Crossing Over Together — A New Year of Faith and Unity

I'm excited about this year, and that's what I'm going to speak about this morning,

because it is going to be, and I'm prophesying right now, it's going to be an

incredible year for all of us, for all of us.

And together, it's going to be an incredible year. We're a group of individuals

that are joined in Christ, and in that way, it is going to be an incredible year. Amen?

Okay. Now that I've said that, let's hear from the Word of God.

Because the title of my message this morning is this, Crossing Over Together.

I want to talk about when the Israelites crossed the River Jordan into the Promised Land.

All too often, we talk about how long they wandered in the wilderness.

And who knows, they wandered in the wilderness for far too long.

And that's what we sort of concentrate on a lot, the fact that,

you know, we wander in the wilderness.

But there was a time when they crossed over and they crossed over together.

And as we enter a new year, as we're in a new year now, that's what I want to

share with us, crossing over together. Let's get rid of Angela's.

Gear here. Thank you. Are you looking at more photos of your grandson there?

George is still sending them. Thanks, Vic. So there we go.

So let's read about when they crossed over the Jordan River.

Joshua 3 verses 1 to 5 says this, early the next morning, Joshua and all the

Joshua 3:1–5

Israelites left Acacia Grove and arrived at the banks of the Jordan River,

where they camped before crossing.

Three days later, the Israelite officers went through the camp,

giving these instructions to the people.

When you see the Levitical priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord

your God, move out from your positions and follow them.

Since you have never traveled this way before, they will guide you.

Stay about a mile, about half a mile behind them, keeping a clear distance between you and the ark.

Make sure you don't come any closer.

Then Joshua told the people, consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.

Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders,

great miracles, other translations say, among you. Now, before we rush forward...

Before we even start to declare things, before we start dreaming or planning,

I want us to pause for a second.

Because this is not just a new year.

I believe it's a family moment that we share together.

This is a new movement for us as a family. It's a family movement.

We've come through, I believe, a year that stretched many of us.

Who agrees with that? Amen.

Some of us, as a result of stretching last year, are stronger.

Some of us a little bit weary, a little bit tired.

Some of us are grateful. Who's grateful? Yep.

Some of us are still grieving, perhaps, for events that may have happened last year.

And the Lord says to you this morning, each and every one of us,

as individuals, but also as a family, the Lord says to you, I saw it all.

I've seen it all. I saw it all. And I'm still leading you forward.

Hallelujah. That's what God's declaring this morning. I see all of it,

and I'm still leading you forward.

God has brought us this far. Sorry, God has not brought us this far to abandon

us at the edge of the river. Amen?

So this is a crossover season, I believe. We're almost mid-January,

and I believe it's a crossover season.

Israel stood at the Jordan River, not alone, but together. They stood there together.

And this is important because God doesn't call us as individuals to cross over or to cross first.

He calls people, he calls a people to cross over together.

High life, this is a year. This year is not about isolated faith. Okay.

It's about corporate obedience, obedience as a church.

It's about walking in step together, and it's about choosing unity over independence.

Gone are the days where I'm going to do it all myself. No, no, let's do it together.

Let's do it together, not independently, but in unity.

I sense the Lord saying to us this morning, and these are all words that I've heard God declare.

I sense the Lord saying, what I'm doing among you cannot be done alone.

There is grace on this house, on this church, for deep community,

I believe, for spiritual maturity, for faithfulness in the ordinary.

Not a hype faith, but a steady faith. Faith in the ordinary.

This is not a flashy season. We've been through all of that now.

It's not the flashy season. It's a foundational season that we're entering into.

God is gentle with the wounded. God is gentle with the wounded.

It says, you know, some of you have stepped into this year still carrying pain

from last year, unanswered prayers, perhaps, disappointments, fatigue,

stepped into this year with fatigue, with illness, with injury,

something that needs to be healed.

Some of you and some of us have stepped into this season with those unanswered prayers.

And I'm here to say, and God is here to tell you this morning,

that God is not disappointed in you. He is near you.

He is near you. Psalm 34 verse 18 says, the Lord is close to the brokenhearted.

Psalms 34:18

He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

So this is a time of togetherness.

Seeking God and him saying to us, I am near you.

And not just him saying that, but us sensing it and feeling that he is close by and he is leading us.

And this is not a year of God demanding more from you either.

