From Jordan to the Abundant Land – Joshua 3
by Rev. Jeremiah Cheung
[iframe http://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLA42D37956412006F&hl=en_US 500 500]
According to the explanation in 1Corinthians 10, crossing the Red Sea indicates baptism into Christ, symbolizing salvation. After forty years, God through Joshua, the leader of the new generation, performed another great miracle, dividing the Jordan River, allowing the Israelites to cross it on dry ground. Crossing the Red Sea symbolizes salvation, and crossing the Jordan River symbolizes victory. Once we are saved, we must become victorious Christians. We must cross the Jordan River, and enter into the Promised Land, enjoy the abundance God has for us. But how can we be victorious? Joshua chapter 3 tells us how.
I. Follow the Ark of the Covenant 1-4
Following the Ark of the Covenant means three things:
1. Not Taking the Path I Want to Take
Every person has his own dreams and direction in life; but if the path we want to take and what the Lord wants for us differ, are we willing to let go of our own life dreams? Following the ark means choosing not to follow your own path.
2. Not Taking the Path Others Want You to Take
If you do not follow the ark, sooner or later there will be people who would want you to follow the path they want you to take. A famous author said, “I do not know the way to success, but I do know the way to failure, that is, to try to please everyone.”
Paul also understood this very well, he said in Galatians 1:10 “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” May the Lord help us, if we ourselves are without direction, others will insist their directions on us, as a result, we will not be taking God’s path, but the path others want us to take.
3. Taking the Path God Wants Me to Take
Following the ark means obeying God’s will. In our ministries, in our daily life, we will sooner or later meet a situation wherein we do not know which way to take. Following the ark is like having a lifesaving device. When we are about to drown, we grab tightly to the life-saving device, and only in that way will our life truly have a way out.
II. Live a Consecrated Life
Joshua told the Israelites, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” On the Sermon on the Mount, the sixth blessing is “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Hebrews 12:14 “Without holiness, no one will see the Lord.”
The pure will see God, therefore, the impure will not see God. Pure means holy and pure. Joshua told the Israelites they will cross the Jordan River and the Lord will do amazing things among them, but they must consecrate themselves.
If we want to enjoy the victorious life, we must keep ourselves pure, because the Lord is holy. When we are not holy, the Lord cannot be with us; the Lord’s grace and power cannot come upon us. Jesus said, “I come to give life, and life more abundantly.” Abundant life is a holy life. When our lives are filled with filth, we will never enjoy the abundant life.
III. Take the First Step of Faith
Joshua told the Israelites to follow the Ark of the Covenant and consecrate themselves. But if they had just stopped there and did not step out in faith, they would have remained on the west of the Jordan, unable to enter Canaan. This is the importance of action. Our problem is that our knowledge increase more and more, but our actions do not. As a result Christians have been called a half-hearted people, people who only talk but fail to act. We must take action. Taking the first step of faith is very important. Are you willing to take the first step of faith? However, this path is not easy, because:
1. This is a path that has not been taken before.
It is not easy to take a path one has never taken before, thus, without faith, one cannot step out on it.
2. This is a seemingly impossible path
We do not enjoy the abundance of God because we are afraid of failure. We dare not step out in faith. A person who fears failure will never succeed. Some people need us to help them, to push them, so that they will be able to make the first step. Do you want others to push you? Or are you willing to bravely take the first step into life?
In the recent ten years, society, business, and even the church often use the term `paradigm shift’. What is paradigm shift? It is the way you are used to thinking and doing things. Swiss watches in the 1950 dominated more than 65% of the world market. But in 1980, Japan became the king of watch makers in the world, because Japan came out with the quartz watch. But the quartz watch was not invented by the Japanese. It was a Swiss who invented it. However, when he showed the quartz watch to Swiss watch- makers, they rejected it. They reasoned that it was not a watch at all; for them, a traditional watch is not like that, they criticized that it didn’t even have a wheel in it, so they rejected it. In the end, Japan took it and grabbed away the watch market and the Swiss watch industry collapsed.
To take the first step of faith, we must make a paradigm shift, or else we will forever be stuck in the same place. We will never make any progress. Yes, you may never meet any difficulties and obstacles, but your life will be very boring. And when you are 80, you will regret why you never took the step when you were young. I do not want to regret how I lived my life, because I only have one life. There is no take two with this life! How about you?