Cross Your Jordan River! (Joshua 3:1-17) 2/15/2014
Introduction:
- At the other day, I had explained that the reality of crossing of Jordan river is the self-denial and cross bearing in our lives. So we have to caution ourselves for sinful desire. In this time we treat the reality of Jordan river in the redemptive symbolism, crossing of Jordan river. What do you think of it? I think that the Jordan river means the symbols of devil, death and sin in the light of redemptive history, the stream of our salvation. When we meditate this event we should see the reality of the symbolism for the abundant grace of our salvation that Good provide in Christ.
First, we had crossed the stream of sins, evil and conviction, the main cause of our condemnation.
It means that our every sin had been cleaned by the merit of Christ, our savior. So we claim wonderful promise as Apostle Paul did in Roman chapter 8: 31-37 says “31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.j35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Rom 3: 21-22 says “21But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. “ If we confessed that I believe in the fact(Christ’s merit) and confess that Jesus, my Lord, already we are saved out of miserable sin, evil and conviction.(IJohn1:9) Just like Israel crossed the Jordan river, we had crossed the stream of our sins by faith. We have the eternal life, we had been moved to the life out of the dead and also we shall not be condemned.(Jn5:24)
Ex: Buddhism teach that the sins is like the full river stream, the big mount and the much sand mount. But they claim that the good behavior of a man can cross across the sin stream. So they exhort that the salvation shall come out of the merit of human. What do you think of it? Actually the teaching reveals in any religions, Confucius, Hinduism, Moslem and Natural Spiritism except the Scripture. However, the Scripture reveals that any merit of the man cannot clean, at least, only one sin in the his heart, in other word, he cannot calm down the still small voice of conscience. Actually do we clean up our sin in our lives by our merit? Absolutely we can do that. After the king David committed the sever adultery and murder in his life, he confessed that he was struggled by his sin in his awakening soul. “3For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.5Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.(Ps 51:3-6) He found the root of sins, and the depth of the sin and the power of the sin. Through the process he could find the only method of cleaning his sin. What is this? It is only the hyssop that points the merit of Christ, the tool to apply his merit to the heart. It means the merit of Christ. 7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
(Ps51:7)
Do you believe in it?
One day, David confessed that “ blessed is the man who was covered his sin by the merit of Christ.”(Rom4:7-8) 7“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered; 8blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
True repentance makes us to approach at the place. Did you cross the stream of sin in your life? Did you repent your sins before God? When did you confess your sins recently? Again we have to cross the Jordan river of sins by faith, “ if we confess our sins we…” through the process we shall be changed into the image of God, righteousness, mercy and faithfulness.
Actually we receive the wonderful grace of Holy Spirit from the heaven as the Elisha did in the Jordan River. He needed the process in his calling. He passionately seek the grace of the double inspiration of Elijah’s spirit. “What do you want ? he confessed the double of the Spirit ( the power of Holy Spirit). It is very difficult to take in his life. Before his teacher was passed away he cannot receive it. But he did not give up his demand to God. the scripture did not mention to him about the fact that he received the double gift. It is in science. But the revelation used the symbolism to make us understood it. He crossed Jordan river by dividing the stream by hitting with the garment of his teacher. Then before his action he broke out his clothes . Their friends saw that action and understood that Elisha received the double spirit in his life. This is our ministry. We have to cross the stream of our sins stream by faith moment by moment.
Our school is a seminary. The seminary is the garden of prophets that the man of God who have God’s calling should be broken their external sinful cloth by repentance and faith. In other words we have to change our life in the process of our training course. We are very shameful to listen to treat the miserable issue, the relationship between the male and the female. We have to cross the Jordan river. Jesus died on the cross to give the wonderful cleaning to us.
Second, we have to cross the dead stream of Jordan river. Jordan river points the physical death and spiritual death and the eternal death. It is very wonderful thing to die us on the cross in order to solve this death. Look at the man of God, Paul. He proclaimed” where is the poison of death?” The death can overcome our Christian life in the earth. So we are the strongest person in the earth. This is our privilege. Already we crossed over the Jordan river by faith.