It's God walking with you into healing, into answered prayers,

and into your future. God walking with you.

You are not behind him. You are not forgotten.

You are not disqualified. You are walking with him.

And we are walking with him in this season, into this new year together.

Joshua said to the people at the end of that scripture that we read,

Joshua said to the people, consecrate yourselves.

And I hear that being spoken to us today. Consecrate yourselves.

What does consecrate yourselves mean?

It's not to shame the people. It's not to shame us. It's not to put pressure on us.

It's to prepare us. It's to prepare us. Consecration is not punishment. It's positioning.

Consecration is positioning. It's saying, God, you are first again.

God, you are first again. Cleanse, Lord, what needs cleansing.

Realign what's drifted out of alignment Heal what was hidden High life,

this is a year where the Lord is lovingly pruning us Not cutting you back But

clearing the way for fruit to come forth Clearing the way for fruit Let's continue

reading about the crossing of the Jordan River Joshua 3,

starting at verse 6 It says, in the morning,

Joshua said to the priests,

lift up the Ark of the Covenant and lead the people across the river.

And so they started out and went ahead of the people.

The Lord told Joshua, today I will begin to make you a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites.

They will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses.

Give this command to the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant.

When you reach the banks of the Jordan River, take a few steps into the river and stop there.

So Joshua told the Israelites, come and listen to what the Lord your God says.

Today you will know that the living God is among you.

He will surely drive out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites,

Gergazites, Amorites, Jebusites, and Vegemites.

Look at the Ark of the Covenant, which belongs to the Lord of the whole earth,

will lead you across the Jordan River.

Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe.

The priest will carry the Ark of the Lord, the Lord of all this earth, all the earth.

As soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream

and the river will stand up like a wall.

So the people left their camp to cross

the Jordan And the priests who were carrying the Ark

of the Covenant went ahead of them It was

the harvest season and the Jordan was overflowing its banks But as soon as the

feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark Touched the water and the river's

edge The water above that point began backing up a great distance away At a town called Adam Wow.

Which is near Zerathun and the water below that point flowed on to the Dead

Sea until the riverbed was dry.

Then all the people crossed over near the town of Jericho.

Meanwhile, the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Lord's Covenant stood

on the dry ground in the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by.

They waited until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan on dry ground.

So as we read there the jordan was in flood flood flood stage the banks were overflowing,

why choose then to cross the river you know

i was reading about it as well we all know the jordan river it's it's not a

not a big river it's it starts it starts very low down below sea level and it

finishes in the dead sea which is the lowest point below sea level after that

there's Nothing, everything finishes in the Dead Sea.

They probably could have walked a couple of miles further around and actually

gone around rather than crossing over the Jordan River. But it's prophetic what they did.

Because God did not lower the water first. He waited for obedience.

That's what he's calling from us this morning, obedience. And I sense the Spirit

saying, stop waiting for certainty before obedience.

Hello, hugger.

Stop waiting for certainty before obedience. Are they NRMA pants that you're

wearing there, Brad? Have you got them out there?

It's morning, 5 o'clock. He's our NRMA man now.

Who knows, when your car breaks down, Brad may come to the rescue.

He can physically fix your car and he can also pray for it, which is awesome.

Where was I? Stop waiting for certainty before obedience.

Some of you may be waiting for emotional clarity.

Some of you may be waiting for financial security.

Some of you may be waiting for a sign that feels safer. but faith is not the absence of fear.

It's obedience in the presence of it. Yeah.

This year, God is honoring small but faithful steps.

God's going first. God's going before us. We need to go with him.

The ark goes ahead of the people.

This is not reckless faith.

This is led faith. God is leading us.

High Life Church, you're not chasing God this year. You're following God this year.

He's already in your family. He's already in your future.

He's already in your ministry. He's already in your healing.

He's already in your calling. Walk with him. You are not walking into the unknown.

You know where you're walking? you're walking into the presence of God.

So as we step into 2026, walk into the presence of God together.

All right. Some prophetic declarations. Can you stand if you're able? I'd love you to stand.

And I want us to do some declaring together as we enter into 2026 together.

I want us to declare together so repeat these words after me if you agree we

will not carry last year into this year we will walk together and not alone

we will choose obedience over comfort.

We trust God with what we cannot control. That's a big one. That's a big one.

This house, declare this with me, this house will be marked by faithfulness.

