February 9, 2014 - Sunday

Start Time: 12:12 P.M.

End Time: 12:52 P.M.

Title: Crossing Jordan
Scripture: Joshua 4:1 – 24

God’s Message / God’s Promise / God’s Commands:

→ When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.” So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’⁷ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”  So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been^[a] in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.

NOTES:

Ø God is a God of Victory reminders and He wants us to hear us speak of our victories every time!  The Lord delights in the words of our testimonies.  When God brought His people to cross the Jordan river, it was an amazing victory.  The crossing of the red sea was a miracle that God did during Moses, and He did it again with Joshua, allowing the people to cross a River with His power.  Know that the water in a river is running water.  It has constant pressure and it continuously flow.  Unlike the sea where the sea is stagnant and only when there’s strong wind will it create pressure that can sometimes create a tidal wave or cyclone.  Rivers on the other hand, has constant pressure and even rocks are broken over time when exposed to running water.  So the crossing of the Jordan river was an amazing victory.  God allowed the constant pressures in our lives to stop and give way to us to cross on the other side of the river.  His amazing grace and power literally hold the flow of the water just to allow us to pass thru and spare us from the pressures it carries that can even break a rock!  What an Amazing God we have!  Thank You Lord for the constants pressure of our lives are nothing compared to You!  Amen!  God’s victories in our lives are worth spoken of.  So we should speak it out as God not only delights in them but it reminds us of who God is in our lives and what He is capable of doing for us!  Hallelujah!

→  Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over, and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the Lord and the priests came to the other side while the people watched. The men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, ready for battle, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them.  About forty thousand armed for battle crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for war.  That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses.

NOTES:

Ø God exalts His appointed one when He gives victory to His people!  God gets all the glory yet He gives recognition to His appointed one for His obedience.  When God works, all glory is upon Him yet He never forgets His people.  He ensures that they are exalted in the eyes of the rest because of what He did thru Him.  God, gracious and marvelous Lord.  Thank You because though we are unworthy, You allow us to be exalted because of the strength You give us to obey You.  Thank You Lord!

→ Then the Lord said to Joshua, ¹⁶ “Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant law to come up out of the Jordan.” So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.”  And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before.  On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over.  He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”

NOTES:

Ø God will do the impossible to fulfill His promises to us!  God will produce dry ground for His people to walk on when there’s no land in sight!  God is a God of truth and His words remains forever.  When things seem to difficult or impossible, God doesn’t see it that way especially when He is driven to fulfill His promises in our lives.  He will produce water in the desert, break the sea or river to produce dry ground, turn water into blood, turn back time, adjust the revolution of the whole universe, etc, just to fulfill His words!  Praise the Lord!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus Amazing God, Awesome Father, Marvelous King!  What a great and mighty Lord!  I am amazed of Your capability and what You are willing to do to fulfill what You have spoken!  Thank You because You are a God of victories and You want us to remind ourselves of what You can do and will do for us.  Thank You because in Your victory, You exalt Your appointed people.  Thank You because You are a God of Your word!  The true and Only living One!  Thank You because You are my Lord and I am assured that You will fulfill what You spoke of.  Holy Spirit, help me to believe, to listen and to obey knowing that everything You say, You will do.  Help me Lord to be guided by You and not to take Your words and do it my way, but let me be an instrument to do things Your way.  Let all Glory be Yours Lord, so take all the work.  I am nothing but a mere instrument of Your plan.  Use me and give me the ability to hear and believe, and to listen and obey.  Let me be the right instrument for Your glory!  And in this process, allow me to see Your love, Your grace, Your mercy and Your favor at all times.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen!