How to get past your Jordan

Welcome to this week's message from the Church at Chelsea Westover.

Our core values are vibrant worship, intimate fellowship, fulfilling service, and clear biblical truth.

We pray that this message changes your life.

Let's tune in to today's message and see what God has in store for you.

Because today's going to be an exciting message as we cross the Jordan.

I have had an exciting time studying the book of Joshua.

I've always preached Joshua chapter 1, verse 8, but that's about as far as I've ever gone preaching it.

Joshua 1:8

Because that's really the foundational chapter of the whole book.

But it has been so rich.

Now, tonight at 6 o'clock, be praying for your pastor because I'm going to be, if I can pronounce it correctly, I'm going to be at Mount Hizbaba.

Is that right?

Heps.

Oh, like Heps.

Okay.

Hepsbah.

Hepsibah.

I got it.

Hepsibah.

Help me buh.

No, Hepsibah.

Anyway, there is a church that we've got, there's 19 churches coming together starting tonight from Sunday night through Wednesday night in Macaulay.

The region there, kind of like our, you know, our DOM group.

So it's going to be 19 churches doing their fall revival coming together.

And there'll be four different preachers, but I am kicking it off for them tonight.

And I'm excited about that.

I'm going to be preaching out of Nehemiah chapter 8.

Nehemiah 8 · chapter mention

The five ingredients you must have for God to show up in revival.

And uh it's going to be, it's going to be good.

It's going to be good.

So be praying for your pastor at 6 o'clock tonight.

Joshua chapter 3.

Joshua 3 · chapter mention

Joshua chapter 3.

Joshua 3 · chapter mention

The title of the message this morning, How to Get Past Your Jordan.

How to get past your Jordan.

Let me explain that.

First of all, if you are ever going to experience what God has promised you, you've got to learn how to get past your Jordan.

Every one of us has Jordans in our lives.

Because the Jordan is a symbolic symbol of major trials and temptations in our lives.

They're there.

And if you don't think they're there, well, you're not living.

But most of us sitting here already know that.

We've all already, everybody in here has gone through a major trial or a major temptation or a major tragedy in your life.

I know that to be a fact because that's life.

But in this context today, those temptations, those trials, those circumstances, those situations that try to stop you from inheriting what God has promised you are real in our life.

Satan has one plan.

He's come to kill, steal.

And how does he do that?

He does that by not.

Let me put it this way.

Once you get saved, he can't take you to hell anymore.

Can I get an amen?

I believe in eternal security because my God's an eternal God.

Amen.

So, so if you really get saved, you got it.

Okay?

So once he can't take you to hell, he's going to do the next best thing.

He's going to prevent you from experiencing the abundant life.

Because in that same verse in John 10, 10, God says, I've come to give you life and give it more abundantly.

But Satan says, But I've come to kill, steal, and destroy.

So these Jordan rivers that face us are for the purpose of defeating us, discouraging us, and keeping us for enjoying our promise of that abundant life.

Can I get an amen?

Now I promise you, that's the whole purpose.

It really is of the Jordan River, to stop you.

In fact, we see that the Israelites, ever since Abraham's promise from God that he was going to give you the Canaan land, the promised land.

He is going to give you the land for them to possess and to inherit.

That was hundreds of years before this actually took place.

And then we've studied 40 years they wandered in the wilderness.

They could have gone right on in 40 years prior to this, but they disobeyed God.

Again, Satan put up roadbot blocks.

Satan put up Jordan, Jordan rivers.

He called them giants.

Amen.

The giants in the land, the seven powerful countries in that region.

They were giants.

So, and guess what?

The people succumbed to that challenge, to that challenge of the giants, just as they're gonna, hey, now have the opportunity to either succumb or go over the Jordan.

So all through our life, Satan brings giants and Jordan rivers into our paths to keep us from inheriting what's already ours.

Can I get an amen?

We have the power of the Holy Spirit living in us so that we can experience dynamic power and dynamic life in Christ.

And we go around wandering in the wilderness or defeated Christians.

Why?

Because we've not learned how to cross our Jordans.

So today, we're gonna look.

And boy, we're gonna look.

We're gonna have to go quick.

You listen quick, I'll preach quick.

Because we got to cover two chapters.

But it's good.

It's good.

How to get past your Jordan.

Well, the first thing, and really the whole foundation and emphasis of these two chapters is hey, the necessary, long-awaited crossing of the Jordan River, and it's a picture of God's power, God's presence, and the people and Joshua and the preacher's faith.

What a picture here.

So let's look at it.

Number one, first of all, let's look at the problem.

There's always a problem.

Can I get a no-me?

There's always a problem.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you think you can get saved and you're not going to have any more problems, you have swallowed hook, line, and sinker, Satan's lie.

Because once you get saved, guess what?

Before you get saved, Satan's got you.

But once you get saved, hey, you think he's coming after you.

You just wait till you get saved and see what happens.

There's going to be problems after problems after problems.

So look at verse 1, chapter 3.

And Joshua rose early in the morning, and they removed from him, the Sateen, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.

And it came to pass after three days that the officers went through the host, and they commanded the people, saying, When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests and the priests, the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place your tent and go after it.

In other words, you're ready, you're ready to go over.

Actually, they're in groups, they've already broken camp, they're ready to cross the Jordan River.

Now listen, ladies and gentlemen, we're talking about two and a half to three million people.

Get the context, get the picture.

Two and a half, three million people.

Not counting, not counting all the stock, the livestock, the wagons, the camels.

I meant, can you?

We're talking about the size of Atlanta, Georgia.

That'll give you a real clear picture.

There's about three million people, I think.

Well, I think Atlanta's a little larger than that now.

Well, let's just make it simple.

We'll give it.

That's all of Birmingham and the surrounding counties, everybody here that lives here.

That's how many people's got across this river.

Do you get it now?

Can you imagine that?

It's unbelievable.

But they're organized, they're ready.

And I like what he says there.

They got up early.

If you're going to get anything done really, you got to learn to get up early.

You got to learn to get up early and go to bed late.

I'm sorry.

That's just the way it is if you're going to make something.

You got to.

That's the way it goes.

Especially if you want to keep God first.

Amen.

And you've got to get up early and put him first.

And notice, so they're getting ready to go over.

And remember what had just happened.

Joshua had sent the two spies in, the two spies last week, came back, gave them a glowing report.

So they're excited.

They know that Jericho is for their taking.

They're ready to go of the Jordan and take Jericho.

So here they go.

They're ready.

The Israelites have broken camp, marched up to the shores of the Jordan River.

But the Jordan River posed a serious critical problem.

Number one, the Jordan was a problem.

It stood as an obstacle, obstacle to the promised land.

The promised land represented a whole new era.

Their promise was about to take place.

It represented a whole new era of an abundant life that they not had.

In fact, it was a victorious life of conquest and triumph.

Listen to this.

I wrote this to me.

Of peace and rest, of fellowship and communion, of joy and rejoicing, security, protection, care, provision, abundance and fruitfulness, fulfillment and satisfaction.

Hey, a life of purpose, meaning, and significance.

I would say that's a pretty good life.

That's what the promised land represented for these people.

That's what, hey, our inheritance represents for us if we will follow the steps of what God asks us to do.

But there's got to be a problem.

There's got to be always a problem, the cross, before we can enter.

And here it is.

What were the people to do?

How could they get across the Jordan?

Well, it's pretty obvious.

The Jordan River stood as an obstacle, bearing a major barrier to the believers of their hope of that new life, that new land, and the promised land.

The Jordan River had to be crossed if people were going to claim the inheritance promised by God.

Now, I ask myself, what would God's people, you know, do?

What would they thinking?

Would God's people think?

Now, you got to remember, normally the Jordan River's a hundred feet wide, not real deep.

Now, we're talking about their crossing, and you see in verse 15, they're crossing at the height of the season, of the rainy season, with all the waters coming down off the major mountains right there.

Huge.

We're talking about it had grown from a hundred feet wide to one mile.

One mile.

The currents had increased to over 10.

The currents were about two to three, maybe one or two miles an hour, the currents.

A lot of the geological and scientific studies of the river when it was at its height that they've done over the years, they said possibly 10 to 15 miles an hour increase when it's a mile wide.

So we're talking about possibly 15 to 20 miles an hour currents going through the water.

That's enough to swipe you off your feet and kill you, especially kids.

I meant that meant once you stepped into that water, foom, you're gone.

You're gone.

So this isn't this is not just a we're talking about a mile wide.

And here they are.

They come up.

Here's what I asked.

Would God's people go back where it was safe?

Or by faith?

Would they seek a solution from God?

See, let me tell you what happens a lot of times when we come up against our Jordan.

Instead of, especially when it's massive.

I'm not talking about a little trial, I'm talking of a major trial.

Massive.

Here's what happens.

We look and we see the impossibility, which is correct.

It is definitely, it was impossible for them to cross that river Jordan apart from God.

No way.

No way.

And here's what happens.

So they stand there.

Here's what happens to a lot of people.

Once they see how how, or, or you get called to the ministry, let's put another good example.

And all of a sudden God says, I want you to be a missionary.

You say, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

I just wanted to get saved.

I didn't ask for this missionary stuff.

Or they want to call to be a pastor.

Whoa, that was me.

Wait a minute.

I didn't ask for this.

I want to be a coach.

I don't want to pastor.

Guess what?

Pastoring is coaching.

I've learned that.

But here we are.

So, so you got a major decision to make.

Either step in and do what God says, or you know what happens?

You go back to your old lifestyle.

You go back to your old lifestyle.

Remember what happened to Peter after he cursed God and they thought Jesus was dead?

What'd he do?

He went back fishing.

He went back to a secure place that he knew, that he felt safe in.

Here's the problem.

You may feel safe in your old life, but the problem is that's what you're going to keep getting, your old life.

You'll never experience the power of God, the abundant life.

You'll never get what God wants you to have.

You can only get that through faith.

So they go back.

Let me remind you, Psalm 46:1, God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble.

Psalms 46:1

Then here's another question I ask myself.

Would God's people trust him to provide a way to conquer the difficulty or question if God had the power to handle the problem?

Now, in their minds, they're thinking, wait a minute, uh no way.

How is two and a half million people fixing across the Jordan at its height and at the current?

There's no bridges, there's no boats.

What are we supposed to do?

Try to swim across the Jordan?

That's impossible.

Guess what?

That's what God wants.

He wants the impossible so that he can make it possible so that he gets all the glory.

Man couldn't do this.

Only God.

Only God will open the doors and part the seas when you step out on faith.

Amen.

So we see, here they are.

Let me remind you, I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.

Philippians 4.13.

Let me remind you, nothing, the Greek word for nothing is nothing, is impossible with God.

Luke 137.

Here's another question.

They had to be pondering.

Would they become victims of the circumstance?

Or by faith, would they become victorious circumstance?

Amen?

Thanks be unto God who always causes us to triumph in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15, 57.

And then here's another question.

Would they become conquered?

Would they be conquered by the trial?

Or by faith, would they become conquerors?

And remember what Jesus said in Romans 8.37?

What did he say?

He says that, hey, that we've been made more than conquerors through him that loves us.

In fact, I wrote this to myself.

This is worth writing down.

I know a God who specializes in overcoming the overwhelming.

