Arise, Cross This Jordan

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Transcript

Arise, Cross This Jordan
Stephen Bly
Circa March 1990

Joshua 1:1-9

“Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, ‘Moses My servant is dead: now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. 

Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. 

From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun, will be your territory. 

No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life, just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.

Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Mosses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, 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 success.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’” 

Intro 

I was driving in Lewiston, Idaho. I don’t know how you drive, but I was thinking about a lot of things besides driving. I was planning and thinking. And I hadn’t been home very long between trips. Then I was at a stoplight, and it turned green. But I didn’t pay attention to it, so the car behind me reminded me. The fellow honked a few times and I sorta woke up and realized the green light and pulled on through.  

Now, I wasn’t at all offended by the honk. The driver tried to remind me that I was about to miss a very good opportunity to cross the street. And he might miss it too. It was a honk that said, “Now is the time to get going.” 

Well, if it’s not too shallow a comparison, Joshua 1:1-9 expresses a divine honk to Joshua, to get him going. He had stopped at the riverbed and waited, and God wanted him to go. As we look through these verses, we can hear God tell you and I that it’s time to get going.  

Joshua 1:2 

Here the Lord says, “Moses My servant is dead.” Poor Joshua. For forty years the people of Israel have been wandering the wilderness. They were gathered up by Moses, this energetic and magnetic character who had grown up in the palaces of Egypt and spent forty years in the wilderness of Sinai then came back in to lead the people out. This man Moses had stood right up to Pharoah face-to-face, eyeball-to-eyeball. He had called down the plagues of Egypt, such as blood to the Nile River, frogs and locusts. This man had called upon God and that angel of death passed over the people of Israel on that Passover night when all the first born died.  

This Moses had led the people out of the wilderness and the Red Sea had parted and the people passed across on dry land. This Moses went up on the top of Mount Sinai and received directly from the hand of God the Ten Commandments. This was the leader of the people of Israel, the only one they had ever known.  

Remember when they went into Egypt, they were only a family, Jacob and his twelve sons. Joseph had invited them to come. When they went out, they were thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands strong. And the only leader they had ever known was Moses. They had marched through the wilderness and the whole, older generation had died off, because they had refused to go into the Promised Land instantly. The only ones of that generation that made it to the Promised Land were Joshua and Caleb, the two faithful spies. Even Moses wasn’t allowed to go into the Promised Land.  

So, for the next forty years they wandered, wondering where the next meal would come from, watching Moses strike the rock and the water comes out, seeing the quail and manna come down, provided by God. Being with Moses every day of their lives, they never had to worry with him there. After all of that time, Moses is dead.  

No wonder Joshua sat there at the Jordan River. You see, Moses had led the people right up to the Jordan. They could look across the water and see the Promised Land. But now, Moses, my servant, is dead. Moses had the plan of God, telling people where they were going and why. He had the ear of God. Above all people, he could go into that tabernacle, the portable meeting place, the tent they packed up and moved from place to place. Moses could go in and have fellowship with God and come back out and tell the people what the Lord wanted them to do. 

Moses had the ear and the Spirit of God. In Old Testament times, unlike our times, God’s Holy Spirit would dwell on only certain individuals, not every believer. And Moses had the Spirit of God. But now the phrase comes to them, “Moses, my servant, is dead!” 

Joshua hit that point in his life when he couldn’t go on any further. There are times when all the wind is knocked out. You just can’t go another step. And that’s how Joshua felt. “Moses, my servant, is dead.” 

Hitting A Wall 

I like to run sometimes. Runners talk about hitting a wall. That means both your body and your mind give out at the same time. And for the life of you, you can’t figure out why you should keep running. That happens to me at about twenty-three miles. I just say, “This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.” For some, it happens at about twenty-three steps. You get to that place where you say, “I can’t go on!”  

Joshua is there. He hit the wall. He can’t go any further. That happens in other places in Scripture. And sometimes it’s due to physical causes.  

Poor old Job lost his family. He lost his children, his possessions, his health, his crops, his servants, his camels, and everything. He’s sitting there on that ash heap full of sores and saying, “This is it. I can’t go on.”  

Moses, my Servant, is Dead  

The same thing happened when Joseph found himself in that Egyptian jail. Things had been going horrible. His brothers sold him into slavery, and he was put into the captain of the guard’s house. Then, he was betrayed and thrown into prison. Finally, when he interpreted a dream for the cup bearer, that man forgot him too. Nothing was going right. He just couldn’t go on. 

Peter was in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus had warned him about being faithful and hanging in there when the tough times are coming. Peter said, “I’ll be with you no matter who turns against You.” Jesus said, “No, you’re going to deny me three times tonight.” 

Later, in that courtyard of the high priest Peter indeed denied Jesus. Then he went out and wept. He couldn’t go on.  

Making It Personal 

You and I have sometimes in our lives when that’s it. There’s no hope at the end of the line. No further direction. It might be because of the death of a vision of what life would be like. Or what our marriage or family would be like. We had a vision of what our job and our future would be. And how we would serve God. Then, suddenly, the vision is dead. It didn’t turn out that way. We hear words similar to, “Moses, my servant, is dead.” 

It might be a relationship with a husband or wife or children, with a parent or someone at work. Maybe the relationship’s been good, been great, strong for years. But something happens that can’t hardly be explained. You don’t know how things got so messed up. The relationship is over, though you’ve been working hard, trying to be obedient. But things aren’t getting any better. It’s finished. It’s dead.  

Maybe a vision, a dream, a plan, an idea. Maybe your confidence has been built on a loved one whose died—a parent, a spouse—but they’re gone. They’re not coming back. Moses, my servant, is dead.  

But the Lord goes on to speak to Joshua in verse 2: “Now therefore, arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people to the land which I’m giving to them.” 

God speaks to that despondent Joshua and says, “You’re right. Moses is dead. That era is finished. It is all over. Don’t sit around wishing Moses is here. Don’t keep wondering what Moses would do. Moses is dead. Now you, Joshua, arise and cross this Jordan! Get up and get going.” 

A Message for You 

When you’re at the end of the line, up against the wall, and don’t think you can go any further, God is saying, “Get up and get going.” 

Who needs to hear that kind of message? Those who are pushed down, afraid of the future. Those who are tired and worn out and lost all hope. And maybe those who are lazy. Arise, and cross this Jordan.  

Now, notice when God said to get up and get going, He didn’t say it’s easy, it’s all downhill, and there’s no problem. No, He didn’t say that at all. The Jordan is still there and still wide. It’s the time of the year when the water’s up. And it’s hard to cross. We’ve sung the song, and we know it was muddy and cold.  

How do you bring hundreds of thousands of people across this river? He didn’t even have a pattern. All Joshua knew was that Moses did something to part the waters, but how did he do that?  

Those who’ve read the Book of Joshua know that, indeed, the waters will part for Joshua too. But God didn’t say that. He doesn’t say anything about how they’ll get across. He just says, “Joshua, get up and get going.” There’s going to be another hurdle, another barrier to cross, but he’s to get up to cross the Jordan. 

Your Own Jordan to Cross  

Have you got a Jordan ahead of you? Maybe all your strength is gone and up ahead it’s not easy going. Perhaps you’ve been working to overcome a financial struggle. You’ve worked and worked to exhaustion, and you don’t think you can go any further. And you look up ahead and it’s just as bad there. 

Or you’ve tried everything you can to restore that relationship, but you can’t try anymore. You look clearly at the situation, and you say, “That’s a big Jordan to cross. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to reestablish that relationship.” We’ve got Jordans up ahead.  

One of the things I learned early when I first became a Christian, everything is not going to turn out perfect every day. There will be struggles and tough times. The difference Christ makes in my life is not that tough times are taken away, it’s how I survive through them.  

We’ve all got Jordans to cross—relationships, confrontations, confessions, something hard you have to say. Or you’ve got sorrow and grief to work through. Some need to reestablish a life, a relocation or housing, a change in status. This may seem like a very big Jordan. And He keeps saying, “Arise, and cross this Jordan.” 

Three Qualities Needed 

God tells Joshua what he needs. 

First, Joshua must be strong and courageous. 

Verse 6 says, “Be strong and courageous.” Verse 7 says, “Only be strong and very courageous.” And verse 9 says, “Be strong and courageous!” If a writer or speaker repeats a point over and over again, you know that’s the important part. It’s what Joshua needed most: mental strength and courage. 

Obviously, you only say things like that to people who are timid and weak, who are afraid to go on. They must be reminded. So, God thinks strength and courage are things He can command. Joshua could respond with courage. He had it within him.  

Now, courage is not a feeling but an action. You don’t say, “I feel I can conquer the world.” Courage is stepping out and doing something. Courage is when Abraham left the land of Haran, gathered up Sarah and all his possessions and went out “to a land he did not know (Genesis 12).”  God didn’t tell him where he was going. He just said, “Go, and I will show you where you’re supposed to be.” It takes courage to step out and not know where you’re headed, but know that you’re obeying God.

 Courage is When . . .  

David said to King Saul, “Let me go down and fight Goliath.” And he picked up his smooth stones and his sling and went out to face the huge giant, not knowing what would happen. Courage is action.  

Stephen preaches in Acts 7 and 8 and he riles up the crowd against him and he looked at them and said, “You white-washed tombstones, you bunch of hypocrites . . .” That’s courage.  

Courage is when Mary heard the angel say, “You’re about to have a child.” And she said, “You can do with me as you wish.”  

Courage is when Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate and said, “Let me have the body of Jesus and I’ll bury Him in my tomb.” 

It happened when three women went to the tomb on Easter morning to make sure He was buried right and to make their stand with Him.  

Courage is Action 

God expects us to take the first steps even if we don’t know exactly where the trail leads and even if we don’t have all the answers. God tells Joshua to rise and cross the Jordan before He tells him how to get across. Or what’s going to happen once he gets over there. God is telling us to get up and get going and we sit around wanting all the details first. 

The O Word 

Second, Joshua must be obedient to God’s Word.

Joshua 1:7, “Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.”  

To obey is tough work. Our whole old nature fights obedience to God. Why do we fight? And why do we hate to obey? Because when we obey, we admit there is one greater than we are. If you’re going to obey, that means you don’t have all the answers. Someone else does and you’re taking orders. Our old nature fights against that and says, “I can make my own decisions. I know what’s right and can guide my own life.” The Scripture disagrees.  

But obedience also is not in words spoken but in actions. It’s Joshua marching the troops around Jericho, once a day for six days. And seven times on the seventh day. The strangest battle plan in history. Never done before and never done again. Obedience is getting the troops up and marching them around the city again because God said to do it that way.  

Obedience is Daniel going up on the top of his house to his prayer chapel, bowing down toward Jerusalem, and worshiping God as he’d always done. Even though the decree from the king said anyone who did that would die.  

Obedience is old Noah going out there in the backyard, building a boat in the middle of the desert, when no one could possibly imagine such a thing could float, or would need to. 

Give It 100%  

And the verse says, “Be careful to do all that the law commands. Don’t vary to the left or to the right.” What He’s saying is, “Obey exactly.” I think a lot of us live on the 85% rule. We like to obey about 85% of the time. Wouldn’t you say that’s pretty good? Why, if you obey 90% of the time, that’s terrific. It’s an “A” grade in school. But God says 100%. 

Now, Joshua’s getting a little help here. “Moses is dead. You’re going to have to get up and cross that Jordan. And here’s what it takes: strength and courage. Now, go on out there, even though you don’t all the answers.” And He says, “Obey all the commands I’ve given you.” 

God’s Commands 

God has given us lots of commands. 

Salvation: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you’ll have eternal life (John 3:16,36).

Discipleship: if anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me (Matthew 16:24).

Relationships: a new commandment I give to you, to love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another (John 13:34).

All those commands God gives us, He expects to see in our lives. They’re not commands we can obey by nodding our head. His commands aren’t just ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers. We like ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers because we’ve got a 50% chance of getting it right. But God’s commands are, “Do something now. Show me.” Be careful to be obedient to God’s Word. 

Third Quality 

There’s a third quality God wants to see in Joshua’s life: meditation on His Word.

Joshua 1:8, “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, 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 success.”

To meditate on God’s Word means you think seriously about it, that you let it guide your every thought and every action. To meditate on God’s Word means you are in such close fellowship with God that whenever your mind is free floating, that is, the demands of the day don’t press in upon you, your mind always comes back to that fellowship with God and to the truth of His Word. 

When you’re not at work, when the kids aren’t making demands of you, when the TV’s not blaring, and you have free time to think, what’s the subject your mind goes back to? 

The Lord says to Joshua, “Meditate on the Word.” 

Now What? 

Armed with those three things—obedience and their actions, a mind that’s set on God’s Word, courage and strength to go on, and be obedient even with not all the answers, Joshua is ready to cross the Jordan. But, God has something else to say. He doesn’t just say, “Joshua, you’re going to have to do these things.” He goes on to say, “Joshua, I’m going to do some things too. You can count on Me in this midst of this process.” 

God’s Part 1 

God says, “I have given you this land (verses 2-3).” God has promised eventual reward and success. God is going to deliver what He said He would deliver. That’s exciting. The people had been wandering for years knowing they were headed somewhere called The Promised Land. 

You may be acting yourself on some of God’s promises. You’ve searched in the midst of turmoil for the peace that passes all understanding because He promised that peace. You’ve searched for a joy in your heart when you’ve been going through a lot of sorrow, but the Scriptures promise there will be joy. 

You may be holding onto promises about your children—that if you trained them up right they will not depart from it. But right now, you can’t see it. But you’re hanging on to that promise that He’s going to deliver. God tells Joshua, “I’m going to do what I said I’m going to do.” And that’s God’s part for us.  

 God’s Part 2 

A second thing He said, “None will prevail against you.” He said to Joshua, “You’re going to go and there will be battles, but you’re going to have protection, security, and victory.”

 It wasn’t easy conquering the land. The people of Israel found out that as soon as the walls of Jericho fell, they went to the next town of Ai to battle. It was not going to be easy, but they were promised victory. None would prevail against them.  

When God has spoken to you, or your family, or your church, and said, “Get up and cross this Jordan!”, He’s going to deliver and no one will prevail. But that doesn’t mean there’s no tests, trials, and struggles in the meantime. But He said, “I will provide the protection, the security, and the victory.”  

God’s Part 3 

The third thing God promised is that He would bring comfort and guidance: “I will be with you wherever you go!” 

There was a great fear among the Israelites. When they left Egypt and went out into the wilderness, they had the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night that hovered over the tabernacle as they traveled along. That reminded them, gave them the confidence that God was with them. But now, they left the wilderness and into the Promised Land. And they wondered, “Is God’s presence going to be with us here?” He says to them, “Don’t worry. I am not just the God of the desert.” 

This is a concept a lot of ancient people thought. In their minds, there were many gods, a god of this land and that one. If you changed borders, you changed gods. But God says a fantastic thing, “I am still with you!” He’s with them on one side of the Jordan and on the other. He’s with them now and will be with them ten years from now.  

He says that to you and to your family too. He’s with you now. And, yes, there will be a Jordan to cross. It will be tough. There might be a battle. And there will be victory. And God says, “I will be with you through all of it.” 

God With You 

What does it mean to have God with you? He won’t be there just watching. He’ll be with you, on your side.  

When our son, Aaron, was ten years old, he didn’t like the dark much. He slept with a nightlight. Our other two sons were grown and married and we had a grandson. When it was dark and we were outside, he didn’t mind grabbing onto his dad’s hand. As far as he was concerned, he and daddy could do anything outside, as long as his daddy was there. 

That’s what it means for God to be with you. He was saying, “Come on, Joshua, cross this Jordan. It's dark. You can’t see very well, but I’m with you. I’ll be with you, no matter what.” 

His Word Always With You 

Then God says also, He’ll never let His Word depart from Joshua. “You do this and I’ll make sure My Word never departs.”  

“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth” (verse 8).  

God’s saying, “My wisdom shall be within your reach.” That’s exciting. Joshua can say, “I don’t know what to do.” And God says, “Don’t worry, I’ll be there. And my wisdom will be there. All you have to do is ask for it and it’s yours.” 

God’s saying to you, “You don’t have the answers now, but when you get there, when you’re puzzled, I’ll be with you, and My Word will be with you. My Word will be with you always.” What great promises! “I’m giving you the land and none will prevail against you. I and My Word will be with you always wherever you go.” 

What Jordans Do You Face? 

For some, it’s a Jordan of salvation. It can be scary. That’s how I came to the Lord. You march around in a wilderness for a lot of your life, then you come right up to the edge and kind of peek across. You see what that Christian faith is all about. But there’s a big Jordan up there called “making a decision for Christ” and you stop. You’re not quite sure if you want to do this. If you do this, what’s going to happen over there? So, you wait and wait. Finally, God says, “Get up and cross that Jordan! 

Sometimes a ministry lies before us as a Jordan. Perhaps you’ve been a believer for years, but there’s an opportunity to serve the Lord. Maybe it’s a class to teach or a missions organization to join. Maybe there are friends or neighbors to witness to or a Bible study to start. Perhaps there’s a music ministry in your church waiting for someone to lead.  

The Moment of Decision 

But these things are all “over there,” just waiting. And you’ve been looking at them, thinking about them, wondering how you’d do it, then getting overwhelmed. You just can’t get across that point of decision. And God is saying, “Rise up and cross that Jordan!” 

Or maybe there’s a relationship that makes you feel guilty when you think about it. 

Sometimes we like studies and lessons and sermons that don’t hit too close to home.  

I’ve often thought as I’ve taught that, there’s always been groups of people in the churches I’ve been in, that really enjoy when I teach out of the Book of Revelation. And I enjoy that too. But most people don’t apply it to daily life. You can study it and not go home guilty. You can say, “Oh, that’s way out there in the future. I want to be with the Lord.” 

But when you come and begin to think about things like broken relationships, such as your marriage, within your family, your mother or father, or in-laws, or close friends, and you feel the Lord pushing you to re-establish that relationship, that’s a big, wide, muddy, dirty, high-water Jordan.  

And He’s saying, “Arise, cross that Jordan!” 

Other Jordans 

For some people, it might be spiritual apathy. You just like a very loose, committed Christian life. “I know the Lord and I’m going to heaven. And I’m going to church, if it’s convenient.” Maybe there’s a deeper kind of discipleship and study and prayer that you have said, “Some day I’m going to get into that. I’m going to do it. I’ll start the first of the year.” But life gets busy and you get to March and think, “Might as well wait until next year.” 

Rise, and cross that Jordan! 

Maybe change in jobs or a move or a financial crisis is the Jordan you face. Review what God said. He said, “Quit looking to the past. If you are depending on someone else or something else to keep you going. Forget it. It’s gone.” There are periods in our lives that are finished.  

The exile in the wilderness for the people of Israel is over. It’s never going to happen again. Forty years, that’s it, in the history of the world. Joshua, it’s over. 

Seasons Come & Go 

For you, some things in your life are over. It’s finished, done, that era’s gone. God says, “Alright, now get up and get going.” As long as life continues, keep facing the big Jordans up ahead. That means you need extra strength and courage. You need to meditate on God’s Word and obey it. But you can do it because He’s going to be with you.  

Prayer 

Let’s pray, “Father, you know our hearts and you know us better than we know ourselves. You certainly know us better than our friends, our spouses. You know what kind of Jordan’s might be up ahead for each of us. And in any group of people, there are some really tough things. Some face very hard times. They feel stuck and don’t know what to do next. We’d like to have all the answers for what’s going to happen, step by step. Lord, that’s the way we are. We’re afraid. So, we pray we’ll have the courage, strength, and obedience to Your Word to push on out through the Jordans up ahead with confidence, whatever it is, because of Your promises for what You’re going to do. You’ll be with us no matter where we go. Thank you for that. And now with trembling spirits, we head out to cross our Jordans. Thank you, Father. I pray that in Jesus Name, Amen.”