call to follow i want you to notice in verse one then joshua rose early in the morning and set out from the acacia grove and came to the Jordan he and all the children of Israel lodged there before they crossed over for they passed over it's really important to see that God didn't just take them over quickly it's already been 40 years of wandering and everything here that leads them now to this point of actually crossing the jordan is very carefully careful instruction is given and still he's calling them to patience there's a lot we learned from this brief chapter of what it means here in following the lord and notice that there's a giant corrective happening with the new generation in light of the problems that we saw with the previous generation israel's great failure was impatience with God it just seemed like we were going nowhere it just seemed that the the God of Israel at times was absent and you know this is in this is in the time of revelation where the Lord did the mighty wonders and signs right in front of them that they felt this way you'll notice here that their great failure was in patience and they struggled to Trust the Lord. There's a reason why in the Psalms, beloved, every other passage seems to say, trust me. Trust me. Remember what happened at the Red Sea? They're backed up against it. This monstrous sea, in front of them, the way that Moses led them was purposely to put them backed up against the Red Sea and there from the other angle came the Egyptians with all their war chariots in all their power and all their thunderous glory. And remember what they did. They fell apart. Have you backed us into this, Moses? There are no graves in Egypt that you would come to leave us to die here. This is what you put us through. I don't know what Moses said. Fear not. stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord which he'll work for you today for the Egyptians whom you see today you'll never see again the Lord will fight for you you only have to be silent just be quiet I'd use a stronger word but I get in trouble what was the problem they were unbelieving their hearts were not consecrated to the Lord their hearts were not set apart to the Lord there was no faith he does all this he brings them over the first time they get to Sinai 40 days they're there and they get impatient and they complained and they said where is this moses excuse me we don't know what's happened to him and as for this god we don't know where he is come make us a new god who will go before us and out came the calf and the whole worship was corrupted you remember the story You see these problems. Why we're studying them. We see exactly what our tendencies are. Well, I think everything about chapter 3 is meant to challenge this. They simply would not follow. They simply would not acknowledge the Lord. And they were full of sloth. New generation. they have in front of them a huge problem deja vu if you will they have to cross now the Jordan River you'll notice it says in this passage God didn't bring them through at the easiest of times the banks are overflowing because it's the harvest time in other words he didn't he could have brought them to the time where it was shallow and the waters were receding and it would have been an easy cross. He didn't do that. He brought them to the time right at the moment where the river was the strongest. They've come to the most challenging time to bring them across. And I think the first thing that we have to notice here is that the waters themselves are presented as a great chaotic foe to be overcome. The greatest foe to be overcome. Notice what the Lord does. He says in verse 2, after three days, after three days, and you do, you start to think, you know, God could have heaped them up right away and made this it seems like easier no i'm going to deal with the heart of my people first after three days you wait wait for what well just bring us across lord no you're going to wait for the ark and when you see the ark of the lord your god the priests and the levites bearing it you shall then set out from your place and you go after it you go after the ark now you see um this is um i think an interesting moment because what we would rather have from god is just instant miraculous lifting up the waters and him solving the problem right i mean this is what we do in prayer. Take it away. Fix this right now. Lord, help me right now. And you wonder, why doesn't he answer? Oh, it's not that he's not answering. He's just not answering the way that you want him to answer. Because you're trying to control him without truly looking to him you see this is an important point notice what he what happens here deliver us and the lord says wait wait and this has always been a common theme in the scriptures wait upon the lord i say wait again upon the lord wait upon the lord be of good courage he'll strengthen your heart wait but I want a space between you and this ark, the ark, about 2,000 cubits. Don't come near it that you may know the way because you've never passed by this way before. Here's what I think is happening here that's important. What was the ark, boys and girls? The ark was the symbolic representation of God's presence. the cherubim were crafted so you see this little golden ark and the cherubim were had raised up arms over it and had poles to carry it they couldn't touch the ark and and we studied this in exodus and we studied this in hebrews it was a little mini replica of the throne room the throne of god and and and it had wheels and and and you might even if you can remember the ezekiel sermon where the the bigger spiritual reality of the wheels touching the earth all the way up into heaven was a moving throne. Here's a little mini replica of the moving throne of God. God was in their midst with the ark, was the declaration. This special piece of furniture was a declaration that God was present with them. What does the preparation teach us? I want you to wait, but I don't want you looking at the waters of the Jordan. you are not to look at the waters of the Jordan. You are to look for the ark. You are to look for the one who can overcome. You are to look for me. And wait on me, says the Lord. You need to remember who I am. I am the Holy One of Israel who dwells with you. I'm the Holy God who comes among you. You of all the people on the earth are most blessed to have my presence among you and you've not realized that you've taken it for granted corrupted my worship i want it recognized that i have come among you to deliver you remember um what would later happen with the ark that nobody took this seriously that even when the ark and the oxen stumbled and as i put out his hand to stop it god struck him dead because no one was reverencing God anymore so this comes with this added call all of a sudden verse 5 sanctify yourselves for tomorrow the Lord comes and he's going to do wonders among you consecrate yourselves purify yourselves what's he saying wash repent repentance consider who's coming among you and consider as a people that you are my separate people you are a holy people you are set apart people you are not of the peoples on the earth and you are to remember who is coming among you and who i am and who you are sanctify yourselves consecrate yourselves wash yourselves purify yourselves and when you see the ark then you go after it now in contrast to all of israel's past actions remember what i said when god was doing a great work among his people you see response in his people and here's what response looks like what do you think the river represents beloved life is full of obstacles inheriting the promised land comes with a lot of struggle that's what you're all in right now your biggest obstacle is your own deliverance and the receiving of eternal life and what is the biggest obstacle to it it's death death is the great barrier that you have to cross over to enter eternal life death is the great barrier that you have to cross over to enter eternal life listen to me you can't cross that alone without falling into judgment it. This is scary stuff. I think it was Tolstoy who said, man cannot possess anything as long as he fears death. But to him who does not fear it, everything belongs. We all have anxieties, we all have fears, problem after problem in this life. If I went through and talked to you right now, what are your problems you're facing? It'd be tough to go through and listen Listen to all the struggles some of you are really going through right now. And what's the biggest you have to face? It's coming for every one of you. It's death. And the Bible presents this, if we're going to be true and honest, as our greatest fear. Some might boldly say, I don't fear death. I've seen a lot of people who say that until they get there, then they fear it. It's your greatest fear. You're going to die. And you're all trying to beat it. This is what we live trying to do. We hope we'll live long. We hope we'll have the good life with our grandkids and they'll run around. Just, you know, good, good life, good life. The reality is this. It's appointed for man to die and then the judgment. Your death's already appointed. You're not making it come sooner or you're not holding it out. It's appointed. You're going to die. You've got to cross over this barrier. Death is the portal to judgment, says Scripture. It's an awful thing, beloved. Death is an awful thing. And anyone who dies without Christ faces the eternal judgment of God. Now, here's the scene. Isn't this awesome? I don't want your eyes on the Jordan. I want your eyes on me. Jordan represents death. I represent life. I want you looking to me to overcome this obstacle. I do not want you trying to figure out how to beat that. And here's what I'm going to do for you. I'm going to come among you. And I'm going to lead. And I'll be the first one to go in the Jordan for you. And you're going to pass through safely on dry ground. You recognize who has come among you? The one who can beat death. Consecrate yourselves. Wash in preparation. Look to me and you wait on me. This has been the greatest challenge for the church today. What do we need most from the Lord? Well, we could say a lot of things, but we need deliverance from death and to cross over in death to eternal life. Well, everything's prepared. And now something's proclaimed to the people. We read all of a sudden at the third day, the priests brought the ark. Here it comes. All of a sudden, seemingly out of nowhere, the priests bear up the ark, and here it comes on the poles, and could you imagine the scene of this? Could you just, I don't know how much to try to paint this picture, if I can do it, but imagine how awesome this was. Imagine the silence that broke out over the two million people. All of a sudden, the hustling and the bustling, and there it comes. Let me recount for you what happened when the ark moved in Israel. When Israel originally left Sinai, they departed from Sinai, a journey of three days. The cloud of the Lord was above them by day and it went out from the camp. So it was, whenever the ark set out, Moses did something. You know what Moses did whenever the ark set out? He said this, Rise, O Lord, let your enemies be scattered. And let those who hate you flee from you. And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, to the many thousands of Israel. When the ark moved, God was on the war path. Psalm 68 describes it. God shall arise and his enemies shall be scattered. And those who hate him shall flee before him. As smoke is driven away, you shall drive them away. As wax melts before the fire, so shall the wicked perish before God. But the righteous shall be glad. They shall exult before God. They shall be jubilant with joy. Sing to God. Sing praises to His name. Lift up a song to Him who rides through the deserts. Who? God rides through the deserts. His name is the Lord. Exult before Him. Blessed be the Lord who daily bears us up. God is our salvation. Ascribe power to God whose majesty is