Amen.

I know a God that specializes in overcoming the overwhelming.

Now that's my God.

That's why I don't worry about the election.

God's in control.

God's in control.

Amen.

But what we need to do is pray that God just takes over this whole process.

We need revival in our process of election.

We do.

Amen.

And right here, what does he say in Jeremiah 30, 33?

Call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which you know not.

So we see this.

We see there's a problem.

The Jordan's flooded.

Notice the second thing.

That's really that's verse 1, verses 2 through 13.

So great.

Great message.

Number two, the message of faith.

The only way to cross the Jordan River and enter the promised land is by faith.

That's the only way.

No other way.

Faith was and is the way to conquer our problems in life.

Can I get an amen?

No other way.

No other way.

But the only way to secure their inheritance of the promised land, their abundant life, is by faith.

Hebrews 11, 6, you know it.

Without what?

Faith, it is what?

Impossible to please God.

Amen?

You can't please God if you don't walk by faith.

Why?

Now watch, let's put it together.

Doesn't that make sense?

Because he wants you to experience the abundant life.

The only way you can experience that real abundant life is by walking by faith.

Because it's walking by faith that endues you with the power of God to overcome your obstacles and your circumstances and your Jordan rivers.

And your giants.

That's good.

So now watch.

Here's the message.

And it's good.

Five, hey, look at five different sets of instructions here.

I didn't listen, but just we're going to look at them.

Look at verse 3 and 4.

And they commanded the people, saying, When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place and go after it.

Verse 4.

Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about 2,000 cubics.

That's a half a mile by measure.

Come not near unto it that ye may know that the way by which ye must go, for ye have not passed this way before.

Woo! Wow, what instruction.

Here there was the instruction of the officers, the officers, the commanders of the army to the people.

And here's what they said.

Look, they instructed the people, look again.

To see the ark.

Three things you want to write this down.

God gave me this after I turned in the outline.

Hey, God gave, I mean, the officers gave them instructions, but there's three things here they really told them.

First of all, see the ark.

Number two, follow the ark.

And then number three, honor the ark.

That's what you say, honor.

Where does that come from?

Well, it comes from not getting close to it.

By the way, if you were to touch the ark, guess what?

You died.

But why?

Because the ark represented God's visible presence.

Even though he wasn't there in person, he was there through the, hey, ark of the covenant.

And in that ark, there was the uh Torah, the Word of God.

There was the manna, the showbread, which stood for the bread of life.

And there was Aaron's rod, which stood for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So we see God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

And the ark.

I wrote a book on that.

The rod of God.

The rod being the Holy Spirit.

Woo!

Yes.

So we got you got God, and by the way, the words God, the rod's the Holy Spirit, and uh the bread is Jesus.

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.

That's what God taught me years ago.

That's good stuff, folks.

So there we have God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit pictured in the Ark of the Covenant.

And he said, follow it.

First of all, it says, see it.

In other words, first of all, you've got to, hey, you've got to see God before you can follow God.

And that means a personal relationship with God.

Then once you have a personal relationship with God, you've got to follow God.

You've got to walk in his steps.

Isn't that what 1 John says?

As he is, so are you.

Follow his steps.

So then you got to honor him.

You got to honor him in your temple.

Honor him in everything that you do.

Regardless of what it is.

Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, you do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10 31.

Amen.

I will that's a good place to say that's good, preacher.

So, but notice the second group of instructions.

Verse 5.

Now there were the instructions of Joshua to the people.

Look at what he said.

And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.

Woo! Glory.

He says, if you want to see the power of God, the wonders of God, the mirrors of God, you got to be a sanctified people.

And that means setting yourself apart for God's use.

That means you're a chosen generation, a holy priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people that should set forth God's plan and God's purpose and God's calling on your life.

1 Peter 2 9.

Amen.

In other words, you got to be holy, folks.

You can't say you're a Christian, go out here and live like the devil.

You can't do that.

Not if you want the power of God.

Now you can do that and stay on the other side of the Jordan where it's safe and wander in the wilderness, but you'll never experience all that God has for you.

I don't know about you, but the older I'm getting, the more of him I want.

I don't want to miss out anything.

I want to fulfill my purpose on this earth before I go to be with him.

Amen.

Just like David's dad, I really believe your dad had fulfilled his purpose.

There was a joy of the Lord on that man.

Hey, let me tell you, when the joy of the Lord's all over, it's obvious.

You, I got the joy of the Lord.

Oh, my back hurts.

Oh, this hurts.

Oh, do you know?

Oh, give me a break.

Give me a break, folks.

You can't be a griping, complaining, carnal Christian and think you're gonna have the joy of the Lord.

You can't be a Christian wandering in the wilderness and think you're gonna have the joy of the Lord.

Why?

Because Nehemiah chapter 18 says, For the joy of the Lord is my strength.

The joy.

Those things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full.

John 15, 11.

Don't give me that stuff.

No way.

But notice what he told them.

He says, Hey, Joshua ordered the people, hey, clean up your act.

Can I get an amen?

Let us purify ourselves, cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Clean up your act.

Can I get an amen?

Change.

If, by the way, you say, well, I can't quit this.

And I, yes, you can.

If you're saved, you can't.

Now, if you're not, you know what?

When people tell me that, well, I just can't.

You know what I ask them?

I said, Are you really saved?

Because nothing's impossible with God.

And if the Holy Spirit's living in you, hey, I've got the power living in me to resist donuts.

I do.

But I was tempted yesterday by a gorgeous redhead with a bag of two daylight donuts.

And I had a choice to resist it or offend my wife.

And last thing I wanted to do was to offend my wife.

So I said, Well, Lord, that just means I can't eat supper tonight.

I'll eat two donuts.

