GETTING OUR FEET WET
REQUIRES SPIRITUAL PREPARATION.
Joshua 3:1-17.
1. IN SPIRITUAL PREPARATION WE HAVE TO DECIDE WHAT IS BIGGER OUR OBSTACLES OR OUR VIEW OF GOD.
Principle #1. Obstacles show us where we have placed our faith.
Principle # 2. Obstacles show us whether we are willing to stay the course.
Principle #3. Obstacles are often used by the Lord to get us out of living in a rut.
Principle #4. Obstacles are used by the Lord to bring us to the end of our own resources.
2. THERE IS ALWAYS PREPARATION TO STEP INTO THE WATER.
Principle #A. Stepping into the water requires that we follow the Lord into a deeper life
Joshua 3:3b. "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God with the Levitical priests carrying it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it.
A. By not reading the word of God.
B. By not praying.
C. By not attending the regular schedule service like the Morning Worship and mid-week Bible study.
D. By not accepting the Lord will and plan for one life.
Principle B. Stepping into the water may require a change in our direction.
Joshua Verse 4b. That you may know the way by which you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.
Principle C. Stepping into the water require that I live and walk a consecrated life.
Joshua 3:5. Then Joshua said to the people, consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you."
Principle D. Stepping into the water requires that we step out in faith.
GETTING OUR FEET WET
REQUIRES SPIRITUAL PREPARATION.
Joshua 3:1-17.
I suppose that most of us here could tell a story about trying to find a place that you have never been before. Sometimes when we are trying to find a certain place, we may think that we didn’t need detail direction. Some of us may think that all we need to know is where we are going. I think one of the hardest aspects of being married is that most men operated with the old pioneer spirit where as most wives seem to feel that we should have a set of detail directions. I often wonder if when we are travelling that for a man he got to see what is over the next hill, even though it may or may not be in the direction he is suppose to be going.
I have often wondered why the good Lord didn’t just solve this problem by giving wives the same adventurous spirit that their husbands have. It is amazing how many times we try to find our own way when a phone call or asking a question would sure make the whole trip a lot simpler. I know that at times I am probably the worst offender when it come to going someplace and thinking that somehow I will instantly be able to find the place. I got to thinking what would our spiritual lives be like if we applied this same principle to our lives? What kind of spiritual life would we have if we never ask the Lord for directions in our spiritual walk. Well that is what this chapter is about. I see this chapter as the Lord saying to his children that it is time to get our feet wet. In the first chapters of Joshua we have look at the Lord calling the people of God to get moving. I see the Lord saying to the church today that the promise land is across the river. I shared with you that we each are required to cross our own Jordan in order to get to the promise land. In chapter two we looked at the main ingredient, that we live by faith in Jesus Christ. As we look at chapter three I want you to notice that there is a process here for the people of the God that the Lord has provided for us if we are going to step into the River.
The 19th century Danish religious philosopher Soren Kierkegard, tells a story about a town where only ducks live. Every Sunday the ducks would get up leave their homes and head down Main Street to their church. They entered the sanctuary and sat in their proper pews. Then the duck choir comes in and takes its place, and then the duck minister comes forward and opens the duck Bible. He reads to the Ducks! God has given you wings! With wings you can fly! With wings you can mount up and soar like eagles. No walls can confine you! No fence can hold you! You have wings. God has given you wings and you can fly like birds. All the ducks shouted AMEN and everyone went home to do the same thing over again next week.
Beloved I want to make sure we understand that though the ultimate game plan is that the nation of Israel would claim everything that the Lord had promise. I want you to notice that the Game plan that is given to us in 1:11 is that the people would just get ready to cross the river. We saw part of the preparation in Chapter two and now that we are on the verge of actually stepping into the water. I want you to notice that Joshua has taken care of the military preparation in Chapter two. Now it is time for the people to take care of the Spiritual preparation.
1. IN SPIRITUAL PREPARATION WE HAVE TO DECIDE WHAT IS BIGGER OUR OBSTACLES OR OUR VIEW OF GOD.
I want you to notice that Joshua leads the people to the edge of the Jordan and he has then stayed there for three days. I believe that Joshua wanted then to know that this first obstacle was so big that they wouldn’t be able to conquer it unless they had help from the Lord. Normally the Jordan River is about 40 feet wide at the widest point. In the springtime this river flooded its banks and in places it could be as much as a mile wide with a very strong current. What we need to know that Israel is at the edge of the river in the springtime.
During WWII, a naval construction battalion had a slogan that said. The difficult we will do immediately; the impossible may take a little longer. The great thing about our God is the impossible doesn’t take him any longer to do than the possible does. To Jesus the difficult and the impossible are the same. However, there are reasons why the children of the Lord get to the edge, but then quit and fall short of walking in the life that Jesus intends for us. One of the main reasons I believe has to do with whether we feel our view of our Lord is greater that the obstacle that is in front of us.
The question is Would the people follow the game plan of the Lord or would they do the same thing as they did the last time they came to this point.
Principle #1. Obstacles show us where we have placed our faith.
Lets think back for a moment to what happen here about 38 years ago. At that time the people decided that the obstacle was so big that the Lord could accomplish his game plan. The result was that the people refused to cross. If I may be allowed to be forward today, is there something in your life that is stopping you from moving forward with the Lords Game Plan for your life. I want you to know that the one obstacle that really hindered me from accepting the Lord Jesus as my Savior was the churchianity people. These were people who said they were followers of Jesus but they were only followers for an hour on Sunday. This is something that I am not proud off but I also want you to know that Jesus was calling Barbara for quite awhile before I became a Christian but the obstacle that hindered her was me and my life style.
Principle # 2. Obstacles show us whether we are willing to stay the course.
When Joshua told the people to get read to move he needed to know if they were prepared to obey and follow even though there would be hardship that they would have to deal with and overcome? Do you remember how these people acted when Moses was their leader? Everytime they faced a hardship they complained and said that they wished they were back in Egypt. I am always amazed when I read that because back in Egypt they were slaves and they were beaten by their landlords, yet they sooner return to the misery in Egypt than move forward with the Lord. Joshua knew that the easy choice was to stay where they were. Life was pretty good. They had food, water, and no enemies to fight. We also know that the land was good for farming.
Principle #3. Obstacles are often used by the Lord to get us out of living in a rut.
The Nation of Israel was living in a rut. For Forty years they were be cared for by the Lord. I would imagine that if we had everything taken care of by the Lord for us for forty years that would probably in rut. A life lived in a rut is one where the person has become very comfortable and they don’t want anything to change. Joshua wanted to know if the people were willing to pay the price to get out of their comfortable rut so they all could claim the promises of the Lord if they want those promises to become a reality in their lives.
I was watching a new show on TV that is called Extreme Cheapskate. It is about people who have gotten into the rut of refusing to spend any money. The show I watched was about a couple who were celebrating their 25 wedding anniversary. The wife asked her husband if he was going to do anything special to celebrate. The husband said that he was planning a very special evening. NOW I NEED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THIS HUSBAND DID NOT BELIEVE IN SPENDING MONEY. When he went into a restaurant he would get a take home container from the restaurant and then he would go to the tables where people had left some food and he would take it home. In this case the husband went to a garbage bin looking for flowers and he found three pink roses. Then he made arrangement for them to eat at a real restaurant but he would only buy one meal because he would eat what other people left on their table. It was while they were waiting for their food that he presented his wife with these three roses from the garbage bin. If I remember right I think he told her where he got them. The problem here is that this man is living in a very comfortable rut.
I believe that the Lord expect his children to get out of their comfortable ruts and walk forward in faith following the Lord game plan until they get to the place where they can’t go any farther without the Lord opening the way for the church of God. That is where the nation of Israel was at.
Principle #4. Obstacles are used by the Lord to bring us to the end of our own resources.
The Lord want us conscious of our own insufficiency.
Often when Christians are faced with difficulties they may be too proud to ask for help and the end up trying to solve the situation on their own without asking the Lord for help. Let’s say that the Lord is calling you to a deeper life. We hear the call and immediately we think I can do that. I know what the Lord wants. The problem is that when the Lord calls us to a deeper life we don’t know what the Lord wants because we have never had a deeper spiritual walk the way that the lord wants. If we are going to have a deeper life we must first listen to the Lord for His game plan & then we need to follow the game plan exactly.
2. THERE IS ALWAYS PREPARATION TO STEP INTO THE WATER.
In the book COURAGEOUS the story comes to a place where one of the officers is talking to a pastor. The officer shares with the pastor that he feels that he is failing as a father. The pastor challenges the officer to seek in the word of God just what does the Lord require of Christian father and for the matter all fathers. When the officer began to study God Word he found out that the word of God was changing him by challenging him to walk a deeper life with the Lord Jesus. If the Nation of Israel is going to accomplish what the Lord requires of them; then one thing needs to happen. They need to step into the water and follow the Lord.
Principle #A. Stepping into the water requires that we follow the Lord into a deeper life
Joshua 3:3b. "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God with the Levitical priests carrying it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it.
I want you to understand that stepping into our spiritual Jordan will mean entering into a deeper walk with the Lord. When ever we take a step into the spiritual river if we are going to be successful we must always be able to see the Lord. I know that this sounds strange. Please allow me to explain. During Moses early leadership all the people had to do was step outside of their tent door and look. They would see either the Lord leading them with the cloud or they would see the pillar of fire in the night time. Once the Lord had the people build the Ark, the Ark became the visible presence of the lord in the camp. Joshua told the people that if they wanted to know when the Lord would be on the move all they had to do was watch the ark. The Ark is mention 9 times in my Bible and since the Ark is the visible presence of the Lord we need to take note that we are required to always keep the Lord presence in our lives. Henry Blackaby states we need to see what God is up to around us and then get involved. If we are to get past those obstacles that are keeping us from entering our Canaan, then we need to learn to follow God. Joshua warns the people that they were not to lose site of the Ark. If you follow the history of Israel you will find that everytime the people lost sight of the Lord they went into sin and away from the Lord. I find that what Joshua warns the people about is something that many Christians say happen to them in their Christian walk. They lose sit of the lord and when that happens we may keep going forward but we may not be going in the direction that the Lord wants. How does a Christian lose site of the Lord. Well I have been preaching these same items for over thirty years.