Actually we meet many death in our situation in heart, in family in relationship and in the ministry. Then we have to apply the power to them.
As the Lord commanded to the Nazaro “ come out of there!” we should command to the dead things in order to establish the Word of God. Although we meet the dead situation we challenge to them because God prepared everything for us. So Christian can live activating life in his life. We have to assure that we crossed the Jordan river by resurrection of Christ out of death, because we were died with Christ and resurrected with Christ. And also we have living hope in Christ Jesus because the living stream came out of our heart by the works of Holy Spirit.
Ex: Ezekiel 37: reveals the flowing stream in the church. Where does it flow out of to the temple? The living water came out of the bottom of flow of the temple. And flow to the outside of temple and the sea of the death. Then the event of the life happened in the dead body, the dry tree had the renewal in Christ Jesus.
When we serve the church humbly, we can find wonderful life in our heart. The Acts reveals the revival that the work of revival was happened out of the dead situation, suffering, trouble, persecution and struggles in the church. The work was depended on the resurrected power of Jesus Christ. although the primitive church fall down into the miserable state the work of resurrected grace was happened in the world. This is the reality of crossing the Jordan river. At our last day before God we have to cross the Jordan river boldly to enter to the heaven. Then we should walk across on the water by faith because our Joshua, Jesus Christ, opened in the water of absolute death to make us resurrected into the eternal life.
We belive in it.
Third, we overcome the power of Satan and the authority of hades.
- Another meaning of crossing of Jordan river is to conquers Satan and his power. It is very wonderful thing to reveal the important truth by using the Symbolism mode. Crossing Jordan river reveal to cleans all sins and to overcome all temptation, lastly it means to overcome the power of Satan and authority of hades.
What does the red sea mean? Although the red sea is real, we can understand the reality in the light of the Apostolic interpretation. According to I Corinthian 10: 1-2 the red sea points devil, death and sin, as the deep state in the first vision of Zechariah. (1:8) So we should observe the crossing of red sea in Israel’s history in order to understand the wonderful redemption. So we claim that it teaches the one side meaning of our salvation, that is, the state before the salvation, curse and sins. From where were we saved? It was the most wicked state. In the most miserable state we are saved.
So when we fall down into miserable state we can have the wonderful hope because already we were saved out of absolute curse. What is your destruction state in your life? Although your mind claims that I cannot do all things, you should see the original revelation. The cross of Jesus Christ can do that. Actually the crossing event of red sea and Jordan river teaches wonderful salvation. Do you believe in it?
Ex. Look at a paralyzed person who was fallen into the very miserable state. It is like the state of darkness, Satan, curse, punishment, sin and hell. When they approached to the Lord with passion and humility. Their Jordan river, their struggling things disappeared by the Christ ‘s proclamation of remission. Immediately he was healed by the grace of God.
When we meet some struggles about our present lives, we should remember his victory that removed all sins by his merit and also applied it to that issue.
By faith our present troubles have been disappeared as we accept it to our present life. Do you believe in it?
In the school life we have to learn the many subjects, but more important thing is to learn crossing of Jordan river by true repentance and true faith in front of God. Assure that you already overcome every sins, every absolute death and also every temptation of Satan.
Among them we stress to overcome the temptation that loses the holiness and purity. So Paul exhorted to Timothy, “ escape the desire of youth season.” “ I order to overcome the stimulated sins we have to devote ourselves to the studying the Word of God. How can we overcome the several desire? It is to enjoy the truth word of God.
Conclusion:
I saw that many Cambodian enjoy the gamble in the village. I understood such pleasure of their situation. Continually if they enjoy such thing finally they shall be perishable. They should cross the cross the Jordan river of pleasure in his life. If they return to Christ Jesus the Bible they can overcome the pleasure to taste the wonderful rejoices in his heart. It is the joy that the world cannot provide to them it is the unspeakable joy. If they experienced the grace he can live living hope, spiritual richness and also the resurrected power in Christ Jesus.
May the power of grace be with you all to cross the Jordan river of sin, death and Satan.
Let’s pray.