So I chose to eat the two donuts.

That just means I have to work out an extra hour this week.

But really, we have the power to overcome anything.

Nothing's impossible with God.

Hey, the power of God's in us through the power of the person of the Holy Spirit of God, we can overcome it.

But you said, well, why can't I?

Because the flesh is very strong.

And the, hey, let me tell you, you got two types of natures in you.

You got the sin nature and you got the divine nature.

Okay?

And whichever one of those you feed the most is the one that's going to dominate you.

If you've got a lot of word in you, you can deny that donut.

If you don't have any word in you that day, you're going to eat the whole dozen.

Hello.

Amen.

Oh, and I forgot my missions director calls me and says, Oh, they got free coffee and free hot nail at uh Krispy Kreme.

Everybody's helping me, helping me.

But but now watch.

The instructions is very clear to the people.

Clean up your act.

Look at the third instruction, verse 6.

These were the instructions of Joshua to the priests.

Look at what he tells the preachers.

And Joshua spake unto the priest, the preachers saying, Take up the ark of the covenant and pass over before the people.

And they took the ark of the covenant and went before the people.

Powerful statement here.

The preachers are to be the examples, hey, for the people.

Can I get an amen?

Preachers today ought to set the example for their people.

They got to be real.

They got to be transparent.

Not perfect.

Now we're not perfect.

Lord help me, we're not perfect.

We have feet of clay just like anybody else.

But there ought to be a standard in a pastor that's pretty high.

Can I get an amen?

It ought to be a godly standard.

And it ought to be evident.

People ought to know when, hey, hey, that that people don't cuss in front of me at the Y.

If they do, I'll say something.

But I've not only I've only had to do that two or three times.

Why?

They appreciate my stand and who I am.

And uh and now, and I think you've heard me say this, but it's kind of sweet.

And I'm not saying that because I'm a pastor, no, but because I'm a I'm an ambassador of Christ.

I'm representing, forget me, I'm an ambassador of Christ.

Amen.

It's not Danny Lovett, I'm an ambassador of Christ.

When I say I'm Pastor Danny, you know, a lot of people, I've had preachers say, well, I don't want people to know I'm a pastor.

I said, why do they not want to be people to want them to know they're pastors?

Something must be going on they don't want to know.

Hello.

I mean, that's like saying in the Bible that the priest didn't want anybody to know that they were priests.

Give me a break.

The priests were they were the they were honored by the people because of their walk with God.

They represented God.

They were ambassadors of God.

There is a direct correlation of a pastor minister to be an example, ambassador for God, and it ought to be upheld.

Amen.

It ought to be upheld.

And so we see that right here, the instructions.

The Joshua's reading.

Notice the next instruction, verse 7 and 8.

There were the instructions of God to Joshua.

Listen to what God now tells Joshua.

And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all the Israel, that they may know that I was with Moses, so I will be with thee, and thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When you are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.

Whoa! Whoa! Now he's saying, Okay, here's God's instructions to Joshua.

He's saying, Hey, now just as I was with Moses, I am with you.

Now you command the priest to take the ark and walk into the Jordan.

What a responsibility! Now you've got to be thinking, this young man, he was a real young when Moses parted the Red Sea, but he was there.

Now he's got that responsibility.

Do you realize if his faith not, if he wasn't believing God, if those priests would have stepped into that water with that ark, they'd have been gone in the ark too.

Do you understand the magnitude?

That'd be like me telling you, all right, here's a big deep river.

Okay, uh I'll use uh clay and our our our our counsel.

All right, they're the priest, and they got the ark, and I'm gonna say, all right, boys.

Hey, step into the water.

And then I know what they're thinking.

Why aren't you stepping with us?

Well, I'm just doing what God told me.

Yeah, I bet you are.

But you know, and and I believe Joshua would have led from the front if God, if God hadn't told him to tell the priest to go first.

But let me tell you why, Joshua, I asked that question, Lanny.

Let me tell you why.

I because I know Joshua, he's the general, he's the one that's been leading the battle.

He wanted to be front.

But you know why?

Because if Joshua had gone front, hey, before uh before the priest and the ark, it'd have been a man instead of God leading the way.

Woo! Is that not good?

He said, No, I want God to lead the way, not man.

That's why Joshua didn't go first.

Because God said, Hey, you tell them, I'm lit.

Woo!

I'm gonna lead the way.

I'm going.

And then y'all follow me.

Now that's good.

That's good.

Let me tell you, I tell you all the time, if we just would, if we won't mess this thing up, God's got a great plan here at CCW.

If we'll just let Him lead us.

Amen.

Yeah.

We needed some dirt, topsoil, so we could plant.

There's a difference.

I don't know what it is, but there's a difference.

To me, dirt's dirt.

You either got brown dirt, white dirt, red dirt, but it's dirt.

But there is a big difference.

After I talked to Jeremy, who plants seed, and he's over, he's all, you know, they know all this.

That's why I don't mess with it.

So we, I just told Jeremy, man, let's go throw some seed out there and plant some grass so we can get the soccer field and uh football, all the stuff we want to do.

We gotta, I'm tired of looking at dirt.

I'm gonna get some topsoil.

Well, I hadn't been looking at topsoil, been looking at regular dirt.

So Jeremy said, Matt said, they all stop me.

I get Jeremy, yeah.

Well, it's time to plan.

I said, good.

I go tell the guys, they said, we can't do that yet.

I don't like the word can't.

Don't tell me can't.

Anybody can't.

Wait, I know, but I don't like that either.

Can't, can't.

I said, why can't we?

So we don't have any topsoil.

I already told Jeremy, let's go, man.

Let's plant some.

I said, okay.

I'm trying to be nice.

I said, well, guess what?