over Israel and whose power is in the skies. Awesome is God from His sanctuary. The God of Israel, He's the one who gives power and strength to His people. Bless the Lord. Rise, O Lord. Let your enemies be scattered. Verse 7. Joshua said, the Lord said to Joshua. this day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all the people that they may know as I was with Moses, so I am with you. So what does Joshua do? He starts preaching. To all the children of Israel, Joshua says, come here, come here. Hear the words of the Lord your God. Here's how you're going to know God's among you. Here's what's going to happen. That ark, borne by the priest, is going to be carried. And as soon as, as soon as, the priest touches his toe, his foot, in that water, that water's heaping up. He's calling them to faith. Here's the imagery. A priest bearing the ark. this warrior named Yeshua with his sword drawn is heading out to conquer the greatest foe. Are you seeing anything? Here is Christ, the imagery of Christ taking on the enemy of death. The one who's at the right hand of God. The one who has come among us, who has made great among us. and they're all shouting out, let the enemies be scattered. You think it kind of fits out of what I could interject right here? When Jesus said, when He walked among the multitudes, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet he shall live. And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe that? The ark comes out. The priests start walking. And they get to the waters of death. And all of a sudden, as soon as their foot dips in, this is a big river, the water starts receding back in power. 20 miles back at Adam. And it went straight up into the heavens. Right across from Jericho, by the way. Imagine seeing that. When at creation, God separated the waters from the waters, there was life. When at the flood, God brought the waters together, there was death. What did he do to the Egyptians? Drown them. The sea represents death. And once again, God opens it up and we read of all of Israel, all of Israel, all their little ones, all their children, the elderly, as a great family of God, crossed completely over the Jordan. The Bible gives so much attention to the splitting of the Red Sea and to the crossing of the waters of the Jordan. Why, beloved? Why? Why these two events? Because it all represents our greatest enemy. Sin and death. Do you see the story here? Why are there two crossings? Well, because both represent death. The first sea crossing, all throughout Scriptures, is celebrated as representative of the death of Jesus for you. The judgment was placed on Him and they were baptized into Christ when they crossed the Red Sea. He saved them from sin and death. He beat that enemy. He triumphed over it. But then we have a long wilderness journey after that. It's tough. Hard. They've been wandering for years. We have to pass and face this last enemy. Did you know that? That's why the Bible calls it the last enemy. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. Do you see what's happening here? He through death might destroy the one who had power of death, that is the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. That's Hebrews 2. The Jordan River signifies the power of death, the enemy of death, the greatest foe. And by the way, in the new heavens and the new earth, as soon as we've crossed over on that last day when there's no more death, no more tears, no more sorrowing guess who cleanses the city for once and for all jesus of all the enemies of the lord guess who passed before us and took us from death to life yeshua joshua we wait upon the lord beloved and with courage in this life our eyes are on the ark if you will not on death our eyes are on jesus not on the things that we can't conquer ourselves and if you haven't figured it out yet you can't conquer much of anything yourself he has and he will ultimately beat this enemy for us And because of Him, death, think of our Heidelberg now, death becomes not a payment for our sins, but a putting off of our sins and is an entrance into eternal life. That's the imagery that's captured here. And He's calling us today to look to Him, to consecrate ourselves, to trust Him, To believe him. To wait upon him in life's afflictions. But to always have our eyes looking to Christ. Our warrior who's gone before us and who splits the sea and will pass us over to the other side. Isn't that the beauty of death, beloved? When you die, you are immediately in his presence and wake in his presence. This great enemy that we all fear. Death can't keep its prey. Where oh death is your victory? Where oh death is your sting? Thanks be to God who gives it to us through Jesus Christ. So, we wait upon the Lord. And we go forward when he calls us. And when that ark moves, we go. And we consecrate ourselves as a people separate to him. Living a true and genuine life, not hypocritical. And then we can sing this, and let's do that. When I tread the verge of Jordan, bid my anxious fear subside, death of death and hell's destruction, land me safe on Canaan's side. Songs of praises, songs of praises, I will ever give to thee. How good God is to us. He's calling us to look to him in life and in death, And believe His promise. Let's pray to Him today. Lord, thank You for Your Gospel. And thank You for encouraging us with this great passage. Of the greatest enemy that needs to be overcome. The last enemy. And may our eyes be on Christ. We worry about many things in this life. And that is unnecessary. When we have the God of Israel who has come among us. who dwells with his people, who calls us to trust in all of life's waiting on your good word to us and to follow after Christ and to consecrate ourselves. Hear us, Lord, we are weak, but prepare us for what is to come and land us safely on Canaan's side with the great gift you have always promised to give us through Jesus Christ our Lord and that is eternal life. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.