The Lord goes before High Life Church.

I sense the Lord saying to us this morning, I am establishing something that will last.

Oh, wow.

That will last. I am established God is saying I am establishing something that

will last that's a good word for you Louisa I am establishing something that will last.

Lord, we consecrate this year to you. Gently, honestly, and fully,

we consecrate this year to you.

We bring our whole selves, our faith, our fears, our families, our future.

Lord, heal what is wounded.

Strengthen what is weak. Go before us this year, Lord God.

We trust you. We follow you. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Amen.

So tomorrow I'm declaring and God is declaring that the Lord will do amazing

things among you and he will do them together.

Okay. He will do them together for us, for us.

So as we come to the close of this service this morning, Josh, can you come up for me?

As we come towards the close of our service this morning, the Lord is inviting

us not to rush off. I know we're busy. I know I want to go and see my grandson.

I don't know if we're seeing him today, but I want to.

But God is saying, don't rush off, but respond.

Don't rush off, but respond. This new year has begun and God delights in meeting

his people clearly, calmly, and faithfully.

We're not striving today, we are simply saying, Lord, we are here. We are here.

If you feel the Spirit prompting you to say, God, I want to begin this year with you first.

If you want to offer this year to the Lord, your plans, your family,

your work, your heart, I invite you to come forward to the altar.

If you want to offer this year to the Lord, your plans, your family,

your work and your heart, I invite you to come forward to the altar.

It's not a heavy moment either. It's just a declaration. It's not a heavy moment, it's a hopeful moment.

Some of you some of us begin the year needing strength rather than answers,

if you're carrying tiredness grief disappointment or uncertainty from last year

jesus invites you to come i think you've all come anyway which is awesome i'm

going to go through this anyway,

because you can agree with me, you can agree with me.

You don't need to carry it alone into this new season. The altar is open for peace.

The altar is open for healing, healing.

This altar is open for renewal. This altar is open for encouragement.

For others, this is a year of gentle obedience, I believe.

You sense God calling you forward, not in a dramatic way, but in a faithful, steady way.

If you want prayer for wisdom, for clarity, for courage, for what lies ahead,

then come forward. Come forward.

We step forward with you today in Jesus

name amen high life church I believe the Lord is saying I'm establishing my

people in peace this will be a year of steady growth this will be a year of

deep roots this will be a year of faithful steps,

This will be a year of God's nearness, God being near to us.

We're not late. We're not forgotten because God is with us right now.

God is with us right now.

Receive him right now. As a church together, and I'm so glad you are all up

here, as a church together, Lord, we receive you.

We receive your presence in our lives as we move into 2026, Lord God.

Your presence will go before us. We won't chase your presence.

We will walk with your presence, Lord.

And we thank you for that, Lord, for every person who is at the front right

now, for this church, for people who are listening in right now,

who are probably saying, I wanna come to the altar too. Well, you are at the altar.

You are at the altar with us right now. And Jesus is with us.

God is here with us. Lord, I pray for each and every person, Lord,

that you would lead them in the way, that you would lead them in a gentle faith,

Lord God, you would lead them with prompting and encouragement,

Lord God, and that we would step together in that.

So, Lord, every person here, Lord, I pray for unity.

I pray for trust. I pray for love. I pray for forgiveness.

I pray for healing for those that need healing, Lord. Lord, I pray for maturity

for those who need maturity in Jesus.

Lord, I pray for the love of the Holy Spirit to fall upon each and every one

of us right now in Jesus' name.

And that, Lord, as we step into this new year together, that love would ooze

from us into others, Lord.

So, Lord, for every person here right now, every person listening in,

Lord Jesus, go with them.

Go with us as we step into this year together, Lord.

As we step in. So, may the Lord bless each and every one of you this morning.

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May he guide your steps and guard your heart in this year.

May this year be marked by his presence.

May this year be marked by his peace. May this year be marked in your life by his faithfulness.

In Jesus' name.

Amen. Amen. Hallelujah.

It's an exciting year. It's an exciting year to go together.

We're going to see some exciting stuff together.

We're going to see people set free. We're going to see people step forward.

We're going to see people make dramatic changes in Jesus, with Jesus.

Dramatic changes for a future that's going to set us apart.

Consecrating is being set apart. Set apart for God's service.

Who receives this this morning? Hallelujah. Amen.