God's got to give us some topsoil because we're gonna plant that seed.

Let's go.

So Darren and I said, Darren, we gotta have yes, let's pray.

I'll I'll make some kind.

How many, how that, how many dump?

Hey, the next week, 35 truckloads of topsoil.

Woo-hoo! Give God a hand.

Amen.

Hey, we're talking about big dump truckloads, big mouths of topsoil.

Ha ha! Praise God now.

Spread the seed.

Amen?

Amen?

But you're right.

You gotta be still.

And it's everything, you gotta be prepared.

It's gotta be in order.

And we see that here.

We see that.

But thank God.

Hey, you'll never have to worry about me sitting back.

Hey, I'd rather say, ho, instead of go, go, go.

I'd lots rather, hey, pull a rein on a horse wanting to go than having to kick him in the rear to get him to go.

That sounded pretty good.

In other words, I think I've told you, it's a lot easier to cool down a fanatic than it is to raise the dead.

Amen.

Hallelujah.

Somebody told me, what are you gonna do if they get out of hand?

I said, I'm not worried about that.

Especially with baptism, just the tall.

All right.

Number five, look at the last thing.

Hey, there were the instructions.

You wait tonight.

They'll watch me get loose tonight, and they'll be looking at me like a new calf looking at a fence post.

I'm serious.

He's been with me.

This revival where I just came back, the first couple of nights, they didn't know what I was.

But anyway, that's okay.

I am who God sent me.

I am who God made me.

And I'm not changing.

Now watch.

There were the instructions of Joshua to the people, verses 9 through 13.

Joshua explained the purpose of God's miracle, verse 10 to them.

Notice what he said.

First, the miracle would prove that God is a living God.

Can I get an amen?

Secondly, secondly, the miracle would prove that God was always, hey, there to give them power to defeat their enemies.

Can I get an amen?

In other words, he said, God's always there with you, and God's going to give you the power always to defeat your enemies.

Can I get an amen?

That means, ladies and gentlemen, we're without excuse.

If we're saved, we've got the power to defeat Satan.

Greater is he, say it with me.

Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.

And then, look at what he said.

Verse 11.

That's verse 10.

Then verse 11, Joshua declared the assurance of God.

The ark of God's presence would lead the way through the raging currents of the Jordan River.

Why?

He said, God's never gonna leave you and never gonna forsake you.

Is that not good, folks?

That right there is worth an amen.

Never gonna leave you or forsake you.

Never.

And then third thing, Joshua explained the miracle.

He said, as soon as, because see, everybody's that this is good.

Hey, hey, everybody's asking, who I'm they're praying.

Why?

Hmm, we're fixing to step into that mile of water moving 20 miles an hour.

We're fixing to step into the water, go down a little bit deeper.

Hey, hey, hey, we're fixing to get into the water, and my soul, how are we going to cross that water?

That's not a two and a half million soul that wasn't thinking that.

They're looking for their leader to give them the answer.

The leader says, here's what's gonna happen.

When the ark of God, God's presence, God's power, held up by the priest of God, step, whoo! I wish I could sing that song, step into the water.

Go down a little bit deeper.

But the time they stepped into the water, I know I'm crazy.

I can't help it out.

Hey, I'm up here having preaching to myself, having a ball.

Hey, y'all can join me if you want to.

Amen.

But hey, as they stepped into the water, Joshua says, the water's gonna part.

Now, Joshua understood that.

He had seen the Red Sea part.

So this was not something new to Joshua.

Now, what was new, it was him doing the command.

But he remembered.

Oh, he remembered when he stood there before the Red Sea with an Egyptian army coming down on the back to destroy him.

When Moses in Numbers 14, verses 11 through 14 turned and said, If y'all will quit griping and quit complaining and stand still, you will see the power of God.

Numbers 14:11–14

And he raised the rod of God, and the Red Sea parted.

Woo! So there he comes.

He says, So start walking.

Man, that's instruction.

God loves us, God cares for us, and God wants the part, hey, the waters of our troubles.

Can I get an amen?

Oh, we gotta trust him.

We gotta believe in him.

Oh that's it.

1 John 5, 4, 5.

Listen, for whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world, this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Oh, man, that's good.

So let's look at the third thing.

Is that good or is that good?

Number three.

Now we get to the message of faith.

There's the walk of faith.

Now in verses, hey, hey, verses we saw the message of faith, verses two through third.

Now verses 14 through 17, we see the walk of faith.

Look, look at what happens.

The people crossed over the Jordan River because they obeyed God and walked forth into the water.

Look at verse 14.

Don't you miss this?

This is powerful.

And it came to pass when the people removed from their tents to pass over Jordan, and the priest bearing the ark of the covenant before the people.

Hey, boom! They took off.

Let's go.

Boom.

Right behind the right behind the priest, right behind the pastor.

They following him.

And that's good.

Oh, notice second thing.

Verse 15-60.

The people crossed, hey, they obeyed God, walked forth into the water.

Then notice second thing.

The people crossed over the Jordan because of the mighty power of God.

Look at verse 15-16.

Are you ready?

And as they that bear the ark were coming to Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bear the ark were dipped, I told you into the y'all thought my song was just made up, were dipped into the brim of the water, for Jordan overfloweth all her banks, Milewai, at the time of harvest.

And the waters which hey came down from above all the mountains stood and rose up upon a heap very far from the city.

Adam, that is beside Zaratan, and those that came down toward the sea of the plains, even the Salt Sea, that's the uh Red Sea.

And and uh, no, I'm not the Red Sea, the Dead Sea, I'm sorry.

And failed and were cut off, and the people passed over right against Jericho.

Eighteen miles to the city of Zaratan.

In other words, it backed the wall eighteen miles.