A. By not reading the word of God. One of the main ways that the Holy Spirit speaks to the Children of the Lord is through the Word of God.
B. By not praying. Praying is about telling the Lord our request. Praying is also about just listening to the Lord.
C. By not attending the regular schedule service like the Morning Worship and mid-week Bible study.
D. By not accepting the Lord will and plan for one life.
Principle B. Stepping into the water may require a change in our direction.
There are times when the Lord will lead us in a direction that is in the opposite direction. I have found that following the Lord is not always just going straight from point A to point B. I have also found out that sometime following the Lord means going in a direction the my common sense say is wrong.
Joshua Verse 4b. That you may know the way by which you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.
The issue is will I follow the lord even when my common sense tells me that I am going in the wrong direction. If I follow my common sense instead of following the lord then I am not walking by Faith.
Principle C. Stepping into the water require that I live and walk a consecrated life.
Joshua 3:5. Then Joshua said to the people, Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you."
The word consecrate means to set apart.
When a child of the Lord cross their spiritual river and enter into Canaan land we have a picture of a Christian who has surrender to the ministering of the Holy Spirit purifying their heart and equipping then for the service that the Lord requires. When ever we are encouraged to walk a deeper life the preparation will always be spiritual simply because the task we face can only be accomplish by God power. Joshua wanted the people to prepare themselves for a manifestation of God’s power in their midst and this was only going to happen if they met the spiritual preparation. Today, we often want the Lord power but we are unwilling to pay the price. The churches want revival or to see a great work of God, but the church doesn’t want to be set apart and uniquely different. In our Christian world today I have heard pastor say that they just want their church to be accepted by everyone in the community. We would sooner have our traditions than the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our churches. Sometimes we have a hard time believing God wants to operate outside of our experiences of the Lord or even outside of what our denomination may believe. I often wonder, are trying to keep the Lord in some kind of spiritual box so that as long as he stay in the box we don’t have to change or consider walking a deeper life. God’s plan is to get the Children of the Lord across their spiritual river into Canaan fair land. The problem is that today we are more apt to trust the wisdom of the world than to trust the Word of God. The wisdom of the world says that if I am ok; that everyone is ok. It doesn’t matter if what I think is contrary to the Word of the Lord. That is why Joshua wanted the people to look at their lives to see if there was anything that were contrary to the will of the Lord.
For you and I today we may need to look at what we are reading, or what we are watching of TV. We may need to even look at who we are spending all our time with, to see if we are picking up maybe some language or to see if what we are involved with is keeping us from the Lord ministry. We may need to spend some time in prayer and fasting.
The Lord won’t work in our life if that life is harbouring sin. There is an old holiness concept that I believe in. It goes like this.
Either the Lord is Lord of every part of our life or He is not Lord at all.
I often wonder if maybe we have gotten the whole thing backwards. I have heard people say to me that if the Lord would just do something great in their life that they would respond in the positive. God will never do what He can do in our lives until we are willing to step into His Game Plan for our life. It is so easy to just stand back at a safe distance from all that God has for us and say, I know it’s out there. Sometime we even say that we will surrender our life to the will of the Lord but we just won’t do it today.
A Consecrated life is where a Christian is showing the world a picture of a child of the Lord who is walking the spirit-filled life. A lot of Christians don’t walk in the fullness of the Spirit because they think they can get where God want them to be without total surrender to the Lord will. Total surrender is where we come to the end of ourselves and where we find our complete sufficiency for everything we need in Christ. When Jesus takes us through our Spiritual Jordan he will equips us and empowers us, so we won’t want to wallow in the Jordan or stay on the wrong side. If we want the Lord to act in mighty ways or in anyway in our lives and in our world, we need to have a consecrated life.
Joshua says, Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you.
The same is true today. If we are surrendered, God can and will do great wonder in our lives.
Principle D. Stepping into the water requires that we step out in faith.
I want you to know that God won’t do a thing until we step out in faith.
Joshua 3: 13-17. And it shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry 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, and the waters which are flowing down from above shall stand in one heap. So it came about when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant before the people, and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest, that the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap. So the people crossed opposite Jericho. And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.
I want you to notice that when their feet touched the water, God stopped the water. They didn’t have to put their whole foot in the water. The Lord doesn’t lead his children to step out in faith for them to get bogged down in the mud. The Lord intends for his children to actually cross their Spiritual River. The miracles of the Lord happen only when we obey the Lord.
I want you to notice some items:
This whole plan wasn’t done when it would have been the most convenient time to cross the Jordan. The river was flooding. It probable didn’t make a whole lot of sense at the time. Like why not wait until the flood season was over.
Walking in total surrender to the will of the Lord isn’t always easy but God game plan always covers every little detail. The water held until all the people got all their animals and all their possessions across.
Isaiah 43:1-2. But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you; when you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you.