Woo!

Can you believe that?

You gotta remember all of Birmingham's gotta walk through.

Good grief.

What a sight.

Can you imagine?

Can you imagine?

And then verse 16.

That the waters which came down stood again, but now, and then verse uh well, because they believed in the power of God, their faith in God's power was proven by what they did.

And then verse 17.

The people crossed over the Jordan because the priest or the pastors or ministers of God believed in the power of God.

And the priests that bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites on dry ground until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.

Now, this is unbelievable.

Can you imagine it's one thing to have to step into the water?

But now that it parts 18 miles in both directions that way, that's a now you understand why people could cross pretty quickly.

I mean, we're not talking about uh uh 280.

I meant 280 is sad anyway, but we're not talking about 280.

We're and we're not talking about 459.

We're talking about, hey, are you ready?

It split 18 miles.

I mean, you can get a lot of people.

In fact, some of the people said there was about 3,000 people going across every minute.

They tried to figure it out.

Now I don't know.

I'm just telling you the research I read.

3,000 people a minute.

But here's a miracle.

Here's a miracle.

The priest, once they stepped into the water, not only did the water part, but it dried the wet bottom immediately.

I mean, just think a minute.

How in the world could their cattle, how in the world could their wagons get across in the mud?

In fact, how would the the priest could not even have carried the ark across?

They would have bogged down.

But time they stepped, not only did God pot the water, he dried to the bottom of the river.

Is that not unbelievable, God?

Is that not God that it's awesome?

Boop! Now they're leading.

And then God says, you're gonna stay right here.

You're gonna stand in the middle of the river till everybody crosses.

I guarantee you, they've been Paul, they had to be going to the gym to hold that heart that long.

Hopefully there was more than four or six of them.

They're swapping it out.

Because it was a that it was an all-day affair, folks.

But now why were they standing in the middle?

Because remember, it's not them.

It's God.

God's standing right there.

I can see him holding the waters back with both hands, saying, I love you.

Keep going.

I love you.

Keep going.

Going.

I love you.

Keep going.

I love you.

Just believe in me.

Tell your children.

Tell your grandchildren.

Just keep walking.

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

Keep going.

Keep going.

No weapon shall be formed against you.

Isaiah 54, 17.

Unbelievable.

Unbelievable.

Now, talking about defining that we walk by faith and not by sight.

But watch this.

Look at the sight they were able to see after they walked with no sight.

Let me tell you what God taught me.

You walk by faith, not by sight.

But when you walk fervently, immediately, believingly, by faith, you'll see the evidence of God's power through miracles that you will see.

Is that not awesome?

Every place in the word I can show you that.

Well, quickly.

Chapter 4.

By the way, I don't want, I'm not going to read it, you know it.

But one of my favorite verses to that last whole section there was Romans 8, 35, 37 through who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation destroy us.

He goes through everything and he says, Nothing shall separate you from the love of God.

That's why we can know that, hey, we've been made more than conquerors through Christ who loves us.

Nothing.

So, the problem, chapter 3, verse 1 of the Jordan.

The message of faith, verses 2 through 12 in chapter 3.

The walk of faith, chapter 3, verses 14 through the end of the chapter.

Now we pick up number 4, there's the witness of faith, verses 1 through 9.

Great acts of faith stand as a strong witness to the Lord and his power.

And we see this here.

Verses 1 through 3.

God ordered Joshua to appoint 12 men, one from each tribe, because here's what he wanted.

He wanted, he ordered Joshua here to build a memorial as a witness to faith in him.

In other words, ladies and gentlemen, when God does an unbelievable miracle in your life because of your faith, he doesn't want you to forget it.

Can I get an amen?

And he said, we're going to build this memorial and we're going to use it as a teaching tool for your children, their children, and future children, future generations.

So God ordered Joshua to point 12 men, and he did.

These men were to carry the stones to the place where the Israelites were going to set up camp for the night.

They went and they got big stones.

They went to Gilgal.

That's where they were going to set up camp.

And they built a memorial.

And then look what else he said.

Joshua immediately obeyed the Lord, verses 4 through 5.

He called the 12 men who had earlier been appointed.

Hey, for this very purpose, he sent them out in the middle of the Jordan where the ark was being held.

And they again secured the 12 stones, presented the 12 tribes, and came back.

And then look, the purpose of the memorial, verses 6 through 7, was to be a witness to the power of God.

Hey, his presence and power.

When the children saw this memorial, they would ask what this memorial meant.

And then the leaders of the tribes would be able to tell them of the fantastic miracle that had just taken place in their presence.

They would be able to tell that for years to come, for years to come.

And then we see the men did just as Joshua commanded, verse 8.

And then verse 9, Joshua then gave a strong personal witness to God's presence and power.

And then he, after the men had taken the 12 men and built a memorial to God where they camped in Gilgal, now God told Joshua, now Joshua, you go back to the middle of the Jordan where we crossed over, where the priest held the ark all day long, exemplifying the power and presence of God.

And Joshua, now you build a memorial saying that this is where God parted the water and led the whole two and a half, three million people across safely.

And he did.

See, we have a tendency to forget God after our miracle.

In fact, I wrote three things down to me.

People have a tendency to forget God.

People have a tendency to fail God, and people have a tendency to forsake God.

Is that not true?

So we need memorials.

Guess what?

We have them.

Every time we take the Lord's Supper, which is coming up soon.

Christmas.

Thanksgiving.

Easter.

The day of your salvation, which that's what you go back and remember.

Lord's Supper is for this purpose, to remember what God's done.

Amen.

Every time you see a baptism service, it's a reminder of how good and great and powerful God is.

Amen.

We have our memorials and thank God for them to keep us from forgetting God, failing God, and forsaking God.

Oh, we do.

We do.

I wrote this to myself.

God does for the person what the person believes.

I want you to write that down.

God does for a person what a person believes.

God's not going to do anything greater for you than if you can't believe He can do it.

Now somebody, hey, we ought to see that.

Thank you, Paul.

That is good.

God does for a person what that person believes.

So you know what?

You're getting exactly as much as you believe.

That's what God taught me.

Danny Lovett's getting as much as I believe.

If I believe the impossible, I'm going to get the impossible.

How do you know that?

Remember what he said?

You can say to that mountain to go into the water.

Be removed from me.

I have to admit I don't have that faith yet.

But you know what I'm learning?

I have faith to get some topsoil, Jeremy.

I'm praying for a half million dollars.

God's going to give us half a million dollars so we can start that new building.

We've got to have half a million dollars.

You want to join in with me?

Join in with me.

Start praying.

I don't know how it's coming, don't know where it's coming.

It could be one person, it could be ten people, it could be a hundred people.

I don't know.

God's going to give us a million dollars somehow.

I'm believing and trusting God for a half a million dollars right now.

Soon.

I don't know what soon means.

But he knows.

I think he's just wanting to see how much we really trust him.

And we've trusted him a lot.

Everything we've done, we've believed him.

But now we got to go to a step where it's beyond us.

I mean, God's allowed us to be a part of this miracle so far.

But now it's time we gotta have, we gotta have some real divine intervention to do what God wants out on that land.

Amen.

I just I'm gonna trust God to do that.

Amen.

We're probably gonna circle it seven times, too.

That's coming.

I've been wanting to do that for a while.

Hey, hey, Jericho's circled it seven times.

We're gonna circle it, baby.

Well, it's coming, so just get ready.

Get your walking shoes on.

We're gonna circle it.

Yeah, blow the horn.

And then number five, there's the obedience of faith.

They believed.

They passed over.

Now watch.

Verse 10.

The priests and ministers had an obedient faith.

The people, verse 11, had an obedient faith.

Hey, the two and a half tribes on the east of Jordan tribes had an obedient faith.

The 40,000 best warriors led the way.

They went in first.

Remember the tribes that decided they wanted to stay on the very fertile side of the east side of the Jordan.

They didn't cross over, but Moses allowed them to do that.

If they would lead the way and help Joshua and the people take the promised land, he says, I'll let you have it.

But you gotta sign a covenant that you're gonna help us.

Oh, they didn't more than help.

They said, We'll go first.

Because they were some tough fighters.

40,000 led the way.

They said, We'll go take Jericho.

40,000.

And then Joshua had an obedient faith, verse 14 as the leader.

Joshua had to set the example.

We see that.

Oh, not everyone that saith unto the Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven.

He says, I want to see obedient faith.

Obedient faith.

Even so, faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

Here's what I get all the time, folks.

Really breaks my heart.

People tell me all the time they're saved.

It's almost, oh yeah, I'm saved.

Witness to a guy yesterday.

I had a very eventful day yesterday.

And all I'm gonna say is God put me in a position to witness to two.

First of all, He put me in a position to witness to a guy that I might as well tell them they're gonna because they'll come ask you.

We were riding my spider yesterday.

We went up to Moody to a car show and a big festival.

Car show.

You think I've done that, but anyway.

I dropped my key into my trunk in my little spider and the door closed.

That means I can't go anywhere.

I'm sitting still.

Did I not handle that quick?

Did I not do well?

I passed it.

But let me tell you how God worked.

I'm sitting there praying, okay.

I got one or two things here.

I can tear it up.

And I was thinking that.

I could do it.

And that's at least a thousand dollars.

Or I can be patient.

I think, Lord, there's a lesson for me to learn.

Here's what I prayed.

I don't want to fail this test.

I don't want to fail it.

People came by, Susan and I, and we Googled everything.

We thought we could do it.

And then we really do good.

We we there's a way they're supposed to be able to get in it, and there's a little hook there, and and it was white, and Susan found a little white, except the problem was it was the throttle uh throttle wires that went to the throttle.

So I I jerk it and break it.

So now I can't get in to the trunk and my throttle cable's broke.

I'm just seeing these dollars go up, up, up.

Anyway, this young man named Eddie came by and said, Can I help you?

I'm a mechanic.

He worked.

We took the pies trying to get in there.

And after we saw how the guy did it at Big South, I felt like an idiot.

Because he took a coat hanger and reached in there and unhooked it and pulled it right up.

I had a coat hanger, but I was jerking the wires.

Not real smart.

So don't ever don't believe everything Google tells you.

But anyway, so Eddie says, Hey, I got a car.

Let me go get the car, trailer.

I'll take you to Big South.

I said, Thank you.

I said, I'll pay you, I'll take care of you.

So I said, okay.

Lord wants me to witness to this guy.

This is why I'm here.

So we get in the truck and we, Susan and I talking and carrying on, and we get to Big South, they get the thing, say, Oh yeah, look at the wiring, no problem.

We handle it.

Take it 15 minutes, we'll have you fixed.

I'm saying, okay, yeah, thank you, Lord.

So about that time I said, Eddie, gas station's right here.

Pull over.

I want to fill up your car and give you some money.

Well, first of all, I was just filling up his truck.

Went over, filled his truck.

Then while I'm getting out, and I see this young black couple, and I could tell they had already asked two or three times for somebody to help them.

Had no money, empty, two kids.

And he went up to, and I saw I just walked over there.

The Lord already said, go help those folks.

Because remember, I'm on a mission.

I have got all this has happened to me.

It's not, I I got one or two options.

I can try to figure out what God wanted this.

I know it.

Now I know what you're thinking.

Well, why it happened to you?

It's because of your stupidity.

You dropped the key.

That's right, Sister Fluffy Head.

That's exactly what I did.

Deacon Potato Head, I dropped the key in the thing.

I did, and then closed it like an idiot.

You're right.

But now that I've been an idiot, God's got a mission for this idiot, and I don't want to miss it.

Amen.

Two wrongs don't help me.

So I went over, and this young man named Eric said, Can you help me?

I said, I'm sent here to help you.

He looked at me.

And I know what he's thinking.

A white man is sent here to help me?

Because he he'd ask a couple of people.

He'd ask a black person and a white person when I'm standing there while I'm filling up the truck watching.

And neither one of them was gonna help him.

So I walk over there and I say, God sent me to help you.

He said, I don't have any money.

We need to get here.

We're on empty.

I said, Done.

I'm filling your car up.

God told me.

Now, Eric, let me ask you, do you know the Lord?

He said, Yes, sir, I do.

I said, Are you faithful?

Not as much as I should be.

About that time his wife got out and she's shouting, Amen, amen.

I said, Well, God told me.

And I asked her, her name was uh Jane.

I said, Jane, what do you know the Lord?

She says, I do.

I do.

I said, Are you faithful?

Not as when when they tell you not as much as they want to be, that's let me tell you what that means.

They're not faithful.

But but I said, Well, God told me to help you so that you, hey, it's not me.

I'm an ambassador of Christ, and he wants you to get faithful.

You need to get home, get in here, church, and get faithful.

He said, Yes, sir, we will.

And he said, and I said, and by the way, he looked at me, I know what, and he said, we are to help each other, aren't we?

I said, Yeah, this black lives matter.

Hey, I said, it's not whether black lives matter.

All lives matter.

It's not a color.

We love you.

You love, we're brothers and sisters.

And you could see tears start coming down in his eyes.

And I said, God loves you, he loves me, and we're gonna spend together, we're gonna be together in heaven, all of us.

It's not red, yellow, black, and white.

They're all precious in his side.

And he hugged me and I hugged him.

And uh then I went back and pulled out my some money to give uh Eddie, and Eddie said, No, you've done enough to see what you just did.

But he's he's a caretaker for his aunt.

They watched Joel Osteen on Sunday morning.

They don't have a pastor.

And I gave him a card and I said, Well, I wrote my number, I said, I'll tell you what, you you need a pastor, you only need 40 minutes.

I'll come visit your aunt.

I'll be glad to.

Now, folks, that's what it means to walk by faith when God, when you have trouble, and that was a little Jordan for me.

It really was.

I know it was my Sister Fluffy and I got it.

I know that's my fault.

Okay?

But I didn't want to miss the opportunity God gave me.

Amen.

I didn't want to miss the opportunity.

Now you ready for this?

What would it cost a thousand dollars?

You know what?

The guy came back, here's the good part.

His name's Charlie.

I'm witnessing everybody.

I said, shoot if I'm gonna pay$1,000.

I'm gonna tell everybody here about Jesus.

Amen.

Man, I'm gonna get my money's worth.

Then Charlie comes back, Susan and I looking at uh talking to the salesman, and uh he said, Here, I said, Thank you, Charlie.

And Charlie was so good.

He was good on the phone.

I said, How much owe you?

I didn't care by then, it didn't matter.

He said, You don't owe me anything.

He said, just just tip the guy that fixed it for you.

20 bucks.

20 bucks to lose my key.

That's not bad.

I'll take those odds any day.

Can I get an amen?

Can I get an amen?

Amen.

But that's the way God works, folks.

That's no accident.

And I'm gonna close by just giving you the last two.

Number six, there is the result of faith.

Oh, God parted the water.

Faith in God bears fruit.

Can I get an amen?

Amen.

And then number seven, there was the purpose of faith.

And you know what that purpose was to teach us and the people and further generations the power of God to their children.

Can I get an amen?

And the second purpose was to teach the power of God to everyone.

Amen?

Amen.

What a lesson on faith.

Is that not good?

Let me ask you this morning.

You know, I didn't think about this until after it was all over.

God tested me yesterday just to see if I'm living what I'm preaching.

He tested me yesterday.

At the moment I'm going through it, I don't realize that kind of that kind of test.

But once I made up my mind, okay, God, teach me.

What do I need to learn in this?

Because nothing happens to you by accident.

I'm gonna help you.

Don't believe that.

Nothing happens to you by accident.

Amen.

Nothing.

Nothing.

Nothing.

Are you walking by faith today?

Some of you this close.

You know what you're this close to doing?

You're this close to walking out on God.

Because you feel like he's not doing enough.

Or he hasn't answered your prayers.

But let me go back.

Don't you miss what I'm about to tell you.

God answers where you are.

Your faith, the amount of your belief, hey, toward God is the results that you're gonna see from God.

That's powerful.

So here's the answer to that, to you and me.

How much am I walking by faith with God?

2 Corinthians 5, 7.

We walk by faith, not by sight.

How much of that faith?

How much how much time are you in this book?

How much time are you believing this book?

Living this book.

You're real close to walking out on God.

It's not God's fault.

It's nobody's fault.

Yeah, but it's so no, no, it's nobody's fault, but mine.

Mine.

It's up to me.

Susan can't do it for me.

I can't do it for Susan.

I have to do it for myself.

So how close are you?

How close are you?

Let me tell you.

You're this close.

You know how close you are to really seeing the power of God all over your life?

Let me tell you how close you are.

Right here.

Stepping into the water.

Stepping into the water.

That's how close you are.

That's close.

One step.

To really believe and trust God.

Thanks again for tuning into this week's message.

We pray that your life has been changed.

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We hope you have a wonderful day and again, God bless you.